By Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter

Tuesday’s game in Antigo would get ugly for Post 46 as they get 10-run ruled in the fifth inning losing 10-0. Merrill was only able to get one hit which came from Trevor Asmundsen in the fourth inning as the offense was stagnant in this quick game. That one hit would also be the only base runner Post 46 would have as Antigo pitcher Collin Meinert did not walk or hit a single batter and struck out seven in his five-inning gem of a game.

Vinnie Gallela got the start on the bump for Merrill pitching four and a third innings, striking out only three, walking three, giving up 11 hits, and 10 runs, eight of which were earned. Zach Anderson would also get in the game to pitch as he took over for Gallela in the bottom of the fifth with runners on second and third, however he would only see one batter as he gave up the game winning run with a double from the first batter he saw.

By Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter

With June being Dairy Month, Wisconsin is celebrating all across the state. It also marks a very busy time of the year for Alice in Dairyland, who made a trip to Pine Crest Nursing Home on Monday to give a presentation about agriculture in Wisconsin.

ewly-crowned “Alice,” Crystal Siemers-Peterman posed some trivia questions to the audience testing their Wisconsin dairy knowledge and gave away prizes to anyone who could answer a question correctly. She also took some time before and after her presentation to interact with the residents at Pine Crest, getting to know them and listening to the stories they had about their experiences in the dairy and farming industry.

Originally from Cleveland, Wis., Siemers-Peterman was recently chosen as Wisconsin’s 70th Alice in Dairyland. As Alice, she works as a communications professional for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). Her main focus is to educate the public about the importance of agriculture in Wisconsin.

Merrill High School senior Shailee Myers was honored by Congressman Sean Duffy during the Congressional Art Reception on Friday, June 9, at the Center for Visual Arts Gallery in Wausau. Her self-portrait acrylic painting titled “1280 Pieces of Me” took second place and will hang in Sean Duffy’s Wausau office.

Several other Merrill High School art students have their artwork on display at the Center for Visual Arts Gallery located at 427 4th St. in Wausau through Aug. 12.

June 14, 2017 marked Finland’s 100th year anniversary and they’re commemorating the milestone with a tour of the United States with Sisu – Finland’s traveling sauna. Want to meet Sisu? Metsa Machines is hosting her at a celebratory event in Merrill on June 22.

Sisu’s stop will be located at Metsa Machines headquarters from 1-7 p.m. Thursday afternoon and evening. All are welcome to come say hello, sing Happy Birthday to Finland, take a selfie in the sauna, and see the products Metsa Machines imports directly from Finland.

“Metsa Machines is happy to host Sisu and help celebrate Finland’s centennial,” says Metsa Machines President Patrick Taylor. “We’re huge supporters of course as many of our products are produced there.”

The event will be held at N1271 State Hwy. 64 & 107 – guests can head west out of Merrill on Highway 64 and watch for the signs. There will be grilled food (made on grills featured from Nelson’s Power House), tours of Sisu the Sauna, and Metsa’s Finnish product lines on display. It will be an outdoor event and admission is free.

To find out more about Sisu the Traveling Sauna’s mission and travels across the U.S. – along with more information about Finland’s Centennial Celebration – visit www.travelingsauna.com.
Metsa Machines, LLC, a subsidiary of Taylor Strategic Industries, is the exclusive North American distributor of Finnish outdoor and forestry product lines such as Japa, Ultratec, Nokka, Rammy, Fimex, and more. For more information, dealer requirements, or questions regarding the company or the products, visit www.metsamachines.com, or contact Bob Nelson at bob@metsamachines.com, or by calling 888-848-4842.

The City of Merrill is seeking public input on its five-year Outdoor Recreation Plan. An online survey is available for residents to weigh in on what potential project they feel are important.

The City of Merrill Outdoor Recreation Plan, 2013-2018, will be used to identify new projects for development as well as which parks need refurbished recreation facilities (like trails, buildings, or playgrounds). The plan enables the City of Merrill to be eligible for competitive federal and state outdoor recreation grant money that usually pays half the cost per project.

This plan assesses the existing outdoor recreation system of city parks, and school facilities in the City of Merrill. Recreational needs will be identified based upon public input, national and state guidelines, and Merrill and North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission staff analysis.

The Merrill Parks & Recreation Commission will review all of this information and guide the overall direction of recommendations to improve the recreation system over the next five years.
Submission of this report to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources establishes eligibility for Merrill to apply for a variety of federal and state aids to improve the park system.

The outdoor recreation survey is open until July 31, 2017, at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/merrillorp. Some hard copies of the survey also will be available at the Smith Center and City Hall next week.

Researched by Michael J. Caylor Jr

6-22-77
Merrill will soon be full of Winnies. Winnebago campers that is. Winnebago owners from across the state will meet this weekend to camp at the Lincoln County Fair Grounds. Over 100 of the campers are expected to arrive starting Friday, an event that coincides with the Central Wisconsin Polka Fest. Besides Polka music, plenty of events are scheduled throughout the weekend to entertain our guests. Five camper dealers will be showcasing their latest models, the Pine River Co-op will have cheese samples and displays, a Tupperware party will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning, and at 3 p.m. members of the club will head to Les & Jim’s Lincoln Lanes for a cocktail party and banquet.

