The city of Hudson will have a new garbage hauler come the first of the year.

The air up there was great according to fifth-grade climbers Riley Hansen of Prairie Elementary and Max Golden of Willow River Elementary. They were two of more than 120 fifth-graders from Willow River and Prairie Elementary to attend Camp St. Croix's Environmental Camp last week. The two achieved their goal of getting to the top of the climbing tower by using strength, determination and lots of support from their friends on the ground.

For more than 120 fifth-graders from Willow River and Prairie Elementary, last week's experience at Camp St. Croix will likely be remembered as one of the highlights of their grade school years, not just because of what they learned about the environment, but what they learned about themselves and each other.

Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt has been cleared by an independent counsel of charges that he lied to a Senate committee about his role in rejecting an Indian casino in Hudson four years ago.

Since many divorcing parents don't realize the effect of their actions on children, St. Croix County is requiring all such couples to participate in a program called Families in Transition.

A predawn collision on I-94 Tuesday, just east of Hudson, claimed the life of a Minnesota woman and snarled eastbound traffic for more than two hours.

Jackie Miller is optimistic about her recovery from breast cancer. She intends to see her daughter Samantha, almost 3, get married and plans on enjoying her grandchildren. She and her family have lived in Hudson for eight years.

Jackie Miller doesn't fit the model of women who get breast cancer.