PdC volleyball hosts Platteville
Visiting Our Ancestors cemetery tour is Oct. 7
spOrts ❘ PAGE 14
LOCaL news ❘ PAGE 2
COURIER PRESS
PUBLISHED IN HISTORIC PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, WI 53821
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VOLume 164 • nO. 72 ❘ PDCCOURIER.COM ❘ wednesday, september 20, 2017 ❘ ONE DOLLAR
SMRT Bus receives state recognition, continues growth by Ted Pennekamp
Father Paul Fagan (back, center) is pictured with some friends from Rhinelander, Madison, Minnesota and Arizona in Tanzania, where the visitors got to see first-hand the mission work he has been able to conduct there. (Submitted photos)
Father Fagan to share video of Tanzanian health facility local contributions helped build By Correne Martin For the 48th consecutive summer, Father Paul Fagan is back in Prairie du Chien from his missionary work in Tanzania. As always, he’s here to share the extraordinary progress that’s been
made in the eastern African town of Nkololo, as a result of contributions from countless Wisconsinites. The soon to be 85-yearold priest will give a public video presentation, with help from his friend, videographer and Tanzanian tour
guide Ryan Skaife, at the Holy Family Parish hall at St. John’s Catholic Church in Prairie du Chien, Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. “We will show the Songambele Health Facility and See TANZANIA, page 3
PTO a strong supporting arm for PdC schools By Correne Martin At the beginning of the school year, students at B.A. Kennedy and Bluff View in Prairie du Chien received some rather short school supply lists. Minimal items per child were requested, particularly in comparison to other schools’ lists. Thanks to the Prairie du Chien public schools’ parent teacher organization, this support greatly assists parents and guardians, especially those with multiple children in the schools, in terms of keeping school supply costs affordable. For the past five or six years, each grade, from 3K through eighth, has received $500 from PTO
funds to use toward classroom supplies. On top of that, the PTO buys a substantial amount of disinfecting wipes and facial tissue for both schools. According to Diane Zahara, PTO president, 600 boxes of Kleenex and 600 containers of Clorox wipes were purchased for the 2017-2018 school year, equaling a $4,400 expenditure for the organization. “Adding that to the little carryover we have from last year, it should be enough for this year,” Zahara said. See PTO, page 4
792 Overview Ct., Prairie du Chien, WI Well built ranch! 3 bedroom, 1 bath ranch located in a desirable neighborhood on a quiet street. Features include hardwood floors, large living room, eat-in kitchen, outdoor patio & inviting backyard. Walking distance to the Mississippi River, historic downtown & Lochner Park. Perfect starter, retirement or weekend home. $89,000
The Scenic Mississippi River Transit (SMRT) Bus Service was recently recognized by Wisconsin Rural Partners as one of Wisconsin’s Top Rural Development Initiatives in 2017 because ridership continues to increase and a rider survey shows that 100 percent of riders are either satisfied or very satisfied. “It started out as kind of an experiment,” said Ron Leys, one of three Crawford County representatives on the Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission (MRRPC), which has issued a report about the SMRT Bus Service. Leys noted it’s an experiment that turned out quite well. “I think it’s a nice way of transportation for whom automobiles might be expensive. It’s also been a boon to college students who attend one of the three colleges in La Crosse and to people with medical appointments.” Leys said the SMRT Bus Service got its start, in large part,
Sales Associate Cell: 608.778.6337 gwelter@welterre.com
See SMRT BUS, page 5
Scenic Mississippi Regional Transit buses provide three round trips per day from Prairie du Chien to La Crosse and various points in between.
WELTER REALTY Gary Welter
because of people in Prairie du Chien and Crawford County. In 2010, the Crawford County Transportation Coordinating Committee completed a feasibility study that showed residents desired a reliable and affordable public transportation service to get to work, medical appointments, shopping and social activities. Bus routes were designed based on the surveys and resulted in the creation of the SMRT Bus Service, which provides a fixed route serving Crawford County, southern La Crosse County, and middlewestern Vernon County. SMRT Bus began operating in December of 2012 and ridership has increased every year. In 2016, ridership totaled 20,848, a 60 percent increase over 2013, according to MRRPC, which assists in marketing and raising funds from the private and public sectors to match a U.S. Department of Transportation Grant to cover operations. MRRPC staff also regularly eval-
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