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This Weeks Articles for 10/28/2025 ...

20 years of solar power for a coffee roastery in Viroqua and no signs of slowing ...
Sparta announces groundbreaking for Mayo hospital expansion ...
Last day of service for the historic Black Hawk Bridge over Mississippi River...
La Crosse Area Builders Association donates $15,000 in tools to 29 local schools ...
You’ll Find One of Wisconsin’s Best Bakeries in a Hut on the Edge of a Road...
VIDEO: Ribbon cutting held for Northpointe housing project in downtown Viroqua...
From storage to storefront: How a vacant building is becoming De Soto, WI’s new potential anchor attraction on Main Street...
VEDA announces regional small business summit set for Nov. 13...
Vernon Health recognized with major awards for heart, stroke and vision care...
Panda Express opens in La Crosse with community celebration and charity donation ...
Schnuck Markets completes acquisition of Festival Foods...
Methane remediation project continues at old Viroqua dump after phase one shows mixed results...

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20 years of solar power for a coffee roastery in Viroqua and no signs of slowing

VIROQUA, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – Ever since its founding in 2005, Viroqua’s Wonderstate Coffee has been using its roastery to create coffees from all around the world. However, in 2015, Wonderstate decided they wanted to do more for the community… and the planet… by becoming one of the first roasteries in the world to utilize solar power. “Going solar, for us, was an opportunity to mitigate the stress we’re putting on the place where we live. It was also an opportunity to take that next step, take responsibility for the impact we’re having, and move the needle. We believe that business can be a force for positive impact.”

Co-owner Caleb Nicholes says the $35,000, 30-kilowatt grid-tied solar array now provides all of the energy to the roastery. 10 years after installation, it continues to provide more than enough clean energy. “In the days that it’s not sunny, we’re able to tap into the grid to use power from the grid. Then in the days that this overproduces, it feeds the grid. We keep track of how much we produce, how much we use. We’re overproducing about fifteen percent more power we’re creating through the solar setup than what we’re using.”...

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Sparta announces groundbreaking for Mayo hospital expansion

SPARTA, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – The city of Sparta and Mayo Clinic Health System are celebrating the groundbreaking of a new expansion to the Mayo Sparta hospital. Mayo officials say the expansion will add 10 more comfortable inpatient rooms, allow for more staffing, and provide other benefits. “We also will be adding the services of infusion and inpatient pharmacy to our patients so they can get specialized medications, chemotherapy, here locally, and don’t have to travel so far to get those needed medications.”

Mayor Kevin Riley says the expansion is part of a big resurgence that will provide many benefits for the city. “We’ve got a library expansion we’ve just completed, the Chatty Kathy Playground that we just completed, (and) South Pointe Business Park. This is Mayo looking at us and saying, ‘We believe in you, Sparta. We’re going to invest in you in the most tangible way possible; (by) putting a building right in Sparta.”...

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Last day of service for the historic Black Hawk Bridge over Mississippi River

LANSING, Iowa — The nearly century-old Black Hawk Bridge, a crucial link between Iowa and Wisconsin, is scheduled to close permanently on Monday, Oct. 20, at 7 a.m., allowing construction crews to accelerate work on its replacement span.

The Iowa and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation (DOT) announced the closure, stating that future construction phases for the adjacent new bridge pose a safety risk to the existing structure, also known as the Iowa 9/WIS 82 Mississippi River bridge. The permanent closure comes after months of intermittent shutdowns and emergency repairs triggered by movement detected in the bridge’s piers during the construction of the new foundation.

Ken Notes: To follow the Lansing bridge in detail the following link:

Black Hawk / Lansing Bridge
Project Updates and Notes

will keep you up to the minute including a live video of the project!

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Regional Economic Development Entities

Mississippi River Regional Planning Commision	SouthWest NorthWest State	Coulee Regional Business Center	THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI MANUFACTURING ALLIANCE
	Vernon Co. Economic Development	La Crosse Area Development Corporation	SBDC La Crosse
Economic Development	Community Development	Economic Development	Economic Development

Trempealeau County Economic Development	The Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC)	Vernon Economic Development Association	Workforce Connections, Inc.
The Pierce County EDC EDC quarterly	Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council	Job and Business Development (JBD) Program
Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority	USDA Rural Development Wisconsin	Xcel Energy Economic Development	Economic Development

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La Crosse Area Builders Association donates $15,000 in tools to 29 local schools

ONALASKA, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – The La Crosse Area Builders Association (LABA) is giving a major boost to local high school trade programs, donating about $15,000 worth of tools and materials to 29 schools across the region.

