The 4-year-old kindergarten students at Oconto Falls Elementary School have been studying classic fairy tales. Students dressed up as Puff from “Puff the Magic Dragon” and acted out the lyrics of the folk song. Blocks were used to build replicas of the giant’s castle from “Jack and the Beanstalk.” On March 19, Kyleigh Makuck invited her grandfather, Jon Makuck, to join the students in their search for St. Patrick’s Day leprechauns.

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College will offer a new initiative for students beginning in summer 2014 called Focused Fast Track. Focused Fast Track courses allow students to complete one course at a time, which enables them to concentrate on one subject. Focused Fast Track courses are homework friendly, meaning most assignments are done during class time with minimal work required outside of class.

Delbert Otradovec, of Suring, and Mary Menore, of Neopit, were recently elected to represent Menominee County for three-year terms on the Shawano-Menominee Farm Service Agency County Committee. The committee is responsible for administering USDA national farm programs at the county level. Otradovec and Menore will join the other committee members representing Shawano County: Alan Tauchen, of Bonduel, chairperson; Jeff Long, of Wittenberg, vice ch

At 3:37 p.m. Feb. 16 in the town of Oconto Falls, a man from Abrams was southbound on Chestnut Road and was unable to avoid striking a vehicle driven by a man from Oconto Falls, who was backing out of a driveway, due to icy road conditions. The first vehicle sustained minor damage. At 6:50 a.m.

Proceedings from March 19 A status conference was held for Dylan M. Younger, 21, Oconto Falls, on charges of burglary of a building on Aug. 19, 2012, in Oconto Falls and bail jumping Nov. 29, 2012, in Stiles. A cash bond of $3,326.50 continues. A plea hearing is April 1. A pretrial conference was held for Aaron D. Yokeum, 35, Mountain, on charges of substantial battery, as a repeater, on Sept. 21 in Mountain. A cash bond of $1,000 continues.

Four individuals advanced from the primary election on Feb. 18 to compete for two positions on the Gillett School Board.

Three village trustees and one challenger are candidates for the Suring Village Board in the April 1 election.

Oconto County residents have burned through nearly $144,000 in government assistance to heat their homes this winter, and more crisis money is at the ready.

Fourth- and fifth-grade students at Gillett Elementary will soon have school-provided laptop computers, as the district moves closer to providing individual technology devices for its students. The School Board on March 17 unanimously approved the purchase of 75 Chromebooks, which are Internet-dependent laptops powered by Google’s Chrome operating system.