Boots & Sabers

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Month: November 2018

West Bend Teachers in Pay Dispute with District

by | 0924, 30 Nov 1818 | | 1 Comment

This is pretty straightforward.

WEST BEND — When the West Bend School District’s Board of Education met Oct. 29, Sally Heuer, a West Bend West teacher and member of the executive board of the West Bend Educators Association, voiced concerns about the lack of accountability and follow through for a compensation plan that allows teachers to earn stipends for meeting certain requirements like professional development.

The teachers claimed they were never told by the district there would be no stipend while they continued to work toward those requirements outside of the school day, on their own time and at their expense.

At the meeting, dozens of teachers sat in the audience to show their support as Heuer reminded the Board they have held up their end of the deal and trusted the district administration would hold up theirs.

[…]

In response to Heuer and the WBEA’s concerns, David Hammelman, human resources director for the West Bend School District, said administration turnover was to blame for teachers not being paid the stipends they worked for in the 2017-18 school year. He said the district is going to make a new plan for the year and revise the teacher salary framework.

There is a contract or there isn’t. Irrespective of whether or not one thinks the compensation plan is a good one or not, if the district agreed to a compensation plan with employees, then the district needs to pay up. Gross management incompetence is no excuse. And yes, failing to pay your employees correctly because you failed to manage staff transitions is gross management incompetence.

35% of Millennials Live With Their Parents

by | 1707, 29 Nov 1818 | | 1 Comment

I would like to see a more granular breakdown. A 21-year-old living with their parents is very different than a 32-year-old.

Nationwide, 35 percent of people age 18-35 still live with their parents, but the proportion varies from one state to the next.

Nearly half (47 percent) of Millennials in New Jersey live with their parents, a higher proportion than anywhere else in the country, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data by the Detroit Free Press.

Connecticut came in second, with 42 percent of its young people still at home, followed by Rhode Island and New York (41 percent each), and Florida (40 percent).

Republican Reform

by | 1648, 29 Nov 1818 | | 53 Comments

Brian Fraley has penned (does “typed” still connotes transcription instead of original though?) a piece advocating reforms for the Republican Party of Wisconsin. I agree with all of it. Particularly, I agree with decentralizing the party, moving the HQ out of Madison and centering it in GOP country. I would note that Washington County is the most Republican county in the state…

  • First and foremost, Republican candidates and operative across the state would benefit tremendously if we decentralized power out of Madison.
  • Second, the structure should be more horizontal, less vertical. Make it easier for new leaders to rise.
  • Republicans have long championed moving several state government operations out of the Madison bubble. From forestry jobs that were moved to the North woods to human service positions that were moved to Southeast Wisconsin, the GOP’s effort to draw from talent outside of the isthmus was smart. They should emulate that at RPW. I believe it is too easy to be isolated in a self-referential feedback loop by living and working in Dane County. Why force someone in Eau Claire to uproot their family if they are the right fit for a job at the party that could be accomplished via telecommuting or working at a satellite office?
  • In the early 90s it made sense to launch a capital campaign to purchase a headquarters to house RPW operations. The Governors Walter J. Kohler building on Johnson street was a hub of activity that helped build and train a team of young, eager campaign operatives that helped us gain legislative majorities for the first time in decades. But times change. Gone are the days when thirty to forty Capitol staffers would regularly spend their lunch hour labeling and sorting bulk mail pieces for candidates. Advancement in communication and social media have also changed the way we communicate and organize. They should consider selling the building and using the proceeds to invest in regional offices, including one in Madison, but perhaps not in the high rent district.
  • I believe the finance/fundraising operations of the party should return to Southeast Wisconsin where the bulk of the state’s major donors work and live. The party should also consider moving the political/field operation to Wausau or some other strategic location in North Central Wisconsin.
  • Unlike our Democratic counterparts, the State Chairman is a volunteer position and the Executive Director serves as the chief operations manager of the state party. We should consider making the state chairman less ceremonial and more hands on, even if that requires a salary or stipend.
  • Republicans need to re-establish a vigorous ground operation in Dane County, Milwaukee County and in Western Wisconsin. I understand that demographics and politics change. But we can’t write off entire sections of the state. When we do that we lose two counties by nearly 300,000 votes. While the party should invest in infrastructure and technology, the main focus for RPW should be to develop people.
  • There will be much resistance to many of these ideas, but perhaps to none more so than this one: I believe the state party should serve as a facilitator for the county parties. They should share all their voter id, donor and other data to help counties increase their local membership. Moreover, for larger counties, we need to go back to the community branches. They worked. We had more dues-paying members in those larger counties back then. They may have been a logistical pain for the convention planners, but that system worked.
  • Some counties have done an extraordinary job year-in and year-out. The state party shouldn’t just recognize them at state convention, they should pick the brains of those leaders and find a way to emulate their successes across the state. These leaders are hold the institutional knowledge of local boots on the ground organizing that I certainly lacked when I was a 20-something RPW staffer. You don’t need a degree in political science to be a great campaign operative. I witnessed fantastic field work over the last several months by the leaders in Walworth, Washington, Marinette, Brown, Shawano, Pierce, Monroe and Sheboygan counties, to name just a few. Television and radio ads deliver messages to the masses and are extremely important. Hell, I produce and place them for a living. But without a day-to-day, peer-to-peer operation on the ground, we leave a lot of potential votes unharvested.
  • Listen and learn, too, from from the Federation of Republican Women, and the women and men who lead the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee and the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate.
  • While there are several established leaders, RPW can better facilitate training to identify and create new ones. There are a couple of thousand very active volunteers that bust their tails every campaign. There are a couple of hundred hard-core superstar grassroots leaders who have attended every one of their annual Lincoln Day dinners and the annual state conventions for the last 40 years. There are several dozen fantastic people who have basically dedicated all of their free time to keeping about a dozen of our county parties active and relevant year-round. But there are hundreds of thousands of potential volunteers and donors who could give a little of their time on a semi-regular basis. We need to harness that potential, tap into their enthusiasm and give them the opportunity to rise without having to participate for decades before assuming leadership positions.
  • Note, absent from all this is any discussion of policy. The caucus leaders in the Assembly and the Senate as well as our state’s Congressional delegation can handle the implementation of the party’s platform. The state party should be agnostic when it comes to the day-to-day political squabbles in the Madison and DC Swamps. Legislative committees handle their candidate recruitment and agenda for the session but the state party works best when it is driven by one or two elected officials.
  • Millennials often get a bad rap and we need to do a better job of reaching out to them. We need to continue to have a rigorous high school outreach and tap into the ideas and energy of our College and Young Republicans. Frankly, I’d love to see our next state chairman be someone under the age of 40. At the same time, I think the party operation would benefit from having more grey hair working on the day-to-day operations. The party will be stronger if their staff more closely resembles the pool of voters they are courting.
  • Finally, let’s make election-year conventions meaningful. If counties don’t bring their allotted number of delegates to the state convention, that’s their loss. Don’t proportion out their votes to whomever shows up from each county / branch. It would incentivize participation in the convention process. I’m also not alone in thinking that expensive, time-consuming and less-relevant “off year” conventions should be scrapped in favor of a day of service in rotating Wisconsin communities, followed by a political rally with a national speaker.

