TIMES-TRIBUNE Market watch
Alerting the deaf
REVAMPED ROSTER
Vasileios Stamatakos and his native olive oil are a unique DeForest Farmers Market offering
Jack Barr knows well the challenges of being deaf and he is lobbying to keep individuals like him safe
Norski football squad enters fall season with plenty of holes to fill
Sports, Page 9
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DeForest
www.deforesttimes.com
Volume 120, Number 34 • $1.00
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Manure digester still dark after fire
Sanimax slaps village with lawsuit notice
Company wants $900K in damages for expenses and tarnished reputation By Jake Kurtz Editor A host of village representatives have been served with a notice from Sanimax alleging that the company is entitled to $900,000 in damages it has incurred while attempting to address odor complaints at its Bassett Street facility. Among those named in the notice — which is a precursor for a formal lawsuit — are all seven village trustees, Village
SEATBELT STING
Deputies issue 101 citations DOT grant funds two local checkpoints Dane County deputies issued more than 100 citations last Friday as part of a seatbelt sting conducted in the towns of Windsor and Burke. The four-hour effort was made possible with a $10,000 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to conduct seatbelt enforcement, a sheriff's department spokesperson said. The checkpoints were at the intersection of U.S. Highway 51 and CTH V in Burke and state Hwy. 19 and Lake Road in Windsor. A total of 101 citations were issued with 74 of those for drivers not wearing a seatbelt. According to the DOT, Wisconsin lags behind the national average for seatbelt usage, which is 86 percent. Increasing usage by 10 percent, DOT said, saves 44 lives annually.
Administrator Steve Fahlgren, Village Clerk LuAnn Leggett, and public relations staffer Jane Cahill Wolfgram. Sanimax attorney Theresa Nickels authored the notice. Sanimax claims that since November 2013 it has been wrongfully persecuted by DeForest officials despite “extensive” and “immediate steps” reportedly taken to resolve the odor issues. Among the work cited by Sanimax is providing the village with an odor abatement plan, hiring outside consultants, investing “hundreds of hours” worth of employee time and resources, and “numerous capital improvements, equipment upgrades, and odor testing at significant cost.”
By Roberta Baumann Photo by Jake Kur tz
A copy of the notice first served on Aug. 13 to a list of DeForest officials. "Sanimax immediately began working with the Village in a collaborative manner to address the concerns raised by a small number of DeForest residents,” Nickels writes. “Indeed, Sanimax has at all times operated in a manner that is reasonable and causes no substantial interference with the comfort, enjoyment of life, health or safety of any person.”
See SANIMAX, page 12
School and business leaders gather to gauge job market Goal is to prep DeForest students for needed careers By Lauren Anderson Associate Editor School district staff and area business leaders gathered this week to consider strategies for preparing students for future careers in light of a changing economy and labor market trends. Economist Dennis Winters of the Wisconsin
Department of Workforce Development presented information regarding the labor market and future workforce needs at a seminar hosted by the school district and DeForest Area Chamber of Commerce’s education committee. Winters highlighted two trends – an “unprecedented” declining workforce and the increased need for educated workers in today’s economy. Winters pointed to figures indicating that workforce skill requirements have shifted over the past 50 years from the majority being
See SCHOOLS, page 8 Members of the business and school communities debriefed a presentation on labor market trends at a seminar Monday and brainstormed how to prepare high school students for today’s economy.
Hometown News LP The Clear Horizons manure digester in the Town of Vienna has remained out of service after a recent fire, but that shouldn’t pose any environmental problems, according to one wastewater specialist with the Department of Natural Resources. Normally, three farms on the site would send manure to the three digester tanks to process, according to the DNR’s David Mosher. The digesters remove phosphorus from the manure, keeping the algae-inducing substance
See DIGESTER, page 12
PRIMARY
Third term expected for sheriff By Jake Kurtz Editor Barring an unforeseen development, Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney is set to begin a third term in office next fall after winning the Aug. 12 Democratic primary by a wide margin over retired deputy Peter Endres. With all 220 Dane County precincts reporting, Mahoney received 37,691 votes (89 percent) while Endres managed 4,400 (10 percent). A total of Mahoney 55 write-in ballots were cast. In the Village of DeForest, Mahoney defeated Endres 399 to 73 and in the Town of Windsor by a 322 to 74 differ-
Photo by Lauren Anderson
See PRIMARY, page 3
AGRICULTURE
Drought begins to creep in National monitor says 12% of state now abnormally dry By Jake Kurtz Editor
Source: USDA
INDEX Calendar........................9 Classifieds.....................15 Legals..............................13 Library..............................5 Opinion.............................4 School................................7 Sports.................................9
Corn and soybean fields across the state continue to push through an unusual weather pattern of late that includes below-average temperatures and minimal precipitation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday said temperatures across the state's five weather stations ranged from two to three degrees below normal last week with
DeForest’s new pit stop
Contact the Times-Tribune
A large crowd turned out to celebrate the opening of the All-Stop Travel Center.
Phone: (608) 846-5576 Email: deforest@hngnews.com Mail: P.O. Box 585 DeForest, WI 53532 Twitter: @DeForestTimes News submissions must be received by Friday at noon for the following week’s issue.
