Lassa debuts commercial

Stevens Point — Julie Lassa has created her first campaign commercial explaining to voters why she is the best candidate for the seat in Congress vacated by Dave Obey, who announced this spring that he was retiring.  Lassa, a Democratic state senator from Stevens Point, is running against Dan Raihala from Superior in a September 14 primary.  The winner of that contest will face the winner of the Republican primary, either Dan Mielke of Rudolph or Sean Duffy of Ashland in the November general election.

In Lassa’s ad, she is seen on a dairy farm and talks about how she learned not to take any “bull” as well as how to “milk every dollar for what it’s worth.”  Lassa then goes on to say she would fight to cut Congress’ pay, and will not accept earmarks.

To see Lassa’s television ad, click here: http://www.julielassa.com/.

CMS Construction & Design places emphasis on energy efficiency

Q&A with CMS President Chad Statz

For Chad Statz of CMS, building homes is all about energy efficiency

GoPlover.com: Tell us a little bit about the history of CMS and your background in construction and building.

Statz: Well, my late father was a builder, and I worked with him when I was growing up in southern Wisconsin. After graduating college at UWSP with a Natural Resources degree, I worked for a local builder for about five years before I decided to start my own construction business here.

GP: What sets CMS apart from other builders in central Wisconsin?

Statz: You know, spending all that time working with my dad and then building homes on my own after college, I started studying building science and how/why we build houses the way that we do. What I realized is that, in terms of how houses are built here in America, virtually nothing has changed in the past 50 or so years. Homes here in America are primarily built for curb appeal– not that there’s anything wrong with that– but, generally speaking, they’re often horribly inefficient and performance is not an issue to the homeowner or builder. Now, in Germany for instance, they have a different philosophy on home design, which is primarily based on efficiency.

I started to realize that home building is all about energy, the movement of energy, whether it’s electricity, heating, cooling, take your pick. I realized there are ways to build houses that have great curb appeal, but can also dramatically reduce the amount of energy required to live in and maintain it, thereby saving the homeowner a lot of money in utility, electricity and heating and cooling costs.

GP: What are some of the things you do in new construction that make homes more efficient?

Statz: Well, It starts with the home’s design considerations. For maximum efficiency, we use Structural Insulated Panels (SIP), which are foam-core wall panels for the most airtight shell possible. Once you’ve got that in place, you can start to address some of the other things that will increase efficiency, such as the positioning of the house to allow more sunlight in the winter and blocking sun in the summer, lighting choices inside the home and appliance choices.  Such tight homes require an advanced air system that dramatically increases the air quality of the home.  We recently completed a new home in Stevens Point that has been certified as the most efficient house in Portage County and the 8^th most efficient in Wisconsin. It’s so efficient, in fact, that it doesn’t have a direct fuel furnace. All of the houses we now build are enrolled, inspected, and tested with the Wisconsin Energy Star Home program. We’ll work with the homeowners to build houses that meet their needs and are as efficient as possible with strict regard for their goals and budget.

We know that we can compete with other builders on something that is quantifiable. All of our new construction homes are efficiency tested and certified by a third party so we’re not just using words like ‘quality.’ We’ve got something that we can show a customer, verifiable numbers that prove we have a superior product.

CMS Construction, in addition to building new homes, also does energy efficiency updates to existing homes and remodeling. For more information, contact Chad Statz at 1-715-213-3432 or visit their website at http://www.cmsconstructiondesign.com.

HWY 54 between Rapids and Plover to be repaired

Wisconsin Rapids– According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, road improvement scheduled for State Highway 54 between Wisconsin Rapids and Plover will constrict traffic to a single lane both eastbound and westbound.  The lane closures are necessary as crews repair pavement on the highway.

The Department of Transportation says that motorists should exercise caution while driving through the work zone and to be prepared for possible backups. To avoid any delays, officials are encouraging anyone who travels in this corridor to use  motorists alternate routes.

The repair work is scheduled to wrap up on September 2.

