BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017 VOL. 55 NO. 25 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
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Drug abuse: ‘A vicious cycle’ BY TODD BECKMANN SENTINEL
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Jason and Elissa Hinze
To Australia with love BY TODD BECKMANN SENTINEL
SIREN—Sure, Siren Schools will be looking for a new principal to guide the middle school and high school as well as a new second grade teacher for the 2017-18 school year — in and of itself, not huge news. The “why” is the compelling piece of this story about Jason and Elissa Hinze — Jason, raised in Siren, and Elissa, born and raised in Australia. “I’ve been here nearly 15 years and I miss my family, my friends and the culture,” Elissa said. The couple has two children, ages 9 and 11, and Jason cites them as part of the equation. “My kids are half Australian,” he reasoned. “We want to be able to provide a bit of cultural experience for them as well — they are old enough to appreciate it but young enough to adapt to the change.” And career-wise, Jason sees it as a good move. “Things are going very well in the Siren School District — it was an excellent time for me to step away,” he opined. “I am confident of handing over the reins.” He said it was important to him to leave the job better than he found it and believes that to be the case. “I’m looking to growing professionally,” he stated. “Being an American, before I can start teaching, I have to get all of my paperwork in order.” Elissa will be able to substitute teach right away while she waits to be appointed to a full-time teaching job. Knowing that she’ll be leaving at the end of the summer, Elissa reflected on what she’ll miss most about Siren. “I love how the kids are involved in sports — the whole school spirit SEE AUSTRALIA, PAGE 6
SIREN—Burnett County Sheriff Ron Wilhelm said it best when he said, “We are in dire need up here.” He was speaking to the county’s public safety meeting about the war on drugs and the fact the county lacks the resources to fight the good fight. “For the first time in several years, we are at full staff . It has been a tremendous benefit, but it still doesn’t meet the need,” he pointed out. In a county of about 15,000 people, the sheriff’s office is definitely under-staffed. With only 15 road deputies to cover the 880 square miles of the county, there is only so much the department can do. The sheriff cited an 84-day stretch during the summer of 2016 in which the sheriff’s department was called to five major “index crimes” – homicide, rape, arson and the like. The department staff expended hundreds of manhours to battle the crimes. Meanwhile, more than 3,300 additional calls for service came into their office. “When all hell is breaking loose, we still have to respond to every call that comes in,” Wilhelm lamented. “Our call volume has gone through the roof —it never ends.”
And, all of the cases don’t get attention. “Index crimes in our county have probably quadrupled over the past year,” Sheriff’s Detective Julie Mead exclaimed. “I hate to say it, but we can’t work them all. We tackle the cases we think we can resolve.” SEE DRUGS, PAGE 7
‘It can’t get worse’ DA laments news from Madison about prosecutorial staff BY TODD BECKMANN SENTINEL
SIREN—“We got our usual good news from Madison when Gov. Scott Walker released the first draft of his budget last month,” Burnett County District Attorney Bill Norine told members of the county’s public safety meeting Thursday. “No new prosecutors or Assistant District Attorneys (ADAs) in the coming biennium.” Several members of the committee laughed at Norine’s comment as the lack of staffing in his office has become something of a standing joke. Norine said he plans to lobby against the “good news.” “I know it’s just his first proposal — but still, it’s kind of surprising given all the new mandates to which the counties must adhere,” he reasoned. In other news from his office, Norine
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welcomed part-time ADA Dan Steffen aboard. Steffen, who served as Polk County DA for 10 years, will take the place of Angeline Winton, who is now serving as Washburn County DA. “He brings a lot of experience and knowledge to our office,” Norine pointed out.
GOING PAPERLESS Much to her chagrin, Trudy Schmidt, Burnett County Clerk of Court, said her office is in the process of going paperless. “We have already began scanning documents for civil, small claims and traffic cases,” she explained. “As of Feb. 2, local attorneys could begin electronic filing.” That’s the wave of the future. “Mandatory e-filing is coming,” Schmidt cautioned. “Maybe as soon as SEE COURT, PAGE 8
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