TWO MENOMONITES HEADING TO AUSTRALIA WITH OPRAH
Menomonie local and recent UW-Stout graduate Tricia Thompson is going to Australia. For a week. With Oprah. Three hundred audience members at the opening episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show’s 25th and final season in Chicago will soon be flying across the globe with the talk show host. Thompson was chosen to attend the show from a large pool of applicants after filling out an online form, answering an e-mail questionnaire, and doing a phone interview. She didn’t know she would be one of the “ultimate viewers” going to Australia in December until Oprah announced it. She’ll be bringing friend Emily Cook, also from Menomonie. Oh yeah, and John Travolta is the pilot.

REPORT: HIGH-SPEED RAIL IS COOL
A recently released report alleges that a high-speed rail system will boost the economy, reduce highway and airport traffic, and help the environment. Conducted by Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group, the report provides statistical backing for the benefits of high-speed rail in eight Midwestern states, including Wisconsin. Major findings of the report include the creation of 57,000 permanent jobs and another 15,200 jobs to construct the system over 10 years. The Wisconsin route connecting Madison and Milwaukee would boost the state’s economy enough to create 13,000 more jobs by 2013, according to the report. With one more option available for transportation, congestion would be reduced by 1.3 million plane trips and 5.1 million car trips per year by 2020. The report says the Milwaukee to Madison line alone would save 2.76 million gallons of gas per year, and 58 percent of Midwesterners would be within 15 miles of a station.

CVTC AMONG NATION’S BEST
Washington Monthly recently named the Chippewa Valley Technical College the 10th best community college in the nation. The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), which measures student commitment, performance, and learning, was consulted in determining CVTC’s rating. The student survey addressed elements such as number of papers assigned, frequency of group interaction, quality of support services available, and hours of individual course preparation. Since the first issue of Washington Monthly’s Career Guide and Ranking in 2005, the goal has been to provide readers with quality colleges that improve the country. Chippewa Valley Technical College continues to provide top-notch technical education that improves the success of students and provides the community with highly skilled and professional employees.

BLUGOLD BEGINNINGS AWARDED AMERICORPS GRANT
Blugold Beginnings, a UW-Eau Claire outreach program designed to encourage underprivileged students to seek higher education, was just awarded a $274,028 grant from AmeriCorps and another Wisconsin College Access Grant for $85,000. As part of the program, local elementary and high school students will be matched with UWEC student mentors who will provide support and help to foster the attitudes and skills necessary to reach long-term educational goals. Program coordinators hope to use the newly awarded grant funds to develop a Blugold Beginnings College and Career Readiness program to reach out to low income, minority, and first generation students, who are statistically less likely to seek a college education. The latter grant is specifically for elementary schoolers. Additionally, Blugold Beginnings will hire a supervisor to recruit AmeriCorps members to serve as individual coaches and mentors in an effort to further expand the program.