The Puck Defense

by | 2141, 28 Nov 1818 | | 22 Comments

Careful, those hockey games are violent. The university doesn’t want to promote that.

(CNN) — They’re hoping it will never happen, but if a shooter shows up on their campus, students and professors at a university in Michigan may be throwing hockey pucks.

“They have enough mass to cause injury, small enough to be thrown, (are) portable and they’re not considered a weapon,” Oakland University police Chief Mark Gordon told CNN.

[…]

But the hockey pucks are an “absolutely last resort,” said Thomas Discenna, president of Oakland University’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

[…]

The university’s AAUP chapter has already bought 2,500 hockey pucks, the first 800 of which have been distributed to faculty and the rest to students. They cost 94 cents each, said a university spokesman, who added that the student government ordered another 1,000 pucks.

Safest Hunt on Record

by | 2019, 28 Nov 1818 | | 1 Comment

Nice work, hunters!

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says this year’s gun deer season set a record for hunter safety.

Three hunters suffered non-fatal shooting injuries during the hunt that began Nov. 17 and ended Sunday. DNR conservation warden Jon King says that make it the state’s safest gun deer season ever. Prior to this year, the DNR considered 2014 the safest with four non-fatal shooting injuries.

The Journal Sentinel reports there hasn’t been a shooting fatality during a Wisconsin gun deer season since 2015, when there were three.

Foxconn’s “Smart Cities, Smart Futures” Competition Draws 325 Entrants

by | 2015, 28 Nov 1818 | | 0 Comments

Awesome.

The first round of Foxconn Technology Group’s Smart Cities, Smart Futures competition prompted 325 entries from students, faculty and staff at higher education institutions in Wisconsin.

Foxconn announced earlier this year it would provide up to $1 million in awards over three years through the competition, soliciting entries from the University of Wisconsin System, Wisconsin technical colleges and private colleges and universities.

Entries for the first round were submitted in October and up to 100 winners will be selected to receive a $500 cash prize and an invitation to the competition’s second round. Around $200,000 in prizes will be awarded over three rounds of competition.

Submissions in the first round included ideas to use technology to address challenges in education, health care, transportation and housing, a company press release said.

Obamagas

by | 0741, 28 Nov 1818 | | 1 Comment

Heh.

The tear gas used on migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border at the weekend, which prompted criticism of President Trump, was also used almost 80 times under the Obama administration, according to Homeland Security data.

