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Military heritage assets at the barracks site include these rare huts that date back to the Second World War.The 1,300-home Clotherholme scheme has left the threat of destruction hanging over key artefacts of Ripon’s military heritage for several years Government agency Homes England has planning permission to build the homes on 85 hectares of Ministry of Defence land accessed via Clotherholme Road to the south and Kirkby Road to the north The land includes rare huts from a 1939 militia camp and a testing site for the Bailey bridge that played a key part in ensuring allied victory in the Second World War which was founded in the wake of the planning application to research and protect the military hertage on site describes it as “one of very considerable national and international importance” to ensure the military heritage is preserved when houses are built on the land But what 'preserved' means has yet to be determined Although North Yorkshire Council has granted outline planning permission for the development Last week the council published the terms of the Section 106 legal agreement, which outlines what measures Homes England must take to compensate for the impact of the housing on local infrastructure, as reported here by the Stray Ferret Besides requiring Homes England to pay millions of pounds for schools and healthcare the agreement also stipulated it award £100,000 to Ripon Military Heritage Trust to devise a strategy to preserve military heritage The agency has previously agreed to measures such as putting up signs to record the site’s history but has not given any assurance that it would keep any of the structures Last week’s report by council case officer Kate Broadbank about the Section 106 agreement said new information supplied by the trust “reinforces the role the site played in the country’s military history” Whilst this has not changed the site’s formal planning status (i.e it remains a non-designated heritage asset and not listed) it has helped to inform discussions regarding the most appropriate and feasible way to secure this military heritage The council’s conservation officer has been involved in discussions and would still support the retention of a selection of buildings and the bridges at Laver Banks The conditions and requirements of the Section 106 ensure these investigations and recording of buildings takes place Although this still falls short of a commitment to protect artefacts there appears to be a greater willingness to achieve this and a meeting on Monday between Homes England the trust and Councillors Barbara Brodigan and Andrew Williams who represent Ripon on North Yorkshire Council A trust spokesperson described the meeting as “more constructive and positive than previous ones” They emphasised the “severe threat” to key structures remains but added: There is a long way to go but there is a more collaborative and flexible approach evident that gives us reason to be cautiously optimistic The Stray Ferret understands Homes England has agreed to transfer ownership of some huts but not until surveys have taken place But this cannot happen yet because Homes England still doesn't own the land There are fears the delays and legal wrangling could prevent the trust from using the £100,000 pledged in the Section 106 agreement as matched funding in any bid for lottery funds But the fact that Homes England is now addressing the practicalities of dismantling and storing huts is seen by campaigners as a good sign and there is now thought to be a way forward to save some huts even though there is still no discussion on where they could be located within the housing development Huts at Ripon Barracks Pic: Ripon Military Heritage Trust We asked Homes England if it would agree to transfer some of the huts to the trust’s ownership and why it appeared so reluctant to protect rare military buildings and constructions that are regarded as vital to Ripon’s military heritage Homes England remains committed to the delivery of new homes on the site in line with the adopted Harrogate Local Plan (2014-2035) The agency and Defence Infrastructure Organisation are in contact with the Ripon Military Heritage Trust for the benefit of military heritage at Ripon Barracks and we look forward to continuing discussions now further certainty has been provided from North Yorkshire Council regarding the planning process They emphasised that because Homes England does not currently own any land or assets at Ripon Barracks it has not been able to make any formal undertakings in respect of the transfer of military buildings or constructions But now planning permission has been secured negotiations are underway regarding the phased transfer of the land it will it be able to carry out its obligations in the Section 106 legal agreement into investigating whether any structures can be retained The battle is far from over and progress is attritional — but a victory of sorts appears more likely than it did a year ago  STOCKTON — Ben Holt College Prep