County Capsules TRAFFIC ACCIDENT CLAIMS ONE LIFE: A 17-year-old Plover-area boy died Sunday, Jan. 4, of injuries he suffered in a one-car crash on New Year's Day in the town of Carson, a Portage County Sheriff's Department report said. Kristopher M. Meshak, 1067 Meehan Drive, Plover, died at 12:56 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 4, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield, the report said. On Thursday, Jan. 1, at 5:53 a.m. the Sheriff's Department received a report of a one-vehicle accident on Highway E, one-quarter mile south of River Road, the report said. Deputies, Portage County Ambulance Service, Spirit of Marshfield helicopter, Rudolph Fire Department and Rudolph Rescue responded. Meshak was the only person in the vehicle, the report said. He was airlifted to St. Joseph's hospital. The investigation found that his vehicle was traveling south on Highway E, struck a guardrail, overturned and came to rest in a ditch. He wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was ejected. The cause of the accident remains under investigation, the report said. * * * GODFREY RETURNS TO UW-SP AS INTERIM FOUNDATION DIRECTOR: Helen R. Godfrey, an assistant chancellor emeritus of Student Affairs, has returned to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UW-SP) to serve as the interim director of the UW-SP Foundation. Godfrey, who retired from UW-SP in 1999 after 33 years of leadership and service, began her new duties this week. She will work part-time, supervising personnel in the foundation and working with Foundation Board members and serving as a consultant to Interim Chancellor Virginia Helm on fund-raising issues. A search has already begun for a permanent executive director of the UW-SP Foundation and assistant to the chancellor for advancement, after an initial search was unsuccessful last fall. Godfrey will serve in the interim position until June 30 or until a new director is hired. "The university is my first love and my home," said Godfrey, who added she felt compelled to return. "The foundation is a key function for the university and I want to do what I can to help. I'm looking forward to it." In addition to working at UW-SP, Godfrey will continue in her second year as chair of the Camp Manito-wish YMCA Board of Directors, with which she has served since 1992. Godfrey worked at the camp, now a year-round youth and leadership center, from 1957-1963, and has stayed involved. The founder and long-time supporter of the Helen R. Godfrey University Child Learning and Care Center at UW-SP, she is currently a member of its board of directors as well as on the boards of the Friends of Treehaven, the Friends of the UW-SP Natural History Museum, the Community Foundation of Portage County, the Stevens Point YMCA Foundation and the Women's Athletic Fund. She also is involved with Kiwanis and Special Olympics-Wisconsin. Godfrey served in a variety of roles while at UW-SP, including associate dean of students, executive director of co-curricular services, assistant chancellor of university relations and assistant chancellor of student development and university relations. She holds degrees from UW-Madison and Michigan State University. Before coming to UW-SP in the mid-1960s, she was assistant dean of women and director of residence halls at Ohio State University. * * * CHARTER WILL SWITCH TBS OFF BASIC SERVICE: Charter Communications is moving television station TBS in Atlanta from channel 4 on the Broadcast Basic Service tier to the Expanded Basic tier on channel 68, effective Feb. 1. QVC, a shopping network, will move from channel 68 to channel 4. In an open letter to customers in Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, Marshfield, Medford, Neillsville, Spencer, Athens and Stratford, Charter said is was making the moves "in an effort to maintain the lowest rate possible on our Broadcast Basic Service and to help standardize our lineup across central Wisconsin." Charter also serves Wausau and Merrill. TBS is a channel that Charter pays to receive, while QVC is offered to cable companies without charge. Charter said "cable TV rates are unaffected by this change." * * * BLOOD CENTER ENCOURAGES GIVING GIFT OF LIFE: The Blood Center of Southeastern Wisconsin is encouraging Wisconsin residents who have yet to donate blood for the first time to make a New Year's resolution to give the "gift of life." January kicks off National Volunteer Blood Donor Month and during this annual month-long observance, The Blood Center is encouraging healthy individuals to donate in January and pledge to donate at least one more time during 2004. January is usually a difficult month for blood collection due to people resuming regular activities after the holidays, inclement weather and illness. Stevens Point residents are encouraged to donate blood on Friday, Jan. 16, at Good News Fellowship Church, 801 Highway 10 West, Stevens Point. The blood drive starts at 10:30 a.m. and donors are accepted until 3:30 p.m. For an appointment please call Tiffany at 341-3275 ext. 1. Blood donors must be 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. Eligible donors can give blood every 56 days or six times a year. The Blood Center is the sole provider of blood to Saint Michael's Hospital in Stevens Point and 51 hospitals in 24 Wisconsin counties. * * * GOLD STAR MOTHER FLAG PRESENTED: Jim Kiefer of American Legion Post 6 and its Auxiliary presented a Gold Star Mother flag to Laurie Mayek, whose stepson, Army Private First Class Joseph Mayek was killed April 14, 2003, in Iraq. He was the son of Patrick and Laurie Mayer, Stevens Point, and David and Margaret (Rouse) McFadden, Rock Springs, Wyo. Joey, as he was called here, has three brothers and four sisters in Stevens Point. He graduated from Rock Springs High School, where he played split end and cornerback as a senior on the school's 2001 state Class 5A championship team, in 2002. