WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2017
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
VOL. 119 NO. 31 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: Saints wrestlers end season at State. PAGE 12
Funding for Kinship back in place
Bats wintering well in Geiger caves BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
County funding for a local nonprofit mentorship program is back in place after a closer look at the 2017 budget. In January, the county’s Community Services Division notified Kinship of Polk County that it would not renew its annual $38,000 contract, citing a tight budget. The money was there after all, according to County Administrator Dana Frey. Apparently, the recent restructuring of county agencies brought a bit of confusion to budget line items. “What I understand occurred is when we changed from Health and Human Services to the Community Services Division, we redid the budget and it was moved from one part to another,” Frey explained. “They went looking for it and couldn’t find it. … It was a real run around and that’s a shame.” County funds account for about a fifth of Kinship’s projected annual income.
Nearly a century and a half after Veit Geiger sold his last batch of brew, researchers at the Department of Natural Resources have taken an interest in the beer-aging caves he carved into an Osceola bluff, which now serve as a winter home for bats. Biologists with the Wisconsin DNR’s Bat Program believe the man-made caves could eventually help them learn to manage white-nose syndrome (WNS), a relatively new disease facing America’s bat population. Hibernating bats infected with WNS burn through their fat reserves before winter is over. Some die of starvation, others freeze when they fly from their winter quarters to look for food. For now, local bat populations appear to be free of
SEE KINSHIP, PAGE 11
SEE BATS, PAGE 11
BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Evers, Holtz win superintendent race BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
men about losing,” said Hastings. “Now they’re to the point where they want to give back to the fans.” The fans? Yes. “There are quite a few people who come just to watch them,” said Hastings. “We have a video where a little boy says, ‘I’m him.’ And Waylon and Wyatt do that too, with people on TV. … It was pretty neat for them to hear that.” Hastings chalks the boys’ success up to ”seat time,” aptitude and audacity. “The more time they spend on a bike the more they understand that particular bike,” he explained. “But I’d say 70 percent is natural ability and fearlessness. They have to be able to ride the bike to its maximum potential.” That lack of fear has remained even though the boys have learned what
The governor’s recent pick for Polk County judge, Daniel Tolan, advanced t through last w week’s prim mary elect tion and will f face Malia M Malone on t the April 4 Malone b ballot. Tolan, who w was appointe ed to the judgeship i in January, w won 1,604 v votes countyw wide — nearTolan T l l half of the ly 3,299 that were cast. Malone, who currently serves as the county’s assistant legal counsel and director of child support, garnered 930 votes. The third contender, David Danielson, earned 764. State Superintendent Incumbent Tony Evers s secured a p place on the A April ballot f for Wiscons sin Superintendent o of Public I Instruction, Evers winning the
SEE RACING, PAGE 8
SEE PRIMARY, PAGE 10
MARVIN MORIARTY | USFWS
A little brown bat with white nose syndrome. Bats in the Osceola region do not appear to have been infected with white-nose syndrome, but DNR biologists won’t know for sure until test results are back from the lab in late spring.
On racetrack, Hastings boys finish second year strong BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
A pair of Osceola brothers are two-time defending champions in their respective flat track cycle racing divisions. Impressive considering it was only their second full season. Wyatt Hastings, 8, races in District 23’s 50 CC class. Waylon Hastings, 10, races in the 65 CC class. “They did more than well,” said their father, Colin Hastings, reflecting on the 2016 season. Out of 10 starts, Waylon had 10 podium finishes, nine of them for first place. Wyatt had nine starts and nine podium finishes, six of them first place. “They are really humble about winning and they’re great sports-
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Waylon Hastings, 10, races in District 23’s 65 CC class. Last year he raced to 10 podium finishes, nine of them for first place.
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