Area residents don't have much time to get their name on the ballot for the April elections. Nomination papers are due by 5:00P.M. on January 2 and there are a number of seats to be filled in Sturgeon Bay, Algoma and Kewaunee. In Sturgeon Bay, seats 2, 4 and 6 will be up for election. Currently, Ronald Vandertie serves district 2, James Abeyta holds the district 4 seat and Tom Benzshawal serves district 6. James Abeyta will not run again. Sturgeon Bay City Clerk Stephanie Reinhardt says circulating nomination papers in Sturgeon Bay is simple.
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In Algoma, one seat from each of the four aldermanic districts will be up for election. In addition, the mayor's seat is up as well. A number of people have turned in their nomination papers. In district 1 Lynn Lawrenz has filed, in district 3 Kevin Schmit has filed and Jan Dart has filed for district 4. Mayor Virginia Haske has taken out papers but did not yet file, Denise Bauman has taken out papers but not filed and Paula Wiese has also not turned in papers. City Administrator/Clerk Treasurer Tom Romdenne talks about the requirements for filing.
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In Kewaunee, Virginia Kostka has filed nomination papers for district 1, Thomas Zenner for district 3, Don Kichbusch for the fourth district and John Blaha has filed papers for the mayor's seat. Fourth district council member Don Rabas has filed non-candidacy and will not run in the upcoming election. Robert O'Brian has taken out nomination papers but has not filed. In addition, there will be a change in the city attorney race this year. That position has been changed and there will no longer be an election for city attorney.
Circulating and collecting signatures is a simple process. All residents have until 5:00P.M. on January 2 to turn in their nomination papers. The election will take place on Tuesday, April 8. Contact your city clerk for more information.

Representing the Town and Village of Egg Harbor on the Door County Board of Supervisors has been an honor for Dale Wiegand. He will end his third term on the board in 2008. Wiegand is the third supervisor to file non-candidacy papers for the upcoming election. He joins Charlie Most and Jaime Forrest. Wiegand served on four committees including Airport & Parks, Board of Health, Finance and Law Enforcement & Judiciary.
Some of his fondest memories serving the county came as the chair of the Law Enforcement & Judiciary Committee. Wiegand said he will miss certain aspects of serving on the County Board.
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He will walk away with a few negative feelings about the way the board of supervisors handles meetings. He was asked what he will miss least about serving on the Door County Board.
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Wiegand also believes night meetings would allow the public more of an opportunity to show up and voice their concerns. He said that expecting someone to take off work to speak at a meeting of their representatives is a bad idea. The District 16 representative said he does not see the meeting time changing until a number of Supervisors that do not have day jobs step down or are defeated.
After six years with the County Board, he is not ruling out the possibility that he will again run for the seat in the future. Right now, he has to keep his day job and can no longer make the sacrifice. Wiegand works in sales with a Sturgeon Bay business.
Life after County Board does not mean his time serving the people will completely end. He anticipates serving on special committees. One passion that Wiegand would like to continue to work for is the expansion of the Door County Airport.

 2007 was a busy and exciting year for the Door County Economic Development Corporation. Economic Development Manager Sam Perlman was happy to report that Palmer Johnson Yachts completed phases one and two of the Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding Cluster Master Plan by adding 16,000 sq ft to their current building and the construction of
 a 12,500 sq ft paint facility.
DCEDC coordinated the fundraising, planning and execution for Door County Legislative
Days DCEDC staff provided leadership for the 85 delegates who made the trip to Madison for two days of meetings with legislators and state agency secretaries and representatives to present agenda items important to the Door County community. DoorCountyDailyNews.com's Karen Klement attended Legislative Days in Madison and said she
 appreciated the opportunity to speak to legislators about the issues that face Door County.
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The Door County Economic Development Corporation was also pleased to report that twenty families closed on a home purchase utilizing the Door County Housing Assistance Program, which provided down payment loans to the income-eligible households.
The Door/Kewaunee Business & Education Partnership received a $31,000 Community-Based Economic Development grant from the Wisconsin Department of Commerce to fund a Regional Training and Development Program designed to provide career awareness for area youth to help fill the future employment needs of businesses in the region, which
included the inaugural high school home construction project.  In August, Secretary Gassman of the Department of Workforce Development presented two Workforce Advancement Training Grants amounting to $58,000 to Palmer Johnson Yachts and Bay Shipbuilding.
The DCEDC Board of Directors recently established their priority strategic objectives for 2008, including support for the improvement of the County's telecommunications infrastructure, with fiber optics or wireless technologies; securing the funding and approvals to implement the final phases of the Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding Cluster Master Plan; develop and implement the Workforce Taskforce action plan to address labor market issues; join the Community Venture Network as a potential source of new business attraction; assist the initiative to extend the runway at Cherryland Airport to 5000 feet; work with the County Planning Department on development of the Housing and Economic Development components of the County's Smart Growth Plan.
A summary of DCEDC's 2007 Major Accomplishments is available on their website.

Snow covered fields do not slow some farmers from spreading manure on fields. A number of studies have shown that winter spreading is part of the reasoning some private wells in Door and Kewaunee counties became contaminated in the past few years. According to the Door County Environmental Council's executive director Jerry Viste the average person needs to take a stand against this unacceptable practice.
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He said the public must make a stand if they want to ensure the clarity of their drinking water. Writing or calling the DNR or water and soil testing companies is one way Viste believes people can fight back.
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Viste believe if enough people come together and voice complaints legislation would pass. At the bare minimum he would like to see strict guidelines put on amounts and times farmers could spread waste.