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Army and went through basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. He was a private first class assigned to C Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment at Smith Barracks, Germany. He was stationed in Germany for four months before he was deployed to Camp Virginia in Kuwait, serving with the Army's V Corps. The Department of Defense said Mayer died after being struck by an armor-piercing round from an M2 Bradley infantry vehicle. * * * LOCAL GOVERNMENTS RECEIVE FIRST SHARE OF FUEL TAX, REGISTRATION FEES: Gov. Jim Doyle has announced that quarterly checks totaling $96.8 million for General Transportation Aids, Connecting Highway Aids and Expressway Policing Aids have been mailed or electronically transferred to Wisconsin units of local government as part of his ongoing "Grow Wisconsin" initiative to support economic development and encourage job growth. The governor said that the January payments from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) included $93.3 million in General Transportation Aids to 1,922 units of government; $3.2 million to 121 municipalities for Connecting Highway Aids; and $260,200 to Milwaukee County for Expressway Policing Aids. Portage County received $484,968.88 in general transportation aids for the first quarter; while the city of Stevens Point received $51,273.09 in connecting highway payment and $272,791.45 in general transportation aid. General transportation aids help defray the costs of constructing, maintaining and operating roads and streets under local jurisdiction. Connecting highway aids reimburse municipalities for maintenance and traffic control of certain state highways within municipalities. Communities also receive state transportation fund revenues for public transit, elderly and disabled transportation, and airport and harbor development from WisDOT. State and federal funds will also be allocated for specific highway and bridge construction projects. Portage County villages receiving general transportation aids, and the amount, include Plover, $83,010.92; Whiting, $17,024.04; Amherst, $5,107.94; Junction City, $4,328.41; Rosholt, $3,394.08; Almond, $3,094.85; Amherst Junction, $2,276.68; Park Ridge, $2,021.18; and Nelsonville, $611.37. Towns in Portage County receiving general transportation aids, and the amount, include Grant, $52,888.50; Plover, $37,125.06; Hull, $36,039.18; Stockton, $35,108.43; Sharon, $30,979.37; Pine Grove, $29,117.87; Buena Vista, $28,894.31; Carson, $28,305.75; Eau Pleine, $24,213.18; Dewey, $23,793.43; Amherst, $23,191.18; Almond, $22,757.75; Belmont, $18,783.81; Alban, $18,642.37; Linwood, $18,286.50; Lanark, $15,252.43; and New Hope, $14,088.25. * * * RED CROSS SCHEDULES BLOOD DRIVE IN PLOVER: The American Red Cross will hold a Blood Drive from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, at the Plover Municipal Building, 2400 Post Road, Plover. Calling it the public's next opportunity to help save lives by giving blood, the Red Cross asks people to show support for family and friends in need, whether they are right next door or across the nation, by giving blood during National Volunteer Blood Donor Month, and commit to give blood a minimum of four to six times throughout the year. The call for donations comes at a time when blood is traditionally in short supply due to the holidays, travel schedules, inclement weather and illness. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. Appointments will not be taken for this drive, so walk-ins are welcome. A blood donor card, driver's license or two other forms of ID are now required at check-in. Donors don't need to know their blood type to donate. * * * COURT OF APPEALS WILL VISIT PORTAGE COUNTY: The Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District IV, headquartered in Madison, will be in Stevens Point on Friday, Jan. 9, to hear oral arguments on a civil case. The Court of Appeals is the intermediate level appellate court for the state of Wisconsin hearing cases on appeal from the trial courts. There are four districts located in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Wausau and Madison. District IV includes Portage County. Attorneys for each party have the opportunity at the hearing to orally argue their respective positions to the Court of Appeals judges. The hearing will be conducted in the Branch 2 courtroom at the County-City Building, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The public is invited to attend. * * * RICE MEDICAL CENTER OFFERS INTRANASAL FLU VACCINE: Rice Medical Center and its satellite clinics are offering a limited number of doses of the intranasal flu vaccine due to shortages of the injectable flu vaccine. Dr. John Gauder, medical director at Rice Medical Center, said "The Center for Disease Control has changed its recommendation for the nasal flu vaccine. They are now encouraging healthy people between the ages of 5 and 49 to be immunized with the nasal vaccine, saving injectable vaccine for high risk patients." He said the following people should not get intranasal flu vaccine: adults 50 years of