Fox Point and Bayside Week in Review: April 17-23

Fox Point-Bayside Patch is featuring a weekly recap of the top stories from April 17-23.

Around 3 p.m. Thursday, two vehicles crashed in independent accidents on Interstate 43 between Brown Deer Road and County Line Road. The first vehicle skidded up onto the grass and rolled and the second incident occurred about one mile south, where a car sideswiped a semi-truck. Both drivers were safely extricated with help from the with only minor injuries. Check out the story for photos and a video at the crash site.

After collecting 10,000 more signatures than necessary, organizer Kristopher Rowe and supporters traveled to Madison Thursday to turn in the 30,000 signatures they've collected to recall Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills).

Canvassers have been collecting recall signatures since March 3. The deadline for returning the signatures in is May 2, and 20,343 are required to force a recall election.

“It’s is an amazing day because we have reached 30,000 signatures,” Rowe shouted to a large crowd of supporters.

After skipping last year's annual art exhibition, the Frank Allen Gallery is being prepped for an explosive art exhibit in May in hopes to bounce back from some of the impacts of the recession.

“I think there’s a pretention with galleries," said Frank Allen Sadler, owner of the Frank Allen Gallery. "Even if you’re not spending money you’re welcome to come here.  It’s not about snobbery because anyone can appreciate art.”

In an effort to dig up additional savings, the School Board has begun to review the pros and cons of bidding out the district's health care plan. Currently, Nicolet staff are insured by WEA Trust, a common health care provider for teachers. But the School Board is now questioning if they may be better served by another, possibly cheaper, carrier.

"The cost of health care has become almost a crushing burden for business and for government," Mark Moody, CEO for WEA Trust, said. "The cost of health care is the leading cause of personal bankruptcy."

The board also listened to a few words from Rae Anne Beaudry, an independent benefits consultant with the Horton Group.

"We don't want to demolish benefits, but there's a budget reality," Beaudry said.

It can't snow in Wisconsin forever, and with that in mind, the Greenscape Committee in is working on plans for developing vibrant, colorful flower-scapes at each entrance into the village.

"Part of this is having a nice, classy, elegant entrance into the village that's sustainable," Village Manager Andy Pederson said. "We've had the signs, we've just never had anything around the signs. This is just going to be amazing."