The county-wide burning ban is still in effect for Houston County. But the very dry conditions have been keeping area fire departments very busy putting out grass and brush fires. In the photo above, the Caledonia Area Fire Department was called out to a brush and grass five at 13117 Prairie Ridge Road near Sheldon Wednesday, April 15 around 1:30 p.m. It took the local firefighters about an hour to contain the fire. All area residents are urged not to conduct any outdoor burning…not even burn barrels.                                             Photo by Charlie Warner
 

 A group of about 30 persons turned out to discuss tax issues during a public rally at the Houston County Courthouse in Caledonia. It was one of many TEA Parties being held throughout the United States on April 15. The word “TEA” stands for “Taxed Enough Already.”  According to event organizer Rev. Paul Ibisch (shown above speaking to the group) of La Crescent, the idea is the U.S. government has sufficient tax resources or could have enough if the economy was healthy.  The real problem is government spending.  Increased taxation hurts the economy and job creation, according to Ibisch.  Persons attending the rally were asked to bring food stuffs for the local food shelf. The rally lasted about a 90 minutes and a number of different persons spoke about government spending, on all levels, being out of control.                                Photo by Charlie Warner 

Emmy award-winning outdoor TV journalist Bill Sherck spent several days last week filming a program on trout fishing in the Caledonia area. Above, cameraman Cy Dobson pans his camera across Winnebago Creek, while Sherck does his magic with his fly rod.                                Photo by Charlie Warner

Caledonia’s abundant trout streams, magnificent bluffs, and hardwood forests are going to be showcased on several outdoor TV programs viewed by persons throughout the Upper Midwest in May.

This colorful barn quilt is one of the items that will be auctioned off April 18. It is the work of Michelle Werner. The materials were donated by the Caledonia Area Chamber of Commerce. 

With all of the budget cuts that area schools have been forced to make due to declining enrollments and changes in state funding, it has become more than a little challenging trying to provide a well-rounded education for our citizens of tomorrow.

Nearly all counties in the Tri-State area are currently under a burning ban. That includes Houston County. According to Caledonia Area Fire Chief Chuck Gavin, much of the area is “tinder dry.” The local fire department was called out to three grass and brush fires last Thursday and Saturday. The first call was at 2 p.m. Thursday when a vacant lot at the intersection of Gjere and Main on the western edge of Caledonia was on fire. That blaze was extinguished before the fire could spread to the adjacent homes. Before the trucks were back in the fire barn, a second call, on Gap Dr., came in. Units from Spring Grove, Eitzen, Houston and Caledonia battled the blaze which burned about 60 acres. The Caledonia fire fighters were called out to assist the Houston Fire Department Saturday afternoon, when a brush fire consumed about 35 acres in the Yucatan Valley. The Eitzen Fire Department was also called out to aid in fighting two fires in Iowa.                   Photo by Charlie Warner