Valley Sentinel - 04-06-2023

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Arena board hears tenure of current Arena clerk audited in Monticello, discrepancies found in water bills

Audit reached no conclusions, but shows potentially large errors in water bills

Nicole Aimone, Editor-in-Chief

During public comment at last month’s regular meeting of the Village of Arena Board of Trustees on March 7, board members were handed papers by former Village President Paul Pustina. Those papers contained an “Independent Accountant’s Report” covering current Arena Village Clerk/ Treasurer DeNean Naeger’s tenure in Monticello. The report represents the findings of what Monticello Village Board minutes refer to as a forensic audit. Arena officials have stayed quiet since the meeting, but the current Monticello village president insists he saw no evidence of wrongdoing.

Naeger was clerk/treasurer for the Village of Monticello, in Green county, from November 4, 2013 to May 1, 2019, when the village board there voted to “separate employment” with Naeger.

Two days later the Monticello board voted to conduct a forensic audit.

During a meeting the next month, on June 19, the board formalized that decision by directing their village attorney, William Morgan, to contract with certified public accounting firm Johnson Block. Later that year Arena hired Naeger as their village clerk/ treasurer.

Former Monticello Village President Leaora Miller, under whose tenure the audit was started, did not respond to questions for this story. However, public records provided to Valley

Sentinel show that the Monticello Village Board had concerns including, but not limited to: financial controls, password security, failure to back up official emails to and from the clerk as done for those of all other village officers, a village certificate of deposit with Naeger as the only authorized official, village budget and tax payment discrepancies as well as water bill discrepancies.

Valley Sentinel has not yet received any records or responses that definitively indicate whether the village officials’ concerns at the time were substantiated.

The report also notes that the procedures used were those agreed to by the Village’s legal counsel and are the responsibility of the Village. The

accounting firm stated that it would not stand by those procedures as having been adequate “for the purpose for which the report has been requested or for any other purpose.” Despite this disclaimer, the publicly ordered and funded report provides unique insight into the financial dealings of the Village while Naeger was clerk.

The report lists a release date of January 9, 2020, nearly seven months after Johnson Block was directed to conduct the audit. It’s not clear when or if the full village board in Monticello was presented the audit, with public records indicating a village trustee and a community member both asking if the audit was complete at a November 16,

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Riverway board learns of road closure and navigational changes associated with Lone Rock bridge project

The Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board (LWSRB) met in Muscoda on March 9 to conduct a regular monthly business meeting. Jake Gregerson of Kraemer North America and Barry Larson of HNTB Corporation provided new information on the Lone Rock bridge replacement project that included significant changes for both roadway and river users. Gregerson said STH 133 west of the current bridge will be closed for the summer months. For river users, the south channel will be closed for most of the summer use season with river traffic diverted to the channel on the north side of Long Island. A portage for paddlers will be available downstream of the bridge on Long Island in the south channel. The Otter Creek landing will remain open for boaters and as a destination for paddlers but is not recommended as a launch site for canoes and kayaks. Signage will be placed at

area boat landings alerting river users to the changes and south channel closure.

Mark Cupp, LWSRB Executive Director, noted the road closure and channel closure for the duration of the summer represent significant changes from the earlier plans that were presented to the board and public. However, the changes are within the design/build contract for the project and are necessary due to the unique challenges presented by location.

Cupp said, “The Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Natural Resources (DNR), as well as the contractor, have committed to educating river users to changes in navigation near the bridge construction zone through signage, regular updates via e-mail and other methods of outreach to the public. Safety for river users is paramount and I am recommending that people simply avoid the area of the Lone Rock bridge if at all possible and, especially when paddling, be prepared

to take the north channel at the head of Long Island instead of the traditional route toward the Otter Creek landing and south channel if continuing downstream toward Gotham.”

The board also heard from Nate Fayram, DNR Ecologist, who provided information on activities related to the numerous State Natural Areas in the Riverway. Fayram described efforts to combat invasive species throughout the Riverway and highlighted work done by volunteers at sites such as the Blue River Sand Barrens and Mazomanie Oak Barrens. He said fire is an important tool in battling invasive species as well as restoring and maintaining native plant communities. Prescribed burns will occur if weather conditions are favorable. The board then approved extensions to several permits for management activities on state natural areas in the Riverway. Cupp reported he had issued

extensions to The Nature Conservancy for management activities at The Spring Green Preserve and to Mike Finlay on behalf of the DNR for ongoing activities at the Mazomanie Unit. He also issued a timber harvest permit to Walter Koehnlein for a parcel in the Town of Orion, Richland County. The harvest area is not visible from the river during leaf-on conditions and will be conducted pursuant to a Managed Forest Law (MFL) plan.

FIELD TRIP ON APRIL 13

The Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board will host a field trip at sites in Crawford and Richland counties on Thursday, April 13, beginning at 1:00 p.m. The field trip is the second in a series under the new 2023 schedule of business meetings and educational opportunities adopted by the board at their January meeting. The field trip

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Arena clerk audited in Monticello Sunshine Week Round-up: Grades are in for local govs VS honored with Best in Division at newspaper awards

Mark Cupp, LWSRB Executive Director

Editor's Column

I don’t say this to be dramatic, but 2023 has been the SICKEST season of my life ever. To be clear, I don’t mean that in the “that’s sick, bro” way, I mean that in the cold and flu season way and in the bronchitis/COVID-19/constant earache way.

Myself and Valley Sentinel Managing Editor Taylor Scott have been literally sick with some brand of illness basically since the ball dropped and Dec. 31, 2022 morphed into Jan. 1, 2023 [insert COVID germ emoji here for foreshadowing].

We’ve shared many times that we really, truly are a small business and when you see the paper each week, it’s produced mainly by us — myself and our managing editor and an incredibly dedicated group of community contributors. Because of that, and because we in our capacity as individuals are part of our larger community, we sometimes like to give a little glimpse of some behind the scenes action, and lately, that’s been so, so many illnesses, a little bit of burn out, and a high point or two.

I personally contracted COVID-19 for the first time ever earlier in March, I’m not sure how I evaded it for this long but it finally got to me and to be honest, it really took me out. I’m of course over the worst of it and testing negative again, but I still have some lingering symptoms and fatigue. Luckily, I am fully vaccinated and boosted (and maybe developing spidey senses after having the cocktail of J&J, Moderna and Bivalent vaccines shot into my arm? TBD) so my sickness was likely much less intense than it could have been. It wasn’t necessarily any worse than a cold or flu but it was much different. The fatigue that came with COVID was insane, I still find myself very tired or needed to rest after some activities.

The cough was loud and took your breath away, but it was dry and did nothing to get rid of the fountain of mucus pouring into my sinuses. I was also sick with symptoms much longer than with just a cold or flu. I was sick, with no improvement, for at least 10 days, and still have some lingering symptoms, more than two weeks after testing negative. While it wasn’t any worse than other sicknesses I’ve had — it was rough. In addition to COVID, we’ve experienced a variety of cold-like illnesses and bronchitis, and to be honest, even though we’re (thankfully) somewhat healthier now, all of these illnesses take a huge toll on you and on so many aspects of your life.

When you’re so constantly sick, with barely any time to fully recover, get your life back on track, get your business back on track — it wears you down a little. Physically and mentally. When physically and mentally you can’t do anything other than be sick, you’re not in your typical routines and that shows in your work, in your social life, in your relationships and in your own mind. When you can’t show up for those aspects of your life, you feel like a bad employee, a bad business owner, a bad partner, an absent friend, the list goes on.

Most people don’t know just how close we are each edition to not publishing, whether it be an editor finishing up a big story that runs out of time to lay out the paper, or a press schedule that flexes it’s inflexibility, or any other of a million things that can happen all at once any given publication week.

There is so much more that we want to do and will do, from finding new and interactive ways to engage with our readers, to holding events and building community, but the reality is - on a good day - we are roughly 1.5 people, with amazingly talented contributors, all of whom have other jobs or obligations. We’re not a huge operation or a corporate newsroom full of reporters, graphic designers and paginators — we’re an all volunteer publication that is one illness, hard deadline or misbehaving graphic away from having to skip or postpone any given edition — and that’s what happened.

Ultimately, as small business owners we very seldom get sick days. This month, we really had to wave the white flag and force a few into our schedules, and we’re so grateful to our community for allowing us those, and giving us grace as we have a human moment. On a slightly more uplifting and inspirational note, being sick on repeat did uncover a fun and invigorating experience — The Newsroom. Not ours, the fictional broadcast newsroom from the HBO original The Newsroom.

This was a show I watched when it first came out in 2012, as a very, very young aspiring journalist who’d just scored her first article in her monthly high school newspaper, a riveting preseason write-up about the girls volleyball team, this show spoke to me so deeply about the type of journalist I wanted to be when I grew up.

The show follows infamous TV news anchor Will McAvoy, who has a reputation for bringing in the highest ratings and doing whatever he thinks will get him those ratings, even if that means sacrificing the more informed newscast — until his boss hires a new executive producer to light a fire under him and force McAvoy to return to the cut throat, fact-focused news reporting they believe American voters need to be best informed.

The pair and their newsroom of young, inexperienced associate producers and interns set out on the journey that is News 2.0. They have a set of rules on doing the news, which include leaning away from two-sided storytelling (because as we’re all rediscovering, some stories have one side, some have two and some have five. Two-sided storytelling isn’t reliable storytelling - plus can we all acknowledge that if it is objectively raining outside, it isn’t in the public’s best interest to give a meteorologist and a rain-skeptic-conspiracy-theorist equal ink or airtime?) and instead focusing on facts and bringing truly credible and authoritative sources as guests on the show, instead of talking heads who further fact devoid polarization. The show follows their wins and losses and moments of lost faith, as the parent company pits effective news against entertainment and the constant need for ever more and more viewers to keep advertisers advertising (and executives rich). Ultimately, News 2.0 puts the trust back in the hands of its viewers — it presents them with the facts and allows them to determine how that impacts their lives, their votes and their beliefs.

This show demonstrates effective and strong journalism — but it also contradicts nearly everything I was taught in journalism school. My education focused heavily on two-sided story telling, it emphasized that readers can’t be trusted to think critically and the need for equal column inches and equal airtime to a source from each “side”, it emphasized that reporters are blanketly unethical if they accept a class of water from a source during an interview, it teaches us that the perception of that glass of water is more important than the impartial, fact-based reporting we produce, that our readers or viewer can’t be trusted to separate that glass of water from the 2000 word article you just published uncovering a corrupt local government, or sharing a girl scout’s dream of being an astronaut or simply reporting on the construction that started up on Rainbow Road yesterday (just kidding). Those assertions only grew and became more gross and negligent as I left journalism school and entered into the real-world journalism industry, an industry that has grown and morphed into a hedge fund's best interest first, a don’t write more than 600 words because no one bothers to read past the headline anyway, a don’t write on that topic it doesn’t get us any clicks or views, a pay us and we’ll hand over the news industry. That is not good news.

As I watch my way through the journey of News 2.0 again, for the first time in nearly 10 years, as I lick my wounds from being chewed up and spit out by the corporate journalism world and navigate the journey that is my own news 2.0, I leave every episode holding back tears because it is a blaring alarm reminder of the journalism 14 year old me watched and screamed “I can’t wait to do that someday.”

The “industry” might not be doing News 2.0, but at Valley Sentinel we hope we are. Myself and our managing editor watch this show and see constant points of agreement and ways in which we’ve worked to make News 2.0 happen for our community — without even realizing it. I can’t say thank you enough for allowing 14 year old me to live out my News 2.0 dreams. All of this to say—we took some time to celebrate our wins, nurse our wounds and illnesses, and do a deeper dive on some ongoing reporting. We hope you can appreciate that we care more. We look forward to showing you just how much. (And go watch The Newsroom, you won’t regret it.)

— Nicole Aimone, Editor-in-Chief

On the cover

“Estimated read” (2023) Illustration, by Julianna Williams

This composite illustration is representative of a Village of Arena water bill with an estimated read.

In February and March 2023 an astounding 85% of water bills in Arena were estimated reads.

While the village clerk tells us the issue has been fixed now after an antenna upgrade, this isn't the first time Valley Sentinel has gotten complaints about Arena's water bills.

Water bills continue to be a much-discussed topic, join us as we take a dive into audits and public records on pages 1, 14 and 15 of this edition to try to make sense of the numbers.

Submit your artwork or photography for cover consideration: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

Lone Rock lawsuit, open meetings update

A couple months back, I wrote here that the Valley Sentinel was suing the Village of Lone Rock. It feels like time for an update, and I wanted to talk about our two cases -- one not yet filed and one possibly almost done, and why they are so different.

As you may recall, Lone Rock’s Village Board had a special meeting back last October on Halloween night and did not let the Valley Sentinel know about it until afterwards. The following day there was another meeting. The Valley Sentinel received its legally required notice more than 23 hours late, which was pretty bad since the paper was only entitled to 24 hours of notice to begin with.

We followed this with a couple of requests for public records, mostly concerning those meetings. Our requests were ignored. It is clear the clerk got the emails which made the requests, because we received a response addressing the clerk’s understanding of why the meetings were legal, but despite repeated inquiries, we got nowhere on the records.

Public records and open meetings are closely related issues, and each is treated in its own subchapter of Chapter 19 in the state statutes. But they are in many ways different animals. A public records lawsuit can be filed immediately by the requester as soon as they have a cause of action. An action arises when the custodian of a record explicitly refuses access to the record,

supplies a copy with unwarranted redactions or omissions, or attempts to charge an exorbitant fee. Alternatively, one can simply wait and sue when the delay becomes unreasonable, but if the case is filed too soon, a court may say that the party suing jumped the gun and should have given it more time. The centerpiece of the action is demand for an extraordinary writ, issued from the court to the records custodian, ordering release of records. In addition there may be an order to pay court costs, attorney fees, actual damages or a small set amount for each violation.

We filed that suit and were quickly talking to Lone Rock’s attorneys about what we wanted. Did we just want the records? Yes, of course! We also wanted a small amount to cover our filing fees and so on, but mainly we wanted the records. The Village started to give us records. We haven’t reached a complete settlement yet, but a large part of the case has been effectively achieved its purpose by triggering the release of records that we wanted. Sorry we had to sue to get there, but it seems we did. It’s still possible some records will be denied or so delayed that we will not be able to settle on those, but we are optimistic. We anticipate that we will get everything we are entitled to and that this experience will encourage the Village to better comply with the laws moving forward.

Open meetings cases are a little

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Sunshine Week, held annually in March, was launched in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors (now News Leaders Association), aims to promote open government and shine light into the dark recesses of government secrecy.

Gary Ernest Grass, esq., Legal Editor

Open government report card: Arena improves, Lone Rock sued, other local public bodies receive letters

Sunshine Week is a time to celebrate government transparency and public service, as well as a time to address lapses in the same. In October 2020, shortly after incorporating and shortly before our first edition, we sent out a Wis. Stat. 19.84(1)(b) written request by email from news media to our local governmental bodies asking that Valley Sentinel be sent meeting notices for the respective governmental bodies. Recently, we sent reminder letters by mail to the local governmental bodies in our immediate coverage area that have not been consistent in sending us meeting notices, with several having sent none at all in the past nearly 2.5 years.

What is public notice? What is news media notice? Wis. Stat. 19.84 outlines the various ways a public body — such as a village or town board — needs to provide proper notice of its meetings. Best practice is to post those notices in a mix of ways most likely to apprise residents and those interested. Other requirements include at least 24 hours notice, generally, and requirements that the subject matter of the notice — usually in the form of the agenda — is reasonably likely to apprise members of the public and the news media of what action the public body will be taking.

When news media request notice under Wis. Stat. 19.84(1)(b) it is separate from the notice given to the public, but equally as necessary. This notice is required for meetings to be considered properly noticed. Further, Wis. Stats. § 19.96 & 19.97 prescribe the forfeitures possible when notice isn’t proper and state any action taken at a meeting of a governmental body held in violation is potentially voidable.

Public notice is often confused with paid legal notices, which are required for certain meetings and hearings by statute, but what Valley Sentinel was and is asking for are emails from the clerks of local public bodies with notice of upcoming meetings and its agenda items. These meetings may additionally need legal notice, but that’s a sidebar.

There is a part of the Open Meetings statute that is titled "Public Notice." This includes "notice to the public" and notice to news media. Understandably, some government bodies can confuse the obligations of "notice to the public" with the more inclusive obligations of the "Public Notice" statute, hence misunderstanding their obligations to news media.

Contact us PO Box 144 Spring Green, Wisconsin 53588 USA

(608) 588-6694 editor@valleysentinelnews.com valleysentinelnews.com

EDITORIAL

Valley Sentinel requested all meeting notices, for each public body and its subunits. Even for public bodies that have done well sending notices for their boards, we still have issues receiving committee and commission notices for their subunits, as well as joint committees — despite our request covering those bodies as well.

We should note that we were then, and still are, figuring out the extent of our local government coverage and how it should look, so we never did follow up on our request until recently with many of the townships below, so we certainly give them some leeway. Our lack of resources and manpower makes consistent, minute-like coverage difficult — but we strive to cover local government topically where we feel the story has a compelling local community interest and value to our readers.