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County backs site purchase, lease DOMINANT DEACONS DeForest continues its Home Talent League playoff run – Sports, Page 9
overnight lows at times dipping into the 40s in Madison. Much-needed rainfall was also difficult to come by for most farmers. The state-low last week was 0.07 inches recorded at La Crosse, followed by 0.21 inches at Madison. The state-high was 1.64 inches in Green Bay. Since June 1, Madison has received 13.32 inches of rain, which is 3.23 inches above normal. Milwaukee's 10.74 inches over that same span is 0.21 inches below normal. The U.S. Drought Monitor reported last week that nearly 12 percent of Wisconsin is considered “abnormally dry” with worsening
Dane County supervisors continued their quest to quash homelessness by purchasing a north Madison property with plans to serve at-risk young people with it. Page 14
See DROUGHT, page 3
DeForest, Wisconsin 53532
8 – DeForest Times-Tribune
deforesttimes.com
August 21, 2014
SCHOOLS From page 1 unskilled (60 percent) to now being mostly skilled (68 percent). He said that currently the fastest growing occupations with salaries greater than $30,000 require some post-secondary education. Entry level jobs that offer advancement opportunities and family-supporting wages require the same skill sets as those required for post-secondary education, including advanced reading, writing and math, Winters noted. Meanwhile the current workforce is aging, leading to a slowing of Wisconsin’s labor force growth as baby boomers exit the workplace. If there aren’t sufficient gains in productivity, Winters said the situation will mean stagnation in the state’s economy and could have “potentially devastating” effects, including lower per capita income, decreases in tax base, lower bond ratings, cuts to school funding, fewer public services and overall lower quality of life. To mitigate these trends, Winters said the state needs to focus on increasing talent in the future workforce through investment in education and training. He added that incoming workers need to be matched with where there are industry demands. Following Winters’ presentation, District College and Career Readiness Coordinator Judi Walsh presented data on where DeForest Area High School graduates have been over the past six years, which reveals a disconnect between students’ intended path and where they actually end up after high school. “What the seniors tell us they’re planning to do and what they actually do when they leave are very different,” Walsh said. National Student Clearinghouse data indicate a six-year average of 76 percent of graduates enrolling in a post-secondary institution within two years of graduation from DAHS. Those numbers have fluctuated from year to year, how-
ever, with a low of 70 percent in 2007 and a high of 84 percent in 2009. Walsh said that disparity likely reflects students’ response to the onset of the recession in 2008. AFTER ENROLLING IN college, DeForest students see varying levels of completion. As of 2013, 47 percent of the class of 2006 had received a degree from a post-secondary institution, 27 percent were no longer enrolled in school and had not graduated, 9.5 percent were still working toward a degree, and 3 percent had returned to school after a break. For the 222 graduating seniors, 38 gradated in four years, 40 graduated in five years, 12 graduated in six years and 11 graduated in three years or less. The class of 2007 has a slightly lower completion rate. Factoring in that the students have had one fewer year to finish their post-secondary work, as of 2013, 40 percent had received a degree, 23 percent had left school, 12 percent were still in school and 3 percent had returned to school. Among the 227 graduates, 25 graduated in four years, 42 graduated in five years, 9 graduated in six years and 14 graduated in three years or less. Walsh said there is a high rate of DAHS graduates entering into the second year of college, at around 80
percent. “That’s a really good thing,” she said. “Once our kids get there, they tend to stay at least another year.” Winters noted the importance of students getting through their second year of college to ensure they complete their degree. “We do a very good job of getting them on to higher ed. [But] as they become freshmen – either in a twoyear or four-year [institution] – we don’t do a very good job of getting them to the sophomore level,” Winters said, referring to national trends. “But if they do get to that next year, we do a very good job of them completing.” The class of 2011 saw a drop in direct entry to postsecondary institutions at 71 percent, down seven percent from the previous class. Walsh said this is “surprising” to counselors because many students have made plans to attend college and have completed their applications at the time of graduation. “I’m not sure what happens in summer,” she said. “I think some of it is finances though.” While counselors host financial aid information sessions and individual tutorials, Walsh said completing FASFA and other related forms can be intimidating for students, which may also be a deterrent to attending school.
Walsh said in today’s economy it’s important for students to pursue the type of education and training that makes sense for them, not necessarily a four-year bachelor’s degree. “It’s . . . best to get the degree that will get you the job that you want and the job that will be able to afford you the lifestyle you want – and those aren’t always the jobs that are coming out of four-year colleges right now,” she said. While the figures indicate room for improvement, School/Community Relations Coordinator Debbie Brewster said the district isn’t alone in seeing lower college entry and completion rates among their graduation students. Brewster noted that reviewing the data is a step in addressing the issue. There are efforts already underway in the district in response to the trends, however. Walsh noted the district’s partnership with Madison College in providing dual enrollment options for students to complete
college credit while in high school. Students interested in pursuing a career in health care can take three courses toward that end before attending college.
The district will soon roll out Project Lead The Way, an initiative to bolster its science, technology, engineering and math curriculum. Brewster touted the program as a way to channel students’ interest in math toward where there are industry demands. “We’re trying to get kids to walk away with things in hand to help them be more employable and to give them some of those skills that they need,” Walsh said. Walsh encouraged the business leaders and district staff to also be part of the solution. “We can’t sit on this because I don’t think our data is where we want it to be,” Walsh said. “So our charge to the group is today is to help us think about the data but then also come up with ideas and suggestions as to what we could do and how we can change some of the results for our kids as they graduate.”