Nurse: 'It all just sort of happened at once … it was pretty wild'  

When Amanda Van Gorden finished her shift at St. Mary's Hospital on the night of Feb. 16, she envisioned a pretty uneventful evening. But a text from her sister Ashley an hour later would change everything.

"She texted [me] to say her water had broken and wondered if I could take her to the hospital," Van Gorden said.

Ashley's husband had left just a few moments earlier to drop her son off at her parent's house. It was after he left that the contractions started every two to three minutes.

City to shut down traffic at 100 block for 5 days    

A portion of North Mills Street is scheduled to be closed to traffic for five days beginning Monday to remove a construction crane, the city’s traffic engineering department said.

The crane removal will close the 100 block of North Mills between West Dayton Street and north of the Southwest Commuter Bike Path through Friday, according to a city news release.

A 150-foot tall crane that’s been stationed at the Charter Street Heating Plant for more than two years will be removed, city employee Phil Nehmer said.

Nehmer, program specialist with the city’s traffic engineering department, said the crane is scheduled to be removed by Feb. 8 but inclement weather could delay workers.

“The crane company said [work on the crane is] weather dependent, so if it’s too windy or too icy or if it’s raining or snowing, they’ll be working on the weekend,” Nehmer said.

Award celebrates impact of family biz on Wis. communities    

A state group that celebrates family-owned businesses is seeking nominations for the 2013 “Business of the Year” award, which is also the group’s 10th year sponsoring the program.

One family business will be selected for grand awards in categories including small (less than 50 employees), medium (50-99), and large (100 or more) companies. The organization said special awards will also be given to companies excelling in a particular area.

Created by Smith & Gesteland, a Middleton accounting and business consulting firm, the annual awards highlight the importance of family-owned businesses.

The deadline for nominations is April 13.