Inside this edition
Movie Review: The Little Things Page 7
APT Winter Words give unique view Page 8
An Outdoorsman’s Journal Page 11
Spring Green, Wisconsin
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021 Vol. 2, No. 8 Free, Single-Copy
Equity, diversity and inclusion come to the forefront at school board meeting Quincy Aston-Lott, Managing Editor Editor’s Note: Valley Sentinel decided to hold the Feb. 11 school board story from its Feb. 17 edition and publish it in this edition in order to ensure full consideration of the important equity, diversity and inclusion issues that were brought up at the meeting.
The River Valley School Board was asked to reckon with equity, diversity and inclusion issues at its Feb. 11 meeting, as a district parent brought concerns of racial harassment to the board, leading to an apology from the school board president and a promise to do more.
Equity, diversity and inclusion
During public comment, Susan Lee,
a parent of two River Valley Middle School students, expressed her concerns regarding comments her multiracial family and others have gotten. “Both of my kids, but mainly my son, has been a recipient of racial comments and harassment from other classmates in the last couple of years. Mainly directed towards him. My daughter is racially Chinese and she too has suffered from
Local teacher brings winter fun to backyard
racially biased comments. And then recently through social media, I became aware of another family struggling with some serious racial harassment in elementary school,” said Lee. “I feel like I’ve had good responses from [Middle School Principal] Mr. [James] Radtke, [teacher and former building adminis-
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Sauk County Board ends year-long vacancy Emilie Conlon, Editor-in-Chief
Photo by Emilie Conlon, Editor-in-Chief
Top: Bryan Quigley and his son Elijah Quigley skate in Sunday’s snowing weather on the family’s backyard ice rink. Left: Lilian Quigley skates up and down the Quigley family’s ice rink, as their dog, Finley, follows after her.
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After nearly a year without a steady Corporation Counsel, the Sauk County Board voted to hire Brian Desmond to fill the long-empty office and end a period of heavy turnover for the county. Desmond has served as corporation counsel in Oneida County for 14 years, and will begin in his position in Sauk on March 22, with a starting salary of approximately $120,000. During his time in Oneida County, Desmond was responsible for overseeing the general counsel for the county, land use, zoning and land conservation as well as termination of parental rights. The job description in Sauk County will require much of the same. Desmond was one of seven applicants for the job, according to County Administrator Brent Miller. The hiring process was handled by a committee which included various county department heads and county board supervisors. Miller said the hiring of Desmond was unanimously approved by the Executive and Legislative and Personnel Committees prior to full board approval. The board unanimously voted in favor of his hiring, a 28-0 vote and three supervisors absent. Supervisor and member of the Executive and Legislative Committee, Wally Czuprynko, expressed that he believed Desmond will be a good fit in the county.
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Spring Green state senator pushes for food label clarity Emilie Conlon, Editor-in-Chief Earlier this month, Republican Sen. Howard Marklein, Spring Green, re-introduced “Truth in Food Labeling” legislation that would require food labels to reflect the use of actual dairy and meat products, prohibiting plant based products from using those descriptors. The proposed legislation consists of three bills, all stating food products carrying a label using common terms
for milk, meat or dairy products must be made from real milk, meat and dairy products, meaning terms such as “milk”, “cheese”, “yogurt” “burger” or “chicken wing” can only be given those labels if they contain cow’s milk, beef or chicken. “This legislation is extremely important to the farmers and food processors in my district,” said Marklein. “They feel very strongly about the integrity of food labeling and are frustrated by the misleading labeling that has invaded dairy
and meat cases throughout our grocery stores. It’s disappointing when you open a carton of ‘ice cream’ and discover that you mistakenly bought a flavor-less, dairy-free alternative, rather than the creamy, delicious treat you expected.” In a press release, Marklein, along with republican Rep. Travis Tranel, Cuba City, and republican Rep. Clint Moses, Menomonie, stated the purpose of the proposed legislation is to protect and promote real, healthy and high quality
agricultural products for consumers, as well as apply pressure to the federal government for action on regulating food labels, something they believe is not currently being enforced. “Milk is from a cow. Meat is from an animal. Cheese is made from milk. Consumers, farmers and producers deserve clear labeling,” said Tranel. The three bills, senate bill (SB) 83,
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