of Juneau County
The Messenger HILLSBORO HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMS “GREASE”
VOL 15, NO. 16
LOOK INSIDE FOR YOUR LOCAL NEWS:
Elroy: Page 6 Mauston: Page 4 New Lisbon: Page 8
County: Page 2 Wonewoc: Page 10 Hillsboro: Page 15
Classifieds: Page 17 Legals: Page 18 & 19
THE AWARD WINNING OFFICIAL LEGAL NEWSPAPER OF JUNEAU COUNTY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013
Insurance scam calling residents Members of the community have been receiving calls from someone claiming to be from “Mile Bluff Medical Insurance.” This is a scam; do not send money or any of your financial information! Mile Bluff Medical Center is not selling insurance. The number that shows up on caller ID is 608-847-1464. The caller claims to be selling health insurance that has a better rate than what can be purchased through the health exchange. The caller asks individuals to send a money order for $99, along with checking account routing numbers and credit card information. The caller provides a call-back number starting with 866-792-... Do not fall victim to this scam!
Zilisch sworn in as new Mauston Police Lieutenant BY EVA MARIE WOYWOD At last week's meeting of the Mauston Common Council Michael Zilisch of the Mauston Police Department was officially sworn in as police lieutenant. City administrator Nathan Thiel administered the oath of office. According to Mauston Chief of Police Mark Messer, Zilisch has 11 years of experience with the Mauston Police Department including working on the county's tactical department. "He will continue to be a great asset to the city," stated Messer. The lieutenant's position was opened up at the start of the year when former Lt. Michael Jackson retired from the department. Almost immediately the Mauston Police and Fire Commission (PFC) began the search for a replacement which in February of this year Chief Messer told the Juneau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault it would be filled by April, however, near the end of March things changed and a six month delay was put in place.
Mauston Police Chief Mark Messer presents Lt. Zilisch with his new badge.
OLD MILL GONE Last week the former Mauston Farmers Coop mill was torn down. The almost historic building served the area for many years. Its absence will make room for future progress in the downtown area. BUNNY SWEENY PHOTO
CWNAS to give “sneak preview” The Carl W. Nelson Animal Shelter cordially invites all of their loyal supporters to a “Sneak Preview” of the animal shelter building to be held this Saturday, November 23, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. It is a work in progress, and there is still much to do, but much has been done since they started last spring. Organizers stated, “You have supported us and helped us through this process. Please join us for a tour of the building and free coffee and cookies.” In addition, they are hosting “Pet pictures with Santa” at the shelter during the Sneak Preview. Pictures are $5.00 each. For an appointment to have your pet’s picture taken with Santa, call 608-768-0085. The shelter Building is located at W5096 Hwy 82 East, Mauston.
Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving
From all of us at the Messenger
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Members of Lt. Zilisch’s family attended the swearing in.
At that time Chief Messer stated the position would be re-advertised in six months and in the interim two officers had been offered an incentive pay to take on added responsibilities. Those officers were Michael Zilisch and John Nault. The announcement of Zilisch being offered and agreeing to taking the lieutenant's position came in early October. Present at last week's swearing in ceremony were members of Zilisch's family, including his wife Jessica, their two young daughters, and parents. Having stated he had done and learned quite a bit during his time on the force, Zilisch then said, "I look forward to at least the next 15 years.”
Assessments highlighted at Mauston School Board BY EVA MARIE WOYWOD At Monday evening's meeting of the Mauston School Board building administrators used their time to update on the various assessments used in collecting student achievement data. Elementary principal Scott Tower gave an overview on a behind the scenes look at the work and planning by many hands in getting tests like the WKCE ready to be taken by students, including how support staff need to label each test with a child's name, and then secure the test after they are taken. Olson Middle School principal Mike Gonzalez spoke on the MAP testing that helps students and their teachers understand throughout the year where progress has been made, and where there may be a need for more assistance to the students. MAP testing stands for Measures of Academic Progress and is a state aligned computerized adaptive assessment program. Areas assessed include reading, math, language, and general science. MAP testing is a point in time assessment and does not measure intelligence. Gonzalez went on to state that Olson Middle School teachers use results from the test to help identify at-risk students performing below grade level as well as those who are considered gifted and talented performing way above grade level. High school principal Jim Dillin spoke on the ACT. The ACT is a national college admissions exam with tests in the area of English, math, reading, and science.
The ACT includes 215 multiple choice questions and takes approximately three and a half hours to complete. According to Dillin former high school principal Ronald Rasmussen was ahead of the curve when he initiated the Academic Focus Day for Mauston students in the month of October. The yearly Focus Day began three years ago. For freshmen that means they take the Explore assessment, while sophomores take the Plan and juniors take Practice ACT. New this year Focus Day was moved up to early September which, according to Dillin, allowed teachers and administration to get results earlier so that during an October in-service day could be used focusing on those results and improving student learning. Tech Ed - Habitat for Humanity Tech education instructor Randy Fabian provided the board with an update on the class on their latest project. As explained by Fabian, for the second year in a row students are working on a construction project in partnership with the Adams/Juneau Counties Habitat for Humanity. This year's project is taking place on Union Street just north of Walgreens where a previous residence was torn down by the city just a few years ago. Being built is a single family residence that will be occupied by a Habitat for Humanity applicant. Fabian introduced to the board Jim Abbs - Director of the Juneau/Adams Counties Habitat for Humanity. Abbs provided the board with a short speech on his experience including that he once had been an educator and a former Washington State local school district board member. See ASSESSMENTS, page 2