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Check fall color conditions across Wisconsin. Fall color reports are updated by our network of 50+ local spotters across the state.

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Gays Mills, Wis. – A “Boosting Our Local Arts & Economy” event will be held in Gays Mills on Saturday, November 7 from 9:00am to 1:30pm. The event will include workshops on Grant Writing, Why Public Art is Important to Communities, and how to be part of the $12.4 Billion Dollar Wisconsin arts economy.  

The event will include a resource fair to connect communities and artists with local and state level support organizations, granting organizations, grant writers and community development experts. The day will also feature an artist’s showcase featuring members from the Wisconsin Rural Artists.

“Public art in communities not only expresses the unique character of the community, it creates a vibrancy that encourages tourism and has the potential to attract new residents,” said Kate Koziol, community and business development consultant at Why Not Seneca. “ We are working closely with our statewide partners to ensure we help local communities benefit from embracing the arts as well as helping local artists be more successful.”

The event will be held at the Gays Mills Community Commerce Center, 16381 State Highway 131, Gays Mills, Wisconsin. The event is free to the public and a $5 soup and salad lunch will be available at 11:30. Local communities, artists and interested citizens are welcome to attend the event, network with support organizations and sample the local arts scene.

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SOLDIERS GROVE, Wis. (WKBT) — Two local agricultural businesses will receive federal funding to expand their operations and reach new markets.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday that Driftless Seed Company, LLC in Soldiers Grove and B&E's Trees, LLC in Viroqua will each receive $200,000 Value-Added Producer Grants. The grants are part of an $800,000 investment in four agricultural projects across Wisconsin.

Driftless Seed Company will use the funding to grow its organic seed business, which specializes in vegetable, flower and native prairie seeds for Midwest growers. The company expects to add four jobs.

B&E's Trees will use the funding to expand its maple syrup energy product business. The company expects to add nearly 7,700 customers, increase revenue by $446,471, and create or save four jobs, according to the USDA...

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WAUZEKA, Wis. (WKBT) — A Crawford County elementary school is among eight schools in Wisconsin to receive a prestigious state honor for academic excellence.

Wauzeka Elementary School, part of the Wauzeka-Steuben School District, was named a 2026 Wisconsin Blue Ribbon School by the state Department of Public Instruction. The school earned recognition in both categories offered by the program — "Exemplary High Performing" and "Exemplary Gap Closing" — making it one of only three schools statewide to receive the dual distinction this year.

State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly credited the entire school community for the achievement.

"It is an honor to recognize these exceptional schools," Underly said. "This achievement is made possible by the students, educators, staff, families, and leaders who work every day to create school communities where everyone can learn, grow, and take pride in their success. Congratulations to each of these schools on this well-deserved recognition."

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Location

Main St. - Gays Mills, WI 54631

La Crosse Area Guide
to Apple Orchards

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Great River Road NEW Website

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

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ONALASKA, Wis. (WKBT) -- The La Crosse Area Planning Committee is asking residents for input on the County Z and ZN railroad crossings in Brice Prairie. 

Brice Prairie is a community accessible only by two county roads. Both of those intersect the same BNSF rail line. 

Officials say passenger and freight vehicles make about 4,000 trips in and out of Brice Prairie at those crossings each day, and the 32 daily train crossings often close both crossings at the same time.

La Crosse County is currently conducting the Brice Prairie Railroad Crossing Study to examine long-term safety, mobility, and access needs at the two railroad crossings to see how closures can be reduced. 

Through a new website launched from over $700,000 in funds awarded by the Biden administration, residents can share their thoughts on the crossings. ..

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Riverland Energy Cooperative and Dairyland Power Cooperative presented the check this week at Pietrek Park. The cooperatives also spent a day volunteering at the site.

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VIROQUA, Wis. — When Pete and Alycann Taylor packed up their life in Idaho in 2005 and returned to Wisconsin with their newborn daughter, Wilma, they carried a vision to create a hub where outdoor recreation and community could thrive. Twenty-one years later, that vision has transformed the Driftless Region as Bluedog Cycles celebrates its 21st anniversary on Main Street in Viroqua.

What began in October 2005 as a community bike shop offering sales, rentals, and repairs has grown into a cornerstone of local outdoor culture, driving regional tourism and establishing Viroqua as a premier cycling destination...

