Street Closure On Ripon College Campus to Begin July 1st

From Ripon College Days.com

Seward and Elm Streets are set to be removed July 1 in the section from Bartlett Hall on Woodside Street to the S.N. Pickard Commons on Congress Street this summer. The streets will be replaced by walking paths and green space."Safety, aesthetics and to further expand our 'greening' of the campus [were our main priorities]," says President David Joyce.Students will no longer have to look both ways before crossing from the residential part of campus to upper campus.Other benefits will be a greener campus, which will enhance the overall appearance of the college. Linley Lane will be extended from lower campus to the current Seward/Elm intersection in front of the Pub.The rest of the plans will depend on how much money the college can secure through donations. Joyce says that raising money is a major priority this semester.

Some observations on the health insurance situation

As someone who has recently been blessed with a new baby, the opportunity to think about the health care/insurance situation presented itself. Our baby was born at Saint Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac, because that is where our insurance required us to have the delivery. My wife's insurance allowed her to stay up to 96 hours in the hospital. We actually stayed only 80 hours, since my wife is a quick healer, and she wanted to come home.
1 - There is NO incentive to come home earlier. My wife could have easily stayed another night, with the free meals and comfortable bed. How many people would come home earlier if there was a financial incentive, say, $100 from the insurance company, if there was no medical risk to doing so?
2 - Seeing two people man the valet station at the hospital entrance just had me scratching my head.
3 - There was a director of the maternity ward two rooms down from my wife's room. Why is this person not actually on the floor, providing nursing duties? A possible cost-savings one would think. Similar to the idea of a school district principal or administrator teaching in the classroom.
Just some random thoughts...

Happy Tax Freedom Day

Since this is the day we actually start to keep some of the wages we make, let's tip our hats to Steve Prestegard for his pointed op-ed piece on Tax Freedom Day in Wisconsin:
http://mpmmarketplaceofideas.blogspot.com/2008/04/happy-tax-freedom-day.html

Business Park Expansion Set to Begin Soon

Nearly two years after the current Industrial Park was expanded by 58 acres, the city will move forward with installing streets and other infrastructure in the next few weeks. The winning bid was awared to Ripon Lime and Materials. Their bid was $778,000. According to their bid, the work will take roughly four months (125 days).

A list of all of the bids can be found here.

THE FIRST FAMILY GROWS: WELCOME TO EMILY MARIE

Arrival Time: 10:51 AM, 21 April 2008
Nickname: Emmy
Weight: 7 pounds, 7 ounces
Length: 19 1/4 inches
Fit as a fiddle and ready to play
Hair: Dark, and she has some despite her father's apparent lack of
Nurses: Say she looks like Daddy, but is sweet like Mommy
More pictures can be found here : http://www.the-kramerfamily.com/BABY2.html