Much of the below grades are due to the public body’s clerk, for better or worse. Clerks have a tough job, a job that can be made harder or easier by the board and the community they serve. But both clerks and local elected officials have the duty to ensure things are being done correctly and in the public interest in their community.

Why is this important? This is important to us because if we’re not getting notice as a newspaper it’s likely you’re not getting notice either. Recent studies have shown civic engagement and strong local journalism directly correlate to a number of local government metrics like local government bond rates, including rates to fund government infrastructure projects. For example, where robust local journalism disappears or is lax, local government borrowing costs increase because less information is publicly available, and local officials are no longer monitored as closely, reducing the quality of governance. Simply put, the financial sector views an area with low civic engagement and lax or nonexistent local journalistic oversight as a risky investment. Without open government it becomes increasingly hard for us to do our job.

A second source of confusion is an entirely separate set of laws regarding legal notices. Local governments must send out paid legal notices of certain kinds of government actions, such as budget-setting and new ordinances. Both legal notices and open meetings notices to news media serve the function of informing the public and specific parties with the most direct interests of government activity

SUNSHINE WEEK 2023 LOCAL OPEN GOVERNMENT REPORT CARDS

Sauk County: A+

Valley Sentinel receives County Board notices promptly as well as notices for all its various committees and department meetings. Sauk County is proactive and robust in its media and public relations, sending out press releases and community events often.

But it may be important to note County Board agenda and meeting length were reduced noticeably and dramatically following the hire of a county administrator, potentially — in our editorial board’s opinion — to the detriment of public access and civic engagement. Meeting agendas have slowly increased in size again in the last year after the noticeable decline.

Iowa County: F

Valley Sentinel received a couple county board agenda meeting notices when we first asked, but nothing since. Valley Sentinel occasionally receives county emergency management media notices, however.

Richland County: AValley Sentinel receives County Board notices promptly as well as notices for all its various committees and department meetings.

Richland County takes a slight hit in its grade with the recent UW-Richland negotiations (and lack of legal action to enforce its contract with the UW System). We’ve heard concerns that the public has with not just how the UW-System’s decision to constructively close the campus lacked public input and hearings, but also that much of the County Board’s response has been to hold questionable closed sessions rather than discuss its options openly. We concur. Having a closed session with counsel to discuss litigation strategy is understandable, but having a closed session to discuss trying to negotiate in good faith with a state agency that has no intention to do so isn’t in the public’s best interest.

by utilizing the press, but they are governed by completely different laws. So, for example, tor receive public notices, a media outlet need only put in a request, and this could include a newspaper, radio station, or even a blog. Once the media organization gets the notice, they can decide to just ignore it, or write about the meeting it notices.

Legal notices are completely different: they are

River Valley School District: A Valley Sentinel receives River Valley School District notices promptly as well as notices for all its various committees. This is much improved following disagreement in our first year publishing. The School Board established an ad hoc committee of residents, with a defined membership and defined mission to advise the board on a possible diversity statement to be adopted by the District. Many ad hoc committees aren’t necessarily required to notice their meetings (although it is good practice), but legal experts consulted agreed that a policy-writing ad hoc committee that had a defined membership and mission that reported to the board with its findings and recommended policy would need its meetings noticed, which the district failed to do.

Village of Arena: B

The Village of Arena has improved after an open meetings complaint last year due to an improper closed session. The meeting was re-done and the notices have been proper since.

Clerk DeNean Naeger is very responsive when records are requested and questions are asked about the village, she provides an invaluable crutch to the village’s officials.

The Village, fairly or not, loses a point as we’ve stopped receiving the Fire & EMS Board notices after a fairly consistent last year. This comes at a time when the joint village and town Fire Board is struggling to fund and man their EMS program, with fingers pointing at one another.

It’s also important to note that Arena is one of only a couple villages that doesn’t stream or conference their meetings for accessibility, and while that’s not a requirement of an open meeting, it does create a more inclusive way of allowing residents to be informed on their local government. They also don’t video or

continued on page 5

advertisements that have to be earned. Only official papers which meet certain requirements are eligible for them, and the notices must be run in print. Despite being completely different, both are forms of notice and it's not rare for local governments to get their obligations under these two kinds of notice mixed up.

—Gary Ernest Grass, esq., Legal Editor

Deadlines: The display and classified advertising dead- line is Monday at noon for that week. If you would like our design team to design the ad then please allow extra time for the creative process and proofing.

ads@valleysentinelnews.com

Editor-in-Chief

Nicole Aimone

Managing Editor

Taylor Scott

Legal Editor

Gary Ernest Grass, esq.

Have

Editorial Policy

On certain topics in areas of great community interest, the editors of the Valley Sentinel may take positions they believe best represent and serve the interests of the community. Any opinions or positions taken by the editorial board are separate and distinct in labeling and substance from the community journalism that appears in the rest of the publication and does not affect the integrity and impartiality of our reporting.

Graphic Design

Julianna Williams

Commentary/Opinion Column

Beverly Pestel

Letter to the Editor Policy

Letters submitted for consideration are subject to fact-checking and editing for space and clarity. Submissions must have a compelling local community interest. Letters to the editor must fit within a 500-word limit, and include name, city and phone number. Phone numbers are for office use only and will not be published. Letters of a political nature, without chance of rebuttal, will not be published the week before an election.

Commentary/Opinion Column

Barb Garvoille

Commentary/Opinion Column

Katie Green

Column Policy

Editors may feature opinion columns written by public figures, members of the public or other publication staff. Columns reflect the opinions of the individual contributors and do not represent positions of the publication. Guest columns of an anticipated length more than 500 words should seek prior editor authorization.

Community Discussion Policy

From time to time the editorial board may select letters to the editor of a particular compelling community interest where a public figure or accountable public action is the recipient of criticism and allow, in the same issue, the subject of the criticism chance for rebuttal, with expounded independent input. The format shall be point, counterpoint and expert analysis. This community discussion shall serve as a moderated dialogue that presents multiple views of important community topics.

Valley Sentinel wins Best in Division E at Wisconsin Newspaper Association awards banquet

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association recently recognized the state's newspapers for their exceptional work during its 2022 Better Newspaper Contest Awards Banquet. The event took place on March 24, at The Madison Concourse Hotel in downtown Madison. Among the winners, Valley Sentinel was awarded as the Best in Division E.

The contest received a total of 2,230 entries from 106 newspapers, with eligible entries published between September 1, 2021, and August 31, 2022. A panel of judges from the Arkansas Press Association evaluated the entries and selected the winners.

Annually, newspapers from across the state can submit entries in the awards for editorial and advertising. Publications are divided into most categories based on circulation size and daily versus weekly publications.

The best in division winners were: Division E (non-daily circulation of 2,249 or less): Valley Sentinel, Spring Green; Division D (non-daily circulation of 2,250 – 4,499): Superior Telegram; Division C (non-daily circulation of at least 4,500): The Lakeland Times, Minocqua; Division B (daily circulation of less than 9,999): Herald Times Reporter, Manitowoc; Division A (daily circulation of at least 10,000): The Gazette, Janesville.

Valley Sentinel is in good company, with a majority of the publications in the Wisconsin Newspaper Association falling under Division E, with over 100 of the nearly 200 publications in the Wisconsin Newspaper Association belonging to that division.

Out of the other Sauk, Iowa and Richland county papers, the Baraboo News Republic (Division B) took home first place for Feature Story (Profile) and honorable mention for General News Story. Other area Wisconsin Newspaper Association member papers, the Home News (Division E), the Dodgeville Chronicle (Division D), the Richland Observer (Division E), The Democrat Tribune (Division E), and the Reedsburg Independent (Division E), were not represented at the awards.

In addition to winning Best in Division, Valley Sentinel's staff was recognized with 22 awards out of 50 entries. CoOwner and Editor-in-Chief Nicole Aimone, Co-Owner and Managing Editor Taylor Scott, Legal Editor Gary Ernest Grass, esq., Graphic Designer Julianna Williams, Columnist Barb Garvoille, Columnist Beverly Pestel, former Graphic Designers Anna Stocks-Hess and Whitney Kurdziel, and contributor Jolean Louis were among those honored. Valley Sentinel's awards include first place in the Open Records/Freedom of Information Award, All-Around Newspaper Photography, Artistic Photo, Best Large Ad, and Best Small Ad categories. The publication also received second place in the Community Engagement Award, General News Story, Artistic Photo, Bill Payne Award (Best Ad Overall), Best Large Ad, and Best Small Ad categories. Third place honors were awarded to Valley Sentinel in Best Front Page, Best Special Section (Editorial), Reporting on Local Government, Local Column, Feature Photo, Artistic Photo, and Best Niche Product. Honorable mentions for Valley Sentinel were given for Best Headlines, Local Column, Overall Page Design and Best Newspaper Promotion.

“A sincere thank you to our contributors, our readers and our community for believing in our mission of doing something different and supporting us on the journey,” said Aimone. “We couldn’t have done it without your support.”

Valley Sentinel’s first place in the Open Records/Freedom of Information category went to its editors Aimone, Scott

BETTER NEWSPAPER CONTEST AWARD WINNER

2022 AWARD WINNER 2022 AWARD WINNER

and Grass for their coverage of the rush to fill the Village of Arena’s public works superintendent position that resulted in the filing of open meetings complaints. The judges said, “This is an example of following up words with actions, which is sometimes an integral piece in the pursuit of transparency. Explaining the law and its benefits bring real value.”

It’s important to note that this was a category where the weekly divisions were combined and Valley Sentinel was not only competing with other Division E papers, but also larger Division D and C papers.

Noting Valley Sentinel’s sweep of the Artistic Photo category, Aimone emphasized the importance of Valley Sentinel’s effective use of photos.

“A good news photo follows the basic rule of thirds, wanting the subject in the top or bottom of any third of the shot. It has action, you see people celebrating, protesting, embracing, working in the moment. It's not staged but a true snapshot of exactly what's going on at the newsworthy event it's reporting,” said Aimone. “A strong artistic local news photo will be that once-in-a-lifetime, breathtaking shot of a place or scene everyone in the area knows, but you were lucky enough to have a camera with you to get that shot”.

Aimone also noted the first and second places in both the Best Large Ad and Best Small Ad, as well as the second place finish in the Bill Payne Award for best overall ad.

“We pride ourselves not just on our offerings to our readers, but also on our offerings to our area business community. Valley Sentinel is a free publication because we believe not only that everyone should be able to read the news, but also because of the value it offers to our local businesses whose advertisements reach that many more eyes each edition due to our accessibility,” says Aimone. “We’re so honored that the judges recognized the creative energy and passion that our designers have put into designing engaging ads for our local businesses.”

Other notable awards include second place in the Community Engagement

Award to Scott for Valley Sentinel’s Impulse Initiative, which the judges called a “great use of 21st century media to address a long term problem. This is about making the [paper] a thought leader and a change agent. In other words, relevant. Just what [the journalism] industry needs.”

“We’re particularly proud of our second place in community engagement for our soft launch of our Impulse Initiative. It’s an initiative we look to build a team of

passionate community members around and hard launch in the near future,” says Scott. “This is a proof of concept for us that this idea resonates with experts that know what a force for good local journalism and community publications can be.”

“It’s representative of the larger proof of concept that our publication encompasses. I like to tell people we’re at 15% of phase one of three of what we want to accomplish in building community and where we want to take Valley Sentinel and related businesses or foundations,” continues Scott. “If a ragtag group of what we proudly describe as roughly 1.5 people and some amazing community contributors and volunteers can be recognized as the best newspaper our size in the state with a shoestring budget and no corporate infrastructure, imagine how much community building we can do in the future with a little growth.”

Valley Sentinel has been serving the Spring Green area community since October 2020, covering local news and events, meetings, arts & culture and more. This year was Valley Sentinel’s first year eligible for the WNA awards. The publication is committed to growing and providing quality journalism, while navigating and pioneering what the future of community news can look like and all the ways in which our communities can engage with it.

“We’d like to again thank our readers, contributors and our community for their on-going support that made these awards possible,” says Aimone. “These awards belong to the community and our supporters just as much as us, for allowing us to grow, try something different and for fostering our success. We have so much more planned to do, we’ll only succeed with your support.”

To view the complete list of winners and judges' comments, go to wnanews.com/ wp-content/2022BNC/WNA. For more information about Valley Sentinel, visit www.valleysentinelnews.com/about.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY

WE'RE LOOKING FOR INTERNS AND COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTORS

Looking for a challenge?

We are looking for interns/volunteers who want to be in the unique position to learn the nuts and bolts of a news media publication that started from the ground up.

You will have the chance to make an impact at the ground level of a startup and see the effect of your work and ideas carried out with a lot of flexibility, in an environment and creative culture you can help influence and create.

Available subject areas:

EDITORIAL/JOURNALISM

SOCIAL MEDIA

ADVERTISING/MARKETING

GRAPHIC DESIGN/PAGE DESIGN/LAYOUT

DISTRIBUTION/CIRCULATION/CRM MNGMT

PODCASTING/AUDIO PRODUCTION

AND MORE!

We are a new, all volunteer local news source that holds a strong belief that by working to keep our communities informed and engaged on a variety of topics including arts & culture, events, community news and serving as a watchdog for our local governmental bodies, we can help create a strong identity for our community and ignite positive growth and change throughout the area.

Interested? Send us your area(s) of interest and a resume to: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

Internship will be unpaid, interns will be required to sign a FSLA-compliant internship agreement. If credit is available from intern’s educational institution for participation in an internship, we are glad to work with you to meet any requirements for receiving credit.

Want to help build community? Know a college student that’s looking for a summer or fall internship for academic credit or to gain experience? Already attending village board or school board meetings and want to record or report on them? Want to engage with arts & culture, ag, businesses and other topics important to our community? Want to take scenic walks or drives delivering papers to subscribers and businesses?

We have so many ideas to grow and do more for our community, but we need help, we CAN’T do it alone. If you want to be a part of something bigger please email us and let us know what your interests are: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

Areas in most need:

-Graphic design (publication layout, visual story design, infographics)

-Sports reporting

-Municipal meeting recorders/reporters

-School board reporters

-Social media posting/creation

-E-newsletter

-Website posting

-Agriculture reporter/columnist (current events)

We have the infrastructure set up for most of these areas, we're just in need of manpower from passionate community members.

Photo by Kathleen Farrow

Members of Valley Sentinel pictured with the publication's 22 awards, including Best in Division E, after the Wisconsin Newspaper Association's awards banquet in Madison March 24. Pictured from left: Beverly Pestel, columnist; Anna Stocks-Hess, former graphic designer; Nicole Aimone, co-owner, publisher, editor-in-chief; Taylor Scott, co-owner, publisher, managing editor, Julianna Williams, graphic designer; Gary Ernest Grass, esq., legal editor.

EDITORIAL (con.)

Open government report card: Arena improves, Lone Rock sued, other local public bodies receive letters

continued from page 3

audio record their meetings currently despite their longstanding tradition of doing so previously, as well as having the infrastructure and equipment to do so. Their report card and the public interest would be improved by them returning to those practices.

Village of Lone Rock: F

After a rocky start, then a lapse that resulted in an open meetings complaint and a public records lawsuit (after Clerk Tammy Christianson erroneously claimed notice to the press was simply an FYI, instead of an actual, legal requirement), and then a rocky restart that will likely result in another open meetings complaint after a closed meeting was improperly held without notice to discuss the resulting public records lawsuit, Lone Rock has been consistently sending meeting notices for the last few months.

Village of Plain: A

Perfect. Village of Plain Clerk Sheila Carver is great to work with. We get meeting notices and agendas promptly and never have a problem. Although we’d like to see the Fire & EMS Board notices as well as other subunit/ committee notices.

Village of Spring Green: A

After a couple hiccups a year or so ago where media was booted from a virtual meeting before a motion and vote to go into closed session were taken, as well

as a conspicuously lacking of notice in the initial vote to hire Clerk Wendy Crary as Village Administrator as well had to be redone, the Village of Spring Green has been perfect in getting meeting notices and meeting minutes out promptly. They have had meaningful discussions recently about how to best return to in person meetings in a hybrid fashion that is accessible virtually. These efforts should be applauded.

Town of Arena: F

After several requests for meeting notices, we still haven’t received any. However, previous clerk Joni JohnsonKropp was helpful in forwarding information about a failed Vortex project in the township.

The Town has undergone turnover in clerks and this surprisingly large township has been dealing with some outsized issues with EMS services and a village within its bounds that cannot be counted on to maintain its services. Ensuring proper notice will help get more people involved and will help educate residents about the potentially dire situations the Village and Township of Arena find themselves in.

Town of Bear Creek: N/A

We can’t say with certainty that the Town of Bear Creek received a request prior to those sent out recently. We’ll provide a grade next year.

With excellent Village of Plain Clerk Sheila Carver at the helm here as well, we have little doubt notices will be proper.

Town of Black Earth: N/A

While a small sliver of the Town of Black Earth is within our immediate coverage area, not enough of it is to send a request at this time.

Town of Buena Vista: F*

We have never received a meeting notice despite our request. Period.

*Clerk Van Nelson has acknowledged our recent request and committed to providing notices.

