The Post-Crescent, Feb. 25. 2024 by Taima Kern

Child Care Counts faces end of funding

State program created to help businesses during the pandemic

As lawmakers continue to debate how — and whether — the state should step in to relieve families of child care struggles, Democrats continue to champion Child Care Counts.

Since its inception in spring 2020, the program that directs funding to supporting child care businesses has undergone several iterations, and, at one point, was set to run out of money by this year.

Here’s what you need to know about Child Care Counts, from its early days to how it functions today.

What is Child Care Counts?

Child Care Counts began during the pandemic as a way to support child care businesses and, by extension, families, throughout the pandemic. It does this by directing federal pandemic relief funding to regulated child care programs across the state to help them stay open, provide high-quality care to children and weather staﬃng shortages.

The Wisconsin Department of ChildrenandFamiliesadministerstheprogram. Since the program started, over $711 million has gone directly to child care providers, and it has helped over 5,100 child care providers stay open, DCF communications director Gina Paige said. This enabled providers to continue to care for more than 349,300 children, she said.

How does Child Care Counts work?

The current version of Child Care Counts, the Child Care Counts Stabilization Payment Program, distributes monthly stabilization payments to regulated child care programs across the state. The current version started in November 2021 and is set to run through June 2025.

There are two sub-programs: Program A , which focuses on “increasing access to high quality care” and Program B, which focuses on “funding workforce recruitment and retention.” Under each program, there are

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KIDS IN CRISIS

UPLIFTING

EACH OTHER

Training young people as mental health leaders is saving lives Natalie Eilbert USA TODAY NETWORK - Wisconsin

If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text “Hopeline” to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741.

Kennedy Baumgart, a senior at De Pere High School, couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt after she learned about her classmate’s suicide last January. h She’s been part of Hope Squad, an international peer-led suicide prevention program, since seventh grade and always knew what to say to her struggling peers faced with crises. She’d stood in front of her entire school at a varsity football game during her sophomore year to talk about Hope Squad and the importance of reaching out. Baumgart wanted everyone to know they could come to her in moments of pain. h But this was diﬀerent. She was beating herself up for her peer’s death, even as she knew, at least theoretically, she wasn’t being fair to herself. Of course it wasn’t her fault, of course there was nothing she could have done diﬀerently. And yet, the feeling persisted. h Her Hope Squad peers felt it, too.

“It was a weird dynamic. There was a shared feeling of guilt,” said Baumgart, 18. “We were supposed to be those people that should have been an outlet, somebody others felt comfortable with, hopefully. It’s a very strong word, but we felt like we failed.”

Before Baumgart and her fellow Hope Squad peers learned how to lift each other up, they had to untangle a complicated web of their own internal feelings. So they talked. They all used the same words: shame, guilt, failure They could validate what they were feeling and still grieve the loss of their peer. Only then could they extend that support to the larger student body. Everyone at De Pere High School was reeling from the death. The larger student body could ﬁnally see the purpose and importance of the group known as

See TRAINING, Page5A

De Pere High School junior Marren VanRemortel, left, talks about Hope Squad during an interview at De Pere High School in De Pere. The program, now in its fourth year in the school district, aims to raise suicide awareness and give students the tools to help each other and seek help when needed. TORK MASON/USA TODAY NETWORK-WISCONSIN

Jadon Chiyangwa, 14, back left, Tate Savides, 14, front left, Addison Kiekhaefer, 13, back right, and Emma Mineau, 13, front right, discuss their roles as Sources of Strength leaders at James Madison Middle School on Feb. 5 in Appleton. They help their peers open up about struggles in sports, academics, relationships and more.

NATALIE EILBERT/USA TODAY NETWORK-WISCONSIN

Wisconsin Department of Children and Families Secretary Emilie Amundson visits with Kynlee Giese, center, and Norah Zhang, right, during a visit at Bridges Child Enrichment Center on Feb. 16, 2023, in Appleton. WM. GLASHEEN/

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Funding

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speciﬁcations for how child care programs can spend the funds.

Providers submit records for a speciﬁed week and then receive payments the following month. They have 120 days from the date of the payment letter to spend the funds.

credit the program with keeping their doors open, helping to prevent families from losing the child care they depend on to work.

Child Care Counts was set to end. Why didn’t it?

How much money a child care business receives under Program A depends on the number of children enrolled, with add-ons for providers participating in the Inclusive Birth to 3 Child Care Pilot and each child who is authorized to receive Wisconsin Shares, the state’s subsidy program that helps families aﬀord child care, Paige said.

For Program B, the amount a program receives depends on staﬀing speciﬁcations and the provider’s YoungStar, the state’s voluntary quality rating system, ranking.

How do child care providers use Child Care Counts?

A study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Research on Poverty found the most commonly reported use of Program A funding among providers participating in the study is for physical operating expenses, such as rent and utilities. This was followed by materials and supplies for enhancing the program and then payroll and beneﬁts.

The most commonly reported uses of Program B funding were for bonuses or stipends for current staﬀ, followed by increased hourly wages or annual salaries.

Wages for Wisconsin’s child care workers are notoriously low; the median hourly wage for a Wisconsin child care worker was $12.66 per hour in 2022, even with Child Care Counts help. Low wages help fuel the ﬁeld’s staﬃng shortages, which limits the number of child care slots in Wisconsin.

Child care providers previously told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin that Child Care Counts helped them prevent substantial cost increases for families.

Often, the price families pay for child care is one of the few sources of revenue for child care businesses, and child care programs typically have tight budgets. This means that to increase wages to help battle staﬃng shortages, child care businesses need to charge families more.

Child Care Counts provides another consistent source of revenue for child care programs. A Wisconsin Early Childhood Action Needed (WECAN) survey of over 500 child care providers found, on average, Child Care Counts funding makes up 25% of a child care business’s revenue.

Many providers also

Child Care Counts is largely funded by onetime pandemic-era relief funds. These funds were set to run out early this year, ending the program.

Knowing this, Democrats and advocates pushed for the state to allocate funding to continue the program in the 2023-25 biennial budget. Republicans, many of whom are advancing other proposals they say will help the child care industry, said no.

For a while, it looked like the program would end come 2024, until Democratic Gov. Tony Evers announced in October he was directing $170 million of “emergency funding,” much of which was unspent pandemic relief funds originally allocated elsewhere, to continue the program through June 2025.

Has Child Care Counts experienced cuts?

Evers, himself, described the funding as a “stopgap measure.” He acknowledged this is one-time funding and said sustainable investments need to be made into the child care industry to prevent Wisconsin from facing the same ﬁscal cliﬀ it narrowly avoided this year in June 2025.

Evers said this would allow the Child Care Counts Stabilization Payment Program to continue operating at reduced funding levels ﬁrst enacted in May 2023, which equated to about $10 million per month. However, DCF was able to move unspent federal money to the program, allowing the program to use $12 million per month from May 2023 to January 2024, Paige explained.

As of March, the program will have $10 million each month, Paige

said. With this change, DCF estimates child care providers will see payments at 80% of what they saw the previous month. The exact amount a provider receives depends on speciﬁcs of their program. In response to the May funding cut, and the feared end of Child Care Counts, multiple providers told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin they raised rates. Some even closed, said Corrine Hendrickson, WECAN co-founder and owner and operator of Corrine’s Little Explorers, a family child care program in New Glarus. What other child care help measures are lawmakers considering?

Many Democrats are pushing to direct sustainable funding to Child Care Counts, while Republicans have put forth myriad child care proposals, including: h A package of bills that would change child care regulations to boost many providers’ capacity, create a revolving loan fund for child care businesses and more h Expanding the state’s child and dependent care credit as part of a $2.1 billion state tax cut package h Creating state tax credits for employers who help their workers access and aﬀord child care h Changing the state’s public 4K structure so school districts that oﬀer 4K would have to contract with eligible community-based early care and education settings, such as child care programs, to do so These bills have garnered mixed reactions. As of Feb. 22, none of these bills have been signed into law, and with the legislative session nearing its end, it’s unclear whether any will. Madison Lammert covers child care and early education across Wisconsin as a Report for America corps member based at The Appleton Post-Crescent. To contact her, email mlammert@gannett.com or call 920-993-7108 Please considersupportingjournalism that informs our democracy with a taxdeductible gift to Report for America by visiting postcrescent.com/RFA.

Why are churches used for polling places?

Reader question: How can clerks collectballotsinachurchundertheseparation of church and state? That’s happening in Fox Crossing.

Answer: Fox Crossing operates four polling places, and two of them are churches: Apple Valley Presbyterian Church on Olde Buggy Drive and Fox Cities United Pentecostal Church on Midway Road.

The village is hardly alone in using churches as polling places.

Fourteen of Appleton’s 15 polling places are churches. Neenah, Grand Chute, Greenville and Harrison all have a church among their polling places.

The reason for this is based not on religion, but on a church’s location within or near a voting district and on its availability, parking and accessibility to voters with disabilities.

“The majority of the time there is a church somewhere in that vicinity”that ﬁts the bill, Appleton City Clerk Kami Lynch said.

Fox Crossing Village Clerk Darla Fink said geographical spacing is another consideration.

“We have two sides of the village, so we need two polling places over here and two polling places over there,” Fink said. “It’s kind of, ‘Where else can we go?’” Wisconsin statute 5.25 grants municipalities the discretion to choose their polling places.

“The places chosen shall be public buildings,” the law says, “unless the use of a public building for this purpose is impracticable or the use of a nonpublic building better serves the needs of the electorate,asdeterminedbytheauthority charged with the responsibility for

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

Cities

Church on Midway Road serves as one of the four polling places in Fox Crossing.

NETWORK-WISCONSIN

establishing polling places.”

Publicschoolsfrequentlywereused as polling places in the past, but those relationships have been phased out in recent years, in part due to school security concerns. The cooperation was a logistical headache for both the schools and the municipal clerks in charge of elections.

“They had so much going on in gyms and things that it’s just easier to coordinate with a facility that doesn’t have as much use,” Lynch said.

Churches, Lynch said, “are willing to have us there.”

Appleton pays $60 for the use of a church during a primary election and $75 for its use during a general election. That’s a bargain price, given that the space typically is occupied for three days, including setup and takedown.

Fox Crossing, by comparison, pays a church $100 per election.

Post-CrescentreporterDukeBehnke answers your questions about local government. Send questions to dbehnke@gannett.com or call him at 920-993-7176.

Here’s who won this week’s poll

Rebecca Loroff

Appleton Post-Crescent

USA TODAY NETWORK – WISCONSIN

In this week’s Student of the Week poll, we asked readers to vote between two students, one from Appleton West High School and the other from Menasha High School. The vote total was close, with over 2,500 votes submitted, but in the end, we had a clear winner.

Thanks to all who participated, and watch for the new Student of the Week poll coming out Monday.

Here’s who won Student of the Week for this week.

Raegen Schwarz, Appleton West High School, grade 12

This week’s winner, senior Raegen Schwarz from Appleton West, won this week’s poll with 52.5% of 2,755 votes.

Schwarz was nominated for high achievements in some of her chief passions: welding, scuba diving, sports and leadership.

Appleton West administrative assistant Morgan Still said Schwarz is an Eagle Scout who is already “a key member of the Appleton community” and “guides her fellow students to strive for better.”

Schwarzisalsooneofthetopwelders in the school’s ATECH program, Still said, and plans to make welding her career, committing to Madison College where she’s been recruited to play softball. On top of that, she also maintains high grades and a job at a hardware store.

Schwarz has found ways to combine some of her hobbies, too, according to

Raegen Schwarz PROVIDED BY MORGAN STILL

Still. Not only has she done nature photography on her scuba dives, Schwarz is also working on a series of metal art jellyﬁsh sculptures for an upcoming competition.

About Student of the Week

This contest runs weekly during the school year. Polls will open Mondays and close Thursdays. Students from public and private high schools in the Fox Cities are eligible to participate.

Doyouwantyourstudenttobeconsidered? Ask your principal to contact studentoftheweek@postcrescent.com. Rebecca Loroff is an education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORKWisconsin. Contact her with story tips and feedback at 920-907-7801 or rloroff@gannett.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @RebeccaLoroff.

Top

Fraud appeal likely to argue ‘no victims’

Former president faces $453M judgment in case

Bart Jansen USA TODAY

With Donald Trump expected to appeal the $453.5 million real estate fraud judgment against him, legal experts anticipate he will highlight the lack of traditional victims in the case to reduce or eliminate the damages.

New York Attorney General Letitia James won the case by documenting intentional fraud in Trump’s inﬂated claims about his assets when he applied for loans, and arguing successfully that Trump should surrender “ill-gotten gains.” State Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ruled the fraud was so long-running and remorseless that it “borders on pathological.”

But Deutsche Bank and other lenders haven’t sued the former president for crafting the exaggerated statements of his net worth that persuaded them to charge lower interest rates. Debating whom Trump hurt among sophisticated ﬁnancial institutions will likely be a key point in the appeal.

“To what extent does a large ﬁnancial institution have to do their own due diligence in something like that?” asked Gregory Germain, a law professor at Syracuse University and director of the Bankruptcy Clinic. “It’s a signiﬁcant question, especially since he’s always had a reputation as a blusterer.”

Trump has vowed to appeal and he has 30 days from Feb. 16 to ﬁle. He contends the case has no victims because banks got repaid with interest.

“There’s no evidence, no proof, that any of the terms would have been diﬀerent,” Trump lawyer Christopher Kise told Engoron in closing arguments. “There’s no real-world impact.”

JamesarguedandEngoronruledthat the statute doesn’t require victims, only a ﬁnding of wrongdoing.

“In many ways this was a garden-variety fraud case,” said Mark Zauderer, a senior partner at Dorf Nelson & Zauderer, a business law ﬁrm.

An unusual aspect to the case is that Jamesﬁledthesuitonbehalfofthepeo-

Former President Donald Trump has vowed to appeal the decision and has 30 days from Feb. 16 to ﬁle. He contends the case has no victims because banks got repaid with interest. JEFFERSON

ple of New York. Lenders such as Deutsche Bank didn’t ﬁle their own suits.

Deutsche Bank officials in the PersonalWealthManagementDivisiontestifiedtheyroutinelycuttheircustomer’s statements of net worth in half, in what is called a “haircut.” When Trump declared$4.9billioninassets,thebankrequired him to maintain $2.5 billion in net worth to comply with his loans or be considered in default, according to David Williams, who worked at Deutsche Bank for 17 years. “We typically apply haircuts in our analysis upon the review of any particular client’s financial statements,” Williams said.

Rosemary Vrablic, who was the bank’s “chief relationship manager” for the Trump Organization, said in an email to a colleague the bank would need a personal guarantee from Trump that the loans would be repaid

Deutsche Bank considered Trump a valuable client while recruiting him for business in 2011. Before meeting Trump, Vrablic told a colleague in an email she was“whalehunting,”meaningseekinga “a very signiﬁcant client.”

Trump’s lawyers say James targeted him for a victimless oﬀense.

“It seems clear that Mr. Trump’s lawyers will argue that the attorney general and the court overstepped here because

there were no clear victims in this case,” said Alexander Reinert, professor of litigation and advocacy at Cardozo Law School and director of the Center for Rights and Justice.

“I think the AG will respond that, ﬁrst, the law does not require she demonstrate speciﬁc victims,” Reinert added. “But, even if showing a victim were necessary, here the banks were victims because had they known the true value of Mr. Trump’s assets they would have beenabletochargeahigherinterestrate on their loans.”

Germain, the Syracuse professor, said the government did a good job of showing Trump inﬂated the value of his properties, but noted that sophisticated ﬁnancial institutions didn’t require a third-party appraisal

Jim Wheaton, a clinical associate professor at William and Mary Law School, said Engoron seemed careful when acting as a fact-finder and used specific expert witnesses to justify his findings, so he doesn’t expect an appeal challenging the facts of the case. Wheaton expects Trump instead to dispute the statute, arguing that James doesn’t have the authority to sue or that the state isn’t entitled to the money.

But Zauderer said he doesn’t expect arguments challenging the law to get

any traction because the statute dates to 1956 and has been well established.

Trump might have some luck challenging the calculations Engoron made to determine the amount of damages, Zauderer said.

To avoid paying the judgment while the appeal is argued, Trump will have to ask the appeals court to pause Engoron’s order. Typically, the appeals court would require a bond to ensure Trump would pay if he loses.

Without a traditional victim, the appeals court has broad discretion to set a bond at perhaps a fraction of Engoron’s total judgment.

If Trump asks to post less than the full judgment, Zauderer said a ﬁvejudge panel will collect written arguments and consider, and typically reach a decision in about three weeks.

“The court would have discretion,” Zauderer said. “That would then stop enforcement while the appeal was pending.”

The ﬁnancial demands of a bond are daunting.

If Trump can’t come up with the required bond pending appeal, he could be forced to file for bankruptcy or fight government efforts to collect the judgments in state court.

Bankruptcy would halt his immediately having to pay the judgments.

“I’ve been surprised by news reports that opine that there is no risk of bankruptcy because his properties have value,” Wheaton said. “Bankruptcy also happens when you cannot pay your debts as they become due because you have no liquidity.”

Trump has ﬁled for bankruptcy protection repeatedly during his career. He claimed to have $400 million in available cash last year and could put up his propertiesascollateralagainstthejudgments. James told ABC News on Wednesday that she would ask the court to seize Trump’s assets if he didn’t have the money.

But with a presidential election this year and a carefully cultivated image as a successful businessman, Trump may be reluctant to declare bankruptcy

“I think he would do everything in his power to avoid that kind of blow to his image,” Reinert said.

SIEGEL/POOL, GETTY IMAGES FILE

Training

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Hope Squad, said Jessica Rolain, a De Pere senior who has been a Hope Squad leader for ﬁve years.

“Since that (suicide) happened, more people have been open to our message, for sure,” said Rolain, 18. “Before, what our group stood for was way more of a joke to some people, because they didn’t see the real application. They thought this was just an issue aﬀecting other people.”

Youths are more likely to turn to peers when they’re in trouble

Hope Squad is one of many peer-led suicide prevention groups that give young people the tools to respond to classmates in crisis. That’s an important population to train, considering youths are far more likely to turn to their peers than they are to an adult when they’re in trouble, according to the Wisconsin Oﬃce of Children’s Mental Health.

And youth suicide is a growing problem, one that parents and educators say requires open and honest conversations with young people — even, and especially, if the topic is hard to broach.

“Reaching out to people is so beneﬁcial,” Rolain said. “We should all be having a better conversation with each other, especially around the topic of suicide.”

As part of our Kids in Crisis series, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin spoke to middle school and high school students who participate in their school’s peer-centered suicide prevention groups Hope Squad and Sources of Strength.

For them, anxiety and depression loom large, fueled by academic pressures, a need to please others and not being able to connect with each other on a deeper level.

“It’s such a hard thing to talk about, and it’s such a big thing to talk about,” said Marren VanRemortel, a junior at De Pere with the Hope Squad. “We need people sprinkled around our school from Hope Squad to be able and be trained. It’s such a necessity to have, and it’s so hard to talk about.”

Talking about mental health, suicide prevention can alter school climates

Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among 10- to 14-yearolds in Wisconsin, according to Amy Marsman, senior research analyst for the state Oﬃce of Children’s Mental Health. Nearly half — 48% — of all LGBTQ+ youths seriously considered suicide, which is both higher than the national average and an increasing problem in Wisconsin.

More than a third of young adults ages 18 to 25 experienced a mental illness in 2023 — a sizable increase from 26% of the same age group five years ago. At the same time, youths continue to struggle with social disconnect wrought by the pandemic, based on the latest reportfromtheOfficeofChildren’sMental Health. Just 61% of students feel connected to school, a finding that has dropped 10 percentage points from prepandemic numbers.

Fewer students, at 67%, say they have a trusted adult in their lives, which raises concerns because youth relationships with trusted adults tend to improve mental health outcomes. Before the pandemic, 72% of students could say they had a trusted adult in their lives.

The epidemic of youth suicide isn’t going away. Candor is needed more than ever. To that end, studies demonstrate that peer-to-peer suicide prevention programs like Hope Squad and Sources of Strength reduce stigma, which then removes a barrier for students experiencing crisis.

A study of suicide hotline usage by adolescents receiving psychiatric interventions found that a third of all participants expressed concern of what others might think of them if they called a suicide crisis hotline. Much of those fears dissipated if their peers encouraged them to call crisis hotlines, the study said.

Students in Hope Squad schools experienced signiﬁcantly less suicide-relatedstigmaandmorepositiveattitudes than in schools without Hope Squad. Similarly, Sources of Strength programming has been shown to improve school norms and beliefs about suicide, connectedness to adults and school engagement.

Those lessons are being imparted on younger and younger people, like Jadon Chiyangwa, an eighth-grader at James Madison Middle School in Appleton. Chiyangwa, 14, was one of the 60 stu-

dents nominated this past school year to be a Sources of Strength leader. It’s the ﬁrst year James Madison Middle School is using the suicide prevention club.

Like the high school students at De Pere High School, Chiyangwa and his peers have learned that mental health is “not as simple as people think.”

Tate Savides, an eighth-grader at James Madison with Sources of Strength, agreed.

“There’s so many diﬀerent parts in itself that goes into it,”Savides,14, said. “I feel like a lot of people might think it’s one big thing, but there are so many pieces to it.”

Chiyangwa, Savides and other Sources of Strength student leaders havebeenlearningabouttheeightmental health tenets of the Sources of Strength wheel: family support, positive friends, mentors, healthy activities, generosity, spirituality, physical health and mental health.

Each of these categories teaches resilience so that young people can lean on those factors when they’re struggling. When USA TODAY NETWORKWisconsin spoke with James Madison Middle School students on Feb. 5, the Sources of Strength leaders were planning for an entire month of programming for their Sources of Strengththemed month.

Over the next eight school days, Sources of Strength leaders taught a new category to every homeroom, helping their classmates generate reasons why each element contributes to mental wellness.

Chiyangwa said positive friends as a category has really resonated for him and he’s looking forward to talking about it with his peers.

“Positive friends help me stay positive. What I think can aﬀect people the most in middle school is negative friends,” Chiyangwa said. “Because I surround myself with positive people, it helps me stay healthier, mentally.”

That’s been the experience for seventh-grader Addison Kiekhaefer, too. One of her best friends, Emma Mineau, is also a Sources of Strength leader. The club has helped deepen their friendship and empowered them to talk about topics that used to make Kiekhaefer nervous.

Social media comes up a lot for them and their classmates.

“They tell you how to look, and it’s verynegativeonyourbrain,”Mineau,13, said, gesturing at her phone on the table. “Like, you get sucked in and want to be perfect like everybody else.”

On the discussion of social media, Savides nodded. For him, the striving for perfection — in his case, doing well in school, impressing his parents and grandparents — can become all-encompassing.

“Like, trying your hardest all the time. If you were to try super hard on a test but you were still to fail, that can be really mentally taxing,” Savides said.

“People put a lot of pressure and expectations on themselves,” Chiyangwa added. “And they can just bring themselves down by thinking all that of themselves.”

Sources of Strength has been “eyeopening” for Mineau, who’s in seventh grade.

Mineau was able to put her leadership to test with a friend earlier this year. Mineau helped her friend articulate what led to her poor mental state,

enough that she could both be there for her and recommend a trusted adult for her to reach out to.

“She didn’t know how to explain what she was feeling, so she needed a lot of help doing that,” Mineau said. “I was trying my best to support her, and I helped her ﬁgure out what she was trying to say.”

With Sources of Strength, there’s a ‘ripple effect’

Kyle Balda, who has been the school counselor at James Madison Middle School for 11 years, has been observing the “phenomenal success” of having Sources of Strength in the Appleton highschools.Whenstudentsmovefrom the middle school to the high school, high school staff ask Balda to recommend student leaders. He’s been able to talk with high school staff over the years to learn about the program’s benefits.

Embarking on the program with younger students, Balda said, oﬀers an opportunity to teach resilience at a time when students are experiencing a lot of chaos in their developing bodies and brains. In these early teenage years, adolescents encounter the double-wallop of puberty and complex, sometimes tumultuous social lives.

Establishing Sources of Strength is one of the many ways Balda has broadened conversations around mental health. In the last three years, he’s incorporated wellness screenings for all seventh-graders, and middle school students have the option to participate in support groups based on a category they may be struggling in, whether that’s family concerns, anxiety or selfesteem. There’s even a support group for students who are struggling with perfectionism called “Superstars.”

Sources of Strength is just one more tool.

“We nominated 60 kids in our building to be Sources of Strength peer leaders, and the idea was to create a web,” Balda said. “And the web really touched every corner of our school to make sure every student and every population was represented.”

Representation, Balda said, is critical, because it helps young people see “like-minded” leaders and allows for students to more easily open up when they’re struggling. That goes a long way, asdoesthefactthatthestudentsselectedhavewhatBaldadescribesasthat“it” factor: “They’re inﬂuencers. They’re people who are looked up to, whether they want to be looked up to or not sometimes.”

Balda said the most powerful part of the program has been allowing students to realize they’re leaders. He’s been able to watch students blossom. Those are the students who eﬀect the most change, Balda said, because there’s buy-in.

