BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2018 VOL. 56 NO. 17 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
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New law could open up more roads to ATV traffic JONATHAN RICHIE EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM
BURNETT COUNTY–– Near the end of last year Gov. Scott Walker signed 36 new laws at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Among those bills were announcing Ginseng as the state herb, standardizing foreclosed property procedure and a bill that permits municipalities to allow ATVs on their roads without county oversight. According to the Governor’s website, Senate Bill 392, “authorizes a municipality to enact an ordinance to authorize the operation of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) on certain highways within the territorial boundaries of the municipality.” The bill was introduced by four State Senators, including former Senator Sheila Harsdorf last August. It was endorsed by 13 state representatives, including Adam Jarchow. It states, “a city, village, or town may enact an ordinance to authorize the operation of all-terrain vehicles and utility terrain vehicles on a highway that is not part of the national system of interstate and defense highways, that has a speed limit of 35
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Municipalities across the county could open up roads under 35 mph to ATV traffic.
miles per hour or less, and that is located within the territorial boundaries of the city, village, or town regardless of whether the city, village, or town has
St. Croix Tribe sues State over hemp business JONATHAN RICHIE EDITOR@BURNETTCOUNTYSENTINEL.COM
WEBSTER––Last week the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. “The St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, a federally recognized American Indian tribe in northwest Wisconsin, sued the State of Wisconsin’s top law enforcement official, Attorney General Brad Schimel, based on threats of criminal prosecution and State interference in the Tribe’s hemp and cannabidiol (“CBD”) control program,” said the St. Croix Tribe in a press release. Last November the Tribe adopted a comprehensive control program for hemp and CBD. CBD is a hemp extract that is widely recognized for its medicinal value especially in the treatment of childhood epilepsy. “The Tribe is extraordinarily disappointed with the actions of State Attorney General Schimel,” said Elmer J. Emery of the St. Croix Tribal Council. “Governor Walker and State legislators have shown SEE HEMP, PAGE 2
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jurisdiction over the highway.” At the Infrastructure committee meeting last week, Burnett County Highway Commissions, Michaels Hoefs brought up the bill following a discussion on the Wisconsin County Highway Association (WCHA). Hoefs explained that the WCHA plays a role in the Wisconsin legislature helping shape certain laws and were blindsided by this. “The WCHA knew nothing about it,” Hoefs said. “They did not see it coming.” Hoefs took his time explaining the signed bill to the committee. His department is in charge of road surveys to decide which roads can and cannot handle ATV traffic. “It says any municipality – city, village or town – has the right to say any road in their jurisdiction can be deemed an ATV route,” Hoefs said. “As I understand this doesn’t include interstate highways.” Committee members began peppering Hoefs with questions about safety and why does the committee set up road surveys if this is possible. The committee was focused on the last part of the bill that says, SEE ATVS, PAGE 2
Local arts group finds new home with Northwest Passage HARRIET RICE
Last year, the Burnett Area Arts Group (BAAG) became “homeless” when the rent was raised on the property where members held meetings, showcased their art, held classes and staged “Arts Alive on 35” shows. After months of shuffling activities between residences and local sites, the group is excited to have found a new permanent home thanks to its growing partnership with Northwest Passage (NWP) and In a New Light Gallery in Webster.. Both BAAG and NWP have been integral parts of the community for many years: NWP since 1978, and BAAG since 2004, when a small group of local artists came together under the
leadership of two former art teachers/professional artists to give the arts a place of prominence in the region and specifically in Burnett County. One of the original co-founders is Thom Scott, a regionally-known fine artist,who spent
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29 years teaching art at the K-12 levels in public schools and six years as an elementary school principal. Many will remember him from the Siren Schools. The other co-founder was Jenny Goalen, also an art teacher and owner of Northwind Arts until 2013, when she and her husband, Tim, moved to Hawaii. They formed BAAG with a mission to support the social and economic needs of local artists, encourage appreciation for the visual arts, foster a working relationship with local and regional agencies, and stimulate creativity and sensitivity to the arts in area youth. In the past, BAAG members worked to share the arts through SEE BAAG, PAGE 2
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