Critics of Trump had denounced the action by federal agents as overkill when they used the tear gas to repel a crowd of migrants that included angry rock-throwers and barefoot, crying children.

But figures from the Department of Homeland Security, which emerged on Tuesday, show that the same gas was used more than once a month during the later years of Obama’s administration.

Critics of Trump had denounced the action by federal agents as overkill when they used the tear gas to repel a crowd of migrants that included angry rock-throwers and barefoot, crying children on Sunday at the San Diego-Tijuana border crossing

That tear gas, known as 2-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile, was used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents a total of 126 times since 2010.

Orangutan Rescued From Sex Slavery

by | 2249, 27 Nov 1818 | , | 4 Comments

There are some depraved people on this planet.

An orangutan kept as a prostitute in an Indonesian village ‘screamed and defecated’ when the brothel madam who kept her captive visited her in a rescue centre.

Pony, an endangered Bornean orangutan, was discovered in February 2003 inside a darkened room in the village of Kareng Pangi, Central Kalimantan chained to a wall and lying on a mattress.

She had been ruthlessly and abhorrently exploited by local palm oil farmers who would come to the village and pay £2 to have sex with her.

The brother ‘madam’ who enslaved Pony was initially allowed to visit her once a month at a conservation centre to ‘reduce the risk of retribution among villagers’ who were angry she had been taken.

[…]

Having been snatched from her mother when she was a baby, her captors treated Pony extremely harshly – shaving her every two days and forcing her to wear perfume and makeup.

She was even taught to perform sex acts on demand for her customers.

Clintons Begin Speaking Tour

by | 2238, 27 Nov 1818 | | 4 Comments

You know, there was a time when it would have been considered unbecoming for an ex-president to attack the current president from a foreign nation. It was considered that because it was… and is.

Bill and Hillary Clinton launched their 13-city paid speaking tour in a Canadian hockey arena Tuesday evening, where there were banks of empty seats and the power couple accused President Trump of joining a Saudi ‘cover-up.’

The Clintons riffed on issues ranging form the U.S. elections to the Iran deal, the killing of Osama bin Laden, and the murder of Saudi dissident Khashoggi, and got a warm reception from the crowd as they jabbed at the Trump administration from north of the border.

[…]

Organizers blocked off the upper deck of seats. Officials said the Clintons sold about 3,300 seats in a venue that can hold about 19,000 for a big hockey game when the Maple Leafs play.

Mexico Suggests Payout to Keep Foreigners Out

by | 2050, 27 Nov 1818 | , | 1 Comment

Ummmmmmnnnnnnn… no.

TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — As Mexico wrestles with what to do with more than 5,000 Central American migrants camped out at a sports complex in the border city of Tijuana, President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s government signaled Tuesday that it would be willing to house the migrants on Mexican soil while they apply for asylum in the United States — a key demand of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Mexico’s new foreign minister also called on the Trump administration to contribute to development projects to help create jobs in Central America to stem the flow of migrants from the impoverished region, suggesting an appropriate figure would start at $20 billion.

The fact that there are thousands of people who want to come to America and that Mexico allowed them to stream across their country does not obligate American taxpayers to pay to fix their home countries.

Man on Probation for Gang Rape Arrested for Battery, Forcible Robbery, etc.

by | 1915, 27 Nov 1818 | | 1 Comment

Shameful.

A La Crosse man recently sentenced to two years’ probation for his part in the alleged gang rape of two teenage girls in 2017 is back in jail on allegations that include battery, forcible robbery and criminal damage to property.

Ronald Crosby Jr., 18, was arrested on those allegations, as well as operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent and criminal damage to property in the Nov. 20 incident, according to a police report.

[…]

In a plea deal on the rape case, Crosby, who was 17 at the time of the alleged rapes in October of 2017, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree sexual assault, delivering heroin and resisting an officer, on Oct. 17 in La Crosse County Circuit Court.

That case involves an incident in which two girls allegedly were assaulted sexually over several days by as many as 11 males in a South Side La Crosse garage. Prosecutors originally charged Crosby with sexual assault of a child younger than 16 and first-degree sexual assault, both as party to the crime, and first-, second- and third-degree sexual assault.

The District Attorney’s Office agreed to the plea deal because officials believe Crosby had left the garage before the rapes occurred.

Government Overestimates the Efficiency of Wind Energy

by | 2022, 26 Nov 1818 | , | 19 Comments

Via the Center of the American Experiment. Hat tip Powerlineblog

An industrial wind facility in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin has been decommissioned after just 20 years of service because the turbines are no longer cost effective to maintain and operate. The decommissioning of the 14 turbines took many people by surprise, even local government officials and the farmer who had five of the turbines on his property.

Why Are We So Surprised?

