The Wisconsin State patrol said a crash involving semitrailers and cars was backing up northbound traffic on I-39/90/94 late Monday morning. The crash was near mile marker 11, between Lodi and the I-90/94 and I-39 interchange. Full Story »
Photos from Wisconsin's 72-63 win over Marquette on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, at the Kohl Center, in Madison. Wisconsin's Jon Leuer blocks Marquette's Jimmy Butler (33) during the second half Wisconsin's 72-63 win over the Golden Eagles on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009, at the Kohl Center, in Madison. Full Story »
MONTELLO - Sometimes all it takes is a moment to set back years of work. Such was the case at Fountain Lake Farm National Historic Landmark shortly before Thanksgiving, according to Erik Brynildson, who lives on and owns the original homesite of the John Muir family. Full Story »
COLUMBUS - The city will have a new police chief. Daniel Meister, who is a captain and acting chief for the Pewaukee Police Department, was the unanimous choice of the Columbus Police and Fire Commission at a special meeting Friday morning. Full Story »
CAMBRIA - About a year after a Cambria resident brought a quart jar of yellowish wastewater to the Village Board, the source of that wastewater - the Didion ethanol plant, just outside the village limits - is broaching the possibility of getting some of it treated in the village's facilities. Full Story »
Austin Raimer, 8, of Portage, confides to Santa Claus his Christmas wishes -- an iPod and a Wii game system -- at Saturday's Breakfast with Santa at Culver's restaurant, Portage. Full Story »
The rushed corn harvest has yielded a situation at the Didion facilities in Cambria that Dale Drachenberg, Didion's vice president of operations, described as unusual to the Cambria Village Board last week. Full Story »
Didion Milling Inc. will receive about $5.6 million in federal money to improve energy efficiency at the company's corn milling operation in Cambria, Gov. Jim Doyle announced last week. Full Story »
Every man cave, according to Josh Perkins, needs the three Bs: bar, bathroom and buck. The bar in Chuck Eberle's man cave is well stocked, including a selection of numerous kinds of potato chips. Full Story »
It could cost neighboring Adams County as much as $20,000 to secure the services of Columbia County Medical Examiner Angela Hinze. Full Story »
About half of all U.S. home heating fires occur in December, January and February, but almost all of them can be prevented, fire officials say. "Over the last couple of years, cooking accidents have been the No. 1 cause of fires," said Craig Ratz, fire inspector for the city of Portage. Full Story »
Information is taken from the records of the Portage Police Department and does not represent a comprehensive list of police department activity. Each individual named in this report is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Full Story »
U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin is recovering from what her doctor described as a "classic case" of the H1N1 flu. Full Story »
A Lodi teen will spend two years on probation after pleading to a charge that he sold marijuana. Full Story »
A Baraboo resident will spend 30 days in jail after pleading to a felony burglary charge relating to an incident in which he was caught in the act by town of Newport property owners in June. Full Story »
Editor's note: The following won a Golden Crow first-place award for 2009. The maple shivered. She almost hated this time of year: she loved the colors that her leaves revealed when the green drained from them, but she also knew that it meant that they would soon fall and leave her naked and cold. Full Story »
Information is taken from the records of the Portage Fire Department. The Portage Fire Department has responded to a total of 355 calls since Jan. 1. Wal-Mart, 2950 New Pinery Road: Firefighters at 7:46 a.m. Dec. 4 responded to a water flow alarm. Full Story »
Starting Monday, people of all ages will be able to get free vaccinations against the H1N1 virus through the Columbia County Department of Health and Human Services. Full Story »
Santa Claus was spotted downtown Friday, but with a touch of his finger aside his nose, he was gone. Four-year-old Bethany Krumpos was searching for him with her mother, Debbie, at Yuletide at the Portage's 2009 Living Windows. Full Story »
The Portage School Board will start to hammer out details of the proposed April 2010 operational referendum for the district at its meeting Monday. Full Story »
Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Boockmeier had two words to say about the Columbia County Sheriff's Office's performance during the recent snowstorm: "Good planning." Full Story »
Relief from the bitter cold is on its way. While temperatures this morning are expected to remain near zero, clear afternoon skies will allow temperatures to reach the mid- to high 20s, said Chris Frank, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office near Milwaukee. Full Story »
My back deck. Ever seen a kangaroo in snow? -- M Higley, Packard Drive, Pardeeville Full Story »
COLUMBUS - The last barbershop in the city didn't close down last month after all. The Clip Joint (114 E. James St.) is still alive and well in downtown Columbus, owner Cheri Hegge said. Full Story »
It'll be lights, camera, action times two, as Columbia County gets ready to install a second courtroom videoconferencing system. Full Story »
A 6-day-old sheep relaxes with its mother at a zoo in Tokyo, Dec. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
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