Boots & Sabers

The blogging will continue until morale improves...

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Month: March 2016

West Bend School Board Candidate Forum

by | 2227, 22 Mar 1616 | | 5 Comments

I attended the vast majority of the school board candidate forum this evening that was hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. You can catch the whole thing on the city’s website (when they have it up) and they will air it on the local access channels several times if you want to watch it to form your own opinions. Here are a few thoughts that occurred to me:

  • The whole forum was well done. Hats off to the Chamber for putting it on. It was respectful and informative.
  • There were about 20 people in attendance with several luminaries from West Bend’s glitterati (ha!) there.
  • I realize that I genuinely like all of the candidates. That doesn’t happen for me very often. But they all seem like great people who really want to do well for the school district. I disagree with some of their prescriptions, but their hearts are in the right place.
  • 3 of the 4 candidates are Lutherans. I think that only happens in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
  • One fact came out about which I was unaware. Teacher pay for the West Bend School District ranks in the top 5% in the state! And Randy Marquardt, the incumbent school board president, said that starting teacher pay is also one of the highest in SE Wisconsin. I didn’t realize we were paying so much. I am curious if that’s truly because West Bend is paying more or if it’s an artifact of an older workforce, which tends to drive up average compensation. As I mentioned in my post about teacher turnover over the weekend, having a healthy amount of turnover that brings in teachers from all age brackets helps keep the overall labor costs in check.

There is another forum tomorrow night at 7:00 PM at the Moose Lodge. It is hosted by the Common Sense Citizens of Washington County. I understand that Tiffany Larson won’t be present, but the other three candidates will. I encourage you to go hear what they have to say if you have the opportunity.

West Bend School District Superintendent Survey

by | 1414, 22 Mar 1616 | | 0 Comments

As part of the search process for a new superintendent for the West Bend School District gets underway, the school board is asking for input from the community so that they can develop an ideal profile. Since the survey doesn’t offer any safeguards to prevent people from answering it multiple times or people from outside of the district responding, it should only be used in an advisory capacity, but it might prove useful nonetheless.

If you live in the district, please click through to the survey and offer your thoughts!

 

David Craig Makes First Campaign Promise

by | 1306, 22 Mar 1616 | | 0 Comments

Good to see! From Wiggy.

In an email to me this morning, State Rep Dave Craig, who announced rather quickly he is running for state senate to replace Mary Lazich, made his first promise of the campaign:

“I pledge to work beside Senator Vukmir to repeal the minimum markup law in the Senate. It is hard enough providing for six kids without government setting price floors which hurts my family and families around Wisconsin. That bad law needs to be repealed.”

Vote For, Not Against

by | 0723, 22 Mar 1616 | , | 5 Comments

My column for the West Bend Daily News is online. Here it is:

With only two weeks left until the April 5 election in Wisconsin, we are about to endure a withering political barrage that will not end until that blissful dawn April 6, when all of the presidential politicians, their courtiers and the locustal media move on to the next state. But April 5 is not only the primary election for the presidential nominees, it is also the general election for thousands of local elected offices and for the next justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Those local and state elections tend to have far more impact on our daily lives than the national races.

It is easy to vent one’s spleen at all of the reasons to vote against someone, and there sure are plenty of people to vote against this election season. I prefer to focus on the reasons to vote for someone. There are only three contested elections on my ballot this election. Here is whom I am voting for, and why.

There are four candidates vying for two seats on the West Bend School Board. I will be voting for Randy Marquardt and Ken Schmidt. Marquardt is the only incumbent on the ballot, having first been elected to the school board in 2010, and currently serves as the president of the Board. While I strenuously disagreed with Marquardt regarding the referendum to expand Silverbrook, his accomplishments on the board have been impressive.

Since Marquardt was first elected, the district has managed its facilities so that it is no longer in a constant state of crisis and is, in fact, saving money for the next big building need. The school district has implemented an extremely popular and successful walk-in clinic for employees, begun a charter school, expanded online offerings, added vocational courses and helped guide the district through some tumultuous shifts of educational policy at the state level.

Ken Schmidt is a newcomer to the ballot, but brings a wealth of experience in the community and education. Schmidt is a 36-year resident of the district and is married to a public school teacher. He also served as a member of the Board of Regents for Bethany Lutheran College for 27 years. He espouses a belief in being a good steward of the community’s investment in their schools and wants a systematic review of new curriculum programs and testing regimens to make sure they are improving educational outcomes.