Educators from each school will receive their new equipment during LABA’s general membership meeting on Tuesday, October 21, at The Golf Club at Cedar Creek in Onalaska. Nearly every school on the list plans to attend the evening banquet to accept their new tools in person.

Participating schools include: Alma Center-Lincoln, Arcadia, Bangor, Black River Falls, Blair-Taylor, Boys & Girls Club of La Crosse, Brookwood, Central (La Crosse), Cochrane-Fountain City, Coulee Region Christian School, De Soto, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau, Hillsboro, Holmen, Independence, Kickapoo, La Crescent-Hokah, La Crescent Montessori & STEM School, La Farge, Logan (La Crosse), Luther, Melrose-Mindoro, New Lisbon, Onalaska, Rushford-Peterson, Sparta, Tomah, West Salem, and Whitehall...

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Ken Notes: THANK YOU!!!

VIDEO: Ribbon cutting held for Northpointe housing project in downtown Viroqua

VIROQUA, Wis. — The completion of the 65-unit Northpointe housing development, officially known as the Main Street Apartments, marks a significant milestone in Viroqua, made possible largely through a substantial infusion of federal pandemic relief funds. Even though the building is almost full already, local officials, organizations and key players who all had a hand in the completion of the project gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 10...

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You’ll Find One of Wisconsin’s Best Bakeries in a Hut on the Edge of a Road

Castlerock Sourdough is the smallest bakery shop in Wisconsin. It`s a must-visit spot near the Mississippi River.

Wonderful bread can be found in some very unexpected places. Among the soaring Mississippi River bluffs of western Wisconsin`s Driftless Area, you`ll find a bakery tucked away in a spot that elicits a lot of double takes—and probably more than a few hard brakes. The Castlerock Sourdough bakery is many things: It`s well stocked, filled with flavors, and its retail shop is open much longer hours than most other independent bakeries. It also just happens to be the smallest bakery shop in Wisconsin. It really is a tiny little place that you have to see to believe—here’s what you need to know about Castlerock Sourdough...

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From storage to storefront: How a vacant building is becoming De Soto, WI’s new potential anchor attraction on Main Street

The tape binding Mitch Schiffer’s fingers evokes the appearance of aged drywall dust, frayed at the edges from a day spent navigating the challenges of construction. With a resolute exertion, he elevates a stud into position, squints one eye to ensure the level is accurate, and presses the wood against brick that has experienced more years of silence than commerce for nearly a decade.

On Main Street in De Soto, WI, windows of this nature rarely exhibit a polished sheen any longer. Instead, they have transformed into reflective surfaces - only capturing the transient headlights of passing vehicles over the years.

“This building once held a thrift store. Before that, something else. Then nothing.” Schiffer reflects on the passage of time with quiet contemplation...

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The Great River Road

MAP		Discover Wisconsin Great River Road Video

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VEDA announces regional small business summit set for Nov. 13

LA CROSSE, Wis. — Area entrepreneurs and established companies can prepare for growth and development at the Wisconsin Small Business Summit & Celebrate Small Business Luncheon, scheduled for November 13, 2025, at the UW-La Crosse Student Union.

While the Vernon Economic Development Association (VEDA) primarily facilitates its local Inventors and Entrepreneurs Club monthly, the summit aligns with VEDA’s core mission to create sustainable economic growth and support the development and expansion of businesses throughout the region. VEDA was formed in January of 2006 and is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.

The full-day program runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and features dedicated educational tracks for both existing businesses and start-ups.

The educational workshops scheduled for the event include:

Financial Management Cash Flow
Taxes Preparing for 2026 and Beyond
New Strategies in Digital Marketing
Organizational Thinking
Innovation Fostering the Creative Mindset
Start Strong Strategies
AI Impact and Trends in Business
Show Me the Money
Building a Scalable Business

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Panda Express opens in La Crosse with community celebration and charity donation

LA CROSSE (WKBT) -- The American Chinese restaurant chain Panda Express officially opened its doors in La Crosse with a grand opening community celebration that included charitable giving and free merchandise for early customers.

The new location brings 40 jobs to the La Crosse area, according to restaurant officials. General Manager Enzo Hellmeister expressed enthusiasm about the community`s response to the restaurant`s arrival.

"We`re very excited to bring back our name here and from what we`re seeing so far is a strong sentiment from the community, strong support," Hellmeister said.

As part of the grand opening celebration, Panda Express presented a $1,000 check to Wafer Food Pantry, demonstrating the company`s commitment to supporting local charitable organizations...

