You'll be hearing chairs of the local Democrat and Republican parties providing guest editorial commentaries on the radio stations of DoorCountyDailyNews.com starting this Sunday.
Once a month both major parties will provide a two-minute commentary that will be aired on the radio stations and also posted to our web site, DoorCountyDailyNews.com.
The regular feature begins this Sunday with a guest commentary provided by former Republican State Representative Dave Hutchison, now chair of the Kewaunee County Republican Party.
Next week, the commentary will be provided by Estelle Lauter, chair of the Door County Democratic Party.
DoorCountyDailyNews.com President and CEO Roger Utnehmer explains the purpose of inviting Democrats and Republicans to offer guest commentaries.
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You can find the guest commentaries by clicking on DoorCountyDailyNews.com. We'll also list on our web site the actual times the commentaries will be broadcast. And if you would like to offer a response to comments by the party chairs, simply email editor@doorcountydailynews.com.

Paige Funkhouser is the newest addition to the Fish Creek Civic Association. Funkhouser will take on the role of office manager of the Fish Creek Visitor Information Center. Civic association board member Carrie Viste says Funkhouser will work closely with past office manager James "Digger" DeGroot. She says the association will be expanding their services and Funkhouser will help with that.
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With the creation of this position, Funkhouser believes Fish Creek is continuing its progressive stance to bring more people to the area. Funkhouser is looking forward to this new challenge.
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Funkhouser's first day at the Fish Creek Visitor Center was Tuesday. Since then she has been involved in organizing the July 4th firework show, concerts in the park as well as some new events that will be announced at a later time.

Severe weather rushed through Northeast Wisconsin and Door County seemed to be one of the least affected counties in the area. The worst of the storm hit Oshkosh, Ripon and Manitowoc. Kewaunee County received more rain than Door County, but the severe flooding that was seen to the south did not occur on the peninsula.
The city of Sturgeon Bay was hit hardest between 7:30 and 8:30 PM. A number of roads became hazardous for drivers and standing water was seen in places like 12th Avenue in the city. Door County Sheriff Terry Vogel talked about tips for driving in and around standing water.
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Vogel says flooding is a concern but he is thankful that Door County is not known for major floods that sweep vehicles off roads and into streams and rivers. The Sheriff said there are a few situations that can bring added dangers to motorists.
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Sheriff Vogel encourages all Door County residents to keep an eye on the standing water that may build up in the area if another rainstorm hits. He says residents who notice rising levels of water should contact the Door County Sheriff's Department or the Highway Department.
   Numerous power outages occurred in the area. The Bay Shore Drive area in Sturgeon Bay was still without electricity as of 7:00 this morning. A tree was also blocking traffic on 18th Avenue within the city limits.

The Kids Fishing Tournament in Sturgeon Bay will take place again this year on Fathers Day. Gary and Cheryl Nault started this special event to get kids involved in fishing and also to get the family out to enjoy time together on Father's Day. Sunday's event is held at Little Lake and has been well attended in the past. There is no entry fee for the kids. Gary Nault said all the children have to do is bring their poles and enjoy the outdoors. Nault said Little Lake is full of many different kinds of fish and prizes will be handed out.
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The 23rd annual Kids Fishing Tournament will begin at 11:00 a.m. and runs through 2:00 p.m. Trophies and prizes will be handed out shortly after the 2:00 weigh-in time. This event gives kids a great opportunity to learn how to fish. Nault said he sees a lot of familiar faces every year.
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Thanks to Gary's Guide Service and other generous area businesses every child that fishes the tournament regardless if they catch anything will go home with a prize. Cheryl Nault said just because its Father's Day does not mean the moms should stay home. She sees mothers and grandmothers bringing the kids out every year too. The Kids Fishing Derby will take place rain or shine!

PeaPod Homes in Sturgeon Bay won the Business Services category of the Wisconsin Governor's Business Plan Contest Monday. PeaPod has developed a design which they say will revolutionize home building and drastically reduce energy usage. They aim to take on the biggest energy drain on our economy which is heating and cooling our houses and cut that energy usage by as much as 70-80%. PeaPod will design and distribute solar home packages that rely on patent-pending computer modeling and a unique combination of building materials. Door County Economic Development Corporation Business Manager Sam Perlman talks about PeaPod Homes. 
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PeaPod Homes was one of 250 entries. They won the Business Services category. Others included; advanced manufacturing, information technology and life sciences.
They will share in $200,000 in prizes, including cash, legal services, accounting services, information technology services and media-related services.