Two candidates are vying for the State Supreme Court. Incumbent Justice Rebecca Bradley will be receiving my vote. Bradley was a private attorney for many years before her meteoric rise to the Supreme Court late last year after the untimely death of Justice Patrick Crooks. Having previously served as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge and on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, her rulings were marked by their fairness and strict adherence to what the law is — not what she might think it should be. The fact that her opponents are seeking to smear her with salacious stories instead of attacking her actual performance as a judge is supplemental evidence of the soundness of her judgment. Bradley’s brilliant legal mind and respect for the proper role of a judge makes her the easy choice to keep her seat on the bench.

Both the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries are on the ballot in Wisconsin. I will be voting in the Republican primary and happily voting for Sen. Ted Cruz. The senator from Texas is undeniably one of the most intellectually brilliant candidates to ever appear on the ballot. He was the valedictorian of his high school, graduated cum laude from Princeton, magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, was the editor of the Harvard Law Review, national debating champion, clerked for Chief Justice of the United States William Rehnquist (from Milwaukee) and had a distinguished legal career before winning a seat in the U.S. Senate in 2012 as an insurgent outsider.

Cruz couples his towering intellect with a passionate conservatism that put him at odds with not only the Democrats in the Senate, but with his fellow Republicans whose ideology has slumped to the left. He is ardently anti-abortion, pro-Second Amendment, pro-civil rights, pro-fiscal sanity, pro-Constitution and pro-border security. He has a mastery of the important issues facing our country and a conservative plan to address each of them. Cruz would not only make a great Republican candidate, he would make a great president.

As the election season wears on and the narrative fills up with negativity and filth, it must be remembered that behind all of that blather are some truly impressive people whose service would make our communities, state and nation better. In-person absentee voting began yesterday at your local municipal clerk’s office and election day is on April 5. Get out and vote for someone.

 

Brussels Under Attack

by | 0614, 22 Mar 1616 | , | 2 Comments

Grrr…

Brussels, Belgium (CNN)Three explosions that ripped through Belgium on Tuesday killed at least 23 people, according to Belgian media, and raised the specter of terror once again in the heart of Europe.

Ten died in a blast at a subway station, according to two Belgian broadcasters. The other 13 were killed, in addition to 35 injured, in two blasts at Brussels’ airport, reported public broadcaster VRT.

The Belgian Office of the King’s Prosecutor described the airport blast, at least, as a suicide attack, according to state broadcaster RTBF.

At least one explosion there happened outside the security checkpoints for ticketed passengers and near the airline check-in counters, an airline official briefed on the situation said.

I’ll go out on a limb and guess that Muslim terrorists are responsible.

Bill Clinton Slams Obama Legacy

by | 2038, 21 Mar 1616 | | 14 Comments

Ouch.

“But if you believe we can all rise together, if you believe we’ve finally come to the point where we can put the awful legacy of the last eight years behind us and the 7 years before that when we were practicing trickle-down economics and no regulation in Washington, which is what caused the crash, then you should vote for her,” Clinton said.

I would guess that one of three things is happening… 1) Ol’ Bill could be horribly off message. 2) Bill is on message as Hillary begins to pivot to the general election. Or 3), Bill is intentionally trying to sabotage his wife’s campaign for his own selfish reasons.

No Drinking at DNR Shooting Ranges

by | 0848, 21 Mar 1616 | , | 2 Comments

Hmmmm…

The DNR owns eight formal ranges around Wisconsin and operates about half of them; local clubs operate the others in partnership with the agency. No uniform rules apply, though the agency has been working since 2013 to develop some, said Keith Warnke, the DNR’s shooting sports coordinator.

DNR officials plan to present a wide-ranging package of regulations to their board next month that would prohibit the possession and consumption of alcohol on the ranges as well as prohibit shooters from using fully automatic weapons and tracer ammunition. Incendiary, exploding and breakable targets would be banned, although clay trap targets would be allowed. Shooters would have to unload their weapons when they’re off the firing line.

Warnke said the rules were spurred by a desire for consistency rather than any specific problems. Most of the regulations mirror rules at private ranges and gun clubs, he said.

I’m mixed on this, but lean toward the regulations as long as they are implemented correctly. On the one hand, this is a regulation in search of a problem and the DNR admits as much. On the other hand, having booze on the range is a very bad idea. That being said, many, if not most, ranges in Wisconsin have a club house of some sort in which booze is served, but every one I’ve seen already expressly forbids taking booze to the actual range or drinking before your weapon is unloaded, cased, and stored. There is also a strong social stigma against those who mix drinking and shooting.