What’s really surprising about these wind turbines being decommissioned after 20 years is the is the fact that people were surprised by it. You’d be astonished at how many people I talk to that have no idea that wind turbines only last for 20 years, maybe 25. In fact, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory says the useful life of a wind turbine is only 20 years.

[…]

In contrast to wind, coal, natural gas, and nuclear plants can run for a very long time. Coal and natural gas plants can easily run for 50 years, and nuclear plants can be updated and retrofitted to run for 60 years. This has profound implications for the cost of electricity on a per megawatt hour basis that seemingly no one is talking about.

When the federal government puts out their cost projections for energy, the numbers they produce are called the Levelized Cost of Energy, or LCOE. These numbers are supposed to act as a measuring stick that allows policymakers to determine which energy sources will best serve their needs, but these numbers are wrong because they assume all power plants, whether they are wind, coal, natural gas, or nuclear will have a 30-year payback period.

This does two things, it artificially reduces the cost of wind power by allowing them to spread their costs over 30 years, when 20 would be much more appropriate, and it artificially inflates the cost of coal, natural gas, and nuclear by not calculating the cost over the entirety of their reasonable lifetimes.

On Mars Again

by | 1949, 26 Nov 1818 | | 28 Comments

Amazing accomplishment.

The US space agency Nasa has landed a new robot on Mars after a dramatic seven-minute plunge to the surface of the Red Planet.

The InSight probe aims to study the world’s deep interior, and make it the only planet – apart from Earth – that has been examined in this way.

Confirmation of touchdown came through on cue at 19:53 GMT.

It ended an anxious wait in which the robot radioed home a series of updates on its descent.

Nasa’s mission control at California’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) erupted into cheers when it became clear InSight was safe on the ground.

The agency’s chief administrator, James Bridenstine, celebrated what he called “an amazing day”. President Trump had rung to offer his congratulations, he told reporters. And the director of JPL, Mike Watkins, said the success should remind everyone that “to do science we have to be bold and we have to be explorers.”

West Bend School Board Meets Tonight

by | 0717, 26 Nov 1818 | , | 0 Comments

It’s a little hard to keep up, but there are three consecutive meetings of the West Bend School Board tonight for the purpose of buying land and considering a referendum for next year. Because, you know, fancy new buildings and more real estate will improve education *smh*

The Washington County Insider did us the favor of sorting through the announcements and summarizing them for us. Attend if you can. These are open to the public and all of the people who want to spend your money will be there.

NOTE that the purchase of the property requires the approval of the electors. The electors are any adult residents of the district, so show up and VOTE. Again, the people who want to spend the money will be there. If you would rather not, show up and vote in the SECOND meeting at 6:15.

Nov. 26, 2018 – West Bend, WI – Tonight, Monday, Nov. 26 the West Bend School Board will hold three meetings. Agenda items include a proposed April 2019 referendum and land purchase in Jackson.

[…]

 

The first meeting Nov. 26 is a Board Work Session at 5:15 p.m.  The meeting will be held at the Education Service Center, 735 S. Main Street, West Bend
5:15 pm, Board Room.  The meeting is open to the public.

[…]

 

The second meeting Nov. 26 is in the Education Service Center, 735 S. Main Street, West Bend 6:15 pm, Board Room Meeting of Electors  The meeting is open to the public.
[…]
The final meeting on Monday is the Regular Board of Education Meeting Monday, Nov. 26, 2018 Location: Education Service Center, 735 S. Main Street, West Bend  Time: 6:30 p.m., Board Room. The meeting is open to the public.
Note: Action Items !. 6:58 Resolution to approve the purchase of certain real property.
Category Action Items Subject  6:58 Resolution to approve the purchase of certain real property

Border Forces Repel Attempted Incursion

by | 2221, 25 Nov 1818 | , | 0 Comments

Thankfully, it looks like no Americans were injured in repelling this foreign incursion.

Mexico will deport up to 500 migrants who attempted to storm the US border, according to its interior ministry.

The group were rounded up after trying to cross the border “violently” and “illegally” on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.

Video footage shows dozens of people – including women and children – running towards the fence that separates the two countries near the city of Tijuana.

They were repelled by tear gas used by US border officers.

Mexico’s interior ministry said in a statement that a group of “nearly 500 migrants” had “tried to cross the border in a violent way”.

Those identified as having taken part in these “violent events” would be deported immediately, it said.

The ministry added that, “far from helping their objectives”, the migrants’ actions had violated the legal migration framework and could have led to a “serious incident”.

Russia Escalates War on Ukraine

by | 2217, 25 Nov 1818 | | 1 Comment

There’s still a war going on in Europe and Russia is being… well… Russia.

Russia has fired on and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels off the Crimean Peninsula in a major escalation of tensions between the two countries.

Two gunboats and a tug were captured by Russian forces. A number of Ukrainian crew members were injured.

Each country blames the other for the incident. On Monday Ukrainian MPs are due to vote on declaring martial law.

