ALSO SERVING
First place, spot news coverage – Wisconsin Newspaper Association
137 Years • No. 7
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015
www.mywalworthcounty.com
DARIEN $1.00
Suspected Walmart thief also charged in five Rock County cases By Vicky Wedig EDITOR
VICKY WEDIG Delavan Enterprise
More than 60 people attend the Delavan-Darien Rotary Club meeting Monday at Lake Lawn Resort to hear Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch talk about Gov. Scott Walker’s biennial budget and Wisconsin’s attractiveness as a location for companies.
Lieutenant governor: Budget embodies state ‘forward’ motto
Kleefisch speaks to Rotary, chamber at Lake Lawn Resort By Vicky Wedig EDITOR
“Forward,” is an apropos motto for Wisconsin, and Gov. Scott Walker’s biennial budget released Feb. 3 fulfills that maxim, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch told Delavan-Darien Rotary Club members Monday. “To me, that is one of the most exciting mottos they could have come up with,” Kleefisch told more than 60 Rotarians and Delavan-Delavan Lake Area Chamber of Commerce members gathered at Lake Lawn Resort. Plus, it beats the originally proposed motto of “upward,” the Latin translation of which was also a trade name for pine shavings used to fill pillows at the time, she said. Kleefisch opened her remarks at the luncheon meeting by acknowledging speculation that Walker, a Delavan native, might run for president. She also razzed her boss a bit, referring to his 1986 Delavan-Darien High School graduation photo. “If you really love this man, why is it you let him pose for his senior picture with a mullet?” said Kleefisch, a former broadcast journalist and mother of two from Oconomowoc. Walker designated Kleefisch as the administration’s liaison to Wisconsin’s small businesses, and she has hosted small business roundtables throughout the state. Kleefisch meets with site selectors for companies and said Wisconsin has a lot to offer potential businesses and industry with its infrastructure and transportation. She said people are coming to Wisconsin from south of the state border for more than just better football. She said the state has better business practices, better government and lower taxes. The budget Walker rolled out last week, she said, invests an additional $10.4 million into the Wisconsin Fast Forward program to close the skills gap that exists in the state.
She said Wisconsin has 73,298 open jobs but still has people collecting unemployment. The “gap” is the disparity between those open jobs and the people who have the qualifications the companies are looking for. The now $35-million Fast Forward program aims to provide technical training and other post-secondary education opportunities to close the gap.
EDITOR
VICKY WEDIG Delavan Enterprise
Vision Plastics co-owner Craig Hubertz talks to Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch at Lake Lawn Resort on Monday.
The Delavan Lake Boat Shed plans to add antique car dealer to its repertoire by spring. The Delavan Town Board approved a conditional use permit Jan. 20 to allow antique auto sales and service to the business. The approval must still pass the Walworth County Zoning Agency. Business owner Jamie Jarosz said the Boat Shed does service work on cars and boats and has always had a couple of cars for sale – mostly customer’s cars. But, he said, the business plans to expand to become an antique car dealer, selling primarily cars from the 1920s and 1930s and some from the ‘40s. “We have a batch of them in stock,” Jarosz said. He said the Boat Shed has 20 to 25 cars in storage between its own collection and customer’s cars and would like to have eight to 10 of
School Board reassesses denying open enrollments
State overturns denials; policy could be further harming district’s reputation By Michael S. Hoey
PROUDLY PUBLISHED BY:
Boat Shed to add antique auto sales By Vicky Wedig
CORRESPONDENT
news ..................................(262) 728-3411 display ads .......... (262) 725-7701 ext 132 news fax ............................(262) 725-6844 classifieds/delivery ...........(262) 728-3411 email ............................... delavaneditor@ southernlakesnewspapers.com
SUBMITTED PHOTO Delavan Enterprise
Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch razzed her boss about this 1986 photo from the Delavan-Darien High School yearbook, asking Rotarians and Chamber of Commerce members how they could allow their hometown boy to pose for his senior picture with a mullet.
