WEDNESDAY, JULY 13, 2016
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
VOL. 118 NO. 50 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
CONSTRUCTION ON THE RIVER BANKS: Maintaining balance. PAGE 2
Town of Osceola declines ‘United to Amend’ referendum BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Citing cost as its main concern, the Osceola Town Board declined last Tuesday to add two measures to November’s ballot that would allow voters to weigh in on the Supreme Court’s unpopular “Citizens United” decision. The ballot language proposed by Evan Wright in coordination with the nonpartisan organization United to Amend reads: “Resolved, that ‘We the People’ of the Town of Osceola, Wisconsin, seek to reclaim democracy from the expansion of corporate personhood rights and the corrupting influence of unregulated political contributions and spending. We stand with communities across the country to support passage of an amendment to the United States Constitution stating: 1. Only human beings are endowed with constitutional rights – not corporations, unions, nonprofits or other artificial entities, and 2. Money is not speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting speech.” Based on costs from the 2012 general election, Polk County Clerk Carole Wondra estimated that a change to the ballot could cost Osceola SEE BOARD, PAGE 17
Highland Wind project gets OK from regulators BY TOM STANGL TSTANGL@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
Nearly five years since initial plans were filed with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC), the Highland wind farm in the Towns of Cylon and Forest in St. Croix County appears to be greenlighted following action Thursday by the PSC. The $250 million project calls for 44 turbines spread across more than 6,000 acres. The turbines are expected to generate about 102.5 megawatts, enough to power 35,000 homes. The PSC approved the Highland wind farm in 2013, but a St. Croix County judge ruled the commission improperly imposed noise restrictions on the farm’s turbines. The judge sent the matter back to the PSC for review. The PSC issues cer-
tificates of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) to projects. Without a CPCN, a project cannot proceed. The commission met July 7 to revisit the application following the August, 2015 Circuit Court ruling in St. Croix County. Judge Edward F. Lack ruled that the PSC’s determination of a 95 percent compliance standard for noise amounted to unauthorized rulemaking that exceeded its authority. Vlack also ruled that in the final decision of Oct. 25, 2013 the PSC’s acceptance of Highland’s agreement to comply with a 40 decibel adjusted nighttime noise standard at six residences identified as occupied by potentially “sensitive” individuals needed to be explained and justified as to why it did not apply to all 17 households SEE WIND, PAGE 12
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Attempted homicide charge stands in Osceola beating BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Former Osceola resident Paul Krueger will stand trial for attempted homicide after Polk County Judge Jeffery Anderson denied a motion to dismiss the charge. Krueger was accused of attempted homicide and less serious crimes in February after police found a man severely beaten in his Osceola apartment. His lawyer, Kate Murtaugh, challenged the most serious charge, saying there wasn’t ample evidence to support it. Judge Anderson reasoned that in spite of new evidence coming to light, the court still found ample evidence to bind Krueger over for trial. Central to the dispute is the location of a wadded paper towel reportedly found in the beaten man’s “airway,” and whether that refers to the actual air pipe or, less gravely, the mouth. “The issue with regard to that is, having something bloody inside the mouth, loose, doesn’t tell the court what was loose
SUZANNE LINDGREN | THE SUN
Paul Krueger with defense attorney Kate Murtaugh. A Polk County judge denied the defense’s motion to dismiss a charge of attempted homicide stemming from a February brawl.
or where it was previously lodged,” said Judge Anderson, explaining his decision. “And there’s no information that (Osceola Police Chief Ron) Pedrys was untruthful with what he believed were the statements.” Although the criminal complaint on which the charge was based might not have been completely accurate, said Judge Anderson, the inaccuracies did not seem to be intentional or made reckless-
ly. “Pedrys stated he reviewed medical records,” said the judge. “He stated that he had an initial report, but he also had ongoing reports and information coming in.” Other specifics the defense had challenged included the claim that a blanket had been placed on the floor to cover a “primary blood spill” and that a table had been moved so that the victim could be dragged out of
police officers’ line of site. “When (Pedrys) got on scene he made initial observations regarding the apartment,” said Anderson. “(The word ‘primary’) is definitely subject to interpretation and there is no evidence that Pedrys intentionally or recklessly added this information.” The issue of the table, which had not been SEE KRUEGER, PAGE 13
Osceola library joins cat video craze BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
From Grumpy Cat to LOLcats, Nyan (Pop Tart) Cat to galaxy cats, felines are the internet’s kings and queens. It turns out watching favorite cat videos is not just a solitary endeavor, as staff at Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center discovered in 2012 when they hosted the inaugural Internet Cat Video Festival. When they started planning, they expected a few dozen for the outdoor screening. Ten thousand came. Festivalgoers wore cat ears and cat sunglasses. They painted their faces like internet celebrity cats. Some brought their own cats, on leashes. By year two, the festival was an international tour with screenings in Brooklyn, San Francisco, Honolulu, Montreal and Derry, Northern Ireland. In 2016 (technically still part of the 2015 tour) stops have SEE LIBRARY, PAGE 6
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Visitors to the Walker Art Center’s first Internet Cat Video Festival in 2012 dressed as cats and wore cat t-shirts.
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