The students want to do better, Balda said; they want to instill goodness in their school. That, he said, has a ripple eﬀect.

“Andthatrippleeﬀecttrulydoesstart to reverberate into other areas, other corners of our school that maybe we haven’t seen or helped before,” Balda said.

Learning when to report might be awkward, but for Hope Squad, it’s worth it

One of the foundations of Hope

Squad is the QPR training students get. QPR stands for question, persuade, refer, a nationally recognized prevention measure that pushes those trained to ask hard, direct questions of those who might be in crisis.

Learning and reiterating the lessons of QPR has helped Baumgart understand just how diﬀerently people communicate. Some people talk in codes about what they’re going through, and others cloak their struggles in humor, Baumgart said.

“When you’re talking to diﬀerent people, you need a diﬀerent lens on how you’re perceiving that conversation,” Baumgart said. “I think those implicit and explicit cues are really important so that you know when to report — especially with things like jokes. We’ve learned about the importance of identifying hidden meanings.”

Ella Krebsbach, a junior at De Pere with the Hope Squad, had to make an uncomfortable decision when she learned her friend was in crisis. Her friend had been struggling with too much on her plate.

Eventually, Krebsbach, 17, understood that what her friend was feeling wentbeyondhowshecouldsupporther. She made the awkward but smart choice to tell her friend’s parents.

“It was pretty hard, for sure. She’s one of my best friends, so I obviously know her very well. I didn’t want her to be upset with me, but one of the things we talk about at Hope Squad is we’d rather someone be upset with you for a little bit than gone,” Krebsbach said.

That piece of insight has been an important reminder in the aftermath of their peer’s suicide last January. Krebsbach didn’t want to leave anything up to chance with her friend and, in turn, her friend was able to get the support she needed.

TheHopeSquadhasbeentakingother proactive measures since their peer’s suicide.

They invited Philip Timm, the father of the student who died by suicide, to speak with them about prevention. Carson Molle, the Seymour teen who survived a self-inﬂicted gunshot wound to the head when he was 14, paid a visit to their school to talk about his journey of survival and the importance of reaching out. And they led the community in the 2023 Be the Light walk in Green Bay, a walk to prevent suicide and reduce stigma.

Sometimes, as in Molle’s case, the decisiontodiebysuicideisquick,which is why Krebsbach said it’s important to signal to others when something in a peer feels troublingly oﬀ-kilter.

Shala Rahman, a senior at De Pere with the Hope Squad, agrees. Molle’s attempt at suicide is something he wears in the scars on his face, noted Rahman, 17.

“That’s a really big part of his story, but also if everybody’s struggles were that visible, then I think the world would be a kinder place,” Rahman said. Natalie Eilbert covers mental health issues for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. You can reach her at neilbert@gannett.com or view her Twitter proﬁle at @natalie_eilbert. If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidalthoughts,calltheNationalSuicide PreventionLifelineat988ortext“Hopeline” to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741.

De Pere High School junior Ella Krebsbach talks about her involvement with Hope Squad at De Pere High School. TORK MASON/USA TODAY NETWORK-WISCONSIN

Who is holding up the ammunition for Ukraine

My great grandson is asking me, where is our ammo for Ukraine? He will be 20 next month and is a corporal serving with a unit in East Germany. They are training Ukrainian soldiers how to use a variety of weapons. They need lots of ammunition to practice shooting. (We all did, as I recall).

These young American warriors train the Ukrainians by day and drink beer with them at night. They have heard of the atrocities committed by Russian troops, the devastation of Ukrainian cities, the deaths of soldiers, children, grandparents, etc. Our troopers want to ﬁght too, but cannot.

However, they are doing the best they can to prepare their “comrades in arms,” the Ukrainian combatants.

Our soldiers realize that Americans are, in all reality, the “quarterbacks”of all the NATO forces in Europe. They are wondering who is delaying ammo shipments? And why?

HowdoItellthemaboutthepettypoliticians who are doing so just to gain political power? With little or no real concern about the Ukrainian people? Or any defense of freedoms? For Europe and/or the world?

Richard E. Schallert, Winneconne

Public schools hold communities together

Do you enjoy the sight of a big yellow school bus coming down your street reminding you that the school in your neighborhood will be ﬁlled soon with the energyofyoungpeople?Asretiredpublic school educators, we do. It is such a bright reminder of the magic that is happening within our pubic schools. The incredible art of teaching, the unending generosity, and the compassion ﬁlls every public school building for every student, every day.

Public schools are the glue that hold our communities together. Teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals are dedicated, caring, educated individuals who serve as role models for our students. They represent the power of public education. Public education is the key to an informed, engaged citizenry with the concerted support of all citizens in

the Fox Cities. Being members of Fox Cities Advocates for Public Education, we ask you to take a moment to thank all of those who continue to make our Fox Cities public schools great. We proudly celebrate Public Schools Week, Feb. 26 to March 1.

Thank you to our Fox Cities public schools.

Marcia Engen and Patti ClarkStojke, Appleton

Foreign aid funding is needed to stop Putin

It is appalling that Senator Ron Johnson and other Donald Trump sycophants in both houses of Congress do not support the foreign aid supplemental package approved on a bi-partisan basis in the Senate.

Those elected oﬃcials need only look at Vladimir Putin as he continues his aggressioninUkraine,causesthemurderof political opponent Alexei Navalny, and orders the arrests of Russians demonstrating in support of Navalny to see why this funding is needed.

Eugene Lillge, Appleton

School closings indicate a ‘canary in the coal mine’

Last week came the news of eight closings of elementary schools here in the Fox Valley. These closings are quoted as being a “statewide trend”and “permanent.” I take this as a signal, like the canaryinthecoalmine,oftroubledownthe line.

Our regional recession started when our Valley was no longer a hub of manufacturing with great wealth centered here. Economic growth is happening overseas in new hubs now, places connected to American supply chains.

Birthrates typically drop when economic recessions persist as a set of regionalconditions.Acascadebegins:first, birthrates drop; then empty classrooms; labor force numbers decline; the labor market gets “tight.” Families have lost their confidence in affordability and job security.

We have three alternative responses for this decline: 1. Do without; move operations where we can ﬁll jobs

Co-founder of Jadin-Jones Coaching and Consulting

Tuesday, April 23, 2024 11:00am Lunch | 11:45 Program Oshkosh Convention Center | 2

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2. Raise wage rates; attract new kinds of workers

3. Invite workers from farther away to migrate to the region

All three can be done at once — they are not exclusive. Our region is favorable to number 3: supply of rental housing; well-developed healthcare services; mild and dry climate.

Margaret Vaughan, Neenah

Trump ranked last by presidential historians

The recent special counsel report regarding the discovery of a few classiﬁed documents in President Biden’s residence was laughably political and inappropriate. That the special counsel was originally a Trump appointee can’t come as a surprise, given the previous administration’s gleeful weaponization of the Justice Department.

But Robert Hur went further and — also inappropriately — opined as to the president’s cognition during their interview.

Let’s be clear: Biden willingly turned over the few documents immediately upontheirdiscovery.Trump,bycontrast, deﬁedrequestsformorethanayear,then knowingly moved the the hundreds — not the dozen or so Biden had, but hundreds — of top secret documents around Mar-a-Lago in an attempt to retain them following an FBI subpoena, behavior known legally as “consciousness of guilt.”

As for President Biden’s cognition, I’ll take a man skillfully managing complex international crises and overseeing an economic recovery that is the envy of the G7 nations over the man who refers to bombing airports in the Revolutionary war and leaves his most ardent rally attendees scratching their heads in confusion and bemusement.

There are many reasons presidential historians recently placed President Biden14th all time and Donald Trump dead last in their rankings of commanders in chief, whether it be Trump’s recent declarations in support of Putin and in denouncement of NATO, his 91 felony counts, his history of sexual assault, or the hundreds of millions of dollars he is having to pony up for business fraud.

Kelly Fenton, Appleton

President Biden has made many accomplishments in office

There's been a lot of discussion about President Biden's age. The suggestion that President Biden is too old is oﬀensive and perturbing, since I myself am 80 years old. Do I forget things, move a little slower than I used to? Of course. What 50- to 60-year-olds haven't forgotten wheretheyputtheircarkeys,orgotsome names mixed up? Someday they will be old too.

If President Biden is too old, then how come he wasn't too old to take the U.S. economy that was in shambles after the pandemicandturnitintooneofthemost robust in decades? He did this without the economy going into recession. Was he too old when it came to lowering insulin prices for some? Was he too old when he got bi-partisan gun control legislation passed? Was he too old when it came to strengthening NATO?

Voters are going to have to choose between a "kindly, old grandfather with a poor memory" or a bully who lies, who promises to be a "dictator" for only a day, and promises to take revenge on those who disagree with him.

I am an Independent voter who didn't vote for Biden, but against Trump.

Ron Winter,

Appleton

Cognitive decline of Trump, not Biden, is clear

Withaclearlyinappropriateandpolitically motivated report released by the special counsel — a prosecutor appointed by Donald Trump — and an irresponsiblemedialeapingattheopportunityfor a ratings bonanza, we have once again entered the toy department of the political world.

Robert Hur seized on the chance to double-whammy President Biden in the classified documents investigation, first suggesting the President was willful in his retention of the few classified documents found on his property. Never mind that Biden fully cooperated and willingly turned over the documents, as opposed to Trump’s three-card monte game with the Feds when he not only refused repeatedlytohandoverhundredsoftopsecret documents, but moved them from

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Menasha police investigating fatal shooting

MENASHA – The Menasha Police Department is investigating a fatal shooting n the 200 block of Chute Street.

Police oﬃcers were called at 5:09 a.m. Saturday for a report of a male with a gunshot wound. When police arrived, they found "the "a deceased male was found at the scene," the police department said in a Facebook post.

"The general public is not in any danger, but it is suggested to please avoid the area at this time," police said.]

Claim about Hovde homes misleads

Madeline Heim Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

WISCONSIN

Republican businessman Eric Hovde jumped in the race for one of Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate seats Tuesday, setting up a contest with U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, and prompting a wash of criticism of his background and motivations.

One such criticism – from Heartland Signal, a digital newsroom anchored to a progressive Chicago radio station – lacked some key context.

Heartland Signal shared a snippet of Hovde’s announcement event on X, in which the candidate spoke about the horrors of human traﬃcking.

"My brother and I have homes all over the world, and we have three in Central America, that deal with issues like this," Hovde said.

In the post, Heartland Signal wrote that “Eric Hovde says he understands the tragedy of children being trafﬁcked through Central America because he owns three homes there.”

Candidate’s properties Heartland Signal, Digital newsroom

The statement Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde claims he “understands the tragedy of children being trafficked through Central America because he owns three homes there.”

The verdict Homes are shelters for vulnerable children, not residences.

what Heartland Signal left out. The homes Hovde referenced are shelters ﬁnanced by his company’s charitable giving foundation, not residences as the post suggests.

According to the foundation’s website, Hovde “has ﬁnanced and oversees the construction and operation of Hovde Houses, which are homes that provide shelter, supportive services, education and love to vulnerable street children.”

have been completed to date in Bolivia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Peru, Rwanda and Wisconsin, according to the site, and one is currently in progress in Costa Rica.

Beyond the above, little information exists online about the shelters. A 2014 Wisconsin State Journal article says Hovde opened the ﬁrst one in Mexico City in 2006, which had served more than 200 homeless children.

Still, it’s clear that those were the homes he was referencing, not private homes.

It appears that Heartland Signal, too, realized the distinction.

“While not mentioned in his speech, Hovde appears to be referring to his charitable foundation, Hovde Homes,” they replied to the original X post.

Our ruling

Progressive outlet Heartland Signal claimed that “Eric Hovde says he understands the tragedy of children being traﬃcked through Central America because he owns three homes there.”

room to room. Hur then went a step further by suggesting Biden seemed confused when interviewed last fall.

Let’s put things in context. The clear cognitive decline of Donald Trump — confusing Nikki Haley for Nancy Pelosi, President Biden for President Obama, referencing bombings of airports during the Revolutionary War, laughably incoherent rallies — alongside President Biden’s clear grasp of complex geopolitical matters.

If Joe Biden miscalls the President of Egypt and Mexico, we can be certain it is a slip, not evidence of cognitive decline. His deft navigation in aligning countries to support Ukraine and his ability to guide an economic recovery that is tops among all the G7 countries shows he is not in decline but still fully in charge.

Ignore the nonsense. Let’s defend our democracy by re-electing Biden.

Gerene Aiko Schatz, Appleton

That paints a bit of a misleading picture, especially given that Democrats and allies have portrayed Hovde as a carpetbagger, citing his owning residences in California and Washington, D.C.

Let’s take a quick dive in.

Other X users, including Milwaukee Journal Sentinel state politics reporter Jessie Opoien, were quick to point out

TODAY IN HISTORY

Today is Sunday, Feb. 25, the 56th day of 2024. There are 310 days left in the year. On this date in:

1901: United States Steel Corp. was incorporated by J.P. Morgan.

1913: The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving Congress the power to levy and collect income taxes, was declared in eﬀect by Secretary of State Philander Chase Knox.

1919: Oregon became the ﬁrst state to tax gasoline, at one cent per gallon.

The website of Hovde’s company, Hovde Properties, describes them as providing “shelter, care, education and love to vulnerable children that were abandoned on the street or traﬃcked.”

It also refers to them as Hovde Homes.

Hovde’s campaign website also mentions the shelters under a section titled “Hovde’s Heart.” Twelve shelters

1954: Gamal Abdel Nasser became Egypt’s prime minister after the country’s president, Mohammed Naguib, was eﬀectively ousted in a coup.

1957: The Supreme Court, in Butler v. Michigan, overturned a Michigan statute making it a misdemeanor to sell books containing obscene language that would tend to corrupt “the morals of youth.”

1964: Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) became world heavy-

The homes he spoke of are shelters for vulnerable children, not residences. The original post left that distinction up to the public to suss out.

Our definition of Mostly False is a statement that contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. That fits here.

weight boxing champion as he defeated Sonny Liston in Miami Beach.

1973: TheStephenSondheimmusical “A Little Night Music” opened at Broadway’s Shubert Theater.

1986: President Ferdinand Marcos ﬂedthePhilippinesafter20yearsofrule in the wake of a tainted election; Corazon Aquino assumed the presidency.

1991: 28 Americans were killed when an Iraqi Scud missile hit a U.S. barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Migrants released at San Diego bus stop

Groups scramble to help as aid money runs out

Elliot Spagat

SAN DIEGO – Hundreds of migrants were dropped oﬀ Friday at a San Diego bus stop instead of at a reception center that had been serving as a staging area because it ran out of local funding sooner than expected, showing how even the largest city on the country’s southern border is struggling to cope with the unprecedented inﬂux of people.

Migrants who previously had a safe place to charge phones, use the bathroom, eat a meal and arrange to head elsewhere in the U.S. were now left on the street as migrant aid groups scrambled to help out as best they could with makeshift arrangements.

Border Patrol buses carrying migrants from Senegal, China, Ecuador, Rwanda and many other countries arrived outside a transit center. Migrant aid groups said they would be bused from there to a parking lot where they could charge their phones and get a ride to the airport. The vast majority planned to spend only a few hours in San Diego before taking a ﬂight or having someone pick them up.

“Are we in San Diego?” asked Gabriel Guzman, 30, a painter from the Dominican Republic who was released after crossing the border in remote mountains on Thursday. He was told to appear in June in an immigration court in Boston, where he hopes to earn money to send home to his three children.

Abd Boudeah, of Mauritania, ﬂew to Tijuana,Mexico,throughNicaraguaand followed other migrants to an opening in the border wall, where he surrendered to agents Thursday after walking abouteighthours.Theformermolecular engineering student said he ﬂed persecution for being gay and planned to settle in Chicago with a cousin who had been in the U.S. for 20 years.

“I’ve dreamed about this (moment) a lot, and thank God I’m here,” Boudeah, 23, said in ﬂawless English.

Volunteers gave instructions in English, Spanish and French to small

groups, all of them single men and women. They used translation apps for other languages.

“We’re going to cross the street together and line up,”a volunteer said into his phone, which then translated it into Hindi for a group of men from India.

“Tired from the road,” Alikan Rdiyer, 31, of Kazakhstan, said in Russian as he waitedforinstructionstogivetoafriend from Los Angeles who was going to pick him up. The Border Patrol gave him a notice to appear in immigration court in August 2025 in Philadelphia – a city he hadn’t heard of.

Thetransitcenterparkinglotwasfull of cars, giving migrants nowhere to stand, and there were no public bathrooms. A taxi driver oﬀered a ride to San Diego International Airport for $100, double what ride-hailing apps were charging. Some migrants dispersed in the neighborhood when volunteers were unable to reach them with instructions to wait on the sidewalk.

San Diego County has given $6million since October to SBCS, a nonproﬁt formerly known as South Bay Community Services, to provide phone-charging stations, food, travel advice and other services at a former elementary

school. The group aimed to keep it open through March, but Thursday was its last day.

Nora Vargas, chair of the San Diego County board of supervisors, steadfastly supported the migrant welcome center but said the county had to pause spending as it assesses damage from catastrophic January ﬂooding and addresses homelessness and lack of health care among its residents. “We have to be ﬁnancially prudent about it,” she said.

SBCS, which has come under withering criticism from some migrant advocacy groups, told the county that its services cost $1.4 million a month, said spokesperson Margie Newman Tsay. The county asked that it aim for $1million.

“It’s not that funds ran out early, it’s that the funds were stretched as far as they could go,” Newman Tsay said.

Aid groups have given critical support to new arrivals, eliciting criticism from some quarters. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton threatened last week to sue and shut down Annunciation House, a decades-old organization thatsheltersmigrantsinElPaso.Paxton said the group might be “facilitating ille-

gal entry to the United States.” Ruben Garcia, Annunciation House’s director, gathered supporters at a news conference Friday to denounce Paxton’s tactics. “It is a full warning to other entities that also do the work of hospitality that they can very well be next,”he said.

SBCS said it had served 81,000 migrants in San Diego since Oct.11. A report to the county showed it spent $750,000 on personnel through Dec.24, 2023, and $152,000 on operating expenses, including shelter, transportation and security.

“I could have done a lot more with $6million,” said Erika Pinheiro, executive director of Al Otro Lado, a migrant aidgroupthatisassistingwithstreetreleases.

Vargas, who wrote President Joe Biden last week seeking support, defended SBCS’s performance and noted its previous work sheltering unaccompanied child migrants at the San Diego Convention Center in 2019.

“Nobody is perfect, especially when you’re trying to ﬁll a gap from the federal government,” said Vargas, echoing a common view among big-city mayors.

Customs and Border Protection said in a statement Friday that the street releases were “the latest example of the pressing need for Congress to provide additional resources and take legislative action to ﬁx our outdated immigration laws.”

From October to January, the Border Patrol released more than 500,000 migrants with orders to appear in immigration court. Migrant aid groups are generally able to provide temporary shelter, but street releases are not unheard of. The San Diego transit center was also the scene of large-scale releases last year.

San Diego has emerged as one of the busiest corridors for illegal crossings, with an average of 800 arrests a day in January.ManyarefromWestAfricaand Asia, with a daily average of more than 100 from China in January.

The Border Patrol told migrant aid groups to expect 350 street releases Friday, said Pedro Rios, director of American Friends Service Committee’s U.S.Mexico border program. The agency did not provide numbers when asked.

Migrants unload their belongings Friday as they arrive at a bus stop in San Diego. Hundreds of migrants were dropped off Friday at a sidewalk bus stop with notices to appear in immigration court after local government funding for a reception center ran out. GREGORY BULL/AP

Evolving, wading through ‘wrinkles’

“We are choosing to evolve to meet the needs of our staff and charities, as well as the wants of customers wishing to reward staff for excellent service,” the co-owners said. Even with the change, “our customers will never feel pressured to tip,” they said.

“McFleshman’s guarantees that all staff will receive the same wages as ever, at a minimum.”

Appleton brewery changing its policy so tip money goes to employees, not charities

APPLETON—TipscustomersleaveatMcFleshman’sBrewingCo.,willsoonstart going into employees’ pockets.

The downtown Appleton brewery, known in part for its stance on tips, is changing its tipping policy, co-owners, Bobby Fleshman and Allison McCoy Fleshman, told The Post-Crescent.

When McFleshman’s opened in 2018, “we embraced a business model similar to British pubs which included paying a living wage for our staﬀ that was not tipbased,” the two said.

The brewery did, however, accept tips on behalf of charities, “to generate donations and to build community,” according to the coowners. The business has given to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Wisconsin Ukrainians, CASA Fox Cities and Arts Incorporated, The Post-Crescent previously reported.

Starting Friday, McFleshman’s will begin accepting tips, according to Allison and Bobby, for a few reasons:

1 The brewery “cannot compete with $18-20 starting hourly wages that larger chains advertise ubiquitously. Tips are a means of leveling the playing ﬁeld as we grow and move forward.”

2 “For some time,” staﬀ asked the owners internally “to move to a conventional model so they can ﬁnally accept what money our customers routinely hand them.”

3 “Charities will ﬁnally receive the focus they deserve by receiving a percentage of revenue from a charity beer on tap at all times.”

“We are choosing to evolve to meet the needs of our staﬀ and charities, as well as the wants of customers wishing to reward staﬀ forexcellentservice,”theco-owners said.

Even with the change, “our customers will never feel pressured to tip,”they said. “McFleshman’s guarantees that all staﬀ will receive the same wages as ever, at a minimum.”

Everything you need to know about Wisconsin cheese

If Wisconsin were a country, it would be the the fourth largest producer of cheese in the world.

Wisconsin produced more than 3.5 billion pounds of cheese in 2022 — a quarter of the nation’s total cheese production, according to a report from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

That’sequivalenttoabout8,700Boeing 747 airliners, or 158 Eiﬀel Towers.

The Journal Sentinel decided it’s a gouda time to look at what types of cheese the state is producing and exporting.

What are the most common types of cheese produced in Wisconsin?

In 2022, Wisconsin led the nation in the production of specialty cheeses like cheddar, Muenster, feta, Limburger,

Parmesan, Romano and provolone. Mozzarella and similar styles accounted for almost a third of the cheese by weight produced in Wisconsin in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. American styles like Colby and Monterey Jack accounted for another 30%.

Over the years, farmers have modiﬁedthetypesofcheesesthey’reproducing, according to the trade group Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.

In 1978, more than 65% of cheeses produced in Wisconsin were American types like cheddar and Colby, and only 21% were Italian varieties such as mozzarella and Parmesan. In 2022, only 30% were American and more than 47% were Italian.

Wisconsin cheese is exported to more than 140 countries

Historically, almost all cheese made in Wisconsin was sold within the U.S. That’s changed signiﬁcantly in the past

20 years as there’s been a growing interest in catering to international markets, Luceysaid.Wisconsinexports15%ofits dairy output internationally, to more than 140 countries, according to the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.

There’s also been increasing political support for dairy farmers to expand their export operations. In March 2022, Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill to increase Wisconsin’s dairy, meat and crop exports by 25% by June 2026.

Why does Wisconsin produce so much cheese?

Wisconsin became a cheese-making hub due to early European immigrants, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Swiss cheese was one of the ﬁrst OldWorld cheeses produced in Wisconsin, made by Swiss immigrants. Italians produced mozzarella, provolone and

An assortment of cheeses are on display in the featured cheeses case at the West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe in the Milwaukee Public Market in Milwaukee on Jan. 20, 2020. MIKE DE SISTI/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL

Becky Jacobs and Jelissa Burns Appleton Post-Crescent |

McFleshman’s Brewing Co. in Appleton changed its tipping policy in February, according to the co-owners. PHOTOS BY WM. GLASHEEN/USA TODAY NETWORK-WISCONSIN

Co-owners, husband and wife, Nick Kane and Cathy Davey pose at Cattails Supper Club in the town of Winchester. WM. GLASHEEN/USA TODAY

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INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

We look at companies within 14 industries of local interest to review their stock performance.

Oklahoma judge discovered texting while presiding over murder case

Reg Wydeven Guest columnist

Every once in a while, I will be meeting with a client and my watch will buzz to notify me that I received a text message. I always ignore these alerts unless I get like 10 of them in a row. In that case, I’ll discreetly glance at my wrist to see if my wife or kids are trying to reach me.

In these few instances, it’s usually a frustrated family member looking for the Netﬂix password or some otherperceivedemergency.Butjustincasesomeoneis actively looking for the ﬁre extinguisher, I still want to check.

Some members of the judicial system aren’t as reserved, however.

Traci Soderstrom was a District Judge for Lincoln and Pottawatomie counties in Oklahoma. She was elected in November of 2022 and took the bench in January of 2023. She was six months into her term when she presided over the trial of Khristian Tyler Martzall, who was accused of killing his girlfriend’s 2year-old son in 2018.

During the proceedings, security footage showed Soderstrom using her phone extensively. The Oklahoma Supreme Court then investigated and determined that she texted more than 500 times with her bailiff during the trial. According to a petition filed in October of 2023 by Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice M. John Kane IV, the pair’s texts “mocked the physical appearance of attorneys, jurors, and witnesses and used offensive language to deride the State’s attorneys.”