A suspect in an attempted theft at Walmart who was tackled by an off-duty officer along Highway 50 after running from police pleaded not guilty to three felony and four misdemeanor offenses. Anthony L. Evans, 35, of Freeport, Ill., pleaded not guilty Jan. 30 to felony bail jumping; two counts of retail theft, intenAnthony Evans tionally taking items valued at $500 to $5,000; attempted felony retail theft, attempting to take items valued at $500 to $5,000; criminal damage to property; and two counts of disorderly conduct. A status conference is scheduled in the case for April 10. According to the criminal complaint, Evans loaded several TVs and other items valued at $539 into a cart at Walmart and pushed the cart into the parking lot without paying for the items Dec. 18. After Walmart management confronted Evans, he ran away and abandoned the cart near Panera Bread, according to the complaint.
– THIS AREA INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK FOR ADDRESS LABEL –
The Delavan-Darien School Board discussed a long-standing policy of denying open enrollment applications from parents who wish to have their children attend school in another district. The board has for months adopted the policy of denying almost all applications as a message that the district is improving and families should give it a chance despite knowing the Department of Public Instruction would always overturn the decision. Board President Jeff Scherer said he recently met with state Rep. Steve Nass and was told the practice is adding to the district’s negative reputation. Steve Logterman said radio personality Charlie Sykes recently levied some harsh criticism at the dis-
trict and said he wonders what good it does to deny applications that are going to get approved anyway. Joe Peyer said he and others on the board have written letters to Nass that have gone unanswered and Nass, in his opinion, does not know enough about what is going on in the district. He also said Sykes does not have all the facts and takes issue with his comments. Peyer and Roxann Kelton argued that denying the applications is a way for the district to stand up for itself. In trying to decide its future course toward open enrollments, the board first considered leaving the decision to Crist, but that vote failed 3-3 with Peyer, Kelton and Jim Hansen opposed. The board later decided to keep the decision in its hands and voted to approve this month’s applications by a 4-2 votes
On Jan. 5, Walmart personnel again saw Evans put a TV, a computer and a vacuum cleaner valued at $1,846 into a cart at Walmart and leave the store without paying for them. While in the store, Evans urinated on three Dirt Devil vacuum cleaners, which could not be sold and had to be destroyed, according to the complaint. On Jan. 13, police responded to Walmart where Evans had placed $233 worth of items into a cart and was attempting to remove a security device from a computer when he was spotted by a Walmart loss prevention agent, according to the complaint. Evans ran from the store and was apprehended by Delavan police including an off-duty officer who tackled Evans along Highway 50 when Evans reached into the waistband of his pants for his inhaler, according to the complaint and police reports. Evans was out on bond at the time of all of the incidents in five Rock County court cases. In those cases, Evans is charged with six counts of retail theft, one of them a felony offense; theft of movable property; four counts of misdemeanor bail jumping; obstructing an officer; and possession of drug paraphernalia.
with Peyer and Kelton opposed. Calendar approved The board approved the 2015-16 school calendar after some debate about starting the school year before Labor Day. Labor Day falls on Sept. 7 this year. State law does not allow school to begin before Sept. 1. The start date for school as proposed was Sept. 1 leading Sharon Gonzalez to argue against starting before Labor Day. Gonzalez said many students will miss three days of school to attend the Walworth County Fair. The alternatives were to extend the school year into the third week of June or reduce winter break, neither of which were popular with the rest of the board. The board voted 5-1 to approve the calendar with the Sept. 1 start date. Gonzalez was opposed.
them for sale at a time. The business is working to stock parts for all the Model As to service the cars, Jarosz said. He said the cars sell for $5,000 to $40,000 with an average price in the high teens. He said a market seems to exist for the late-model cars with quite a few people adding to their collections. “It seems to be growing,” he said. Delavan Lake Boat Shed is at 5495 Highway 50 kitty corner from Dairy Queen. The 35-year-old family business specializes in antique and classic wood boats from the 1920s to the 1960s. Jurosz said the business restores and stores wood boats. It plans to add antique car sales and service within its existing building, he said. The Boat Shed is open seven days a week in spring, summer and fall and plans to begin operating as an antique auto dealer before spring.
Inside this week’s
ENTERPRISE VIP honors Walmart, Pentair ..................Page 3 –––– Insurance enrollment deadline nears ......Page 9 –––– Comets lose in final section................Page 14 ––––
Community..................... 3 Obituaries ....................... 4 People & Places ............. 5 Church/School ............... 6 Opinion .......................... 7 Business ......................... 8 County ............................ 9 Sports ........................... 14
Two simple keys to your new home...
SHAKIL HAIDER - VP & MORTGAGE MANAGER 193700