Lake Country Powers Members vote no on rate regulation

Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric hosts seminar Sept. 14: Ash trees can be saved from the emerald ash borer

First Annual MS Golf for a Cure

Gary Ockwig will join the Professional Computer Systems (PCS) team

Summertime sees increase in burglary

Lake Country Power members vote no on rate regulation

August 25, 2010 (Grand Rapids, Minn.) – Lake Country Power received results of its membership vote on rate regulation today (August 25) from the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Co-op members cast 18,358 total ballots, with 11,625 members opposed (more than 63 percent) to MPUC rate regulation, and 6,697 members (nearly 37 percent) in support of the ballot initiative.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce reports that more than 43 percent of Lake Country Power’s 42,364 members returned ballots, which began with a petition drive signed by 512 members. The petition was submitted to the Minnesota Department of Commerce in March 2010.

“As we emphasized since the beginning of this initiative, it is the right and privilege of members to vote on an issue such as rate regulation,” said Lake Country Power Board President Richard Wallin. “The members have spoken and the Board will continue to direct management to do its best to meet the cooperative’s mission to provide members with safe, reliable and affordable electric service and look for innovative ways to get that done.”

The Minnesota Department of Commerce supervised the ballot initiative and certified results after the ballot counting was complete. Survey & Ballot Systems of Eden Prairie, MN, was commissioned to coordinate the mailing and counting of ballots.

Lake Country Power, www.lakecountrypower.coop, is a Touchstone Energy® cooperative serving parts of eight counties in northeastern Minnesota. The rural electric cooperative provides services to more than 42,000 members and has offices located in Grand Rapids, Kettle River and Mountain Iron.

Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric hosts seminar Sept. 14: Ash trees can be saved from the emerald ash borer

August 23, 2010 (Rockford, Minn.) — The emerald ash borer is threatening to destroy many of Minnesota’s mature ash trees, but WH Services will be hosting a seminar on September 14 to provide information to help save your ash tree from this harmful insect.

The emerald ash borer is an invasive wood boring beetle that is native to Asia, which spread to the U.S. in 2003. It is now in Minnesota and right here in Hennepin County. The larvae of the emerald ash borer kill ash trees within one to four years by feeding on the inner bark of the trees and preventing the transportation of nutrients.
WH Services, a subsidiary of Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association (WH), has a treatment that can prevent the emerald ash borer from attacking and killing your trees. This treatment is applied by professional arborists and tree experts. Cutting down an ash tree should be the last option.

Information on the emerald ash borer and WH Services’ treatment can be heard during a free information seminar on Tuesday, September 14 at 3 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. Each session will last around an hour and will take place at WH’s headquarters in Rockford, along Highway 55 behind the Rockford Mall. Attendees are encouraged to register for this seminar by Friday, September 10 by calling 763-477-3000.

The seminar will feature information from local expert Jeff Palmer. Jeff is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Forest Resources Program and has spent nearly 25 years in the green industry. Jeff began his career as horticulturist, diagnosing and treating problems in landscape trees. He advanced into management where he supervised, trained and worked with tree and shrub care specialists throughout the Twin Cities metro area.

For more information on this seminar, or WH Service’s emerald ash borer treatments, please call 763-477-3000.

WH is a member-owned non-profit electric utility that provides electric power to Wright County and the western part of Hennepin County. The cooperative has been a corporate citizen in this area since 1937 and currently serves more than 46,000 electric accounts. The utility started its security division in 1989 that provides local home security solutions as well as monitors alarm systems for more than 50,000 customers in 32 states and three Canadian provinces.

First Annual Multiple Sclerosis Golf for a Cure, September 7, 2010

Aug 9, 2010 (Friendship, Wisc.) Hosts Marty and June Hillert invite you to participate in the First Annual MS “Golf for a Cure”
Multiple Sclerosis impacts one in every 500 residents in Wisconsin, one of the highest incidence rates in the country. We are raising funds to assist in the research that may one day reduce the incidence or the impact of MS on those affected.

We would appreciate your participation in helping us raise funds for research. Here are some possible ways to help out:

• Participate in the golf outing – it will be an 18 hole 4-person team scramble event on Tuesday, September 7 at The Castle Course at Northern Bay.
• Become a 19th Hole Sponsor by donating a sponsorship of $500.
• Become a General Sponsor by donating a sponsorship of $250.
• Become a Hole Sponsor by donating a sponsorship of $100.
  