Advertising throughout the paper welcomes our visitors this weekend, a sure boost to the local economy. Ads include: Dave’s Kountry Kitchen, serving breakfast 24 hours a day; 201 E. 2nd St.; Park City Motors, providing service and repair to all Dodge cars and trucks; West Side TV & Radio Shack, your complete line of stereos and CB’s; Thelma’s in downtown Merrill has 10% of all plus sized clothing through Sunday; The Corner Shop at 412 W. Main St. has everything the woman wants from pantsuits to formals; Arnold’s Drive-In, 105 E. 1st St., 50’s style dining with a $1.19 fish plate special and home to the Fonzy Bar and Pinky Pops; Bob and Barb’s Club 64 starts serving at 11 a.m., their special is a $7.95 lobster dinner; Fowler Drug Store at 914 E. Main St. has fishing tackle, gifts and cameras; Hinz’s Cork and Dyne has their country style buffet on Sunday and a ship and shore buffet on Friday, they are open at 6 a.m.; Estelle’s House of Fashion at 126 N. Prospect St. is offering 10% off all merchandise this weekend with coupon; Pamida Discount Store has all your men’s and boy’s fashion wear on sale this weekend and a full line of Zebco products; Golde’s Added Dimensions has the latest in fashions from both coasts, they are located in the Lincoln House; Club Modern is Merrill’s finest in sophisticated dining, just south of town on Business Hwy. 51; Caylor’s Corners is the most unique store in the north with everything for the camping family and is Wisconsin’s headwear headquarters; South of the Border specializes in the finest in Mexican and Italian dining, Business Hwy. 51 South; Ali Baba’s at 2403 E. Main St. has nightly dancing on their lighted dance floor and a game room; Margaret’s Laundromat is open 24 hours and is only two blocks from the stop lights at 1319 E. Main St.; Badger Paint has your wallpaper and paint needs covered; A&W Restaurant is your family dining destination, open 10 a.m. to midnight every day; Weinbrenner Factory Shoe Store has factory seconds, open seven days a week on Polk Street; Chip’s Restaurant has the world’s greatest hamburgers, Third and Center; All your photography needs are at the Paramount Studios, 1001 E. Main St.; Pine Ridge Oasis, a full 24 hours family restaurant with lead free gas at the pumps and Atlas tires, State Rd. 64 East; Champ’s Family Restaurant is open seven days a week on Business Hwy. 51 north, specializing in steak and chicken. And if a quiet evening is more your style at the Cosmo Ron Howard is starring in “Grand Theft Auto.”

In area briefs: The Lincoln County Humane Society elected their first slate of officers for the newly organized organization; Arnine Seiss will serve as president, Herb Schotz as vice-president, Phyliss Fehr is secretary, and Linda Johnson is treasurer. Randy Schenk, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wilbert Schenk of Cottage Street, is the recipient of the Eagle Scout Award, he also received the Pro Deo at Patria award, the highest religious award given to a Lutheran Scout. The summer playground program is set, plans are to take a trip to Green Bay, and hang out at Council Grounds and at the Depot Youth Center. Your summer leaders this year are: Marcy Barney, Laurie Suetlik, Mary Gruling, Peg Sybeldon, Greg English, Brian Koehler, Mark Storm and Jay Tlusty.

6-24-87
The City of Merrill has had a preliminary meeting with property owners of the Town of Pine River who border the city to discuss future plans. City engineer Chuck Pierotti would like to see the city expand Thielman Street further to the east so it connects with Pine Ridge Avenue. Pierotti feels this roadway will be critical for the area not only for expanded commercial use but also for access the Pine Ridge area by emergency vehicles. The city could also potentially expand Pine Ridge Avenue further to the north and connect it with State Rd. 17, thus easing the amount of traffic on Memorial Drive. Mayor Richard Holt stated he is comfortable with the early discussions and hopes to continue the open line for input from all sides for this development. The major inquiries into the development have come from Wisconsin Public Service which plans on building a new service center in that area. If this happens the city will likely seek to expand Big Eddy Road to the north to Thielman Street.

Show your support for your favorite baseball team at Schielke’s Dairy Queen. For a limited time you can get a sundae in a miniature batting helmet for only $1. All 26 teams are available. Also on the Entertainment page, Omni Travel in Wausau has Las Vegas specials for fall, $309 for round trip airfare out of Central Wisconsin Airport with four nights’ accommodations at the Star Dust.

6-25-97
Preparations are underway for the Jenny Fest which will be held Aug. 16 and 17 at Stange’s Park. The festival is a tribute to the pioneer days of Merrill. What has become a favorite treat of Merrill will be served in the park that weekend as the Optimists will be serving their cheese curds. Jerry Boettcher is past president of the Optimist Club and although he is willing to share the recipe for the squeaky treats, he cannot tell you the portions. Beer and pancake mix is what creates the deep fried delight, but the proportions is what makes them unique. Boettcher stated if you change the recipe in any way you will not get the results you want. Boettcher also stated the curds have to be from a specific source as well or your recipe will not work. Boettcher did tell the secret of what separates the yellow curds from the white curds, it is just food coloring added during the manufacturing process.