The crisis began when Russia accused the Ukrainian ships of illegally entering its waters.

The Russians placed a tanker under a bridge in the Kerch Strait – the only access to the Sea of Azov, which is shared between the two countries.

Russian jets fly over the bridge, and a tanker is seen under the huge arch of the bridge. Photo: 25 November 2018Image copyrightPHOTOSHOT
Image captionA tanker under the bridge shut all navigation from and into the Sea of Azov

During a meeting of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, President Petro Poroshenko described the Russian actions as “unprovoked and crazy”.

West Bend School Board to Buy More Property

by | 2219, 24 Nov 1818 | , | 4 Comments

Wow. I see that the West Bend School Board is up to its usual tricks. They gave notice yesterday – the Friday after Thanksgiving – for a special meeting on Monday to vote on spending $750,000 on real estate in Jackson for a possible future school. This is despite presiding over a district with declining enrollment and $130 million in debt. Here’s the rationale:

Regardless of whether the board decides to have a referendum in spring of 2019, the property to the north of our vacant land would make our property a much better site for an elementary building. Furthermore, the purchase of this property would enable the Village of Jackson to move ahead with their plans.

It’s cute how they pretend that they might not go to referendum in spring.

Anyway, be sure to attend if you’re in town. It’s your only chance to weigh in.

The final meeting on Monday is the Regular Board of Education Meeting Monday, Nov. 26, 2018 Location: Education Service Center, 735 S. Main Street, West Bend  Time: 6:30 p.m., Board Room. The meeting is open to the public.
Note: Action Items !. 6:58 Resolution to approve the purchase of certain real property.

Around the Bend by Judy Steffes

by | 0602, 24 Nov 1818 | | 1 Comment

Habitat for Humanity Washington Co. buys new building in Germantown

Habitat for Humanity Washington/Dodge Counties will close on the purchase of the former Gander Mountain building, 10862 Commerce Circle in Germantown.

Russ Wanta, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Washington and Dodge Counties Wisconsin, said they are hoping to close on Nov. 25.

“A prayer service is set for Nov. 27 if the whole transaction goes smoothly and we plan to occupy the building.”

The building was listed for quite a while but the sale was “completely negotiated between myself and Bill Lloyd, the owner of the building,” said Wanta.

“We’d been looking at the building ever since the announcement came Gander Mountain would be leaving,” said Wanta.

The initial asking price for the property was $3.9 million. “That’s where it started and we worked a long time and settled on a price of $1.8 million,” he said.

“I believe this is a good investment because No. 1 we have so much product in storage right now and when you’re in the thrift business having product in storage is not an effective way to operate,” he said. “So we have literally filled up well in excess of 6,000-square-feet of storage and we need more square footage and this building offers us that.

“We’re not as donor friendly as we wish to be and we look at how St. Vincent De Paul and Goodwill does its thrift business and we really want to make our building much more donor friendly and we will be putting on an addition to have a drive-thru drop off and things of that nature to better serve our donors. In the thrift business donors are the key.

No. 3 – we aren’t competing with the internet. The reason big box stores are downsizing or going out of business is because they cannot compete with online business. Being in the thrift business all of our product is unique and we feel this is a good investment.

Finally the prices of renting spaces throughout Washington County are growing. For literally a quarter of the space  – it’s a good fiscal decision as well.

For all these reasons we felt this was a really good purchase for us.

Allenton man killed in two-vehicle accident

A 58-year-old Allenton man was killed following a two-vehicle accident Thursday, Nov. 22, in Portage County. According to the Portage County Sheriff’s office: On Nov. 22, 2018, at approximately 6:24 p.m., the Portage County Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 call of a two-vehicle crash on US Highway 10 near County Highway B in the Town of Amherst.

Upon arrival, deputies discovered a full-sized Dodge Ram pick-up truck towing a loaded utility trailer, was eastbound on Highway 10 crossing the bridge over Highway B.

The driver of the truck, 58-year-old Douglas Curley from Allenton, Wisconsin, lost control of his vehicle and entered the median. Once in the median, the trailer detached from the truck, and the truck became airborne entering the westbound lanes.

A Jeep Cherokee, operated by 61-year-old Michael Shimeta from Cudahy, along with his passenger, 62-year-old Terry Scheer from Franklin, was westbound on Highway 10, when the Dodge landed partially on the Jeep, before rolling off and striking the outside guardrail.

Emergency crews arrived and extricated the two occupants of the Jeep, who were transported to Saint Michael’s Hospital with serious injuries. Curley did not survive the crash, and was the only occupant of the Dodge.

West Bend Christmas Parade is Sunday, Nov. 25

Looks like it will be a pleasant evening with comfortable temps for the 66th annual West Bend Christmas Parade. The event will step off at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 25. The parade will head south from the corner of Silverbrook and Main Street, turn east on Cedar Street and jump back onto Main Street and through the downtown. Click here to see complete details on the parade route.

