Marion Haugen Ellis, 89, of Shawano, died peacefully at home on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2013. Born May 1, 1924, in Fillmore County, Minnesota, she was the daughter of the late Ole and Susie (Hillestad) Haugen. On August 19, 1949, in North Prairie, Minn., Marion was united in marriage to Rudy Ellis, who preceded her in death on May 4, 2011.

Ione M. Schultz, 93, of Shawano, passed away Thursday, Nov. 27, 2013, in Green Bay. Arrangements are pending with the Swedberg Funeral Home in Shawano. www.swedbergfuneralhome.com

Once again the old Village Hall in Tigerton has been turned into a Christmas fairyland.

Every morning I feed heifers with our skidsteer. Trekking out to the shed to retrieve it, I plunk down in the seat and, getting comfortable, reach for the roll bar that keeps me safe, snugly positioned across my lap. Firing up the skidsteer, I flip the lights on and back out of the shed. Driving over to the silage bags, I lift my eyes to the sky, and on a clear, predawn morning, the stars twinkle back at me.

If anyone doesn’t have time to bake, Peace United Church of Christ’s Cookie Walk can help. A big selection of Christmas cookies and candy will be available to help the busy homemaker. Bobbi Sager and Sharon Gueths are co-chairs for the event, which will be held from 9-11 a.m. Dec. 7 at the church, 208 E. Maurer St., Shawano. Twenty-one years ago, church member Marianne Gleisner brought the idea of the Cookie Walk from her former church.

The Council of Catholic Women of St. Francis Solanus Catholic Church in Gresham will hold its annual Christmas Bazaar from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 7 at the church, 1050 Main St. The bazaar includes Christmas ornaments and decorations, baked goods, candy, handcrafted gifts, crochet items, children’s games and raffles. Coffee and dessert are served at 9 a.m., followed by lunch from 11 a.m.

The use of American Indian mascots continues to make headlines — both nationally, with protests targeting the NFL’s Washington Redskins, and statewide, as Gov.

The Detroit Lions were dominant after a shaky start and snapped a few losing streaks. Matthew Stafford made up for some mistakes with three touchdown passes, including one to Calvin Johnson, to help Detroit score 37 straight points to beat the Green Bay Packers 40-10 on Thursday. The Lions (7-5) had lost their last two games, five consecutive against Green Bay and a franchise-record nine straight in their annual showcase on Thanksgiving. The Pack

Black Friday. Small Business Saturday. Cyber Monday. The race is on — for customers seeking bargains, and businesses seeking customers — in the crucial Christmas shopping season, when both brick-and-mortar and online retailers can make up to 40 percent of their annual revenue. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when stores traditionally opened early with “doorbuster” sales to launch the Christmas shopping season, has lost some of its lustre