BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018 VOL. 56 NO. 53 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
GRANTSBURG FOOTBALL: Pirates defeat Eau Claire Regis and will play in State semi-finals P15
Finch wins Sheriff’s race 2018 Midterms Burnett County voters have chosen a new sheriff Tracy Finch was elected Tuesday as the next Burnett County Sheriff. She ran a campaign based on common sense and said she plans on tackling the county’s drug problem head-on by hiring a full-time drug officer “as soon as possible.” Finch, who ran as an independent, defeated Chris Sybers, Village of Siren Chief of Police, by 2,010 votes. Finch received 4,751 votes compared Finch to 2,741 for Sybers. She was able to win all 24 municipaliSEE ELECTION RESULTS, PAGE 2
JONATHAN RICHIE | SENTINEL
Cutting the ribbon to open the new Tribal Justice Center in Hertel. Pictured (from left): Katy Merrill, Tribal Chairman Lewis Taylor. St. Croix Tribal Police Chief Frank Taylor, St. Croix Tribal Vice-Chairman Crystal Peterson and Office Donnie Holmes.
Tribe opens new Justice Center JONATHAN RICHIE EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM
HERTEL––The St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin opened their state-of-the-art Justice Center, the new home of the courthouse and Tribal Police, last Thursday in front of a large crowd in Hertel. On that chilly morning, they began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the tribal elders in front of the new building, followed by tours of the facility. Before the tour, there was a program outside that included statements from Tribal leaders. “It was really a blessing how we built this facility,” Tribal Chairman Lewis Taylor said. “It’s an indication that the tribe has advanced and is very progressive; seeing and meeting the needs of the community, especially as we enter the 21st century.” Michael Decorah, Senior Intergovernmental Affairs Liaison for the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, gave a timeline of the former courthouse saying it began in 1985 with the hopes of having a facility like this one someday.
“That was when they opened the courthouse and my auntie, Doris Emery, was our first Chief Associate Judge here. She paved the way for, not only our family, but for our tribe and this community and the great state of Wisconsin.” Tribal Police Chief Frank Taylor spoke briefly on what the new Justice Center means for his department and the community. “If you look down over there at that little brown shed,” Chief Taylor said as he pointed off into the distance. “That was our police department for 10-plus years.” He continued by thanking the tribal council, police officers and dispatchers. “Without them, I would not exist,” Chief Taylor said. Chairman Taylor also outlined how the Justice Center was funded with help from New Market Tax Credits (NMTC). “We had a plan many, many years ago to create a justice center,” said Chairman Taylor. “We did an economic development plan in Siren to find some federal programming designed to serve underprivileged minorities as they
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create an economic endeavor.” NMTC allows individuals and corporations to invest in low-income communities. Then they receive a tax credit against their federal income tax. “We entered that program, and SEE TRIBE, PAGE 2
Wisconsin has record breaking drug take back day MADISON––Attorney General Brad Schimel today announced that Wisconsin had a record breaking Drug Take Back Day, with a preliminary collection of 66,100 lbs. The October 2018 collection is the largest preliminary weight in the history of Wisconsin’s nationally recognized program. The 71 pallets of unused medications filled three semi-trucks. Combined with the May 2018 collection, 2018 is the most successful year of Wisconsin’s Drug Take Brad Schimel Back Program. During Attorney General the drug collection process, Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) also distributed thousands of life-saving doses of the life-saving opioid antidote, NARCAN nasal spray to more than 220 Wisconsin law enforcement agencies.
‘Since day one the opioid epidemic has been my top public safety priority.’
JONATHAN RICHIE | SENTINEL
Tribal Chairman Lewis Taylor gave a brief statement and lead a prayer before the open house began.
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SEE DRUG TAKE BACK, PAGE 2
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