In the past five years there has been reports of contaminated ground water in specific locations in both Door and Kewaunee counties. Many people believe the contamination stems from the way farmers get rid of farm waste in the winter season. The unregulated spreading of manure on fields is something Jerry Viste believes needs to change. Viste is the executive director at the Door County Environmental Council.
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Farmers give Viste and other environmentalists the same response every year. They reply by saying the waste mixes with the snow and is diluted when the temperatures warm up.
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Local rivers and streams become more polluted after every winter because farmers simply don't care, said Viste. The state government has discussed outlawing winter spreading, but nothing has been done yet.

Aids like the patch, gum or prescription medication can help with your efforts to quit smoking. Lung specialist and American Lung Association volunteer Dr. John Stevenson
says these things may help but that's only if you have really made a personal decision to quit.
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There are some nicotine replacements that may help get you on the smoke free road. He says they should be used temporarily.
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Its different for everyone, but nicotine should leave the bloodstream after two to three
 weeks. Stevenson reminds a smoker that cultural and behavioral cravings are tough to fight. He says we often associate smoking with a certain activity, place or group of friends. Its best to be prepared for that and if possible, avoid those situations. Stevenson gives some final words of advice.
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Stevenson says it is hard to underestimate the degree to which your nicotine craving brain will convince you to keep smoking. He says when it comes to quitting, most of us have to try several times before we are successful. In those cases, Stevenson says to stay positive and try again.

During the holidays, many of us indulge in various dishes, extravagant meals and constant snacking and we also make the same New Year's resolution to lose weight each year. Registered Dietician at Door County Memorial Hospital, Judy Sowl talks about one important thing to remember at this time of year.
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Sowl says if you are the host, you'll have a lot of control over what will be served. One idea is to purchase inexpensive tupperware and be sure to send leftovers home with your guests. Also, be prepared for parties and holiday events by bringing your own healthier snacks.
Sowl reminds people to stay active by parking away from the store and walk those few extra steps, use the stairs whenever possible and shovel instead of using the snow blower.
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Sowl says don't forget about how you are going to feel if you overeat and remember that you will feel a lot better if eat right. She added that one slip up is not end of world but remember to make up for it later by cutting back or exercising the next day.

Overwhelming evidence has shown there is a negative relationship between violent video games and aggression. These results hold true for people of all ages. Numerous studies have indicated there is a negative influence between the two. Dr. Dennis
White from Clinical and Consulting Psychology talks about what can happen as a result of playing these violent games.
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While the link between violent television shows and movies has been established for quite some time, video games are more interactive. Playing these violent games provides a hands-on training. White says it has a cognitive and emotional effect on people. He says these results are not based on theory, gaming college students, children and adults have been observed to collect this information.
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White believes that parents and friends would look at this issue a little differently if they understood how these violent video games were affecting those they care about. Repeated exposure to these violent themes desensitized us to them. Before heading out to buy this year's most sought after video games, White says you should consider the affects these video games have on an individual. He says there are plenty of non-violent video games out there that are also quite enjoyable.

A strict, planned budget could save you a lot of stress after you are done with your holiday shopping. Director of FISC Consumer Credit Counseling Gay Pustaver says Christmas Clubs are a great idea. These programs are available at banks and automatically take out a certain amount of money from your paycheck and deposit it into a special savings account. These funds cannot be used until a certain time of year, usually October or November. Pustaver says a little self control will save some big headaches.
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Christmas shopping throughout the year is also a good idea. If you find an affordable gift that you think a friend or family member may like, buy it and wait for the holidays to come around. Pustaver says many people also take advantage of the after-Christmas sales to get ready for next year.
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Pustaver says to set a limit before setting foot in the stores and stick with it. She says to use cash and stay with the plan. Above all, Pustaver says to take your time, pay attention and think about what you are doing before heading to the register.

Many think that giving a dog or cat to someone for the holidays is a gift that keeps on giving, but Door County Humane Society Director Carrie Counihan says that's not really a
good idea. While the shelter is always looking for good homes for stray and surrendered animals, the staff is committed to making sure pets end up in the right one. There are a lot of responsibilities that come along with having an animal and it is vital that pet owners know that before getting one. The holidays are a time of year when many are interested in adopting. Counihan says it is important to know what you are in for before pulling an animal out of the shelter.
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Each animal that comes into the Humane Society has a story. Some are strays and others are surrendered. Animals can suffer psychologically too and may become depressed or anxious. The staff at the shelter spends a lot of time working with and nurturing those pets and often make a lot of progress. That's why it is important to be sure you are ready for a pet before pulling it out of the
shelter. 
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While many people head to the Humane Society around this time of year to find that "perfect" gift, Counihan asks that you take the time to really understand what it takes to be a pet owner before adopting. For those who believe the edition of a pet would be good for the family, she says to keep in mind that there is an adoption process that may take a day or two. Counihan encourages everyone to head out to the Humane Society to take a look at the animals available for adoption. Click Here For Humane Society Website!!!