http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/sumner/ Sumner, WI News http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/sumner/content/b0451733eea4a63b92749eae09a4cf54.html A broken water pipe under Grand Avenue in Wausau has forced the closure of the northbound lane http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/sumner/content/e94c190ea7edd7f8b6ee5e295eb77da9.html For the first time in ten years common terns have hatched near Lake Butte des Morts http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/sumner/content/a14e9fed798c716a07356f93c2097c81.html For the first time in ten years common terns have hatched near Lake Butte des MortsThe common tern is a water bird originally native to the area that is considered an endangered species in the state said Sumner Matteson an aviation ecologist with the state Department of Natural ResourcesIn March the Butte des Morts Conservation Club and the DNR built a nesting island with money from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Program because common terns like sparsely vegetated areas In July 11 common tern nests with eggs were found on the island which is located in the southwestern part of Lake Buttes des Morts near Spring BrookThe common terns have since left for the winter but Matteson said there is a good chance the birds which he calls graceful and beautiful will be back next year since they have already raised young hereThey are part of our natural heritage he said Because they require such a sparsely vegetative site we have an ongoing managementprogram to manage the site and make sure its relatively free of vegetationMatteson said common terns were originally driven away from the Great Lakes area the coasts of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior due to development recreation and contaminatesTo date there are only 339 birds in the state Matteson saidWhen any species disappears from an area its an indication hat things are going well said Nicole DeKeuster administrative coordinator for the Butte des Morts Conservation Club When we see a creature like the common tern come back it helps us realize the heath of the ecosystem is improving and thats the goal of the clubArt Techlow III Winnebago system biologist who has been working with terns for years said hes excited to see the project come to fruitionAll these years and now weve turned the corner and are seeing some successful nesting again he said This isnt a high budget or high time item for me but its one of the things I like to do particularly because its an endangered species If I can see a positive its something that makes the job nicer http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/sumner/content/759f17150ab3a79744ffc5992d82fe10.html For the first time in ten years common terns have hatched near Lake Butte des Morts http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/sumner/content/c65b230ac87f972cec392770f28c5f76.html When Carol Sumner dreams of retirement it's not just palm trees and whitesand beaches that she envisions but frequent trips to visit her granddaughter and children in MadisonI love spending time with them she said To me retirement means the freedom to go see them whenever I want toNow as Sumner and other working Americans watch their 401k and pension accounts dissipate daily as the stock market continues its rapid downhill slide their retirement visions appear to be going up in smokeMedia outlets this week reported that Americans' retirement plans have lost as much as 2 trillion during the past 15 months or about 20 percent of their total value The Dow Jones industrial average is down almost 40 percent from its alltime high of 14165 set last yearI don't know that I'll ever be able to retire said Sumner 55 office manager at Klug Chiropractic in Eau Claire Right now it's not looking like that is an optionMillions of other residents in the Chippewa Valley and elsewhere throughout the country are facing a similar dilemma People poised to retire within the next couple of years are now deciding to remain a part of the workforce as high prices for food fuel and other goods combined with a sluggish economy and a staggering stock market are dashing retirement hopesA survey conducted earlier this year before the Wall Street meltdown showed only 18 percent of workers were confident about saving enough money for a comfortable retirement down from 27 percent last year And 39 percent of people believe they will outlive their retirement nest eggs up from 29 percent in 2007 according to a survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute a nonprofit group that focuses on retirement and security issuesFor nearly 30 years Larry Welden 56 of Eau Claire has socked away money into his 401k account Sometimes doing without that extra money was a struggle as Welden and his wife Jenny raised their four children But Welden stuck to that plan banking on the fact it would allow he and his wife to travel in their postemployment daysNow he's not so sure noting his retirement account has lost tens of thousands of dollars in recent weeksGiven what's happened to my account I know we won't be taking any of those vacation trips anytime soon he saidLosing significant amounts of hardearned cash in a matter of weeks is difficult