Academy showed that it deserves the top seed in Division IV with a 25-21 8 Ripon on Friday in a Sac-Joaquin Section quarterfinal The Indians (24-10) put up a tough fight in the first set leading much of the second half of that game with their last lead at 21-20 before Ben Holt (36-1) went on a 5-0 run to finish the first game Ripon did not enjoy a lead the rest of the night “We were right there with them the first set,” Indians coach Tara Maruyama said Drake Krippene led the Indians attack with seven kills “But sometimes our hardest isn’t good enough we knew it was going to be a hard one,” Olmo said “We had some highs with some good hits from some good passes “Then we had some lows where we let them absolutely smash the ball without us even touching it block) and Leonardo Barrera (seven digs) rounded out the Indians attack with Cade Fullmer dishing out 17 assists with an ace The Bobcats have not lost a match since March 11 and have only yielded three sets in their last 28 outings “We had a rough first match,” Ben Holt coach Eli Anderson said “We came into this match a lot more focused because we knew Ripon was going to be good We got a captain back who has been out for six weeks The Bobcats host fourth-seeded Bear River in the semifinals on Tuesday night at 6 The Ripon Consolidated Fire District is looking to form a 218 Parcel Assessment Committee to help shape the future of the district “We are currently seeking community members to join the planning committee for the upcoming 218 scheduled tentatively for Spring 2026,” said the local fire district via social media RCFD services residents and businesses – fire and ambulance – within a 56-square-mile area of south San Joaquin County “The Fire District is forming a 218 Committee to help shape the next ballot measure,” RCFD posted with tentative hopes of bringing it before the voters at about this time next year Those interested can contact Fire Chief Eric DeHart at 209.599.4209 or email edehart@riponfire.com They can also stop by and speak to the fire chief in person at Ripon Station #1 The deadline of adding interested community members to the list is Wednesday Voters in August rejected a previous measure to increase property assessments to fund fire services The measure received 54.19 percent ‘no’ votes including adding personnel to the unmanned Station 3 at North Ripon Road RIPON – Rural homelessness will be the topic of a “powerful” session at Ripon Public Library Winnebagoland Housing Coalition and Ripon/Green Lake Subcommittee will host the session in the library’s Silver Creek Room from 3 to 4:30 p.m but RSVP is requested through Eventbrite by searching for “Responding to Rural Homelessness” and signing up People can email questions to wihousingcoalition@gmail.com Read more: ThedaCare Medical Center-Fond du Lac is now open for local care. Here's what to know. Where is the event?The session will be at Ripon Public Library Read more: Fond du Lac road projects: Main Street reconstruction, I-41 resurfacing & more to know According to a December report by Wisconsin Watch the state’s estimated homeless population has been rising since 2021 surpassing 5,000 in 2024 for the first time since 2017 the homeless population increased from 2,938 individuals in 2023 to 3,201 in 2024 — and that’s likely an undercount and those sleeping on couches don’t count because they’re “housed,” said Jenny Fasula executive director of Wisconsin’s Foundation for Rural Housing Despite accounting for over 60% of the state’s homeless population in 2023 these mostly rural counties collectively contain just 23% of the state’s supportive housing units Experts say such long-term housing support with on-site services is the best way to address chronic homelessness Contact Brandon Reid at breid@gannett.com was convicted of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of THC for the April 11 A count of maintaining a drug trafficking place was dismissed She was not charged in direct connection to the overdose death Four people were charged for their roles in the death: witness information led police to search the Scott Street residence where Manske and Nordvold lived Officials say the 18-year-old victim and other teens went to a home on Scott Street in Ripon and used narcotics the victim began to experience overdose symptoms and became unresponsive and Victim 1 snorted the drug through a rolled-up dollar bill Olivia told Michels after Victim 1 did this and then his lips started turning blue and he started going unconscious Olivia reported that they had a pulse oximeter that they put on Victim 1’s finger and observed his pulse went from 115 to 41,” the complaint states and he said that once Victim 1 started overdosing he told Maison and Joey to get him out of his house Olivia said that Joey put Victim 1 over his shoulder and walked out the West door of the residence,” the complaint states The medical examiner listed bromazolam and fentanyl toxicity as the cause of death View Print Edition In this Edition The latest edition of The Ripon Forum examines the federal effort