BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 VOL. 58 NO. 15 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
FISH ON! The American Legion annual ice fishing contest photos from Big Wood Lake P 16-17
Tesora burglar pleads guilty JONATHAN RICHIE EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM
A Vadnais Heights, Minn. man sat in court last week in an orange uniform with the “Burnett County Jail” printed on the back. He has been accused of burglarizing Tesora Restaurant in Siren back in December of 2018. Jonathon L. Laboda, 35, was in court for a plea hearing involving three cases all stemming from three incidents in Burnett County. One of the cases Laboda revolves around burglarizing a bar in Webb Lake and two incidents in Siren – first was burglarizing Tesora’s and then fleeing law enforcement. The third was in regard to Laboda stealing a firearm from Blue Collar Sales & Services in Siren. Laboda’s attorney, Ryan Reid presented the plea deal he and assistant district attorney Dan Steffen agreed to in front of Burnett County Circuit Court Judge Melissia Mogen. Reid said that Laboda was pleading guilty to one felony count of theft of moveable property, one SEE TESORA, PAGE 12
JONATHAN RICHIE | SENTINEL
Proud to be an American at Siren’s Big Gig The Siren auditorium was packed for the annual Big Gig to raise funds for their upcoming Disney Trip in 2021. The band played Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” during the first act. More photos from the concert on page 31.
Meet the special election candidates STAFF REPORT
Voters will cast their choice in a special election for their next congressional leader in Northwest Wisconsin later this month. The 7th Congressional District seat has been vacant since September when U.S. Representative Sean Duffy
resigned from his seat to spend more time with his family. On the democratic ticket is Lawrence Dale and Tricia Zunker. Jason Church and Tom Tiffany are running as republicans. The primary election will be Feb. 18 then the primary winners will face off May
12 for the general election to see who represents the 7th Congressional District of Wisconsin. JASON CHURCH What is your background? Where you grew up, education, what are you doing now, where you live? I grew up in Menomonie,
and in a military family. My father, grandfather, and uncles all wore our nation’s uniform, and I wanted to spend my career serving our country. I completed ROTC while studying at UW-La Crosse and deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 where I SEE ELECTION, PAGE 2
Public input wanted on Alpha speed change JONATHAN RICHIE EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM
Members of the public are encouraged to attend the upcoming traffic safety meeting to voice their opinion regarding a proposed speed change in Alpha. There has been a lot of concern about changing the speed
limit in Alpha on State Highway 70 after the Department of Transportation (DOT) held a meeting in Wood River about the possibility of changing the speed limit from 40 mph to 55 mph. State Highway 70 from Siren to Grantsburg is 55 mph except when it goes through Falun and Alpha when it drops to 40
‘The response on Facebook was overwhelmingly not in favor of the change.’ mph. The stretch that is proposed to be raised to 55 mph includes entrances to Nelson Primary
School and the Burnett Dairy Cooperative. Burnett County Highway Commissioner Mike Hoefs reported to the infrastructure committee last month what the DOT plans were. Hoefs said the DOT plans to raise the speed limit to 55 mph through Alpha, eliminate some entrances to the dairy coopera-
tive and adding a turning lane to the middle of the road. The Sentinel published an article on the proposal in January and the response on Facebook was overwhelmingly not in favor of the change. One person on Facebook pointed out that that section SEE ALPHA, PAGE 12
Oh what a healing Wound Healing Center 715-268-0175 | amerymedicalcenter.org/wehealwounds
NEWS 715-463-2341 editor@burnettcountysentinel.com
ADVERTISING 715-463-2341 marketing@burnettcountysentinel.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS 715-463-2341 office@burnettcountysentinel.com
NEWS & ADVERTISING DEADLINE IS MONDAY AT NOON