As for the exploding targets and automatic weapons, those are usually not allowed except at specific ranges anyway because they are so destructive and a pain to clean up.

I suspect that these DNR regulations are redundant to the rules already in place at most ranges, so I don’t really have a problem with them setting uniform rules for DNR ranges anyway.

“But I Never Seen ’em Quit”

by | 0656, 21 Mar 1616 | | 3 Comments

What a game.

The Aggies trailed Northern Iowa by a dozen points before they closed out regulation with a stunning 14-2 run that sent the game into overtime, then won it 92-88 in double OT Sunday night to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007. It was, per the NCAA, the largest last-minute comeback in college basketball history. The previous record was set in 2005, when UNLV rallied from 11 points down with 59 seconds left to beat San Diego State in overtime.

“We weren’t ready to be done,” Caruso said. “We kept just trying to make a play.”

At the moment when most teams might empty the bench or commit a series of half-hearted fouls, the Aggies kept trying to make a play. Instead of launching low-percentage jumpers, the Aggies drove into the lane for quick baskets. Instead of fouling, they pressured Northern Iowa into mistake after mistake.

“We played the game the right way, even at the end,” said Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy, who admitted afterward he would need time to wrap his head around what had transpired. “We didn’t have guys just coming down jacking up 3s. We tried to drive the ball.”

Whoop!

I’ve seen them play since way back when,
And they’ve always had the grit;
I’ve seen ‘em lose and I’ve seen ‘em win,
But I’ve never seen ‘em quit.

This is my favorite summary:

The Panthers’ failure broke math.

First of all, we need to credit the Aggies. Facing such preposterous odds, nobody would’ve blamed them if they just eased up and let UNI run the clock out with 30 seconds to go.

Instead, they played some of the most vicious, airtight full-court defense imaginable. They executed in every way they needed to execute. They suffocated the Panthers until they made bad decisions. They made every shot they needed to make, some dunks, some layups, some threes. They even managed to draw contact on a play where contact wasn’t really necessary to get a free throw. They played perfectly for 40 seconds.

Trump Displays Constitutional Ignorance

by | 1705, 20 Mar 1616 | | 4 Comments

Heh.

The Republican frontrunner said the demonstrators who shut down an Arizona highway leading to the Phoenix suburb where he was scheduled to speak were violating his right to free speech — and the rights of his supporters to come hear him.

“They’re really stopping our First Amendment rights,” Trump said. “If you think about it, George, they block … they blocked a road, they put their cars in front of a road. We had thousands and thousands of people wanting to come. They were delayed for an hour because of these protesters.”

The 1st Amendment restricts the government’s power to quash speech. It does not restrict private people from disrupting the speech of other private people. There are other laws that apply here, but the 1st Amendment does not.

That being said, what these goons are doing in disrupting events for the sole purpose of stopping someone from speaking, and being heard, is deplorable behavior. They should be arrested and prosecuted for every crime they have committed.

End Result of the Equity Ideology

by | 1649, 20 Mar 1616 | , | 12 Comments

It’s sad that so many kids’ educations are being sacrificed on this altar.

For years, St. Paul school leaders have assumed — as equity ideology dictates — that differences in discipline rates are the result, not of higher rates of misconduct by black students, but of the racism of teachers and administrators, who are believed to unfairly target black students.

Most suspensions involve “largely subjective” student behaviors such as “defiance, disrespect and disruption,” St. Paul superintendent Valeria Silva told the Star Tribune in 2012. To prevent bias, teachers must learn “a true appreciation” of their students’ cultural “differences” and how these can “impact interactions in the classroom,” she said.

Since 2010, the district has spent almost $2 million on “white privilege” and “cultural competency” training for teachers. In addition, it has shelled out millions of dollars for “positive behavior” training, an anti-suspension behavior modification program.

Despite these efforts, the district’s racial discipline gap has remained stubbornly wide. So several years ago, St. Paul school leaders adopted what must have seemed a foolproof way to eliminate statistical disparities. They lowered behavior standards and, in many cases, essentially abandoned meaningful penalties.

You can guess the result.

Protesters Oppressed for Obama Visit to Cuba

by | 1313, 20 Mar 1616 | , | 19 Comments

We wouldn’t want those unseemly people yearning for freedom to spoil Obama’s support of a tyrannical regime.

President Barack Obama is flying to Cuba for a historic visit to the island and talks with its communist leader.