Kane’s petition said that Soderstrom and her bailiﬀ “called murder trial witnesses liars, admired the looks

Tipping

Continued from Page 1B

“Cards left open will not be charged any fees whatsoever,” Bobby said.

The co-owners said the transition “will be seamless to the customer.” As of Tuesday, the policy was already in eﬀect, “but we are wading through the wrinkles during this rollout,” according to Bobby.

“We wish to thank everyone for all of their support thus far,”they said, “and can’t wait to see what we accomplish together moving forward.”

Re-discover supper club culture at the new Cattails Supper Club in Larsen

LARSEN — Cattails Supper Club, 6661 Brecklin Loop, in Larsen, is just one month into opening with the goal to bring back traditional supper club culture and meals.

Owner Cathy Davey and her husband, Nick Kane, ﬁrst opened the doors in January, in the former Viking Supper Club location, naming it after the ﬂourishing plant that surrounds the restaurant.

Davey said she and Kane have always enjoyed supper club atmosphere, and ﬁnally decided to bring their own version to the area.

“My husband and I are big supper club fans and we always talked about opening up our own,”Davey said. “We’re bringing back frog legs, prime rib, liver and things like that.”

Otheritemsonthemenuincludeseafood—including ﬁsh fry dinners any day of the week — pork chops, corn beef and cabbage, pasta dishes, burgers and more. It even oﬀers unique appetizers, like hush puppies and wonton mozzarella sticks, as well as a kids menu.

The restaurant uses a state-of-the-art Henny Penny fryer to broast chicken, which can be purchased only on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

“We really just thought about what supper clubs we’ve been too and their popular items and that was part of our inspiration for our menu,” Davey said.

Her 35-plus years of experience in waitressing and bartending gave Davey and her husband the conﬁdence to move forward with opening the restaurant.

“I just love meeting people and I love supper clubs,” Davey said. “There’s a lot of regulars and local people that come here and we get to know everybody.”

The family-owned restaurant is managed by her son, and her daughter is also on staﬀ. She hopes to pass the establishment along to them once she and Kane are ready to retire.

More information and a full menu is available on Cattails Supper Club’s Facebook page.

Cafe, florist in downtown Appleton closes for good

APPLETON — All Tied Up Floral Cafe has permanently closed in downtown Appleton, according to a post on the business’s Facebook page Tuesday evening.

Cheese

Continued from Page 1B

Gorgonzola; the French produced Camembert, brie and blue cheeses; the Germans made Muenster and Limburger; and the English brought cheddar. Wisconsin farmers gravitated toward making cheese because it kept longer than milk and butter, especially with limited cold storage and transportation methods. While most cheese in Wisconsin was produced on

of a police oﬃcer who was testifying, disparaged the local defense bar, expressed bias in favor of the defendant and displayed gross partiality against the State.”

Kane cited several texts, including Soderstrom saying a district attorney was “sweating through his coat,” describing the defense attorney as “awesome” and calling a prosecutor’s witness a liar. Soderstrom’s pattern of conduct demonstrated “gross neglect of duty, gross partiality, and oppression”as well as a “lack of temperament to serve as a judge,” Kane wrote in his petition.

Threedaysbeforeshehadbeenscheduledtogoon trial in a special court, Soderstrom resigned. At a press conference after her resignation, she admitted, “There were some things that I did inappropriately. I texted during a trial.”She continued, “It doesn’t matter whether it was a traﬃc case or whether it was a divorce case or whether it was a ﬁrst-degree murder case. I texted during the trial and that was inappropriate.”

Soderstrom wasn’t completely contrite, however. “The content and the insinuation and the volume and the length of those things I am not agreeing to because it doesn’t matter,” she said. She also refuted that she displayed any bias in the case, saying, “I didn’t make up my mind. Even if I had, that wouldn’t have mattered, because I was not the fact-ﬁnder,” as Martzall’s fate was left to a jury.

Despite Soderstrom’s actions, a jury did ﬁnd Martzall guilty of second-degree manslaughter and sentenced him to time served.

One of the jurors was purportedly playing games on his phone during the trial. Another juror accused the man of playing 12 Angry Birds.

Reg Wydeven is a partner with the Appletonbased law ﬁrm of McCarty Law LLP. He can be reached at pcbusiness@postcrescent.com.

“Friends- As you clearly know by now, the doors have closed for good. I will give more details in a future post; however, I would like to ask for some privacy right now. Please know this was not an easy decision for me to make,” the post states.

On Tuesday morning, the lights were off inside the coffee shop and full-service florist, seated at 324 E. College Ave., near Lawrence University. There was no additional information aside from a sign that said “closed.”

The cafe’s Facebook page was still up Monday evening, but was unavailable Tuesday morning, along with the business’s website. Google listed it as “permanently closed.”

The Post-Crescent emailed and called the business Tuesday morning but did not immediately hear back.

All Tied Up’s Facebook page was active again, as of Wednesday morning. The post about the closure had more than 500 reactions and over 100 comments, as people oﬀered words of encouragement and told the owner that the cafe will be missed.

All Tied Up opened downtown in August 2022. It previously operated in Buchanan since October 2017. In addition to coﬀee and ﬂowers, the cafe also sold food and gift items.

There were some questions on social media Tuesday about whether All Tied Up had moved in with Van Zeeland Nursery & Landscape at 2600 N. Casaloma Drive. It did not, according to Dave Lindenstruth, owner of Van Zeeland. Rather, Branching Out & Co., recently joined the Grand Chute nursery.

In response to the confusion, Van Zeeland and Branching Out posted on Facebook Tuesday afternoon that anyone unable to redeem an outstanding All Tied Up gift certiﬁcate can stop in and trade it for a 12 oz beverage and mini ﬂoral arrangement.

While All Tied Up is not associated with either business, Lindenstruth said the oﬀer is meant as a gesture of “goodwill.”

“Wefeelawfulfortheclosureofanybusinessinour wonderful Fox Valley,” according to Van Zeeland’s Facebook post.

Appleton set to open ﬁrst Wingstop

APPLETON — Appleton will get its ﬁrst Wingstop next month at 2828 N. Richmond St., according to a company spokesperson.

The eatery, located on the northeast corner of North Richmond Street and West Northland Avenue, is expected to open in mid-March, the spokesperson told The Post-Crescent in an email Monday afternoon. The location is just northeast of the Richmond/ Northland roundabout, near Taco Bell, Jimmy John’s and Kwik Trip.

Wingstop employees an average of 28 people at every restaurant, according to the email. The restaurant serves chicken wings, crispy tenders and chicken sandwiches in 11 ﬂavors, spokesperson said.

Reach Becky Jacobs at bjacobs@gannett.com or 920-993-7117. Follow her on Twitter at @ruthyjacobs. Reach Jelissa Burns at 920-453-5107 or jburns1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @burns_jelissa or on Instagram at burns_jelissa.

individual farms, J.I. Smith of Sheboygan County acquired the state’s ﬁrst cheese vat in 1858 and started shipping barrels of cheese to Chicago. With increasing demand, more dairy farmers moved production from the farmstead into the factory. By 1870, Wisconsin had 54 cheese factories. Despite hundreds of dairy farms closing in recent years, Wisconsin is still home to nearly 6,000 dairy farms — more than any other state — and1.28 million cows.

Wisconsin also has nearly 1,200 licensed cheesemakers that produce over 600 varieties of cheese. That’s nearly double the number of any other state.

QTwo Rules To Know

What’s the “wash sale” rule? — R.S., Washington, Pennsylvania

A It’s something you need to pay attention to if you’re selling an investment and plan to buy into it again soon — perhaps when you want to sell a stock to write off the loss on your taxes before the end of the year.

The IRS won’t permit you to claim such a loss, though, if you replace it with the same or a “substantially identical” security within 30 calendar days before or after such a sale. (It also won’t work if you sell a stock in your own account and then your spouse buys it in theirs during the same period.)

Here’s a silver lining: If you can’t take a loss because of the wash sale rule, you may be able to claim it later when you sell your new stock. ***

What’s the “Rule of 72”?

T.L., Mesa, Arizona

It’s a fun math trick that shows how long it will take to double a number. For example, if you expect an investment to grow by, say, 8% annually, divide 72 by eight and you’ll get nine — meaning that it will take nine years to double your money at that rate. It works in reverse, too. If you want to double your money in, say, six years, divide 72 by six and you’ll get 12 — meaning that 12% is the growth rate you’ll need.

The rule is most accurate with rates between 6% and 10%, but is useful a bit beyond that, too. For example, if inflation is averaging 3% annually (as it has, historically), divide 72 by three and you’ll see that prices are likely to double in about 24 years.

Want more information about stocks? Send us an email to foolnews@fool.com.

Fool’s School

Sufficient Homeowners Insurance

If you own a home, you need to be carrying homeowners insurance. But that’s not all: You need to be carrying enough insurance. If your coverage is insufficient, you might pay lower premiums, but you might also end up in hot water should disaster strike.

It’s a good idea to review your policy every now and then to make sure it does enough for you. For starters, it should cover the cost to rebuild the home, not just what you paid for the home — construction costs can go up significantly over time. Call your insurer and review your policy with them. Your policy should cover your personal possessions, as well. It’s smart to inventory them in detail; you might want to walk around and take photos or video. Focus on high-value items, such as jewelry, electronics and expensive collections. You may need more than what a basic policy covers, so check with your insurer.

Most policies will offer at least $100,000 in liability coverage, which comes into play if you get sued. It’s often best to get at least $300,000 to $500,000 in coverage, though — and perhaps more if you have substantial assets and a lot to lose.

Another good idea for those with substantial assets is umbrella insurance. It’s a separate policy, often surprisingly inexpensive, that can provide additional coverage beyond the limits of your other policies. Depending on where you live, you might want extra coverage to protect you from various disasters such as flooding, wildfires, sinkholes and earthquakes. Standard homeowners insurance policies often don’t cover such events. You can learn what risks your home faces at sites such as RiskFactor.com and FLASH.org

Ideally, you’ll also want your insurer to cover some or all of your living expenses if you aren’t able to live in your home for a while.

It’s smart to shop around to find the best coverage you can afford from well-rated insurers at least every few years. Having sufficient coverage can save you a lot of heartache as well as money.

Name That Company

I trace my roots back to 1999, when four fellows began developing sales automation technology in a San Francisco apartment. By 2001, I had more than 3,000 customers, and by 2012, more than 100,000. I was added to the Fortune 500 in 2015, and in 2020, I became one of the 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. I bought Slack in 2021. Today, with a market value recently near $280 billion, I’m one of the world’s largest customer relationship management specialists, and I employ more than 70,000 people. Offering cloud-based services, I rake in about $34 billion annually.

Who am I?

Think you know the answer? We’ll announce it in next week’s edition.

My Dumbest Investment Limit Orders Didn’t Work

I think of dumb investments being mostly buying for the wrong reason or not selling due to greediness. This regrettable investing move of mine was the latter. I held on to my shares of Disney too long, trying to milk every last dime out of the price before selling. I kept placing limit orders to sell, but the price never rose high enough to trigger the sale. I eventually gave up. Then the stock sank sharply. Ugh. — Scott, online

The Fool Responds: Limit orders can be handy when you want your brokerage to sell (or buy) shares of a certain stock only if the price rises (or falls) to a specified level. But using them, you do run the risk of never selling or buying if the price never goes where you want it to. It can seem reasonable to wait for a more perfect price before taking the plunge. However, it often makes more sense to just sell your shares if you no longer have faith in the company or have found a better investment — or to just buy shares if you have great long-term expectations for a company.

Disney’s stock recovered after that drop, and set a new high in 2021, but it has fallen sharply since then, presenting an attractive entry point for long-term believers. (Do you have a smart or regrettable investment move to share with us? Email it to TMFShare@fool.com.)

The Motley Fool Take StoneCo for Consideration

StoneCo (Nasdaq: STNE) is a Brazil-based financial technology (“fintech”) company that provides payment processing services and other offerings. The company’s stock has plunged some 80% from its high in 2021, due in part to issues with its lending business and investors pivoting aggressively away from fintech companies with growth-dependent valuations. StoneCo took some big losses on bad loans in its portfolio, and temporarily suspended issuing new loans to applicants. But right now, there’s a lot to like about StoneCo. It started to offer new loans through its credit unit again, and its payment processing business is powering stellar results. The total number of customers using its payment platform grew 41.7% year over year to reach 3.3 million in the third quarter, and the company increased its average transaction fee to 2.49% from 2.21% in the prior-year period. Overall revenue increased 25.2% year over year in the third quarter, and adjusted income skyrocketed 302%. The company doesn’t have a decadeslong track record of growth, and it has experienced significant management turnover. But with a recent forward-looking priceto-earnings (P/E) ratio of 12, well below the five-year average of 35, StoneCo has the makings of a dirtcheap growth stock at current prices. (The Motley Fool owns shares of and has recommended StoneCo.)

LAST WEEK’S TRIVIA ANSWER

I trace my roots back to 1976, when a store called Price Club began in a converted airplane hangar in San Diego. Another company bearing my current name opened its first warehouse in Seattle in 1983, and it was the first company to grow from zero to $3 billion in sales in less than six years. Those companies merged in 1993, and today, I’m a retail powerhouse, with a recent market value topping $320 billion and 872 warehouses around the world (including 600 in the U.S.). On average, I only mark up products by 11% to 13%. Who am I? (Answer: Costco)

Want to Invest? Email us at foolnews@fool.com, and we’ll send you some tips to start investing. Sorry, we can’t provide individual financial advice.

“I haven’t been this

since I got my

frst bicycle!”

My Zoomer is a delight to ride! It has

and enabled me to visit the homes of my children for longer periods of time. The various speeds of it match my need for safety, it is easy to turn, and am most pleased with the freedom of movement it

Sincerely, A. Macon, Williamsburg,

Experts split on couples’ banking habits

About 39% report having joint, separate accounts

Daniel de Visé USA TODAY

The internet percolates with articles advising romantic partners on how they should bank their money. Some writers favor separate accounts: Your money is your money! Others encourage commingled funds: We’re in this love together!

All the same, it’s a talk couples should have. At some point.

We surveyed several ﬁnance experts. Predictably, most of our sources played it down the middle. Couples might be best served by a mix of separate and jointaccounts,theysaid.Eachservesits purpose: joint accounts for joint expenses, separate accounts for separate ones.

“Havingbothtypesofaccountsreally lets you have the best of both worlds,” said James Royal, a principal writer on investing at Bankrate.

Yet, surprisingly, many couples use only one type of bank account. In a new survey by MarketWatch Guides, 41% of married couples said they use only joint accounts, while 20% said they use only separate accounts. The remaining 39% reported keeping separate and joint accounts.

Which type of banking is better, if you must choose one?

Financial independence

Almost by deﬁnition, separate accounts give each partner a measure of ﬁscal freedom that a joint account cannot match.

“You always know how much is in there,” said Lili Vasileff, a certified financial planner in Greenwich, Connecticut. “You always have access to it. Whether you save it, spend it or give it away, it’s yours.”

Partnerswhokeepseparateaccounts will never have to feel embarrassed about an impulse buy, explain an excessive restaurant tab or seek approval for a big-ticket item.

“I think it’s important to just be able to do some things for yourself and not

have to answer for everything you’re doing,”saidLizWindisch,acertiﬁedﬁnancial planner in Denver.

Different spending habits

What if you’re a penny pincher, and your partner is a proﬂigate spender? You rejoice in building savings, while they live paycheck to paycheck. You’ve never, ever overdrawn your account. They’re overdrawn right now.

Separate accounts allow each partner to spend as they please, in a judgment-free zone. One partner can count every dollar, while the other spends with abandon.

The penny pincher will never face the indignity of a declined debit card. The proﬂigate spender won’t get hassled over recurring fees for subscriptions they never bother to cancel.

“Compulsively monitoring your spouse’s every transaction on your smartphone can get viciously addictive,” TIAA, the ﬁnancial services company, says in a post titled “7 reasons why separate accounts are good for your marriage.”

Vasileﬀ believes each partner in a relationship should have discretionary funds, or “play money,”to spend as they wish.

“Everybody usually feels better with some amount of money to keep in a stash, or to spend in a way they do not have to explain,” she said.

The worst-case scenario

Separate accounts give each partner an escape hatch in case the relationship ends.

Financial planners often suggest both partners should keep a savings account to cover them in case of a split.

Whether “split” means an epic divorce or a simple breakup, separate accounts ensure each partner can cover the costs of ﬁnding a new place to live, replacing furniture and, if need be, hiring attorneys and changing locks.

“It’s really hard to consult a divorce attorney if you don’t have any of your own funds,” Windisch said.

Simpliﬁed bill-paying

Foracohabitingcouple,monthlybills aren’t easily split. There is usually one rent payment, one electricity bill, one streaming subscription. It makes sense to pay them from a joint account, using pooled funds.

“Withajointaccount,it’sjustsimpler to budget and prepare for your shared

expenses,” Royal said.

If couples try to split bills down the middle, the result can be a ﬁnancial relationship that feels transactional, like poker buddies chipping in for pizza.

“I have seen couples Venmo each other, over and over, half of the electric bill, half of the mortgage. That seems kind of labor-intensive to me,” Windisch said.

“But I do want to be clear: If that works for you, then do that.”

Transparency and trust

With a joint bank account, both partners know where the money is coming from and where it is going, for better or worse.

Ideally, a joint account “can demonstrate a commitment to working together towards common financial objectives,” said Michelle Crumm, a certified financial planner in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The couple collaborates to make deposits, track spending and pay bills, building a sense of shared purpose.

Some research even suggests couples can build a happier marriage by going “all-in” on joint banking, keeping nothing separate.

Over the longer term, joint accounts can be a great way to work together toward a shared goal, Windisch said: “Your vacation slush fund. Your joint goal of buying an investment property together.”

But which is better?

To sum up: Both types of bank accounts have their use.

But if a couple chooses only one, which should it be?

When pressed, our sample of experts, admittedly small, revealed a slight preference: Separate accounts. The reason? Separate accounts foster independence, and independence matters in the tragic event that a relationship should fall apart.

“I have never ever had anyone say to me, ‘Gosh, I wish we had combined all of our accounts a long time ago,’” Windisch said. “But I have had many clients say to me, ‘I wish I had kept at least one account for myself.’”

‘Housing is becoming a luxury good’

Experts say now is great time to be a renter

Daniel de Visé

Generations of consumers have embraced homeownership as part of the American dream. Lately, though, it looks more like a pipe dream.

“Housing is becoming a luxury good,” said Christopher Mayer, a Columbia University economist.

The upside? It’s a great time to rent. The spiraling costs of homeownership have turned the perennial rent-vs.-own equation on its head. In most of the nation’s largest cities, renting is now far cheaper.

The median sales price for existing homes rose more than 40% from early 2020 to mid-2022, to a seasonal peak just above $400,000, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Pricesarestillrising:Themediansale price for an existing home was 4.4% higher in December 2023 than in December 2022.

Mortgage rates, meanwhile, are twice as high now as in early 2022: 6.8%, as of mid-February, compared to just over 3% at the start of 2022.

Taken together, those two trends yield frightening math.

Imagine you bought a $400,000 home, and you made a 20% down payment.

At 3.2% interest, your monthly principalandinterestona30-yearmortgage would have totaled $1,383, according to a Bankrate mortgage calculator.

At 6.8%, the same mortgage would cost you $2,086.

“It’s the least aﬀordable housing market in recent memory,” said Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redﬁn.

Rising interest rates slowed the upward march of home prices, even leading to small declines in some months. Yet, the seller's market has endured. Here are some reasons:

h Developers haven’t been building enough new homes to keep up with demand.

h The COVID-19 pandemic and remote work boom seeded even more de-

mand, as workers sought larger homes.

h Homeowners with historically low mortgage rates don’t want to sell.

“It’s kind of the perfect storm, if you’re a consumer,” Mayer said. ‘“Perfect storm’ in a bad way.”

The prohibitive costs of home purchase are reshaping common wisdom about the merits of homeownership.

Americanshavelongregardedhomeownership as a rite of passage. Roughly two-thirds of Americans own homes. Many households count their home as their main asset.

Lately, however, the rent-or-buy calculus has favored the renter.

Many factors go into the equation.

Potential buyers consider how long they’re likely to stay in the home, how much money they can leverage as a down payment, how much interest they’ll pay on the mortgage, and whether the home is likely to increase in value.

Potential renters factor in current rental rates, whether rents are likely to rise and the costs of rental insurance.

In a typical housing market, a home purchase might make sense for anyone who expects to stay put for, say, ﬁve years. That’s enough time to make a dent in your mortgage, building equity

in the home, and for its market value to rise. Sell a home after ﬁve or 10 years, the theory goes, and you’re likely to proﬁt.

That equation might still work. Yet, housing prices have climbed so high that many potential buyers can't aﬀord the investment.

"For a lot of people, it's not an issue of choice," Mayer said.

In the current housing market, renting looks increasingly attractive.

A 2023 analysis by Realtor.com found that renting was cheaper than buying in 47 of the 50 largest metropolitan areas.

The report found just three metro areas where it remained cheaper to buy: Pittsburgh; Memphis, Tennessee; and Birmingham, Alabama.

Elizabeth Renter, a senior writer at NerdWallet who studies home prices, ran the numbers in central Durham, North Carolina, for an upcoming move. She decided to rent.

A Realtor.com rent-or-buy calculator shows home prices averaging $550,000 in central Durham. A home at that price would cost about $2,868 in monthly principal and interest, assuming a 20% down payment and 6.8% interest. Rents in central Durham average around

$1,700 a month. Renting is the cheaper option.

Renter is selling her home, a Victorian ﬁxer-upper in Kansas. She’s tired of ﬁxing things.

“I'm going to love calling the landlord when something breaks,” she joked.

Rents are rising in America, just like home prices, but not at the same pace. Rents averaged $1,958 nationwide in January, up exactly one dollar from December, according to a NerdWallet analysis.

Rents are 29% higher now than before the pandemic, NerdWallet reports.

But economists don’t expect a big spike in rents in the months to come. One reason: A surge in construction of rental housing.

“We have seen rents slow in recent months,”said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. “So, for people whoarerenting,youcantakeadvantage of the fact that your rent may possibly go down. More possibly, it will stay ﬁxed.”

Homeownership won’t become more aﬀordable, economists say, without a steep decline in interest rates, home prices, or both.

Economic forecasts suggest mortgage rates might ease later this year, following a series of predicted rate cuts by the Fed.

Home prices are likely to remain high, largely as a matter of simple supply and demand: The pickings are slim. Sales of existing homes bottomed out in 2023, as the nation’s homeowners refused to budge.

Many homeowners reﬁnanced their mortgages at historically low rates, before and during the pandemic. Most mortgage holders now have interest rates of 5% or lower. Home equity stands near historic highs.

“Unless you have to sell, you’ll just stay put,” said Odeta Kushi, deputy chief economist at First American Financial Corporation.

Roughly two-ﬁfths of American homes are owned free and clear, Kushi said, unencumbered by a mortgage.

“The nuance there is that a lot of those homes are owned by the baby boomer generation,”she said. “Will they move at this point? Maybe not.”

In a survey by MarketWatch Guides, 41% of married couples said they use only joint bank accounts, while 20% said they use only separate accounts. GETTY IMAGES

Obituaries

-*Arft,YvonneM. 92Kimberly,WI

*Barnetzke,JaneC. 75Appleton,WI

*Batterman,DeborahE. 71Weyauwega,WI

TODAY’S DEATH NOTICES

Feb18O’ConnellFuneralHome

Mar114:00pm O’ConnellFuneralHome HighlandMemorialPark

Feb20WichmannFuneralHome -- St.JosephCemetery -

Jan30DahlkeFuneral&CremationCare

Mar032:00pm DahlkeLifeCelebrationCenter*Baumann,DavidG. 75Neenah,WI

*Baxter,CaroleV. 88Menasha,WI

Feb15DahlkeFuneral&CremationCare

Mar0611:30am St.Paul’sLutheranChurch -

Feb21WichmannFuneralHome-LaemmrichChapel-- - GreenlawnMemorialPark

*Bodway,DeborahLynn 69- Feb14Kessler-FahrenkrugFuneralHome -- -*Boehm,Mardell 92NewLondon,WI

Feb11Cline&Hanson

Feb2911:00am EmanuelLutheran RoyaltonCemetery *Chartre,DouglasP. 78WI

*Dannecker,EugeneF. 90Appleton,WI

Feb11Kessler-FahrenkrugFuneralHome -- -

Jan11WichmannFuneralHome

Mar0410:30am St.MaryCatholicChurch St.MaryCemetery,Appleton,WI Domkowski,CarolL. 74Neenah,WI

Feb19Kessler-FahrenkrugFuneralHome

Mar085:00pm FuneralHome*Haen,Bernice 99Kaukauna,WI

Feb20VerkuilenVanDeurzenFamilyFuneralHome,Kaukauna -*Herrle,Judith 83Kaukauna

*Kettenhofen,Dolores 93-

Feb19Verkuilen-VanDeurzenFamilyFuneralHomeKaukauna

Dec16CotterFuneral&CremationCare

Mar0211:00am ResurrectionCatholicChurch*Law,Curtis -- - ZacherlFuneralHome --

*Leimer,JayKenneth 84Menasha,WI Feb04- --

*Lorenz,JoshuaJ. -- Feb18Verkuilen-VanDeurzenFamilyFuneralHomeFreedom -*McNinch,D.Gary 82FishCreek,WI

Feb10HuehnsFuneralHome,Inc.&DoorCountyCrematoryLLC - BlossombergCemetery *Neerhof,LeeR. 74Neenah,WI

Feb21WestgorFuneralHome

Feb2710:00am AppleValleyPresbyterianChurchResthavenCemetery *O’Brien,Colleen 81-

Feb22Kessler-FahrenkrugFuneralHome -- -*Orheim,SharonL. 83Menasha,WI

Feb22WestgorFuneralHome

Feb2711:00am ImmanuelLutheran*Sengstock,RonaldJames 87SunCity,AZ

Feb13NeptuneSociety -- -*VanBoxtel,JanetEileen 84Appleton

*Zelinski,PatriciaG. 94Neenah,WI

Deborah E. Batterman

WEYAUWEGA - Deborah Ellen Batterman of Weyauwega, WI passed away unexpectedly on January 30, 2024, en route to ThedaCare Hospital in Neenah, WI at the age of 71.She was born in Waupaca, Wisconsin on September 26th, 1952 to parents Eleanore and John Winters. In her memory,a Celebration of Life will take place at the Dahlke Life Celebration Center in Weyauwega on Sunday, March 3, 2024, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm for family and friends to reminisce.