to handle under any circumstances But Americans here and elsewhere are particularly upset about their retirement reductions amid reports of shaky lending decisions that have severely devalued the housing market and buyouts of bankrupt corporations that have included multimillion dollar packages for top corporate executivesIt's rotten what's happened to all of us said Susan Dworski 63 of Eau Claire A lot of those loans never should have been made and the bailout shouldn't be paying settlements for a bunch of fat catsBack to workIt's not just those people pondering retirement who have been hard hit by the stock market collapse Retirees also are being hurt as some are being forced back into the workforce to make ends meetMany thought the retirement nest eggs they had accumulated combined with Social Security payments would last them from the time they quit their jobs until they died But given surging prices for a variety of goods and continued hits to their retirement accounts a growing number of retirees are returning to workAccording to AARP one of four people who had retired at age 65 during the past couple of years have rejoined the workforce a number expected to rise in the wake of the Wall Street crashNancy Sprinkle assistant director for Senior Center Employment and Training a federally funded program that provides job training to people 55 and older in Eau Claire Chippewa Dunn Barron Clark and Taylor counties said the number of clients seeking assistance from the organization increased significantly last spring when gasoline prices surged upward That figure has continued to rise she said in recent weeks as the stock market droppedFrom July 1 2007 through June 30 2008 the job training center served about 200 lowincome clients plus others who don't meet income guidelines but still receive assistance such as help with job resumes Those numbers were higher than in the past and will grow this year based on increased requests for jobtraining assistance since this summer Sprinkle saidThere are very real concerns out there by these people that they're not going to make it unless they return to work she saidCount Joan Metcalf among them She retired 11 years ago from her office administrator job and moved to Eau Claire from White Bear Lake Minn But Metcalf discovered that her rapidly rising prescription drug costs were far outpacing her retirement savings and she was forced to return to work six years ago She enrolled with Senior Center Employment and Training and subsequently landed a job at the LE Phillips Senior Center where she has worked sinceNow 76 Metcalf ponders retiring again but said the recent stock market problems have moved her retirement further into the future Many other retirees she knows also have returned to work in recent years she said and more are considering it given the tough economic timesOh absolutely I'm glad I'm working right now I can't afford not to she said Uncertain futureThe stock market crash has kept local financial advisers busy fielding calls from residents concerned about how to stop the bleeding in their retirement accounts Talk of the tanking markets is dominating discussion these days whether at workplace lunchtime chats or around the dinner table at homeEverybody is concerned about this right now said Bill Hilgedick a financial adviser with Edward Jones Investments in Eau Claire People want to know how what's happening on Wall Street is going to affect themThe answer Basically everyone who has invested in retirement accounts has been adversely affected Hilgedick said Typically even during economic downturns more conservative investments have been safe But even those retirement sectors such as bonds have been hit by the market free fall financial advisers sayThe reality is that this has affected pretty much everybody in some way shape or form There aren't a lot of places for people to hide Hilgedick saidThat means Sumner and others are changing their habits In the past she typically spent every summer weekend at her family's cabin near Spooner This year she cut back on those trips in an attempt to reduce travel costsBut it's the likelihood of less frequent trips to visit her loved ones in Madison that has Sumner most worried about the futureIt's looking like this downturn could last awhile and that's going to mean some tough changes for all of us she saidEmerson can be reached at 8305911 8002367077 orjulianemersonecpccom http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/sumner/content/b4016d47f63ba49eb3c2283284714478.html A Wisconsin project to rescue trumpeter swans ranks with such historic conservation efforts as saving the American http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/sumner/content/0bfc90bb090118b646e651100c6069bf.html They had to wait a week but Rick Czechowicz and Mike Morawicz finally won their championships in the 2008 Racine County Senior Masters Golf Tournament http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/wisconsin/sumner/content/af1fea52eda3da627377e3e475962f2e.html RACINE The way Sen Herb Kohl DWis sees it politicians in Washington will have to put aside their differences if they expect to get anything done in the near future on issues from education to energy That includes whoever occupies the White House come January