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The Peshtigo fire and Our Lady of Good Help THE GREAT AMERICAN APPARITION OF MARY TOOK PLACE IN WISCONSIN “I do hereby approve these apparitions as worthy of belief by the Christian faithful” (Bishop David Ricken, pictured above)Many Catholics are familiar with the great supernatural facts of Lourdes and Fatima, but not enough Catholics (especially in the United States) are aware that the Virgin Mary appeared to Adele Brise in 1859 in Champion, Wisconsin with a message that focused on the importance of the Sacraments, catechesis of the young, and the salvation of sinners. To underscore the importance of this...

Wildfires in Oregon, California and Washington State this previous summer made spectacular headlines. The media took their leads from press releases issued by officials in the respective state capitals. They blamed drought, allegedly induced by man-caused climate change, that affected habitually dry terrain where the fires broke out. But is it appropriate to label changing climate as the primary cause with precedents recorded much earlier? Peshtigo today is a small, peaceful city in northeastern Wisconsin that once was the site of the largest (areal) and deadliest single wildfire in North American history. On October 8, 1871, a great wildfire destroyed...

Wildfires in Oregon, California, and Washington State this summer made for spectacular headlines. The media took their lead in press releases issued from the respective state capitals to blame drought—allegedly induced by man-caused climate change—for what they called the worst fires in history. But was climate change really the underlying cause? And were the fires really the worst in history? A bit of real history can be enlightening. Peshtigo is today a small city in northeastern Wisconsin, but 150 years ago it was the site of the largest and deadliest single wildfire in North American history. On October 8, 1871,...

Just back from Ore.

Check out this INCREDIBLE video of the meteor this morning as viewed from a Lisle, IL police car dash cam! Thanks to Lisle PD for sharing! Outside the city, people reported seeing the meteor in Wisconsin, Kentucky and even Ontario, Canada, among other spot another person said they saw the meteor and it was "beautiful."

One of the best things about getting older is that you never stop learning. I learned a few things from this e-mail. Interesting - Especially the one about Green Bay and #10 -- Oconomowoc was popular with gangsters. (So was Mequon.) Growing up in Wisconsin, a lot of us learned some facts about the state's history and took an historical field trip or two. But there are some things many people just don't know about the state despite living here for a long time. Here are ten little-known facts about Wisconsin's history. 1. Everything that Wisconsin is is thanks to...

An eyewitness says: "It was pretty freakin' real when all the dogs started barking right before it hit, then EVERYTHING shook. We were in the field just outside the barn & the barn continued to shake for a couple minutes afterward. We are about 50-60 miles or so from where it hit."

On October 8, 1871, as Chicago was burning in the Great Chicago Fire. Another even more devastating fire ravaged northeastern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Peshtigo was center of the timber industry. Fires were set for clearing in the forest. However things go bad. The fires started to grow uncontrollable. Then a cold front comes by on October 8th and brings strong winds. These winds fan the flames even further. These small flames exploded in massive wildfires. These strong winds also help fan the flames in Chicago. The fire managed to spread by jumping into Michigan. The fire burned down Holland,...

CHICAGO -- A flash in the sky and the rumbling sounds of a faraway explosion alerted hundreds of south suburban residents Wednesday night. Reporting those details to authorities, callers flooded police departments, fire departments and various television stations overnight. NBC5's Kim Vatis, reporting from Park Forest, said it turned out to be a meteor shower "that forced a shower of panic calls" to authorities all over the Midwest. In Park Forest, some people who were in their living rooms watching war coverage, thought the United States was under attack with the amazing light show produced by the meteors. It started...

The fire that nobody seems to know about.

"I thought it just nicked me. I looked down. I couldn't see anything,"... As he tugged at his sweatshirt, Bergeson, 52, said he realized only about 1 inch of the 3-inch nail was sticking out of his chest... So he washed up, hopped in his truck and made his way to Bay Area Medical Center in Marinette, about 10 minutes away. After parking his truck and walking into the ER, Bergeson said he started to feel more pain and summoned a security guard for help. "If you could find someone that would be great, I'm just going to sit down,"...

Did a Comet Trigger The Great Chicago Fire? By Irene Mona Klotz, Discovery News The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 March 5, 2004 — Perhaps it was not Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicking over a lantern that sparked the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed the downtown area and claimed 300 lives. New research lends credence to an alternative explanation: The fire, along with less-publicized and even more deadly blazes the same night in upstate Wisconsin and Michigan, was the result of a comet fragment crashing into Earth's atmosphere. The comet theory has been around — and most often discarded...

Lt. Col. Joe Faucett will start his 16-hour return trip to active duty with the United States Army in Iraq on Monday, Jan. 23, after spending a 15-day leave with his family in the Marinette/Menominee area. It was his first visit home since being deployed to Iraq 8 months ago. Much as he hates to leave his family again, Faucett said United States forces need to stay in Iraq until the job is done. That, he believes, will be when the Iraqis are able to take over security for their own country. He expects his own tour of duty there...