July 26

National Football League players approved a labor agreement with franchise owners, ending a nearly five-month lockout. The agreement ensured the 2011 season would continue uninterrupted, salvaging the potential of a lost season’s worth of revenues to several Fox Valley businesses that thrive on Green Bay Packers home games.

July 26

Village of Suamico Administrator Adam Hammatt resigned suddenly, with no reason being given by either Hammatt or other village officials for the departure. Hammatt was hired by the village in May 2010.

July 26

Fond du Lac School District officials rolled out a plan to trim $4.36 million from its 2011-12 budget and balance it for the coming year. The proposal includes increased employee contributions to their retirement accounts, which is expected to save the district $2.3 million; increased employee health and dental plan contributions, expected to save $650,000; a total of 43 teacher retirements and nine other employee retirements, expected to save $870,000; and an anticipated insurance premium credit estimated at $560,000.

July 27

Forbes magazine’s Best Small Places for Business and Careers listing for 2011 ranked Appleton No. 40 among smaller communities across the country, Oshkosh No. 70, and Fond du Lac No. 107. The ranking is based upon a variety of metrics including job growth, cost of living, cost of doing business, educational attainment, and projected economic growth. Cities throughout Wisconsin were named to the list, with Eau Claire ranking the highest at No. 38.

July 27

The Town of Harrison in Calumet County on the southeast edges of the Fox Cities began the process to incorporate itself as a village. Former portions of the town have already been annexed by Menasha, Appleton and Sherwood. The incorporation process is expected to take up to two years.

July 28

Bergstrom Automotive purchased the Gustman GMC of Green Bay dealership located at 301 N. Taylor St. Bergstrom will move its Cadillac dealership and Used Car Superstore to the newly acquired dealership location. As part of the deal, Gustman Automotive Group is adding Buick and GMC vehicles at its Kaukauna Chevrolet dealership.

August 1

The North Fond du Lac Village Board of Supervisors voted to discontinue a rule which capped its spending authority at $1 million on any municipal project without taking the matter to public referendum. The spending limit was set through a 2008 advisory referendum approved by village residents. The village board narrowly approved a new ordinance which raised the spending authority to $5 million before going to referendum.

August 2

The U.S. Senate passed emergency legislation to raise the federal debt limit by up to $2.1 trillion, accommodating the Treasury’s ability to pay bills through the end of 2012, and avoiding a national financial default and a potential economic calamity. The measure also included a provision to cut federal spending by at least $2.1 trillion over a decade without requiring tax increases.

August 2

Officials from the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh reported attendance at its 2011 AirVenture convention topped 541,000, an increase of 1.3 percent above 2010 attendance. They also reported more than 10,000 aircraft descended on the region for the event.

August 3

The Greater Green Bay Lodging Association Board of Directors recommended a 2 point increase in the hotel room tax from 8 to 10 percent to help generate additional funds for the Greater Green Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureau to market tourism in the area. If approved by the seven Green Bay area cities and villages with hotels, the measure would generate an additional $800,000 to $1 million in room tax revenue each year. City of Green Bay officials would like to have half of any potential room tax rate increase go toward the proposed $18 million expansion of the KI Convention Center in downtown Green Bay.

August 3

International Converter in Kaukauna filed a notice with the state Department of Workforce Development to gradually close its plant and lay off as many as 100 employees between September and February 2012. The company – owned by Packaging Dynamics Corp. – is selling many of its assets to flexible packaging manufacturer Prolamina Corp., which is moving its operations to the former Kimberly-Clark diaper plant in the town of Menasha later this year. Prolamina expects to hire up to 70 employees initially, and could grow that number to more than 100 by early 2012. International Converter workers affected by the move will be able to apply for those jobs at Prolamina.

August 3

The Fox Cities Sports Commission launched a new grant program offering grants of up to $5,000 for nonprofit organizations to create or attract sporting competitions and events in the Fox Cities and generate overnight stays in area hotels. Grants can be used to help offset start up expenses for such sporting competitions such as bid fees, facility/site costs, municipal services, or marketing to out-of-town participants. The grants are supported financially by the Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau.

August 4

Forbes magazine’s annual list of America’s Top Colleges included Lawrence University in Appleton at No. 63 and St. Norbert College in De Pere at No. 84. The rankings weigh post-graduate success, student satisfaction, debt, four-year graduation rate and competitive awards. Other Wisconsin schools named to the list included Marquette University in Milwaukee at No. 232 and University of Wisconsin-Madison at No. 316.

August 4

The City of Berlin received a $55,000 grant from the Community Development Block Grant - Public Facilities program through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. for a 1,000-sq. ft. addition to the Berlin Senior Center for more meeting space and storage. The total cost of the project is $177,800, with the city making up for the remaining funds.