to strengthen border security in the United States and why the American people believe the government should be both tough and compassionate in its approach By Caroline Banaszak It’s Time to Make Civics Great Again civics education was critical to our experiment in freedom after a century of special interests and cultural conflict civics has been relegated to the periphery in our schools To Improve Education in America, Reduce Washington’s Role and the almost $2.8 billion it takes just to pay its nearly 4,200 employees Security, Stability, and a Smarter Immigration Debate Recent polling data reveal a growing and nuanced perspective among American voters — especially Hispanic voters in Texas — toward immigration policy and border security Securing the Northern Border The Minnesota Congressman discusses his work as a member of the Northern Border Caucus and the effort he is leading to shore up security along the 5,525 mile border between the U.S Trump’s Gold Card Will Likely Not Generate Much Revenue While the gold card would add a much-needed albeit very expensive path to residency America would need 2,000 buyers per year to hit $10 billion — less than 1 percent of our budget deficit The Scale and Impact of Contemporary Immigration the total legal and illegal immigrant population or “foreign born” in Census Bureau parlance is higher now than at any time in our history The High Cost of “Sanctuary” More than one in three Americans live in a state or city that refuses to cooperate with immigration enforcement by the federal government Should the U.S. Maintain Birthright Citizenship? Yes… One of the most troubling consequences of repealing birthright citizenship would be the creation of a stateless underclass within U.S Should the U.S. Maintain Birthright Citizenship? No… repealing birthright citizenship does not require a constitutional amendment It can be done by using section five of the 14th Amendment Ripon Profile of Lisa Demuth Minnesota Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth discusses her work to confront the fiscal challenges facing her state There has been one exception to the second Trump administration’s efforts to reduce and discourage immigration of all forms and shapes: its so-called “gold card” proposal As President Trump said when he announced the proposal on February 25: “We’re going to be selling a gold card We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million and that’s going to give you green card privileges plus it’s going to be a route to citizenship [as a green card is] And wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card.” He also said that sales of the cards would begin in about two weeks and there is not much clarity around other specifics of the proposal either But that ought not keep us from speculating a bit about benefits and downsides of establishing a program along these lines The gold card program would add a much-needed straightforward path — albeit a very expensive one — to permanent residency to America’s labyrinthian immigration system consider the program that is closest in spirit to the gold card The EB-5 program provides a pathway to permanent residency (and ultimately citizenship) for immigrants who invest at least $1.8 million in the U.S (or $900,000 in certain rural and high-unemployment areas) and create or preserve at least ten full-time jobs If these conditions continue to be met after two years the immigrant investor becomes eligible for a green card This is a much more laborious and uncertain process than simply paying a fee though the fee is significantly higher and An immigrant admitted with a gold card would produce all of the upside we usually associate with immigration: the immigrant himself benefits The typical immigrant admitted in this way will likely also add to America’s potential for innovation and business dynamism and have a positive fiscal impact The program would generate revenue from fees as well How much is a difficult question to answer Potential immigrants who can part ways with $5 million are likely very wealthy individuals whose income is mostly capital income but are not interested in working here year-round the added benefit of permanent residency is not that clear For comparison, Malta introduced a gold visa type scheme (at a much lower price point and with a more straightforward path to citizenship) in 2014 In the first five years of the program’s existence 833 investors and 2,109 family members obtained Maltese citizenship (and with that the program attracted a few hundred investors per year and a similar program in Cyprus attracted another 150 or so each year it is difficult to imagine the gold visa scheme would generate more than single-digit billions in annual revenue to hit $10 billion — less than 1 percent of our budget deficit — we would need 2,000 buyers per year There are downsides to a program like this as well It may be seen as unfair to create a special path to citizenship for very rich foreigners especially at a time when migration has been made more difficult for everyone else