The two-day visit will be the first by a sitting US president since Calvin Coolidge went 88 years ago.

Mr Obama will meet President Raul Castro – but not retired revolutionary leader Fidel Castro – and the pair will discuss trade and political reform.

Protesters were arrested in the capital Havana just hours before Mr Obama was due to arrive.

Police took away dozens of demonstrators from the Ladies in White group, formed by wives of political prisoners, from outside a church where they attempt to hold weekly protests.

Obama Says Deal With Iran is Great for Iranians

by | 1848, 19 Mar 1616 | , , | 0 Comments

Has anyone figured out what the U.S. gets out of this deal?

President Barack Obama says the benefits of the Iranian nuclear deal are “undeniable” although it may still take time for people to begin enjoying them.

Obama says the deal makes it possible for Iran to rejoin the global economy through increased trade and investment, creating jobs and opportunities for Iranians to sell their goods around the world.

Obama says the U.S. still has “profound differences” with Iran, but he says the fact that the countries are talking regularly for the first time in decades could help solve them.

Teacher Turnover in West Bend

by | 1403, 19 Mar 1616 | , | 5 Comments

The West Bend Daily News has an interesting, if poorly written, story about teacher turnover in the West Bend School District. Here’s the background…

There are several people in the community who are not happy with the current direction of the school district or the management style of the superintendent. Their dissatisfaction is particularly relevant at this time because there is a school board election on April 5th in which the chairman of the school board, Randy Marquardt, is running for reelection. He is, rightly, the standard bearer for the current policies and direction of the district. Furthermore, the current superintendent, Ted Neitzke, has already announced his resignation effective at the end of the school year. The school board, and whoever the two candidates are who are elected to it in April, will choose the next superintendent.

One of the metrics that the critics of the current superintendent cite as problematic is teacher turnover. Their contention is that voluntary teacher turnover is too high and that it is a reflection of poor management practices and failed board policies. Well, I love data, so let’s take a look to see if it’s a problem or not.

According to the story, here is what the voluntary turnover rate in the district looks like compared to surrounding districts:

teacherturnoverwb

The voluntary teacher turnover rate in the West Bend School District is a little below 7% and has been increasing since Act 10 took effect – just like every other district. And right now, turnover in the district is comparable to low compared with the other sample districts. Granted, it is a small sample size.

The other thing that jumps out from the date is the spike in the 2010-2011 school year in the West Bend School District that doesn’t appear in the other districts. That was the year that Act 10 passed. I remember there being a spike in teachers quitting in fear of Act 10, but it seems odd that it was higher in West Bend than elsewhere. Then again, West Bend had, and has, a very active teachers union that is rabidly liberal. Perhaps those other districts do not. In any case, I would point out that that occurred under the previous superintendent, and Marquardt was first elected in the Spring of 2010. If teacher turnover is an issue, it seems to have been a bigger issue prior to the current leadership.

In any case, we are still faced with deciding whether or not teacher turnover is an issue. I would ask three questions. First, is 7% turnover abnormal?

Well, compared to the other school districts cited in the story, apparently not. West Bend appears to be in the middle of the pack. There doesn’t seem to be anything abnormal about West Bend’s turnover rate at all. And if you compare it to national statistics, 7% is downright low. In this study about the 2011-2012 school year, it found the national voluntary turnover rate of about 11%.

The second question is, why has the voluntary turnover rate been rising? That is rather simple. It is intentional. One of the objectives of Act 10 was to give school districts more latitude in managing personnel and implement innovations. Act 10 helped the West Bend School District implement things like their on site clinic, online education, and charter school. As the rate of change increases, it tends to drive turnover up in any organization.

Also, school districts were allowed to decouple compensation from length of service and be more creative in offering incentives for teachers. This opened the door to school districts being able to be more aggressive in recruiting teachers from elsewhere. It also allowed teachers to consider moving to other districts without being penalized by coming in on the low end of the tenure scale. In other words, Act 10 intentionally opened up a more competitive labor market for teachers. By its very nature, shifting a labor market from a very closed one to one that is slightly more free will result in more movement of teachers between districts.

The third question is, is a 7% voluntary turnover rate a bad thing? Remembering that the 7% also includes retirements, I do not think 7% is bad at all. In fact, it is healthy. As with most things in life, there needs to be a balance with employee turnover. If turnover is too high, it creates organizational stress, impedes performance as new employees are getting up to speed, and drives up the costs due to training and inefficiency. If employee turnover is too low, it stifles innovation, breeds complacency, and drives up the overall labor costs since more tenured employees tend to earn more compensation.