Town of Clyde: A

Taking over from a wonderful clerk in her own right, Clerk Leah Spicer has hit the ground running and has proven herself a sharp and adept public official. Notices are prompt and complete, and minutes are well written. This rural community is lucky.

Town of Dodgeville: N/A*

This appears to be our first time sending a news media notice request to the Town of Dodgeville - which starts just south of the House on the Rock and encompasses Gov. Dodge State Park — both of which we consider within our immediate coverage area — and continues south to encompass a much larger area.

*It’s important to note that Clerk Sara Olson started sending meeting notices immediately upon receipt of our letter.

Town of Franklin: F

We have never received a meeting notice despite our request. Period.

Legal Editor: Lone Rock lawsuit, open meetings updates

continued from page 3

different. There is a different theoretical and practical relationship between the public body and the individual. A meeting cannot be opened up after the fact. The logic of the case and the possible remedies are therefore much different.

In a public records case, a requester does not need to show that they needed a record or were harmed by not getting it, because the real issue is the public policy of open government, and even though one person may specifically have been denied access to records, it is the entire public that is harmed. In open meetings cases, this idea is kicked up one more level. Where the plaintiff in a public records case acquires their ability to sue from having requested a record and not getting it, a plaintiff in an open meetings case does not have to be someone locked out of the meeting.

They don’t have to have any connection to the meeting. The case is even more focused on the public interest, so much that the person who sues does not even do so in their own name but on behalf of the state.

Filing an open meetings case is a distinct process. Before you can run into the court representing the State of Wisconsin, you need to file a sworn report (a “verified complaint”) to the attorney general or the district attorney, or in some cases, corporation counsel for the county. These are the state’s preferred officials for taking action, but if they decline or do not act within 20 days, an ordinary person can act for the state.

Remedies in an open meetings case are mostly not designed to benefit the person filing the case. They can recover their court costs and attorney fees, but will not come out ahead on money.

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however, we are committed to remaining a free

publication with an accessible, hybrid model that allows anyone that wants to read local news to have access to it. We do not believe financial ability should be a barrier to reading local news. We may be a free paper, but unfortunately it’s not free to print papers. Valley Sentinel will stay a free and truly independent and accessible paper. Please frequent our local businesses and let them

Individual officers who violated the law may be forced to pay the equivalent of a fine to the state or county, which unlike most liabilities of public officers cannot be paid for them from the public treasury.

What happens to the business conducted at the unlawful meeting? Well, it is not automatically void, but the court does have the power to nullify all or part of the public business performed at a meeting that has been found unlawful. The court must balance the public interest in transparent government against the possible disruption to innocent people who relied on the validity of the government’s acts.

The Valley Sentinel has made its report to the district attorney and has the goahead to sue the Village of Lone Rock on behalf of the state. Since its last report it has learned of additional violations which it will also be reporting.

Town of Honey Creek: F*

The previous Clerk was sent our request in 2020, but we never received notices.

*Current Clerk Jennifer Evert started sending meeting notices immediately upon receipt of our letter. We’ll provide an updated grade next year.

Town of Ithaca: N/A

While a small sliver of the Town of Ithaca is within our immediate coverage area, not enough of it is to send a request at this time.

Town of Ridgeway: N/A

We can’t say with certainty that the Town of Ridgeway received a request prior to the requests sent out recently. We’ll provide a grade next year.

Town of Spring Green: A

Perfect. We get meeting notices and agendas promptly from Clerk Vicki Terpstra.

Town of Troy: F

We have never received a meeting notice despite our request. Period.

Town of Wyoming: F

We have never received a meeting notice despite our request. However, it should be noted that Town Clerk Mary Lloyd-Jones has been helpful in the past with responding to emails requesting election information and absentee ballot numbers.

The Village of Lone Rock committed to hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenditures on top of the annual budget. It is likely someone will not welcome such a reversal. But the fact that the actions of the Village were momentous is equally a reason why they should have been performed with respect for the law and the rights of citizens to access.

We’ve previously addressed why we think the open meetings law is important. It is not just a shield against corrupt action but a means of allowing public engagement, which might lead to more informed and better decisions. Outside parties look for such transparency as a sign of a government that is competent, honest, and responsible to its citizens. It gives the government credibility and makes it more credit-worthy. And for many of us, it is not just a matter of practical benefit but of principle. It is the life breath of a functioning democracy. We are always happy to see issues like this resolved without recourse to a courtroom, but we are also not reluctant to sue when justice and principle demand it.

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know you read Valley Sentinel each week.

What does independent news mean to us? It means NOT influenced by corporations or government, NO big corporate backers, NO corporate umbrella organizations, NO big money investors. Just a handful of people with a dream to build community.

As soon as the Valley Sentinel learned of the unlawfully conducted meetings, it reached out to the Village, informing them of the meetings’ illegality and asking the Village whether the meetings would be done over again, so that the public would have appropriate access and the business of the meetings could be performed again free of any legal taint. This would have been a wise action, which would have assured that no public business would be rendered void and the worst the Village would face would be some small payments of legal costs and some small fines to its members. For whatever reason, the Village did not do this. Perhaps they feared the outcome of the business would be different. Perhaps they were irrationally confident of the legality of the meetings.

Valley Sentinel is all-volunteer, independently owned and operated by its editors and is a majority woman-owned business. Community fueled and community focused. We only succeed if the community succeeds.

It will be a big step to go into court on these claims, and ask the court to undo the actions taken at the meeting.

For more about Valley Sentinel and our model, visit us at valleysentinelnews.com/about

If you are able and enjoyed this week’s edition, please consider donating $1 today.

Recently we received word from our press that costs for materials have risen over 19% in the past few months and that our printing cost will go up accordingly.

If we charged $1 for each copy of Valley Sentinel, just half of the copies that are picked up each week would entirely cover our printing costs — however, we are committed to remaining a free

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OPINION/EDITORIAL

Capitol Report — Marklein: It's Not A Cut

Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green)

If your child asks you for a $10 raise for their allowance and you give them $5, is it a cut?

No.

Your child’s allowance is increasing by $5. They may have wanted the additional $5. But you did not give it to them. Whatever your reasons, you decided to give them a $5 increase.

This makes sense, right? An increase is not a cut.

Unfortunately, in political circles, we often hear that we are “cutting” things when we don’t give an organization, an agency or even a Governor what they want. We might even allocate more money for something, but if it doesn’t rise to the level that they want, they call it a “cut”. An increase is not a cut. New funds are not cut. A new program is not a cut. Right?

Also, unfortunately, in political circles, we often see organizations, agencies and even Governors request much, much, much more than they actually need to accomplish our mutual goals so that they can point a finger and say that we “cut” something. They set their bar extremely high, knowing full well that it is outrageous, so that they can criticize the legislature and call it a “cut”.

Again, an increase is still not a cut. Some may call this a negotiation technique. Some may say, “you gotta start somewhere.” I say that an increase is still not a cut.

designed to continue, commitments for buildings, infrastructure and debt.

The base budget was bipartisan. It is the budget that the Governor signed and supported just 18 short months ago. It has been working well for us since it went into effect July 1, 2021. The current base budget kept us in terrific fiscal shape and has set Wisconsin up for success despite a pandemic, a difficult economy and inflation. The “Governor’s Budget” is a list of ideas. It is not the budget. When we decide to do something other than the Governor’s idea, we are not “cutting” the Governor’s budget. The Governor’s budget is not law. It is a proposal. It is a list of requests. We cannot “cut” the Governor’s budget because it does not exist.

spending – it’s not a cut. Reasonable increases, responsible new spending and new investments are not a cut.

The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) recently released their independent analysis of the Governor’s Budget Proposal. This analysis confirms that the Governor’s ideas increase spending by 17%. It also confirms that if we were to adopt the Governor’s ideas, our surplus would be gone and we would be in a $3 billion deficit by 2027. We have worked too hard, together, to put Wisconsin in a terrific financial position only to adopt spending that returns us to massive debts. You don’t want that, right?

The legislature will be building the state budget from the current base budget. The base budget is our existing foundation. It is the current, ongoing, state spending plan. It includes operating costs and obligations. These operating costs and obligations include personnel, programs that were

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

Sen. Marklein is sounding more and more desperate in his attempt to convince us the “skinny budget” he and his Republican buddies are working on is exactly what we need. Does the senator really think that the taxpayers of Wisconsin should thank the Legislature for giving us an “allowance” - but not one that could in any way meet our needs? This situation is more akin to parents taking custody of money earned by their children for mowing lawns in the community, then refusing to allow them access to enough of it to put gas back in the mower. “This makes

Dear Editor, “Guns are the leading cause of death among US children and teens since surpassing car accidents in 2020.” Let that sink in. This from a CNN article referencing a report by the CDC. Don’t trust CDC or CNN? How about the National Institutes of Health or the New England Journal of Medicine or the Kaiser Family Foundation. In a country that professes to love its children, how is it that we continue to allow our

Dear Editor,

Hello! I am a third-grade student in Northern Virginia, and my class is learning about the United States. Each third-grader has been assigned a specific state, and I have received your state! I am very excited to learn more about the great state of Wisconsin and wish to represent you well in my final State Fair project in the month of May.

I am writing to ask you to please publish the letter below in your Letters to the Editor section of your newspaper. It will enhance my learning if I can get the perspective from actual people who live in and love their state!

Thank you for your kind consideration in

Dear Editor, I am on the negotiating team meeting with UW System to seek ways to revitalize the UW Richland Campus. We have several ideas that would meet the needs of communities surrounding the campus. However, it seems that for everything proposed to UW-System, they answer “ no resources.”

sense, right?” No, Senator, it does not. And yes, Senator, an increase is still a “cut” when it does not replace the resources that have been denied us for years because of insufficient state funding to meet our needs. The Senator keeps going back to the fact that the previous budget was bipartisan. Actually, the previous budget was not bipartisan in any meaningful way. It was signed by the Governor because he refused to hold the citizens of Wisconsin hostage to a stingy legislature. He signed the budget because he knew the legislature was prepared to make the citizens pay for their intransigence and

kids to get slaughtered in school? More and more kids, having survived the trauma of one mass shooting are now graduating on to their second.

I’m not being hyperbolic with the use of the word “slaughter”. Ask any trauma surgeon or just google it. The bullet from an assault rifle essentially explodes inside the body leaving little left to repair. This is particularly true for small bodies and most especially if hit with more than one round...

helping me with my project!

Sincerely,

Bryce McKinney

Dear People of the Great State of Wisconsin, Hello! I am a third-grade student in Northern Virginia. Our class is learning about the United States, and I will be teaching our school about the state of Wisconsin. In the month of May, I will create a display for our State Fair that I hope will make you proud.

Although I have gathered facts about your state from books and websites, I think that I can receive the best information from the people who live there. This is why I am

The same for our county state mandated programs that have yearly decreasing support.

It seems to me that Senator Howard Marklein, Chair of the State Finance Committee, who is working on the new budget, is holding the whole state hostage because of some sort of a power trip. This is all reinforced by Vos the State Assembly leader.

There are some things we need to do in the next state budget that will add to our base budget. We need to address funding for education. We need to address compensation for state employees in an inflationary economy. We need to fund agencies to meet our obligations. We need to continue to maintain and improve roads. We need to fund our priorities.

However, we will not spend at all of the levels proposed by Governor Evers – this is not a cut. When we don’t massively increase

determination not to give a Democratic Governor any wins. Years ago there was a popular gadget that was purported to be a treatment for ADHD and anxiety. It turned out to be worthless and became nothing more than a considerable distraction as a toy used by children and was banned in many schools. It was called a fidget spinner, and it is a perfect analogy for Sen. Marklein and the rest of his Republican buddies in the legislature: all spin and no value.

We need to call on Sen. Marklein to stop this nonsense. When he talks about “[r] easonable increases,” and “responsible

the more likely scenario. I’m reminded of a reporting on the Uvalde school shooting some months back. One of the young victims, Maite Rodriguez, could be identified only by her green converse sneakers. I just can’t unsee that.

How is it that this “American exceptionalism” continues unabated? How is it that a minority of Americans can assert their “right” to carry an assault rifle over the rights that WE have? You know, the right to

writing to you. I am hoping that you would be willing to send me some items to help me learn more about the best things in your state. You might consider sending items such as postcards, pictures, souvenirs, this newspaper article, or any other unique items that would be useful or show your state pride. Here are a few questions:

• Why do you live in your state ?/What first brought your family there?

• How do you make money?/What is your job?

• What does your state look like?

• What do people do for fun?

• What animals live there?

• What traditional food/recipes does your state have?

Is cutting taxes what they aim for as the most important item in their political careers? What about education in our rural areas- and the increased tax revenue that brings?

When did our state representatives quit caring about the public who elected them and join the Republican campaign to starve counties and universities? It is time

So, when the legislature begins crafting the state budget and adding items to the base budget, please remember that we are not “cutting” the budget. The Governor, like your child, may ask for $10. But we, like you, may provide a $5 increase instead. Either way, it’s still more, not less. And it’s not a cut.

As always, please do not hesitate to connect with me to provide input, ideas or to seek assistance. Send an email to sen.marklein@ legis.wisconsin.gov or call 608-266-0703. I want to hear from you.

new spending” he is simply spinning a tale to justify stashing away more of our tax dollars until (hopefully, not when) the legislature could get away with giving it to their wealthy donors.

Trying to scare us with “massive” future debt and saying “You don’t want that, right?” is just more spin and we know how worthless that is.

Sen. Marklein asks for your input –please, let him have it.

Bill Cary Rockbridge, Wisconsin

expect that our kids won’t be subject to battlefield risks at school. Does it not gall you that our children learn shooter drills before they learn their ABCs? Is this the America we want our children to grow up in? I’m assuming that most if not all parents take their role as protector seriously. Regrettably, parents’ concerns are ignored.

Pat O'Boyle Richland Center, Wisconsin

• What type of music is native to your state?

• Do you have a state athletic team?

• What geographic features are unique to your state?

I will need to gather all of my information by the second week of May. You can mail items to the address below. I really appreciate your help!

Sincerely,

Bryce McKinney Miss Campbell's Class The Langley School 1411 Balls Hill Road Mclean, Virginia 22101

for the public to contact them and let them know our community needs. Let’s make Wisconsin a proud place to live again.

Senator State Howard Marklein, Sen. marklein@legis.wi.gov, phone 608-2660703

Linda Gentes Richland Center, Wisconsin

Senator Howard Marklein

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

The now generally accepted use of the term WOKE in society bothers me as a linguist. I WOKE up this morning (verb, simple past tense), but I was not WOKEN by anyone (past participle), and I WAKE up each day in the same way (simple present tense). In WAKING (present participle), I am thereafter AWAKE (adjective).

To describe anyone as WOKE, is grammatically unacceptable, since WOKE is not an adjective, but the past tense verb form.

Now if we analyze this situation more completely, ignoring the grammatical reasoning, concentrating only on the literal meaning of WOKE as being AWAKE, assuming its present day use as an adjective

reflects grammatical ignorance, we must interpret it by reference to its synonyms: ALERT, INFORMED, ENLIGHTENED, SENSIBLE, COGNIZANT, etc. I remember an expression used where I grew up in Australia, “I’m awake-up to you!” meaning the speaker was "onto" whoever was trying to “put one over on them”.

Applying this to the use of WOKE, we

The (not so) Plain and Simple Correspondent: The Tree of Life

Yggdrasil in Norse mythology is the immense sacred ash tree from whom all living beings have sprung. Yggdrasil has three deep roots that go deep but it struggles daily to keep upright, because a dragon (age? illness?) keeps chewing on one root. As it happens, I know what it feels like to have a dragon chewing on my root. A deep well of tree sap, seen as both nourishing and poisonous in the legend, was the source of the first living beings. I find this creation story at least as appealing as the Christian Bible's tale in Genesis – the Garden of Eden, making woman as an afterthought, the fatal consequences that follow from the desire for knowledge, bad company in the form of snakes, hasty fig leaf fashions to hide nakedness, and all that.

