Dispatches from Douglas County: A snow-laden roof, new Superior businesses and a turn to the youth

SUPERIOR — Spring is here! Sort of.

It's sunnier at least, even if there are huge piles of snow alongside my driveway.

Officials in Solon Springs closed the school this week after finding sagging trusses March 16. Crews worked to remove snow from those sections of the roof.

And speaking of Solon Springs, the district hired a new superintendent who will start work July 1.

Here's what else we've been working on this week:

Maria Lockwood / Superior Telegram

Reclaim Recovery has changed formats. It's no longer a Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART) program. Instead, the program is for anyone affected by addiction, including people whose loved ones are in a recovery lifestyle.

“We wanted to make it more welcoming to everybody. Whatever your pathway to recovery is, that’s what we want to support,” said Sara Brown, a case manager with Harbor House Crisis Shelters (pictured above). “So if you are utilizing a harm reduction model, we support you. If you’re using complete abstinence, we support you. If you’re just thinking about getting sober and want to sit in on our meeting, we support you.”

Jed Carlson / Superior Telegram

Paul and Gina Ramsey (pictured above) opened Superior Ceramic Coatings after looking for and finding a way to slow the wear and tear on their outdoors gear.

We've got more another business story for you this week: a profile of Affordable Decorating, owned by Coleen Grooms.

Contributed / Superior School District

We're bringing something back we did several years ago. We're devoting a few print pages this week to students in the Superior School District. Their teachers submitted some of their work to us and we formatted it to run on our website and in print. This will be a monthly feature that we hope to expand to the Maple and Solon Springs school districts, as well as to parochial schools in the county if there is interest.

Check out their work below:

• Taylor Swift ticket sales cause chaos across nation
• Jayme Ivy column: How journalism changed and shaped me
• Comic: Wish for a genie
• Bryant students create symmetry with Notan pieces
• Addison Aker column: Home for the holidays
• Four Corners students share art

• City officials have placed city clerk Camila Ramos on administrative leave.  
  
• Dan Kelly and Janet Protasiewicz, the candidates vying for seats on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, participated in a debate Tuesday, March 21. 

Editor's note: Dispatches from Douglas County is a newsletter I publish every Friday morning. Please consider subscribing — it's free — and hits your inbox just once a week.  You can sign up here.