You also have to take into account the shifting sentiments of the labor force. The Millennial generation is much less loyal to employers than previous generations. They have grown up in a very agile and mobile labor market. Millennials who are teachers aren’t much different. And in a labor market that has been freed a bit by Act 10, they have the opportunity to be more mobile if they choose. School districts are not an island and can’t escape the wider demographic forces in the labor market.

So we are looking for a healthy range of turnover. Without knowing how much of the 7% is due to retirements, I would say that, if anything, it seems too low, but that is just my gut talking. Let’s face it, a 3% turnover rate is not a healthy turnover rate. It is a stagnant organization. And a 20% turnover rate, which is not uncommon in many other professional service industries, is probably too high for schools whose teachers need a few years to develop their classrooms.

I would not become too concerned about the turnover rate until it gets into the double-digits. At 7%, the West Bend School District’s turnover rate certainly does not indicate a crisis.

 

Walker Should Endorse Cruz Now

by | 1217, 19 Mar 1616 | , | 1 Comment

I agree with Wiggy, for all of the reasons he states.

It’s time for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to endorse Texas Senator Ted Cruz. When Walker withdrew from the presidential campaign trail, he called on other Republicans to consider dropping out to unite the anti-Trump forces around one candidate. His advice was ignored then and Donald Trump has built a delegate lead while the field sorted itself out.
There are only two Republican challengers to Trump remaining now, and only one of them, Cruz, has a chance of winning the nomination outright. Strong showings by Cruz can also prevent Trump from getting the necessary 1237 delegates needed to have a majority before the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
And I’ll add a reason. Walker’s popularity is down within the Conservative base in Wisconsin after his flirting with the ethanol lobby in Iowa and disappearing during last year’s bruising political fights in Wisconsin. If he stands aside now and lets Trump win Wisconsin unchallenged while failing to support the solid conservative candidate in the race (Cruz), Walker will struggle to regain his stature with the base of supporters he will need to win reelection in 2018. Walker needs to stand up and earn his self-selected “unintimidated” moniker, or forever lose it.
This should be an easy call for Walker.

Around the Bend by Judy Steffes

by | 0906, 19 Mar 1616 | | 0 Comments

New West Bend Cinema opens to rave reviews

The new West Bend Cinema, formerly the Paradise Theatre, opened after the first stage of an interior remodel was completed by the new ownership group Boppa LLC. The group, which already owns the property, took over operations Feb. 29, 2016.

Flipping the theatre became a passionate project by local owners who thought the community deserved a cinema that featured multiple screens in a family setting with affordable prices. “Challenged” to find contractors in a limited time frame the new owners decided to tackle the project in segments starting with a good cleaning. “Cleanliness and friendliness is our new motto,” said spokesman Troy Hanson.

For the past week the owners have worked alongside staffers to give the theatre a solid cleaning. “The candy we found buried in the seats was petrified,” said Hanson.

Changes include new bathrooms, carpet, paint, and lighting. “In the coming months new seating will be installed,” said Hanson. “On Monday new outdoor signage was installed.”

Employees got raises and new matching grey polo shirts. The West Bend Cinema is working on a website and Facebook page. More information at westbendcinema.com

Bridge-gate: Somebody forgot to check the ‘white’ box

It’s a story we told you about first at WashingtonCountyInsider.com as contractors worked today to move the new bow truss pedestrian bridge in place over the Milwaukee River.

It appeared the bridge delivered was not exactly what the common council approved as they signed off on a white bridge. Mayor Kraig Sadownikow said the contractor made a mistake, it will be white and the contractor has until the end of May to have it all done.

“No joy when someone makes a mistake but it will be corrected,” Sadownikow said.

On a side note: There were some usual suspects hanging out at the scene of bridge-gate on Service Drive – jawing with the contractors. “I know where you can get some white paint – on sale,” said Terry Tennies with Tennies Ace Hardware.

Pipeline issues again in Town of Jackson   

Crews from West Shore Pipe Line Co. have been moving equipment into the Jackson Marsh in the area of Division Road north of Highway 60. Neighbors in the Town of Jackson said this “is the area where they replaced a section of the pipeline that failed in 2012. Tom Isaac with the Department of Natural Resources said repairs are being made to a section regional fuel pipeline. He said contractors described the pipe as degraded, however he said this does not mean it’s cracked or that anything leaked in the marsh. Contractors are quoted in an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel saying the work is “routine maintenance.”

