Three Claps For Football

SCEDC BLOG

Three Claps for Football

BY BILL RUBIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

High school football returned to Wisconsin’s St. Croix Valley. Old rivalries renewed. Pep bands, cheer squads, parents and families, boosters, and concessionaires. All are ready. If visiting fans are unsure of the location of the opponent’s playing field, they just look for the distant glow of lights. Pre-game and post-game, students and fans are bound to bring badly-needed business to local restaurants and pubs.

So what does a coach say to the players before a game? Years ago, New Orleans Saints football coach Sean Payton returned to his high school in Naperville, Illinois and delivered this message, set as the backdrop video to Kenny Chesney’s song, The Boys of Fall:

Coach Payton: “Three claps and we’re ready to play tonight (players and coaches respond: clap-clap-clap).
Three claps (clap-clap-clap).
Three claps (clap-clap-clap).
Twenty-seven years ago I sat in this locker room just like you guys, on a knee getting ready to play a game.
I walked down to the locker room, it still smells the same.
It takes you back real quick.
One of the things that caught me was how fast 27 years goes by.
There are so many people who live vicariously through you.
I would give anything tonight to jump into one of these uniforms with you guys.
That feeling goes away.
It goes away, and it doesn’t come every Friday night.
It comes when you get married.
It comes when your child is born.
So you get it, but you just don’t get it every Friday night.
You’re gonna miss that more than anything in the world.
That’s what I miss.
So you seniors, who are focused on college;
You’re focused on your work after high school;
What you’re gonna do next.
You’re focused on tomorrow, aren’t you?
You’ve got plenty of time for tomorrow.
But these tonight’s, they’re going by fast.
You focus on tonight.
This is about you guys.
This is about the guys in this room.
They care about each other.
They know there are only so many of these nights left.
It’s about you.
They’re a faceless opponent.
They just happened to draw the short straw tonight.
Now get your butts ready to play.
‘Win’ on three.
One-two-three.
WIN!”

Here’s to bringing some normalcy to Friday nights in the St. Croix Valley.

August 2020 Unemployment

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Month Five of COVID-19:
St. Croix County’s August Unemployment Rate is 6.3%

On September 23rd, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary August 2020 unemployment rates for Wisconsin’s 72 counties and the 34 cities with populations greater than 25,000 residents. St. Croix County’s August rate was estimated at 6.3%, which is lower than July’s final rate of 7.8% and June’s final rate of 9.8%. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 3.0%.

DWD said preliminary unemployment rates from July to August decreased in 71 of the 72 counties. The rates ranged from 3.5% in Lafayette to 18.9% in Menominee.

Preliminary unemployment rates decreased in all of Wisconsin’s 34 largest municipalities from July to August. Rates ranged from 4.9% in Fitchburg to 10.1% in Milwaukee.

The five counties with the lowest unemployment rates in August include Lafayette (3.5%), Taylor (3.6%), Clark (3.7%), Kewaunee (3.8%), and Richland (4.1%). Menominee County had the highest rate in August at 18.9%, followed by Forest (14.2%), Iron (10.6%), Milwaukee (8.9%), and Jackson (also at 8.9%).

St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Dunn counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix’s rate of 6.3%, August’s preliminary rate in Dunn is 4.7%, while Polk reported 5.6% and Pierce reported 5.9%.

St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 15-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The August 2020 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 7.9%, which is lower than July’s final rate of 8.2% and June’s final rate of 9.2%. The unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 2.9% in August 2019.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in August was estimated at 6.2%, which is lower than July’s final rate of 7.1% and June’s final rate of 8.6%. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.4%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota in August was estimated at 7.4%, which is lower than July’s final rate of 7.6% and June’s final rate of 7.6%. Minnesota’s seasonally-adjusted rate one year ago was 3.2%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. for August was estimated at 8.4%, which is lower than the final rate of 10.2% for July and June’s final rate of 11.1%. One year ago, the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 3.7%.

Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for August was 65.4%, which is higher than July’s final rate of 64.9% but lower than June’s final rate of 65.8%. One year ago, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was 67.0%. The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for the U.S. in August was estimated at 61.7%, which is higher than July’s final rate of 61.4% and June’s final rate of 61.5%. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 63.2%.

August’s estimates are preliminary and are subject to revision within the next few weeks.

The Rivers

SCEDC BLOG

The Rivers

BY BILL RUBIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

An unnamed walker on Hudson, Wisconsin’s old toll road one Saturday morning felt lucky to bump into a face from the past. How early in the morning? The exact time was insignificant, but early enough for it to be darker than it was lighter. Walkers at this hour likely subscribe to beating other walkers and runners who sleep past 6:00 a.m.

The face from the past said he retired several years back. He reminded the unnamed walker that he grew up in Hudson and witnessed many, many changes. The St. Croix River was his to explore, which included running a trapline and having local knowledge of fishing holes, starting as a six-year old. He also mentioned seeing campfires from hobo encampments on sandbars near the pivoting swing bridge upstream from the toll road. The hobos frequented the sandbars and eventually moved on, never doing any real damage. Hop a train from the swing bridge and they were gone. It was their way of life in early Hudson.

Saturday’s chance conversation got the unnamed walker thinking, maybe too much thinking. Thinking first about rivers, and then about Bruce Springsteen . . . and later, about the local treasures – the St. Croix, Apple, Willow, Rush, Eau Galle, and Kinni.

Springsteen’s chorus for his 1980 song The River goes something like, “We’d go down to the river, and into the river we’d dive, Oh, down to the river we’d ride.” Wiki says throughout the song the river is viewed as a symbol for the dreams of the future. The song’s narrator keeps his hopes alive even as they begin to fail. Later the narrator asks, “Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true or is it something worse?”