In Saxony there was an actual tree, sacred to pagan tribes, which Charlemagne chose to cut down, setting off a chain reaction of unpleasant happenings. Bent on Christianizing, not simply conquering the Frankish tribes, he first baptized them and then killed them one by one. I don't think he got the gist of Jesus' message. And of course the survivors simmered in resentment at being treated as not worthy of existence and they and their resentment persist to this day. I am one of those tree

huggers unite! We do not all see trees as merely board feet of lumber, insensate things to be shredded for toilet paper, or made into tissue to blow your nose on or wrap hamburgers in and throw out the car window later.

worshippers and have had friends in many states and countries who tell me where their sacred trees are located. Tree

My scattergun reading material lately has included a lot of theology and cosmology of religions, as well as the statements of secular society. I've plowed through beliefs by Native Americans, Taoists, and tales of the twisted, blood-soaked Nazi belief in their absolute superiority, so horrifyingly evident during WWII as witnessed by the Japanese American soldier battalions whose heroism was so crucial to Allied success in Europe. The “Master Race” turned out to be just another illusion, but what a toll it took to contain its adherents. The current news is full of serious “I'm better than you are” types. To-the-death struggles between Israelis and Palestinians, Russians and Ukrainians, East vs West, white people vs other colors, uncivil wars on many continents (including our own), with no end in sight. The ugly master race syndrome lives on, even here in Wisconsin, driven by hate, fear, and power lust. As former President Jimmy Carter prepares to leave this world, I give thanks for peace makers such as he has

steadfastly been, only wishing there were more with his wisdom and unique clout advancing to take his place. His vision of the big tent under which we all may gather as equals has been inspirational. One of the germs for this essay came in the guise of a mailing from our supplemental insurance company. A letter listed all the languages in which it was prepared to answer questions. For starters: Arabic, two Chinese dialects, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, Russian, Hindi, Portuguese, Polish, French Creole, Japanese. And of course English. This does not begin to scratch the surface of all the languages and dialects people have invented over the centuries... nor take into account the fact that language shape-shifts day by day... nor takes into account the important languages of other beings with whom we share the planet and the larger universe. The sound of black holes in space was broadcast on public radio the other night. Eerie, beautiful. Each morning a pair of sandhill cranes flies past my bedroom window at dawn, calling out to whomever will listen. Or perhaps they don't care who hears; is it just their exuberant thanks for another day of life? Sadly, I'll never know or be able to speak

Meeting Our Needs — Part 5: The Facts of Life

“Meeting Our Needs” is a series that acknowledges the organizations and individuals who work to make our communities better, stronger, healthier and more inclusive. We know we face challenges and divisions among us, but we miss and underestimate the essential goodness of rural Wisconsinites when we fail to celebrate those who are lifting us up in so many ways. Let us hear your stories, contact bpestel@msn.com to be included in this series.

I referenced the book The 1619 Project recently and made the point that there are two sides to every story and that you have to have them both to avoid living in delusion.

Then, the other night while I was scrolling through the TV to find something to watch I stumbled upon the old sitcom, “The Facts of Life.” (I

always identified mostly with Jo, but that is another story.) Anyway, the theme song struck meYou take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have The facts of life, the facts of life….

It takes a lot to get 'em right When you're learning the facts of life.

(You’re going to have that song in your head for the rest of day now, aren’t you? Sorry.)

Well, I decided that I needed to take my own advice, so I downloaded The 1776 Report that was commissioned by former Pres. Trump as a response to The 1619 Project published in the New York Times Magazine in August 2019, it later became a book. According to Wikipedia (that includes 52 references), on Sept.

2, 2020, Trump spoke of the need to give students a “patriotic education.” He announced the commission of The 1776 Report on September 17, 2020, in a speech in which he contended that a "twisted web of lies" regarding systemic racism was currently being taught in U.S. schools, calling it "a form of child abuse."

Let’s start here: The 1619 Project is composed of multiple chapters with identified authors. The credits of all those authors are included in the book, many of whom are university history professors. The book also contains 55 pages of references to substantiate claims and document quotes made in those chapters. This is exactly what one would expect and require in a scholarly report.

The 1776 Report does not identify any authors. The list of those in The President’s Advisory 1776 Commission

must assume that if accused of being WOKE, we should take it as a compliment, since it means we are indeed superior to the opposite: being asleep, ignorant and unaware of what is being put over on society at large.

Kay Ziegahn Richland Center, Wisconsin

to them except with loving eyes and respectful gestures as they hang around on our big lawn through three seasons of the year. Today they are high stepping delicately through half a foot of new snow, clearly disgusted with this turn of events.

At the last session of my Stitch & Bitch, virtually every attendee but myself indulged in stories about their beloved dogs and cats. I sat and marveled, fascinated. They all pretended to know what Fuzzy or Fifi was thinking and invented dialogues of what the animals were saying, as if they could speak English, addressing them as “Mom”. They admitted to forgiving their animals' naughty, often destructive hijinks, which they would have punished if these acts were committed by their children.

Okay. I have sometimes been a bit insanely in love with the cats and dogs who have adopted us, but have tried to be restrained in public. Not so these women. The yearning for communication across species barriers has never been so clear or so necessary in the last stages of life on earth, when there is not much else to cling to for comfort. The hereafter will take care of itself however it will.

Returning to reflecting on the many languages our insurer can deal with, after starting this essay I read an article about Chamoru, the original language of Guam, in the No. Mariana Islands. The author told of how authorities for years tried to stamp out it out, but vestiges remained in the memories of older folk and are being reintroduced, as are many Native American dialects. My husband had the appropriate last word. When he saw the multi-language pages from our insurance company, he exclaimed, “This is what it means to be an American!” Yes. It is. That and so much more. There's room for the whole grab bag.

Katie, who until recently lived in Plain, has been writing for fun and profit since childhood. Self-described as opinionated, she writes in the interests of a more loving, better-functioning world for all. She may be reached at katiewgreen@icloud.com.

is given but there are no credits as to who they are or what their qualifications are for producing the report. Wikipedia maintains that the commission “includes no historians specializing in United States history.” Well, I do believe in doing my own research, so I looked some of them up: Jerry Davis is either a politician, a screenwriter, or a football player – I found all three on Wikipedia, and since nothing but a name is given in the report – who knows which he is? Gay Hart Gaines appears to be a Republican fundraiser and activist. John Gibbs is an American far-right political commentator and politician, or maybe he’s a jailed teenager from Ashford? Mike Gonzalez is either a Senior Fellow at The Heritage Foundation who writes on Critical Race Theory, identity politics, diversity, and foreign policy, or a former

continued on page 9

Beverly Pestel, Columnist

Katie Green

Katie Green, Columnist

Photo contributed by Katie Green

An aerial photo of the Village of Plain.

Reflections from Lost Horizon Farm — Milk House Disasters

Each edition, retired dairy farmer Barb Garvoille brings her musings on dairy farm life from her own years of experience on Lost Horizon Farm with her late husband Vince “Mr. Farmer” Garvoille. This mooving memoir focuses on 1980-2000, join Barb as she rises with the herd.

Picture a January morning when the thermometer read 40 degrees below zero and the landscape had the bluishgray tinge of extreme cold. That was the setting the morning when the frigid disposition of the outdoors nearly equaled the interior environment of the usually cozy milk house. Overnight the propane tank had emptied itself, the wall heater and hot water heater had run out of fuel, and the milk house had become literally an icebox. An emergency call to the cooperative brought a special LP delivery, and after the driver had reignited every pilot light on the farm, fuel flowed, and the milk house began its very slow return to warmth. The drain had frozen, the windows were sealed over with ice, the milking units all had beautiful frosted designs on the insides of the pulsator lids, the milker hoses were stiffened, and sanitizing supplies were thickened and sluggish in their containers. Fortunately, none of the waterline pipes had burst, but it was an unforgettably frigid day's start at Lost Horizon Farm, and an unpleasant experiential reminder to keep a much closer eye on the LP tank gauge. This incident became a never ending story on the farm as each and every time thereafter,when the cooperative’s LP route driver pulled into our drive, he made it a point to mention his least favorite very early morning wintertime delivery!

******

During a different year and a different season, but again, during the night, the thermostat on the bulk tank had malfunctioned, and the milk kept cooling and cooling and cooling, until, by morning, the 1000 pounds of milk in the cooler had frozen. All the while, the agitator pump had been valiantly working trying to stir the increasingly chillier milk. By morning, the motor on the agitator pump had burnt itself out, and the paddle of the agitator had bent itself into a shape like a pretzel and was stuck in the frozen milk. The frozen milk thawed slowly with the introduction of the next milking and could be saved, but the thermostat, the motor, and the disfigured paddle had to be replaced. ******

The outlet at the base of the bulk tank had a butterfly valve that would need to be turned in order to collect a gallon of milk for the house (Farmers call that the "house milk."). The stem of the valve handle ran through the valve

and had been designed to be anchored underneath with a tiny cotter key. That cotter key was difficult to access, a nuisance to take out every time the valve components had to be cleaned, and was so small that it was nearly impossible to find if dropped. For these reasons, the cotter key had been discarded. That meant a person had to be very careful not to lift UP on the valve handle while turning it open. If a person was careless, the handle would pull right out of the valve, and milk would just gush out of the bulk tank. Even though a person vowed it would never happen, it did! Then a person had to frantically grab paper towels, crush them into a ball, stuff that wad into the outlet, and try to get the valve cap screwed back over the paper plug. The more quickly the task was done, the more milk was saved, and the more a person saved face! ******

One spring day, just after beginning the morning milking, the sensors in the receiver jar in the milk house failed. Their demise was noted because, at the instant of failure, each milking unit fell off each of the six cows being milked. The sensors' job was to detect milk level in the receiving jar. When the milk flowing into the jar reached a certain level, the sensors would signal the pump, and the milk would be drained from the jar and pumped into the bulk tank. When the sensors quit working, the receiver jar would fill completely with milk. Excess milk would flow into an overflow trap. A plastic ball in the flooding trap would float to the surface to seal the vacuum line not only preventing milk from flowing into the vacuum tank and causing damage but also putting an instantaneous end to milking. Remedying this particular malfunction

meant that the milker had to run into the milk house every few minutes and manually pump the milk from the jar into the bulk tank. It was tolerable when a person was milking the cows closest to the milk house, but as the milking progressed, the running became more like a frenetic, multitasking marathon. The stopgap remedy mercifully ended after all the cows had been milked. Once the dairy equipment specialist arrived and completed the necessary repair, the practice ended until the inevitable next time there was a malfunction. ******

One evening, the compressor motor quietly burned out and quit, and the milk in the bulk tank never cooled. Freon lines pass through the body of the bulk cooler. Without the compressor, the freon could not flow and draw the heat out of the milk. Solving this dilemma did not take much detective work and was a quick, though expensive, fix. What happened to the milk that had not cooled? Of course, it was unsafe to sell and had to be dumped. The milk buyer carried insurance for

such catastrophes, so we did receive payment for the pounds of milk lost. Given the hard work by man and beast that went into milk production, watching the white liquid disappearing down the drain always left us with a vast feeling of disappointment. More frustrating was unraveling another cooling mystery. Its solution took days and lots of hired expertise in refrigeration. A pinholesized leak was finally detected in the freon line. That tiny hole had allowed just enough freon gas to escape so that the milk in the bulk tank stubbornly remained just a few degrees below its optimal cooling temperature.

Barb has called Lost Horizon Farm, just north of Spring Green, her home for the past 43 years. She is fond of all creatures (including snakes). Her joy stems from being able to be outdoors every day observing and treasuring the plant and animal life on her small piece of this planet. She loved milking cows and is proud to have been a dairy farmer.

Barb Garvoille, Columnist

Barb Garvoille

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille Cotter Pins or Keys. Those pictured are 1/16x3/4 and brass. All hardware on the bulk tank had to be stainless steel.

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille Vince collecting "house" milk in our special mini milk can. Vince's right hand is on the arm of the butterfly valve.

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille Paddle inside bulk cooler. This is the way the paddle for agitating milk ought to present itself.

Meeting Our Needs — Part 5: The Facts of Life

continued from page 7

professional baseball pitcher. I don’t have the heart to go any farther, this is ridiculous. Also, there are no citations or references given in the report – NONE. Oh, wait, Appendix I is The Declaration of Independence – got to give them that. The omens are not encouraging, but I started reading. It is hard to know where to start, but for the most part I found it difficult to follow any logical progression. They did, however seem to be on a mission. For instance, pg. 5: The finality of the truth that “all men are created equal” was intended to make impossible any return to formal or legal inequality, whether to older forms such as absolute monarchy and hereditary aristocracy... The principles of the Declaration are universal and eternal. Yet they were asserted by a specific people, for a specific purpose, in a specific circumstance... These principles apply to all men, but the founders acted to secure only Americans’ rights, not those of all mankind. The world is still—and will always be— divided into nations, not all of

which respect the rights of their people, though they should. Yes, they said the principles apply to all men – they could have stopped at “all”, but they didn’t. They then followed that up with a “but” and made no attempt to define who they included as Americans as opposed to all mankind, nor did they qualify what they meant by “their people.” That leaves a lot to be interpreted and explained. Let’s just start with the Constitution not identifying who could vote, letting states limit it to only land-owning men over 21, and the principle of counting slaves as 3/5 of a person. Definitely makes one wonder who they were referring to when stating that nations should respect the

rights of “their people.”

They then ramble into a discussion of “political life in the West,” and the “sundering of civil from religious laws with the advent of widespread adoption of Christianity” and “the emergence of multiple denominations within Christianity that undid Christian unity and in turn greatly undermined political unity…it was in response to these fundamentally new circumstances that the American founders developed the principle of religious liberty.” It takes a more nimble mind than mine to follow the rationale of this or where they are going with it.

Not only am I already running out of space in this column, I’m running out of patience in reading The 1776 Report I will finish reading it eventually – I’m only on page 6 of 40. If I find anything that changes my opinion of its value, I’ll let you know.

In the meantime, the good of our nation is not enhanced by trying to gloss over the bad. It is only in balance and honesty that we prove and improve ourselves – acknowledging the good and the bad. Histories that do that are available to us. I am currently reading Jon Meacham’s And There was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle. He talks about how Lincoln

Richland Co. board members release plan to save UW-Richland campus

A duo of Richland County board members released a plan Monday that aims to pull the UW-Richland campus from the brink of closure by adding bachelor degree programs, rebuilding the school’s recruitment efforts and sharing space with other local educational institutions.

The Richland Center community has been fighting since late last year to keep the campus alive after UW System President Jay Rothman announced the two-year school would no longer offer in-person instruction after the end of this academic year.

System leadership cited the school’s dwindling enrollment — just 54 students last semester — as the reason for its decision, yet the community has complained that management decisions by UW-Platteville, which took control of the campus in 2017, caused the steep

enrollment decline.

“It’s obvious that the experiment of placing UW-Richland under UWPlatteville’s management has ended,” county board member Shaun MurphyLopez said in a statement. “It’s time to move on and look for a new model. We want UW System to come to the table with a new idea for oversight of UWRichland.”

In the hopes of saving an institution the surrounding area sees as an economic anchor and community hub, residents and local officials have considered suing the UW System for breach of contract and pleaded with area legislators to intervene through the state budget process.

“My point is, the reason this campus started, flourished and is, was because of the people in this community who made it happen,” Richland Center Mayor Todd Coppernoll said at a community

forum in January. “That was this community doing those things. I believe if given a fair shot at it, the people of this community would do that again.”

As the county, which manages the campus facilities while UW System manages the operation of classes and pays for faculty, continues to negotiate with administrators, Murphy-Lopez and another board member, Linda Gentes, unveiled a plan that aims to keep the campus open while directly targeting the needs of the community.

“The plan framework is a compilation of many ideas from the community,” Gentes said in a statement. “We’ve heard from so many people about how this campus has improved their lives, both economically and culturally.”

As a two-year school, UW-Richland has only awarded associate’s degrees, but through the plan, the school — which would no longer be affiliated

grew and changed, how he struggled with compromise in his desperate attempt to preserve the Union. “We study Lincoln,” he says, “not because he was perfect, but because he was a man whose inconsistencies resonate even now.”

You take the good, you take the bad,

you take them both and there

you have

The facts of life, the facts of life….

It takes a lot to get 'em right

When you're learning the facts of life.

There are needs that cannot be met if we insist on living in delusion. Meeting our needs requires the application of cold, hard truth to point the way - and it takes a lot to get it right.

How many other ways to meet our needs may have escaped our notice and deserve our support? Let me know at bpestel@msn.com.

Beverly is a retired professor. She lives in a remodeled farmhouse and tends 40 acres of woodland in Richland County. When not in the woods she spends her time reading, writing and enjoying the beauty of the Driftless Area.

with UW-Platteville — would offer a four-year bachelor’s degree in nursing. The school would also offer a fivesemester associate’s degree program to get a teaching certificate and a general education associate’s degree.

The nursing and teaching programs are directly aimed at addressing workforce shortages in WIsconsin.

“UW System Vice President for University Relations Jeff Buhrandt, who is representing UW System President Jay Rothman in negotiations, has asked us for creative solutions to stem the decline in enrollment,” Gentes said. “That’s why we’re offering ideas that will help fill workforce shortages.”

The plan would also reinstate a number of campus programs that have been discontinued since Platteville took over that community members and Richland officials have claimed worsened the enrollment decline.

Since UW System announced the campus closure, the community has repeatedly argued that enrollment wouldn’t have gotten so bad if Platteville had not taken away Richland’s dedicated recruiter position, which drove attendance by visiting area high schools to tout the benefits of starting college close to home at a more affordable school. Community members have also pointed to the ending of the campus’ popular international program as a cause of the enrollment decline — and subsequent revenue problems since international students pay full tuition rates.

Gentes and Murphy-Lopez’s plan would return both of those programs, as well as dual enrollment for area high school students to gain college credits before graduating.

The plan, according to a document released by the board members, would “serve as a pilot model for turning around declining enrollment at other 12 UW Colleges, with UW System affiliation.”

Since the system’s announcement about Richland, the leadership on two-year campuses and local officials responsible for the upkeep of those campuses have fretted about the future

continued on page 15

Beverly Pestel

Henry Redman, Wisconsin Examiner

COmmunitycalendar

Events for April 6 - April 20

Thursday, April 6

Storytime 10:30 AM Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock

Join us every Thursday for storytime!