Cyprus has also had to revoke the citizenship of hundreds of golden visa purchasers when they turned out to be unsavory types like fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low it may be worth creating a new visa program along these lines But I wouldn’t expect it to have a meaningful impact on our enormous budget deficit and we would have to be on the lookout for crooks and oligarchs Stan Veuger is a senior fellow in economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute Mission History 1st Public Statement Advisory Board Staff Internships Membership Upcoming Events Past Events Ripon 39ers Roosevelt Leadership Awards Unsung Heroes of Capitol Hill GOP Women NEWS Press Releases Teddy Tweets Ripon Advance Ripon In The News RIPON FORUM Current Edition Archives Articles by Author Articles by Topic Subscriptions Paid for by The Ripon Society :: 202.216.1008 :: info@riponsociety.org :: Site By Beck & Stone – The Michigan Tech track & field squads saw school record performances from the men's and women's distance medley relays in an indoor track rust-buster at the Ripon Final Qualifier in Ripon bettering the previous record set by Elizabeth Pietila Shannon Bair in the outdoor season of 1999 by a notable 44 seconds The men's distance medley relay team of Lucas Seng, Broderick Stewart, John Paul Norland and Nik Thomas clocked a 10:20.77 which is over 12 seconds quicker than the outdoor distance medley record set by Chad Pollock Kyle Lawton and Calvin Nitz in 2015 (10:32.47) "We chose to open our outdoor campaign this year indoors as it allows us to start competing and shake off the cobwebs a little sooner than if we waited until there were outdoor meets in the region. Our season is so compressed, we want to be ready to show up with our best stuff right away once we get outside," head coach Robert Young said setting what we hope to be the tone for our whole season Breaking the track record en route to a win and a mark that eclipses the outdoor school record for the discipline was very exciting The men followed suit with a record-breaking time of their own while uncontested immediately after doubling back from the DMR to win the mile "Considering that we were in there mostly to get back to racing feel it was great to see her close hard and win we showed flashes of what we've been seeing in practice that our freshmen women are going to be a force right now and into the future Grace ran a very tactically sound race to win while Brielle was hot on her tail with an eight second personal-best compared to her next-best official mark The men's 5k is where our depth was most clearly on display Those guys working together and pulling each other along was a thing of beauty Those races will set the table for big things to come later this spring." "The women's team had an excellent opening to their track season We are showing the results of our hard work already and I am very excited to see what's next," assistant coach Luke Moore added "Our men's team was lucky to have some stout competition in their races; and got a good taste of what is to come We learned a lot about racing today and had some good breakthroughs." Gordon and Endres also won individual races in their second race of the day with Gordon taking the 5,000m in 18:39.60 while Endres won the mile in 5:18.61 Freshman Grace Folkema won the 800m in 2:18.38 as the Huskies placed within the top four Brandon Latta ran a personal-best over 800m Jesse Henderson placed fourth in the men's pole vault clearing his first two heights on the first attempt The official outdoor season for the Huskies will begin on Mar 27-29 at the WashU Distance Carnival/WashU Invitational Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here WASHINGTON, DC — In remarks this past Monday afternoon before a luncheon meeting of The Ripon Society, former White House official Anita McBride discussed her groundbreaking book, Remember the First Ladies: The Legacies of America’s History-Making Women and how First Ladies have shaped the American Presidency — and American history — through the years “It’s impossible to examine the arc of American history or tell the full story of the American Presidency without considering the influence and the achievement of our First Ladies,” McBride stated.  “When you think about the role of First Lady in our country think first about the oath for the President of the United States.  It’s only 35 words long.  There’s not one word in the Constitution or any governing document of our nation that tells the First Lady what she’s supposed to do There is no formal position description.  It’s left to each First Lady to devise how they want to lead in the role.  “There was also no formal staff and no formal budget for the First Lady’s office until 1978 and Rosalynn Carter.  In Mrs she said the only fight she ever had with her husband was over her desire to expand her office and expand her staff.  He had given her an initiative to run But he campaigned on cutting the White House staff in the post-Watergate era because he felt the presidency had become too large and too imperial.  