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VIOLA, Wis. — Youth exhibitors gathered on a beautiful morning at the Donald Kellogg Shelter in Banker Park for the annual Viola Dairy Show, organized with leadership from Dairy Superintendent Gail Klinkner and supported by Vernon County Dairy Promotion and Vernon County Dairy Youth. A total of 34 head of dairy cattle were shown during the event. The competition concluded with Anna Cornell earning the top honor of Supreme Champion with her 3-year-old Jersey cow.

Show Background and Tradition

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LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) — Two prominent La Crosse business owners will lead this year's Oktoberfest parades.

Doug Billings, president and owner of Gerrard Hoeschler Realtors, is the 2026 Maple Leaf Parade Marshal and Karla Doolittle, owner of Mark Jewellers, is the 2026 Torchlight Parade Marshal. The two were introduced during the Oktoberfest Parade Marshal Reveal on Sept. 15 at Copeland Park.

Parade marshals are chosen for their community service and contributions to the area...

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LA CROSSE, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – Jenn Speckeen has been a Title I teacher at Hamilton SOTA I Elementary for ten years. She says that seeing students’ growth throughout the school year is what got her interested in teaching. “When I came back to teaching after having my own children and staying home with them, I taught first grade. Then I got my reading license because I really get to make a difference with the kids. I get to work in small groups all day long and see the growth one-on-one.”

Speckeen also hosts morning meetings and closing circles. They allow parents to meet with the school and each other and see what their children are learning. “It’s so important that we have the parents on board and on our team with learning. The more that we can bring them into the school, and they can see what we’re doing and the communication between the parents and the teachers, the better the relationship with the parents.”...

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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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MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has awarded just over $250,000 in E-Cycle Wisconsin Electronics Collection Grants for 39 projects in 35 counties that will host an electronics collection site or event between October 2026 and December 2027. The grants will help fund two permanent electronics collection sites and up to 55 one-day collection events.

Wisconsin’s electronics recycling law, which took effect in 2010, banned many electronics from the trash. It also created E-Cycle Wisconsin, a manufacturer-funded program managed by the DNR that supports a statewide network of electronics collectors and recyclers. As of 2025, households and schools had already recycled 440 million pounds of electronics through E-Cycle Wisconsin.

Since 2022, the DNR has awarded more than $830,000 to projects in 59 counties located mostly in rural areas. These projects have supported development of nine permanent collection sites and 136 one-day collection events.

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The first stage of deer hunting season in Wisconsin opened last week with the beginning of bow hunting.

Disabled and youth hunters may start in October, and the general firearm season opens in November.

But before you head out to the woods, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials want to remind you of a very important consideration: recognizing a deer before you take it. That’s especially true and sometimes confusing when it comes to differentiating them from elk....

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STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WKOW) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded a $749,400 grant to Cooperative Educational Service Agency 10 in Chippewa Falls to expand distance learning access for more than 14,000 rural students and 1,900 educators across 12 Wisconsin counties.

USDA Rural Development Wisconsin State Director Andrew C. Iverson announced the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant on Tuesday. The funding will reach students and educators in Barron, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Marathon, Rusk, Trempealeau, Washburn and Wood counties.

"This investment will go much further to help enrich and strengthen the lives of people who will then be able to make a difference in the lives of others across rural Wisconsin," Iverson said...

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Your next idea is waiting. Your plan starts here. 

Whether you’re an established business looking to turn employee ideas into new opportunities or an entrepreneur building your next great product, this event will show you how to move from idea to action—and action to growth. 

Danielle Goss noticed a problem nobody had solved. Today, she’s the Founder and CEO of Kul Mocks, and her product is taking over the market as one of the fastest-growing ready-to-drink mocktail brands in the U.S. On September 29, Danielle will walk through how she knew her idea was worth pursuing, how she tested it before she had significant funding, where her first dollars came from, and what it took to turn an idea into a growing business. 

Followed by a panel on non-traditional financing, featuring angel investors and small business grant experts who will answer the question everyone in the room actually has: Where should I look for funding, and what do I need to secure it? 

October 20, 2026

Development Dialogue Behind the Build:
How Development Really Works

Tuesday, November 10, 2026

Ignite Innovation:

Level Up & Launch Your Idea

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

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