August 5

The U.S. Department of Education renewed its Talent Search Grant with the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley in Menasha and the Kaukauna and Menasha school districts. The $230,000 grant can be renewed each year for up to four years. The federal program identifies and assists individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education by providing academic, career and financial counseling.

August 5

The U.S. Department of Labor reported 117,000 new jobs were created nationally in July, leaving the unemployment rate relatively unchanged at 9.1 percent. Job gains occurred in health care, retail trade, manufacturing and mining. Government employment continued to trend down.

August 9

In area recalls for the Wisconsin State Senate, voters ousted Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac) in the 18th Senate District, electing Democratic challenger Jessica King with 51 percent of the vote. In the 2nd Senate District, incumbent Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Allouez) retained his seat against challenger Nancy Nusbaum with 60 percent of the vote, while in the 14th Senate District, incumbent Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) held off a challenge from Rep. Fred Clark (D-Baraboo) with 52 percent of ballots cast.

August 9

The Federal Reserve Board decided to maintain its target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to ¼ percent, noting that economic growth so far this year has been considerably slower than the Committee had expected. In making its decision, the committee noted a deterioration in overall labor market conditions in recent months and noted household spending has flattened. It anticipates economic conditions will likely keep the federal funds rate at exceptionally low levels at least through mid-2013.

August 11

Ed Delgado took office as tribal chairman for the Oneida Tribe of Indians following his election in mid July. Delgado had served as a tribal council member for six years.

August 11

Allegiant Air announced a new, nonstop flight between Outagamie County Regional Airport near Appleton and Phoenix will begin Nov. 10. The new route will operate twice weekly with service Thursday and Sunday. Allegiant currently provides nonstop service from Appleton to Las Vegas and to Orlando.

August 12

Wisconsin Department of Transportation officials reopened North Main Street in the City of Fond du Lac after a more than four-month closure for a $2.6 million project to  reconstruct the urban portion of U.S. Highway 45 from Johnson Street to Scott Street. The project was scheduled to go later into the fall, but wrapped up earlier than planned  as a result of good weather.

August 15

ThedaCare closed its clinic at 1081 W. Fond du Lac St. in Ripon and moved most of the staff to its Oshkosh location. The clinic opened in September 2008.

August 15

The Village of Howard hired Paul F. Evert as its new administrator. Evert has 19 years experience in government administration and currently serves as the assistant city administrator and legal director for the City of Sun Prairie near Madison, where he’s been since 2001. He will assume his new position in Howard later in September.

August 16

Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership reported the assistance it provided during its fiscal year 2011 - which stretch from July 1, 2010 to this past June 30 - to more than 200 manufacturers across the state triggered a $130 million economic impact and helped to create or save 1,009 manufacturing jobs. The economic impact results break down in the following manner: $83 million in increased and retained sales; $16 million in cost savings, and $31 million in investment impact, including new plant and equipment.

August 17

The Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac received a $71,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to develop Amazon Adventures, an education outreach program for area third grade students and teachers. During the two-year grant period, Amazon Adventures will be provided at no cost to students at up to as many as 33 schools within 30 miles of the museum.

August 17

The Village of Suamico hired Steve Kubacki as its new administrator, replacing Adam Hammatt, who resigned earlier in the summer. Kubacki – who’s been the administrator for Chippewa County during the past year – previously spent 15 years as administrator for the Village of Ashwaubenon. He will assume his new role later in September.

August 17

The City of Green Bay hired Gregory Flisram as its new economic development director. An urban redevelopment specialist, Flisram previously worked with Vandewalle & Associates Inc. in Madison, the firm that worked on a proposed development district between Lambeau Field and Bay Park Square in Ashwaubenon.

August 17

The Greater Green Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau received a $7,500 Ready, Set, Go! sports marketing grant from the state Department of Tourism to help stage the USA Hockey National Championships tournament for boys ages 16 and younger during March and April 2012. The grant will go toward renting ice time at Cornerstone Community Center. The hockey tournament is expected to bring in 900 players and 2,500 spectators and provide an estimated economic impact of $680,000.

August 18

The state Department of Workforce Development reported Wisconsin lost 12,500 private-sector jobs in July.

August 19

Neenah-based Morton Pharmacy sold 12 of its 13 retail pharmacies in northeast Wisconsin to Walgreens, and closed all of those retail stores at the end of August. The 79-year-old, family-owned business will maintain its Morton Pharmacy in Winneconne and will shift its emphasis to its long-term care business, Morton Long Term Care, which serves nearly 3,000 patients in nursing homes and assisted living facilities across the region. Morton Long Term Care kept 119 of Morton Pharmacy’s nearly 200 employees, and Walgreens is anticipated to hire some of the remaining staff.