Services will be held this weekend for three teens who died this week after a crash on state Highway 22 in Belle Plaine. The accident about 5:20 p.m.

The Packers could very well face a high-scoring game this weekend without two members of their starting secondary against the New Orleans Saints and quarterback Drew Brees. Green Bay safety Micah Hyde, however, would like to deflate expectations that there might be a lot of points.

VOLLEYBALL Bowler 3 Gresham 2 No. 3 Gresham pushed No. 2 Bowler to a tiebreaker before giving way Thursday in the WIAA Division 4 regional Thursday in Bowler. After giving up the first game 25-14, Gresham (18-12) rallied to win the next two, 25-22, 25-22. Bowler (4-7-1) won the fourth 25-15 and the tiebreaker 15-9. “We came in as the underdog,” Gresham coach Tim Wild said.

The fourth-seeded Shawano Community High School volleyball team saw its season come to an end at the hands of top-ranked Green Bay Notre Dame in the WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal Thursday in Green Bay. Notre Dame won all three sets (25-19, 25-14, 25-16). Erika Dunnam led Shawano (14-16) offensively with seven kills and two blocks. Tori Wiskow and Miranda Washinawatok each added four kills.

The Bonduel High School volleyball team made short work of No. 5 Crivitz in a WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal game Thursday in Bonduel. The top-seeded Bears beat No. 5 Crivitz in three games, rarely trailing along the way, and will host No. 3 Oconto, which upset No.

The public is invited to a grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony at 4 p.m. Thursday for the new Cellcom and Glas Coffeehouse in Shawano. “Cellcom has been privileged to serve the Shawano area for over 20 years and we are excited to further invest in the community,” said Pat Riordan, president and CEO of Cellcom.

I always know when Halloween is about to arrive. Sure, the trees are pretty much bare now, there is a nip in the air, by now the frost has gotten all of the flowers, and it is time to dig bulbs. A few pumpkins have appeared in my yard, thanks to my daughter, and there are many roadside stands with pumpkins for sale. Even without those signs, there are usually strange things that begin to happen earlier in the month.

Recently we had the opportunity for a little getaway. Silly how giddy I get with the prospect of one night and three milkings away from the farm! Our daughter is a freshman at UW-La Crosse, and the college had planned a family weekend with lots of activities on campus and off, so we planned a trip.

Karen Sojka is a master gardener and volunteers at Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church in Shawano. She was born on a farm in Iowa County near Marengo, Iowa. Sojka graduated from Williamsburg High School and then earned a bachelor of nursing degree from the University of Iowa. She was a staff nurse for two years at the university, then taught there for three years. During that time, she got her master’s in nursing.