age or older; children younger than 5; people who have long-term health problems like heart disease, lung disease, asthma, kidney disease, diabetes, anemia or other blood disorders; people with a weakened immune system due to HIV/AIDS or cancer treatment with x-rays or drugs; children or adolescents on long-term aspirin treatment; and pregnant women. "The flu shot is preferred over live, intranasal flu vaccine for physicians, nurses, family members or anyone else coming in close contact with anyone with a weakened immune system," Gauder said. The vaccine is given as a mist into the nose and contains three live influenza virus strains, which have been weakened. When the weakened influenza viruses enter the nose, the body develops an immune response. A body's response to these live vaccine viruses may help prevent the flu for the entire season. However, it does not prevent the flu for all people who take it. The nasal vaccine may not be covered by insurance and is more expensive than the flu shot. The nasal flu vaccine is available by setting up an appointment at Rice Medical Center, 342-7500; Plover Family Medical Center, 295-3800; Point Family Practice, 341-7332; Amherst Family Medical Center, 824-5151; Chain O'Lakes Family Clinic, (715) 258-3650; or Iola Family Practice, (715) 445-4801. * * * SMART GROWTH INFORMATIONAL MEETING PLANNED IN TOWN OF DEWEY: A "Smart Growth/Comprehensive Planning" informational meeting will be held at 6:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, at the Starlite Ballroom, 2380 N. Second Drive. The meeting will be hosted by citizens of the town of Dewey - Mike Kurzinski, Dennis Kolodziej, Stan Potocki, Robert Czaplinski, Chris Kurzinski, Tom Lewandowski, Helen Czaplinski, Nancy Potocki, Dennis Hintz, James Grezenski, Barbara Grezenski, Anton Rucinski and Robert Danczyk. Individuals asked to speak at the meeting include Chuck Kell, director of the Portage County Planning and Zoning Department, who was instrumental in helping put this law into place and worked on drafting the definitions for this law; Daniel Mielke, assessor, 70th District Assembly candidate and farmer; Greg Swank, state Senate candidate and property rights advocate; and Clark Palmer, pharmacist and opponent of the Smart Growth law. Several legislators have also been asked to attend. There will be a time for questions or comments from the audience at the conclusion of the presentation. For more information, call 344-0807. To get to the Starlite Ballroom, take exit 165 (the Highway X exit north of Stevens Point) off of Interstate 39. N. Second Drive is the first road east of the interstate. * * * SPASH AND HABITAT HOMES RECEIVE $12,000 GRANT: A $12,000 grant from Wisconsin Public Service Corp. will enable CAP Services to include energy-saving technology in the 2003-04 Stevens Point Area Senior High School student-built house, as well as the house currently being built by the Central Wisconsin Habitat for Humanity Program. "Conserving energy by building energy-efficient homes is one way to help people manage their energy costs," said Larry Weyers, chairman, president and CEO of the Green Bay-based utility. "It's important for energy companies like Wisconsin Public Service to support energy-related efforts that benefit humanitarian programs like Habitat for Humanity. We embrace the opportunity." Weyers explained that the grant comes from the Public Benefits money it, like all Wisconsin utilities, collects as part of its obligation to provide energy assistance information, advice and services to low-income and limited-income customers, including the elderly. CAP's assistant director of housing Dave Engstrom said these homes will now exceed State Building Code Energy standards. Included among the many energy-conserving measures are a sealed combustion water heater, an Energy Star forced air furnace, whole house ventilation and higher R-value sidewall and attic insulation. Engstrom said these measures will yield 10 to 14 percent in additional energy savings for each house, which are sold to a low- or moderate-income household and should result in a significant reduction in the percentage of income used for monthly utility costs. CAP has financed the weatherization of Habitat houses in Stevens Point for years. Funding previously had come from the Department of Energy or the Wisconsin Public Benefits fund. Changes at the state level have now restricted the funds to existing homes. The SPASH student-built house is located at 2825 Leahy Ave. It is the sixth house built by the technical education students through a partnership of the Stevens Point Area School District, the city of Stevens Point, local contractors and suppliers, and CAP Services. The Habitat for Humanity house is located at 276 Second Street North. * * * PLOVER BUILDING PERMITS: The village of Plover issued building permits for a duplex valued at $195,000 at 1510-12 Green Tree Drive and three houses during December. The houses are for $180,000 at 2920 Saddlewood Drive, $160,000 at 1971 Norway Pine Drive and $150,000 at 3761 Kensington Place. During 2003, the village issued 96 permits for new structures valued at $22,587,297. Those structures included 77 single-family houses, nine duplexes, seven multi-family units and three commercial buildings. * * * PORTAGE COUNTY BUILDING PERMITS: The Portage County Planning and Zoning Department issued four permits for single-family residences in December, two in the town of Plover for homes valued at $450,000 and two in the town of Lanark for homes valued at $230,000.