January 2021

CROSS PLAINS–Willa Mae Faust, age 93, of Cross Plains, passed away on Jan. 9, 2021, at Milestone Senior Living. She was born on Oct. 22, 1927, in Custer County, NE, the daughter of John and Margert (Leonard) Brainard.

Willa graduated from Sargent High School, Sargent, NE., in 1945 and accounting school in 1950. She was united in marriage to Roman Rosen in 1952, raising five children, being married 39 years. She married Keith Faust of Cross Plains, in 1995, united for 25 years. 

Willa worked for several businesses as a bookkeeper, including Ballweg Chevrolet in Sauk City, making the leap from ledger paper to computer, retiring in 1990. She volunteered to teach religion classes, was on the prayer chain of her local congregation, enjoyed studying scripture, and embraced her faith in Jesus.

Late last night, ensconced in the synthetic beige sarcophagus of an MRI tube, it occurred to me that love is like plastic. 

They were scanning my brain, looking for a tumor, like some foul X in the neon green sea of a space pirate’s map.  

It had begun on Christmas Eve, when I felt tipsy. Within two days, I was unable to walk without using a cane and the walls of my home for support. The world spun and spun, and it felt like the hand of some invisible god was actively holding me down as I lay in my bed, trying to smother me where I sprawled next to teacups and cracker crumbs that were making a new life for themselves among the sheets. Soon, I could only crawl. 

MIDDLETON–The City of Middleton Plan Commission held its final public hearing for the city’s revised comprehensive plan which has been working through various public hearings and committees since 2019 when the plan commission approved a complete overhaul.

More than a dozen people spoke or submitted comments regarding various aspects of the comprehensive plan. 

Resident Robert Owen said the transportation section should address electric vehicle infrastructure and that the airport should not be exempt from reducing carbon emissions as the city moves toward its sustainability goals. Owen suggested the city create a low interest loan program for low-income residents to weatherize and make their homes more energy efficient. He added he would also like to see a plan to move away from burning natural gas for energy. 

MIDDLETON–Conversation at the Middleton Equity Team (MET) meeting last week centered mostly around the redistribution of wealth within the community and how that could be achieved. 

After watching a short video about redlining, the practice of rating neighborhoods and drawing red lines around those deemed least desirable, the committee broke into small groups to discuss the practice and what it means in regard to wealth, how racist neighborhood covenants have affected the city and the impact of redistribution of wealth. The members returned to as a whole and discussed the factors that affected wealth distribution. 

One concern was some of the neighborhoods with infill housing lack green space and transportation options. One idea was to include green space when planning infill projects in existing neighborhoods.