County capsules POWER PLANT HEARING: The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has scheduled public hearings on the proposed Mirant power plant for 10 a.m. and 2 and 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, at the Elizabeth Inn and Conference Center. Mirant Portage County and American Transmission Company have applied for authority to construct a large electric power generating facility and associated high-voltage electric transmission and water facilities. Mirant is proposing to build the new natural gas-fueled, combined-cycle power plant with either 590 megawatts or 930 megawatts of capacity. Two alternate sites have been proposed along Highway 54 - a Hayes Avenue site and a Grant Avenue site. The Hayes Avenue site is a 54-acre parcel located in the town of Plover. The 32-acre Grant Avenue site has 29 acres in the town of Plover and three acres in the village of Plover. * * * SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE FORUM: The Stevens Point Parent Teacher Association is organizing and sponsoring a Stevens Point School Board Candidate Forum. It will be held at Ben Franklin Junior High in the auditorium on Monday, Feb. 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. All 13 candidates have been invited and all but one plan to attend. This is the only forum prior to the Tuesday, Feb. 19, primary, which will narrow the field to eight canidates. Childcare will be provided. Each candidate will get two minutes initially to introduce themselves, share their background and why they want to serve on the Stevens Point School Board. About three questions will be asked of each candidate with a minute for each candidate to respond and time will be provided for questions from the floor. Each candidate will get one minute to close with any remarks they want to share. Bill Hettler will be the moderator. * * * WOMEN'S FUND SETS NEW GOAL: The Women's Fund of Portage County has announced its new goal to grow its endowment to $200,000 by the end of 2002. Grant requests have exceeded the amount of money the Women's Fund has available to distribute. Its current endowment is more than $120,000. The extra $80,000 in the endowment would allow the Women's Fund to further its mission "To empower women philanthropists by creating opportunities to fund programs that will develop the full potential of women and children." In the past four years, the Women's Fund has allocated more than $24,000 in grant support to local organizations. Grants from the fund are awarded on an annual basis to qualified organizations and projects in Portage County that foster opportunities for economic, physical, emotional, social, artistic and personal growth of Portage County women and children of all ages, cultures, nationalities, races and abilities. This year the Women's Fund was able to grant $9,075 to deserving programs in the community. With a $200,000 endowment, the Women's Fund believes it could fund 75 percent of the requests it currently receives. The Women's Fund of Portage County is a field of interest fund of the Community Foundation of Portage County and a collaborative initiative between Saint Michael's Foundation, Stevens Point Area YMCA Foundation and Community Foundation of Portage County. For more information or to make a tax-deductible gift, contact the Community Foundation of Portage County at 342-4454. * * * 2002 VISITOR GUIDE AVAILABLE: The new Stevens Point Area 2002 Visitor Guide is now available at the Stevens Point Convention & Visitors Bureau. The guide promotes area attractions, lodging, recreation, dining, shopping, area services and places of worship. It includes the area map and an expanded calendar of events. The guide is available at the Convention & Visitors Bureau, 340 Division St. N., Stevens Point, and some area businesses. The Convention & Visitors Bureau has also launched a new Web address, www.stevenspointarea.com. The Web site is accessible through the Portage County Gazette Web page under "Local Links" and "General Local Links," which are in alphabetical order. * * * UNITED WAY ANNUAL MEETING SCHEDULED: The United Way of Portage County Board of Directors will hold its annual meeting at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, at Delta Dental Plan of Wisconsin, 2801 Hoover Ave., Stevens Point. This will be the first meeting for new board members. Chuck Quartana, chief executive officer of Rice Medical Center, is the 2002 board president. The public is welcome to attend. * * * GEORGE INSTALLED AS SCOUT PRESIDENT: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Chancellor Tom George, an Eagle Scout, was installed as president of the Samoset Council, Boy Scouts of America Wednesday at the council's Annual Meeting. Jim McIntyre, president and Chief Operating Officer of Wausau Insurance, delivered a "State of the Council" speech as his final act as the outgoing president of the council. McIntyre outlined the council's "Strategic Plan 2005" objectives, a blueprint for future development of the council's programs. As president of the council, George will be responsible for leading the board of directors in its oversight role. Wausau Police Chief Bill Brandimore has agreed to serve as council commissioner. In this role as the top uniformed Scout, he will be responsible for coordinating volunteers and various day-to-day duties of the council. Five individuals were recipients of the Silver Beaver Award, which is the highest level of recognition for the council's Scouting volunteers: Cathy Anderson, Chris Martin of Rosholt, Wayne Waldhart, Dick Judy of Stevens Point who was a past council president and Rick Radloff. Samoset Council serves 7,000 children, primarily boys in grades 1-12, in the counties of Iron, Lincoln, Langlade, Marathon, Oneida, Price, Vilas, Forest, Clark, Taylor, Shawano, Wood and Portage. * * * PESTICIDE APPLICATOR TRAINING: A "Pesticide Applicator Training" class will be held Friday, March 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Portage