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Vernon Health recognized with major awards for heart, stroke and vision care

VIROQUA, Wis. – Vernon Health has recently been honored with four significant awards recognizing its commitment to high-quality care in cardiovascular treatment, stroke recovery, and organ and tissue donation.

The organization received three American Heart Association (AHA) Get With The Guidelines awards for its dedication to evidence-based care in stroke and cardiovascular treatment. These awards reflect the staff’s commitment to following the latest, research-based guidelines, which helps patients in the community achieve better outcomes, faster recoveries, and reduced readmissions...

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Schnuck Markets completes acquisition of Festival Foods

ST. LOUIS (WBAY) - Wisconsin’s Festival Foods now has an out-of-state owner.

The CEO/chairman of Schnuck Markets announced closing on the purchase of Festival Foods and Hometown Grocers.

The three supermarket brands are now part of the newly-formed 1939 Group, owned by the Schnuck family, based in St. Louis.

Todd Schnuck said it brings the company to 164 stores -- 42 Festival Foods, 9 Hometown Grocers, and 113 Schnuck Markets. Hometown Grocers stores include Dave’s County Market, Denny’s Supervalu, Don’s Quality Market, Lake Mills Market, Lakewood Supervalu, Super Ron’s Food Center, Thompson’s County Market, Thorp Supervalu and Wittenberg Sentry Foods...

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Methane remediation project continues at old Viroqua dump after phase one shows mixed results

VIROQUA, Wis. — The City of Viroqua’s mandated methane remediation project at the old city landfill is grappling with “wildly inconsistent” methane gas emissions, even as city officials move forward with adjacent residential development plans. The old city landfill site is located at the end of Sands Road or east of Chicago Ave., and just south of where the “Hanson Farm” housing development is soon to be constructed. The landfill or dump was closed in the early 90s when the county constructed a modern landfill that met new DNR standards.

The remediation effort began after the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a notice of non-compliance on May 27, 2025, due to high levels of methane gas leaking around the perimeter of the closed site. Initial investigations revealed explosive gas readings near an adjacent church building, sometimes reaching 20.5% methane by volume, far exceeding the regulatory limit of 1.25% of the lower explosive limit outside the landfill boundary...

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MRRPC Launches Small Business Development Grant Program: Turning Ideas into Action

The Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission (MRRPC) is proud to announce the Small Business Development Grant - Business Plan and Pitch Contest, a program designed to help entrepreneurs transform their ideas into thriving businesses.

In partnership with the UW-La Crosse Small Business Development Center and the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) - La Crosse Office, and with $18,000 in funding from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), MRRPC is offering training, resources, and support to strengthen the regional economy through entrepreneurship.

Program Highlights:

Business Plan Contest: Open to new or existing businesses in the MRRPC nine-county region. Participants will develop a detailed business plan (up to 24 pages, not including cover page) covering areas such as executive summary, company description, market analysis, organizational structure, products and services, marketing strategy, financial projections, and supporting materials.

Prizes Totaling $12,000!

1st Place: $5,000
2nd Place: $3,000
3rd Place: $2,000
4th Place: $1,000
5th Place: $500
6th Place: $250
7th Place: $250

Pitch Contest: The top seven business plan winners will advance to pitch their idea in a 5-7 minute presentation to a panel of judges for a share of an additional $6,000 in funding.

Eligibility:

Entrepreneurs in the idea stage or startup stage
Existing businesses seeking expansion, operational improvements, or new market opportunities
Located within MRRPC’s nine-county region

All applications must be submitted by:
February 13th at 12:00 PM to jon@mrrpc.com.

Contact:

Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission
811 Monitor Street, Suite 201
La Crosse, WI 54603
Phone: 608.785.9396
Email: jon@mrrpc.com Website: www.mrrpc.com

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Tourism Resources and Events in Our Region

Monroe County Events Calendar	Crawford County Events Calendar Visitor Guide	Vernon County Events Calendar Visitor Guide
La Crosse County Events Calendar Visitor Guide	Trempealeau County Events Calendar Visitor Guide	Buffalo County Events Calendar
Pepin County Events Calendar Visitor Guide	Pierce County Events Calendar	Jackson County Events Calendar Visitor Guide

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Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission (MRRPC)

Working together to make the Mississippi River Region a great place to live and work.

The Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission provides planning and economic development services to improve the region`s environment, economy and quality of life. We serve a nine county region, providing studies and planning services, resources and data to help with your grant applications or reporting needs, and business loans.