More letters to the editor from associates of the Walmart store regarding the potential organizing of the workers into a union. A vote on the matter is due in August.

The Mapleview Trailer Park on Merrill’s south side may be seeing some changes. Owner Randy Mueller is seeking a conditional use permit for further development of the park. Mueller wants to move homes and hook up to the city sewer and water but the city plan needs to hold a hearing on the matter first. That meeting will be held next Tuesday in the council chambers.

GRADE 9

Highest Honors (4.0): Eve Akey, Kamille Ament, Ty Bailey, Michael Casper, Aleecia Dawson, Dawson Dengel, Cody Depies, Katelyn Hahn, Elizabeth Hartson, Skylar Herdt, Dominic Laufenberg, Isabella Laufenberg, Jacob Leopold, Macy Marion, Reese Mrachek, Caleb Novitch, Aliyah Pillai, Izabella Troyer, Ananda Van Wie, Austin Wiederhoeft.

High Honors (3.75-3.99): Rachel Berg, Abby Bucknell, Breann Cagle, Savannah Guenther, Mackenzee Hoffman, Abbigail Krueger, Madeline Leischer, Allison Schlegel, Sophia Schroeder, Connor Sczygelski, Allysen Semling, Allison Smith, Madison Sturm.

Honors (3.5-3.74): Jake Bailey, Abigail Burgener, Mercedes Gilson, Makyah Goetsch, Destiny Hirte, Rylee Hoeppner, Bayen Lemmon, Alexis Manock, Jakob Mattson, Hannah Mikalauski, Logan O’Connell, Alexa Pozorski, Ashley Prebeg, Anna Rydeski, Jacob Schnabl, Molly Seidler, Star Spiegel, Sadie Wakefield, Tapanga Woller.

GRADE 10

Highest Honors (4.0): Abrahm Akey, Kaitlyn Arndt, Kathryn Ball, Aimee Black, Chase Bonnell, Jayda Bushor, Lily Cordova, Rianna Dowds, Taleigh Fox, Morgan Henrichs, Sierra Humphrey, Bailey Iwen, Emma Jaeger, Dana Kalepp, Taylor Korman, Criztal Martinez, Chloe Morris, Rylee Mrachek, Mary Pawlicki, Izabella Prebeg, Megan Schroder, Journey Smith, Quinn Steckbauer, Allison Tabor, Nora Trapp, Hunter Wallace, Gwen Wheat, Tyler Wolff.

High Honors (3.75-3.99): Dayton Frederick, Stephen Koch, Mackenah Krause, Erin Lemke, William Opsahl, Jordan Payne, Brendan Root, Amber Skiff, Alec Vosburgh, Olivia Wheat.

Honors (3.5-3.74): Kelsie Belfiori, Calista Berger, Xandra Bienfang, Kaylee Bowe, Kyah Eggebrecht, Jillian English, Vincent Galella, Robert Hinner, Caitlin Jaeger, Sheena Kalepp, Lauren Lemke, Mackenzie Massa, Christian Matson, Wesley McIntyre, Mckenna Meunier, Makayla Nelson, Robert Oestreich, Noah Parrett, Morgan Peterson, Molly Rydeski, Elizabeth Schmidt, Anna Skoviera, Shealynn Stichmann, Skylar Stubbe, Maria Wichman, Jamie Zuelsdorff.

GRADE 11

Highest Honors (4.0): Noah Bolling, Maddix Bonnell, Lindsey Casper, Taylor Krueger, Adam Laehn, Isaac Meyer, Jacob Novitch, Rachel Rell, Jacob Romang, Autumn Schenzel, Hailey Schult, Julia Stencil.High Honors (3.75-3.99): Lea Beckman, Kade Bonnell, Christina Doering, Desirae Hoff, Brandon Kerchefski, Allison Kloth, Brant Raleigh, Aidan Tautges.

Honors (3.5-3.74): Emalee Alexander, Tyler Baade, Nicholas Baumann, Kobe Blake, Megan Brewer, Bradley Draxler, Logan Humphrey, Casie McAllister, Zachary Mootz, Catherine Murray, Joshua Palazzo, Alexander Pfingsten, Patience Pyan, Lily Reimann, Emily Sczygelski, Jonathan Shuman, Ian Springborn, Mark Thompson, Morgan Wardall.

GRADE 12

Highest Honors (4.0): Dylan Alft, Hannah Ament, Samantha Brandenburg, Jonathan Gruetzmacher, Todd Grund, Serena Helman, Olivia Hostvedt, Mitchell Jaeger, Mckenzie Kimmons, Nathan Koch, Caitlyn Kolehouse, Anton Lee, Victoria Mikalauski, Grace Ollhoff, Maria Pankow, Deanta Saunders, Brett Seubert, Kyle Webie, Allison Winter-Reed.

High Honors (3.75-3.99): Jack Bucknell, Emily Berg, Hollie Dewar, Sarah Gessler, Bailee Golisch, Robert Hartson, Chelsey Lamonica, Ryan Leskela, Tad Pike, Sierra Severt, Stephanie Schroder, Sabrina Stiernagle, Makayla Taylor, Keia Woller.

