In this edition...
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News:
Area mystery author speaks at library (front page)
Comentary: Soldier for soldiers deceased
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The front page...
A solid foundation
Library assistant 'extraordinaire' Katie Martin leans on a wall decorated with paper
bricks bearing the names of readers participating in the Johnson Creek
Public Library summer reading program. Each brick represents an hour
of reading time. Under way for only a few days, 160 young readers ranging
from pre-school through eighth grade have accumulated more than
500 hours of reading time. This year's summer reading program
theme is "Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds."
Village water test and treatment
on fast track
JOHNSON CREEK -27June05 -- Water quality is a top priority for engineers and village officials according to committee meeting discussions Monday.
Officials continue to take steps to remediate village well water that during the most recent test indicated elevated levels of radium...
Fire Dept board relocates EMS
JOHNSON CREEK - 23 June 05 - Members of the Johnson Creek Community Fire Department Board agreed during a planned meeting Thursday to relocate the EMS to a news site.
Shortly after the village of Johnson Creek purchased the former Affiliated Bank building adjacent to the village hall...
Village acts to anticipate state
JOHNSON CREEK - In an effort to be able to maintain village services in the event of state legislated revenue caps, the Johnson Creek Village Board adopted a resolution to have a borrowing provision in place in advance.
Several efforts have been made by Wisconsin Legislators to implement (click here to continue)
Care for Critters, Animals of the Night to Visit Johnson Creek Public Library
Have you ever wondered which animals are active at night? Or, how can animals survive when it is dark? Area residents are invited to find out these answers and more while viewing live “nocturnal” animals. On Tuesday, July 5 at 2:00 p.m. Animals of the Night, Pick'n Save's 2005 Care for Critters program presented by the Zoological Society of Milwaukee, will visit the Johnson Creek Public Library.
During the program, those in attendance will meet such live animals as a Eurasian eagle owl; Spectacled owl; European and American barn owls; Northern pygmy owl; Tiger salamander; Walking stick; and a Blood python. Audience members will leave the program with a better understanding of and appreciation for the animals; their food sources; and their part of the world. Everyone is invited to attend this special program, sponsored by Dick Schulze and JC Land Holdings. For further information, contact the library at 920-699-3741.
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It's a mystery
 Wisconsin author Marshall Cook speaks to area readers Thursday in an appearance at the Johnson Creek Public Library. Cook's publisher has recently released his second mystery novel "Murder at Midnight."
JOHNSON CREEK - 30JUNE05 - Within two weeks of the release of his most recent mystery novel, author Marshall Cook spoke to avid readers at the Johnson Creek Public Library during a presentation Thursday evening.
His most recent book “Murder at Midnight,” published by Bleak House Books of Madison, is his second mystery, although he noted that he had started on a third using many of the same characters in his first two mysteries.
Murder at Midnight is loosely based on the March 1998 unsolved murder of a Catholic priest in the small village of Dane.
“But this is very clearly fiction,” the author noted, pointing out that the common thread in both mysteries has been the central character Monona Quinn, the editor of a small town weekly newspaper.
Many areas of Dane County are mentioned in the book, but Cook noted that fiction affords the luxury of changing circumstances and in a mystery it directs readers to closure by ultimately identifying the person who committed the crime.
His earlier mystery novel “Murder Over Easy” was based on the mysterious death of a diner owner in Marshall, an acquaintance of the author.
Cook spoke of mystery novels in general, listing off many of the famous authors in the genre.
“These books are called `cozies,'” he said, referring to his mysteries. Cook explained that it is a British term for murder a mystery that doesn't include much, if any, blood and trauma in describing the crimes, but gains its strength and interest in the mystery itself.
Cook, who has written 24 books in a variety of genres is a professor of creative writing for adult students at the University of Wisconsin - Madison Division of Continuing Studies. A transplanted Californian, Cook and his wife Ellen now call Madison home.
He has written a variety of books, including “The Great Wisconsin Manhunt of 1961,” an historical account of the pursuit of fugitives after a police officer was shot and killed near Wisconsin Dells. The event mobilized law enforcement across the state in one of Wisconsin's largest manhunts.
The author has also written books on baseball, creative writing and time management. He edits the Creativity Connection, a quarterly newsletter of creative writing and creative writers. Additionally, he has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
The author's appearance in Johnson Creek was sponsored and hosted by the Johnson Creek Public Library as a part of their ongoing effort to provide readers with opportunities to hear and meet area authors.