Tech Drop-in 1:00 PM 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Stop by the Library with whatever piece of technology is causing you grief. Together, we will figure out the answers.

Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green springgreengeneralstore.com The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome. Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green ninasdepartmentstore.com Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm.

BOOK DISCUSSION: Classics Conquered 6:00 PM Spring Green Communinty Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Join us for a conversation about a classic work or author you have always meant to read. Don't let the reputation scare you; we will get through the book together. Our book for April is “Sula”.

Bingo at Arthur’s Supper Club 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM . Arthur’s Supper Club, E4885 US-14, Spring Green arthurssupperclub.com Every Thursday evening we play 7 games of Bingo. Bingo is FREE, we just ask that people order beverages and/or food. We do ask that Bingo goers are at least 18 years of age to play. We have prizes for the winner of each game...some are cash, gift cards, and other fun stuff that is donated from time to time by businesses.

Friday, April 7

Annual Easter Bake Sale 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM Lone Rock Community Building,214

Broadway St., Lone Rock Look up Lone Rock American Legion Auxiliary on Facebook for more information You won’t want to miss the American Legion Auxiliary #383 Easter Bake Sale. It’s sweet tooth central! We’ll have a delicious selection of cakes, pies, cookies, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, and more! Plan to come early as some items sell quickly. All proceeds will go towards local scholarships and other American Legion Auxiliary efforts.

Saturday, April 8

Spring Green Farmers Market 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM S230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green Spring Green Farmers Market Is a year-round outdoor market offering seasonal produce, local meats, baked goods and many other wonderful items. Held outside the Spring Green Community Public Library every Saturday morning. Preorders are recommended. Visit our Facebook or Instagram page or email SGFarmersMarket@gmail.com for a list of participating vendors and their contact into.

All Ages Storytime 10:30 AM . 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Bring the whole family to the library for a morning of song, stories, movement, and fun!

LIVE MUSIC: Bluegrass Jam 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St., Spring Green 608-5880-707, karin@springgreengeneralstore.com, SpringGreenGeneralStore.com Free event. All ages welcome! Bluegrass Jams will be held on the second Saturday of each month. While the weather permits they'll be held on our back deck. Bring your instrument and play along or come to listen; all are welcome. Miracles on Hoof / CR Therapy Egg Hunt 1:00 PM S10629 Wilson Creek Rd, Spring Green Look up Miracles on Hoof / CR Therapy Center on Facebook for more info Bring your buckets. Come meet the horses and enjoy and egg hunt on the farm! Miniature unicorns Casanova and Clarabelle need your help finding over 1000 eggs! Come dressed as your favorite mystical creature and bring your buckets. Join us for fun wagon rides as well.

Tuesday, April 11 cont.

Community Potluck 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Spring Green Community Center, 117 S Washington St, Spring Green springgreen.com Bring a dish to pass! All are welcome! Ending time is an estimate only and varies.

Movies, Munchies and More: The Woman King 1:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Every Tuesday at 1pm, come to the Library for a cup of coffee, a sweet treat, and either a movie or a presentation. Movie Synopsis: In the late eighteenth century, the Kingdom of Dahomey flourished as one of Africa’s most powerful states. Yet as European merchants encroach, seeking riches at the expense of its people, warrior Nanisca takes a stand to uphold her peoples’ freedom. Inspired by true events (Rating: PG-13).

Wednesday, April 12

All Ages Storytime 10:30 AM 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Bring the whole family to the library for a morning of song, stories, movement, and fun!

BOOK DISCUSSION: Classics Conquered 2:00 PM Spring Green Communinty Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Join us for a conversation about a classic work or author you have always meant to read. Don't let the reputation scare you; we will get through the book together. Our book for April is “Sula”. Teen Game Day 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.org Come try out video games, board games and more! Designed for middle and high school aged teens.

Winter Yoga 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Wyoming Valley School, 6306 State Road 23, Spring Green ruralremedy.com Contact Emily for pricing at embenzgmail.com This series will help you build a regular movement and mobility practice based in the yoga traditions. Regular mindful movement can reduce your susceptibility to injury, contribute to your longevity, help you find some freedom, and just feels darn good.

YOGA - Slow Flow Yoga 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM S7163 County Road G, Hill Point 608.250.0966, lark@radiantspiritretreats.com . Cost varies Adults only Slow Flow yoga is a gentle to mid-tempo paced yoga class perfect for both beginners and intermediate yogis. This class will help you reduce stress, increase flexibility, improve posture, relax and rejuvenate.

Thursday, April 13

Storytime 10:30 AM Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock

Join us every Thursday for storytime!

Tech Drop-in 1:00 PM . 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com . Stop by the Library with whatever piece of technology is causing you grief. Together, we will figure out the answers.

Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green springgreengeneralstore.com . The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome. Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green ninasdepartmentstore.com Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm.

Bingo at Arthur’s Supper Club 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Arthur’s Supper Club, E4885 US-14, Spring Green arthurssupperclub.com . Every Thursday evening we play 7 games of Bingo. Bingo is FREE, we just ask that people order beverages and/or food. We do ask that Bingo goers are at least 18 years of age to play. We have prizes for the winner of each game...some are cash, gift cards, and other fun stuff that is donated from time to time by businesses.

Friday, April 14

Unicorn & Clyde 3:00 PM

131 W Jefferson St Spring Green

Look up The Clyde Co. fon Facebook for more information . Join us for a UNICORN sighting at The Clyde Company! We are teaming up with Miracles on Hoof to bring your kiddos this unique experience Bring your kiddos of all ages by to pet a unicorn and take some pictures! This special unicorn, named Marshmallow, is a rescue mini horse who has been rehabbed back to health by Miracles on Hoof- and is set to foal in June as well!

Arena VFW Steak Fry 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

514 Willow Street, Arena springgreenlibrary.com Veitnam Veteran Pinning at 7 pm by Juniors of US Daughters of 1812. Come Welcome our Veterans home.

LIVE MUSIC: Stuck on Blue 7:30 PM- 10:00 PM Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com Tickets $10 in advance/$15 at the door Stuck

On Blue is the musical partnership between Kelvin Kaspar, Jake Crowe, and Mike Malone. The trio, formed by accident in 2015, began after working together in various groups for nearly a decade. Their friendship and mutual respect for original music led each of them to contribute original works, while collectively crafting songs into something new and special to this new group.

Sunday, April 9

Winter Yoga 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Radiant Spirit Yoga, S7163 County Rd. G, Hillpoint ruralremedy.com Contact Emily for pricing at embenzgmail.com This series will help you build a regular movement and mobility practice based in the yoga traditions. Regular mindful movement can reduce your susceptibility to injury, contribute to your longevity, help you find some freedom, and just feels darn good.

Monday, April 10

Trivia Night 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com Join us for a night of Trivia! Kyle Adams will host as we put teams together for a contest of trivia. Come for the prizes, stay for the fun! First Question at 7:00 - and it should last about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Tuesday, April 11

Family Storytime 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM Plain Kraemer Library and Community Center, 910 Main St, Plain kraemerlibrary.org Fun stories, songs, and themed activities each week for children and their caregivers. Stories and songs 20-30 minutes followed by craft/activity. Children under 6 must be accompanied.

She Kills Monsters 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM Gard Theater, 111 E Jefferson St, Spring Green rivervalleyplayers.org $15 tickets are on sale now at rivervalleyplayers.org, and will be available at the door as well River Valley Players brings a tale of fantasy, reflection, and heart to Spring Green with its production of "She Kills Monsters" Friday and Saturday April 14-15 at 8 pm, and Sunday April16 at 2 pm. Playwright Qui Nguyen's dramatic comedy about the world of fantasy role-playing games, She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she comes to terms with the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When she finds Tilly's Dungeons & Dragons notebook, she embarks on an exciting, humor-filled adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly's refuge. This PG-13 production has mature themes and language, and immature jokes.

Saturday, April 15

Spring Green Farmers Market 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM S230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green Spring Green Farmers Market Is a year-round outdoor market offering seasonal produce, local meats, baked goods and many other wonderful items. Held outside the Spring Green Community Public Library every Saturday morning. Preorders are recommended. Visit our Facebook or Instagram page or email SGFarmersMarket@gmail.com for a list of participating vendors and their contact into.

Mindfulness: Discussion and Practice (Zoom Only) 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM Virtual Event springgreen.com Our meetings will include discussions and short mindfulness exercises/practices. We will explore sitting, standing, lying down and moving mindfulness experiences. Find the zoom link online.

Karin's 30th Anniversary at the General Store 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green springgreengeneralstore.com Come to the Party! Karin's 30th Anniversary is Saturday, April 15th. We'll be celebrating from 3 pm to 6 pm with a performance by Psycherelic. You are all invited.

Marvin Dolly Trio 7:30 PM- 10:00 PM Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com Tickets $10 in advance/$15 at the door Passionately driven to create good music; arranger and composer Marvin Dolly combines his love for jazz with broad influences from Calypso and Brazilian music to create his signature style.

She Kills Monsters 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM Gard Theater, 111 E Jefferson St, Spring Green rivervalleyplayers.org $15 tickets are on sale now at rivervalleyplayers.org, and will be available at the door as well River Valley Players brings a tale of fantasy, reflection, and heart to Spring Green.This PG-13 production has mature themes and language, and immature jokes.

The Community Calendar is curated and designed by Julianna Williams. Events are subject to change, always check ahead for up-to-date information on any events you are interested in.

Community

Events for April 6 - April 20

Sunday, April 16

Winter Yoga 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Radiant Spirit Yoga, S7163 County Rd. G, Hillpoint ruralremedy.com Contact Emily for pricing at embenzgmail.com This series will help you build a regular movement and mobility practice based in the yoga traditions. Regular mindful movement can reduce your susceptibility to injury, contribute to your longevity, help you find some freedom, and just feels darn good.

LIVE MUSIC: Acoustic Jam 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St., Spring Green 608-5880-707, karin@springgreengeneralstore.com, SpringGreenGeneralStore.com Free event All ages welcome! Acoustic Jams will be held on the third Saturday of each month. While the weather permits they'll be held on our back deck. Bring your instrument and play along or come to listen; all are welcome.

She Kills Monsters 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Gard Theater, 111 E Jefferson St, Spring Green rivervalleyplayers.org $15 tickets are on sale now at rivervalleyplayers.org, and will be available at the door as well River Valley Players brings a tale of fantasy, reflection, and heart to Spring Green.This PG-13 production has mature themes and language, and immature jokes.

LIVE MUSIC: Slowpoke Songwriters Round 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com No cover, but tips for artists are always welcome Featuring The Guthries. Tim Eddy curates this series of singer/songwriters from the Driftless Area, the second Sunday of every month. Support local artists by joining us for a night of original music with several songwriters, all on the stage together, sharing their music round robin style. The Guthries are a Midwest Duo who write and per form music that is influenced by ar tists such as John Prine, Iris Dement, Gillian Welch, Eric Clapton, Steve Earl,

Monday, April 17

LIVE MUSIC: A Night of Words 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com An open mic. Friends sharing words. Watch. Listen. Speak. Share. Maybe you have a favorite poem, or passage from a book you’d like to share. Or maybe you write your own and are ready to share it with the rest of us. Maybe you just want to tell a story. Or maybe you just want to listen. It’s all good. Let’s hang out and share words together. Poetry. Stories. Original work and old favorites. This and that. A Night of Words.

Arena Historians 6:30 PM Grandma Mary's (Brisbane Hall), 175 Hwy 14, Arena

Look up Arena Historians on Facebook for more information Join the Arena Historians as we look back at the dancehalls, taverns and distilleries that were once located in Arena. The meeting is free to the general public. We look forward to seeing you there!

Tuesday, April 18

Family Storytime 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM Plain Kraemer Library and Community Center, 910 Main St, Plain kraemerlibrary.org Fun stories, songs, and themed activities each week for children and their caregivers. Stories and songs 20-30 minutes followed by craft/activity. Children under 6 must be accompanied.

Community Calendar Sponsorship IS AVAILABLE

Interested? Give us a call at 608-588-6694 or an email at ads @valleysentinelnews.com

CIVICS & SERVICES CALENDAR

This calendar is a place listing (for free) the typical meeting dates for area governmental bodies, and Please email us with these meetings, or use the form on our Community Calendar page — let's build community together: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

April 10:

MEETING: Library Board Meeting 5:00 PM Commmunity Room, Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St. Spring Green springgreenlibrary.org The Library Board of Trustees meets each month, typically on the first or second Tuesday, at 5 PM. Changes to this schedule are posted at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. The meetings are open to the public.

Clyde Go-Getters 4-H Club 6:30 PM Clyde Commmunity Center, 6281 WI-130, Spring Green Join today! Come for a surprise presentation.

April 11:

MEETING: Arena Personnel Committee (If needed) Meeting 4:30 PM Village Hall, 345 West Street, Arena villageofarena.net

MEETING: Arena Public Works Committee Meeting 5:00 PM Village Hall, 345 West Street, Arena villageofarena.net

MEETING: Arena Finance Committee Meeting 6:00 PM . Village Hall, 345 West Street, Arena villageofarena.net

Movies, Munchies and More: The Big Sick 1:00 PM

230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Every Tuesday at 1pm, come to the Library for a cup of coffee, a sweet treat, and either a movie or a presentation. Movie Synopsis: A Pakistani-American stand-up comedian falls for a white grad student, and decides to keep their uncertain romance a secret from his traditionalist, Muslim family. However, their relationship gets more serious when she develops a mysterious illness, which in turn forces him to bond with her parents (Rating: R).

Wednesday,April 19

All Ages Storytime 10:30 AM Children's Area, Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Bring the whole family to the library for a morning of song, stories, movement, and fun!

Poetry Slam 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Join the Spring Green Community Library and River Valley High School in celebration of spoken word & poetry during NATIONAL POETRY MONTH. Prepared selections from River Valley High School Forensics and Public Speaking students. Support our youth - bring a favorite, original or found poem to share!

Winter Yoga 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Wyoming Valley School, 6306 State Road 23, Spring Green ruralremedy.com Contact Emily for pricing at embenzgmail.com This series will help you build a regular movement and mobility practice based in the yoga traditions. Regular mindful movement can reduce your susceptibility to injury, contribute to your longevity, help you find some freedom, and just feels darn good.

River Valley School District: Facility Study Meeting 7:00 PM River Valley High School, 660 Varsity Blvd, Spring Green Continue conversations about around a lone range facility plan for RV Schools

MEETING: Arena Village Board Meeting 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Village Hall, 345 West Street, Arena . villageofarena.net .

April 12:

Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) hold State Budget Public Hearings 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Wilderness Resort, Glacier Canyon Conference Center, Sandstone Meeting Room, 45 Hillman Road, Wisconsin Dells docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2023/committees/joint/2640 We invite you to provide comments and input. Your ideas are an essential part of our process. We also encourage you to visit the website we have dedicated to the public hearing process. It is a central portal for input to reach the entire committee and it will be a helpful tool when looking for upcoming budget hearings and other documents pertaining to the budget process.”

MEETING: Village of Plain Board Meeting 7:00 PM 510 Main Street, Plain villageofplain.com

MEETING: Village of Spring Green Board Meeting 7:00 PM 154 N. Lexington Street OR Virtual event vi.springgreen.wi.gov

April 19:

MEETING: Village of Spring Green Plan Commission & JEZC Meeting 7:00 PM 154 N. Lexington Street OR Virtual event vi.springgreen.wi.gov

April 20:

YOGA - Slow Flow Yoga 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

S7163 County Road G, Hill Point 608.250.0966, lark@radiantspiritretreats.com . Cost varies Adults only Slow Flow yoga is a gentle to mid-tempo paced yoga class perfect for both beginners and intermediate yogis. This class will help you reduce stress, increase flexibility, improve posture, relax and rejuvenate.

Arcadia Book Club discusses "The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise" by Pico Iyer 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM This is a zoom book club meeting readinutopia.com Paradise: that elusive place where the anxieties, struggles, and burdens of life fall away. Most of us dream of it, but each of us has very different ideas about where it is to be found. For some it can be enjoyed only after death; for others, it’s in our midst—or just across the ocean—if only we can find eyes to see it.

Thursday, April 20

Storytime 10:30 AM Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock

Join us every Thursday for storytime!

Mid-Morning Matinee 11:30 AM Plain Kraemer Library and Community Center, 910 Main St, Plain kraemerlibrary.org Join us for a meal followed by the movie matinee of "Trouble with the Curve" on our big screen. Lunch catered by The Roaring 20's Restaurant. RSVP at the library or by calling 608-546-4201 by Monday April 17th to reserve your seat. **A free-will offering of $2 per person is suggested.

Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green springgreengeneralstore.com The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome.

Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM . Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green ninasdepartmentstore.com Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm.

Bingo at Arthur’s Supper Club 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Arthur’s Supper Club, E4885 US-14, Spring Green arthurssupperclub.com Every Thursday evening we play 7 games of Bingo. Bingo is FREE, we just ask that people order beverages and/or food. We do ask that Bingo goers are at least 18 years of age to play. We have prizes for the winner of each game...some are cash, gift cards, and other fun stuff that is donated from time to time by businesses.