Honors (3.5-3.74): Kelsey Amelse, Taylor Cichy, Jacob Collinsworth, Jacob Dawson, Hugh Hanig, Tyler Harland, Hunter Heldt, Marissa Helvey, Connor Howard, Claire Krueger, Treven Oberg, Bryce Rajek, Sydney Ruplinger, Alisha Scantlin, Bridget Schmidt, Emily Schroeder, Emerson Small, Trevor Stadler, Allie Turenne, Joshua Wayda, Molly Wayda, Ava Willett, Katelyn Zelinski.

6th Grade
Highest Honors 4.0: Brian Ball, Evelyn Blennert, Mason Borchardt, Olivia Cordova, Carla Higgins, Samuel Holzinger, Summit Hoyt, Judah Leder, Midori Paulus, Jaiden Pillai, Addison Schmeltzer, Ian Schuetze, Gabriel Small, Hunter Stadler, Olivia Troyer, Adrianna VanderGeest, Amber Winter.

High Honors 3.75—3.99: Erica Arneson, Madison Crossman, Ryder Depies, Tanner Hannemann, Nichole Hanson, Taylor Jacobson, Cassandra Kasten, Sierra Moore, Austin Mosher, Caleb Norton, Alayna Pozorski, Trenton Pozorski, Evn Stevenson, Madison Vandergeest, Clint Waliczek, Dafney Yates.

Honors 3.5—3.74: Tyler Fritcher, Dylan Henry, Erin Kremsreiter, Jersey Kulawinski, Gage Lassa, Jessica Leander, Morgan Polacek, Luke Rice, Drew Semling, Truman Shull, Brooke Slagoski, Ramsey Wendt, Mya Wilde.

7th Grade
Highest Honors 4.0: Annie Becker, Kierra Boyd, Madalia Burrows, Decilyn Clark, Jackson Dejong, Lauren Duginski, Benjamin Freyer, Caitlyn Geiss, Callen Hoeppner, Marissa Hoffman, Evan Jaeger, Grace Koehler, Danyelle Kottke, Felicia Mayfield, Lydia McIntyre, Bailey Orzech, Emma Pajtash, Jonnie Pierschalla-Zastrow, Daniel Ricci, Elizabeth Schmidt, Brennan Schneider, Grace Schultz, Laney Zuelsdorff.

High Honors 3.75—3.99: Anika Bartz, Nicole Doering, Riley Fritcher, David Golisch, Adeline Heisinger, Angela Hinner, Emily Hintz, Jack Hoock, Samuel Johns, Alexcis Kaufman, Olivia Losee, Melody Nelson, Eric Osterbrink, Tanaya Pillai, Adam Polak, Alynn Renzelmann, Abigail Schmidt, Draven Slewitzke, Olivia Stevenson, Levon Vandergeest, Ashton Voermans, Taylor Zastrow.

Honors 3.5—3.74: Brenna Allen, Sequoia Ellenbecker, Brandon Ellerman, Jackson Fink, Delainey Frederick, Cory Gigl, Carter Jensen, Ryan Kevilus, Jr, Danielle Korman, Monica Lane, Evelyn Marcott, Michael McRae, Hailey Mohr, Alize Pacheco, Alexis Peacock, Megan Proulx, Ariana Raddatz, Henry Reimann, Dru Sabatke, Anna Schlegel, Claire Schultz, Alyssa Seamans, Abrehm Van Wie, Anthony Vogel, Riley Warren, Erica Wickman, Darrin Wiederhoeft, Tyler Wieloch, Geno Zecca.

8th Grade
Highest Honors 4.0: Levi Black, Jacob Butler, Edmund Collinsworth, Alexis Crossman, Caleb Dejong, Tanner Depies, Lydia Hanson, Jordyn Henrich, Eleanor Holzinger, Alexandra Johnson, Zachary Kriegel, Courtney Krueger, Hannah Losee, Alexander Mann, Ahna Meyer, Devin Miller, Erin Murray, Kelly Page, Janae Patton, Piper Plautz, Sara Rajek, Alexandra Schmeltzer, Sawyer Schmitz, Camryn Schulz, Alexis Slagoski, Hunter Slozes, Kasey Sondelski, Kate Steckbauer, Kyle Stellingworth, Delainy Stockowitz, Nicholas Tanck, Rachel Travis, Charleze Valliere, Mason VanderVelde, Nikolas Zastrow, Nicole Zoellner.

High Honors 3.75—3.99: Abrianna Davis, Gavin Dinges, Erin Kanitz, Kendall Krueger, Nathan Leskela, Katherine Myszka, Matthew Palazzo, Bryanna Pieper, Faith Seliger, Kyle Semling, Alyssa Shockman, Andrew Tritten, Lainey Voigt.

Honors 3.5—3.74: Ambria Anderson, Peyton Becker, Zoe Berna, Morgan Bolling, Alixandra Clark, Thad Countryman, Taylor Dinges, Jozelyn Gebert, Alaina Guite, Kariann Hanneman, Tanner Higgins, Mason Johnson, Kimberly Kracht, Reuben Kufahl, Alex Langren, Alysa McKinney, Allison Palecek, Kendra Petrowski, Alexandra Proulx, Hailey Sousek, Cameron Stadler, Cailyn Thomas, Alexander Wickman.