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Creek, Kyrgyz connection
JOHNSON CREEK - Nick Gray is a Johnson Creek native finishing his second year as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kyrgyzstan. He and his parents Les and Roberta Gray of Johnson Creek initiated an international project to supply books for an English language library at what is now Naryn University in that central Asian country.
But as it has turned out, acquiring books to start an English library may have been the easiest portion of the project. Right now the challenge is getting donations to ship the books to that developing nation.
Additionally, as the endeavor took shape here, things became very interesting in that former Soviet Block country from which is heard little news.
Gray's parents are both teachers in the Johnson Creek school system; and with the idea of supplying books for a new library of books in English as a project, they decided to seek donations to “Send a Ton of Books to Kyrgyzstan.”
During the month of March, libraries at the elementary and upper school, as well as the Johnson Creek Public Library were collection points for books that the public could donate.
“It really didn't take that long to collect the books,” Les Gray said, noting that the month of March provided more than enough time. He credits the school student councils with being instrumental in the book collection.
As books accumulated here, March 18 wire service stories indicated that this third world country with a size and population similar to Wisconsin, was facing the overthrow of it's government.
Previous information from Nick Gray on the library project had been acquired through emails. Inquiries regarding political unrest there were met with a response that everything was fine, and there was no appreciable violence.
Communications from the young volunteer then came to an abrupt halt.
His parents however received a call from their son indicating that American nationals had been moved to undisclosed safe locations in case a quick egress was required. It is a plan in place for all international Peace Corps volunteers. “He could not even tell me where he was,” his father noted.
In a matter of days, the president of the country, who had been in that position since the break up of the Soviet Union in 1993, resigned. Many voting irregularities during the most recent election created an uprising of the electorate to question the results and insist that their candidate, Kurmanbek BAKIYEV, was installed as the new head of state.
It was considered a Velvet Revolution, a term that came into existence in 1989 with the bloodless overthrow of the Czechoslovak communist regime, and has been used to describe other peaceful governmental reorganizations since.
Shortly after the new Kyrgyz administration was in place, communications resumed with the Peace Corps worker and the English library project continued.
The books will be the beginning of a new library at Naryn University's American Studies Center. While housed in proximity to students in the American Studies Center, the public will also have access to the books which have a range of reading levels from pre-school through college difficulty, and include fiction and non fiction works.
The country, which is similar to Wisconsin in size, has fewer than 200 miles of paved roads. Yet Nick Gray has conveyed that the literacy rate is about 98 percent.
But Gray has noted that the majority of printed works still available, from a time prior to a renewed publishing industry, are in Russian and came from their past as a part of the Soviet Union.
He also noted that one of the popular curricula is International Studies, which requires a variety of written material from around the world, especially the US.
This week the project raised enough in donations to send three 40 pound boxes of books to Kyrgyzstan. Currently it costs $70 to send one 40 pound box of books to that part of the world.
With 1880 pounds of books, or about 47 boxes left, the group is seeking donations to ship the books as soon as possible. An account “Books for Kyrgyzstan” is established at the Citizen's State Bank in Johnson Creek, to which people can send donations for shipping costs.
Gray will wrap up his obligation to the Peace Corps in September. He applied for a Peace Corps position shortly after graduating from Carroll College with a degree in International Studies. But his primary foreign language in college was Spanish.
Given the choice to be on a Peace Corps waiting list, or have a more immediate placement he opted for the latter which included the opportunity to work in Kyrgyzstan. This required a three month intense language training session to learn Kyrgyz, and he was given only one opportunity to pass the required language proficiencies test.
He has spent his time teaching English, most recently at the University of Naryn. But the language, the country and people have had a positive influence on Gray as he has taken on a new position there. Upon the completion of his Peace Corps tour of duty he will begin a new position there as the supervisor of Kyrgyz food service workers at Ganci Air Base, a facility that supports US military efforts in Afghanistan.
Before he leaves the Peace Corps in September, his parents plan to make the trip for a visit to Kyrgyzstan in August.
And while Nick has gained an affinity for the Kyrgyz people and the country, it was explained that one of the prime benefits of the new position were frequent opportunities to return home with travel costs provided.
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