BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2015 VOL. 54 NO. 14 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
DEAR SANTA: Local 2nd graders write letters to their favorite big guy. P21-26
A ‘moral need for punishment’ BY MEG ROD AND TODD BECKMANN SENTINEL
GOOB COY | SENTINEL
Yummmm.... Little Jamisen Robb was excited as he cut into his pancakes during the Breakfast with Santa event held at the Grantsburg American Legion on Saturday morning. More photos on page 32.
SIREN—Defense attorney Lester Liptak said it best when he said “Prison or no prison is really the lynch-pin to this entire case.” The case, the State of Wisconsin v. Jonathon Wesley Wilber, centered around the death of Wilber’s son, 5-week old Phoenix Johnson, in the early morning hours of New Years Day in 2012. The criminal complaint states Wilber, who was intoxicated and under the influence of drugs the night of Dec. 31 and morning of Jan. 1, brought Phoenix into a bedroom within the residency
of Gerald and Julie Johnson (Phoenix’s grandparents). At approximately 2:30 a.m., Wilber woke up and found baby Phoenix unresponsive when he attempted to feed him
SEE WILBER, PAGE 6
Pilots, village to decide airport future
Johnson Lumber sale confirmed FALUN—The word on the street is true. Karl Johnson, owner of Johnson Lumber in Falun, has confirmed an upcoming sale to Arrow Building Center. “I met with officers of Consolidated ABC and we signed a letter of intent,” he said Thursday morning. “The sale is not yet complete but it should be a done deal by the end of the year.” As part of the deal, the ABC store in Webster
Jonathan Wilber
milk from a bottle. Wilber woke up Julie, and told her that Phoenix was not breathing. Gerald commenced CPR. Emergency medical services were alerted and Austin Denotter, the first rescue personnel on the scene, commenced additional resuscitation. Phoenix was rushed to the Spooner Hospital, but was pronounced dead at 4:53 a.m. Recalling the morning of the incident, Wilber attempted to determine what had happened to Phoenix because at one point “I just held him up an hour ago and he was smiling and raised his arms
will be closing. “Some of their employees will move to the Falun store,” Johnson explained. “Most of our employees will continue on here at what will be called ABC-Siren.” Johnson Lumber has been in the Johnson family since 1942. By Todd Beckmann, Sentinel
BY STEVE BRIGGS SENTINEL
GRANTSBURG—The future of Grantsburg Municipal Airport (GMA) may hinge on promises and commitments. A mid January meeting could decide its fate. Grantsburg Village Board members want the airport to bring in enough revenue to keep it from being a burden on village taxpayers. Private pilots who might house their planes in GMA hangars want a more certain future there before they sign a multi-year airport hangar lease. The pilots, the village board and others interested in the airport’s future will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, at the village hall to try to hammer out accords that would satisfy both sides and cement the airport’s near-term future, through 2024. Private pilot Tim Thompson of St. Croix Falls is forming a GMA pilots association. He flies his plane out of GMA and leases a hangar there. At Monday’s meeting, Thompson said that for many years the village board has been teetering on closing the airport. He said, “When I talk to fellow pilots about the Grantsburg Airport, the usual response is, ‘Oh, that airport is going to close.’” The concern for pilots stems from one section of the GMA hangar lease contract. Its wording allows the village to close GMA for good, on short notice. That uncertainty drives away pilots who might otherwise sign a multi-year lease, says Thompson. Thompson has 8.5 years SEE AIRPORT, PAGE 7
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