And so there was a conflict between the two of them over this Carter persevered.  And as someone who worked in the East Wing McBride’s service in White House spans two decades and three presidential administrations She served as assistant to President George W Bush and chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush from 2005 to 2009 directing the staff’s work on the wide variety of domestic and global initiatives in which Mrs Bush was involved.  She previously served as director of White House Personnel under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H Speaker’s Bureau at the United States Information Agency.  McBride currently serves as executive-in-residence at the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies in the School of Public Affairs at American University where she directs programming and national conferences on the legacies of America’s first ladies and their historical influence on politics sharing her thoughts on some of the women who helped make the Office of First Lady what it is today and One of those women was the wife of America’s third President “During the war of 1812,” McBride recounted “Dolley Madison became the first First Lady to actually operate in a war zone.  Washington was a war zone and they were coming after her.  James Madison was out in the field in Bladensburg surveying the advancing of the British troops and she knew there were things that had to be saved It is not merely legend that the portrait of George Washington was saved it would be considered a prize of war by the British and it would be paraded all over the streets of London as proof that Britain had actually decimated this new nation “She also saved all of the founding documents that were there in the executive residence.  There was no national archives then Those papers resided in the President’s house It was President Zachary Taylor who referred to her as the First Lady of the land That’s where we first start to see this term come into existence.” Another First Lady who made her mark on the office of the Presidency “Julia Tyler was one of the youngest first ladies in history,” McBride said.  “Only 24 years old  He was 30 years her senior.  She only served as First Lady for eight months but she left an indelible mark on the White House.  It is because of her that when a President enters the room McBride also touched on the history and precedent being set by America’s current First Lady “This is only the second time in our history that a First Lady has returned in a non-consecutive term,” McBride observed.  “And you know Trump set a standard when she came the first time.  People criticized her for not wanting to move here right away.  I looked at it in a different way.  I looked at it as this is a position that everybody gets to rewrite in a way that suits them.  There is no salary.   They get to pick and choose what they want to do she made it easier for everybody who follows her but I think she has to be given some credit for that it is moving the model forward.  As the only second foreign born First Lady she holds a place in history.  And I think she’s much more confident coming back the second time.” To view McBride’s complete remarks before The Ripon Society on Monday afternoon The Ripon Society is a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 – Ripon One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP’s success These ideas include keeping our nation secure keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller smarter and more accountable to the people Republican former Congresswoman Liz Cheney campaigned with Vice President Kamala Harris in Wisconsin’s birthplace of the Republican Party Thursday where they said defeating former President Donald Trump is more important than political ideology Cheney and Harris spoke to a crowd of more than 1,000 people at Ripon College during an event the Harris campaign described as putting country above party.  Both framed Trump as a threat to American democracy for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election Cheney described herself as a “Ronald Reagan Republican” who believes in small government She said she’s never voted for a Democrat but will “proudly” vote for Harris in November “Vice President Harris is standing in the breach at a critical moment in our nation’s history,” Cheney said “She’s working to unite reasonable people from all across the political spectrum.” Harris framed this presidential election as a question of which candidate will uphold their “sacred” oath to uphold the constitution.  she would uphold the constitution and the rule of law Harris said Trump wouldn’t do the same pointing to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election “The President of the United States must not look at our country as an instrument for their own ambitions — our nation is not some spoil to be won,” Harris said Harris briefly referenced that history in her speech saying the crowd was gathered “not far” from where the Republican Party was born.  “Liz Cheney stands in the finest tradition of its leaders,” Harris said “If people across Wisconsin and our nation are willing to do what Liz is doing to stand up for the rule of law for our democratic ideals and the Constitution of the United States I know we can chart a new way forward — not as members of any one party Thursday’s rally marked Harris’ fifth stop in Wisconsin since launching her presidential campaign The Ripon campaign stop came the same day that a group of more than 20 Republicans from across Wisconsin came together to endorse Harris.  the conservative Wisconsinites — ranging from former Brown County GOP chair Mark Becker to former state Sen R-Fort Atkinson — called on fellow Republicans to reject Trump “We have plenty of policy disagreements with Vice President Harris But what we do agree upon is more important,” the letter reads “We agree that we cannot afford another four years of the broken promises One of the Republicans who signed the letter is former Iowa County Sheriff Steve Michek but was “appalled” when he witnessed Trump supporters assaulting U.S “It is now clear to me that Donald Trump is a danger to our country That is why I am voting for Vice President Kamala Harris,” Michek said “As we gather in the very town where the Republican Party was founded I am asking my fellow Republicans to join me as we turn the page on Trump’s campaign of division and chaos.” During Thursday’s event, Harris praised Cheney for her “courage” and for being a “true patriot.” Cheney served as the top Republican on the Congressional committee investigating the Jan but we are bound together by the one thing that matters to us as Americans more than any other,” Harris said “And that’s our duty to our Constitution and our belief in the miracle and the blessing of this incredible nation.” Cheney, who represented Wyoming in the U.S. House of Representatives, announced her support for Harris last month while speaking at Duke University in North Carolina she said Trump oversaw a multi-pronged plan to try to ignore the will of the voters in 2020 to keep himself in power.  She also criticized Trump for his actions on Jan 2021,  encouraging the mob that stormed the U.S Capitol and his refusal to call them off — even after learning a civilian had been shot “Our republic faces a threat unlike any we have faced before: A former president who attempted to stay in power by unraveling the foundations of our Republic by refusing to accept the lawful results — confirmed by dozens of courts — of the 2020 election,” Cheney said putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration Cheney’s father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, has also thrown his support behind Harris. They are among more than 200 Republicans who have endorsed Harris Republican Party of Wisconsin chair Brian Schimming told WPR that the Republicans supporting Harris were outliers in the party He called Liz Cheney a “prop for Kamala Harris.” “The fact that the Cheneys have decided to endorse a person who has a horrible record with Joe Biden over the last four years not about Republican voters,” he said.  Schimming also said Republicans have “moved on” from the Jan. 6 insurrection and the 2020 election — despite Trump continuing to falsely claim he won in 2020 while on the campaign trail partial recount and multiple court decisions and audits have shown that Trump lost Cheney confronted the idea that people are “over Jan. 6” in her remarks Thursday, criticizing comments Republican former Gov. Scott Walker made earlier this week.  “A former elected official is so willing to minimize what happened … to say our institutions held that day.’ We have a responsibility to remind people that our institutions don’t defend themselves — we the people have to do that Harris is the first major party presidential candidate to visit Ripon since Republican Wendell Wilkie in 1940 who was defeated by Democratic incumbent President Franklin D according to Ripon Historical Society President David Sakrison who describes herself as someone who votes based on the candidate and not political party attended the event and says she plans to vote for Harris She said Harris and Cheney stopping in Ripon is incredible for the community and underscores how the Republican Party has changed over time “The Republican Party was founded on anti-slavery and they’ve shifted to demonizing immigrants demonizing marginalized communities,” Prellwitz said “What I appreciate about the significance of having the Democratic Party in Ripon is that Ripon College communication department chair Steven Martin attended the event Thursday and agreed with Prellwitz’s assessment that the GOP has shifted away from its origins over the last 150 years He said the Republicans who met in the Ripon schoolhouse were the “liberals of the day.” He said he was excited that Ripon College students had the opportunity to attend a major political event “I see a lot of my students here,” he said “It’s great that (Harris has) chosen to come to Ripon and give the students here in a