County capsules BUSINESS EXPO IS TUESDAY: The Portage County Business Expo will be held Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the Holiday Inn Convention & Expo Center in Stevens Point from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Businesses from throughout central Wisconsin will display their products and services in about 124 exhibit booths. There will also be free business seminars, a keynote luncheon featuring Tony Brigmon and prize giveaways. Admission is $1. Brigmon, who was recently named "one of the hottest speakers on the circuit" by Meetings & Conventions Magazine, will speak on "Are We Having Fun Yet?" The speech will begin at noon. Advanced tickets are required for the luncheon. Tickets are $15 or four for $50. They are available by contacting the Portage County Business Council at 344-1940. No tickets will be sold at the door. * * * HOME AND GARDEN SHOW SATURDAY AND SUNDAY: The Golden Sands Home Builders Association will present its 22nd Annual Home & Garden Show at the Holiday Inn Convention & Expo Center on Saturday, Feb. 23, and Sunday, Feb. 24. The show will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $3.50 per person, and children 12 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. The show features a multitude of displays about their products by contractors and others in the building trades. * * * BLOOD DRIVE SCHEDULED NEXT WEEK: A blood drive will be held at UW-SP on Tuesday, Feb. 26, and Wednesday, Feb. 27. The Department of Clinical Laboratory Science and its honor society, Sigma Mu Tau, is sponsoring the drive, held in the Alumni Room of the University Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All blood types are needed. To make an appointment, call the Blood Center at (715) 387-1700. To give blood, donors must be at least 17 years old; must weigh at least 110 pounds; should be free of any cold, flu or allergy symptoms; must never have had hepatitis; should not have any risk factors associated with HIV or AIDS. Donors should also bring or write down what prescription medications they take. Donors should also bring a photo ID or blood donor card with them, eat a nutritious meal prior to donating, drink lots of fluids prior to and following the donation and avoid strenuous physical exercise until the next day. * * * LINCOLN CENTER ADDITION BIDS ACCEPTED: The initial bids for construction of the addition to Lincoln Center were approved by the Stevens Point Common Council Monday, Feb. 18. The bids amount to $1,808,358, which is $84,219 below projections. However, the joint city-Portage County project still has some areas yet to receive or accept bids on. Those areas are landscaping, steel studs/drywall, caulking, painting, food equipment and fire protection areas. * * * TEEN CLUB ORDINANCE ADOPTED: The Common Council adopted an ordinance Monday to permit the operation of nonalcoholic teen clubs in buildings with licensed liquor establishments. The ordinance would not affect teen clubs in buildings other than those licensed to sell liquor. The ordinance mirrors state statutes except in a couple of instances. The ordinance requires a separate entrance and restrooms for the teen club, which must be in a separate room from the liquor establishment. Any gambling paraphernalia or ads relating to alcohol or beer must be removed, and only adults 18 and older may enter. The ordinance also says no person may be admitted to the club if they have been drinking alcohol or using drugs. * * * MSTC EXPANSION APPROVED: The Common Council approved an expansion plan at the Stevens Point campus of Mid-State Technical College (MSTC), 933 Michigan Ave., Monday. The 6,800 square-foot addition is the final leg of a long-term facilities plan presented for MSTC, and any future expansion plans will require MSTC to seek a new site. The addition and remodeling of the existing building is expected to be completed by May 2003. The site is owned by the city and has been leased to MSTC since 1961. The lease expires Dec. 31, 2016. To the south of MSTC is the Recreation Center, where the Parks and Recreation Department has its offices and directs programs, many of them offered nearby in Goerke Park, the Donald Copps Swimming Pool and Willett Arena. To expand in that direction would require the city to construct a facility. To the north of MSTC is a residential area. * * * AREA REMAINS SINGLE FAMILY ZONING: The Common Council agreed with neighbors to the Heffron Woods II Subdivision between Heffron Street and Heritage Drive on the city's east side and left the subdivision zoned for single family residences. Albert Feltz proposed 16 duplex lots with "zero lot line" residences. Eight of the lots would abut the back yards of nine single-family lots on Lampman Drive, prompting complaints by neighbors. The area is zoned as single-family district. The Plan Commission altered Feltz's proposal saying the eight lots on the west side of a proposed new street should be developed as nine single-family lots, while the eight lots on the east side of the street could be developed as duplexes. Because the area had been designated for single family residences, the council retained the existing zoning. * * * COUNCIL OPPOSES PROPOSAL TO ELIMINATE SHARED REVENUE: The Common Council adopted a resolution Monday opposing Gov. Scott McCallum's proposal to eliminate the shared revenue program. McCallum proposed the cut because of a $1.1 billion budget problem for the state. Mayor Gary Wescott said Wednesday, Feb. 20, the city and other area officials are still awaiting a response from McCallum to a proposal from area officials to fix the budget problem. * * * MSTC ENROLLMENT RISES: For the second consecutive month, Mid-State Technical College's Board of Directors heard another favorable report on student enrollment. Connie Willfahrt, vice president of Student Affairs, said the college's spring semester enrollment increased 7.8 percent from one year ago. "We have never in our history experienced such a dramatic increase from December to January, where we gained 128 FTE's (full-time equivalent student)," said Willfahrt. She said most of the growth is in general education classes, the apprenticeship program, the urban forestry technician program and health and protective services programs in the Service and Health Division. MSTC's current enrollment is 1,934 FTE's. The next MSTC board meeting will be held on Monday, April 15, at the Wisconsin Rapids campus. Committee meetings will begin at 5 p.m., and the board meeting at 6 p.m. * * * COUNTY INSTITUTES JOB FREEZE: The Portage County Board of Supervisors instituted a hiring freeze Tuesday, Feb. 19, to combat McCallum's proposed cut in state revenue sharing funds. The freeze affects all positions except those required by state or federal law for minimum staffing. * * * SOLID WASTE MANAGER TERMINATED: The Portage County Solid Waste Management Board fired solid waste manager, Gene Edwards, Thursday, Feb. 14, after an executive session. * * * UNITED WAY TOTAL RISES: The United Way of Portage County reports that pledges and contributions to its 2001 Campaign totaled $1,791,338. That figure represents 106.4 percent of the fund drive goal or $182,343 over the target of $1,683,000. The area's major employers and their employees achieved 109.4 percent of their goal, and the public service unit finished at 105.6 percent of its objective. Retirees, the commerce and industry and the education units also wound up at over 100 percent of their targets. Executive Director Sue Wilcox notes that in a normal year, about 3 percent of the pledges are uncollectible - some of that is due to people who move out of the area and do not fulfill their pledges. But she adds that most recently, the figure has edged upward to around 5 percent. Wilcox also says she expects that the recently-established Boys and Girls Club will seek United Way funding assistance in the future.