plane breaks in two...all 163 on board...

SURVIVE!!! A Boeing 737 on route from New York to Guyana ran off a runway and broke into two pieces. Not much is know yet about what caused the accident. A team of Americans will be there soon to investigate. plane crash

reciprocity is back...almost

Both Governors of Minnesota and Wisconsin have acknowledged a willingness to re-instate reciprocity between the two states. It was canceled by Tim Pawlenty when he was Governor of Minnesota. With tax reciprocity ending in January 2010, costs increased for both employees and employers. This should all be back in place by January 2012. taxes

Angry kangaroo gets pepper sprayed

A 94-year old woman was attacked by a kangaroo as she tended to her laundry in her backyard. She suffered bruises and cuts and is recovering in a hospital. Two officers came to her aid. Both had to use pepper spray on the kangaroo to keep it from attacking them as well. They've used pepper spray on dogs but not on kangaroos so they didn't even know if it would work--luckily it did. Kangaroo attack

Hero emerges from tragedy

The shooting massacre in Norway has left a world in shock. Many young people lost their lives that day because of one deranged man. A German tourist heard the shots that day and raced to the island in his boat. He managed to save at least 20 and is now being called a hero. Marcel Gleffe said that he wasn't scared; just did what he had to do. hero

The numbers line up

With a first date on 6/7/08, Ericka Randall and Patrick Evans will follow that up with a 9/10/11 wedding. Ericka also plans to send her finace a special gift at 12:13 just to round things out. They'll be married in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. numbers align

Country Jam

Country Jam was fantastic once again this year. I wasn't able to go on Thursday but heard it was a great night. Friday was an amazing line-up. It started with Rocket Club and The JaneDear Girls. Local guy Joe Diffie came on stage at 5:00 and wowed the crowd with several favorites. Little Big Town didn't disappoint either. By the time that Martina McBride took the stage at 10:00, the crowd was more than warmed up. Martina was passionate about every song she sang. She put her all into every single note. The audience was on their feet dancing and enjoying themselves immensely. McBride strong vocals.
Saturday was just as great even though we had to endure some of Mother Nature's wrath. The gate's opening was delayed by the first storm. Jason Jones hit the stage and got everyone excited about the night to come. David Nail was next and played some favorites to a very appreciative crowd. A second storm hit which ended up canceling LoCash Cowboys. This left many in the audience quite disappointed but this would be fixed soon after. The Zac Brown Band came on stage about 7:30. They played all their popular songs and some that were not so well known. They also brought three extra performers with them. Country Jam came up with a plan that made the Jammers very happy. LoCash would come on stage right after Zac Brown. They rocked the whole grounds. Zac Brown even joined them before the night was over.

Justin and Selena crash a wedding.

While cruising with his girlfriend, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber heard a karaoke rendition of one of his songs. He stopped the car and went to investigate. He spent about 10 minutes at the wedding of complete strangers and even posed for pictures. Rob and Jeanine McCool plus all of their guests will never forget that wedding. wedding crasher

True love!

Rachelle Friedman was at her bachelorette party when a guest pushed her into the pool. She knew immediately that something was wrong. Now paralyzed from the waste down, she is finally getting married. The wedding had been postponed for a year. wedding in a wheel chair

Glee makes changes

Three of the top stars from Glee will be leaving the show after the third season. Finn, Kurt, and Rachel will graduate at the end of this season and will not be returning as regular cast members. Here's hoping they go to college together at a nearby school. Glee graduation or stars leaving Glee

A piece of Winona's history makes it's final journey.

An old Fire Steam Engine had been scrapped years ago. But the scrap yard chose to store it for 60 years rather than destroy it. In 1992, they donated it back to the City of Winona. It made it's final journey last Tuesday from the fire station to the History Center. After a bit of squeezing to get it through the doors, it now sits in the entrance for all to see. historic journey

Miller products will disappear from Minnesota shelves.

Miller's license to distribute liquor in Minnesota is about to expire. Because of the shutdown, they will not be able to renew it and therefore must pull all product from bars and stores. NOW, the shutdown is hitting close to home for Minnesotans.

Miller beers

U.S. has only 49 states.

Some wording in the North Dakota state constitution puts it in conflict with the Federal Constitution. This means that North Dakota isn't exactly a state. A constitutional amendment will be voted on next November to change the wording. Until then...new flags with 49 stars????? 49 states

banana vs. gorilla

A store in Strongsville, OH uses a man in a gorilla suit for curbside advertising. It must've been a strange day at the 911 center when the call came in that reported a banana attacking a gorilla. The gorilla was not hurt after his altercation with the banana. The banana slipped away before he could be caught. gorilla attack

getting married is for the dogs

At a nursing home near Chicago, two dogs got married in front of 40 of their closest friends. Sparky Perez got hitched to Peanut Bobik last week. The groom sported a tuxedo and bow tie; while the bride sparkled in a fuchsia collar, white gown, and tiara. wedding

new cigarette labels

New labels have begun appearing on cigarette packs and this has caused calls to the "quit line" to increase. Some of the pictures are graphic and should make their message hit close to home for smokers. cigarette labels

Alcohol and Fast Food

Some fast food chains have started adding wine and beer to their menus. This is being done to increase sales during slow times but could have some unwanted consequences. fast food bars

Worst mother-in-law ever!!

We've all heard the horror stories about how bad mother-in-laws are but I think this one takes top honors. Carolyn Bourne is being called "mom-zilla" after an email that she sent to her soon-to-be daughter-in-law surfaced on the internet. She berates her daughter-in-law for some very petty things. Read her email

Wisconsin Dells fun

I spent a couple of days last week in Wisconsin Dells enjoying miniature golf, a water park, go-carts, Circus World, a 4-D movie, water skiing show, the exploratory, and a boat ride.
Pirates Cove golf was an immaculate course. They definitely spend a lot of time and effort keeping their grounds nice.
Mt. Olympus kept us cool in the water plus the go-carts were awesome!!
Circus World was much more than I expected. It's a bit out of the way but well worth the trip. There are displays of circus wagons from past to present, a kid's interactive circus, a big top with plenty of circus acts to wow. We even watched as a circus performer traveled across the river on a zip line--hanging by her neck.
The 4-D movie at Noah's Ark was a real treat. "Pirates" was entertaining and wet--loved it.
Tommy Bartlett's ski show was phenomenal. It's a new script this year and did a great job at keeping my granddaughter's attention. The exploratory is always fun to experience.
We topped off our mini vacation with the Lower Dells Boat tour. Matt and Melissa were our crew and they did a fantastic job. Melissa, I learned, is a student at UW-LaCrosse but lives in the Dells during the summer so she can work on the boat. Job well done Melissa!
I cannot say enough about those Dells Opener Cards. They are fabulous--don't miss out on yours next season.