A name change for a local service agency, 16 years ago

In 2002, the rehab center known as “The Coulee Council on Alcohol and Other Chemical Abuse” adopted a shorter name. It would become “The Coulee Council on Addictions,” reflecting a commitment to battle addictions of all kinds. The council said as many as 80% of all crimes are committed by people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol.

On the morning of September 11th, the front-page headline of the La Crosse Tribune declared “We Made It.” The country had lived through a full year since the terror attacks on New York and Washington. But on 9/11 of 2002, the terror alert level was at orange, one step below the highest possible alert.

Wisconsin voters made choices in the fall primary, choosing Democratic Attorney General Jim Doyle to run for governor against incumbent Republican Scott McCallum. Ed Thompson of Tomah, brother of former Gov. Tommy Thompson, ran a third-party campaign, and wound up getting about 10% of the November vote. The vote split may have helped Doyle become governor in 2002, yesterday in La Crosse.