Deborah Lynn Bodway

Deborah Lynn Bodway age 69, passed away peacefully on February 14, 2024 with family by her side. A celebration of life will be held in July. For the full obituary please visit: kesslerfh.com.

Patricia G. Zelinski

NEENAH - Patricia G. Zelinski, age 94, passed away peacefully and surrounded by her family on Saturday, February 17, 2024. The Mass of Resurrection will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, MARCH 15,2024,at St. Margret Mary Catholic Church, 620 Division St. Neenah, with Fr. Phil Schoofs ofﬁciating. Visitation will be held at the church from 9:30 AM until Mass time. Inurnment will be in St. Margaret’s Cemetery. In lieu of ﬂowers a memorial is being established in her name. westgorfuneralhomes. com for full obituary.

Feb18Verkuilen-VanDeurzenFamilyFuneralHomeLittleChute -

Feb17WestgorFuneralHome

Mar1511:00am Neenah,WI St.Margaret’sCemetery

* Additional information in display obituaries Obituaries appear in print and online at postcrescent.com/obituaries

KIMBERLY - Yvonne Mary Arft, age 92, passed away on Sunday, February 18, 2024, in Kimberly. Yvonne was born October 6, 1931, daughter of the late Henry and Alice (Van Caster) Yunk. She graduated from Appleton West in 1949 and went on to marry the love of her life, Edward “Jack”Arft, on December 4, 1951. Together, Yvonne and Edward were blessed to have ﬁve children, four sons and one daughter. They shared 56 years of marriage until he passed away in 2007. Vonnie, as she was called, loved her family dearly. She loved to sew and make clothes for herself and her children, as well as baking for her family. In the late 50s and 60s, Yvonne had her own bowling team. She was an avid reader, and even when traveling,Vonnie always had a book with her. Her last place of work was in a nursing home taking care of the elderly; she truly loved it.

Yvonne is survived by her children: Bradley (Penny) Arft, of Appleton; Patrich Arft, of De Pere; and Jacqueline (Steve) Holland, of Littleton, Colorado; her grandchildren: R.J. (Michelle) Arft, Scott (Samantha) Arft, Ethan Shaw and Andrew Shaw; and her great grandchildren: Abby, Will, Derek, Jack, McKenzie, and Cole. She is further survived by her brother, Henry (Beverly) Yunk; her sister, Cheryl Eggert; her Godchildren: Gary Koslorek and Thomas Yunk; as well as nieces, nephews, and other relatives.

In addition to her parents, Yvonne is preceded in death by her husband, Edward; her sons: Michael, and Randy Arft; her great granddaughter, Addison Arft; daughter-in-law, Rhonda Arft; her brother-in-law, Steve Eggert; and her Goddaughter and niece, Yvette Eggert.

Visitation for Yvonne will be held on March 11, 2024, at O’CONNELL FUNERAL HOME (1776 E. Main Street, Little Chute) beginning at 2:00 p.m. until time of Funeral at 4:00 p.m. with Rev. Nate Gauerke ofﬁciating. Committal Highland Memorial Park. To sign the guestbook, please visit oconnellfh.com.

Yvonne’s family extends their heartfelt thanks to Penny as well as ThedaCare Hospice for their exceptional care.

Bernice Haen

KAUKAUNA - Bernice Haen, Kaukauna, age 99 passed away peacefully at St. Paul Villa, on February 20, 2024. Funeral arrangements are pending. For more information or to leave condolences please visit www.verkuilenfh.com.

Colleen “Coco” O’Brien

Colleen “Coco” O’Brien,age 81,of Fox Crossing, passed away on Thursday,February 22, 2024. Funeral arrangements are pending at this time.

Longtime Neenah resident, Douglas P. Chartre, age 78, passed away February 11, 2024, due to complications from a stroke. Doug was born in Menominee, Michigan on June 16, 1945, to the late Patrick and Beaulah (Cappaert) Chartre.

After graduating from Menominee High School in 1965, he joined the US Army National Guard and served in the Ready Reserves until 1979.

Douglas was employed in the paper mill at Kimberly-Clark for 35 years. After his retirement in 2001, he took a part-time job with US Venture.

Doug had many hobbies including working on bicycles, restoring old cars, woodworking, and tinkering in his garage shop. He loved going to car shows and spending time with his Fiero Fanatics Car Club friends.

He is survived by his three children: Michelle (Tony) Rowe of San Diego, Jennifer (Tom) Powledge of Los Angeles, Douglas J. (Kathya) Chartre of Chicago; his stepdaughter, Andrea McComas of Appleton; and his sister, Judith (Jon) Pietsch of Denmark,WI. He was preceded in death by his brother, Raymond Chartre.

The absolute light of Doug’s life and his pride and joy were his ﬁve grandchildren: Kate, Reid, Jack, Cruz and Aidan. A private burial service will be held in Stephenson, Michigan. Doug’s family would like to thank the staff at Rennes Health & Rehab in Appleton for the compassionate care they provided during his long illness.

Dolores Kettenhofen

Dolores Margaret Kettenhofen, 93, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, passed away on December 16, 2023. Family and friends may visit at Resurrection Catholic Church, 333 Hilltop Drive, Allouez, on Saturday, March 2, 2024 from 9:30am until 10:45am. Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated at 11:00am with Fr. Tom Reynebeau ofﬁciating and Fr. Michael Betley as homilist.The service will be livestreamed at gbres.org/live

A full obituary may be viewed at www.cotterfuneralhome.com

- CaroleV. Baxter, age 88, formerly of Freedom, passed away on Wednesday, February 21, 2024. A private service is being planned for a later date. For more information or to share a memory of Carole, please visit www.wichmannfuneralhomes.com.

- Jane Barnetzke, 75, of Appleton, passed away at St. Elizabeth Hospital on February 20, 2024. Arrangements are pending but will be announced by May 31; at that time please visit www.wichmannfuneralhomes.com.

NEW LONDONMardell M. (Cady) Boehm, age 92 of New London, passed away on Sunday, February 11, 2024 at St Joseph Residence surrounded by her family. A complete obituary can be found at www.clinehansonfuneralhome. com

Yvonne M. Arft

Douglas P. Chartre

MENASHA

Carole V. Baxter

Mardell Boehm

APPLETON

Jane C. Barnetzke

Obituaries

Eugene F. Dannecker

APPLETON - Eugene Fred Dannecker, 90, of Appleton, passed away peacefully on January 11, 2024. Eugene was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on April 28, 1933, to Lawrence and Hildegard Dannecker.

Gene served in the Navy from 1953 until 1955 and went on to attend the University of Minnesota where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. While in college, he met and married the love of his life, Sylvia, with whom he raised their 7 children. In 1960 he accepted a position with Wisconsin Michigan Power Company, and the family moved to Appleton. In 1994 Gene retired from Wisconsin Electric Power Company.

While in Appleton, Sylvia and Gene were active members of St. Mary Catholic Church. He was on the school counsel, Parish counsel, and the planning committee for the Parish Center. He was a good sport about donning a costume for the Live Nativity, too. He devoutly prayed the rosary, always supporting his family in prayer.

Eugene worked during the day, attended night school, and spent many evenings ﬁxing things his children had broken during the day. He was an excellent bowler well into his eighties, and golfed as well.

Gene would say that his favorite times were those with as many of his children as possible gathered and enjoying time together. He treasured time spent with his grandchildren both near and far.

In 2022, Gene and Sylvia moved to the Milwaukee area, a more centralized location for family. While in Milwaukee Gene loved gathering for family meals, problem solving everything, playing Cribbage and Uno, and Packers watch-parties.

Eugene is preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Sylvia, just 3 months ago. He is also preceded in death by his parents, and his siblings: Rita, Claude (Bro. Lawrence Peter), Leo, Teresa, and Loretta, and his foster daughter, Micheline. He is survived by his children: Gregory (Janel), Steven (Terasa), Joseph (Mary), Peter (Cheryl), Barbra (Jeffrey), Marc (Debe), and Thomas. Gene is also survived by his grandchildren: Angeline (ﬁancé Leo), Alexander, Zachary, Erin, John, Katherine (Sam), Caroline, Elizabeth, Anna, Jeffrey (Rachel), Nicholas, Matt (Jessie), and Nick (Shaina). Gene is also blessed by great grandchildren: Jackson, Ellie, Anna and Sage.

A Funeral Mass is scheduled for Monday, March 4, 2024, at 10:30 am at St. Mary Catholic Church (312 S. State St., Appleton, WI 54911), with the Very Reverend Enrique Hernandez ofﬁciating. Visitation from 9:30 am until the time of service.

To honor Gene, please consider a donation of blood or a donation to the Retired Fund for Religious, P.O. Box 96988, Washington, D.C. 20090-6988

Remember Me

Don’t remember me with sadness, Don’t remember me with tears, Remember all the laughter, We’ve shared throughout the years Now I am contented That my life it was worthwhile, Knowing that I passed along the way I made somebody smile. When you are walking down the street And you’ve got me on your mind, I’m walking in your footsteps Only half a step behind. So please don’t be unhappy Just because I’m out of sight, Remember that I’m with you Each morning, noon and night.

Obituaries

Judith “Judy” Ann Herrle

KAUKAUNA - Judith “Judy” Ann Herrle, age 83, of Kaukauna, passed away February 19, 2024. Judy was born in Oshkosh on June 16, 1940 to Edward and Lydia (Raddatz) Herrle. She grew up there, attended UWO and graduated with high honors.

Her love of books and talent for writing brought her to Kaukauna High School where she taught English for 34 years.

Her strong interest in geology made travel in the USA and Canada especially appealing to her. She enjoyed scenery and experiences in nature, as long as no worms were involved.

Her artistic talents led her to draw cute and funny cartoons, cards and posters. She and a group of friends had many years of season tickets to area theaters where she especially enjoyed musicals. She appreciated the talents of others and was fond of her purchases from artists in Door & Waupaca Co. and at Art in the Park.

Judy is survived by her brother John Herrle, nephew John Herrle Jr. and niece Sara Morgan. The third generation includes Jaden and Payton Lee. She is survived by her cousin, Mary Ann Kolb, and her “sisterhood” (Fran, Patti and Sue).

Those who preceded her in death include her parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and a series of beloved furry feline friends.

Judy had survived two bouts of breast cancer and ended a smoking habit, but ovarian cancer with complications ﬁnally took its toll, after a well-fought 14 month battle that she handled with incredible grace while maintaining her sense of humor.

Thanks to the care from Little Chute Health Services, her hospice team and her nurse friend Nancy Holschuh, Judy’s death was peaceful. She will be remembered and missed by all who knew her.

An informal celebration of life for Judy will be held Thursday, February 29, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Verkuilen-Van Deurzen Family Funeral Home, 2401 Fieldcrest Drive, Kaukauna. Judy will be laid to rest in Sacred Heart Cemetery, Oshkosh. For online condolences, please visit www.verkuilenfh. com.

Any donations received will go to the American Cancer Society. Flowers are nice, but curing cancer is much better. As Judy would have said, “I’m just saying!”

Lee R. Neerhof

Ronald James Sengstock

SUN CITY - Ronald (Ron) James Sengstock was born on October 9, 1936, to Harvey and Lulu Sengstock near Appleton, Wisconsin and left this world peacefully on February 13, 2024.

Ron came from a large family with three brothers and three sisters. His father Harvey was a roofer and his mother Lulu raised six children in a three-bedroom house with one bathroom (and no running water). He learned the value of hard work at an early age and had many jobs growing up including paperboy, bowling alley pinsetter, and assistant roofer but his true calling started at Krambo Food Stores. Little did he know it, but it was the beginning of a 50-year career in the food industry with stops at Dorn’s Supermarket, Treasure Island, Ron’s Big Value Market, Furrs, Fry’s, Jack Fielkow Produce and ﬁnally his own wholesale produce company, Bear Kodiak Produce, in Tucson Arizona. After selling his company he spent the next 18 years doing just enough handyman work to keep him somewhat busy in retirement.

Ron proudly served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1953-1956. He was stationed mostly at Camp Lejune and in San Juan Puerto Rico.

He is survived by his children Susan Loch, Cynthia Sengstock (partner Sharon), Daniel Sengstock (wife Yolanda) and David Sengstock (grandchildren Jeremy and Joshua). His older brother Carl Sengstock is his only remaining sibling having been preceded in death by sisters Mary, Shirley, and Beatrice and brothers Gene and Dick.

NEENAH - Lee Richard Neerhof, 74, died Wednesday February 21, 2024, at Oakridge Gardens Nursing Center, Menasha. He was born April 11, 1949, in Sheboygan, son of the late Jerome and Edith (Arthur) Neerhof. Lee met his wife Lorna Den Hartog, on a church mission trip in 1965, and they were married in Sheldon, Iowa at Bethel Reformed Church on July 5, 1969. Lorna preceded Lee in death on June 10, 2016. Lee served his country in the U.S. Army and graduated from Lakeshore Technical School with an associate degree in marketing. Lee was a devoted member of Apple Valley Church where he proudly served as a deacon for many years. He was particularly supportive of children and youth ministries as well as Gideons International.

Lee is survived by three children, two daughters: Lenore Neerhof and Lisa (B.J.) Kunza; and a son, Lyle (Stephanie Brannon) Neerhof; grandchildren: Elijah and William Kunza, Nevaeh Neerhof, Destiny and Anna Brannon, Tevin Thurmond; great-grandchild: Mason Thurmond; brother: Fred (Leann) Neerhof. Lee was further preceded in death by his daughter, Lorinda Neerhof; and brother, George Neerhof.

A visitation for Lee will be held Monday evening, February 26, 2024, at APPLE VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 1750 Olde Buggy Dr, Neenah, from 4:00 until 7:00 PM with a hymn sing following until 8:00PM.Visitation will continue Tuesday morning February 27, at the church at 9:00 AM with funeral service to begin at 10:00 AM, with Rev. John Hartley ofﬁciating. Burial will follow the funeral service at Resthaven Cemetery with full military honors.

Memorial donations will be given to Apple Valley Church Deacon’s Fund. Westgor Funeral Home 205 W Doty Ave, Neenah (920) 722-7151

Condolences:www.westgorfuneralhomes.com

Curtis Law passed away Sunday, February 11, 2024, at Edenbrook Nursing Facility, Fond du Lac, WI where he had been a resident since 2016. Born in New London, Wisconsin, to Hal and Beryl (Buelow) Law on December 11, 1928, he was 95.

Curtis worked at Sears Roebuck & Company as an appliance service technician. He retired from Sears in 1987 after 35 years of service. After retirement, he was employed by Kondex until 1996. He was a member of the Church of Peace, United Church of Christ, and served on the church council.

Surviving Curtis are his children Gerald (Darrell) Greene of New York, Eileen (Paul) Rottscholl of Fond du Lac, Kenneth (Steph Tress) Law of Ripon, Laura (Jon Shamp) Law of Idaho, Debra (Delbert) Weigel of Omro; six grandchildrenJamie Law Mielke, Christopher Law, Benjamin Law, Chad Law, Carolyn Law, and Amanda Law; and 9 great grandchildren. Also surviving Curtis is his brother Jack (Pat) Law of Fond du Lac, his sister-in-law Shirley Ferguson of Fond du Lac, and brother-in-law Dean Retzleff, of Madison. He is preceded in death by his father and mother, wife Delores of 53 years, and in-laws John Ferguson, Gail and Ed Rebedew, Darlene Steffen, and Tom Retzleff.

Cremation has taken place. A service is planned at Ledgeview Memorial Park Chapel on Friday, April 19, 2024 at 10:30am with Pastor Stephen Stepp, ofﬁciating. Thank you to the staff at Edenbrook for the many years of care given to Curtis. Additional information and guest book may be found at www.zacherlfuneralhome.com. In lieu of ﬂowers, gifts in Curtis’ name may be directed to the Dementia Society of America (https://www.dementiasociety.org/) or to a charity of your choice.

Ron will always be remembered for being a good father, husband, and friend. His sense of humor and easy-going nature were appreciated by all. God was always number one in his life and family was next. Ron is being cremated and his ashes will lay at rest in the Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in north Phoenix. Per his wishes, there will be no memorial services.

Sharon L. Orheim

MENASHA - Sharon Lee Orheim, age 83, went to her Heavenly home Thursday, February 22, 2024. She was born February 23, 1940 to the late Hugo and Minnie Werbelow in Shawano, and married Oscar “Bud” Orheim on September 3, 1960.

Sharon was an avid Packer fan who always had the Game Show Network on the television. She enjoyed gardening and eating sweets, speciﬁcally Rolos, 3 Musketeers, and ice cream. Her greatest joys were her Saturday night sleepovers and baking with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also loved spending time with her pups, Ritzi and Sammy.

Sharon will be missed by her three children: Cheryl Lawson; Greg (Tina) Orheim; and Jeff (Sandy) Orheim; grandchildren: Tina (Matt), Stacie (Junior), Ben (Tifani), Elizabeth, Nerissa (Hayden), and Aiesha (Derrick); and by nine great-grandchildren. She is further survived by her sister, Joyce Wockenfus, and by her nieces, nephews, and in-laws.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Bud in 2006; her sister, Betty Retzlaff; and by her special friend, Noble Wofford; as well as many in-laws.

A memorial service for Sharon will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, W7265 School Rd., Greenville.A visitation will be held at church from 9:00 A.M. until the hour of service.

Sharon’s family would like to extend a warm thank you to the nurses and staff at Peabody Manor, especially Nikki, Paula, Robin,Vina, Emily, and Kaylee, and to Judy for doing such a great job on the eggs. Thank you also to Scott & Cindy Shermin and Pat & Cindy Van for their friendship and visits over the years.

Westgor Funeral Home

1140 Appleton Rd. Menasha 720-0314

Condolences: www.westgorfuneralhomes.com

Curtis Law

Obituaries

Jay Kenneth Leimer

MENASHA - Jay Kenneth Leimer, age 84, passed away February 4th at Theda Care Medical Center after a lengthy battle with CMT disease and Neuropathy. Jay was born on September 8, 1939, to the late Harold and Thelma (Abel) Leimer. Jay graduated from Appleton West High School in 1957, and then joined the National Guard, 127th Infantry Division, serving for 10 years. Jay worked as an architect at various ﬁrms over the years before becoming self-employed until he retired.

Jay enjoyed many sports. If there was a Packer or Brewer game on, you can be sure he was sitting in his chair watching. He roller skated with his wife for many years. If he wasn’t dance skating with Barb, he was blowing the whistle during the races at their friend’s rink in Manitowoc, the Rollaire. He was an avid bowler in both the men’s and couple’s leagues. More recently, he was his grandson’s favorite fan and “coach”, watching every Saturday morning. He also coached soccer for Bonnie and Jaclyn’s teams, winning many trophies. One last tidbit, if there was a sport for arguing, he was the Best!

He will certainly miss his lifelong friend, Glenn Breitung. And, for the past several years, Jay truly enjoyed his lunches with friend Gary Dusso. They enjoyed sharing information about Appleton, especially the architecture.

Jay is survived by his wife of 60 years, Barbara (Birling). They were united in marriage on September 28, 1963 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Menasha. In addition to his wife, Jay is also survived by their 4 children: Cynthia (Lawrence) Gaschler, Bonnie (Heath) Tomlin, Michael Leimer, and Jaclyn Anthony. He was also the very proud Grandpa of Joshua and Zachary Gaschler.

Jay is further survived by two sisters and brothers-in-law: Laura (Milt Melander) Leimer and Grace (Josef) Weiss, sister-in-law and brother-inlaw, Dan and Debbie Birling, and sister-in-law Sandra Birling, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Jay was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Thelma, his inlaws George and Eva Birling, his sister, June Clausen, his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Robert and Evelyn Birling, Bud and Helen Werner, Donny and Myrtle Birling, Jerry and Marge Birling, and Len Birling.

Jay donated his body to the Medical College of Wisconsin in hopes of them ﬁnding more information about CMT disease and Neuropathy. There will be a military gun salute at 3:15pm followed by a celebration of his life at St. Pius Catholic Church on March 14 at 3:30pm. The family would like to say a special thank you to Father Patrick for visiting him for his ﬁnal prayers. We will miss you in so many ways! Love, your family.

...Until

Joshua J. Lorenz

Joshua J. Lorenz, age 31, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on February 18, 2024, after a life-long battle with Diamond-Blackfan Anemia, a rare red blood cell anemia. He was born on November 28, 1992, son of Greg Lorenz and Lisa Lorenz. He graduated from Seymour High School with the class of 2012.

Josh loved his video games. They allowed him to meet friends from all over the world. He was also an animal lover, especially his beloved dogs and cats. Josh always had a mind for ﬁguring things out and building projects. He was low-key, mellow and soft-spoken, but an extremely kind soul. He enjoyed spending time with family on the water and having a good time with friends. He was also a member of Seventh-day Adventist Church and a believer in Christ. Josh will be missed dearly by all who knew him.

Josh is survived by his father, Greg Lorenz; mother, Lisa Lorenz; brother, Tyler (Courtney) Lorenz; paternal grandparents, Dennis and Sally Lorenz; girlfriend, Lily Lopez; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and many friends. Josh was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Kenneth and Alice Lorenz.

A visitation will be held on Monday, February 26, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Verkuilen-Van Deurzen Family Funeral Home Freedom Location, N3972 Columbia Ave. Visitation will continue Tuesday morning at Seventh-day Adventist Church, 1414 Shawano Ave., Green Bay, from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service at 11:00 a.m. Burial will take place at the South Cicero Cemetery. In lieu of ﬂowers, a memorial is being established. For online condolences, please visit www.verkuilenfh.com.

Josh’s family would like to express a special thank you to a few doctors over his lifetime of treatments. To Dr. Stuart Adair and hematology staff for all of your care before retirement, to Dr. Jon Brandt and hematology staff for your care before Josh graduated out of Pediatric Hematology, and most recently Dr. Anthony Jaslowski and hematology staff. And another thank you to the staff at Froedtert Medical Center, especially the bone marrow transplant team and the ICU for your care and compassion these last few weeks.

We Meet Again

ose special memories of you

will

always bring a smile.

If only

I could have you back for just a little while. en we could sit and talk again just like we used to do. You always meant so very much and always will do too.

fact that you’re no longer here will always cause me pain. But you’re forever in my heart until we meet again.

Obituaries

FISH CREEK - D. Gary McNinch, 82, of Fish Creek, WI passed away Saturday night, February 10, 2024 at the Unity Hospice Jack and Engrid Meng Residence in the Town of Ledgeview, WI.

Gary McNinch was born on Christmas 1941 in Sterling, IL, the son of James Newton McNinch and Florence Leola (Maynard) McNinch. He attended Sterling High School in Illinois and played coronet in the band. Gary also excelled at tennis. Upon his graduation from Sterling High School in 1959, he went on to study Engineering at the University of Illinois, where he also continued to play tennis.

D. Gary McNinch

Gary was employed as a mechanical engineer with Kimberly-Clark for 36 years. After graduating Suma Cum Laude he moved to Neenah, WI then to Fullerton, CA. After 12 years in CA, he was transferred by Kimberly-Clark to Appleton, WI, then to New Milford, CT, and then ﬁnally back to Wisconsin, where he would live out his life.

Gary married Patricia Lynn Book on August 4, 1963, in Sterling, IL. They were blessed with three children: Suzanne, Kirsten, and Andrew and shared over 20 years of marriage.