Your Health: Beautiful Skin Begins From Within

Beautiful Skin Begins From Within
Tami Nicewander, Adventure 212 Spa Esthetician

Have you ever noticed how soft baby’s skin is? All of us had that beautiful, unmarred skin at one point in our lives. As time goes by we look at our skin and notice the changes ranging from brown spots to wrinkles. These changes cannot all be avoided, but we can take steps to minimize the damage and ensure that our skin not only looks beautiful but feels baby soft.

Our skin is the largest organ of our body and other than the brain it is the most complex. Our skin performs six primary functions: Protection, Absorption, Secretion, Regulation, Sensation and Excretion.

• Protection: The skin shields internal tissues from toxins (pollutants, smoke and chemicals). The skin also acts as a barrier to infectious bacteria.
• Absorption: Vitamins, acids, water and oxygen are absorbed through pores to provide necessary moisture and nourishment.
• Secretion: The skin secretes sebum or oil which keeps the skin soft. This layer of sebum is called the acid mantle which serves as a protective barrier to prevent bacteria from invading the skin.
• Regulation: The body’s temperature is maintained through mechanisms such as shivering and goose bumps. When body temperature increases, we produce sweat. When the sweat evaporates it gives off heat and cools the body.
• Sensation: Sensations such as heat, cold, pain, pressure and touch can be detected because the surface of the skin contains millions of nerve end fibers.
• Excretion: The skin is the largest waste removal system of the body. Toxins and waste material are released through the sweat glands and pores. Have you ever eaten a lot of garlic and actually smelled like garlic the next day? This is an example of the body excreting waste from the system.

Your skin is working every day and if not taken care of it will show its wear. Your skin will reflect how well you take care of it. Many of us are forced to remember our physical health when the waistbands of our pants get tight or if we get out of breath climbing the stairs. We may begin by going an extra 20 minutes on the treadmill or even making an appointment with a physician.

Take a look in the mirror today. Do you see dry skin, redness, wrinkles or brown spots? If the answer is yes, perhaps your skin is asking for a little more care and attention. Taking care of our skin is not just for cosmetic reasons or for pampering. It’s for your health.

Elementary back to school nights

Stevens Point– School is almost back in session and the Stevens Point Area School District is holding “back to school nights” at each elementary.  The sessions run for approximately an hour at each school and will allow students to be familiar with their classrooms and teachers before the official start of school.

Below is a list of dates and times the “back to school nights” will take place.

Bannach	August 31	5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Jefferson	August 31	5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Kennedy	August 31	4:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Madison	August 30	5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
McDill	August 31	4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
McKinley	August 30	4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Plover-Whiting	August 30	4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Roosevelt	August 30	5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Washington	August 31	4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

Dumping electronics banned after Sept. 1

Madison – Beginning Sept. 1 Wisconsin residents may no longer dump old televisions, computers or cell phones in the trash. Under a new state program, it will be easier for people to conserve valuable resources and prevent pollution by recycling or donating unwanted electronics.

E-Cycle Wisconsin makes electronics recycling easier by providing a list of collection sites across the state.  In Portage County, participating e-cyclers include Best Buy, Midwest Computer Recyclers and Milwaukee PC in Stevens Point as well as Portage County Solid Waste in Plover.

Wisconsin’s electronics recycling law, passed in October 2009, bans the disposal of a wide range of consumer electronics in state landfills and incinerators as of Sept. 1. The law also creates a statewide electronics recycling program, under which electronics manufacturers pay to recycle a certain amount of electronics from households and schools each year.

Electronics are the fastest growing component of waste in the United States, according to Ann Coakley, director of the DNR Waste and Materials Management Program.

“There are millions of pounds of unwanted, broken and out-of-date electronics in Wisconsin alone,” Coakley said. “Electronics contain resources that are too valuable to waste, and we can help both our economy and the environment by recycling them.”

It will also help the environment. Besides saving landfill space, electronics can contain harmful materials like mercury, lead, cadmium and other heavy metals, as well as chemical flame retardants. When disposed of improperly, these pollutants pose a risk to human and environmental health.