This year the parade is expected to have the largest draw ever with floats, animals, and bands.

Also note a switch up in the start time for Enchantment in the Park on that Sunday.  Enchantment will open at 6 p.m. Don’t forget to sign up for the Dec. 2 Husar’s Diamond Dash at 4:30 p.m.

Behind-the-scenes: Fixing the Baby Jesus from the Amity Rolfs Nativity

On Monday, Nov. 19 the Downtown West Bend Association will work alongside volunteers and set up a new nativity in Old Settler’s Park. The nativity is sponsored by a generous donation from Thrivent Financial.

In 2017 the vintage Amity Rolfs Nativity experienced a pretty rough season. The life-size nativity display is a holiday hallmark for West Bend. During the initial setup one of the wise men suffered a bad accident and needed a head transplant as the hard, foam material simply gave way.

August Peters from the Museum of Wisconsin Art was hired to mend the wise man. He said it wasn’t the first time the head broke off and he managed to repair it in a timely fashion.

However, tragedy struck shortly thereafter when someone vandalized the 60-year-old nativity, ripping the baby Jesus figure from its crèche. Police found the remains of the figure however its arm was broken off and the head was missing.

A reward was offered but the case quickly went cold and the entire nativity was moved to storage shortly after Dec. 25 to avoid anymore vandalism. Behind the scenes the remains of the baby Jesus were put in a box and later retrieved from the West Bend Police Department.

Quietly, over the summer, the figure was repaired. Locksmith and avid woodcarver Terry Vrana crafted a new head and reattached the hands on the figure.

Vrana said he felt it important to rescue as much of the original piece as possible. The repair took months of dedication and Vrana’s top-notch craftsmanship is evident; you cannot even see a seam in his handiwork. While a new nativity will be placed in the center square the original Rolfs nativity has been adopted by Holy Angels Parish and will be on display this year near the rectory.

If you see Terry Vrana please offer him a kind-hearted ‘thank you’ for using his time and talents to return the original centerpiece to the Amity Rolfs Nativity.

Unveiling the new nativity in West Bend

There was a nice muffled-mitten applause Monday afternoon as the Downtown West Bend Association unveiled its new nativity.

The display was made possible via a very generous donation from Thrivent Financial. Ramiro Paz with Thrivent Financial said the employees at the company thought sponsoring the nativity was a perfect fit with their mission and giving back to West Bend.

“We felt we just had to,” he said. “There was a need in the community and we were happy to step up.”

The Downtown West Bend Association put the wheels in motion to secure a new nativity after some vandalism in 2017 to the historic Amity Rolfs nativity. The baby Jesus figure has been mended, thanks to the time and talents of local locksmith Terry Vrana. The Amity Rolfs nativity is being moved and will be on display at Holy Angels Parish. A trail camera is now in place to help deter vandalism.

Lomira man dies in farming accident

Family and friends in the Slinger and Allenton area are mourning the loss of 36-year-old Timothy Schwinn. Shawano County Coroner Brian Westfahl said an emergency rescue call came in Friday, Nov. 16.

“The incident occurred in the Town of Navarino,” said Westfahl. Shawano County Sheriff’s Captain Tom Tuma said Theda Star was requested at 7:32 p.m.

Westphal said there “was a gravity box and Tim ended up pinned underneath it by a tire.” A gravity box is used to haul grain. Tuma said the incident is not under investigation. Schwinn was reportedly working on his cousin’s farm when the accident occurred.

Timothy Donald Schwinn, 36, of Lomira, passed away on Nov. 16, 2018 from a tragic farming accident. Timothy was born on Feb. 2, 1982 at St. Josephs Community Memorial Hospital in West Bend. He attended Slinger High School, graduating in 2001, and continued his education at MPTC graduating with a degree in CNC technology. He married Melanie Schwartz on June 30th, 2007 at Resurrection Catholic Parish in Allenton. He was employed at DMT Workholding.

He was also a member of Allenton Sno Pacers, Campbellsport gun club, Ashford Sportsmens Club, T&A BBQ, and Sheboygan Walleye Club and a proud member of the NRA.

The family would like to thank Navarino-Lessor first responders and EMS, Flight for Life crew, and Shawano County Sherriff. Private services were held.

New sport complex complete at Regner Park

The new Milwaukee Bucks West Bend Court Project is complete. The complex is part of the upgrade at Regner Park, 800 N. Main Street. The sport court is made of a grid of super-strong material for year-round play. The hoops have a glass backboard and the height can be adjusted. There is also a pulley and crank system to raise or lower nets for volleyball or pickleball.

Debbie Butschlick named Coach of the Year

After capturing the Wisconsin Collegiate Conference divisional and state titles in volleyball, UWM at Washington County volleyball coach Debbie Butschlick was honored with the conference coach of the year award.