He enjoyed the outdoors and spent time camping and hiking with his children in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Gary’s appreciation for music throughout his life also led to him teaching himself how to play the guitar. As a young father, he entertained his children with songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s.“Back in the day”, Gary was also “The King of Disco Dancing” and loved to teach anyone who asked him how to “do the shufﬂe”. He was a skilled woodworker and made many beautiful items over the years including gifts for family and bookshelves to support his love of reading (speciﬁcally mystery novels). One year, Gary even made wooden toys for the many children in his California neighborhood.

He enjoyed racing sailboats on Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin. It was there that Gary met Colleen Kay Riley. They were united in marriage on Leap Day, February 29, 1984, in Appleton, WI. Although Gary and Colleen shared over 36 years of marriage together, they often joked that their anniversary only came around once every four years.

He spent his time in retirement between Appleton and Fish Creek. Gary spent many happy years with his wife, Colleen, in their dream home that they built in Fish Creek in 1988. He owned multiple sailboats throughout the course of his life with the most recent being the Colleen K. a large, maroon Paciﬁc Seacraft Crealock 34 (his pride and joy), which was kept in the Fish Creek Harbor for many years. Gary enjoyed sailing, with Colleen by his side, off Door County and other exotic locations including the Caribbean with St. Barts and St. Martin islands being two of his favorites. He also liked tak-

ing his grandchildren sailing when they visited (even after the boys turned the bilge pump off). Gary loved taking ski trips with Colleen to Colorado; Aspen and Vail were two of their favorite resorts. He was an animal lover with a fondness for Siberian Huskies; Gary and Colleen had four over the course of their lifetimes.

Gary served on a couple of governmental advisory committees for both the Town of Gibraltar and Door County.

He enjoyed cooking, especially for the family during the holidays. Gary’s famous sautéed mushrooms will be greatly missed by all at Christmas time. He enjoyed cheering on the Packers with a bowl of popcorn. Gary was an avid card player up until his death. He looked forward to getting together with his mother-in-law, Dorthy, and niece, Casey, every Wednesday for a good game of Sheepshead; his dog niece, Cricket, would join in too, but only for treats (she didn’t play cards).

Gary will be missed by his children, Suzanne (Pat) DeGroot of Shiocton, WI, Kirsten Killinger of Neenah, WI, and Andrew (Jennie) McNinch of Appleton, WI; his ﬁrst wife, Patricia McNinch of Neenah, WI; grandchildren, Jessica Temple and Jacob (Tara) Temple, Alex (Kelsey) Mishun and Layla (Hayden) Lessor, and Cullen McNinch and Camden McNinch; grandson-inlaw, Mateo Colchado; great-grandchildren, Abigail, Evelyn, and Mattalynn, Lucy and Beckett, and Diana, Oliver, and Noah; mother-in-law, Dorthy Riley of Fish Creek, WI; siblings-in-law, Gary (Rita) Riley of Fish Creek, WI, Paula Riley of Oshkosh, WI, and Sue Marlene McNinch of East Moline, IL; and nephews and nieces.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Colleen; granddaughter, Ariel Colchado-Arter (2023); siblings, Neil McNinch, William (Marilyn) McNinch, and Marian “Betty” (Harold) Stone; fathers-in-law, Donald Riley and Ken Biebow; siblings-in-law, Sandra Riley, David Riley, and Timothy Riley.

No public services are scheduled to be held at this time. Gary will be laid to rest beside his wife, Colleen, at Blossomberg Cemetery in Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek.

Memorials may be given in his name for Unity Hospice (2366 Oak Ridge Circle, De Pere, WI 54115; www.unityhospice.org/donate); the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Wisconsin Chapter (P.O. Box 88540, Carol Stream, IL 60188; www.nationalmssociety.org/Chapters/WIG); or the Gibraltar Historical Association (P.O. Box 323, Fish Creek, WI 54212; www.historicnoble. org/donate).

“Our family would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the staff of Unity Hospice for the wonderful, compassionate care you provided.”

Arrangements have been made with Huehns Funeral Home, Inc. & Door County Crematory LLC in Sturgeon Bay. Expressions of sympathy, memories, and photos of Gary may be shared with his family through his tribute page at www.huehnsfuneralhome.com.

Each Life Is a Song

A life is a song we write in our own tone and key. Each life we touch reﬂects a note that forms the melody. We choose the theme and chorus of the song. To bear our name, and each will have a Special sound. No two can be the same. So when someone we love departs.

In memory we ﬁnd their song plays on. Within the hearts of those they Leave behind.

Obituaries

APPLETON - Janet E. (Treichel) Van Boxtel, age 84, passed away peacefully in her home in Appleton, Wisconsin on February 18, 2024. She was surrounded by family and friends during her ﬁnal days until she ran into the open arms of Jesus. Her 17-month battle with cancer took its toll on her body but she fought hard to try to conquer her sickness. She was an inspiration to all of us in so many ways and she always had to make sure we were ok even though she was the one battling for her life.

Janet Eileen Van Boxtel

Janet was born on June 28, 1939 in Kimberly, Wisconsin to Benjamin and Leona Treichel. She attended school in Kimberly and in junior high she met the love of her life, Gerald H. Van Boxtel. She lost her parents at a young age and as soon as she completed high school in 1957 she married Gerald on August 21, 1958. They spent the next 20 years living an Air Force life and mom embraced her role to support her husband. During their 20 years of service, they lived in many places: Maine, New Hampshire, California, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Jersey. After their Air Force retirement, they returned to their home state of Wisconsin. In 1964 they adopted their son Brent and in 1966 they adopted their daughter Danette. In 1968 mom gave birth to their son Clinton but sadly he passed away shortly after his birth. Her family was her whole life and she made many sacriﬁces to ensure the happiness of her husband and children.

Janet had many hobbies and talents that kept her busy and happy. She loved to bowl, cross-stitch, play piano, read books, play board games/cards, and sing in church choirs. She loved the Brewers and the Packers and always looked forward to watching the games on TV. She was happiest surrounded by her

children, grandchildren, and great grandchild. She also loved to sit and have a beer with her family and friends. Janet spent many years volunteering at the Air Force Family Services and various church functions. She also spent a short time as a doctor’s personal secretary at a prison in California. She taught herself shorthand and took shorthand notation at parole hearings for an average of 12 offenders at a time. She had such an amazing talent in the art of shorthand. She ﬁnished her working career at Secura Insurance Company in Appleton where she was a lead supervisor.

Janet leaves behind her husband: Gerald Van Boxtel; her daughter, Danette (Scott) Ploughman; her grandson, Dakota Van Boxtel; her granddaughter, Samantha Ploughman; her grandson, David Ploughman; her great-granddaughter, Ella White; and her brother, Ronald Treichel. She is further survived by many loving nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, Ben and Leona Treichel; her son, Clinton Lee Van Boxtel; her son, Brent F. Van Boxtel; her sisters: Ruth, Phyllis, Dorothy, Virginia, and Nancy; and her brothers: Robert and Carl.

A service of remembrance for Janet will be held on Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. at Verkuilen-Van Deurzen Family Funeral Home, 101 Canal St., Little Chute. Visitation will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the funeral home and will continue until the time of the service. For online condolences, please visit www.verkuilenfh.com.

The family would like to thank Janet’s hospice care team of nurses who provided Janet and her family with so much love and compassion during the past 3 months.

The Light remains

There are some who bring a light so great to the world, that even after they have gone the light remains.

SPORTS

PACKERS GRADES: CORNERBACK

Alexander has turbulent year

Cornerback dealt with injuries, suspension Ryan Wood Green Bay Press-Gazette

Ninth in a 2023 Packers position analysiswithgradesandbiggestneeds.

GREEN BAY - Before Jaire Alexander wandered onto the ﬁeld for the coin toss in Carolina, a decision that would lead to his suspension the following week in a pivotal game at Minnesota, his 2023 season already was a mess.

He’d missed nine games with injuries. He hadn’t played since Week 9 because of a strained shoulder, an injury that never landed him on injured reserve, indicating his time oﬀ the ﬁeld was expected to be shorter. Alexander returned against the Panthers on ChristmasEve,playinginhishometown Charlotte. To celebrate the occasion, he chose to make himself a captain.

His freelancing put himself before the team, a cardinal sin in the football universe. Alexander explained his decision afterward, indicating coach Matt LaFleur should have known better than to omit him from the list of captains.

“I don’t think Coach knew I was from Charlotte,” Alexander said.

It was especially troubling to see such a selﬁsh decision from a team leader. Alexander had split those responsibilities the previous season with fellow veteran Rasul Douglas, signed oﬀ the Arizona Cardinals practice squad in 2021. Douglas had taken ownership of the room as Alexander recovered from another shoulder injury that season. Together, there were two alphas on the cornerback depth chart.

When the Packers sent Douglas to the Buﬀalo Bills for a third-round draft pick at the trade deadline last season, it opened snaps for promising rookie Carrington Valentine. For Alexander, Douglas’ absence was even more signiﬁcant. It meant Alexander was the undisputed leader in the secondary.

That Alexander almost flubbed the coin toss didn’t help. When the Packers won the toss, Alexander initially said the defense would take the field, rather than deferring to the second half. He didn’t realize the phrasing could have allowed the Panthers to get possession to start both halves, something the officials clarified to ensure the Packers made the correct decision. “That,” LaFleur said, “was a big mistake.” It was

also secondary to going rogue.

His suspension the following week meant Alexander would not play in a game the Packers needed to win to extend their playoff hopes. It also meant Alexander would miss the matchup he cherishes most, unable to cover Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson. Alexander acknowledged he expected to be fined for his pregame shenanigans in Carolina, not suspended. If the punishment was severe, hitting rock bottom last season also might have been what Alexander needed.

“Ithinkitwasdeﬁnitelysomethingto learn from,” Alexander said. “There were deﬁnitely things that I could improve upon during that week to help with the communication. Moving forward, that won’t happen again.”

The suspension, in part, was a testament to how little Alexander impacted the Packers’secondary last season even when he was on the field. The Packers won in Minnesota, holding Jefferson to five catches on 10 targets for 59 yards and no touchdowns.

It also refocused Alexander in time to show his value in the defense by season’s end. There’s a reason he’s the

COLLEGE BASEBALL

PHOENIX – Willy Adames is back with the Milwaukee Brewers, and for that he’s thankful.

“Of course,” he said. “I’ve been here for three years now (traded from the Tampa Bay Rays on May 21, 2021). You create that bond with the boys. You always want to keep growing those relationships. The three years I’ve been here we’ve been competing, and we’ve had a pretty good team and some young guys that are exciting to watch and fun to play with.

“I’m looking forward to that (again).”

Due to Adames’ status as an impending free agent, and the sides failing to come to an agreement to keep himinMilwaukeeforthelongterm,the expectation all oﬀseason was that at some point he would be traded.

TheBrewersdidpullthetriggerwith their other big-name player who was in asimilarpositionwhentheysentrighthander Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles two weeks before camp in exchange for DL Hall, Joey Ortiz and a 2024 draft pick.

But there the 28-year-old Adames was in the clubhouse in Maryvale, preparing for what in all likelihood will be his ﬁnal season as the Brewers’ shortstop.

“Notreally,becauseyou’vegottoget ready no matter what,” he said when asked if the rumors impacted his oﬀseason. “Obviously, you want to know what’s going to happen, but you can’t controlthat.You’vejustgottogetready for the season. You just try to adjust to it, be here and give 100% every day.

“Just be myself. Try to be the same guy every day and keep helping the young kids and be the best teammate I can be.”

How the Brewers fare this season could determine whether Adames goes the distance with the team. If they struggle, a deadline trade in late July is likely to occur.

If they compete as they expect to, perhaps Adames will end up being a linchpin in another playoﬀ appearance.

Here are four observations about Milwaukee’s shortstop situation.

Adames hoping to halt the downward offensive spiral

Adames has been the Brewers’most consistent run producer since joining the team, setting career highs with 31 homers and 98 RBI in 2022 and leading

‘Angry’ Lawrence expects to contend after down

Joe Vanden Acker For USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

APPLETON – The Lawrence University baseball team feels like it has something to prove, and that could be a scary proposition for the Vikings’ opponents this spring.

With nearly everyone back from a season ago, including multiple key players who missed the 2023 season due to injury, the Vikings are looking to make another run at the Midwest Conference title.

“I think there’s a diﬀerent feeling this year,” Lawrence coach Chris Krepline said.“Ourguyshavesaidittoo.There’sa diﬀerent feeling about who we are. They are angry about last year. They want to

season

show that we are here to stay. We are picked fourth (in the MWC coaches poll) again, but we all know from years past that rankings don’t matter. It’s about ourselves and our ability to execute in each game.”

Lawrence opens its season this weekend, traveling to the St. Louis area to play three nonconference opponents. The Vikings won their opener Friday, 7-4 over North Park University.

After going 26-13 and winning the Midwest Conference championship in 2022, the Vikings slipped to 15-22 last spring. Key players like ace pitcher Quinn Berglin and ﬁrst baseman Zach Leslie missed extended periods of time,

See LAWRENCE, Page3C

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison catches a pass against Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander.

Monasterio seeks to reclaim job

PHOENIX – Last year at this time, Andruw Monasterio was just another face in the clubhouse.

Sure, the Milwaukee Brewers believed he held some promise as he entered his second season in the organization. But enough to break though to the major leagues for the ﬁrst time and become a signiﬁcant contributor?

Not so much.

“It’s a great story because we really didn’t know,” manager Pat Murphy said of the inﬁelder, who went from non-roster invitee to major-league debut in late May. “I would always say to the coaches, ‘Let’s not spend a lot of extra time with guys who aren’t going to be on our roster. Like, let’s focus in on the guys we forecast to be with us.’”

Monasterio was called up from Class AAA Nashville in the wake of the freak concussion suﬀered by shortstop Willy Adames. He provided coverage at shortstop and second base but eventually settled in at third, and by the end of the season he’d made 51 of his 78 starts at third.

The native of Caracas, Venezuela, surprised everyone, flirting with a .300 average in early August before eventually finishing at .259 with three home runs and 27 runs batted in. He also played commendably in the field, accountingfortwooutsaboveaverageand six defensive runs saved at the hot corner.

“Monasterio broke through,” Murphy said. “You know, he just kept playing good. And then when he came to the big leagues, he was underrated for us.

“He did a great job.”

Monasterio will take another swing at the third-base job this spring as he auditions for Murphy along with the likes of Joey Ortiz, Owen Miller, Tyler Black, Oliver Dunn and non-roster invitee Christian Arroyo.

Brock Wilken, the Brewers’ ﬁrstround pick last July, is also in camp and considered the team’s third baseman of the future but won’t be expected to truly be in the mix for another year.

Here are four observations about Milwaukee’s third-base situation.

Monasterio is looking to do more damage

Brewers

Continued from Page 1C

Milwaukee with 24 homers and 80 RBI in 2023.

But that production has come at the expense of his batting average, which sagged from .238 in 2022 to a career-low 217lastseasonwithstrikeouttotalsthat were his highest and second-highest since breaking into the majors in 2018.

Adames did set a personal high for walks with 71(his11.1% rate ranked in the 82nd percentile in the majors) and he also ranked in the 82nd percentile with a 12.4% barrel rate.

Other than that, his overall batting proﬁle as represented by the metrics was less than impressive, with plenty of room for improvement.

“There’s some stuﬀ I need to improve and get better at,” Adames said. “Every year you have room to get better. Maybe last year wasn’t what I wanted to do, but that’s how it goes. Some years are going to be better than others, and you’ve just got to make the adjustment and have a better year the next year after a season like that.

I worked hard this oﬀseason to make some adjustments to try and have a better year this year.”

Adames was pressed for more specifics.

“More the mindset. Be more consis-

Physically speaking, Monasterio measured in like a second baseman last season at 5-foot-11 and 186 pounds. Compare that to Wilken’s 6-4, 225pound frame — one that is more prototypical for playing every day (and anchoring a lineup) — at third.

Following the Brewers’ ouster in the National League wild-card round last October, Monasterio set forth adding more strength and bulk to his frame. He reported to Maryvale weighing around 200 — big enough to notice the change but not overly muscled up like former BrewerLuisUríaswasafewspringsago. Hisgoalistogetatleastafewmoreof the six balls he hit oﬀ or right to the wall last season to go over the fence in 2024.

“I saw my videos and my pictures from home plate and I didn’t have good support for my lower half,” said Monasterio, who also took up yoga and incorporated more agility training into his workouts. “I was just focusing this oﬀseason on trying to get bigger and more powerful.

“I think I got a good result.”

tent at stuﬀ I wasn’t doing last year,” he said. “Just basic stuﬀ. I think last year the mindset wasn’t there. Sometimes your comfort level goes away, and it’s hard to get it back. It’s nothing major, nothing crazy. I’m just trying to be more consistent.

“During the season sometimes, you get into a hole and you can’t get out of it.

The oﬀseason helps you to relax and let go and just try to get your mindset right. Try to prepare yourself way better than the year before.”

Manager Pat Murphy is a ﬁrm believer that Adames will make the necessary adjustments.

“I think like most of us, he’s under construction,” he said. “He’s ﬁnding himself, you know what I mean? He’s open to growth and he’s open to getting better. So, whatever the past was, was the past, but I think he’s in a pretty good spot to say, ‘Hey, I want to get better offensively, whatever way I can.

The numbers get printed out over time. But I think he’s in a growth mindset about, ‘I just want to be a better offensive player. I want to be a better defensive player. I want to be a better player.’ That’s who the kid is.”

It’s tough to get better than Adames on defense

One thing that can be said about Adames is despite his struggles at the plate,hehasn’ttakenthemintotheﬁeld.

288-279-767, Mike Brandenburg 256-716. SabreSlammers,Sabre: Barb Tesch 245-579, Mary Farquhar 214-563, Toni Appel 211-560, Mary Jo Landskron 555, Liane Butitta 230-550.

While Monasterio didn’t offer much in the way of slugging (.348) he was decent at making contact, which was at times a difficult chore for the rest of the lineup. Murphy took umbrage when it was suggested Monasterio was an average offensive player.

“I beg to diﬀer,” he said. “I’d say he’s an above-average oﬀensive player for what he brings to the table and what he’s being asked to do. His ball-strike was exceptional. He got big hits at big times, in the biggest of situations. I bet his percentage of quality at-bats in those big situations (was high) the way I wouldIviewit—thequalityofswinging at the right pitch, hard contact, understanding the situation.”

Defensively, Monasterio doesn’t possess a cannon arm but showed he could ﬁeld on the move and make quick reads — both musts to be a regular at third.

“He was above average defensively,” Murphy said. “I think everything was kind of new for him and he slowed himself down. I think he’s quality defensive player.”

Black will need to drill down on third base

The Brewers, as they like to do, moved Black all around defensively in his first couple of minor-league seasons as he made double-digit starts at first, second and third base as well as in center field.

But the 103 starts he made at third were far and away his most, and that’s where Black’s best shot at making the team out of camp will come (with limited time at ﬁrst base mixed in).

As the Brewers’ fourth-rated prospect, Black had a breakout 2023 in which he batted .284 with 18 homers and 73 RBI while compiling an OPS of .930 after stints at both Class AA Biloxi and Class AAA Nashville.

Speed was also a big part of Black’s game as he stole 55 bases in 67 tries.

“Guys that can produce offensively findtheirwayontheteam,”Murphysaid of the 2021 first-round pick (33rd overall). “So, if he’s got great offensive production, we’re going to try to find a defensive spot that he can excel at. And because he’s new to us, we’re going to have to spend some extra time figuring that out.

“I believe in the kid, I guarantee that.”

A big factor in Black putting up big

Just how good was he at shortstop last season?

According to Baseball Savant, Major League Baseball’s oﬃcial statistical portal, Adames was credited with 16 outs aboveaverage—atotalthatrankedsixth among all defenders and second among shortstops behind only Dansby Swanson of the Chicago Cubs (20).

Adames was also credited with 12 runs prevented and did his best work while coming in on balls. FanGraphs tabbed him for eight defensive runs savedin1,282innings,onefewerthanhe accounted for in 2022.

“It’s just consistency,” Adames said. “Every year you have room to improve, be better. I don’t take it for granted. I try to be better in both sides of the game. The defense has been better than the offense, but I’m continuing to work and trying to get better at my defense.

“It’s not like I’ve been winning Gold Gloves (Adames wasn’t even a ﬁnalist in 2023), but it’s still in my mind. I’m trying.AGoldGloveisoneofmydreams,so I’m working harder every year at it to try to win it.”

Adames remains an iron man, energy source

Adames played in a team-leading 149 games in 2023, marking the fourth time in his ﬁve full seasons in the majors he’s played in at least 139.

Expectthattrendtocontinue,provid-

Wednesday Senior Fish, Rolling Thunder: Mike Westenberger 201-245627, Rick Lemmens 201-217-573, Bob Dietz 558, Dick Westphal 212-523, Larry Tesch 518, Gary Kasten 513, RandyTechlin 511. Monday State Seniors, Rolling Thunder: Dale Reh 234-224-654, Jeff Nitz 227-217-632, Larry Tesch 210-213-611, Warren Woodward 207-589, Jeff Cherney 585, Randy Kunstman 212-585, Mike Kempf 225-582, Steve Dorschner 259573, Ron Leurquin 207-571, Rick Mullard 204-227-571, Gary Kasten 217-570, Dave Kohl 247-564, Steve Zastrow 562, Rick Lemmens 227-562, Kim Lattimer 205-547, Mike Westenberger 213-544, Dick Westphal 544, Dan Degenhardt 540, Steve Kratzer 530, Herb Grube 203-529, Wayne Genske528,ToniAppel527,MikeShanklin 515, Tony McKee 505, Gary Wright 201500. Tri City, Sabre: Peter Hoestsch 267279-784, Brian Krieglstein 269-278-728, Paul Bolwerk 253, 247-719, Ryan Duescher 278-713, Nate Du Chateau 248-245-711, Travis Gust 257-692, Stan Wingate 682, Trevor Michels 246-672, Roger Hyler 246671, Ryan Quick 262-656, Kyle Tessen 269-654, Nate Maas 650, Dave Waller 279, Travis Piepenhagen 277, Mike LaRue 254, Bart Kennedy 244, Lisa Berholtz 218. Holy Name Men’s, Electric City: Ryan Eiting 243-674, Kyle Blaese 247-257728, Kevin Lambie 259-232-674, Dean Umlauft 217-269-630, Nick Hietpas 247650,JasonGollner656,KurtDeBroux653, Scott Eiting 650. American, Electric City: Bob Momberg 242-690, Kyle Vosters 256-684, Jeff Baker 258-700, Darrel Vosters 591, John Vosters 224, Mark Vosters 215-603, Tyler VanAsten 253-651, Gary VerVoort 214, Al Garvey 217, Chris Brockman 246-257-702, Todd Brockman 223-589, Brad Peeters 268, Rick Green 212-215-636. Thursday Mixers, Rolling Thun-

numberslastseasonwasthefacthewas able to remain healthy. Major injuries hampered him during his ﬁrst couple years in the organization, although in a way those maladies underscored the hard-nosed nature of his game.

Blackwillneedtopickandchoosehis spots more carefully now that he’s a step away from the majors. But Murphy admires the way the Toronto native isn’t afraidtostickhisnoseinthereandcompete.

“A gamer for me is a guy who’s kind of relentless, you know? Doesn’t let one negative moment or one pitch aﬀect the next pitch and that type of thing. Just kind of stays relentless,” Murphy said. “His best AB might be his last of the day.

“I like the kid. Really, he’s a favorite of mine.”

Arroyo has a real shot to stick

Ofalltheexternalnon-rosterinvitees the Brewers brought to camp, Arroyo might have the best chance at sticking on the opening-day roster.

He has the ability to play every infield spot as well as in the outfield, a decent amount of major-league experience (295 games split between four organizations coming in) and passable offensive numbers (.252/24/120/.693) since breaking into the majors in 2017.

Arroyo will see the bulk of his playing time this spring at third base, Murphy said, with some ﬁrst base thrown in. He’s made 44 starts at third in his career and a pair at ﬁrst.

Ortiz, Miller lead rest of the group

There’s no question expectations are high for Ortiz, who was acquired in the Corbin Burnes trade. It’s possible to see a scenario in which he bounces between third and second base with his defense his calling card and his ability to hit consistently the ﬁnal hurdle he needs to clear.

Then there’s Miller, who has made 18 of his 22 major-league starts at third base for the Brewers.

LikeArroyo,theOzaukeeHighSchool product can play all over the diamond and is also a right-handed hitter. Unlike Arroyo, Miller has one minor-league option left, potentially working against him in his quest to make the openingday roster while Arroyo has none.

ed he can remain healthy.

“He plays every day and he wants to be in there every day. You’ve got to drag him out of there,”Murphy said. “He goes at it so hard and then he takes it so personal, and all that is exhausting.”

Andyetsomehow,Adamescontinues to serve as the heartbeat of the team with an energy and enthusiasm that is infectious.

“Willy can play on any team,”Murphy said. “There’s no manager in the league that doesn’t want Willy on their team. I mean, just the way he brings it, what he does, what he’s about, the way he competes, the way he handles the ups and downs — he brings it every day. And he brings it every day with passion.