• Provide an item for the silent auction and drawings held in conjunction with the event.
• We are also looking for volunteers to help with the activities on the day of the event, Tuesday, September 7th, 2010.
• If you can help in any way, we would certainly appreciate whatever you can do. We are working with the Wisconsin MS Society, a charitable organization, so donations made to this event are considered charitable for tax purposes. Checks should be made to “Golf for a Cure MS Fundraiser”.

If you are interested in providing support, please feel free to contact us in any of the following ways:

• Mail – Marty & June Hillert, 2309A 18th Drive Friendship, WI 53934
• E-mail – Hillert@mwwb.net or mhillert@acecwi.com
• Phone Home 608-339-2118 Cell 608-547-1801 or 608-547-1196
• Please consider helping us with our first attempt at this kind of project. Thanks so much. Marty & June Hillert

Gary Ockwig will join the Professional Computer Systems (PCS) team

June 29, 2010 (Denison, Iowa) -- Professional Computer Systems, Co (PCS) is excited to announce the addition of Gary Ockwig of Spicer, MN to the PCS Product Development staff on July 1, 2010. Gary brings over thirty years of programming experience to the team. The majority of his experience has been programming for electric utilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Gary will be focused on development projects relating to the PCS billing/CIS application called Utilit-e Connect. Gary will also be involved with other projects relating to the PCS accounting application called Utilit-e Insight.

“PCS is excited to have Gary join our dedicated team,” states Kim Ingerslev, President of PCS. “Gary brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our organization. We look forward to providing support for Gary’s current clients on their existing environment, in addition to providing an exciting upgrade path for accounting, billing, e-Commerce applications, and an option for hosting.”

PCS has been serving the utility industry with billing and accounting solutions since 1982. PCS offers Utilit-e Solutions, an integrated suite of premier products for the utility industry. The suite includes: Utilit-e Connect, a Customer Information System and Billing application, Utilit-e Online, an e-Commerce solution, Utilit-e Insight, a comprehensive financial accounting solution, and Utilit-e Central, an innovative application software hosting service. PCS’ world-class customer support is second to none, providing personalized support personnel who know your utility and understand your support needs. For more information on PCS visit www.pcsco.com.

Summertime sees increase in burglary

June 28, 2010 (Rockford, Minn.) — When the temperature rises, so does the risk of burglary in your home.  To ward off crime in your neighborhood, WH Security would like to provide some important burglary prevention tips.

“Anybody who has ever experienced a break-in of their home or property knows what a helpless feeling of violation it is,” said Sonja Bogart, VP in charge of WH Security.

According to the Burglary Prevention Council (BPC), about three out of four U.S. homes will be burglarized in the next 20 years and the FBI suggests that the average property loss per burglary is around $1,000.  To help prevent your home from being burglarized, the BPC offers 10 quick security tips:

• Keep all doors and windows closed and securely fastened.  An open window is an invitation to burglars.  Doors should have deadbolt locks and reinforced strike plates. All windows should have window locks.
• Secure sliding glass doors by placing metal rods or plywood in the track and installing vertical bolts.  This will help prevent the burglar from forcing the door open or lifting it off the track.
• Always lock the door that opens to an attached garage.
• Create the illusion that you are home by using timers on lights, radios and televisions.
• Keep the perimeter of your home well lit.
• Never leave clues that you are away on a trip.  Have a trusted neighbor collect mail and newspapers so that delivered items do not accumulate.  Also, ask a neighbor to park in your driveway to make it appear that you are present.
• Keep some shades and blinds up and curtains open to maintain a normal, everyday appearance in your home.
• Never leave a message on your telephone answering machine telling people that you are away from home.  Also, use caution when posting comments on online social networking sites.
• Keep shrubbery trimmed away from entrances and walkways.  While large, ornate hedges may be beautiful, they also provide a hiding place for burglars who need only a minute to break in through a window or door.
• Organize a community watch program to protect your neighborhood.  An alert community is a safe community.

Another important safety measure to take to prevent burglary is to install a security system.  According to FBI statistics, a burglary occurs once every fourteen seconds and a home without a security system is three times more likely to be burglarized than a home that has a security system installed.  Not only will a security system protect your home, family, and property from burglars but it can also detect smoke, carbon monoxide, low temperatures, flooding and more.

The BPC is a national organization dedicated to the prevention of residential burglaries.  By enhancing the security of your residence and spending the time doing so may save you thousands of dollars in the long run.  To find out more information about the BPC or for more safety tips about burglary prevention, visit www.burglaryprevention.org.

WH Security, based in Rockford, Minn., provides home and business security solutions to the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Owned and operated by Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association, WH Security serves more than 11,000 customers with quality products and affordable monitoring services.