County Annex Building, 1462 Strongs Ave, Stevens Point. For information call the Portage County UW-Extension Office at 346-1316. * * * CUSTER POST OFFICE PARTICIPATES IN OBSERVANCES: The Custer Post Office is participating in National Consumer Protection Week Feb. 4-9 and hosting a National Customer Appreciation Day celebration on Thursday, Feb. 7. The post office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Consumer Advocate's Office, are partnering to educate consumers about deceptive mailings and provide them with the tools to recognize those mailings. The theme of National Consumer Protection Week is "Deceptive Mailings - Don't Be Duped" and draws attention to fraudulent schemes such as bogus employment opportunities, medical quackery, phony charitable solicitations, work-at-home schemes, prizes or sweepstakes and lotteries. Kim Klinger, Custer postmaster, said customers are invited to visit the Custer Post Office to observe Customer Appreciation Day, with its designated theme of "We're Celebrating YOU." * * * SHIBILSKI SETS OFFICE HOURS: State Sen. Kevin Shibilski, D-Stevens Point, will hold his first series of 2002 district office hours. All office hours are open to the public. Shibilski will be in conference room D of the County-City Building from 11 a.m. to noon, Monday, Feb. 18. Citizens who may need assistance with a state government matter or who wish to share their concerns or ask questions are encouraged to attend the office hours. * * * RURAL DEVELOPMENT'S ENGEL AWARDED: Sherry Engel, director of Multi-Family Housing Programs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development State Office in Stevens Point, has received the Harry L. Tomlinson Meritorious Achievement Award from the National Council for Affordable and Rural Housing. Engel has been employed with USDA Rural Development since 1974 and has served in numerous positions in the housing section until her promotion to Multi-Family Housing director in 1993. The National Council for Affordable and Rural Housing is comprised of representatives of both public and private organizations that support the development of affordable rural housing. Members include management companies, developers, builders, service organizations and state and federal housing authorities. * * * IZAAK WALTON LEAGUE MEETING: The Izaak Walton League general meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, at the clubhouse. Members and guests are welcome. Ray Schmidt of the Portage County Planning and Zoning Department's ground water management section, will talk about strategies to be implemented for ground water in Portage County this year. * * * WOODLAND OWNERS CONFERENCE: A conference open to woodland owners in central Wisconsin will be held Saturday, Feb. 9, at Wausau. It is sponsored by the North Central Chapter of the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association, the state Department of Natural Resources and Marathon County University of Wisconsin-Extension. Speakers will be John Margitan of Nicolet College, Rhinelander, on the importance of knowing and maintaining property boundaries; Pete Wagner of Wagner Woods and Wildlife on the importance of management plans; Jim Zdanovec on his experiences as a woodland owner and some of the management practices he has implemented with the help of DNR forester Mike King; Marge Gibson of the Raptor Education Group in Antigo on the importance of Wisconsin raptors; and John DuPlissis, UW-Extension basin educator, on parcelization and fragmentation of Wisconsin's private forests. The conference will be followed by a meeting of the North Central Chapter to plan activities, elect a new board and discuss forming a new Woodland Owners' chapter in the area. The conference will be held at the Best Western Midway Hotel at exit 190 on Interstate 39. Registration is $22, including a meeting packet and buffet lunch. A registration packet may be obtained by calling the Woodland Owners office in Stevens Point at 346-4798. The Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association is a nonprofit organization of private forest owners. It has a Web site at www.wisconsinwoodlands.org. * * * SEISER ELECTED CONSERVANCY TRUST PRESIDENT: Jo Ellen Seiser of Stevens Point has been elected president of the North Central Conservancy Trust, a land trust operating in this part of Wisconsin. She succeeds D.J. Freeman of Wausau. Others elected were Jane Raymond-Wood, Wausau, vice president; Tom Overholt, Stevens Point, secretary; and Joe Mella, Wausau, treasurer. The trust worked on its strategic planning in 2001 with the help of University of Wisconsin-Extension of Portage County, and recently acquired two new conservation easements, one on 94 acres in Portage County and the other on 120 acres in Waushara County. * * * MSTC ENROLLMENT INCREASES IN DECEMBER: Student enrollment in December increased 5.8 percent compared to a year ago, Mid-State Technical College's Board of Directors heard Monday, Jan. 28. Brian Oehler, MSTC president, said enrollment is at an all-time high in the 32-year history of MSTC. Programs with the highest increase include health careers, general education and urban forestry technician program. A study, conducted by Idaho-based CCBenefits, indicated three keys that demonstrate MSTC's substantive value to the region. The study said that every tax dollar invested in MSTC returns nearly $12 to local taxpayers in higher wages and lower social costs, full-time students will earn an average of $3,848 more for every year they are in the workforce and MSTC accounts for $81 million in annual earnings in central Wisconsin. The Board agreed to postpone deliberations on MSTC's 2002-03 budget pending legislative action on the governor's budget reform bill. The public hearing and budget adoption of MSTC's 2002-03 budget will be in June. The next board meeting will be held on Monday, Feb. 18, at the Stevens Point campus. Committee meetings will begin at 5 p.m., and the board meeting at 6 p.m.