Visitors will have the chance to immerse themselves in history tomorrow, when the Ephraim Village Museums reopen for the summer season. The Ephraim Historical Foundation’s five lovingly restored buildings are equally impressive, according to Marketing Director with the Ephraim Historical Foundation Melissa Ripp.
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In addition to the resident exhibit, the Barn also features a special exhibit that changes from year to year. 2008’s exhibit is devoted to the Anderson Dock and Store, well-known Ephraim landmarks that both celebrate 150th birthdays this year. The exhibit chronicles the early development of the Dock and Store through the early part of the 20th century, the operation of the Dock and Store through the lifetimes of the second generation of the Anderson family, the acquisition of these buildings by the Village of Ephraim and the Ephraim Historical Foundation, and the process of preserving these landmarks for generations to come. Ripp said the history is made fun by the exhibits at each of the museums.
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Historic walking tours are also conducted Tuesday through Fridays during the summer months, leaving from the Anderson Barn at 10:30 am. This one and a half mile walk is led by one of the Foundation’s knowledgeable tour guides and takes about two hours to complete. Walking tours are also available during the fall season, and are held on Wednesday and Friday, leaving at 10:30 am from the Anderson Store. For those unable to take the morning walking tour, or for those who just want to tour Ephraim at their own pace, new self-guided audio walking tours are available for rental through the Ephraim Visitor’s Center on Water Street in Ephraim.
Admission to the Ephraim Village Museums is $5 for adults, $3 for students aged 6-18, and free for children under the age of six. The admission price includes admission to all of the museums as well as a historic Ephraim walking tour. The new-self guided walking tour is also $5 for adults, and includes admission into the Ephraim Village Museums.
The Ephraim Village Museums are the public face of the Ephraim Historical Foundation. Founded in 1949 as a not-for-profit organization, the purposes of the Foundation are to sustain the beauty of Ephraim for the enjoyment of residents, guests, and visitors; preserve and foster preservation of historical buildings, structures, sites, documents, and relics; and foster the development of cultural services including libraries, art, historical museums, adult education, and other civic services especially within the village of Ephraim, but also including the state of Wisconsin.
For more information on the Ephraim Village Museums and the Ephraim Historical Foundation, please visit us on the web at www.ephraim.org, or call the Foundation office at (920) 854-9688.

Musicians from all across the country will be in Sturgeon Bay this weekend to enjoy the Steele Bridge Song Fest 08. The event was started in 2005 by Pat mAcdonald and Jackson Browne. The idea was to promote awareness of the Michigan Street draw bridge and its history. Event coordinator Christie Weber explains the Song Fest's birth.
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This year's event will host more than 150 original acts performing on 15 stages all within proximity of the Michigan Street Bridge. Back again this year include Jackson Browne, Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Gos, and Eric McFadden. Weber explains why the artists return every year.
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New artists participating this year include Victor DeLorenzo of the Violent Femmes, Kacy Crowley, and Lynda Kay. The Song Fest begins Thursday at 6pm and ends Saturday around Midnight.

A flash flood watch in is effect for Kewaunee County today. This means flooding is a possibility. A watch is different than a warning says Kewaunee County Emergency Management Director Lori Hucek. A warning means flooding has been reported. Today's flash flood watch is in effect today from 1:00PM until the early evening hours. The forecast today is calling for one to four inches of water.
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Hucek says she has checked low-lying areas and the water levels do not appear to be at a dangerous level. She says the water is pretty low right now, but you never know what mother nature can bring. Those concerned about flooding can pick up sand bags at the highway shops or municipal buildings in Kewaunee County.
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A flash flood watch is in effect in Kewaunee County today from 1:00PM until the early evening hours. In the event that would be upgraded to a warning, an alert wold sound on the radio stations of DoorCountyDailyNews.com. A NOAA weather radio is another way to get real-time information on flash flooding or any other major weather events.

I hope that Saturday’s activities were a boost to everyone’s morale if not the business activity.
Last week was a real mixture of good and bad. We got the main road paved but lost a day to weather, and this week looks like more of the same. The rain can easily be tolerable on some days by not on others and we’ve almost run out of the tolerable days. It has its greatest effect on the colored concrete cross walks and terrace areas which will be poured almost every day for the next few weeks.
The electrician has arrived and is installing the street light wiring and pole bases. All of this work should be completed on Monday. They will concentrate this work north of Nebraska Street for this week to eliminate the deep drop off between the curb and sidewalk in these blocks.
Curb and Gutter will be added to the intersections on Thursday and Michigan Street should be open to traffic at the end of the day. The rest of the intersections however are not going to be open by this weekend. Therefore Oregon, Michigan and one lane of Jefferson will handle all cross traffic.
With the intersects being closed, and some of the terrace areas needing additional back filling we be creating two additional ramps for pedestrians to cross from the sidewalk on to the concrete pavement, install temporary stop signs on Michigan at 3rd to create a safe pedestrian crossing and clean up the roadway as best as possible to make the best of it for the weekend.
I will need to get the list of addresses that have been damaged or in need of cleaning because of concrete spray as the contractor will provide cleanup crew at the end of the project. I would suggest that everyone clean their own windows as needed and remember that the clean up will be done by concrete laborers so I doubt they will achieve streak free windows but I’m sure the will be able to clean the splatter off of your brick and painted surfaces.
I have had only one question and that has concerned the slope of the new sidewalks being too steep. I have checked the entire east side of the road and found that by extending the sidewalks at the existing slope, all match to the top of the curb within an inch. This inch will be corrected in the 2’ of red concrete that is to be poured adjacent to the curb. This will recreate the same sidewalk slopes that have existed for the last 24 years.