Wisconsin School Music Association district-level Solo Ensemble at WBHS

WBHS Bands and Choirs are hosting the Wisconsin School Music Association district-level Solo Ensemble at WBHS on March 19 from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Visiting high schools include Beaver Dam, Germantown, Living Word, Cedarburg, Grafton, Webster, Central Wisconsin, and Hartford.  There are 11 performance sites with piano, woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings, vocal, and various large ensembles, including jazz ensembles.  “I still have my Solo & Ensemble medals” is a statement regularly heard by WSMA staff from generations of festival participants who take pride in this long-time tradition, which creates memories and skills for life.

Through the solo and ensemble experience, students learn the discipline of rehearsal, are challenged to advance their musical skills, perform in front of an audience and adjudicator, and receive feedback on their performance. Those that perform at the highest level (Class A) at a WSMA District Festival have the opportunity to receive a 1* (one-star) rating which advances them on to State Solo & Ensemble Festival, which is at Cardinal Stritch University on May 7.

The five primary goals of the WSMA Solo Ensemble festivals are:  Improve students’ music performance; Increase students’ understanding of music literature and music concepts; Motivate students to continue their study of music; Establish standards of excellence in music performance and provide opportunities for students to understand the relationship of music experiences to other life experiences.  The festival is free, and open to the public.

Herb Kohl Foundation award winner

A note of congratulations to West Bend High School special education teacher Jen Mesko who is receiving the 2016 Herb Kohl Education Fellowship Award.

The award recognizes teachers in Wisconsin who inspire their students. “Jen is an astute professional,” said Badger School principal Dave Uelmen. “She always goes above and well beyond for staff and students.  Her work with the at-risk population at the high school has been amazing.”

Mesko has been a teacher in the West Bend School District more than a dozen years. She is a former Rolfs Award Winner in 2011 – 2012.

The Kohl Foundation Award recognizes teachers in Wisconsin who inspire their students Uelmen said that fits Mesko to a “T.”

“She puts together gift drives for students in need every Christmas,” he said.  “Her ability to de-escalate situations and students in immediate need is second to none.  There have been numerous times she has remained at school well beyond building hours to help students and staff.”

This year for the 25th anniversary of the educational foundation, Herb Kohl tripled the amount of each scholarship, fellowship and school grant to $3,000.

Previous winners in the West Bend School District include Silverbrook Middle School teachers Brian Chesick and Jacquelyn Drover and West Bend East High School teacher Richard Prost.

The Kohl Foundation Scholarship and Fellowship program was established for former U.S. Senator Herb Kohl in 1990.

Penny Wars at St. Frances Cabrini

Students at St. Frances Cabrini raised $966.90 in its recent Penny War. The event is held during Lent as part of a message from Pope Francis who asked us to “give of ourselves to help make others’ lives better.”

“The money raised will be presented to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society,” said Principal Aaron Hilts. “I am very proud of our students’ efforts and it was a fun way for us to help others this Lenten season.”

For this penny war the grouping of the 8th,3rd and 2nd grades finished first. Grades 7,4 and 1 finished second and third place went to the team of 6th, 5th and kindergarten.  The winning group will get a pizza party.

Write-in candidates in Wash. Co. for April 5 election

There are a couple of write-in candidates for this year’s Washington County Board race. Denis Kelling is a registered write-in candidate for Washington County Supervisor in District 6 and Andy David is a registered write-in candidate for Washington County Supervisor in District 3.  Whoever receives the highest number of votes will be the winner.  There is no minimum requirement for the number of votes to secure the seat.

Updates and Tidbits

– In-person absentee voting for the April 5 election gets underway Monday, March 21 at City Halls in Slinger, Kewaskum, Hartford, Jackson and the rest of Washington County. On another note, City Hall in West Bend is closed Good Friday, March 25.

–Common Sense Citizens of Washington County will host a School Board Forum on Wednesday, March 23 at 7 p.m. at the West Bend Moose Lodge. If audience members would like to have questions asked please email them to forum moderator Chris Jenkins at info@cscwc.com.

-Rummage sale today at the Washington County Senior Center, 401 E. Washington Street from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.   There will be no prices on items; people will pay what they believe is a fair price.   We had wonderful firefighters stop by and carry the tons of rummage from our lower level to the upper level in about 10 minutes. Would have taken us all day – and we would have died doing it!

-Individuals, businesses, and organizations can dispose of unused and broken electronic items in an environmentally responsible way at KML’s annual Community Electronics Recycling Event THIS SATURDAY, March 19, from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. More information at kmlhs.org/recycle.