Recycling old electronics provides materials for manufacturing new products, including electronics. Properly recycling materials like steel, gold, silver, copper and glass from electronics reduces the need for mining and refining new materials.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Ann Coakley – (608) 261-8449

Zimmerman yields historic home run

By Brian Kalish

Stevens Point– Jordan Zimmerman made his return to the Major Leagues last night when the Nationals battled and eventually defeated the St. Louis Cardinals.  The outcome of the game, however, was overshadowed by the fact that Cardinals’ first baseman Albert Pujols hit the 400th home run of his career off of Zimmerman, the former UWSP standout who grew up in Auburndale.

The home run came off a Zimmerman fastball in the fourth inning.  Pujols is the third youngest player to reach the 400 home run mark and only the 47th player in major league history to hit 400 or more home runs.

Find out ‘watts up’ with your energy use

Portage County– Are you wondering how much you’re paying to keep that extra chest freezer?  Wondering if your appliances are driving up your electricity bill with phantom loads?  You can answer these questions and more by using a device called a Watts Up? Meter.

You can learn about the Watts Up? Meter at one of two FREE workshops at the Portage County Library; October 2^nd and 16^th at 12:00pm.  The hour long workshops will teach you the basics of home energy use and how to set up, use, read, and analyze the meter data.   In addition to the workshops, the “Watts Up” team will be hosting a few community booths at the Stevens Point Farmer’s Market August 28^th, and the Jensen Center in Amherst from 9:00am – 2:00pm, October 9^th.

Wisconsin Public Service is donating one Watts Up? Meter to every library in its service area.  The meters will be available to check out so you can see “watts up” with your own home energy use.

With a Watts Up? Meter you can log watt use to see the load profile as it changes over the course of a day, week, or any time frame desired.   The meter tells the user kilowatthour (kWh) use per month, costs of use, and more.  Simply plug the appliance into the meter and the meter into the wall.  Once you’ve downloaded the data into a PC it can be viewed, graphed, and analyzed.  The computer software that comes with the Watts Up? Meter can also calculate savings if you were to replace your appliance with an ENERGY STAR appliance.  The overall intent is to provide a convenient way to monitor and project energy costs to help consumers make wise and informed energy choices.

To register for a FREE workshop at the Portage County Library or ask questions, please contact Joe Kottwitz at (715) 345-5898.

Lassa Meets with seniors on Social Security

Stevens Point—Candidate for U.S. Congress Julie Lassa joined Wisconsin seniors in Ashland and Superior August 18 to emphasize her commitment to keeping Social Security and Medicare strong for Wisconsin families. Lassa met with local seniors at the Senior Expo in Ashland and at the Senior Picnic in Superior.

Lassa said, “I will fight to bring Wisconsin values to Washington and that means making sure that Social Security and Medicare programs stay strong for our families. Now more than ever, Wisconsin seniors must feel confident in their retirement.”

This past weekend, Lassa joined seniors in Chippewa Falls and Ladysmith to celebrate the 75^th birthday of Social Security.

“Times are too uncertain right now to have seniors take a gamble on their retirement, but that’s just what my likely opponent Sean Duffy would force Wisconsin families to do,” Lassa said. “Handing Social Security over to Wall Street and Medicare over to health insurance CEOs is bad medicine and bad policy.”

Single vehicle involved in multiple crashes Tuesday morning

By Brian Kalish

Town of Buena Vista— According to a news release from the Portage County Sheriff’s Department, two accidents that occurred on Tuesday were the results of erratic driving by a man in a green pickup truck.  The first accident happened when the green truck struck an eastbound vehicle on Highway 54 at County Highway EE in the Town of Buena Vista Tuesday morning.  The truck struck a gray SUV, causing it to rollover in an intersection.  The driver of the SUV was not injured and the operator of the green pickup drove away.

About ten minutes later, a Portage County deputy arrived on the scene of a second crash involving the green truck.  The truck apparently entered the ditch before striking a driveway and crashing.  The male driver was found inside the truck without a pulse and was not breathing.  CPR was started by the Portage County deputy and a bystander until, EMS arrived on the scene.  The driver was eventually transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield.  His condition is unknown.

Neither speed nor alcohol are thought to be factors in the crashes. The incident is still under investigation.