more rural part of Wisconsin a chance to see democracy in action.” Lyla got a hug from Harris after the speeches ended and gave the vice president a bracelet that read said the event gave her “hope for the future” that her daughter and young girls “will be able to make the difference that we’ve always been trying to make.” A Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday showed Harris maintaining a 4-point lead over Trump among registered Wisconsin voters Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInRIPON (WBAY) - UPDATE: The Sheriff’s Office along with the Medical Examiner’s Office continued the investigation into Monday afternoon The circumstances surrounding the death are being classified as a medical incident not related to the vehicle leaving the roadway and entering the ditch PREVIOUS: The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the circumstances surrounding a death near State Highway 23 and Willow Rd The sheriff’s office responded to a report of a car in a ditch just before 7 a.m and found the vehicle in a ditch next to the driveway of a home The homeowner was found dead outside of their car No information about the person was released The sheriff’s office and county medical examiner’s office are working to learn more GRAND CHUTE - Ripon College signed a new credit transfer agreement with Fox Valley Technical College on Thursday The "articulation agreement" means that students who complete a two-year university transfer associate's degree at FVTC can transfer to one of Ripon College's undergrad programs as a junior with their general education credits completed This agreement applies to both associate's of science and associate's of arts degrees The new deal "capitalizes on our close proximity and our shared missions to create practical and affordable opportunities for students to succeed in higher education," said FVTC president Chris Matheny Ripon College is about 40 miles southwest of FVTC's campus in the town of Ripon University transfer program is meant to help students save on the cost of a degreeCurrently 377 students are enrolled in the university transfer program said they enrolled in the program to save money and have more options for their general education The program is "a cheap way to get started on a degree," Sapkota said FVTC's 2024-25 tuition rate for an associate degree is $149.50 per credit for Wisconsin residents, according to the school website. The university transfer degree program is 60 credits, which costs about $9,000 at this year's FVTC tuition rate. Tuition at Ripon College is $25,800 per semester but the school has programs for free and price-matched tuition for lower-income Wisconsin families Pitterle said he appreciated the ability to explore different classes while at FVTC saying he'd recommend the university transfer degree to students still figuring out their next move "It's not like you're full-blown committing to any type of career," he said adding that he's interested in chemistry and mathematics and said she's already had the chance to get "hands-on training" as a first-year college student Creating articulation agreements like the one with Ripon is a multistep process Matheny said it involves "getting our faculty making sure that we've got the advising and the curriculum aligned and then we can provide that changed pathway." Ripon College president Victoria Folse said that "accepting and working with transfer students is important" for her school noting that "what we call 'nontraditional students' are becoming much more traditional." It's also a key part of being able to keep talent in northeastern Wisconsin Matheny said: "The real mission of this is to .. complete a baccalaureate degree and then go back into your local workforce." Rebecca Loroff is a K-12 education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin The Almond Blossom Festival is returning to Ripon this week for its sixth decade is "Ripon’s largest tradition of the year," the Ripon Chamber of Commerce website states The celebration always falls on the last full weekend in the month of February "This year we are proud to celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the Almond Blossom Festival and honor the traditions and history of our town," the Ripon Chamber of Commerce website states The four-day festival is run by the Ripon Chamber of Commerce 20 with a bake off at the Ripon Community Center the Miss Almond Blossom Coronation will also take place at the Ripon Community Center The Almond Blossom Festival Carnival will open at 5 p.m with a $2 ride night at the Mistlin Sports Park on Thursday the Senior Center and Bake Sale will start the day the carnivals will open at the Mistlin Sports Park The Ripon Grange Pancake Breakfast will begin at 6 a.m the Diaper Derby will begin at the Ripon High School North Gym the carnival will open at Mistlin Sports Park the carnival will open and at noon the Community Stage Live Music will begin For more information, follow the Ripon Chamber of Commerce on Facebook at facebook.com/RiponChamberofCommerce