Randy Hanson
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Randy Hanson has reported for the Star-Observer since 1997. He came to Hudson after 11 years with the Inter-County Leader at Frederic, and eight years of teaching social studies. He’s a graduate of UW-Eau Claire.
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- Member for
- 3 years 9 months
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The shenanigans involved in the firing of nine U.S. attorneys should alarm Americans of all political stripes -- Democratic, Republican or mugwump. The cornerstone of our system of justice is the idea that it is dispensed evenly -- that the prosecutor won't factor in your party allegiance in deciding whether to charge you with wrongdoing. That's the kind of stuff that happens in Communist countries. Now we learn that the nine attorneys were shown the door because someone high up in the Bush administration didn't think they were good team players.
The city of Hudson hasn't given up on finding less expensive health insurance to provide to its employees. City Administrator Devin Willi said in a recent memo to City Council members that he is continuing an effort to obtain quotes from companies that might be able to offer coverage at lower premiums than are available through the state of Wisconsin program the city now uses. The memo details a number of obstacles the city faces in finding an alternative to the current program, however. One issue is timing.
A few rain showers didn't keep the classic cars or people away from the Wheels on the Main show Friday evening at River City Center in downtown Hudson. Around 130 hot rods and classic cars were displayed, and several hundred folks came by to admire them, according to Dave "Swanee" Swanson of North Hudson, organizer of the event. "Everybody seemed to have a good time," Swanson said. Rod Sandmon of Forest Lake, Minn., an Elvis Presley impersonator, entertained the crowd with rock and roll and ballads from the '50s and '60s. Vernon Tolbert and Timothy Williams served ribs and other barbecued
The Hudson City Council on Monday night granted a conditional use permit for a freestanding sign and electronic reader board on Vine Street east of Carmichael Road.
It was two years later than planned, but on Saturday Cornerstone Church held an open house at its renovated sanctuary at 1024 Fourth St. Practically the only things left from the original Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church built in 1898 are the stained glass windows, said Cornerstone Pastor Eric Olson. The congregation was expecting to move into a remodeled building much sooner when it started the project in November 2004 by removing the 106-year-old steeple.
Beth Graskewicz has been hired as the new head girls basketball coach at Hudson High School, Athletic Director Larry Ofstedal confirmed on Thursday. Word of the hiring had spread earlier in the week after school officials announced it to members of the basketball team. Ofstedal said he was working on a news release about the selection and Graskewicz's experience. He hoped to have it ready by Monday. Graskewicz and her family moved to Hudson in early 2006 from Pickerington, Ohio, a community just outside of Columbus.
The Hudson City Council talked about it in a closed session Monday night, but didn't come to a conclusion on whether to sell a piece of First Street right of way to the owners of the River City Center. The company planning to demolish the existing grocery store and strip mall, and replace it with a four-level hotel, restaurant, retail and condominium complex, says it needs the roughly one-third acre of land to make the project work. The developer, GCI Builders of St.
A big black bear paid a visit Thursday morning to the Bernard and Michele Drevnick residence on Krattley Lane in the town of Hudson. The Drevnicks' son, Paul, first spotted the bear in the garden at about 7:40 a.m., according to Michele. Then Eddie, the Drevnicks' part border collie, part sheltie noticed the bear and started a commotion. "He always thinks he's saving me. A couple of weeks ago, he got into it with a raccoon that was bigger than him," Michele said of her dog. "He had his adrenaline up, I'll tell you that.
Sixty-three years ago, Glen L. Olson of Hudson was preparing to parachute into Normandy, France, at the lead of the massive Allied D-Day invasion to liberate Europe from the grip of Adolph Hitler and his Nazi forces. The 21-year-old paratrooper was with Company G of the 505th Infantry Regiment, part of the renowned 82nd Airborne Division. During the early hours of the June 6, 1944, invasion, Olson parachuted into Normandy along with thousands of other American and British paratroopers dropped by some 1,000 airplanes.
Tower Asphalt of Lakeland, Minn., has won a $131,523 contract to resurface portions of five streets in the city of Hudson this summer. The City Council awarded the contract at its May 21 meeting after the paving contractor submitted the lowest of two bids on the project. In past years, Monarch Paving of Turtle Lake has been the low bidder for Hudson's street work. This time, the offer from the contractor just across the St.