DONATION DRIVE

Recently we received word from our press that costs for materials have risen over 19% in the past few months and that our printing cost will go up accordingly.

If we charged $1 for each copy of Valley Sentinel, just half of the copies that are picked up each week would entirely cover our printing costs — however, we are committed to remaining a free

publication with an accessible, hybrid model that allows anyone that wants to read local news to have access to it. We do not believe financial ability should be a barrier to reading local news. We may be a free paper, but unfortunately it’s not free to print papers. Valley Sentinel will stay a free and truly independent and accessible paper. Please frequent our local businesses and let them

Richland Area Retired Educators’ Association 49th Year - First Meeting: RAREA Powers Up! 9:30 AM . The Phoenix Center, 100 South Orange Street, Richland Center The breakfast/meeting cost will be $15 for RAREA members, their guests, and prospective members; this meeting is not open to the public. RSVP deadline for all attendees will be 12 noon on Monday, April 17 to RAREA President Paul Murphey, 269 South Park Street, Richland Center, WI, 53581-2303; 608.647.6439 or pmurphey@mwt.net. Our April meeting will spotlight our neighboring village of Boaz, as the first battery-powered town in the entire state with our program speaker Nathaniel (Nate) Sievers, Manager-Customer Operations, Alliant Energy Corporation. We will continue our “Getting to Know You” series for a second year by hearing from the Kickapoo School District Administrator Douglas A. Olsen. Additional special guests will include Sue Buetzer, Interim Region 05 Director; and Jean Nicks, Boaz Village President.

April 22:

Spring Clean Up 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Governor Dodge State Park, 4175 State Hwy 23 North, Dodgeville friendsofgovernordodge.org The Friends of Governor Dodge will hold a Spring Clean Up workday. Equestrian Campground Clean Up, tree planting and more. Details to follow.

The Community Calendar is curated and designed by Julianna Williams. Events are subject to change, always check ahead for up-to-date information on any events you are interested in.

know you read Valley Sentinel each week. What does independent news mean to us? It means NOT influenced by corporations or government, NO big corporate backers, NO corporate umbrella organizations, NO big money investors. Just a handful of people with a dream to build community. Valley Sentinel is all-volunteer, independently owned and operated by its editors and is a majority woman-owned business. Community fueled and community focused. We only succeed if the community succeeds.

For more about Valley Sentinel and our model, visit us at valleysentinelnews.com/about

If you are able and enjoyed this week’s edition, please consider donating $1 today.

Scan to support local journalism!

Recently, we announced the soft launch of a semi-regular to regular literary section we've been inspired by other literary compilations to call Lexington & Jefferson

As the pivotal intersection of our community, we envision this as a place that celebrates the cross-section of our greater community.

We envision it as a place of curated and submitted prose, poetry and more that showcase the talents of our community.

Introducing Lexington & Jefferson

Each edition we receive submissions of artwork, poetry, prose and other musings that we have trouble placing in the paper on their own and often have to simply hold or regrettably turn down.

We hope this becomes a welcome place for them.

This space will grow and change, as all things do, and we welcome talented individuals, organizations, authors, experts and artists to help curate this section - perhaps we'll compile and publish an

Lexington & Jefferson

Musings from the End of the Rainbow

Take a journey with me to the end of the Rainbow.

annual literary journal, who knows.

We may also use this space for arts & culture news and submitted musings that don't quite fit within the bounds of a traditional column, profile or letter to the editor.

Get involved: If you're interested in submitting, curating or have ideas, please don not hesitate at all to submit them to us at: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

LITERARY SECTION

I grew up at the end of Rainbow Road, a beautiful and magical place in a River Valley, just outside of a town called Spring Green. Following are stories and reflections of a simpler time.....

Who will get the Pickles

I stood and watched my husband as he sat by his mother’s bedside and held her hand, I imagine that he wishes he could remember the first time his hand reached out to hers. A small hand clutching onto a finger that instinctively is recognized as safety, as love

The finger of the hand that would raise, support, reassure, comfort, scold and guide him through life’s ups and downs

Their hands hold within them the memories of two lives connected, intertwined just as their fingers are now

Holding on during those final moments one realizes there is, never enough hand holding, never enough time As he holds her hand for the last time even in the silence I can hear the words, …I love you

Once someone passes that’s not the end there’s the “business” of closing out their life. It sounds so harsh, so cold, not as beautiful as their life was and not as beautiful as even their death. No, it is the cold hard reality of completing anything that remains in their “in” or their “outbox”.

Bills need to be taken care of, homes cleaned out and maybe even a load of laundry finished.

Days later, as I helped clean out the fridge of my recently passed Mother-in-Law, I couldn’t help but be struck by a newly purchased jar of pickles. What happens to those pickles now? Do you throw them away? Do you give them to someone? Who will eat the pickles? Maybe it was my grief, maybe it was the memory of the Christmas tradition of the hidden pickle ornament in her tree. But those pickles made a place for themselves in my mind, settling in, ridiculing me, taunting me, day after day to listen to them, to sit up, pay attention, take note. I just wasn’t a hundred percent sure what I was to notice.

The first time I met Judy it was at Christmas, and I immediately felt I was in the presence of Mrs. Claus. She had an aura of pure love, acceptance and joy about her. There was the feeling of warmth, someone you wanted to be close to. And she, meeting me, a stranger, dating her son, her baby, greeted me and welcomed me the only way she knew how, with open arms, a loving heart, and oddly enough the perfect Christmas gift. I opened the beautifully wrapped present, my name carefully printed on the tag, and found a small wall plaque, with a natural wooden frame, inside there was placed a very unassuming felt flower with a simple phase stitched in burgundy yarn that read “Embrace the Day”.

How could this woman know my style so well having never met me? The only logical answer was that this, slightly plump, positive, happy, all welcoming woman with a smile that filled the room and eyes that had a sparkle of kindness about them sitting before me was indeed Mrs. Claus.

I was lucky to have known her for well over a decade and I can attest that the woman I met that first day was the same woman I knew for all those years

And now as I stood over her bedside, in silence, holding back quiet sobs of pain, it dawns on me that she’s never looked more beautiful. Soft and angelic lying there peaceful and pain free

I glance down at that hand I had watched my husband hold onto so dearly, willing her to stay and I see how delicate and yet strong it is. I marvel at its shape and how it can hold such grace, I realize that her soul has been released into the wind. It is the fluttering wings of the butterfly, the wrestling of the fall leaves, the sound of the birds flying above, the smell of the fresh rain, the colors of the rainbow and the laughter of a child. In the twinkle of the night stars her beauty belongs to the universe now.

Later, all five children walked slowly, their hands resting on the gurney as their beloved mother took one last trip down the long corridor. Somewhere over the Rainbow played softly as all the staff stepped away from their duties to line the halls in quiet support.

Tears dropped slowly to the floor marking the path they walked as the hallway came to an end. One final lady stood quietly to the right bowing her head as the double doors opened to the outside. The sun shining brightly, the wind blowing gently, and the sound fading into the distance as their mom took her final ride over the rainbow. Three short weeks ago, she had seemed fine.

That may have been when she headed off to the store.

I wonder, when she was unloading her groceries and putting away those pickles, did she realize she wouldn’t be around to finish them?

In my home, I glance up at that little plaque telling me to Embrace the day and realize it's Judy’s way of reminding me to sit up, pay attention, take note and “Eat the Pickles”

— Mary Lanita Schulz

Shitty Barn Sessions announces 2023 season, opens ticket sales, almost immediately sells out May thru July shows sold out? Don't worry, they've launched a ticket exchange on their website at shittybarnsessions.com.

The 2023 Season

Friday, May 5 – Kainalu and Pink Halo

Wednesday, May 10 – The Black Opry

Friday, May 19 – Adam Greuel & the Space Burritos

Wednesday, May 24 – Cribshitter

Friday, June 2 – Jess Williamson

Thursday, June 8 – Seasaw and Jane Hobson

Thursday, June 15 – High Divers

Saturday, June 17 – John R. Miller

Wednesday, June 21 – Long Mama and Old Pup

Friday, June 30 – Phillip-Michael Scales and Hemma

Saturday, July 1 – The Deslondes and Esther Rose

Wednesday, July 12 – Banditos and Joseph

Huber

Wednesday, July 19 – J.E. Sunde and Anna

Vogelzang

Friday, July 28 – Will Hoge and Lou Shields

Wednesday, August 2 – The Heavy Heavy

Friday, August 4 – JD McPherson

Thursday, August 10 – Alisa Amador

Thursday, August 17 - TBA*

Saturday, August 26 – The Sadies + Sally

Timms & Jon Langford

Wednesday, August 30 - The Nude Party

Thursday, September 7 – Elizabeth Moen

Wednesday, September 13 - TBA*

Thursday, September 21 – NEWSKI

Wednesday, September 27 – TBA*

Wednesday, October 4 - TBA*

Wednesday, October 11 – Margo Cilker

ART DAY TRIP: Stark’s environmental cartoons in month-long Viroqua exhibit

Environmental editorial cartoons by Driftless area artist/author Ken Stark will be exhibited during April at McIntosh Memorial Library, Viroqua.

Approximately two dozen cartoons – tackling area and broader issues –provide a sampling of the thousands of Stark’s editorial works published in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa.

During his 13-year career as a full-time Illinois editorial cartoonist, Stark received press honors including the Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism, in competition with Chicago cartoonists. Stark resigned to devote himself to painting Wisconsin rural life and to write and illustrate children’s books. His award-winning books are at McIntosh and other libraries.

Currently, Stark’s cartoons on various topics appear in The Cap Times (Madison), The Telegraph Herald (Dubuque) and other area newspapers. His environmental cartoons have been used by organizations such as the Crawford Stewardship Project, Driftless Area Land Conservancy, Driftless Defenders, SOUL (Save Our Unique Lands) of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Conservation Voters and the Wisconsin Farmers Union.

Stark’s first two Wisconsin cartoons, created as a freelancer, were published in 1995-6 in Madison papers and criticized the Air National Guard’s proposed low-level flights over the Kickapoo Valley. Citizens United Against Low-Level Flights used his cartoons as part of an impressive grassroots effort to defeat the proposal. In 2005, those two cartoons were published in the UW Press book by Lynne Heasley, “A Thousand Pieces of Paradise – Landscape and Property in the Kickapoo Valley.” The same cartoons and other area artwork are currently included in the “Protest!” exhibit at the Vernon County Museum/History Center through 2024. The Museum is located at 410 S. Center, about a block from McIntosh Library, 205 S. Rock Ave. Stark is largely self-taught, having studied only briefly at Art Center School in Los Angeles. He and his wife/business manager Chris, who created the library exhibit, hope the library and museum displays help encourage creative Earth Day involvement – year-round.

Savor the River Valley announces Food & Farm Tour for April 22

• Get behind the scenes at six food businesses that have an earthfriendly orientation.

• Stop along the way to visit other Savor members who grow, sell and/or serve food, much of it locally sourced.

• Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The six hubs are Cedar Grove Cheese in Plain, Tortilleria Zepeda in Lone Rock, Savanna Institute and BrewHaHa Roasters in Spring Green, and Future Fruit Farm and Meadowlark Organics in Ridgeway.

Tour maps are available at these

RIVER VALLEY

locations on the day of the tour. Maps are available in advance at www.savortherivervalley.org/events.

You can also pick up a map in advance at the Spring Green General Store, Rite-Way Shell and Simply Rooted in Spring Green.

This event is sponsored by Savor the River Valley, a grass-roots initiative to promote farmers, food processors, food retailers and restaurants in the River Valley.

For more information on this and other awesome events, classes, and food, go to www.savortherivervalley. org.

Arena board hears tenure of current Arena clerk audited in

continued from page 1

2022 board meeting. Valley Sentinel spoke with an editor at a newspaper that covers Monticello who stated they had requested the forensic audit report multiple times and never received it until Valley Sentinel shared it with them, despite it being a public record.

In the cover letter of the seven page report, Johnson Block makes it clear they were not contracted to make a conclusion based on their investigation. “We were not engaged to and did not conduct an audit or review the objective of which would be an expression of an opinion or conclusion,” Johnson Block says in the cover letter. “Accordingly, we do not express an opinion or conclusion. Had we performed additional procedures, other matters might have come to our attention that would have been reported to you.”

The report outlines several findings, including a review of the payroll of Naeger as clerk and the police chief from July 1, 2017 through May 1, 2019. The audit aimed to determine whether the correct authorized pay rate was made and whether the correct authorized payroll deductions, including health, retirement and FICA were made. In the case of the clerk, there were four instances of overtime being computed and paid when the total hours for the week included holiday, vacation, and compensatory hours. The audit also found that there were potentially small discrepancies in overtime hours for board meetings. The audit states the village president, Miller, believed the clerk was only to be paid for time spent at the Board meeting, but that overtime hours were computed using the total hours in the office for that day less one hour.

In addition, there was one instance where nothing was withheld for health insurance. The report noted that time sheets were only signed by the village clerk, with no other approval noted anywhere.

The police chief's payroll had issues as well, with three instances of authorized pay rate changes resulting in incorrect gross pay computation. In each case, the error resulted in the chief receiving slightly less than full pay.

In public records reviewed, community members and business owners in Monticello express concerns about their water/utility bills. The auditors reviewed a sample of 60 randomly selected water/utility bills from 2018 to determine if rates were charged accurately. The forensic audit states these were then recomputed using authorized rates and consumption and compared to what actually got billed. Seventeen of those utility/water bills had discrepancies, ranging from under-billing by $260.12, to overbilling by $570. The discrepancies, including under-billing, add up to a net $2,367.58 of total over-billing.

The auditors state they were given no supporting documentation as to how the additional charges were computed.

When asked about the water/utility bill differences the audit reported and where the money ended up, current Monticello Village President Robert LaBarre told Valley Sentinel: "Our records show that any over-billing did go into the village accounts even though we never found out why those few water billing discrepancies occurred. There were no repercussions."

Pustina, who served in Arena village government as a trustee or village president from 2007 to 2018 and again from 2020 to 2022, ran unsuccessfully against Arena Village President Kate Reimann in the Spring General

Election as a registered write-in. Pustina made water bills a central part of his campaign.

At the time Pustina handed the board the forensic audit report in March, the Village of Arena reported that 85% of the utility/water bills (335 out of 394 total meters) had been estimated reads for at least the months of February and March rather than measured reads, due to what Naeger called an antenna technical issue.

Naeger stated the Village had to purchase a new Galaxy reading antenna and that, as of March 20, the new antenna had arrived and was up and working. Valley Sentinel asked if there was a process in place for correcting the previous readings and Naeger stated that the software automatically corrects.

How widespread were the water/ utility bill discrepancies in Monticello during Naeger’s tenure? Based on public records Valley Sentinel reviewed, the Monticello Village Board voted on Feb. 3, 2021 to conduct a forensic audit covering all water bills from November 2012 to 2018. This was after, on June 11, 2019, the village attorney directed Johnson Block to audit a year's worth of water bills. Only a year's worth of water bills are included in the forensic audit report, dated January 9, 2020.

It’s not clear the full water bill audit was ever done.

“I am not aware of any other forensic audits produced as a result of DaNean Naeger's tenure,” said current Monticello Clerk/Treasurer Stephanie Adams when asked.

Valley Sentinel has not been able to verify if or where the decision was made to not continue with the full water bill audit and if any decision was made properly with a vote of the board. A request for public records that indicate where the decision was made to not move forward with the full water bill audit was unfulfilled as of press time.

Another request seeking to clarify if Naeger’s emails were retrieved after they were purportedly not being backed up, or if Monticello is missing public records, is also outstanding as of press time.

Valley Sentinel asked current Monticello Village President LaBarre if Monticello had made any changes or taken any action based on the forensic audit’s findings.

“Because the forensic audit showed insignificant evidence, our village attorney advised not to pursue any action,” stated LaBarre.

In Monticello’s November 16, 2022 board meeting minutes, LaBarre characterizes the decision to do the forensic audit as being based simply upon previous officials’ suspicions.

“His suggestion is for the committees to do more due diligence and try to avoid situations that put people in a bad light,” the minutes state.

Naeger and Reimann didn’t respond to questions about the audit by press time.

Editors’ note: Valley Sentinel has no information that suggests there are financial discrepancies in the Village of Arena currently, or that the Village of Monticello took any action as a result of any forensic audit findings. No information Valley Sentinel has reviewed as of press time suggests any deliberate impropriety on behalf of anyone named in the story.

continued on page 15

discrepancies found in water bills

Valley Sentinel sent Pustina a list of questions about the forensic audit and his reasons for bringing it to the Arena Village Board’s attention:

Valley Sentinel: Why did you share the Monticello audit report with the board?

Paul Pustina: This Board depends upon the Clerk to do quite a bit of work that I think they could be doing themselves. No one is above making mistakes and when much of the day to day responsibilities fall on one person, the Board is putting the Village in a potentially bad situation. If mistakes are made that cost the Village, does the final blame go on the Clerk even though the Clerk may have been the person who made the mistake? No, in my opinion, it goes on the Village Board and the Village, as in the end, both are responsible. An audit is not an out of the ordinary practice in private and municipal business settings.