-Neighbors in West Bend and Washington County are going to have the best teeth ever as construction of a dental office is underway. The office of Dr. Kunick is being built on E. Washington Street, adjacent to Wingate Street and Trenton Road, which is over by the Klotz’s Piggly Wiggly.

-Students from St. Mary’s School in Barton will perform the last passion play on March 20 at 6 p.m. in the church. The tradition of the passion play is 30 years old.

– Teeing it Up for the Arts golf fundraiser is June 27 at WBCC. For $150 you will receive: 18 holes of golf at WBCC, a cart, lunch, apps after golf with a cash bar, and a seat in the brand new Silver Lining Arts Center at the WBHS. Thanks to generous partners Rick Parks, Tammy Clark at the Principal Financial Group, Ansay and Associates and West Bend the first 90+ players fees will go 100 percent to benefit the high school auditorium.

– All in Books, 136 N. Main Street in West Bend, is hosting its annual Customer Appreciation Easter Egg Hunt. Plastic eggs for children will be hidden throughout the store and parents will have special eggs in a basket on the counter. Eggs for children will have free books, candy, toys, and more and one special egg will have a $10 gift certificate to spend on used books of their choice. The eggs for adults will contain a discount coupon a chance to win a $25 gift certificate. Find more details at facebook.com/events/1700293220240488/

– Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School math teacher, Mr. Tim Kuehl, was awarded an Influential Educator Award from the School of Education at UW-Platteville. Recipients of the award were nominated by former students because of the influence they had on the student in pursuing a career in education.

Exceptional Friend or Family Caregiver Award winner

Wonderful evening at the Great Minds Gala presented by Integrace and Leading Age. The event was held Monday evening at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington D.C.

I was presented with the Exceptional Friend or Family Caregiver Award for my bicycling tours to raise money and awareness for memory care activities at Cedar Community. A huge thanks to Tracey Stroeh for the nomination.

I was able to meet with Dr. Alexander “Sandy” Halperin, the winner of the Senator William and Ellen Proxmire Award. An Excellence in Dementia Care Award was presented to Phoebe Ministries.

The evening was fantastic, like an Academy Award show.

There was opening entertainment from the Saint Augustine Gospel Choir (click on the link to hear them sing) followed by presentations, videos and a dinner of filet Mignon, roasted tomato bordelaise, pan seared day boat scallops, and lemon pepper coulis with broccolini and julienne vegetable. Followed by a sweet trio dessert of black & white mousse square, strawberry swirl cheesecake and chocolate cherry tart.

Some tidbits from behind the scenes:

-During rehearsal the event coordinator, Sharon Sullivan, kept mentioning ‘the band.’  “You’ll take the stage after ‘the band,’” she said. I knew this was a high-end event so, being the reporter I had to ask. “Is One Direction going to be here tonight?”  “How about the Fu Fighters… were the Fu Fighters the band she was referring to?” There was quite a bit of secrecy surrounding the evening and I was approaching it like a Nancy Drew mystery with a Rolling Stone twist.

-We were offered to put our acceptance speech on a teleprompter. I passed and figured I’d wing it.  I did awesome! …. everybody said so.

-Some scuttlebutt at the ceremony indicated the award winners this year would be presenters at next year’s Gala. WOOT WOOT!  A return trip to D.C. What an honor to be a part of this function to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s.

-I totally pulled a R. Douglas Ziegler and approached as many people as possible to see if they would sponsor this year’s Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s bicycle tour. I asked permission from the organizers and the reps from Cedar Community, just to make sure I wasn’t out of line. Hopefully I’ll have great success and kick the fundraiser past the six-figure mark this year!

-The award is crystal and on display at Cedar Ridge upon my return.

-I did have some concerns about the lighting on stage… especially if you could see through my dress. I felt very Beyonce  but figured I was in Washington D.C. and this was not even close to D.C. scandal.

-The next bicycle tour takes off June 22 for New Mexico. I will pedal to Shiprock and then back to Wisconsin. More information can be found at imthebikewriter.blogspot.com

Remembering Dave Wolf

A memorial service was held this past week for Dave Wolf who died March 11 at the age of 73.

Reverend Doug Leonhardt, a Jesuit priest, oversaw the service. “Dave had a sparkle in his eyes and ideas up his sleeve,” he said. “Dave thrived on bringing joy to others. He was a man of few words and made a lasting impression on the community.”