Yeah, every manager in baseball wants Willy Adames on their team.” Who else is in mix at shortstop?

Brice Turang made 10 starts in place of Adames in 2023 and he along with the newcomerOrtiz,anotherslickﬁeldercapable of playing around the inﬁeld, would be Murphy’s top two options as the backup.

Andruw Monasterio, who made ﬁve starts at shortstop last season, would be nextfollowedbyVinnyCapraandYonny Hernández, both of whom have limited major-league experience and are in camp as non-roster players.

Andrew Monasterio made 51 starts at third base last season for the Brewers.

HERNANDEZ/ MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL Todd Rosiak

NFL’s top-paid player at his position. When the Packers traveled to Dallas for the NFC wild-card round in January, Alexander showed few cornerbacks can change a game like him. His diving interception against Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was a signature play propelling the Packers to a blowout win.

General manager Brian Gutekunst madeclearaftertheseasonhehasnointention to trade Alexander this oﬀseason.

The good

In a strong training camp, Valentine flashed enough potential to think he might be the rare rookie seventh-round pick who could handle snaps. The problem was finding him snaps on a depth chart buoyed by two veterans. Douglas’ midseason departure opened the door and, by season’s end, Valentine played almost 850 snaps, including more than 150 in a pair of playoff games. His play was uneven last season, typical for a rookie.

The bad

At this point, Eric Stokes’ mounting injuries have brought him to a career crossroads. That he’s a first-round draft pick who had a bright future after a promising rookie season in 2021 only makes his inability to stay on the field more unfortunate, both for him and the Packers. Stokes was off to a poor start in his second season, but there was every reason to think he could turn things around in 2022, given how well he played upon entering the league. Then a leg injury in Detroit temporarily left him in a wheelchair and placed him on season-ending injured reserve. Stokes anticipated returning close to last season’s opener, but a pair of hamstring injuries delayed his first game to Week 7. He lastedfourspecialteamsreps—nosnapson defense — against the Broncos before another hamstring injury put him back on injured reserve. Stokes wasn’t activated off injured reserve again until Week15,startingagainstTampaBay.After making a second start the following week in Carolina, Stokes injured his hamstring again in practice leading up tothetriptoMinnesota.Hisfourthhamstring injury of 2023 ended his season at 110 snaps.

Biggest need

After earning All-Pro honors as a kick returner in 2022, Keisean Nixon finally had an opportunity to fill a bigger role last season. He never had been more than a defensive backup in his first four seasons, three with the Las Vegas Raiders,butNixon’sathleticismandcompetitiveness were worth experimenting at nickel corner. His play in the slot resembled how he returns kicks. Erratic, all over the field. It’s electrifying with the football in his hands. A problem when defending the middle of the field. Nixon is scheduled to enter free agency next month after again being selected an AllPro as a kick returner and, for that reason, re-signing him should be a priority. At the same time, his inconsistency in the slot makes nickel corner a primary position the Packers need to acquire this offseason.

Grades

Carrington Valentine: Cracked initial roster as rookie seventh-round pick after impressive training camp. Opened season in backup role behind veterans on perimeter. ... Played only 80 snaps in first five games. Made first start Week 7 in Denver as injury replacement for Alexander.PickedonbyRussellWilson,allowed 33-yard catch down right sideline despitetightcoverageagainstCourtland Sutton on game’s opening third down. Allowed two more first-half catches on third down against Sutton. Also forced incompletion through back of end zone,

Lawrence

Continued from Page 1C

and the Vikings were without top relievers Richie LaCien and Nate Johannes. Lawrence’s strengths are a potent offense and revitalized defense. With an outﬁeld that features 2022 All-American Jacob Charon, Appleton native and all-Region 9 selection Parker Knoll and all-region pick Edan Perez, the Vikings have plenty of pop. Perez hit .457 a season ago and drove in 42, and Knoll hit .427 with a team-best 10 homers and 34 runs batted in. Charon was oﬀ his torrid 2022 pace but hit .344 with eight homers and 37 RBIs.

“Oﬀensively, we have a pretty scary

locking down Marvin Mims Jr. in man coverage. ... Played with admirable swagger as rookie. Got away with potential game-changing pass interference on ﬁnal drive against Kansas City, no call despitebeingdrapedonChiefs’Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s back covering Patrick Mahomes deep pass. ... Led secondary with nine catchesof at least20 yards allowed. Nine PBUs were also most in secondary. No interceptions, one dropped. Only one touchdown catch allowed. Missed six tackles in 62 chances. Two defensive pass interference penalties for 30 yards, the ﬁrst allowing a third-and-3 conversion against Pittsburgh. One defensive holding. Drew holding penalty against Detroit’s Kalif Raymond, erasing a David Montgomery touchdown run. ... Played 847 snaps,152 in pair of postseason games. Made 14 starts. Too early to know where career goes from here, but potential worth further look in 2024. Grade: C

Jaire Alexander: Injuries, suspension and uncharacteristically poor play derailed two-time Pro Bowler’s 2023 season. ... Dropped potential pick-6 against Atlanta’s Desmond Ridder in Week 2, and things spiraled from there. Drew matchup against Drake London in Atlanta. Allowed 22-yard catch on thirdand-15, giving too much cushion on in cut.Boxedoutinendzoneagainstbigger London on 3-yard touchdown catch. Too soft in coverage again on London’s corner route for 24 yards, igniting Falcons game-winning drive. ... Injured back following week in practice, missing next three games. ... Occasionally showed flashes of brilliance. Three PBUs in one quarter against Rams. On third, undercut Stafford pass to Cooper Kupp, laying out to deflect football toward Anthony Johnson Jr. for interception. Injured shoulder on landing. Finished game, including open-field tackle against Rams’ Austin Trammell to prevent first down on third-and-8, but didn’t play next six. .. Wandered onto field as self-assigned captainforcointossinfirstgamebackat Carolina. Followed with perhaps worst game of season, allowing four receptionsofatleast15yards....Showedmore focus returning from suspension following week in Minnesota. Play of season came on diving interception against Dallas’ Dak Prescott. ... Allowed two touchdown catches and five receptions of at least 20 yards in 561 snaps, similar numbers to 2022 in about half the play-

lineup,” said Krepline, whose team hit .300 last season. “I think there are a few question marks in the lineup, but we’ve returned pretty much every single hitter.”

Leslie and his outstanding glove is back at ﬁrst after hitting .366 and driving in 28 a season ago. Taylor Freeman returns at second and William Polanco should anchor the hot corner. The Vikings have experienced catchers Nick Heerde and Will Zatkowski behind the plate.

The biggest new piece to the puzzle is ﬁrst-year shortstop Tate Hartlaub, a former star at Kiel High School. Hartlaub has pulled together the Lawrence inﬁeld defense.

“I know he’s a freshman, but he’s as smooth as can be,”Krepline said of Har-

ing time (two touchdowns, six receptions of at least 20 yards allow in 901 snaps). Six PBUs. ... Plays with physicality, willing to initiate contact. Missed four tackles on 43 chances. Still has talent to be top corner after turning 27 earlier this month, but average even without injuries and suspension last season. Grade: C-minus Keisean Nixon: Depending on play, couldcreateahighlightreelforexemplary or inept slot corner. Knack for being around football provided high highs. Inconsistency yielded low lows. ... Led secondary with 96 tackles. Led defense with 23 missed tackles. Game-changing interception against Mahomes in upset win, tracking football over shoulder for terrific catch. Dropped two interceptions, including potential pick late third quarter against San Francisco with Packers holding touchdown lead in playoffs. ... Speed from slot led to 1.5 sacks, including chase down of Prescott in playoffs. Two missed tackles allowed pair of 20-yard-plus runs in Denver. Allowed three runs of at least 10 yards. Three tackles for loss, four run stuffs. ... Capable of making plays in coverage. Ripped football out of Jordan Addison’s hands in end zone to prevent Vikings touchdown. Tight coverage put him in position to make quick tackle after catch against Keenan Allen, preventing first down on third-and-5. Good coverage in end zone against Dallas’ Ceedee Lamb prevented touchdown in playoffs. Those moments didn’t come frequently enough. Allowed three touchdown catches, eight catches of at least 20 yards in 938 snaps. Grade: C-minus Corey Ballentine: Fearless on perimeter. Mitigates lack of athleticism with willingness to challenge receivers, and ability to bounce back after getting beat. Struggles playing football in air is biggest issue. Started season on practice squad, but quickly used maximum three gameday elevations. ... Made first start as injury replacement for Alexander in Pittsburgh. Blanketed Diontae Johnson on third-and-2 stop route, forcing incompletion. Used sideline well to force two more incompletions on an island against Johnson later in game. Replaced suspended Alexander in Minnesota, catching deflected interception off Johnny Mundt’s hands. Allowed 20yard catch against Addison on crossing route, but held up well against Jefferson. .. Allowed six catches of at least 20

tlaub. “There’s a lot of conﬁdence. You can see it in the defense. I try to challenge them every day in practice, and they keep proving it was not a challenge.”

Luke Miles, Stephaune Haylock, Jeremy Peddle, Nathan Depew, Myles Brincks and Nolan Zurawski will ﬁll roles oﬀ the bench.

“On paper, this is probably the most talent and the most depth we’ve had,” Krepline said.

The top of Lawrence’s pitching staﬀ begins with Berglin, Nick Katz and Elden Santana set to shoulder the load. Berglin went just 3-1 last season, but he posted a 1.94 ERA while striking out 43 and walking 16 in 412 3 innings pitched. Katz was 2-1 with a 3.54 ERA a season ago, and Santana was 3-5 with a 5.45

yards, one touchdown. Seven PBUs. Seven missed tackles in 55 chances. Two run stuffs. Two defensive pass interference penalties for 30 yards. Started in four critical wins of season against Chargers, Vikings, Chiefs and Vikings. Grade: C-minus Rasul Douglas: Veteran leader in locker room, but part of the problem in secondary before midseason trade to Buffalo. Allowed four touchdown passes in seven games before trade, three catches of at least 20 yards. ... Struggles in coverage might have made trade more palatable, but still signs he was capable of solid play. Best tackler in secondary, missing only one in 27 chances. Showed he’s still a playmaker in Buffalo, finishing season with four interceptions and eight PBUs with Bills. Played 487 snaps for Packers. Grade: C Eric Stokes: Lost season to injuries for second straight year. Soft-tissue injuries especially troubling: four hamstring pulls in 2023. ... First defensive snaps didn’t come until Week 15 against Tampa Bay. Looked like a cornerback who hadn’t played in a year. Allowed three touchdown catches in 110 snaps, appearing in only three games. Needs to figure out injury situation this offseason to prolong career. Grade: F Robert Rochell: Signed to active roster off Carolina practice squad Week 7. Played 112 special teams reps in nine games. Remains on team’s offseason roster. Grade: Incomplete David Long Jr.: Claimed off waivers from Carolina in Week 14. Played 14 specialteamsrepsinthreegames,nodefensive snaps. Released before regular-season finale against Chicago but signed to practice squad following week. Elevated on game day against Dallas in playoffs but kept inactive. Did not sign futures contract with team after season. Grade: Incomplete

Kyu Blu Kelly: Claimed oﬀ waivers Week 11 from Baltimore in November. Played one defensive snap with four special teams reps in lone game against Detroit on Thanksgiving. Released three weeks later, ﬁnishing season in Washington. Grade: Incomplete

Kiondre Thomas: Played 11 special teams reps as practice squad elevation Week 4 against Detroit. No defensive snaps. Released in October. Grade: Incomplete

ERA while striking out 60 in 38 innings.

“The talent level in terms of stuff is going to be unmatched,”Krepline said of his pitching staff. “In our conference, I think we have the best stuff. The question is can we throw strikes, pitch to contact and let our defense do its work.”

The back end of the bullpen will be anchored by LaCien, Shane Foley and Brandon Brust. The Vikings have a host of pitchers from seniors Jonah Palmer and Zach Lordo to juniors Johannes and Cam Ruth to a slew of ﬁrst-year players set to contribute.

“Pitching could be a strength, but we still have to prove it,” Krepline said. “It’s nice to have everyone back this year.”

Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine celebrates after defeating the Chicago Bears. DAN POWERS/USA TODAY

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

Pitching depth, defense gives Lawrence optimism

Joe Vanden Acker

For USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

APPLETON − It’s going to be a group eﬀort for the Lawrence University softball team this spring.

In a sport where one pitcher can truly dominate, the Vikings are going to get everyone involved to ﬁnd success.

“If our pitchers can feed gloves and feed the defense, it will take pressure oﬀ our oﬀense,” said Lawrence coach Tracy Cromer.

The Vikings opened their season Friday in Rhinelander’s Hodag Dome , falling11-3 and10-1in a nonconference doubleheader against No. 24 Concordia Wisconsin.

First-year pitcher Avery Chilson of Lake Mills joins returning pitchers Lizzy Angemi, Xiomara Rueda-Marshall and Kourtney Mercer.

“We’re looking for them to throw strikesandnotgiveupalotoffreebases. We’re going to use them as a staﬀ and their strengths to keep people oﬀ-balance,”Cromer said. “The addition of (assistant) coach (Tina) Delpino working with (assistant coach) Emilia (Keenan) has allowed us to change their focus and change their approach. We’re seeing positive results.”

TheVikingsgaveupnearlyfourwalks per seven innings a season ago, so cutting that down would have a major impact. The defense did help the pitching staﬀin2023byleadingallofNCAADivision III with 0.58 double plays per game.

Our defense is very strong behind our pitchers,” Cromer said.

Lawrence returns every starter on the inﬁeld with the exception of third baseman Mikayla Jeneske, who was lost to graduation. All-Midwest Conference selection Janessa Gonzalez returns at second base with Gillian Guerriero at shortstop and Mercer at ﬁrst. Newcomer Zoe Dohertywillslideintothestartingroleat third base.

The Vikings are strong behind the plate with all-conference selection Mattigan Haller teaming up with senior Mary Boyle. Haller also plays in the outfield alongside the fleet Adrie Villa in center, Khayla Santiago in right and Laney Martens filling in as well.

season, but Lawrence batters struck out nearly ﬁve times per seven innings.

Zoe and Janessa will be the tablesetters,” Cromer said. “We’ll need Maddy, Gillian and Kourtney to drive them in.”

The Vikings hit .259 as a team last

Haller hit .316 a season ago and scoredateam-high25runs.Gonzalezhit 355 in 2023, scored 21runs and drove in 16. The Vikings also return designated player Jordan Wallin-Swanson, who hit 253 and drove in 13 runs last season.

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“We’ve worked really hard to reduce our swings and misses. We hope to see a big diﬀerence in that,”Cromer said. “The next step forward is to eliminate big inningsandstayinballgames.Ifwecando that, we’ll start to see the scoreboard switch to the other side.”

The Vikings won just ﬁve games a season ago, but Cromer and her team believe they can see a big improvement in 2024. “We have big goals,” Cromer said. We’d like to make a run to the conference tournament, which would be a big step forward. If we play to our potential, there’s no reason we can’t make a run at it.”

Mattigan Haller batted .316 and scored a team-high 25 runs for the Lawrence softball team last season.

PAUL WILKE/COURTESY OF LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY

Haﬂey’s defense will ‘get after it’

GREEN BAY - Despite putting the San Francisco 49ers’ defense on its heels for a good portion of his team’s 24-21 divisional round playoﬀ loss a month ago, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur decided he wanted his defense to mirror the one he almost beat.

So, when he ﬁred defensive coordinator Joe Barry and went out in search of something diﬀerent than he had gotten from his defense the past three seasons, he focused on style more than scheme.

He interviewed seven NFL assistant coaches, ﬁve who came from teams that play a hard-nosed, aggressive style, including the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys and Buﬀalo Bills.

The guy he ended up choosing, Jeﬀ Haﬂey, was head coach at Boston College, but he earned his chops coaching defensive backs with — who else? — the 49ers. He was the only college coach LaFleur interviewed and the only one with a background coaching the system current New York Jets head coach Robert Salehinstalledforthe49ersandsuccessor DeMeco Ryans continued to run untilhebecameheadcoachoftheHouston Texans.

The 49ers’ scheme features a 4-3 alignment (four defensive linemen, three linebackers) and a lot of zone coverage. But what makes it so hard to push around is the swarm-the-ball mentality that springs out of players having to think less and attack more.

“I feel like we can poke holes in every scheme,” LaFleur said Thursday in a news conference to introduce Haﬂey and speak on the other changes he has made to his staﬀ. “I really do believe there’s a weakness to every scheme. So, to me, when I look at and think about great defenses in this league, it’s a style of play.

“It’s how do these guys attack the football? How do they approach the ball

carrier? And how relentless are they playing each and every play? The eﬀort that they give, that is deﬁnitely a staple of that defense. Whether it’s San Francisco, whether it’s the Jets — watched a lot of Houston over the last few days — they are relentless.”

Hafley isn’t NFL-sized like Saleh and Ryans, but those who have coached with him said he’s a presence on the field because of the energy he brings. Not unlike Barry, he doesn’t hold back when it comes to showing emotion and can log more miles running around the practice field than some of the players.

To play the style of football LaFleur wants, however, it’s going to take more than just Haﬂey preaching the gospel of his defense. It’s going to require the rest of his staﬀ to simplify the assignments and get everyone playing with an edge.

It’s no coincidence LaFleur and Haﬂey went after Miami linebackers coach Anthony Campanile as hard as they did, outbidding the Philadelphia Eagles for his services. Campanile coaches linebackers like a linebacker and became

famous after one of his speeches to his players captured in “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Miami Dolphins” went viral.

Haﬂeyalsobroughthisdefensiveline coach, Vince Oghobaase, with him from Boston College, where he’ll team with Jason Rebrovich to coach the defensive front. Rebrovich was the most animated of any coach on Barry’s staﬀ and had considerable success coaching the outside linebackers last season.

LaFleur wanted more fire breathing on defense and to get it, he assembled a staff that will have an old-school flair in how it coaches.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of juice on the field from that staff,” Hafley said. “That doesn’t mean yelling. We wanttobedemanding,notdemeaning.I want guys out there who have energy, who enjoy being around. We’re going to ask players to run around and run to the ball and get after it.

“Now coaches need to be the same way. And that’s really important to me. I think there’s a part of being cerebral, but when we get a chance to get out on that ﬁeld, we’ve got to go.”

To help them go, Haﬂey intends to use a philosophy the 49ers have had going all the way back to when Vic Fangio was defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh. They put athletes all over the ﬁeld — great ones at inside linebacker — and played various forms of zone defense that allowed the defenders to have eyes on the ball.

LaFleur wants what he called a “vision-based” defense where corners, safeties and linebackers are dropping into coverage while facing the quarterback. It means often rushing just four and ﬂooding the defensive backﬁeld with players ready to break on the ball.

“Our zone coverages are built oﬀ vision,”Haﬂey said. “It allows guys to play fast. So, they’re not looking at people and looking around for people. The essence of playing vision-based coverage is that when the ball is thrown, you have two or three guys going 100 miles an hour to the ball carrier.

“And I think that’s what the biggest diﬀerence is. And you have to have complements to that.”

What might be different is that Hafley will play a lot of press coverage with his corners, even when he’s in zone, and planstoincorporatesomenontraditional looks in certain down-and-distances. Besides serving under Saleh in San Francisco, Hafley coached under former Packers defensive coordinator and Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine. Coaching under Pettine allowed him to learn some of the odd blitzes that were a big part of former Jets coach Rex Ryan’s scheme.

“I think there’s down-and-distances where you’ve got to get exotic, you have to get after people, you have to pressure the quarterback,” Haﬂey said. “You’ve got to get guys that can rush and you’ve got to get guys that can cover but you have to get after the quarterback.

“I think there’s down-and-distance situations where you don’t need as much pressure but when you get a chance to get after the quarterback, you have to. As we build this thing, I think you’regoingtoseesomethingsthatlook a little bit more exotic.”

LaFleur said he wouldn’t have hired Haﬂey if it would have required overhauling the personnel, so it’s unlikely there will be big changes in the lineup. But all the great 49ers defenses have been outstanding in the middle, from inside pass rushers to inside linebackers to safeties.

The Packers have plenty of talent upfront but may have to upgrade at one of the linebacker spots and at one or both safety positions. What LaFleur wants is a scheme that loads the players to their capacity, whatever that may be, but allows them to play freely without thinking too much.

Haﬂey considers that a staple of his defense and will spend the next few months learning the personnel and ﬁguring out how he can make his plan crystal clear every week.

“What can they handle where they can execute at a high level and succeed?” Haﬂey said. “I mean, that’s so important for us to understand as we put stuﬀ in and that’s why you can’t overload them. The whole key to this game on defense is we just can’t give up big plays and let people score.”

Giannis, Lillard close out win over best of West

MINNEAPOLIS - The Milwaukee Bucks turned in perhaps their best win of the season late Friday night, toppling the Western Conference’s best teamwitha112-107victoryovertheMinnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center.

“It was a great barometer for us,” Bucks center Brook Lopez said. “We put a lot of great work in before the all-star break in the games leading up; the wins and losses didn’t necessarily reﬂect that, but we’d been having great practices, learning a lot from each other, learning a lot from the staﬀ, from Doc and you’ve heard it said — it’s been a training camp atmosphere. We had a great practice yesterday that was just like that.

“Obviously you don’t need me to tell you that was a great team we just played, the best team in the West. It’s a great environment. We just played them a couple weeks ago and they destroyed us, dominated us. So to come out and play the way we played for the majority for the game, that’s a great sign.”

The Bucks (36-21) withstood a furious rally by the Timberwolves (39-18) in the fourth quarter that saw Minnesota whittle a 17-point deﬁcit to four with 1 minute, 58 seconds to go, but Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard closed it out for the Bucks.

First, Antetokounmpo pulled down a pair of tough oﬀensive rebounds and made3of4freethrowstogivetheBucks some breathing room at 108-101. Then after Anthony Edwards hit clutch 3pointers with 47 and 31seconds remaining to pull the Timberwolves within four and three points, respectively, Antetokounmpo beat a Rudy Gobert and KarlAnthony Towns double-team by feeding Jae Crowder for a bucket.

Lillard then provided the dagger with a 21-foot step-back jumper to make it 112-107 with 9.2 seconds left.

“In games like this, in my opinion, you’ve got to give the ball to your best players to operate and make something happen,” Antetokounmpo said. “And Dame has the ball down the stretch, I

have the ball down the stretch, we got some good shots. Dame got some good shots. I was able to get to the free throw line. I think Brook got a great 3 at the top of the key. Jae got the good one underneath. Dame was able to operate, got his midrange, got some shots. We got some oﬀensive rebounds. You’ve got to give the ball to the best guys that can make something happen down the stretch, and then everybody has to be ready to shoot.”

Added Lillard: “A lot of the times they ran two guys at me and I was throwing the ball to Giannis and he’s able to get downhill, get fouled and make the next play. We just was feeding oﬀ each other. It was either him or me and we didn’t have to force it. The way we played was kind of making the right pass, all

throughout the game, and when you play like that guys are comfortable and conﬁdent. They’ve been getting clean shots, they’ve been touching the ball and I think that opens up the door to perform well down the stretch.”

Antetokounmpo ﬁnished with 33 points, 13 rebounds and ﬁve assists, while Lillard had 21 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Lopez scored 16 points and Malik Beasley and Bobby Portis had 14 each.

“It was a good win, you know?”Antetokounmpo said. “Coming out of the break, we have 26 games left and to be able to start like this against a team that I think is probably one of the best teams in the West, the best defense in the league — very, very talented, they play hard — and to be able to be locked in,

make shots, match their energy, execute down the stretch, it’s a very good start. We have another one against Philly (on Sunday) and hopefully we can go there and play good basketball and make this win count.

Beasley leads key third quarter

It wasn’t a surprise that Rivers drew up a play to get Beasley the first shot of the second half — a clean-looking 3pointer — after the shooting guard played the first half without a shot. He was working on defense, picking up two steals and three fouls while defending the all-star Edwards for most of the half, but the Bucks also made just five 3pointers in the opening 24 minutes.

So even though Beasley’s ﬁrst attempt missed, it was clear the team wanted — and needed — to get some additional oﬀense.

It worked, as Beasley went 5-for-11 in the third quarter, including four made 3pointers, to score 14 points. He also had anotherstealastheBucksoutscoredthe Timberwolves 36-13 to ﬂip a six-point halftime deﬁcit to an 87-70 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Gallinari makes debut

New Bucks big man Danilo Gallinari made his debut 10 minutes into the game after Lopez picked up his second foul, but he played just ﬁve minutes. Signed Wednesday night, the 35-yearold last played on Feb. 7 as a member of the Detroit Pistons.

Waived Feb. 8 to sign with a contender, Gallinari said he joined the Bucks becauseofhisfamiliaritywithRivers(they both were in Los Angeles from 2017-19). Though Gallinari believes he could play more than the 15 minutes per game he averaged in Washington and Detroit, he said he was willing to accept any role to chase his ﬁrst NBA championship.

“I can help in diﬀerent ways and I’m just here to help,” he said Thursday. “Whatever needs to be done, whatever is asked of me, I’ll just do.”

