River Falls Mayor Cecil Bjork announced last week that he will seek re-election.

River Falls welcomed Santa Claus with all the fanfare of a 4th of July celebration last Friday night during the 2nd Annual River Dazzle Extravaganza. A large crowd lined Main Street for the grand lighting of the downtown buildings before Santa and Mrs. Claus served as grand marshals for the lighted parade. The crowd then took up positions along the Kinnickinnic River as 10 minutes of continuous fireworks lit up the night sky. Live reindeer, a free children's matinee and horse-drawn hay rides were also part of the festivities sponsored by the River Falls Main Street Project.

Aimed at making Christmas brighter for local needy families, the "Sharing Families" program is providing 50 Pierce and St. Croix County families with gifts and groceries.

Jean Weberg compares the devastation of losing a child to a wound.

Mitch Frederick and Lindsie Freeborn displayed the plaque their fundraising team earned as part of the "Walk to Cure Diabetes" held last January at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.

Mitch's parents learned their son had diabetes when he was only a year old. Lindsie was diagnosed at age 5.

Three times last week, the UW-River Falls women's basketball team trailed going into halftime, and three times the Falcons outscored their opponents in the second half.