VS: Why is the audit relevant now?

PP: I feel it is relevant now due to what happened with the previous Arena Village Clerk. The way her termination went down and the fact that there was no audit. Wasn't there a Closed Session held by the Board where it was voted to do an audit? If so, why didn't it happen? Monticello did its due diligence when ending the Clerk's employment with them. They did what should have been done in Arena, an audit. An audit either clears up basic concerns/questions. Which an Arena audit would have done, or brings to light discrepancies/deficiencies. Which the Monticello audit did. I believe there are questions to be answered regarding the water/sewer billing and the Referendum mix up.

VS: A main concern of the audit is utility/water bills, 85% of water bills in Arena were estimated over the past two months, do you have concerns about the water bills in Arena? Why?

PP: When I got back on the Board in 2020, I pushed for a Financial and Water/Sewer audit. It was voted down. Have water bills been estimated for only two months? Mine has stayed pretty much the same for the last couple of years until I received my March 2023 bill. It was down by about $28.00 compared to all of my previous bills. In 2019, there were users in the Top 10 who were on the list in 2017, 2018 and 2020, but were not on the list in 2019. The top 10 list doesn't change that drastically from year to year. What happened?

VS: You've said you hope the audit leads people to ask questions, what questions should residents of Arena be asking?

PP: 1. Who really is in charge of the Village? 2. Was the Village really only estimating water bills for two months? 3. Why aren't meetings being recorded? 4. What is the Village's IT situation? Are all Village emails/files being backed up properly? As one result of the Monticello audit, it was stated that the Clerk was backing up Board emails, but not her own.

VS: What do you believe are the top 1-3 issues facing Arena right now? Why?

PP: 1. Transparency: The Board voted down video and audio recording of meetings and doing audits. The Village is audited each year and the audits I asked for would have gone deeper. 2. Inclusion: I personally know of two people who contacted the Village to be considered for a Committee seat or Board seat. One did not even receive a response and the other was asked to provide a Letter of Intent. After several email exchanges asking for clarification, the person gave up. The open seat went to Mr. James Doerflinger, who, when I asked him if he turned in a Letter of Intent regarding wanting to be on the Board, he indicated that he did not. He heard there was a seat open, so he called in and said he was interested in being considered and here he was. That's not his fault. He had no control over how he ended up getting on the Board. 3. Planning: Ever since 2019, I feel there has been a lack of really going through and thoroughly planning projects. Examples, over spending on the Village Shop construction, the recent Well #2 and Lift Station and Village Edge projects and the lack of communication to residents and re-consideration of possibly scaling back due to the huge increase in cost of the projects. Why is there no work being done on bringing business development to Arena?

VS: What actions should the village take with respect to the 1-3 issues you raise?

PP: 1. Start recording all meetings. 2. Quit picking and choosing because of who a person is/isn't affiliated with, or votes for. I had a conversation with a Village resident and was told they had contacted the Village regarding their interest in being on the Board. They indicated the first question they were asked by the Village President was who they voted for. 3. Begin thorough planning and not just planning to get something done. There is a difference.

VS: What actions should the village take with respect to any concerns raised by the audit?

PP: I feel there should be a Personnel meeting. Not only to clear the air regarding questions on why the previous Clerk was let go, but to address findings in the Monticello audit. It's called covering the bases. What is wrong with that when taxpayer dollars are at stake? I feel the air needs to be cleared over any mistakes made since the current Clerk's employment. Not only by the Clerk, but the Board itself.

VS: Please feel free to share anything else.

PP: Audits cost money. I know that personally. During my first term as Village President, we conducted an audit due to the release of a Clerk. But, questions are answered, the air is cleared and it is much easier to move ahead with a clean slate. With as tight a budget as there currently is, there may be no room at all for funding an audit, but it should be looked at. The Village needs to reach out to Iowa County, the SW WI. Regional Planning Commission and developers in order to let people know that Arena wants business development. The Village President has stated publicly that there hasn't been anything going on in that arena. Why not? You need to constantly be in contact with people who can help you move forward. Even if it's just a phone call or email check in.

Monticello,

GOVeRnMent/outdoors

Arena board hears tenure of current Arena clerk audited in Monticello, discrepancies found in water bills

continued from page 14

Excerpts from the report detail the procedure Johnson Block undertook with regard to water/utility bills in Monticello, as well as the differences found between what was billed by Naeger and what was recomputed using authorized rates and consumption, with an overall difference netting $2,367.58 of total over-billing.

Legal Editor's Analysis

This represents roughly a 50% average overcharge, and would extrapolate to roughly $1.8 million over a five-year period if these discrepancies were typical over that time. The report covers sixty bills for just one month apiece, or roughly the cumulative overcharge that a single bill would bear over five years, if this rate of error remained typical. For a sense of what this rate of error would mean if it held continuously valid, the Green County Property Database lists 756 properties in Monticello. If each were continuously exposed to this rate of overcharge over 5 years, it would appear that the cumulative overcharge would then run on the order of $1.8 million.

—Gary Ernest Grass, Esq., Legal Editor

Board members release plan to save UW-Richland

continued from page 9

of their own schools and the possible effects on local economies and county budgets if the UW System shuts down more schools.

In addition to the instructional programs the plan proposes, the responsibility for campus buildings would also shift under the plan, which would shift ownership of some buildings to the Richland School District, Southwest Technical College and UW Extension.

To pay for the plan, Gentes and MurphyLopez have proposed that Richland County and UW System apply for grants offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture specifically aimed at providing educational opportunities in rural parts of the country as well as local fundraising from the community. Community members have regularly pointed to the success of the Richland

County Campus Foundation as a sign of local support for the school. Tax records from 2019 show the foundation had $3 million in its accounts four years ago, yet community members have said that number is now about $6 million.

The Richland County board’s education committee, of which Gentes and Murphy-Lopez are members, will consider the plan at an upcoming meeting, according to a news release, and county leadership has a meeting set with System officials on April 7.

Henry Redman is a staff reporter for the Wisconsin Examiner who focuses on covering Wisconsin's towns and rural areas. He previously covered crime and courts at the Daily Jefferson County Union. A lifelong Midwesterner, he was born in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a degree in journalism in May 2019.

AMERICAN PICKERS to film in Wisconsin

The American Pickers are excited to return to Wisconsin! They plan to film episodes of The History Channel hit television series throughout your area in June 2023.

AMERICAN PICKERS is a documentary series that explores the fascinating world of antique “picking” on The History Channel. The hit show follows skilled pickers in the business, as they hunt for America’s most valuable antiques. They are always excited to find historically significant or rare items, in addition to unforgettable Characters and their collections.

As they hit the back roads from coast to coast, the Pickers are on a mission to recycle and rescue forgotten relics. Along the way, they want to meet characters with amazing stories and fun items. They hope to give historically significant objects a new lease on life while learning a thing or two about America’s past along the way. The Pickers have seen a lot of rusty gold over the years and are always looking to discover something they’ve never seen

before. They are ready to find extraordinary items and hear fascinating tales about them. We at American Pickers continue to take the pandemic very seriously and will be following all guidelines and protocols for safe filming outlined by the state and CDC. Nevertheless, we are excited to continue reaching the many collectors in the area to discuss their years of picking and are eager to hear their memorable stories!

The American Pickers TV Show is looking for leads and would love to explore your hidden treasure. If you or someone you know has a unique item, story to tell, and is ready to sell...we would love to hear from you! Please note, the Pickers DO NOT pick stores, flea markets, malls, auction businesses, museums, or anything open to the public. If interested, please send us your name, phone number, location, and description of the collection with photos to: americanpickers@cineflix.com or call (646) 493-2184,or on facebook: @GotAPick

CLASSIFIEDS

Healthcare Employment Opportunities

*Occupational Therapist – full-time OT position working in Home Health and in the Schools

*Physical Therapy Assistant – part-time to full-time position available

*Speech Therapist – .6 FTE Day shift position

*Clinical Dietitian – .5 FTE Day shift position

*OB RN – .9 FTE evening/night shift position. Employment Bonus Eligible!

*RN Emergency Department – .6 to a .9 FTE p.m./night shift position. Employment Bonus Eligible!

*RN Float Nurse – .75 FTE evening/night shift position! Employment Bonus Eligible!

*RN – .5 FTE p.m. shift position in our Nursing & Rehab Center

*Operating Room Technician – .8 FTE day shift position. $3,000 Employment Bonus eligible!

*Director of Marketing – full-time management position

*Director of Health Information Management – full-time management position

*Certified Nursing Assistants – part-time positions available in our Nursing & Rehab Center on day, evening and night shifts, $3,000 Employment Bonus included!

*Imaging & Lab Technologist (Clinics) – full-time day shift position working 4 -10 hour day shifts.

*Respiratory Therapist – . 5 to .6 FTE day shift & a .9 FTE evening/night shift

*Med Tech/MLT or CLS – .6 FTE Premium Pay Weekender Day shift position

*Certified Nursing Assistants – .5 FTE day shift & .6 FTE p.m. shift on our Med/Surg unit

*MRI Imaging Technologist – .5 to a 1.0 FTE day shift position. Up to a $5,000 Employment Bonus, prorated based on FTE!

*Imaging Technologist – full-time night shift position. Up to a $5,000 Employment Bonus, prorated based on FTE!

*Patient Access Specialist – .5 to .6 FTE p.m./night shift & a .8 FTE night shift position!

*Clinic CMA or LPN – .8 FTE day shift positions in our Dodgeville Specialty Clinics & our Barneveld/Mt. Horeb Family Practice Clinic.

*Environmental Services Staff – full and part time p.m. and night shift positions. $1,000 Employment Bonus!

To find out more detailed information about all open positions and to apply, go to our website at www.uplandhillshealth.org

Upland Hills Health

800 Compassion Way Dodgeville, WI 53533

Seeking office space

Valley Sentinel is seeking office space in the downtown area of Spring Green. Flexible ideas for the space include a newsroom, co-working space for small businesses and entrepreneurs, local retail/consignment, local art exhibition/ gallery space and (eventually) working collaboratively with area businesses to provide extended hours coffee and potentially grab-and-go food.

Please let us know if you have any vacant or soon-to-be vacant commercial space, know of any space, or have any creative ideas or partnership opportunities, by phone at 608-588-6694 or by email at editor@valleysentinelnews.com.

The Sauk County Gardener

‘No Dig’ Potatoes

Jeannie Manis Wisconsin Certified Master Gardener

“I love potatoes - roast potatoes, mashed potatoes - I just love potatoes.”

— Johanna Konta

My favorite vegetable, hands down, is the humble potato. It’s such a versatile vegetable and is delicious no matter how it’s prepared – boiled, French fried, mashed, scalloped, hashbrowns, and of course - potato salad. I don’t think there’s a potato I’ve tried that I haven’t liked. This is also the case for the rest of my family. At holiday get-togethers, we have two different kinds of potatoes –traditional mashed potatoes and cheesy “funeral” potatoes. Because of my love of potatoes, it makes sense to grow them myself.

I’ve grown potatoes before using the traditional method of digging a trench and planting seed potatoes. The problem

Harbingers of Spring

“The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size.”

— Gertrude S. Wister

Just inside the woods next to our yard is one of my favorite spring flowering shrubs – the humble forsythia. I didn’t plant it and have no idea how it got there, but I greatly appreciate its announcement that “spring has sprung.”

The forsythia bush is not a particularly interesting shrub most of the year, but for those first couple of weeks in early spring, it is spectacular to behold. Those beautiful yellow blooms that precede their leaves so early in spring can really help cure a case of spring fever.

Forsythia is deciduous, fast-growing,

Easter Lily Care

“And the stately lilies stand Fair in the silvery light, Like saintly vestals, pale in prayer; Their pure breath sanctifies the air, As its fragrance fills the night.”

— Julia C.R. Dorr

It’s that time of year when Easter lilies (L. longiflorum) start to show up in stores and garden centers. Although I haven’t purchased a plant the past few years, I saw some particularly nice ones with lots of buds that I ended up buying one this past week. I remember when we lived in Missouri, our pastor would take home all the unclaimed Easter lily plants after they were done beautifying our church and plant them in his yard. Over the years, he had amassed quite a few and

April Gardening Tasks

with this technique is the double digging – to plant and to harvest; and many times, I end up poking a hole or two in the potatoes when I dig them. However, last week at our monthly master gardener meeting, a fellow master gardener, Pam Putman, did a presentation on a “nodig” method and I was intrigued.

As Pam explained it, the method is simple. You’ll need a sunny, welldrained location that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight. Also, you need cardboard pieces (larger the better), compost (either purchased or from your own pile), straw, and seed potatoes.

A week or so before you want to plant, cut up your seed potatoes. Leave at 2-4 eyes on each potato chunk and keep the chunks relatively big. Place the chunks cut side up in an airy, dry location so they can scab over. The cut side will dry, harden, and get leathery. (You can plant

very easy to maintain, and easy to spot in the spring with its bright blooms. It’s not very interesting to look at once it’s done blooming, but it can be used as a border or fill in your garden’s background as they grow upwards of 8 - 10 feet in height and 10 - 12 feet in diameter depending on the cultivar. The shrub likes a sunny location where it can get plenty of sun and has plenty of room to stretch out. Forsythia is not really fussy about the type of soil it grows in, although it prefers well-draining soil with a pH range of 7.0 and 8.0. Forsythia is fairly pest free and is not a favorite for deer or Japanese beetles.

Although the shrub itself is hardy in zones 4 to 8, it’s important to select the right cultivar if you want reliable blooms.

had a lovely planting of Easter lilies that he enjoyed year after year. It made me wonder if I could possibly, after enjoying my plant indoors, get it to survive our winters and rebloom next season.

The first step is to select a healthy Easter lily plant. Look for one with vibrant green foliage, has one or two flowers open, and several closed buds on the stem. Each flower only lasts a few days so more buds mean the longer you’ll get to enjoy the display. Indoors the lily needs lots of bright light and consistently moist soil. Remove the colorful foil wrapper, or at least poke a hole in it, so it can drain and not sit in water. Place it in a cool location with no drafts and cut off the anthers (the pollen-producing structures sticking out

Gardener

“April weather, rain and sunshine both together.”

— English Country Saying

Someone needs to tell Mother Nature that April is National Gardening month. I still have snow and her April Fools’ joke of sending even more snow was not funny. I’m hoping this week’s weather will take care of the remainder because there are lots of gardening tasks to be done in April!

Before you do anything, test your soil in your perennial and vegetable gardens if you haven’t done it recently. You don’t want to add any nutrients unless it is necessary. Soil sample bags are available at the Sauk County office. Once you have that task out of the way, head out to your flower gardens and plant pansies as soon as the ground isn’t muddy and can be worked. Remove rose cones (if you use them) and gently

remove any soil you mounded up around the bushes. Prune them if you didn’t do it last fall. Normally, Water your beds if they’re dry; however, we’ve had pretty good snow fall this year so they should be okay. Once your perennial beds are dry enough, you can add fertilizer if recommended by the soil test and work it into the soil. Pull any weeks you may see. It’s easier to keep them in check if you pull them when they are small and few. You can also divide some of your perennials if needed. Mums can be divided every 2-3 years before they get 3 inches tall. You can also divide coreopsis, yarrow, and gaillardia every 2-4 years, and daisies and monardas (bee balm) every 3-5 years. If you get those tasks done, start any fast-growing annuals indoors. Consider starting sweet alyssum, calendula, Johnny jump-ups, cornflowers, marigolds, nigella, sweet pea, and zinnias.

your seed potatoes whole and skip this step. However, cutting the potatoes into chunks allows you to have more potatoes to plant.)

While you’re waiting for the potatoes to scab over, prep your planting area. Potatoes should be planted in rows spaced around 2-3 feet apart. Keeping these measurements in mind, lay down cardboard, overlapping as needed. Next, spread compost over the cardboard 6 inches high and around 18 inches wide, creating the desired number of rows. Finally, work in some 10-10-10 fertilizer into the compost.

Place the potato sections on top of the compost every 12-15 inches cut side down, eyes facing up. Then put 12-18 inches of straw on top of the potatoes. You want it thick as the straw will compact throughout the summer. Place mulch between your rows to help with weed control if desired. Potatoes like

Look for cultivars that are flower bud hardy in zone 5 and under, as dormant flower buds start to be killed in temps -5 degrees F and lower. The cultivar, ‘Meadowlark’, is hardy to -35 degrees F. Visit hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/ forsythia-forsythia-spp for a list of other cultivars to also consider.

Forsythia is relatively maintenance free, requiring only a yearly pruning to help it retain an attractive shape and flower well. Pruning should be completed right after it blooms to avoid cutting off next year’s buds. Remove older branches by cutting them off at the ground. Forsythia blooms on old wood, so keep in mind that this year’s growth is where next spring’s flowers will come from. You can rejuvenate an old, neglected forsythia by pruning it back to 3-4 inches in late

of the center of the flower) to extend the life of each flower. Remove faded blooms by cutting or pinching them where they were attached to the stem.

