Fire in Ripon Early This AM, Dec. 11, 2013

There was a fairly large fire on Watson Street at about 3AM. 3 to 4 buildings were damaged. As far as I know, no one was hurt. I wonder if the drug store got hit?

3d Ward Alderman Race

It is great to hear that Mark Kramer is running for city council in the 3d Ward.

For All of You In the Area with knowledge of a Viet Nam Vet Check this Out

This seems like a great project. They have found only 700 of the 1244 Viet Nam vets from Wisconsin. BEHIND THE SCENES WPR Veterans Project Volunteers Needed for Vietnam Photo Project There are 1,244 Wisconsinites listed on the Vietnam War Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. You can help put a face to these names and honor those who lost their lives by joining the effort to collect and preserve photographs of every service member whose name appears on the Wall. The images will become part of the "Wall of Faces" -- a lasting tribute planned for the Vietnam Memorial Education Center near the mall in the nation's capital. So far, more than 700 photos have been found, but there is still a lot of work to be done and we're stepping up our efforts to recruit volunteers for the project. WPR is helping coordinate volunteer efforts on a statewide level with our partners at Wisconsin Public Television, WUWM and Milwaukee Public Television. If you'd like to volunteer to find a photo - or more than one - please start by contacting Ellen Clark, our Green Bay regional manager. Ellen is keeping a master list of names that still do not have photos associated with them. When you contact her, she can help you find the names that need photos in your area of the state and collect your information to keep a record of who is searching for which photos. Find more information, including tips on how to search for photos online at wpr.org/veterans

Upcoming Mayoral Race

So who do we think is going to run against Joe Parise in the upcoming mayor's election? I am fairly certain Joe will be at least one of the candidates. There are several possibilities I've heard discussed. It will be interesting to see who steps up to take Chuck's place.

Well after a few requests I've decided to see how this goes again. Please try to make your comments civil. I am leaving the ability to make anonymous comments but I may change that if it doesn't seem to work out. We'll see. Hope everyone had a good Fourth of July. The town was very busy which was great. It is a long winter and you really only have about 16 weeks to make up for a long winter.