Jeremy Ratliff
Reporter

Following a near-unanimous show of support from the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors Tuesday night, the Lincoln County Department of Social Services will soon receive some much needed relief; in the form of hiring an additional social worker to the current 3 member case working team.

As explained by department director Renee Krueger there are three existing social workers who are primarily assigned cases involving child abuse and neglect, both as initial assessments (investigations) and ongoing management of CHIPS (Child in Need of Protective Services) cases. The case load the workers face has been on the rise over the last two years according to Krueger.

In 2015 alone, Krueger reports 380 child abuse and neglect referrals were reported to the department. Last year, the numbers climbed to 500; amounting to a 32% increase in referrals alone. As of April of this year, 205 referrals have already been filed which Krueger indicates leads to a projection of well over 600 cases to be filed by year-end. Krueger also noted the importance of considering response times to referrals.

“There are variations in response times to investigate referrals, depending on the information received,” she said.

“Response times range from same-day responses, 24-48 response time windows to 2-5 day windows.”

In addition, Krueger indicated an increase in TPC (Temporary Physical Custody) placements; which are situations where the child needs immediate placement outside of the home.

In 2015, the department handled 33 TPC placements. In 2016 placements reached 52, resulting in a 58% increase. Thus far this year the department has issued 28 placements, which leads to a projection of 84 placements by year-end. Furthermore in 2015, the department handled 7 CHIPS cases. In 2016, the department handled nearly four times as many cases (27). The department has handled 9 already this year, which leads to a projection of tying last year’s mark at 27.

The steadily mounting case load with current staffing levels has led to an overflow of case work interrupting other responsibilities for workers, according to Krueger.

As a result of re-structuring last year, the department assigned a social worker to the responsibility of overseeing out-of-home care aka ‘Foster Care’ licensing, due to the state requirement of utilizing SAFE (Structured Analysis Family Evaluation) home study process; which is an extensive procedure requiring advanced interviewing techniques and training. The worker is not only responsible for foster home care licensing, but also kinship care licensing, voluntary child welfare services, Child Protective Services (CPS) investigations and child care licensing. However due to the soaring number of cases pouring into the department, the worker is assigned 2-4 investigations at any given time, in addition to her licensure responsibilities.

“Foster care recruitment needs to be a priority for Lincoln County at this time,” Krueger added.

“Due to the limited amount of homes available not only here in Lincoln County, but in neighboring counties as well.”

By adding fourth worker to the team, two staff would be dedicated to incoming investigations while two other workers would be assigned to ongoing CHIPS cases.

“This will allow for dedication to the management of ongoing cases with the expectation of the number of out-of-home placements to decrease,” she explained.

“Currently, social workers are frequently responding to safety crises and engagement, at the cost of attention to ongoing cases being sacrificed. In addition, this position will reduce the CPS responsibilities for the worker who is assigned youth justice (delinquency) services, The position comes with a salary and benefit package of an estimated $71,996 annually. Krueger asked the board Tuesday for full funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, while funding for FY 2017 would be offset by In-Home Safety Services funding, which is accessible for eligible cases if case workers are able to complete necessary documentation and services.

“We currently have eligible cases,” Krueger said.

“But social workers are unable to designate the time required to provide necessary services due to the high case load. We feel having a social worker designated to meet the requirements for In-Home Safety Services funding, rather then being pulled to conduct investigations, will increase the level of case management services and reduce out-of-home placement costs.”

During discussion, 1^st District Supervisor Bill Bialecki and 12^th District Supervisor Paul Gilk spoke in favor of approving the new position; citing the stress level social workers experience due to the nature of the position.

“Aside from law enforcement and fire fighting, being a social worker is one of the most stressful jobs in the county,” Bialecki stated.

“I feel we need to give her the tools she needs to get the job done. If another social worker is what she needs, I say we give it to her.”

“Ah there’s a lot of jobs that are stressful!” argued 9^th District Supervisor Bill Zeitz.

“This is a slippery slope in financial terms, so I am going to vote against this,”

The board ultimately approved the position via 19-1 vote.

Following the meeting, Krueger indicated the application process to fill the new position would begin within the next week, with a due date for applications in July and ultimately hoping to have the position filled by the fall.

“I am very grateful for the support of the Supervisors, this was an unfortunate but necessary decision.” Krueger said, following the meeting.

“Ultimately, we all want to work together to provide services that keep families in-tact, safe, and supported.  The purpose of the Child Welfare System is to keep children safe and to support families to provide safe, permanent, and nurturing homes for children.  When our local resources are only able to address the immediate crisis, we are unable to work with families to address root causes for sustainable change.”

Patrick Thomas Roberts, of Colby, formerly of Merrill, age 68, died on Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at his residence in Colby, WI.  He was born on February 12, 1949 to the late Bernard and Margaret (Redman) Roberts in Chicago, Illinois.  Pat attended and graduated from high school in Chicago, IL. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served his country during the Vietnam War.