Once your plant is done blooming, you can move it to your garden after the danger of frost has passed to get it acclimated to the new outdoor weather conditions. Choose the right location as the Easter lilies are not reliably winter hardy in our area. The Easter lily is hardy in zones 5-11, and in zone 4 with some extra protection. There are a few cultivars that are only hardy to zone 7. This lily is easy to care for outdoors, growing best in full sun in well-drained soil. Plant the bulb about 3” inches deep and mulch around to the plant to keep the soil cool. The leaves and stems will turn brown, but within a few

Mulch garden paths to suppress any weeds. There is still time to start some of your vegetables indoors. Plant eggplant, head lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and peppers if you can get them done by no later than mid-April. Then plant your tomatoes. Read seed packets carefully to see what seeds prefer to be direct sowed in the garden. Around mid to late April, when the soil temps reach 40 degrees F and night-air temps are above 45 degrees F, you can plant coolweather crops outdoors. Think lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, parsnips, onions, beets, carrots, kohlrabi, radishes, peas, and parsley. Peas do not like wet soil, so if need be, start them indoors and transplant them into the garden a week or so later. Turn over your green manure crop if you planted one; otherwise topdress your vegetable garden and lightly side-dress asparagus and rhubarb beds with compost or well-rotted manure. Plant potatoes the third week of April.

somewhat acidic soil (pH level between 6 and 6.5) so you may want to side-dress them about four weeks after planting with compost or manure. Water as needed, pull any weeds, and make sure the potatoes stay covered, so they don’t turn green.

To harvest the potatoes, simply push the straw aside and dig your fingers into the compost to find them. Let them cure in an airy location for at least 2-3 days for the skins to mature and be ready for storing. New potatoes can be harvested 2-3 weeks after they finish flowering. Potatoes for storing should be harvested 2-3 weeks after the foliage comes back. Consider using this “no-dig” method to plant potatoes this year. You’ll appreciate the lack of digging and the planting and harvesting is a great activity to do with kids. I know what I’ll be doing with the potatoes I grow – making potato salad. Yum!

winter/early spring. The shrub will produce new growth as the days get warmer and longer. It can be propagated by taking cuttings in early spring or by layering low hanging branches to get them to take root and later transplanted.

Forsythia can be easily forced to bloom indoors. Prune off some branches about a foot long and submerge them in a tub overnight in tepid water. Next, place them in a bucket of warm water and cover them with a large, clear plastic bag and put it in a cool spot around 60 degrees to develop the buds. Check the branches regularly, change the water, and mist the buds occasionally so they don’t dry out. In about a week or so, the buds will start to elongate and show color. Then move them to a warmer spot, mist the buds, and arrange them in a vase. Enjoy!

weeks you should see new growth from the base of the plant. It can grow up to 3 feet tall and may require staking to keep it upright. It probably won’t bloom this year but should rebloom next year at the time that most of your other lilies bloom. After it finishes blooming, deadhead the flowering portion. In the fall, cut it down to the ground when the leaves have yellowed. Give it a little extra winter protection with some additional mulch but don’t forget to remove it next spring when new growth appears.

Follow these simple tips and you should be able to enjoy your Easter lily for years to come. You might also consider saving some of the abandoned Easter lilies at your church this year. I know I’m going to try.

Next, rake the lawn, prune any nonflowering shrubs, and plant bare-root shrubs and deciduous and fruit trees. Fertilize fruit trees as soon as the ground thaws but before they bloom. About the third week, remove mulch from around strawberry plants when leaves start to grow.

Once you’re done with all your early garden tasks, you’re welcome to attend Sauk County Master Gardeners Association's upcoming educational meeting. Guest speaker, Jessika Greendeer, will discuss Traditional Native American Gardens including “Three Sisters”. The meeting is Thursday, April 13th at 6 pm in Room B-24 of the West Square Building, 505 Broadway, Baraboo. A free-will donation is suggested to help offset program costs.

If you have gardening questions, visit the Sauk County Master Gardeners Association facebook page.

Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certified Master Gardener

Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certified Master Gardener

Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certified Master

Riverway board, Lone Rock bridge project

continued from page 1

will be led by Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Forester Trevor Hamdorf. Participants should gather at the parking area on Easter Rock Lane, by the intersection of CTH E and Hwy. 60, a short distance west of the Hwy. 61 bridge at Boscobel.

Weather permitting, there will be four stops with two stops focused on forestry management activities and two stops focused on prairie restoration efforts. All sites will involve moderate hiking on relatively flat ground. The field trip will end at the Riverway Board office in Muscoda at 4:00 p.m. In case of inclement weather, the field trip will be rescheduled.

For further information regarding the April 13 field trip, contact Mark Cupp at (608) 739-3188 or by e-mail at mark. cupp@wisconsin.gov.

WIS 130/133 Lone Rock Bridges Construction Update

WORK RECENTLY COMPLETED

South Bridge temporary causeway

construction:

• Temporary bridge, barge crossing, and majority of rock causeway installed

North Bridge pier foundation

construction:

• Cofferdams installed for Piers #2, #3, #4

• Pier #4 excavation to bottom of footing

WAS DUE TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF MARCH

South Bridge temporary causeway

construction:

• Complete rock causeway installation to south shoreline

• Install rock ramp along south shoreline bank between WIS 133 and river

• Potentially start driving steel sheet piling in south bank for temporary shoring to construction the south bridge abutment

North Bridge pier foundation

construction:

• Continue with cofferdam installation, structure excavation, and start pouring concrete seals (Piers #4 & #3)

TRAFFIC IMPACTS

• Trucks and equipment will continue to enter/exit WIS 130 at the access points to Long Island and the north peninsula

• No flagging operations were anticipated for the remainder of March

RIVER NAVIGATION IMPACTS

The south channel was scheduled to be CLOSED at the bridge construction work zone through the end of March

See boating guide flyer that explains the south channel closure with portage crossing and an overview of the channels

Hard copies of these flyers are available at the local boat launches and canoe/ kayak liveries

When construction operations allow, the barge crossing will be removed so that the south channel can be re-opened for extended periods of time

River navigation updates will be posted on the Traffic Impacts link on WisDOT’s project website: projects.511wi.gov/ wis130-bridge-replacement/trafficimpacts

— Barry Larson, PE HNTB Corporation

WIS 130/133 and Bridge Replacement Project: SOUTH CHANNEL CLOSURE

BOATER GUIDE

• Follow the signage and navigational buoys placed in the river

• The bridge construction zone is a SLOW NO WAKE zone

• Boating is prohibited in areas during construction for safety

• Buoys will be relocated periodically as construction progresses

• The south channel will be CLOSED at the bridge construction zone for the majority of the boating season

• All thru traffic craft navigating beyond the bridge construction should use the north channel around Long Island

• The south channel will be open to Otter Creek Landing for upstream craft to offload

• When launching from Otter Creek Landing:

- motorized craft will need to navigate around Long Island to the north channel in order to travel downstream beyond the bridge construction zone

- a portage path is provided for paddle craft to be carried through the construction zone on Long Island if it is not feasible to navigate upstream to the north channel

South Bridge Construction Zone – South/Main River Channel CLOSURE

WIS 130/133 Lone Rock Bridges Construction Update

continued from page 17

The picture at right, from March 7, shows the south river channel causeway looking north from WIS 133. The picture below, from March 14, shows the south river channel causeway looking west from the existing WIS 130 south bridge.

River navigation updates will be posted on the Traffic Impacts link on WisDOT’s project website: projects.511wi.gov/wis130-bridgereplacement

HIRING WE ARE

W e a r e l o o k i n g f o r a n e x p e r i e n c e d t r u c k d r i v e r t o d e l i v e r r e a d y m i x t o v a r i o u s l o c a t i o n s . J o b s t a r t c a n b e o u t o f P l a i n o r M u s c o d a .

F u l l t i m e , M o n d a y

t h r

TO APPLY:

SKILLS: P r o v e n w o r k e x p e r i e n c e a s a t r u c k d r i v e r A b i l i t y t o d r i v e l o n g h o u r s a n d t r a v e l r e g u l a r l y E x t e n s i v e k n o w l e d g e o f a p p l i c a b l e t r u c k d r i v i n g r u l e s a n d r e g u l a t i o n s N o r e c e n t m o v i n g o r d r i v i n g v i o l a t i o n s

A d a p t a b i l i t y a n d f o r e s i g h t t o h a n d l e u n e x p e c t e d s i t u a t i o n s ( t r a f f i c , w e a t h e r c o n d i t i o n s e t c )

V a l i d t r u c k d r i v i n g l i c e n s e

F i n d u s o n I n d e e d o r c o n t a c t u s b y p h o n e a t

River Valley ARTS announces 2023 Creative Community Grant recipients

Every year River Valley ARTS awards Creative Community Grants to further stimulate creative and innovative arts and culture programming in the River Valley area. Applications are reviewed by a panel of community members and are evaluated on the degree of community involvement and community benefit, artistic merit, creativity and innovation, ability of the applicant to complete the project, and potential for growth and development, among others. Grant funds are provided through the generous contributions of River Valley ARTS members and donors, and through a matching grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin.

This year, the Creative Community Grant recipients are as follows: Brisbane House, for a poetry reading in conjunction with Arena's Centennial

Celebration. ChamberFest, to help pay the musicians and storytellers at this music event.

River Valley Dance Advancement, to help pay the choreographers who expertly provide the routines for the competitive dance teams.

River Valley High School Music Department, to help pay the musicians and choreographer for the Pops concert. Rural Remedy, to support their series of mixed-media art exploration workshops.

Wilson Creek Pottery, as they organize events to celebrate Wilson Creek Pottery's 50 year anniversary.

Wyoming Valley Cultural Arts Center, for their summer programming for children, focusing on exploring ceramics.

More information at: rivervalleyarts.org

Photos contributed by Barry Larson

An Outdoorsman’s Journal

Mark Walters, Columnist

Hello friends, This past week I put another serious test on the Chevy Hotel with the load I was pulling and some go for it driving on Upper Michigan’s Little Bay de Noc. LBDN is known throughout the Midwest as a place to potentially catch a 30-plus inch walleye and attracts hardcore ice anglers from throughout the Midwest.

Friday, March 3rd High 33°, Low 26°

My old high school buddy Doug Cibulka is doing 3 trips on the ice with me this winter and they all have challenges. Our other companions would be Ruby and her pup Red and the challenge began from minute one as we entered the ice on what is the north arm of Green Bay. We would be going on local advice a Fishing Hot Spots map and literally my foot on the gas pedal.

The local advice was that due to deep snow drifts we could not pull my trailer with a snow machine in it. Our other option was to unload everything at the public landing at Kipling and pull 4 Otter Sleds for multiple trips to wherever we were going to set up for this 4-day excursion.

I sensed the 2006 with 363,000 miles was hungry for a challenge and by God as long we kept moving she performed like the champ that she is. We really did speak with a lot of locals about a strategy, and we settled

on the south end of what is called Second Reef where we each put out tip ups and Finicky Foolers over 22 to 25 feet of water. We baited with large shiners and then we began the massive job of building camp. There was no wind and we had 3 nights on the ice to live large, and the mood was excellent.

At dark a steady east wind began that was blowing off from the open water of Lake Michigan. There was so much moisture in the air that everything got an extremely heavy frost on it and even though we stayed up very late we could not catch a fish.

Saturday, March 4th

High 36°, Low 29°

This morning was our 2nd primetime on the ice, and we had zero action and neither did any of our neighbors. A difficult decision was made to break camp and drive north about 4-miles to shallower water where we would build camp and catch at least a dozen walleye over 30-inches. Once again the Chevy Hotel was seriously tested and we ended up where the Whitefish, Rapid, and Tacoosh Rivers enter the bay. Eventually the walleye will swim up these rivers to spawn.

So, we build camp, the mood is excellent and about 3 hours after we arrived I am fighting a fish on a jig pole that I have baited with a fathead. Holy moly were we have ever happy when I landed our first walleye. It was only 14.5 inches, but we had no cares as we knew there was a herd of 30-inchers swimming our way. I just had let it go and I had a flag which ended up being a 28-inch gator.

Now we knew that we were on top of our game, and it was determined that the social hour should begin to honor the awesome catch. Well folks I have to tell you, the late day primetime came and went without any action. At about 10:00 pm we decided that we were going to try and stay up all night as we were going to go home a day early as there was a nasty snowstorm headed our way.

Doug and I gave it everything that we had, including socialization, cooking a fine 1.00 am meal and fishing hard, nothing we did triggered a bite. We were both aware that in 5-days we were headed to Chequamegon Bay on Lake Superior and there was no sense in taking a chance on crashing the Chevy Hotel in a snowstorm.

We fished until 3:00 on Sunday afternoon under beautiful conditions and had zero fish catching experiences and did not see a neighbor catch a fish.

We broke camp and the moment I hit my driveway the next storm began. I lit my woodstove, took a hot bath and all was well in my world!

Sunset

Follow along the adventures of Mark Walters, a syndicated outdoor adventure columnist who lives in Necedah, Wisconsin. He began writing his column, An Outdoorsman’s Journal, in 1989. It includes hunting, fishing, lots of canoeing and backpacking. He currently writes for around 60 newspapers. He hopes you enjoy reading about his adventures!

Want to read more?

Check out previous weeks’ columns at www.outdoorsmansjournal.com

Little Bay de Noc.

Photo contributed by Mark Walters

Our red neck camp on

Monster Walleye on Little Bay de Noc

Photo contributed by Mark Walters A heavy frost on night one left everything coated with frost.

Photo contributed by Mark Walters A very unique machine that we saw traveling the ice on Little Bay de Noc.

An Outdoorsman’s Journal

Mark Walters, Columnist

Hello friends,

My daughter Selina Walters is 22, a double major with a minor at UWSP and to put it simply, I do not get to see her very often. This summer Selina will be living out of a backpack and a tent while doing research on Apache Trout in the Apache National Forest in the mountains of northern Arizona. I was pleasantly surprised when she told me that she could spend some time with me for spring break, so I came up with a simple idea to do some perch and walleye fishing while camping on the backwaters of the Mississippi River near Buffalo City.

Wednesday, March 22nd

High 37°, Low 29°

Actually, this trip was not completely simple. It would require an atv, a trailer to pull behind it and a smaller feed cart behind it to haul our gear about 3.7 miles down a trail on the Mississppi.

We would fish either backwaters or the main channel and we would sleep on the ground in a tent on the backwaters. Naturally the pups Ruby and Red would be along and they had a blast as we made the journey. Ruby is 7 in May and never missed a beat on that run.

I have done this adventure 3 other times and if the backwaters are high enough, the perch and walleye are in them, if not you have to fish the river. We liked the remoteness and being

out of the wind in the backwaters and that is where we set up camp and then put out 3 rods a piece with minnows, red worms, and night crawlers. After that we built a very comfortable camp and did what we are very good at and that is watching the world around us. Red and Ruby would be on a nonstop chase of what can we hunt. After two hours all we had was a small gator “northern pike” a perch, and a bluegill and we made the decision that we had to fish the main channel.

It was just before this that very bad luck struck, Selina was walking with a rod that had a Rip n Rap on it and one of the hooks became very stuck in her thumb. I had a very bad feeling when I first saw it and Selina was taking an ugly situation quite well. There was pain and it was an ugly job but Chief Surgeon Walters got the hook out and Selina still has the majority of her thumb.

So, we have like two hours of daylight, we start shore fishing the main channel of the river and right away we have action, unfortunately it’s all suckers and red horse. Our poles are spread out over about 50-yards and each one is leaning on a stick, we are looking for a hot hole. Good luck came our way when we caught a jumbo perch and then another and we had found a hot hole that held pre-spawn perch. By dark we had 7 and our mood was excellent as I knew we would kick some butt come sunrise.

We had a whole bunch of fun around the campfire and I cooked “Health Sausage”and nothing else. Health

Sausage is loaded with fat, boiled but not in this case enough to make it warm and we could both feel all the blood veins near our hearts clogging with fat.

Thursday, March 23rd High 42°, Low 29°

We were over to our honey hole at first light and the local flock of perch were quite hungry. We had lawn chairs so we could do what we do best which is watch the river flow and the dogs fight but we were so busy we couldn’t hardly sit. We let all the sumo, pig mama’s go and we both felt good about that and I watched as Selina really got into this type of fishing.

I had one of my rigs get hit hard and ended up catching a 38-inch gator which had just spawned and naturally we released her. Selina has been overscheduled for about 6-years and I can see her getting worn down from school, a job in the bug lab, and even a bit of a social life, as well as being

active in school organizations like the Fisheries Society of which she is the Vice President.

I believe this journey was really good for her and as usual, we had blast!

Sunset

Follow along the adventures of Mark Walters, a syndicated outdoor adventure columnist who lives in Necedah, Wisconsin. He began writing his column, An Outdoorsman’s Journal, in 1989. It includes hunting, fishing, lots of canoeing and backpacking. He currently writes for around 60 newspapers. He hopes you enjoy reading about his adventures!

Want to read more?

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Photo contributed by Mark Walters

Selina Walters with a jumbo perch that we let go as she was a dandy and full of eggs.

Epic Adventure on Mississippi River Backwaters

Photo contributed by Mark Walters Selina Walters on the Mississippi River near Buffalo City

Photo contributed by Mark Walters We used this set up to haul our gear 3.7 miles to where we fished and camped.