Author: Cecil Larson

Walking up the steps to a Middleton ballet studio, young ballerinas can be heard chattering about their upcoming weekend as they put on pointe shoes and lace up in practice skirts before rehearsal.“Girls are you ready? Shoes and skirts? The music is on,” said Marguerite (Molly) Luksik, artistic director of Central Midwest Ballet Academy.Here, above Hurts Donut Company, Central Midwest Ballet Academy students rehearse for their upcoming production, “Pineapple Poll.” The show runs August 17-18 in the Mitby Theater at Madison College. It's half of a Gilbert and Sullivan program with the Madison Savoyards, who perform “Trial By Jury.” It…

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Clash of the Titans: Midwest Sports Showdowns and Quad-City Chronicles As the winter chill clings to the Midwest, sports fans look forward to the tough competition and competition that February promises. The Iowa Hawkeyes, Illinois Fighting Illini and Iowa State Cyclones are gearing up for electric matchups across disciplines. Meanwhile, the Quad-Cities are abuzz with local news, from senior citizens flying to Hawaii to the historic visit of a locomotive. Battles on the field The Hawkeyes face a formidable challenge as they lock horns with the Penn State Nittany Lions in a high-stakes wrestling matchup. With both teams winning the…

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Leslie Duke assumed the role of CEO of Burns & McDonnell. He succeeds Ray Kovalik, who has retired. Duke, most recently president and general manager of the company's South Central region, joined the company in 1999 as a structural engineer and has served in many leadership roles. She is the eighth managing director of Burns & McDonnell. Furthermore, Joe Podrebarac named the company's first safety officer. Matt Olson becomes its first chief innovation officer. and Chris Come inr assumes a newly created role of Chief Risk Officer.Horwitz, a New Hope, Minn., provider of design-build mechanical and plumbing services, named President…

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Donald Trump won the White House in 2016 by tearing down the famous electoral “blue wall”, taking the states of Michigan and Wisconsin, along with Pennsylvania, from the Democrats. He lost the White House four years later when the same states went to Joe Biden. FILE – The Milwaukee city skyline is seen on April 7, 2023, in Milwaukee. Both Democrats and Republicans are focusing on the crucial Midwestern region ahead of next year's presidential election, with both parties choosing to hold their national conventions there. Republicans will hold their event in Milwaukee, while Democrats announced Tuesday, April 11, that…

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October 24, 2017 KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Dr. Deb Berkeyprofessor of physical education, is the recipient of the 2018 SHAPE America's Midwest Association for College and University Physical Education Scholar/Lecture Award. Dr. Berkey has been at Western Michigan University for thirty-one years and currently teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the College of Education and Human Development in instructional methods and strategies, curriculum and motor development, and has coordinated the professional physical education teacher preparation program. She has served in leadership roles at WMU, several professional physical education organizations, and the Michigan Department of Education, in addition to her roles as a professor…

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HCA Midwest Health's CareNow, an urgent care facility, is headed to Prairie Village Shops. Where exactly? The new clinic will go into the renovated US Bank space at 6940 Mission Road. HCA officials say Johnson County's fifth urgent care facility expects a mid-December opening, barring any supply chain delays caused in part by COVID-19. The attraction at Prairie Village: Christine Hamele, media relations representative for HCA Midwest, said the rationale for expanding HCA's Johnson County footprint in Prairie Village is twofold. First, many members of the HCA team — including Hamele — live or grew up in Prairie Village, he…

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Another labor group has thrown its support behind Lucas Coons' bid to unseat GOP incumbent US Sen. Josh Hawley.Calling him “the only pro-worker candidate in this race,” the Missouri Kansas City Labor Council threw its support behind Coons on Monday.”Right now, we have Josh Hawley, a senator who talks tough about working people on the campaign trail, but votes against us in Washington,” said Brandon Flinn, the council's director of operations. The council is one of the largest unions in Missouri, with more than 12,000 members working in construction and the public sector.Kunce, the overwhelming favorite to win the Democratic…

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Some of the best Midwestern colleges and universities can thank the Morrill Act of 1862 for their existence. This act gave the states 30,000 acres of federal land to establish institutions that offered practical and agricultural education to a wider public. Today, many of these land-grant colleges have a history as energy-producing research institutions, with developments such as first internet browser and performing the first successful open heart surgery. After the 2008 recession, many colleges in the Midwest faced divestment problems. Higher education is generally an easy target for budget cuts by state governments looking to save money. However, some…

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The hazy sun hangs behind the smoke of the Canadian wildfire above an oak tree in southern Wisconsin on June 4. (Photo by Tom Purdy via Twitter) Smoke from Canada's wildfires that turned skies along the East Coast a sickly yellow also brought air quality warnings across much of the Midwest last week. State health agencies warned people with heart and lung conditions to reduce outdoor exposure. More bad air days are likely to come — not only are fires burning to the west in Alberta and Saskatchewan and to the east in Quebec, but new fires have broken out…

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Friday, September 29Full match scheduleQualifying Athlete8:00 amET Racing Showcase Time Trials9:45 amET Racing Showcase – Round 112:00 p.mMidway Open/Suggested Arrival Time12:00 p.mHigh School Challenge/Jr Street – Time Trial1:15 p.mJr Arch Shootout – Time Trial1:20 p.mET Racing Showcase – Round 21:25 pmSummit Jr Dragster Shootout Qualifiers3:15 p.mCountdown Crunch Time Q&A with Matt Hartford on the Nitro Alley Stage4:00 pm10 Questions with Bob Tasca on the Nitro Alley Stage4:30 p.mET Racing Showcase – Finals4:30 p.mSummit Jr Dragster Shootout Qualifiers4:40 p.mFactory X Qualifying Period4:45 pmPro Mod Qualifying Session5:00 pmFactory inventory qualifying period5:30 p.mPro Stock Qualifying (Motorcycle & Car)6:00 p.mNitro Qualifying Session (Funny Car…

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