Pat worked as a counselor at Lincoln Hills in Irma, until his retirement.  He loved his job there and enjoyed going to work every day.  After retirement, Pat enjoyed spending time on the golf course at X to C and played in a lot of tournaments.  He enjoyed watching Chicago Bears football and the White Sox baseball team.  Pat would look forward to the next hunting season, whether it was duck hunting or deer hunting – he enjoyed all sorts of hunting.  During the summer months, you could find Pat fishing for trout in the river.  Above all – he really cherished and loved his grandchildren.  Pat was a member of the Merrill Lions Club.  He will be sadly missed.

Pat is survived by his sons: Patrick Roberts Jr. of Wisconsin Rapids, Jim Stawicki of Chicago, Steve (Misty) Roberts of Colby, Tim (Shelly) Walley of Arpin and Tom (Kathy) Walley of Abbotsford, daughter: Melissa Weber of Colby, 14 grandchildren: Travis Roberts, Amanda Cook, Caprina Roberts, Brandie Grueles, Amber Bembenek, Jade Roberts, Dylan Zettler, Brock Roberts, Jasmine Roberts, Kaylee Weber, Garrett Weber, Morgan Weber, Cullan Weber and Cason Brost, brothers: James (Claudia) Roberta of Merrill and Michael Roberts of Arizona.  He is preceded in death by his parents: Bernard and Margaret Roberts and sister: Mary Roberts.

Funeral Services for Pat will be held on Saturday, Jun 24, 2017 at 1pm at Waid Funeral Home. Pastor Greg Laska will officiate.  Visitation will be held on Saturday, June 24, 2017 from 10am until the time of the service.  Military honors will be performed at the funeral home by the Merrill VFW Post #1638 following the service.  Waid Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Merrill is assisting the family with arrangements.  Online condolences may be made at www.waidfuneral.com.

By Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter

Post 46 came out with a 5-1 victory after beating Wausau-United last night at Athletic Park. A good pitching performance and opportunistic hitting with runners on base would lead Merrill to their first win of the year.

In the top of the first inning it looked as if it was going to be more of the same for Post 46 as a walk and an error allowed Wausau to get on the board early and take a 1-0 lead; however Merrill tightened up their defense after that and stormed back in the bottom of the third inning to score three runs. A single by Trevor Asmundsen would kick start the offense in the bottom of the third. That was followed up by a single by Nick Bowe and another by Ryan Golisch that scored both Asmundsen and Bowe. Mason Smith would follow the trend hitting another single in the inning and moving Golisch over to second base where Kole Meyer would also jump on the single train with a hard ground ball up the middle good enough to score Golisch from second, making it a 3-1 game. Merrill’s offense picked right back up in the bottom of the fourth inning with a walk and a sacrifice bunt getting Zach Anderson to second base early in the inning. Dan Duginski drew a walk as well getting runners on first and second for Bowe as he hit a single down the right field line to score both runners bringing the score to 5-1 which would be the final.

Doing the pitching for Post 46 in this game was Ryan Golisch. Golisch did a masterful job striking out seven, walking two, allowing only four hits and giving up one run which was unearned. The top hitters for Post 46 include Nick Bowe (2H, 2RBI, 1R), Ryan Golisch (2H, 2RBI, 1R), Trevor Asmundsen (2H, 1R) and Mason Smith (2H).

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Brody Gehrke catching a fly ball in left field with Trevor Asmundsen behind him.

Sister Adele (Verena) Wehri, SCSC, age 92, of Merrill, Wisconsin, died June 19, 2017 under the care of Aspirus Comfort Care and Hospice Services at Bell Tower Residence Assisted Living, Merrill, WI.  Sister Adele was born March 7, 1925 in Hebron, North Dakota, to Albert and Eva (Seeberger) Wehri.

She entered Holy Cross Convent in Merrill, Wisconsin on August 31, 1948, and celebrated her First Profession on August 24, 1950.  She was in her 66th year of ministry at the time of her death.  Sister received her early education in Haymarsh, North Dakota, and taught by Holy Cross Sisters. She graduated from Our Lady of the Holy Cross High School in Merrill, Wisconsin.  Sister received her Bachelor of Science degree from Cardinal Stritch College, Milwaukee, and did her dietetic internship at Milwaukee County Institutions, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Her ministries included teaching at the Hessoun Orphanage in Fenton, Missouri, Director of Dietary Departments both at Holy Cross Hospital, Merrill, Wisconsin and at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Dickinson, North Dakota, and Bell Tower Residence, Merrill, Wisconsin.  From 1984-1990, Sister Adele was the convent administrator at Holy Cross Convent in Merrill, Wisconsin.  She did volunteer work in the Activities Department at Bell Tower Residence from 1993 to 2012.  She called Bell Tower Residence home since 2012.

Sister Adele is survived by her family of Holy Cross Sisters and associates;  one sister Alda (Jake) Goldade, Wausau, Wisconsin; a brother, Leonard (Irene) Wehri, Hebron, North Dakota, many nieces and nephews.  She was preceded in death by her parents, two sisters, Sister Mary Albert and Sister Miriam, both Holy Cross Sisters; three brothers, Alvin, Bruno and Joseph.

Mass of Resurrection will be held at Holy Cross Chapel, Bell Tower Residence at 10:30 AM, Saturday, July 1, 2017.  Father Jim Bartelme will officiate.  Visitation will be before the service beginning at 8:30 AM.   Burial will take place in St. Francis Cemetery, Merrill, Wisconsin.