Butschlick who serves as both athletic director and volleyball coach, began coaching the Wildcats volleyball team in 1985. Since then, the team won the WCC conference championship nine times, advanced to the final-four state competition 15 times and earned the state title five times (1992, 2002, 2003, 2013, 2018). This is the 10th time Butschlick has received the coach of the year honor.

Wisconsin’s Hunting Heritage                                   By Al Wisnefske

Over 600,000 hunters are expected to fill Wisconsin’s landscape for the 2018 gun deer season. To put this number into perspective, the amount of hunters would make it the 5th largest army in the world. According to the Wisconsin DNR, deer hunting alone is estimated to contribute $2.5 billion annually to Wisconsin’s economy. And don’t forget “Widows Weekend.” From big box stores to local bars, hunters and non hunters converge this time of year.

Conservation groups such as the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) are investing resources everyday to protect this hunting heritage on a national level. Since 1988, the QDMA has worked to promote sustainable, high quality deer populations, wildlife habitats, and hunter experiences. They do this through research, education, advocacy, and hunter recruitment.

To bring it home on a local level, they rely on volunteers to start QDMA Branches and spread the word about sound deer management, and most importantly, the protecting and expanding of the hunting heritage. They currently have over 60,000 members and over 180 branches throughout the country.

The QDMA Kettle Moraine branch serves southeastern Wisconsin, and is stationed in West Bend. Back in July we held our first banquet and exceeded our estimates for participation. It was a fantastic event that will open the door for more events in 2019. To help spread the word we are currently looking to book our 2019 events. Ideas that have been tossed around our food plots and property tour days and another banquet. We are always looking for more volunteers and interested parties to attend events.

If you are interested in volunteering or attending events please contact Branch President Al Wisnefske at (262) 305-7494, awisnefske@ucbadgerland.com.

West Bend to start first Girl Troop through Boy Scout Association  By Steve Naumann

Attention:  Are you a female between ages 11 and 17? Do you enjoy being outdoors?

Have you always wanted to do what boys do in Boy Scouts?

Join West Bend’s very first Girl Troop through the Boy Scout Association. Come learn more on Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. at Fifth Avenue Methodist Church 323 S. Fifth Ave.

Note: A parent or guardian must accompany the female youth at this free informational meeting.

Updates & Tidbits

– The 4th Annual West Bend Santa Ramp-up kicks off at 10 a.m. at West Bend Tap & Tavern on Sunday, Nov. 25. Get your red on and join the ride.

– There will be a meeting Monday, Nov. 26 at 5:15 p.m. as the West Bend School District reviews a request for a $50 million school referendum ($85 million in real dollars with interest) to build a new elementary school in Jackson, remodel the high schools’ cafeteria, expand the weight room, fitness center and locker rooms, as well as improve safety and security. This referendum is on top of the current $130 million referendum debt. The meeting is at the WBSD Office, 735 S. Main Street, West Bend.

-On Nov. 27 at 6:45 p.m. there is an event at the West Bend Community Library regarding a presentation about the teachings of evolution. The event is free and open to the public.

– Don Muth and the University Ambassadors will host a breakfast for students on campus on Thursday, Dec. 13 at 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. as part of week-long events before final exams start. “Keep Calm and Study On” includes ‘Nerf Wars’ in the gym, Therapy Dogs, Coffee/Games/Puzzles on 3rd, Origami in the Library and some free snacks throughout the week.

– Pat Groth is teaching snowmobile safety class Dec. 4, 5 and 6 at Riverside Park in West Bend.

-Rick Takacs at Meadowbrook Farm in West Bend will be unloading fresh balsam and Fraser fir Christmas trees from his truck as he preps for the upcoming holiday. Takacs gets his trees from the same vendor in Oconto County who once supplied the tree to the White House in Washington D.C.   Tackas said he really liked the trees from the Vander Velden’s farm because they’re “tall and have super color.” Meadowbrook Farm is located at 1270 Meadowbrook Road.

– Tickets are now on sale for the amazing Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops Concert on Dec. 11 at the West Bend High Schools Silver Lining Arts Center.

-The Allenton Area Advancement Association (AAAA) is hosting “Lighting of the Bridge” on Friday, Nov. 30 at Riveredge Park in Allenton. The park is located on WI-33 (Main Street) on the west side of Allenton along the banks of the Rock River.

Historic Timmer’s Resort remembers food served

Barbara Johnson’s book ‘Timmer’s Resort at Big Cedar Lake …a journey through time’ is available for sale at Timmer’s Resort.

During this Thanksgiving there are quite a few citations in Johnson’s book about food and service at Timmer’s Resort. It was an era that started in the mid-1860s after President Abraham Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address and Mathias Timmer married Margaretha Gehl.

“When guests completed their long and rugged journey to the resort and their horse-drawn conveyance deposited them at the Timmer carriage stone, oldest daughter Mary Timmer, in her official capacity as hostess, was there to greet them.

