As you read this, the Eau Claire Area School District is grappling with its over-the-top budget woes, and must consider some drastic cuts. From the Leader-Telegram …

• Facing a projected $5.09 million budget deficit for 2009-10, the Eau Claire school board is looking at any and all proposals for cutting expenses and generating revenues.
• To date, 43 options - ranging from consolidating schools to freezing salaries to increasing extracurricular activity participation fees - are on the list, which is expected to grow.

Did someone say “options?” Yep …

• Combining high school extracurricular programs - including sports - into one team per activity for both schools is another option. The consideration of naming rights and advertising throughout the district, along with outsourcing garbage collection and selling the district-owned garbage truck, moving the Montessori charter school from the former Lincoln School and selling the Lincoln site, and eliminating participation in a state program aimed at reducing class sizes, also made the list.

For better of for worse, I think the whole “combing sports programs” concept will be the white-hot button issue that’ll get the citizenry all fired up and involved. The district is supposed to published the list of new budget options on their website, but I’ve yet to find it …

They still have one heck of a tight race for a US Senate seat over in Minnesota. It’s starting to look like the democratic challenger and former Saturday Night Live star Al Franken has fallen behind incumbent republican Norm Coleman in the recount for this hotly contested and expensive race. But what’s really interesting about this recount are the “challenged” ballots ­– the easily debatable ballots that people messed up in some way or another and are now confusing election officials. Extra dots, crossed out lines, drawn in arrows, a write in of “lizard people” – basically anything that someone could do to screw up a ballot … someone did.  I found this link to a Minnesota Public Radio blog very interesting, it gives you the opportunity to look at the actual contested ballots, see how people screwed up, and then judge for yourself. You vote then see how others voted. Democracy is tedious business.

For lunch today a bunch of us office folk decided to visit the new Sonic fast food restaurant (2831 Hendrickson Dr.), on top of what used to be Embers and used to be the Fireside before that. Like toppings piled high, we piled into the Volume One eight-seater van for a premium eating adventure. As we approached Sonic, which opened at 6am today, we found they were serving an order of cars tall enough to pack the drive-thru and the rows of parked service stalls. The line to get in began in the Ron's Castle Foods parking lot, marked by traffic cones and people directing traffic. We, of course, waited without complaints. We ordered from a stall and our SuperSONIC cheeseburgers, Chili Cheese Tots, and soft drinks came to us from cheery roller skating employees. Other attendees fetched sauces or gathered trash. We pondered how the roller skaters worked in the winter, the virtues of your lap as a tabletop, and what exactly is Ocean Water. Then after making merry and telling embellished stories of our youth, we wiped our ketchup-kissed lips and headed back to the Volume One command center. Thought you'd like to know.

Local rockers Laarks have been included on a holiday compilation album produced by Hard To Find a Friend. Peace on Earth : Vol. II sells for $7.50 and has 22 songs. All the money goes to the Children of Uganda fund. 

Laarks covers “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” adding their trademark Yuletide flare. You can listen on their MySpace page. They’ve got some good company on the album, too. Buy/download here.

Hey! We’re wondering if our commenting system is living up to the impeccable standards you guys demand in the world of … um … commenting. For a while, we were having the requisite trouble with spam and then added the “prove are you human” code protection. Is this code thing working for you guys? Has it ever not worked? Is it hard to read? Please, let us know if you’ve had trouble …