Gambling on their minds, 23 years ago

In early 1995, the front page of the La Crosse Tribune ran a story about the rituals and lucky charms used by some gamblers, in hopes of winning at casinos.  The Lac du Flambeau tribe had just announced plans to turn the Holiday Inn on the pike into a casino.  That idea was defeated in a La Crosse County referendum.  The Miss Marquette riverboat casino, now called the Casino Queen, had opened just after Christmas of 1994 in Marquette, Iowa. 

Bees were starting to disappear around Wisconsin.  Honey producers in the state reported that the number of bee colonies had been reduced by 20% in the previous decade.  Mites and other small parasites were blamed for killing the bees.  Coon Valley farmer Paul Hess said he had started seeing the problem in the early 90’s, and he was hoping researchers could breed a bee that was resistant to mites.

The Shelby Mall was promoting its annual January sidewalk sale.  It was still an enclosed mall, with stores such as Payless Shoes, Maurice’s, Mister Movies, and the One Stop Party Shop.  Shelby Mall later converted its stores to outside access only, but indoor shopping was the style 23 years ago, 1995, yesterday in La Crosse.