“Caring for guests was as rugged as their ride, as there was no running water, electricity or indoor plumbing. Water for pitchers and bowls in the guest rooms had to be pumped and carried from the hand pump at the well. Hams and bacons were smoked, and bread and pies baked in the ovens in the original stone house which still stands adjacent to the main building.” – Beryl Timmer

Feeding men who came to harvest ice on Big Cedar Lake was a full-time job according to Beryl Timmer. 

“Cecilia fed the workers well. The meal consisted of canned beef or pork, which she had canned herself. Potatoes and vegetables rounded out the meal with probably a lot of homemade bread. The vegetables would have been canned beans or cabbage or carrots from their root cellar. Cabbage was also made into sauerkraut in large crocks. By the time Cecilia finished feeding and cleaning up for one meal it was probably time to start fixing the next meal.”

Hotel Timmer: John and Beryl Timmer managed the resort and then became owners in 1952.

“When we took over the resort it was during the worrisome years of the Second World War with the ensuing problems of food and gas rationing. Guests were reluctant to relinquish their precious food and gas stamps as requested by the government so much time was spent by the management on bartering and improvising so (our) guests could be housed and fed.”

“A large garden was planted for fresh fruits and vegetables, but later the surplus was picked and canned and placed in the basement until the hotel inspector said “home canned” foods could not be served to guests… That ended the garden and poor Henry’s (the Gardner) job as well as (my) profession of food processor. The garden was supplanted by badminton and shuffleboard courts.”

LaVonne “Vonnie” (Conrad) Mueller worked as a waitress at Timmer’s Resort through the summers of 1953 and ’54. She shares her experiences from that time:

“We would state our day at 7 a.m. and finished around 7 – 8 p.m. Coffee was made by the waitresses in the large coffee urns (or vats). Miniature creamers were filled for coffee drinkers… juice pitchers prepared. Butter packs were placed on mini butter places (creamers and plates matched the dinnerware). Tables were set and cleared after each meal by the waitresses. The dishes were restaurant style of heavy-duty, plain white stoneware. Thick, sturdy glassware was used.

Breakfast and lunch were served in an informal fashion… paper napkins used. White linens were used for dinner in a more formal fashion. My mother taught me the proper place setting for setting the table. Of course, Beryl gave us specific instructions to: the correct way of serving our guests… “Sere from the left, remove from the right;” the order in which the courses should be served; handling of trays; taking guests’ orders; efficiently serving our guests – always with a pleasant smile!

The waitresses didn’t just wait tables. We also would be called to do certain things in the kitchen like make radish roses or clean the leaf lettuce that was grown in the garden on the property.

Beryl would pick the leaf lettuce and then we’d clean it. Beryl did her major shopping at the A&P in West Bend and she personally selected for each menu.

We’d serve the three meals a day to the guests who had two choices to pick from breakfast, lunch and dinner. We took our meals after the guests had eaten. Yummy homemade tortes, cakes and pies were a special treat for guests.

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Scientists Want to Blot Out the Sun to Fight Global Warming

by | 2144, 23 Nov 1818 | | 10 Comments

What could possibly go wrong?

(CNN)Scientists are proposing an ingenious but as-yet-unproven way to tackle climate change: spraying sun-dimming chemicals into the Earth’s atmosphere.

The research by scientists at Harvard and Yale universities, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, proposes using a technique known as stratospheric aerosol injection, which they say could cut the rate of global warming in half.
The technique would involve spraying large amounts of sulfate particles into the Earth’s lower stratosphere at altitudes as high as 12 miles. The scientists propose delivering the sulfates with specially designed high-altitude aircraft, balloons or large naval-style guns.

ICE Does Its Job

by | 2112, 23 Nov 1818 | , | 1 Comment

I didn’t know that church sanctuary was still a thing. In any case, hats off to ICE for finally catching the scofflaw.

An immigrant who sought refuge from deportation in a North Carolina church, staying there for 11 months, was arrested on Friday after arriving at an appointment with immigration officials.

The arrest led to protests and the arrest of some supporters of Samuel Oliver-Bruno, the 47-year-old Mexican national who, according to a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) news release, was detained at a Raleigh-area immigration office.

An advocacy group, Alerta Migratoria NC, said in a statement Oliver-Bruno went to have fingerprints taken so he could apply to stay in North Carolina with his wife and son.

He has been living in CityWell United Methodist Church in Durham since late 2017, to avoid the reach of immigration officers, who generally avoid making arrests at churches and other sensitive locations.

Ice said Oliver-Bruno, who has lived in North Carolina for two decades, had no legal basis to be in the US and had exhausted his “extensive” appeals. In 2014, according to court documents, Oliver-Bruno pleaded guilty to using false documents to try to re-enter the US in Texas.

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