Wolf’s sister Mary Henke provided the eulogy and remembered her brother as the man who purchased Dick’s Pizza which had a 25 cent sundae bar and unlimited toppings. “He mentored hundreds of employees, enjoyed his grandchildren and gadgets he found for sale on TV including the perfect egg cooker, a stump fiddle and the inflatable leg stimulator.”

Wolf was involved in many community and civic groups, including Treasurer of the WB Jaycees, Charter Board Member of the Kettle Moraine YMCA, President of the West Bend Convention and Visitors Bureau, Drive Chairman and President of United Way of Washington County, Board Member of the West Bend American Red Cross, West Bend Columns Organization, and West Bend Chamber of Commerce, three time big brother with the Big Brothers/Sisters of Washington County, and most recently Treasurer of the West Bend Gridiron Club.

Dave and Mary were also responsible for bringing the West Bend Christmas Parade back to the community and Dave served as Sponsor and Chairman for several years. Additionally he had an ongoing role in both the West Bend 4th of July Parade and the West Bend Memorial Day Parade.

Today’s history photo features several pictures from the Dave Wolf service courtesy the Wolf family.IMG_3406IMG_3403

Barrett Encourages Walker to Veto Zombie Homes Bill

by | 1436, 18 Mar 1616 | | 1 Comment

Hmmmm…

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is asking Governor Scott Walker to veto a bill that he fears would create more so-called “zombie houses.”

“Zombie houses” are homes abandoned by their owners, but unwanted by the banks.

Currently, banks are forced to put a “zombie house” up for sale five weeks after the home is found to be abandoned.

A new bill would move the deadline back to 12 months, and it has already made it through the Assembly and the Senate.

I ask out of honest ignorance… who benefits from changing it to 12 months? I would think that the banks would want to get it sold and off their books as soon as possible. And the city certainly wants it sold. But surely somebody asked for the change for their own benefit. Who? Why?

Wrong Bridge

by | 0754, 18 Mar 1616 | | 2 Comments

This is hilarious…

It’s a story we told you about first at WashingtonCountyInsider.com as contractors worked today to move the new pedestrian bridge in place over the Milwaukee River.
It appeared the bridge delivered was not exactly what the common council had approved as they signed off on a white bridge.  Mayor Kraig Sadownikow said the contractor made a mistake, it will be white and the contractor has until the end of May to have it all done.
“No joy when someone makes a mistake but it will be corrected,” Sadownikow said.
So the city ordered a white bridge. They got a brown one. And now the contractor has to paint it on site. At least it sounds like it’s not going to cost the taxpayers anything to fix the error.

Veteran ID Now Voter ID

by | 2126, 16 Mar 1616 | | 0 Comments

And liberals still upset.

One of the true ironies of last month’s liberal huffing and puffing over a letter the liberal justice wrote to Gov. Scott Walker about including veterans ID cards in the state’s Voter ID law was that a change was already in the works. SB 295, a package of election reforms that includes online voter registration, speeds up the reporting of election night returns, and enrolls Wisconsin in the national Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) database, includes the changes to allow veterans ID cards.

Walker signed SB 295 into law on Wednesday morning, one day after it cleared it final legislative hurdles.

You might think this would be a win-win for liberal groups who have long opposed the Voter ID law, or criticized its perceived limitations.

You would be wrong. The Wisconsin League of Women’s Voters openly urged Walker to veto the changes within minutes of passage over the elimination of “Special Registration Deputies,” which have long been used by liberal activists to pollute the state’s voter rolls with often fraudulent, incomplete, and inaccurate voter registrations.

Obama’s Supreme Court Pick

by | 2007, 16 Mar 1616 | , | 17 Comments

Eh… he’s a fairly ordinary leftist jurist – especially on things like the 2nd Amendment – who hangs out with the Senators at DC cocktail parties. Obama is 75% sure that the Republicans in the Senate are going to stick to their guns (as they should) and not confirm him, but in the event that they do, this allows Obama to also pick a new justice for the DC Circuit Court. Remember that the DC Circuit Court is arguably the second most important federal court since it decides on so many cases regarding the federal government.

WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday nominated Merrick B. Garland to be the nation’s 113th Supreme Court justice, choosing a centrist appellate judge who could reshape the court for a generation and become the face of a bitter election-year confirmation struggle.

In selecting Judge Garland, 63, a well-known figure in Washington legal circles who has drawn praise from members of both parties, Mr. Obama dared Republican senators to ignore public pressure and make good on their promise to block consideration of any high court nominee until after the next president is chosen.

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