Unfortunately, Gallinari was called for two quick fouls after starting the second quarter. He was 0-for-1 from the ﬂoor and had a rebound and steal in ﬁve minutes. He did not play in the second half.

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is fouled by Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels in the fourth quarter Friday at Target Center in Minneapolis.

DAVID BERDING/GETTY IMAGES

Williams diagnosed with same form of dementia as Willis

Former talk show host Wendy Williamshasbeendiagnosedwiththesame form of dementia that actor Bruce Willis has, a statement released Thursday on behalf of her caretakers says.

The statement said the 59-year-old’s diagnoses of primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia

“have already presented signiﬁcant hurdles in Wendy’s life” and have behavioral and cognitive impacts.

“Wendy is still able to do many things for herself. Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed. She is appreciativeofthemanykindthoughtsandgood

wishes being sent her way,” the statement attributed to her care team said.

The announcement came a day after a cover story in People magazine quoted Williams’ family about the nature of her struggles.

“The people who love her cannot see her,” People quoted Williams’ sister Wanda as saying. “I think the big (question) is: How the hell did we get here?”

The family said a court-appointed legal guardian was the only person with unfettered access to Williams.

The article said a Lifetime documentary crew, which set out in 2022 to chronicle Williams’ comeback, stopped ﬁlminginApril2023when,hermanager “and jeweler” Will Selby says in footage fortheﬁlm,sheenteredafacilitytotreat “cognitive issues.” Her son says in the documentary that doctors had connected her cognitive issues to alcohol use, People reported.

Her family told People they don’t

know where she is and cannot call her themselves, but she can call them.

LA ethics panel rejects proposed ﬁne for ex-CBS exec Moonves

TheLosAngelesCityEthicsCommission unanimously rejected a proposed settlement between the city and Les Moonves on Wednesday, saying a tougher penalty is warranted for the former CBS chief executive accused of interfering with a police investigation into sexual assault allegations against him. Moonves had agreed to pay an $11,250 fine to settle the ethics commission complaint, which alleged that he worked closely with a police department official to obtain information about a sexual assault victim’s confidential police report.

Ethics commission staﬀ worked with Moonves on the proposed ﬁne, but it still needed approval by the volunteer panelthatoverseesthecommission,the Los Angeles Times reported.

The commissioners felt that the “extremely egregious nature of the allegations” warranted a stronger penalty, said Jeﬀrey Daar, the ethics commission president.

A Moonves representative declined to comment to the Times on Wednesday’s action. According to recently released documents, Moonves acknowledged working closely with then-Capt. Cory Palka of the Los Angeles Police Department in 2017 to get details of the police report. Through Palka, the documents say, Moonves obtained an unredacted copy of the report, which also included personal information such as the home address and phone number of the accuser.

PEOPLE

Williams

Moonves

A legendary SONG

Milwaukee-based musician Trapper Schoepp poses at the gravesite of Kate Blood, at Riverside Cemetery in Appleton. Schoepp wrote the song “Kate Blood” about the urban legends surrounding the woman. COURTESY OF TRAPPER SCHOEPP

Milwaukee-based musician Trapper Schoepp released a song Feb. 13 titled “Kate Blood,” inspired by urban legends surrounding the young woman buried at Riverside Cemetery in Appleton. ROBIN O'BRIEN

Appleton’s Kate Blood lives on in Milwaukee musician’s new song

Kelli Arseneau Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY NETWORK – WISCONSIN

APPLETON — A misunderstood Appleton folk legend has been immortalized in a song. h Inspired by the tale of a 23-year-old woman buried atop a hill at Riverside Cemetery, Milwaukee-based musician Trapper Schoepp released the song “Kate Blood”Feb. 13. h While the majority of the feedback he’s received on the song so far has been positive, Schoepp said some listeners’reactions have reﬂected the misinterpretation that has characterized folk tales passed through generations for centuries. h After the song’s release, Schoepp shared it on social media, noting that it’s about “a notorious Wisconsin legend.” Some online commenters gave him some backlash, saying Schoepp was feeding into the lies about Kate Blood, or that Blood could not possibly be “notorious,” because they had never heard of her until hearing Schoepp’s song.

See SONG, Page3D

Niagara native’s new novel whisks readers away to Wisconsin’s Northwoods

from the border of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Andrew J. Graﬀ followed his heart when he wrote his new novel, and it led him right back home to the Wisconsin Northwoods.

Like his critically acclaimed debut, “Raft of Stars,” Graff has set “True North” in Marigamie County, a fictional place born out of his affection for his childhood in Marinette County. He grew up in the ’90s with two brothers and a Siberian husky on a farm with 90 acres near the small town of Niagara, not far

He loved it there and was eager to take readers along back to the picturesque setting of its bluﬀs and rivers for another adventure.

“When I ﬁnished ‘Raft of Stars’ I knewIwantedtoreturntothenorthand keep writing about those forests and bears and night skies and whitewater rivers and the people, too,” said Graﬀ, a 2009 graduate of Lawrence University in Appleton.

“I write it with a deep appreciation andloveforallthecharactersandthelittle taverns and the way some people live

lives up in the Northwoods. I can’t help but love it as I write it. I enjoy closing my eyes, sitting down to write and going back there.”

“Raft of Stars”put Graﬀ on the literary map when it was released by EccoHarperCollins Publishers in 2021. The story of two 10-year-old boys who ﬂee intothewoodsafterbelievingtheycommitted a deadly crime garnered hefty praise from the likes of The Boston Globe and Booklist with comparisons to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “Stand By Me.”

Author Andrew J. Graff grew up in Niagara in Marinette County and is a 2009 graduate of Lawrence University in Appleton. “True North” is his second novel set in the Wisconsin Northwoods. COURTESY OF SCOTT HUCK

Lots of cicadas will emerge in Wisconsin this summer

Cicadas are no stranger to Wisconsin in the summer. Hearing them is often something people associate with warm nights outdoors.

Now imagine hearing thousands or even millions of them at once. That won’t be just a thought in June when17year cicadas return to parts of southern Wisconsin after nearly two decades in the ground.

For those curious about the phenomenon, here’s what you need to know.

What are 17-year cicadas?

For starters, there are many types of cicadas in North America, according to PJ Liesch, extension entomologist and thedirectoroftheUniversityofWisconsin-Madison’s Insect Diagnostics Lab. There are some that we see every year, often in warmer months like July and August. Those have life cycles of around two to three years.

There are also seven periodical species of cicadas in North America: three that emerge once every17 years and four species that emerge once every13 years. In Wisconsin and other parts of the Midwest, there is a group, or brood, of cicadas known as brood XIII, which is a 17-year periodical cicada that will emerge in 2024.

What makes this event unique beyond it only occurring every 17 years is the sheer number of cicadas. Around June,somepartsoftheMidwestwillsee cicadas numbering in the thousands and millions.

OK, so will all of Wisconsin be overrun by cicadas?

Liesch doesn’t expect southern Wisconsin to be overrun by cicadas in June, but certain spots could be.

“Historically, some of the biggest numbers seen have been in the general Chicago area of northern Illinois, but we will have some areas of activity here in Wisconsin,thebestknownofwhichwill probably be Lake Geneva,” Liesh said. “If you’re in one of those spots, they can be extremely dense, millions or billions in small areas. You could have maybe 20 to 25 emergence holes per square foot in a lawn. It’s a very, very dense population.”

When was the last time we saw the cicadas?

The last time the 17-year cicadas emerged was in 2007. Prior to that, it was 1990.

Will there really be millions or billions of these cicadas?

“I’ve heard reports from 2007 and

AROUND THE VALLEY

Mara Wegner

Appleton Post-Crescent USA TODAY NETWORK – WISCONSIN

Applications being accepted for Appleton parades

ThecityofAppletonParadesCommittee is now accepting applications for the 73rd Appleton Flag Day Parade on June 8 as well as the May 27 Memorial Day Parade.

The theme of the 73rd Appleton Flag Day Parade is “Rockin’in the U.S.A.,”and is set to begin at 2 p.m. Each year, the Flag Day Parade honors a branch of the military, and this year’s event will spotlight the United States Army, including the United States Army Reserve, Army National Guard, and aﬃliated veteran organizations.

The 2024 Appleton Memorial Day Parade will be at 9 a.m. May 27. The Appleton Memorial Day Parade pays tribute to servicemen and women who paid the ul-

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Appleton Post-Crescent

Aurora Health Care: Is seeking volunteers for the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic at Aurora Oshkosh. Visit with cancer patients as they have treatments. Duties may include rounding on patients while offering support and comfort, a blanket or beverage (when appropriate), reading materials or puzzles. Volunteers might also do minor cleaning, restocking of areas, and wayfinding. Contact: Wendy, Wendy.Leiterman@aah.org

1990 from places in the Chicago area where folks would have to take a snow shovel to clear up the sidewalk,” Liesch said. “So that will probably be the case in certain areas of Chicago again this spring and perhaps a few spots here in Wisconsin.”

What is the experience like when the cicadas emerge?

You’ve probably heard cicadas during the dog days of summer. Thousands of them at once creates an otherworldly sound.

“Some folks have described the experience as being kind of surreal and outof-body,” Liesch said. “Some have described it as almost a science-ﬁctionlike experience. Just the sheer noise. I would imagine if you happen to live or be visiting one of these areas, it would be very loud. And so that potentially could even make it hard to sleep if they’re making that much racket. But if you go just a short ways down the road, it might be much quieter. But it certainly can be quite an amazing natural phenomenon to experience.”

Are cicadas harmful to people?

No. Cicadas do not bite or sting, and they are harmless to people and animals.

timate sacriﬁce while serving in defense oftheUnitedStates.The“MomentofRemembrance” ceremony will follow the Parade in Riverside Cemetery, 714 N. Owaissa St.

Organizations interested in participating in either parade, must submit an oﬃcial application before April15. Applications are available online at appleton.org/visitors/appleton-parades or through the City of Appleton Parades Facebook page.

4-H groups to perform one-act plays at Drama Festival

The 2024 Outagamie County 4-H DramaFestivalwillbeginat8a.m.March 2 at the Seymour High School Auditorium, 10 Circle Drive.

The festival will consist of eight oneact plays, each lasting 15 to 30 minutes. Clubs entering a play in this year’s festival include Bent Arrow, B-Square, Buchanan Badgers, Country Slickers, Crys-

Beaming Inc: Is looking for horse handlers and side walker volunteers. Horse handlers are responsible for the horse’s behavior while a participant rides; side walkers assist program participants with maintaining balance, control, and interpreting directions given by the instructor during lessons. Volunteers must be 14 years old; no experience necessary, all training will be provided. Contact: Denise, volunteer4beaming@gmail.com

Big Brothers Big Sisters: Is seeking mentors (Bigs) to be matched with

Will the cicadas be harmful to the local ecosystem?

Thesecicadascanbeharmfultotrees when they emerge. According to Liesch, when females lay eggs, they cut slits into the ends of twigs and insert those eggs into those slits. That can sometimes cause damage for certain trees.

For large, mature trees, Liesch said there is no concern. The tips of those trees’branches and twigs might die, but the trees will be OK.

For newer, younger trees, having this large number of cicadas laying eggs all at once could be a concern, he said.

“A very simple remedy in a case like that would be to actually cover a young tree with a mesh netting to physically keep the insects oﬀ of it,” Liesch said. “But for the most part, they’re really pretty harmless.”

Why do these cicadas come out only once every 17 years?

It’s unusual in the animal world to have these long intervals.

“Most insects are generally pretty short-lived, but to have an insect that is living below ground for about 16 years and then popping out in year 17, that’s deﬁnitely an unusual strategy,” Liesch said.

While it isn’t clear why these cicadas

tal Star, Fast Trackers, Shooting Stars and Smile Awhile.

Outagamie County 4-H youth leaders will sell refreshments. Admission is free and open to the public.

Author talk on German Bohemians is March 7

Dr. Joan Naomi Steiner will give an authorpresentationat6:30p.m.March7 attheNeenahPublicLibrary,240E.Wisconsin Ave.

Steiner is the author of “A German Bohemian Immigration,” and will describe her research process that resulted in identifying 570 German Bohemians who relocated to Calumet County and/or used Calumet County as a stepping stone to their ﬁnal destinations farther west.

The stories of ﬁve Calumet County German Bohemian families will be highlighted.

The presentation is free. For more in-

youth in their community-based or site-based program. Matches that are community-based meet 2 to 4 times a month to explore hobbies and interests together. Site-based matches meet weekly at the Little’s school during their lunch to share stories and play games. Bigs must be 18 years old and fulfill a 12-month commitment. Contact: bbbsecw.org

Community Benefit Tree: Is looking for volunteers to assist with various tasks at the Medical Monopoly Golf Outing on June 12 at Royal St. Patrick’s Golf Links

do this, it is thought to have to do with ensuring the species can reproduce and survive.

“If you are an insect and you emerge in huge numbers all at once, some of the individuals are going to get eaten,” Liesch said. “But, if predators eat until they’re full, there’s still going to be enough to reproduce and perpetuate.

“Another thought is if you were an insect that emerged on a very regular basis, other wildlife might pick up on that. So if you had a two-year or three-year pattern, it’s possible that some longerlived vertebrates, mammals or birds or something like that might be able to cue in on that. But if you’re talking about these relatively large numbers, 13 or 17 years, that’s much, much harder to predict.”

Can you eat the cicadas?

Yes, and some people do eat cicadas when these emergence events occur.

“Again, they’re not harmful to people. Insomeculturesaroundtheworld,cicadas are included in part of human cuisine and diets,” Liesch said. “I have heard of folks doing that, but I haven’t personally had the opportunity to try them myself yet.”

Drew Dawson can be reached at ddawson@jrn.com or 262-289-1324.

formation, contact the library at 920886-6315, Library@neenahlibrary.org or visit neenahlibrary.org.

Vintage in the Valley to raise funds for Boys & Girls Club

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley’s gala, Vintage in the Valley, will be held 5 to 11 p.m. at the Fox Cities Exhibition Center, 355 W. Lawrence St., Appleton. The fundraiser includes a champagne reception, a four-course dinner paired with premium wines, and ends with wine tasting and entertainment. Attendees will learn about the ways the Club is working to help youth reach their full potential. Guests also will have the chance to bid on silent auction and live auction items, and enter a variety of raﬄes. Tickets are $175 per person, with tables of 8 and 10 also available. To learn moreaboutthiseventorsponsorshipopportunities, visit vintageinthevalley.org.

in Wrightstown. Day of opportunities include helping with setting up, registration, selling raffle tickets, and clean up. Shifts vary. Contact: Kim, office@communitybenefittree.org or 920-422-1919

Community Clothes Closet: Seeks new start boutique attendants 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays. Responsibilities include assisting clients, data entry, engaging in conversation, and other tasks as needed. Must stand and move for long

See VOLUNTEER, Page6D

Cicadas have the longest life cycle of any insect, waiting 13 or 17 years to emerge. GETTY IMAGES

1. “The Women” by Hannah, Kristin (St. Martin’s Press)

2. “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Maas, Sarah J. (Bloomsbury Publishing)

3. “The Holy Grail of Investing: The World’s Greatest Investors Reveal Their Ultimate Strategies for Financial Freedom” by Robbins, Tony (Simon & Schuster)

4. “Fourth Wing” by Yarros, Rebecca (Entangled: Red Tower Books)

5. “The Teacher” by McFadden, Freida (Poisoned Pen Press)

6. “If Only I Had Told Her” by Nowlin, Laura (Source-

Song

Continued from Page 1D

“I’m like, you’ve literally just deﬁned storytelling in the modern age with folk music,” Schoepp said.

The legend of Kate Blood goes something like this: Kate Blood murdered her husband with an axe, and is buried a distance away from the other graves at Riverside Cemetery to atone for her sins. On a full moon, those who are brave enough to trek to her grave may see blood dripping down her tombstone.

Or maybe it wasn’t Blood’s husband, but her children that she killed. Or she was actually the victim of a murder. Or she was a witch. The details change, depending who you ask.

In reality, none of it is true. And that’s what Schoeppaimstoreﬂectoninhissong.Hesaidthesong isataleofalovervisitingKateBlood’sgraveandfalling in love with her ghost — a bit like the surreal style of Tim Burton’s ﬁlm “Corpse Bride.”

The real Kate Blood Miller died of tuberculosis at age 23, was the daughter of one of Appleton’s founders and was extremely well-loved by the community, accordingtohistorians.Shedied42yearsbeforeherhusband,GeorgeMiller,whowasaneditoroftheAppleton Post. Miller later remarried, and both he and his second wife are buried next to Blood. Blood had two children, one who died young. Her daughter went on to become a librarian and wrote famous papers about organizing libraries, Appleton Historical Society Vice President Gwen Sargeant said.

Schoepp learned about Kate Blood from Frank Anderson, an Appleton-based pedal steel guitar player and avid Wisconsin historian. Anderson took Schoepp on a walk to Kate Blood’s grave, where Schoepp said he immediately felt inspired.

“I am a student of folk music. And through that, I understand the power of storytelling in that oral tradition that goes back to the very beginning of time. And what is a better story than a completely innocent woman who is cast as a woman who has murdered her family with an axe, and then is buried far away from all

books Fire)

7. “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr Seuss (Random House Books for Young Readers)

8. “Bride” by Hazelwood, Ali (Berkley Books)

9. “I Love You Like No Otter” by Rossner, Rose (Sourcebooks Wonderland)

10. “If He Had Been with Me” by Nowlin, Laura (Sourcebooks Fire)

11. “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” by Dr Seuss (Random House Books for Young Readers)

12. “Cat Kid Comic Club: Influencers: A Graphic Novel (Cat Kid Comic Club #5): From the Creator of Dog

the other people in the graveyard, by the river?” Schoepp said. “It has like the makings of a, like, Disney misunderstood-princess movie.”

Schoepp’s music spans a variety of genres, from folk,Americana,rockandcountry,andhasclearstorytelling inﬂuences. He’s performed all over the world, and right at home, at Wisconsin festivals like Mile of Music and Summerfest. In 2018, Schoepp completed an unﬁnished Bob Dylan song, titled “On, Wisconsin,” and got permission from Dylan to release it with a cowriting credit alongside the music legend — an experience he describes as what the craziest moment of his career.

The musician recorded “Kate Blood” live at a Nashville-area cabin formerly owned by Johnny Cash, while playing a guitar that once belonged to the legend. On the song, backing vocals are sung by Sarah Peasall, a Grammy-winning artist for her and her sisters’ vocals in the 2000 ﬁlm “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”The track is produced by Patrick Sansone from Wilco, as well as John Jackson from the band The Jayhawks.

Anderson, who learned about Kate Blood’s grave after he moved to Appleton in1988, said he ﬁrst heart the ghost stories about her with the advent of the internet.

“Those had to have originated in Appleton. So we have some very imaginative people here, that’s what I conclude,” Anderson said. “The axe murderer thing is just hilarious. And I’ve read that she’s a werewolf, and lives underground through a maze of caverns that are underneath Riverside Cemetery.”

Sargeant said from speaking with longtime Appleton residents, she’s traced the bone-chilling rumors about Kate Blood back to around the 1980s. She said the site of Blood’s grave, which nowadays is in a remote location of the cemetery, was at the time much more prominent, close to the old entrance. Her burial site was never intended to be secluded for any reason.

“I think it’s her name and the rhythm of her name — because she has a brother named Egbert Blood who is buried right out there, and nobody has any Egbert Blood fairy tales,” Anderson said.

Kate Blood’s father, Henry Blood, was essentially thefatherofAppleton,Andersonsaid.Hebuilttheﬁrst

Man” by Pilkey, Dav (Graphix)

13. “Crosshairs” by Patterson, James (Little Brown and Company)

14. “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” by Clear, James (Avery Publishing Group)

15. “Iron Flame” by Yarros, Rebecca (Entangled: Red Tower Books)

16. “Do the New You: 6 Mindsets to Become Who You Were Created to Be” by Furtick, Steven (Faithwords)

17. “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” by McBride, James (Riverhead Books)

building for Lawrence Institute — as the university was then called — which the town was formed around. And he laid out Oneida Street and College Avenue, Anderson said.

“We should be called Bloodville or Blood City, or something like that,” Anderson said.

Kate’s death was a great loss to the tight-knit Appleton community, as she was in the ﬁrst generation to grow up in the new town and from such an inﬂuential family. Anderson said from every historical account we have of the young woman, she was “socially active and friendly and kind.”

Schoepp’s song “Kate Blood” carries on memory of her truth, with the lyrics “I was the ﬁrst daughter, a mother and a friend, buried along the banks of that city Appleton.”

As for the ghost tales, Sargeant says she’s heard no reports of paranormal events actually occurring at Kate Blood’s tombstone. But Schoepp says Kate’s spirit lives on.

“I’m not saying that I do believe in it, and I’m not saying I don’t believe in it,” Schoepp said. “But when you visit spaces like that, that carry a lot of storytelling and oral tradition with it, then you can’t help but basically fall for some of that, become part of that story.”

Kelli Arseneau can be reached at 920-213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ArseneauKelli

IDEAS LAB

HARD NOT TO ROOT FOR COUNSELL

Despite manager’s jump to competitor, this lifelong Brewers fan will be rooting for Cubs this season

AsalifelongBrewersfan,IamrootingfortheCubsthisseason.

There, I said it. But before Brew Crew Nation throws overcooked sausages on my bona ﬁdes, rest assured, I am aware of the line I’m crossing. Those Wrigley folk are a biergarten masquerading as a fan base. They struggle to know good baseball, even when played in their hallowed ivied grounds. They tend to spreadweekend-seriesstinkaroundMilwaukeerightasthe weather turns nice.

But for now, these people also happen to have our nativesonCraigCounsell.Worse–orisitbetter?–they’ve treated Counsell better than we have. So for time being, I see no choice but to take my rooting interests South of the border.

I don’t mean to sandbag the sterling record of the Brewers’ current and well-meaning owner.

Mark Attanasio restored, or better yet completely retrofitted, the Brewers to a consistently professional level never previously experienced by us fans. Like a pine tree hanging from a rear-view mirror, he has cleared the air of a certain used car stench. Some of us weren’t sure we’d live long enough to see it. Zing, Boom, and most of all, Tarrerel! However, we don’t need a finance guy from California to tell us whether a native prodigal son has “lost” our community. Like Attanasio, I have “reflected on this”– longer than 15-hours-before-a-press-conference “reflected”–and the truth is Counsell will never “lose” this community by deciding to work for people who treat him better. He is one of us. Heck, he represents the best of us. In a reverse twist of that fella in the Bible who came home an empty-handed joker, this Prodigal Son deserves every fatted and tipped cow we have.

Johnson’s right:

The US can’t aﬀord border mess or thousands of migrants

America has a border crisis that is engulﬁng communities thousands of miles away as migrants, many sent in buses paid for by Republican state leaders in Texas and Florida, are arriving in cities with Democrat mayors. Federal agents encountered 2.5 million migrants at the southern border last year, representing a new historic high, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

Many of these migrants have sought asylum in cities like Denver, Chicago, West Springﬁeld, Mass., and New York, placing a strain on these densely populated areas and decimating their already tight budgets. I interviewed U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in Waukesha earlier this month following an appearance on the Earl Ingram Jr. Show. I asked Johnson if cities in Wisconsin could soon see an inﬂux of migrants.

Black history month often focuses on big historical events. Often lost in those sweeping tales is individual stories like that of our family that moved from the south to the north, and later back, whose roots in Milwaukee shaped their lives and continue to be a source of strength and pride today.

The 1950s and early 1960s were decades of change and migration. Hundreds of Black families left the south (MississippiandLouisiana)andmigrated north through Kentucky and Tennessee. Many stopped in Illinois (Chicago) and Wisconsin (Milwaukee) to ﬁnd jobs to support their families.

These migrations and movement in See BALDON-GUTTER, Page5D

Your Turn Marshall Eckblad Guest columnist

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell smiles while taking part in the team’s annual baseball convention on Jan. 12 in Chicago. NAM Y. HUH/AP

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., speaks at a news conference on appropriations with members of the House Freedom Caucus and conservative senators on Capitol Hill on Nov. 29 in Washington.

SCHIEFELBEIN/AP

James E. Causey Milwaukee Journal Sentinel USA TODAY

Turn Janice Baldon-Gutter Guest columnist

See ECKBLAD, Page5D

IDEAS LAB

Causey

Continued from Page 4D

His answer was clear: “I sure hope not.”

He has a valid point. While I respect migrants are seeking refuge in America for a better life, I don’t want cities like Milwaukee, Racine, or Kenosha to experience what’s happening in New York, Chicago or even Whitewater. We have trouble taking care of people already here, adding thousands more isn’t sustainable.

New York an epicenter of cities struggling with migrant influx

While I disagree with Johnson on many issues, what’s happening in New York illustrates why many want to see the ﬂow of migrants stop. Mayor Eric Adams recently announced a pilot program oﬀering prepaid debit cards to 500 migrant families with children, people who are staying in hotels leased by the city while they seek asylum, to buy food and baby supplies.