As St. Croix County continues to grow, pristine water resources could be threatened more than ever. Residential growth is comprised of urban dwellers and rural dwellers. City dwellers have access to closed loop municipal water and sewer services. Water comes from deep wells and is treated before a distribution network of buried pipes brings it to homes. Waste water is piped to a facility for processing before it’s discharged as a cleaner, more neutral product. Country dwellers drill private wells for their water source. Waste ends up in a POWTS – private onsite wastewater treatment system.

Too many private wells and POWTS, along with runoff from farm fertilizers, over-manicured suburban lawns, and waste from a thousand head of dairy cattle all named Bessie are bound to present risks or threats. Fortunately, land uses are regulated at the town (township), village, city, or county level. Some local staff may possess credentials as water resource or environmental specialists. Wisconsin has its Department of Natural Resources, too. St. Croix County uses the mantra, Innovation Through Cooperation. It will take a whole lot of both to protect the surface and groundwater resources.

Solutions to ag and dairy waste are emerging. Rolling them out takes innovation and cooperation. The big winners are local residents who deserve clean water. Clean water contributes to greater livability for the region.

If Springsteen’s river is a symbol of dreams for the future, then the St. Croix, Apple, Willow, Rush, Eau Galle, and Kinni are St. Croix’s future. Protecting them and ensuring a better region starts with Innovation Through Cooperation. Just like the changes witnessed by the retired walker, more changes are on the horizon to ensure the vitality of water resources.

Craft Brewery Day 2020

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EDC Proclaims September 24 as Craft Brewery Day in St. Croix County

At its September meeting, the St. Croix Economic Development Corporation (EDC) board of directors unanimously proclaimed Thursday, September 24, 2020 as Craft Brewery Day in St. Croix County, Wisconsin.

The EDC will recognize six micro-breweries in the county with proclamations signed by the board president and executive director. The breweries are Rush River Brewery (River Falls), Pitchfork Brewery (Town of Hudson), Oliphant Brewery (Somerset), Bobtown Brewhouse & Grill (Roberts), and Hop & Barrel (Hudson). The proclamations will be mailed to the breweries. A special, in-person delivery to one of the breweries has not been ruled out.

The proclamation points out craft breweries provide significant opportunities for community and economic development. In many cases, breweries renovate and occupy underutilized or vacant commercial space, sometimes providing additional sparks for other businesses to invest in nearby properties. Breweries are tourist destinations and become a community gathering spot or a place to enjoy local music and food.

Statewide, craft breweries make a big impact. They contribute around $9 billion to Wisconsin’s economy each year, along with 62,000+ jobs and $2.5 billion in wages and benefits.

Like many businesses, breweries have felt the impact of the economic downturn. Owners used creativity and offered curb pick-up service for cans and growlers to go. Brewers and owners continue to help one another by answering questions and offering assistance.

The EDC asks residents to consider a pick-up order or in-person stop at taprooms on September 24th, recognizing the importance of social distancing and commonsense health practices.

Whether enjoying a lager, pilsner, pale ale, IPA or stout, please do so responsibly.

For questions or comments, please call St. Croix EDC at 715.381.4383.

July 2020 Unemployment

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Month Four of COVID-19:
St. Croix County’s July Unemployment Rate is 7.7%

On August 26th, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary July 2020 unemployment rates for Wisconsin’s 72 counties and the 34 cities with populations greater than 25,000 residents. St. Croix County’s July rate was estimated at 7.7%, which is lower than the final rate of 9.8% in June and May’s final rate of 13.9%. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 3.1%.

DWD said preliminary unemployment rates from June to July decreased in all 72 counties from June to July. The rates ranged from 4.1% in Lafayette to 18.3% in Menominee. 

Preliminary unemployment rates decreased in all of Wisconsin’s 34 largest municipalities from June to July and. Rates ranged from 5.5% in Fitchburg to 11.2% in Milwaukee.

The five counties with the lowest unemployment rates in July include Lafayette (4.1%), Taylor (4.2%), Clark (4.3%), Kewaunee (4.6%), and Richland. Menominee County had the highest rate in July at 18.3%, followed by Forest (15.1%), Iron (12.0%), Douglas (10.1%), and Milwaukee (9.9%).

St. Croix, Pierce, Polk, and Dunn counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix’s rate of 7.7%, July’s preliminary rate in Dunn is 5.9%, while Polk reported 6.7% and Pierce reported 7.4%.

St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 15-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The July 2020 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 8.2%, which is lower than June’s final rate of 9.2% and May’s final rate of 10.1%. The unemployment rate in the Twin Cities was 3.1% in July 2019.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in July was estimated at 7.0%, which is lower than June’s final rate of 8.6% and May’s final rate of 12.1%. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.4%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in Minnesota in July was estimated at 7.7%, which is lower than June’s final rate of 8.6% and May’s final rate of 9.9%. Minnesota’s seasonally-adjusted rate one year ago was 3.2%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. for July was estimated at 10.2%, which is lower than the final rate of 11.1% for June and May’s final rate of 13.3%. One year ago, the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 3.7%.

Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for July was 64.9%, which is lower than June’s final rate of 65.8%, and May’s final rate of 66.6%. One year ago, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was 67.0%. The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for the U.S. in July was estimated at 61.4%, which is lower than June’s final rate of 61.5% but higher than May’s final rate of 60.8%. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 63.0%. 

July’s estimates are preliminary and are subject to revision within the next few weeks.