FREE PRESS AMERY
1892 - 2017
125 YEARS STRONG
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2017
VOL. 121 NO. 30 www.theameryfrepress.com $1.00
SPORTS: Warrior Girls move into second place PAGE 17
City Administrator placed on paid leave BY TOM STANGL TSTANGL@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
and happy ever afters. But before they could make those things happen, she ended up single, displaced in the woods of northwest Wisconsin far removed from the city life she’d always known and the software developer job she telecommuted to every day.
Amery City Administrator Darcy Long has been placed on paid administrative leave “until further notice” following action taken by the Amery City Council on Jan. 25. The council, meeting in a special session, held three closed sessions lasting a total of 18 minutes. Following the closed sessions, Alderman Rick VanBlaricom made a motion to modify the payout terms and start date of City Clerk/Treasurer/Office Manager Fran Duncanson. Alderperson Kris Vicker seconded the motion, which passed Long on a 5-0 vote. Vicker made the motion to place Long on paid administrative leave until further notice. VanBlaricom seconded the motion. It also passed on a 5-0 vote. Long has been the topic of numerous closed sessions, dating back to this summer. Earlier this month he was given a 2.5 percent pay increase, retroactive to June of 2016. After the pay increase, Long is making $85,300 annually.
SEE BREW PAGE TWO
SEE LEAVE PAGE TWO
JESSICA DE LA CRUZ | AMERY FREE PRESS
Jenna Johnson is the one-woman force behind Amery Ale Works, a local antique barn turned brewery that Johnson hopes will soon become a favorite local hangout.
Dreams on Tap
Amery Ale Works becomes labor of love for local entrepreneur BY JESSICA DE LA CRUZ EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
When city dwellers Jenna Johnson and her then husband first fell in love with the property that used to be Quietwood Antiques several years ago, they had big plans for romantic barn weddings
Amery grad flirts with Olympic hopes in Scottish Highlands BY JESSICA DE LA CRUZ EDITOR@THEMAERYFREEPRESS.COM
Amery graduate Alicia Monson is off to a great start in her running career at UW Madison. This January 7 Alicia was one of just six college freshman nationwide to represent Team USA in the junior division (18 and under) of The Great Edinburgh Cross Country Race in Edinburgh, Scotland. The race also included a pro division. The rolling hills of Scotland were
a bit of a challenge for the Wisconsin native, but she ran like a Warrior for a fi fth place finish overall. “She didn’t go across the world for nothing,” says mom Beth Monson. “She was going for it.” Three teams of six competed in the division: the U.S., E.U., and Great Britain. She was second amongst her six Team U.S.A. teammates, made up of other 18 year olds from throughout the country. A rumor had been circulating locally SEE MONSON PAGE NINE
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2016 Amery grad Alicia Monson (bottom right) poses with her six Junior Team U.S.A. teammates (front) and the rest of Team U.S.A. during the Great Edinburgh Cross Country Race in Scotland, Jan. 7.
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