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Thursday, May 16, 2019 • Vol. 137, No. 43 • Stoughton, WI • ConnectStoughton.com • $1.25
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RDA shortlists developers Three WI firms interested in leading development ALEXANDER CRAMER Unified Newspaper Group
Three Wisconsin development firms have been chosen as potential master developers for Stoughton’s riverfront redevelopment site. T h e c i t y ’s R e d e v e l opment Authority will now attempt to establish
relationships with each and determine their vision for the 11-acre group of former industrial properties between Fourth and Eighth streets. That will start with a proposer’s meeting in late June, and the RDA hopes to choose a master developer this fall. The master developer would be responsible for the whole site and could contract with other developers to focus on specific portions, such as affordable housing
Turn to RDA/Page 3
‘Celebrating ability’ Group promotes inclusivity for people with disabilities AMBER LEVENHAGEN Unified Newspaper Group
A f t e r h e r d a u g h t e r ’s name was left out of the Stoughton High School graduation pamphlet last year, Beth Putney wanted to spark change. Her daughter, Sheridan, was among the group of students with disabilities who were not included in the program. Putney and other parents who experienced the same got together to talk about their concerns and created a group called
Celebrating Ability. “It’s a small group, all with different backgrounds, but the common thread is that we want to help Stoughton learn and understand why our kids are so important,” she wrote in an email to the Hub. “Look at their abilities, not the disabilities.” The group will hold a film screening of “Intelligent Lives” at the Stought o n O p e r a H o u s e n ex t week, as part of its effort to promote and encourage education about people who have disabilities, or what Putney describes as “different abilities.” Intelligent Lives is a
Turn to Ability/Page 13
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River Bluff Middle School staff, students and families gathered together three times this year to hold “community nights.”
Grants help make connections Funding program for educators started in 2014 SCOTT DE LARUELLE Unified Newspaper Group
Establishing “community nights” for families to better get to know staff, helping students build resilience and understand the importance of world language, and providing more internet access. This school year, the Stoughton
Area School District’s “Innovation Grants” made an impact in several schools. Now in its fifth year, the Innovation Grants program is continuing to provide district educators paths – and funding – to explore new, creative programming to help students and families.The grants are regularly budgeted from the district’s general fund to provide seed money for an action research study or to develop an innovative idea that aligns to the
On the Web For more information on the Stoughton Area School District, visit
stoughton.k12.wi.us district’s strategic plan put together by the community. At River Bluff Middle School, educators organized “community nights” at the school where families got a chance to meet educators, play games and enjoy a free meal. At Sandhill Elementary, staff
provided increased extracurricular opportunities for students. At Stoughton High School, educators brought together community partners and students to help them see world languages being used in daily lives outside of the classroom. And throughout the district this year, students who ride buses to and from school got to use free WiFi to help finish homework.
Community Nights R ive r B l u ff M i d d l e
Turn to Grants/Page 8
‘Filling the space with sound’: Musical duo Fendrick & Peck reflect on Germany tour Unified Newspaper Group
Stoughton native Madeline Fendrick and husband Brian Peck opened their May 10 performance at Oregon’s Firefly Coffeehouse and Artisan Cheese with songs about embracing flaws and the beauty of life’s chaos, songs Fendrick called “healing.” She was on the mandolin and he was strumming his guitar, as they sang “Make Your Way In,” a band original. “Take a step out of your house, which you know so well / Big space
is near your way out and make your way in / Make your way out and make your way in,” Madeline and Brian harmonized into the microphone in front of the dozens in the audience. The couple have been making music together since 2014, and just returned from a month-long tour of Germany. They play all over the country and have recently resettled in the Midwest. According to the Fendrick & Peck website, a performance isn’t complete without a slew of vintage instruments, like a “1920s guitar, mandolin, tenor banjo, an older
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fiddle or even a 1972 Telecaster.” Their music combines genres like folk, blues, light rock and bluegrass “with a freshness and originality that centers on exquisite harmony, lyric-writing, groove and heart,” as their website describes it. The band performs covers of works that inspire them or their original songs, they said. Fendrick & Peck has three fulllength albums, including 2018 release “Make Your Way Out/ Make Your Way In” and “The Sandhill Crane” (2016), which
Photo by Emilie Heidemann
Madeline Fendrick and Brian Peck, Fendrick and Peck, performed at FireTurn to Tour/Page 16 fly Coffeehouse and Artisan Cheese on Friday, May 10.
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