BURNETT COUNTY
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 VOL. 53 NO. 53 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00
SURVIVOR: Grantsburg 24-hour Fitness Center brings back friendly competition . P7
Grantsburg votes to oust nuisance bears BY TODD BECKMANN SENTINEL
GR A N T S BU RG —T he Grantsburg Village Board voted unanimously Thursday night to take up Wildlife Services on their offer to put down two targeted bear, the eartagged sow and the sow with the cubs. “Even though this situation is moving quickly, I think it’s in everyone’s best interest,” Glenn Rolloff, village presi-
dent, pointed out. The DNRs Steve Hoffman reported the offer from Wildlife Services as well as the fact the cubs would be relocated after the sow was put down — they may even ear-tag the cubs in case the cubs become habituated. “I’m glad to see Wildlife Services will take action on these two nuisance bear,” Rolloff added. “I was especially pleased to hear the cubs would be relocated.”
Hoffman agreed with the action the village board took. “It’s not a knee-jerk reaction to one incident,” he remarked. “The village has done a good job of documenting the situation for a couple of years now.” Hoffman said personnel from Wildlife Services will put out bait, monitor those sites to be certain the bears are feeding there, establish a pattern and come in to take them out. SEE BEAR, PAGE 6
Another tool in the battle on crime BY TODD BECKMANN SENTINEL
TODD BECKMANN | SENTINEL
Swimming in fur Addy Waller of Mosinee takes a swan dive into the stuffed animal collection at the Siren Lions Labor Day Garage Sale at Crooked Lake Park last weekend. More photos on Page 2.
SIREN—Property crime — break-ins, burglaries, and thefts, are always an ongoing concern in Burnett County and Sheriff Ron Wilhelm said there is a lot of activity in the North Bass Lake area and it is usually methamphetamine-driven. Dove-tailing with that report, sheriff’s deputy Jameson Wiltrout was before the county’s public safety committee on
Thursday to present a proposed update to the pawnbroker ordinance. “Because property crime is up, we see pawn shops as a good way for criminals to fence that stolen merchandise,” he reported. To highlight the situation, Wiltrout said there were 118 property crimes during the months of March, April and May — the losses from those crimes totaled more than $250,000.
Bait and more at the ‘new’ Country Store BY TODD BECKMANN SENTINEL
GRANTSBURG—No, they are not renaming the store to include the fact they sell bait so Darla and Cliff Harper, the new owners of the Country Store on Grantsburg’s north side, are hoping word-of-mouth will do the selling for them. “When we looked at this store, we knew there was a lot of space so it became a question of ‘What to do with all the extra room?’” Darla remarked. TODD BECKMANN | SENTINEL That question was easily an- Rick Polinski (left) and Darla and Cliff Harper are ready to serve at the Country Store. swered. “When we asked people what ed a bait shop,” she continued. “So a service we could provide, a lot of people told us Grantsburg need- bait store is what we decided to do.”
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In the six weeks or so the Harper’s have owned the store, H tthey’ve heard they made a good d decision. “People like it,” Cliff pointed o out. “They don’t have to leave ttown to get their live bait.” “We have heard a lot of posittive comments,” Darla agreed. Of the pair, Darla has the b business background. “I’ve managed three conven nience stores and a restaurant b before moving here,” she explained. Cliff spent the last 17 years behind the wheel, driving truck for a well-known furni-
SEE PAWN, PAGE 6
One big change in deer hunt regs MADISON—With fall right around the corner, Sept. 12 marks the opening of the 2015 archery and crossbow deer hunting seasons. These seasons will run concurrently statewide, from Sept. 12 to Jan. 3, 2016. “We’re expecting a good year in the field,” said Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources big game ecologist Kevin Wallenfang. “I’ve heard quite a few reports of does with triplets in the farmland areas, and many northern folks I’ve talked to say their deer sightings have increased compared to the past few years.” In its second year, the crossbow season will continue to provide an additional hunting opportunity for many hunters throughout Wisconsin. SEE DEER, PAGE 7
SEE STORE, PAGE 7
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So what’s the connection between property crimes and a pawn shop? “The Automated Pawn System (APS) is an extremely detailed software program — with lots of options on how to search for items,” Wiltrout explained. “We have been using APS as a query agency — and have recovered a lot of property.” But those query days are
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