Special thanks to the staff at Bell Tower Residence and Aspirus Comfort Care and Hospice Services for the special care they gave Sister Adele.  Memorials may be made to Bell Tower Residence, 1500 O’ Day Street, Merrill, WI 54452.

Waid Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Merrill is assisting with the arrangements.  Online condolences may be made at www.waidfuneral.com.

Jeremy Ratliff
Reporter

In early 2015, many rural county residents were delighted to hear of an initiative by county government to spearhead bringing high speed internet service to all county residents.
The plan, backed by the FCC’s (Federal Communications Commission) Connect America Fund (CAF), called for all county residents to have an internet connection speed of a minimum of 10 MB/s (megabytes per second) by the year 2020.
Discussions progressed and as part of a Lincoln County Board of Supervisors meeting last March, a presentation from representatives of Frontier Communications was rendered, as well as a timeline of “having plows in the ground” as of last year. Representatives further indicated the project would be complete by the end of this year. Frontier later amended the project timeline for a start date of Spring of 2017.
The board had expressed unanimous support for the project, passing a resolution stating; “the Lincoln County Board hereby adopts as a goal that it pursue the best possible broadband availability for the entire County in terms of speed, adoption rate, and data capacity”.
However, to date; there has been no sign of “plows” or any sign of the project at all for that matter, leaving many rural county residents upset and demanding answers.
According to Lincoln County Administrative Coordinator Randy Scholz, the county too is seeking answers.
“It appears as if Frontier went back on what they told the county board. For whatever reason they never showed up and made no effort to communicate with us regarding the project,” he explained. “We are in the same boat as our residents who want answers, we want answers too. We expected them to keep their promise of having service for our rural residents by this summer or at least getting started this past spring, but we really have no idea now.”
On a larger scale, the CAF aims to connect 19 million unserved rural Americans nationwide, to broadband connection speeds of 10MB/s in most areas, with some areas achieving speeds as fast as 25 MB/s. The same goals apply to the project in Lincoln County. Furthermore, as part of accepting their allotment of the $115 million allocated to CAF, Frontier is required to have 40% of the project completed by the end of this year, and full completion by 2020. The project comes at zero cost to county tax payers and is 100% funded by the CAF and private investments.
According to Scholz, Frontier has been contacted regarding the matter, with a meeting set for mid-July between county and company representatives.

The community is invited to Pine Crest Nursing Home on June 29 for the annual ice cream social. Starting at 2 p.m., enjoy live entertainment by the Szydel’s, ice cream with all the toppings, as well as each other’s company.

The Wurl-Feind-Ingman Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2687 in Tomahawk invites all veterans, who ride motorcycles or not, to visit Tomahawk’s Veterans Fall Ride in September. This year the VFW is working to increase attendance alongside the Muscular Dystrophy Association, who was one of the original recipients of funds from the then Tomahawk MDA Fall Ride. The Tomahawk Post has become involved in the operation to increase attendance, bringing in approximately 8,000-10,000 additional in 2016 and hope to get back to 40,000 in 2017. The MDA operates the day-time activities in Sara Park and the VFW operates the downtown street dances in the evening on both Friday, Sept. 15, and Saturday, Sept. 16. This is a 36-year-old event. In its heyday there were 40,000 bikers in a city of 3,397.
On Sept. 14, there is a M*A*S*H Blood Drive at the Tomahawk Community Bank to kick off the weekend. This starts at 8:30 a.m. The rest of the day is given over to enjoying the magnificent winding roads and rolling hills in northern Wisconsin.
Sept. 15, starting with 4 p.m. lineup at the Tomahawk School complex, will kick off the Thunder Parade which travels several miles into the country and ends up in downtown Tomahawk with food and street dancing. Be sure to visit the M*A*S*H tent to learn about the veteran organizations and what they do to help our heroes. Trivia runs for Friday and Saturday with the drawing on Saturday evening for the winner. Entries can be found at the MASH tent on South 2nd Street.
Sept. 16 is more riding for MDA, with the Saturday evening street dance with new bands. MDA is selling raffle tickets on a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Drawing is Saturday evening. Performing bands will be Johnny Wad on Friday night and Hyde on Saturday night. There is limited rough camping available through the City of Tomahawk. It is ideal for self-contained units. Reservations can be made by contacting City of Tomahawk at 715-453-4040.
Honor Flight and Wounded Warriors In Action Foundation will be in attendance. For more information, contact Commander Gerald Dvorak at 715-612-2373 or Pat at 715-688-9395.

