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BLOOMER, WI 54724 WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014 VOL. 128 • NO. 50

BLOOMER ADVANCE One Dollar

• Bloomer High School Baseball: Page B2

Two Sections

• MapleWood News: Page A11

The Bloomer Area Aquatic Center will celebrate its fourth an-niversary on Sunday, May 18. There will be free swimming from 11:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. and a meal will be available for $6 for adults and $4 for those under eight years old.There will be door prizes tours and discounts..

* * *I love walking up to complete

strangers and handing them a $50 bill.

The look on their face is price-less, except for the $50 part.

* * *Bloomer city council meets to-

night, Wednesday, May 14. Bloom-er school board meets Monday, May 19. New Auburn school board meets Wednesday, May 21. Read all

about these meetings and a few more on page A3 in this week’s Bloomer Advance.

* * *A toothpaste factory had a

problem. They sometimes shipped empty boxes without the tube of toothpaste inside. This chal-lenged their perceived quality with the buyers and distributors. Understanding how important the relationship with them was, the CEO of the company assembled all of his top people. They decided to hire an external engineering com-pany to solve their empty boxes problem. The project followed the usual process: budget and proj-ect sponsor allocated, RFP, and third-parties selected.

“Blooms” In Bloomer

Continued on Page A12

YOUR SOURCE FOR COMMUNITY NEWS SINCE 1886!

• Bloomer High School Track: Page B1

See TEXT & DRIVE, page A12

Former Gov. Patrick LuceyPasses Away In Milwaukee

Former U.S. Ambassador and Gov. Patrick Lucey, 96, died Sun-day, May 10 in Milwaukee after a brief illness.

L u c e y, w h o was born in La Crosse in 1918, was elected gov-ernor in 1970 and re-elected in 1974. In July 1977 he re-signed to become the ambassador to Mexico. In 1980 he ran as vice president of the United States as an independent.

Lucey served as a state as-semblyman from 1949-51. He was then state chairman of the

Democratic Party from 1957-63. Lucey was elected lieutenant

governor in 1964, and served one term (1965-67). He ran for gov-ernor in 1966. Lucey was elected governor in 1970, and was the first Wisconsin governor to serve a four-year term.

During his time as governor, Lucey pushed for the merger of the University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin State University system, which passed by one vote in the state Senate in 1974. Lucey also promoted additional tourism fund-ing, spurring development around the state. Two of these beneficiaries were the Department of Natural Resources park system and the Mt. Telemark Resort in Cable.

PatrickLucey

Click It Or Ticket Begins

May 19 In Chippewa County The Chippewa County Sheriff ’s

and Bloomer Police departments will mobilize along with hundreds of other law enforcement agencies throughout Wisconsin for the an-nual Click It or Ticket safety belt enforcement campaign from May 19 to June 1.

“Our officers will be on the lookout day and night for unbuck-led motorists. If you’re not wearing a safety belt, we will stop your vehicle and you will get a tick-et,” said Bloomer Police Chief Jared Zwiefelhofer. “During the Click It or Ticket mobilization and throughout the year, we will stringently enforce Wisconsin’s mandatory safety belt law. We’re not trying to write more tickets. Through enforcement and education, we’re striving to get people to buckle up every time they drive or ride in a vehicle.”

In Wisconsin, approximately one out of five motorists does not buckle up, according to the Wiscon-

sin Department of Transportation. More than half of the drivers and passengers killed in Wisconsin traf-fic crashes in 2013 were not wearing safety belts. Last year, there were more than 70,000 convictions for failure to fasten a seat belt.

“Consistent safety belt use is the most effective protection against being ejected from a vehicle dur-

ing a crash or thrown around violently inside it and possibly hitting another person in the ve-hicle with massive force,” Sheriff Jim Kowalczyk says. “Our officers are se-rious about safety belt en-forcement because we’re determined to reach the goal of zero preventable

traffic deaths in Wisconsin.” The Chippewa County Sheriff ’s

Department will also be out in force working extra shifts to apprehend impaired drivers and speed viola-tors. The Department of Trans-portation has approved Highway safety funds for extra patrol hours dedicated to traffic enforcement.

BHS Students Urged To Take Pledge To Never Text & Drive

Over 160 students from Bloomer High School learned today about the dangers of texting and driving and were urged to take the pledge to never text behind the wheel at www.ItCanWait.com.

Bloomer High School teamed up with AT&T, AAA, the Wisconsin State Patrol, State Sen. Terry Moulton and State Rep. Tom Lar-son as part of the It Can Wait® movement to remind students that text messages can – and should – wait until after driving.

“We know how tempting it is for our teens to text behind the wheel, especially in today’s connected world,” said Chad Steinmetz, prin-cipal of Bloomer High School. “But not only is the practice against the law in Wisconsin, it is also extremely dangerous and can be deadly. We hope our students take this message to heart and pledge to never text and drive.”

The assembly was part of a series of high school events AT&T, AAA and the Wisconsin State Patrol are holding this school year to drive home the dangers of texting behind the wheel. Students were given the chance to experience firsthand the dangers in a safe setting through AAA’s distracted driving simulator.

Students were also shown a powerful docu-mentary produced by AT&T called “The Last Text” that shares real stories about lives altered or ended by someone’s decision to text and drive.

“Too many lives have been lost because someone chose to text and drive,” said State Sen. Terry Moulton (R- Chippewa Falls). “We want drivers of all ages – especially our teens – to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel and to take the pledge to never

text and drive.” “Texting and driving is a perilous mix and

just isn’t worth risking lives,” said State Rep. Tom Larson (R-Colfax). “It’s especially impor-tant to get this message across to our teens, and the It Can Wait program provides a firsthand

demonstration of the risks that texting poses to drivers and the public at-large.”

Wisconsin marked the third anniversary of its no-texting-while-driving ban on Dec. 1, 2013. The law prohibits send-ing an e-mail or text

Dave Boyea | Bloomer Advance

Bloomer High School junior Mitchell Goettl tries out the AAA’s Distracted Driving Simulator while AAA Wisconsin’s Mary Miller and the BHS junior and sophomore classes watch on a projector screen during the Dangers of Texting and Driving assembly Wednesday, May 7.

Dave Boyea | Bloomer Advance

Above, the Bloomer Middle School eighth grade band performs during the spring concert Monday, May 5. Below, the Bloomer Middle School seventh grade band performs during the spring concert. On page A12, the fi fth and sixth grade band is show performing in the concert.

Bloomer Middle School Band Holds Spring Concert