Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Thursday, October 23, 2003

Judge approves EPA, Xcel settlement

OTHER STORIES: State to start buying land for Westby-Viroqua bypass | Book on Hartley disappearance in works

MADISON — A federal judge this week accepted an agreement between Xcel Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that requires installation of pollution control equipment at its French Island incinerators and payment of $500,000 for operating the facility in violation of the Clean Air Act.

The agreement, approved by District Judge Barbara Crabb was first proposed between the parties in June. It was criticized in August by Midwest Environmental Advocates of Madison as settling far short of the $230 million in fines Xcel may have been exposed to and failing to compensate the local community for the environmental damage caused by the incinerators, which produce electricity by burning processed municipal solid waste, waste wood and railroad ties.

State to start buying land for Westby-Viroqua bypass

VIROQUA, Wis. — The state can start buying land and finalizing designs for a Hwy. 14/61 Viroqua-Westby bypass, according to Joe Olson, state Department of Transportation District 5 director.

The bypass is enumerated in the Wisconsin 2004 state budget, meaning its construction will have priority in future state budgets. It is getting initial funding for land acquisition and design.

Construction for the $40 million project is scheduled to start in 2009 and would last three years, according to transportation officials. However, the start date could be later if the Legislature delays that funding.

The state will need those years leading up to construction to buy land and resolve relocation issues, according to Beth Price, project coordinator. Most of the property is agricultural, but some residential and business property will be affected as well, she said.

Book on Hartley disappearance in works

It was 50 years ago Friday that Evelyn Hartley disappeared.

Fifty years later, people are still wondering about the fate of the La Crosse teenager who disappeared while on a babysitting job.

Peggy Lovejoy of Prudential Lovejoy Realty Inc. is one of those people still wondering.

But, instead of just wondering about what happened to Evelyn, Lovejoy decided to do something about it. When she hired Andy Thompson as general manager of Prudential Lovejoy, she discovered he had an interest in researching unsolved murder mysteries and a willingness to spend hours with microfilm looking for old clues.

Why don't we write a book, suggested Lovejoy. And then they looked at each other and realized that neither of them was a writer.

So they hired freelance writer Susan T. Hessel and they started gathering information.

See the Friday edition of the La Crosse Tribune for these and other stories.

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