Jeremy Ratliff
Reporter

Last Tuesday, Lincoln County forwarded a resolution to the WCA (Wisconsin County Association) in support of the revamping of the state’s congressional districts.
In passing the resolution authored by 11th District Supervisor Hans Breitenmoser, the county’s message of support will be relayed to the WCA, with hopes the WCA in turn will lobby for the restructuring with the state legislature.
“As you recall, back in March this body overwhelmingly passed a resolution insisting on a nonpartisan procedure for drawing legislative and congressional boundaries,” Breitenmoser stated of his resolution. “So far 16 other counties all around the state of have passed similar resolutions. And as we speak there are county board supervisors in about a half dozen more counties who are going to attempt to get resolutions on their county board agendas soon,” he explained.
And those are just the ones I know about, there may be more. These county boards no longer want their counties carved up by political parties interested only in partisan politics. Republicans, democrats and independents alike, are tired of seeing tax payer money used to pay lawyers to defend a system that protects the interests of political parties above the interests of the citizenry. These County board supervisors are public servants not just partisans. And they understand that the status quo will guaranty we will have more law suits in the future. And who will pay for them?
So the reason I bring this very important issue back up is because each year counties have the opportunity to submit resolutions to the WCA for consideration at the Annual Business Meeting held in conjunction with the WCA annual Conference. Resolutions adopted at the annual business meeting become part of the WCA platform.”
“Lincoln County has made a statement along with our 16 counterparts. The logical next step is for our association to make the same statement, and in doing so make it very clear to our politicians that counties want a nonpartisan procedure for drawing legislative and congressional lines. And so I ask that we refer our resolution to the WCA for consideration at the annual business meeting,” he added.
As Breitenmoser alluded to, the board passed a measure on March 21 supporting the creation of a Nonpartisan Procedure for the Preparation of Legislative and Congressional Redistricting Plans.
As stated in the resolution-also authored by Breitenmoser-which passed 18-4 (Bill Bialecki (District 1), Kirby Crosby (District 13), Loretta Baughan (District 10) and Bill Zeitz (District 9)/Opposed):
“Currently under the state constitution, the legislature is directed to redistrict legislative districts according to the number of inhabitants, at its next session following the decennial federal census by the majority party. At the same intervals, the legislature also reapportions congressional districts pursuant to federal law. Legislative and congressional redistricting plans enacted pursuant to this procedure, are used to elect members of the legislature and members of Congress in the fall of the second year following the year of the census.
“Historically, legislative and congressional plans in Wisconsin have been subject to partisan influence that put the desires of politicians ahead of the electoral prerogative of the people. The 2011 process to draw the maps and fight litigation contesting those maps cost taxpayers nearly $1.9 million. A panel of federal district court judges has ruled that the redistricting that was done in Wisconsin in 2011 was unconstitutional and redistricting to achieve partisan gains is improper, whether it is done by Republicans or Democrats.
“THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors insists upon the creation of a nonpartisan procedure for the preparation of legislative and congressional redistricting plans, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the process promotes more accountability and transparency and prohibits the consideration of voting patterns, party information, and incumbents’ residence information or demographic information in drawing the maps, except as necessary to ensure minority participation as required by the U.S. Constitution.”
During discussion Tuesday, Zeitz once again voiced his opposition.
“I was of the minority who voted against this in March, “he stated. I’d like to know where these non-partisan people will come from. Will they just come down from the heavens? I’m getting a little sick of individuals who lost the election, trying and continue trying to overturn the results.”
Following passage, the board directed County Clerk Chris Marlowe to send the resolution directly to Governor Scott Walker (R-Wauwatosa), all members of the state legislature as well as well as each of the 71 counties in the state in addition to the WCA.
The WCA’s Annual Conference is set for September 24-26 in Wisconsin Dells.

Sister Celine Goessl SCSC, was honored at the Franciscan Federation Annual Conference in Buffalo, New York, held June 16-19. Those honored are selected based on how they reflect Bonaventure’s role as a Franciscan educator. The qualities identified are: A Franciscan who embodies the best teaching tradition; someone who, in the ministry, embodies the values of being incarnational, personal, communal, transformative, engaging the heart and developing servant-leaders. Leadership of the Holy Cross Sisters selected Sister Celine to receive this award based on her work in educating young and old about the dangers and consequences of human trafficking. Sister Celine resides in De Pere, Wis., and is involved with the Rose House, a residential program serving survivors of sex trafficking. Sister Pat Cormack, provincial for the USA Province headquartered in Merrill, accompanied Sister Celine to the conference.

Alice in Dairyland comes to Pine Crest
By Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
With June being Dairy Month, Wisconsin is celebrating all across the state. It also marks a very busy time of year for Alice in Dairyland, who made a trip to Pine Crest Nursing Home on Monday May 19, to give a presentation about agriculture in Wisconsin. Newly-crowned “Alice,” Crystal Siemers-Peterman posed some trivia questions to the audience, testing their Wisconsin dairy knowledge and gave away prizes to anyone who could answer a question correctly. She also took some time before and after her presentation to interact with the residents at Pine Crest, getting to know them and listening to the stories they had about experiences they had in the dairy and farming industry. Originally from Cleveland, Wis., Siemers-Peterman was recently chosen as Wisconsin’s 70th Alice in Dairyland. Siemers-Peterman grew up on a dairy farm in Manitowoc County and was actively involved in youth dairy activities. She recently graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a major in agriculture and food business management.
Starting work as Alice on June 5, over the next year Siemers-Peterman will travel about 40,000 miles speaking at events and giving media interviews. She will present lessons in more than 100 Wisconsin classrooms in partnership with the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.
As Alice, she works as a communications professional for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). Her main focus is to educate the public about the importance of agriculture in Wisconsin.