The debit cards can be used for shopping at bodegas, grocery stores, and supermarkets in the city. The program – which Adams said will save New York City more than $7.2 million annually – would provide up to $1,000 a month for a family of four. The program will cost the city $53 million, something Adams says will save New Yorkers hundreds of thousands of dollars a month.

Sen. Johnson – a self-proclaimed “deﬁcit hawk” – said those struggling in the U.S. should have questions.

“It’s not free. Somebody is paying for that. And who’s paying for that? It’s our children. We are mortgaging our future. We don’t have the money. This is all deﬁcit spending,” Johnson said.

This illegal ﬂow is a catastrophe, and it will cost hundreds of billions of dol-

Eckblad

Continued from Page 4D

Counsell’s move to Chicago Cubs was never about money

But what scares me most about this Midwestern Family Drama is the risk that spring’s arrival – with its outside parties, and that primal cold-ﬁsh smell wafting oﬀ the Lake – will confuse Brewers fans’ senses into thinking that Counsell’s departure is about standard messy feelings. Or, worse, money.

Let’s air some laundry: The BrewersCounsell Family dynamics were never repressed. And they could never be about money. You don’t win two rings withtheMarlinsandtheDiamondbacks – let’s all say it together, the Marlins and the Diamondbacks! – by repressing emotions, or (haha) aiming at nouveau riche money. Nuh uh. Turning that all on its head, our amazingly impressive and long-grown-up son told us from the beginning that this was about fairness

That’s right, a bona ﬁde Wisconsinite did what we all hope our kids might someday do: He saw an unfairness in the system, and he decided do something about it. Singing out of Fighting

Baldon-Gutter

Continued from Page 4D

the ’50s and ’60s reminded me of the migration from the south to the north during and after slavery we have all heard about, and in a sense the migration of the Israelites from Egypt to Caanan we hear about in the Bible. During slavery Black slaves escaped to the north to freedom before and after the emancipation proclamation with the help of warriors like Sojourner Truth and Harriett Tubman! The migration trailfromthesouthtothenorthbeganin 1910 and peaked in1970 according to the records found in the National archives, African American Heritage Migrations, 1910-1970.

Our family part of great migration from south to Milwaukee for jobs

My husband’s family, Michael Gutter, were part of this migration from the south to the north in the 50’s and 60’s to ﬁndjobsandeducationalopportunities.

lars not just now but in the future, he said. Johnson noted the cost and continued ﬂow of migrants as why he opposed bi-partisan legislation to address the border as well as provide aid to Ukraine and Israel.

“We are going to see the negative impact of this for years, if not decades to come, which is why I think our top priority right now needs to be to close that border because it is a clear and present danger and a drain on our resources,”

Johnson said.

I have to agree with Johnson. This country doesn’t even take care of its own vulnerable now. That may sound harsh, but I talked with several unhoused people in Milwaukee who feel the same way.

Many people in Milwaukee already struggling to get by

Brian McMillian became homeless after a messy divorce and the loss of his job.

“It was one bad thing after another, and before you knew it, I ended up on the street, and it’s not where you want to be,” McMillian told me after he stopped at the Sister MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary.

The sanctuary is located in an area classiﬁed as a food and job desert in Milwaukee. Aside from a hot meal, it offers free clothing, shoes, household goods, and bikes for transportation. A volunteer nurse is on-site twice weekly to check blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Eﬀorts are also underway to add a mental health specialist.

McMillian heard about the program by word of mouth. He was given a hot cup of coﬀee and a double-lunch bag.

“I wouldn’t wish for anyone to be on the street; you see young and old out here. I was lucky. I got into one of the warming centers when we had that brutal cold stretch. I don’t think I would have made it without that,” he said.

BobLaFollete’shymnal,Counselltoldus several years ago exactly where this was headed. He was on a crusade to make the game fairer to managers – to make sure these fellas, who spend as much time away from their family as interstate truckers, are no longer left behind by the economics of the game. He pointed out their pay had been down even as the global game (and global inﬂation) cooked up ever-higher salaries. Yet Mr. Attanasio, for whatever reason, chose not to back Mr. Counsell’s high-minded, clearsighted and fair play.

As manager, he kept team’s winning streak going

Which is… weird! Let’s recall that when Counsell came back home to run the Crew, this Championship player kept his winning streak going while deftly ﬁelding tricky challenges, such as Ryan Braun limping for years, untradeable, into retirement. Last year, all year, ownership argued with ace Corbin Burnes over the baseball-salary equivalent of a ham sandwich. Yet, like a clock, a Brewers teams that barely scored more runs than it gave up always “managed”under Craig to threaten (and often make) a playoﬀ run. Good on Craig, bad on us.

Michael’sdad,MackGutter,temporarily left his beloved birthplace (McComb, Mississippi),wife(Earline)andchildren in Mississippi and New Orleans and moved north to Milwaukee for jobs and opportunities for his family. Mack returned south and moved the family north to Milwaukee.

Upon securing employment, Mack went back south and brought his family of six to Milwaukee. My husband, Michael Gutter, spent his youth in Milwaukee but was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He went to Lincoln High School. At Lincoln, he was a basketball all state and all-American standout.

At the University of Wisconsin Whitewater (UWW) he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996 as well as the Wisconsin State Coaches Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. Michael successfully graduated with a Masters in Guidance and Counseling, pledged Omega PSI PHI Fraternity, and worked at Racine County Human Services. He later relocated to Louisville where we met and married in 2005. In Kentucky, he worked for the Kentucky Cabinet for Family and Human Services and retired

When McMillian learned about the pilot program in New York for prepaid debit cards on top of free hotel says, he was not surprised. “I care about everybody, and I can understand why some of them would want to come to America, but what about the homeless here?”

That’s a good question. The border must be closed until America does a better job of taking care of its veterans, children, unhoused and its poor. It’s not sustainable at these unchecked levels. We only have to look at what’s happening to the south and west of Milwaukee to see why.

Chicago opens more than 20 migrant shelters as Whitewater struggles

In Chicago, Black activists have protested how the migrant crisis is being handled. They cited how millions of dollars earmarked for immigrants should go toward Chicago’s crumbling infrastructures, public schools, and start-up minority-owned businesses.

They also say thousands of immigrants have been placed into Black neighborhoods without a plan to monitor and house them long-term. Activists said money is being taken from poor people in Chicago and given to those who were not born there. Chicago has opened more than 20 active migrant shelters.

“We have no more room, and you are embarrassing Chicago as a whole,” Zoe Leigh, a community activist, told ABC 7 in Chicago.

Imagine if Milwaukee took in thousands of illegal immigrants

Sen. Johnson called the open border a “travesty” and said President Joe Biden has “all the executive authority he needs to close the border.”

“He used it to open it. He can use it to close it,” Johnson said.

The border issue will remain hot as Biden and Donald Trump battle for the White House. Biden said he was considering executive action on the border to deter illegal migration to stop the more than10,000 crossing into America a day. Trump said he would detain all migrants caught crossing the border illegally in addition to fulﬁlling his ﬁrstterm pledge to build a wall on the Mexico border.

The current migration procedures are not sustainable or ﬁnancially responsible, especially considering the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and how many citizens go without necessities like health care, aﬀordable housing, and food.

As thousands cross the border into America daily, and cities struggle to house and feed them, they will end up in Milwaukee, Racine, Madison, and other cities throughout our state.

Imagine what it looks like to a family struggling to keep a roof over their head and to feed their family to see a migrant family housed for free at a hotel and receive state beneﬁts up to $1,000 monthly for food and expenses that a citizen doesn’t qualify for because they make $5 too much to be eligible for food stamps or housing assistance?

Now imagine telling Milwaukee and state taxpayers they must foot the bill for it?

Email James Causey at jcausey @jrn.com; follow him at X@jecausey.

Last month, the Journal Sentinel reported how Whitewater became the hotbed of the immigrant debate because of the inﬂux of about 800 to1,000 new migrants. The city’s police chief and city manager asked federal leaders for funding and staﬀ to handing the rise in immigrant population, and that sparked a huge debate in the community. Immigrants are drawn to Whitewater for the factory jobs and work on farms.

Sorrytopointouttheunbearable,but the witless Cubs just had the sense to make that guy the highest-paid manager in baseball – the highest since, you know, Joe Torre in 2007.

Good on the Cubs, bad on us.

I know I’m not the only Brew Crew fan who’s ﬁnding their heartstrings pulled wider than a Paul Molitor foulripper. So to get us from here through November, let’s agree on a few ground rules:

First, no matter where Counsell is working, no loyal Brewers fans should ever help a Cubs fan ﬁnd their seats “somewhere by third base”– nor should you ever point out the third baseman, or

in 2019. His other siblings went on to successful careers in industries in Milwaukee.

One of Michael’s sources of pride

his base. If a Cubs fan cheers loudly and gets angry during an inﬁeld-ﬂy pop-up, the next step is… to sip your Pepsi. Most importantly, no answers can be given to a North Sider begging questions about the “designated” part of the DH. (Wait, is he going back to the minors?!)

Second, let’s remember that beyond thisfamilydysfunctionis…actualbaseball history! I went back and looked through all the careers of the 19 guys who have won a World Series as both a player and manager. If you want to know if any of those folks did it with three franchises, I’ll save you the time (and reading about Red Schoendienst): Only Casey Stengel and Leo Durocher. If Counsell wins on Addison, that would be nice company for a pillar of Wisconsin baseball history.

Maybe one day, the Brewers will lure their best and brightest back to Milwaukee, fresh oﬀ a parade on Michigan Avenue, and he’ll be aiming at a recordbreaking fourth franchise championship – back home where he should have been all along. As Uecker once said, spring hopes eternal.

Meanwhile, Go Brewers. And for this year at least, Go Cubs.

MarshallEckbladisawriterlivingin Charlottesville,Virginia.Hegrewuplistening to Bob Uecker on the radio

about Milwaukee is Wisconsin’s strong emphasis on education. According to US News, Wisconsin ranks No. 10 in higher education, # 8 in best states overall and no. 6 in education. The impact of the migration continues to this day in Milwaukee with Blacks making up a majority of the city’s population (Black (38.1%) followed by white (33.0%) and Hispanic (20.2%) according to a 2022 Census Bureau estimate.)

The Gutter family story of migration from the south to the north is similar to many other Black families migrating up north to Chicago, Illinois, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and throughout the north. The Gutter family and others in Milwaukee are proud of their southern heritage and return often to visit families and friends there. McComb, Mississippi day is often celebrated in Milwaukee I am told. It is a time of celebration when families and friends come together to celebrate their southern and northern heritages. Janice Baldon-Gutter is a human resources and disability DEI advocate in Louisville where she lives with her husband, Michael.

Mack and Erline Gutter in 1955. COURTESY OF JANICE BALDON-GUTTER

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell, right, and President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer. MATT YORK/AP

periods, have basic computer skills, and communicate effectively. Friendly demeanor essential. Experience in human resources and some proficiency in Spanish could be beneficial. Contact: Sam, sam@communityclothescloset.org

Fox Cities Festival of Lights: Is looking for display builders to help fix some existing light displays and to help build new ones throughout the offseason. Work includes carpentry, welding, general assembly, and more. No experience is required, training is provided. Mini-

mum age is 16. Contact: Shaun, fcfestivaloflights@gmail.com

Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore: Is seeking volunteer office assistants at its store in Appleton to help keep the store organized. Responsibilities include greeting and interacting with customers and volunteers, answering phones, filing paperwork, and assisting with data entry and cleaning as needed. Contact: Amy, 920-544-7856 or AmyC@foxcitieshabitat.org

Harbor House Domestic Abuse Programs: Seeks on-call SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) volunteers. Accompany victims to hospitals/police stations, guide them through evidence

collection and legal process, and provide compassionate understanding and emotional support. Volunteers are asked for a 6-month commitment due to extensive training. Volunteers are typically on-call 2 to 3 nights a month. On-call hours are 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday and weekend/holiday hours. No training required. Contact: Lara, lara.reddin@harborhousewi.org

Outagamie County Mentoring Program: A 15-year-old girl from Kimberly awaits a mentor. She loves art, skateboarding, and volleyball but struggles with low self-esteem. A friendly teen longing for a confidence boost, she dreams of chatting over Boba Tea. Con-

tact: hhsmentors@outagamie.org or 920-832-5961

Pillars: Is looking for dinner providers for both the Adult Shelter and Adult & Family Shelter. Individual volunteers or volunteer groups are welcome to make and/or purchase a nutritious meal for 55 to 60 shelter clients. Volunteers can either deliver a meal that was prepared offsite or prepare the meal onsite. Shifts are 4:45 to 5 p.m. (Adult & Family Shelter) and 5:15 to 5:30 p.m. (Adult Shelter) daily. Contact: Autumn, agomeztagle@pillarsinc.org or 920-7349192, ext. 125

Information provided by Volunteer Fox Cities, volunteerfoxcities.org, 920-8329360

If “Raft of Stars” is a wilderness adventure, “True North,” which came out in January also from Ecco-HarperCollins, leans more family drama.

It takes place in the summer of 1993 as a Chicago couple in search of a fresh start pack up their three young children and a Winnebago and roll into Thunderwater, Wisconsin, to take over a rundown whitewater rafting company in need of an overhaul. Their challenges are many, including a competing rafting outﬁt, clashing raft guides, stubborn residents, an exploratory mining company and historic Midwest ﬂoods.

He started as a rafting guide while attending Lawrence University

Graﬀ had known for some time he wanted to write a whitewater rafting novel. “True North” was an opportunity to explore three primary threads: being a husband, being a parent and being a whitewater rafting guide. He knows something about all three.

Growing up just a mile from Piers Gorge, cut by the Menominee River and home to some of the fastest-moving water in Michigan and Wisconsin, he would sometimes ride his Huﬀy there and swim or ﬁsh the day away. He would see the occasional raft come through,

“True North” by Andrew J. Graff came out in January from Ecco-HarperCollins. It follows his critically acclaimed 2021 debut

novel, “Raft of Stars.” PROVIDED BY ANDREW J. GRAFF

but it wasn’t like it is now with numerous rafting companies in the area.

It wasn’t until he returned home from the U.S. Air Force and attended Lawrence University that Graﬀ started workingasariverguideinthesummers. He did it for nine seasons up north and still guides part-time in the summers on

DEAR ABBY |ABIGAIL VAN BUREN

Relatives can’t stomach another visit to family

Dear Abby: We have grown children and a grandchild who live several states away. The problem is, we don’t enjoy visiting them. Our son’s wife has an eating disorder. She’s obsessed with what SHE is going to eat next, eats some of the strangest raw vegetable combinations we’ve ever heard of and has our grandchildfollowingsuit.Thechildisforbidden to eat several of the foods kids like to eat.

Our son is also part of this. He is losing weight and muscle mass, and thinks he is healthy. When we visit, and it’s been years, we have to shop for a lot of food or take everyone out to eat so WE can eat, which presents challenges because of their diet preferences.

My DIL is not a gracious host and lingers over her plate, which sometimes takes an hour after everyone else has ﬁnished eating. She’s very underweight, and I’m concerned about our grandchild, especially since they balked at a beautiful roasted turkey I made at a family gathering. (Two days later, she asked for seconds”because others were eating it.)

How do we visit and stay with them under these circumstances? I really miss my son and grandchild during the holidays, but I can’t get my husband on board because he is so outraged about the bizarreness of the situation. Having a heart-to-heart with our son would deﬁnitely put him on the defense.

Wasting Together Time

Dear Wasting: You aren’t going to change your son or his wife, so the alternative is to accept them for who they are

–which may be vegan or vegetarian. If you decide to visit them, be prepared to stay in accommodations other than their home. Take food out of the equation and eat at your hotel or rental. If you decide to host any meals, do it at a restaurant of their choosing. and tell your husband to curb his temper. Try it next time and your visit may turn out better.

Dear Abby: I am not exaggerating –my friend ALWAYS has to be number one and first. She offered to help our queen mother in the Red Hat Society hide eggs last Easter, then went to gather them all herself. She also gets mad when she doesn’t win a costume contest at the senior center and hates when someone else wins a raffle.

I won’t go into everything, but she MUST win at everything and be the center of attention. During the last Easter egg hunt, I tried to pull her away from the door so she couldn’t see, but she eventually snuck through and won the egg hunt. I don’t understand her behavior. What can I do?

Embarrassed in Texas

Dear Embarrassed: Your friend appears to have an insatiable need for attention and a willingness to cheat to achieve her goal. Nothing you can do will change her. She is who she is. What YOU can do, in order to lower your level of frustration, is refuse to engage with her at Easter, Halloween or any activity in which you know she won’t play fair. Contact Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

theNewRiverGorgeandtheGauleyRiver in West Virginia.

“I’ve always daydreamed about owning my own whitewater rafting company,” he said. “I’ve daydreamed about what it actually would be like to just sell everything and buy a camper and load the family up in the camper and head north and try to revive a small whitewater company. So ‘True North’ was a way for me to do that without destroying my actual family.’

His third novel includes deer hunting season, Bigfoot sighting

Readers get some heart-pounding moments of raging waters, storms and ﬂoods in the 304 pages.

“The most terriﬁc passages of ‘True North’ send us shooting through rapids in prose that feels both precise and chaotic. Don’t be surprised if waves crash over the margins of these pages,” Ron Charles of The Washington Post wrote in his review.

But the focus of the story, Graﬀ said, is the husband and wife with the troubled marriage and whether they make it through the summer. An author whose novels are heralded for their warmheartedness, he isn’t above oﬀering his own spoiler.

“I like to read books that don’t leave me devastated at the end. I think life, marriage, raising children, working is all hard enough, so I like stories that take care of me by the end,” Graﬀ said. “‘Raft

WHAT

of Stars’ I think did that. ‘True North’ did, too. The characters aren’t going to just fall into the abyss of this thing.”

Graﬀ, who teaches and directs the creative writing program at Wittenberg University in Springﬁeld, Ohio, is already at work on his third return to Marigamie County, this time set in 1995, just on the cusp of the internet boom. It’s still in the early stages, but it involves two hardscrabble sisters who live alone, an eccentric bush pilot and a small-town sasquatch sighting.

“I think it will be noisy and fun to see what happens in a small town near deer season in November when somebody claims they’ve seen a Bigfoot,” he said.

Graﬀ gets back to Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan several times a year. He had a full-circle moment in 2021 when he was invited to Lawrence University’s Main Hall, where he took his ﬁrst creative writing classes with English professor David McGlynn, to do a reading from “Raft of Stars.”

“To return back more than a decade later with a hardcover novel and be able to walk up into Main Hall and give a reading in Main Hall amidst the classes where I learned how to do this, that was super sweet,” he said. “That was just pure joy.”

Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-4318347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.

Network broadcasting shows are listed in Eastern/Pacific Time, unless notedotherwise. Shows air one hour earlier in Central/Mountain Time. Cablebroadcasting shows are listed in Eastern Time.

The Soulmate Search

h Original Film

UPtv, 7 p.m.

When Lindsay (Alexandra Harris) gets the chance to sign up for the notoriously exclusive dating service Eternity, she clashes with Will (Jonathan Stoddard), her first date. They mutually agree the dating service has been a complete bust and make a deal to get their money back.

WWE Rivals

A&E, 8 p.m. h Season Premiere

Actor and former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. returns leading a roundtable discussion of WWE Superstars to explore the storylines and characters at the helm of epic rivalries that built the WWE. In the season premiere, the series will examine the infamous animosity between Superstars Triple H and The Rock beginning with their heated rivalry over the World Championship in the early 2000s.

2024 Urban One Honors

TV One & Cleo TV, 8 p.m.

Taped in Atlanta for tonight’s two-hour telecast, this ceremony once again celebrates Black excellence, acknowledging individuals whose remarkable achievements and significant contributions have left an indelible mark on the arts, media, music and the community.

The Walking Dead:

The Ones Who Live

AMC, 9 p.m. h New Series

The highly anticipated next series in The Walking Dead universe is an epic adrenaline-fueled love story of sorts following Rick Grimes and his warrior wife Michonne. Two characters changed by a changed world. Kept apart by distance and an unstoppable power. They are thrown into another world, built on a war against the dead and, ultimately, a war against the living. Can they find each other and who they were in a place and situation unlike any they've ever known before? Are they enemies? Lovers? Victims? Victors? The

limited six-episode series gives fans the ultimate conclusion to Rick and Michonne’s story.

The Food That Built America History, 9 p.m. h Season Premiere Learn the origin stories of America’s most iconic food empires and the pioneers who created them. Featuring well-known brand names like Ben & Jerry’s, Charms, Tootsie Rolls, Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker and many more, Season 5 will share the surprising stories of the sometimes ruthless visionaries and entrepreneurs who launched some of the biggest food brands

The Woman in the Wall Showtime, 9 p.m. h Season Finale Season 1 of this thriller concludes with “A Little Resurrection,” in which Colman (Daryl McCormack) closes in on his suspects and Lorna (Ruth Wilson) hopes to find peace at last.

Vegas: The Story of Sin City CNN, 10 p.m. h New Series

This four-episode docuseries offers an expansive journey into the history of one of America’s most beloved and notorious cities, Las Vegas. It showcases the past 70 years of America’s cultural maturation through the lens of this unique city, featuring the entertainment acts, visionary entrepreneurs, infamous Mafia figures and colorful political history that put it on the map.

“The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” AMC

HOROSCOPE |SANCTUARY | For more: www.sanctuaryworld.co

Aries (March 21-April 19).

You see the value in practical innovation. Have new methods to apply to your work? Give it a go.

Taurus (April 20-May 20).

A creative hobby takes an inventive turn. You are taken outside of the box.

Gemini (May 21-June 21).

A spontaneous home project may reroute your day. You have a practical do-it-yourself attitude.

Cancer (June 22-July 22).

A friend may call you with an exciting proposition! Grab your bag and go

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22). Be flexible with your success. Find alternative ways to reach your goals

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). The need for freedom calls to your soul! Get out and explore a natural setting. Commune with Mother Earth.

Libra (Sept.23-Oct. 23). Somatic movement can free up your psychological space.

Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

A friend may surprise you today. In a good way!

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Taking care of business is your specialty Innovate your productivity style

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Break up the creativ-

ity blockage by going somewhere you’ve never been. There’s inspiration lurking in unfamiliar locales.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Interruptions on the homefront can invade your privacy. Embrace them

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20). Conversations taking a wild turn? You are shocked with words you didn’t see coming.

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Daily Bridge Club

By FRANK STEWART Tribune Content Agency

“It’s a no-win situation,” Cy the Cynic told me grimly. “If I don’t lead her suit, she’ll accuse me of not trusting her; if I do lead it — and it doesn’t work — she’ll tell me I should have known better.” Wendy, my club’s feminist, and Cy, a chauvinist, are constant adversaries. They were today’s EastWest in a penny game.

BRIDGE |FRANK STEWART

Cy picks his poison

“It’s a no-win situation,”Cy the Cynic told me grimly. “If I don’t lead her suit, she’ll accuse me of not trusting her; if I do lead it – and it doesn’t work – she’ll tell me I should have known better.”

“I led the jack of diamonds, Wendy’s suit, against four hearts,” the Cynic said. “Declarer won and crossruffed. He ruffed all three low diamonds in dummy and lost only to the A-K of trumps. Wendy said I was dumber than a box of hair. She said the bidding screamed for a trump opening lead, and if I led the ace and a trump to her king, South would be a trick short.”

Wendy, my club’s feminist, and Cy, a chauvinist, are constant adversaries. They were today’s East-West in a penny game.

Cy should have led a trump. (He had both black suits stopped, and Wendy had diamonds. North’s bidding indicated that South would ruff diamonds in dummy.) But say the defense takes the A-K, and Wendy shifts to the king of diamonds. South plays low, “rectifying the count” for a squeeze. He wins the next diamond, takes the ace of clubs, ruffs a club, ruffs a diamond, ruffs a club, cashes a trump and leads his last trump at Trick 10.

Dummy has the A-K-5 of spades and a club. West must keep a high club so only two spades. Dummy

“I led the jack of diamonds, Wendy’s suit, against four hearts,” the Cynic said. “Declarer won and crossruﬀed. He ruﬀed all three low diamonds in dummy and lost only to the A-K of trumps. Wendy said I was dumber than a box of hair. She said the bidding screamed for a trump opening lead, and if I led the ace and a trump to her king, South would be a trick short.”

Cy should have led a trump. (He had both black suits stopped, and Wendy had diamonds. North’s bidding indicated that South would ruﬀ diamonds in dummy.) But say the defense takes the A-K, and Wendy shifts to the king of diamonds.

South plays low, “rectifying the count” for a squeeze. He wins the next diamond, takes the ace of clubs, ruffs a club, ruffs a diamond, ruffs a club, cashes a trump and leads his last trump at Trick 10.

By David L.

Dummy has the A-K-5 of spades and a club. West must keep a high club so only two spades. Dummy discards the club. Then East must save a high diamond since South still has a diamond, so only two spades. Dummy’s ﬁve of spades wins the 13th trick. Could the defense stop the double squeeze? At Trick Three, East must lead a spade, killing a vital dummy entry prematurely. North dealer N-S vulnerable

Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

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