Community

MIDDLETON–At 7:49 a.m., Dane County deputies responded to a school bus crash in the town of Middleton.

The bus, from the Middleton Cross Plains School District, was traveling westbound on Blackhawk Rd. near Rose Ct., when it crossed the centerline and went off the road into a residential yard. The bus was in route to Glacier Creek Middle School. No one was injured as a result of the crash. Another bus responded to the scene and transported the students to school.

The bus driver was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated. The crash remains under investigation by the Dane County Sheriff’s Office.

MIDDLETON–The town of Middleton is taking heat from homeowners with expensive mailboxes over its policy of paying a maximum of $50 to replace mailboxes damaged by snow plows.

So far this year, the town has paid eight claims and has about 18 under consideration, Town Administrator Greg DiMiceli said at Monday’s town board meeting.

The problem some residents have pointed out, is that the covenants of their home owner’s associations require mailboxes be made out of materials costing more than $50.

Glenn Allen, of English Daisy Ct., told the town board supervisors that he wants his plow-damaged $250 mailbox replaced as driver negligence should be an exception to the dollar limits of the policy

“Driver error shouldn’t be covered by the policy. It (the mailbox) should be replaced due to negligence,” he said.

MIDDLETON–The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District announced the two finalists in the search for a new superintendent to replace George Mavroulis who announced earlier this year that he would retire June 30.

School board president Bob Green said at the board’s regular meeting on Feb. 25 that the recruiting firm BWP and Associates, contracted to assist the district in the hiring process, received more than 30 applications.

BWP and Associates narrowed the pool of applicants down to a dozen which were each interviewed. Six finalists were selected out of that group and presented to the school board, Green explained. The board conducted interviews of the six are narrowed the decision down to two.

Dr. Dave Gundlach and Dr. Dana Monogue are the two finalists for the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District superintendent position, district spokesperson Perry Hibner announced Feb. 26.

MIDDLETON–Sunflower Days are back.

After a year’s absence, the celebration of acres of the giant bright, blooming flowers returns to Pope Farm Conservancy this August as a town of Middleton sponsored event, managed by a local bicycling racing event firm.

The town board approved a plan by Race Day Events that for the first time charges a $3 admission, children 10 and under free, and $5 for parking or a shuttle bus ride.

“We’re here to solve the problems you had the last time. We’ll deal with parking, logistics and the crowd,” Ryan Griessmeyer, Race Day Events president, told the board Monday night.

Sunflower Days is set for a 10-day between Aug. 16-25. New this year is 5K Trail Run scheduled Aug. 22 that starts and finishes in nearby Pioneer Park. An extra fee will be charged for the run.

LA CROSSE–The Middleton High School Girls Snowboard team came in first place at the Wisconsin Interscholastic Alpine Racing Association (WIARA) for the third year in a row on Feb. 16 at La Crosse. 

The 117 points the team accrued was enough for the win, with three girls placing in the top 10, including Emelie Gehrke who led the team in sixth place. Sophomores Ella O’Orazio and Eden Larsen came in seventh and 10th, respectively.

“At state, we had fast racers race even faster at state than they did during some conference races. The fact that the girls won all three–Giant Slalom, Boardercross and Slalom–events helped them secure the state title in blowout fashion. This is the most dominant girls snowboard team to ever come through Middleton. Last year it came down to the last racer in the last event. This year, not at all,” coach Darrin Kolka said of the event.

WESTPORT–At 9:26 a.m., Dane County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a three-vehicle crash on CTH M and Borchers Beach Rd. in the town of Westport.

A 2004 Jeep Liberty was traveling eastbound on CTH M, just west of Borchers Beach Rd., when the male driver hit a patch of ice and lost control. The Jeep first hit a mini-van which ended up in the ditch, it then crossed the center line and was hit by a 2018 Toyota Camry that was traveling westbound on CTH M.

The 54-year-old male driver of the Jeep Liberty was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Camry was an 85-year-old Madison man. He sustained serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital. The male driver of the mini-van had only minor injuries and was not transported.  The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office will release the name of the deceased following an autopsy and notification of family.

As of noon, CTH M remains closed as deputies investigate the crash.

MIDDLETON–Luke Atterbury has come forward as a write-in candidate for the Town of Middleton, planning a run against incumbent, Town Chair Cynthia Richson. The 28-year-old consultant for Nordic said he will seriously begin campaigning at the beginning of March for the spring election.

“I have worked for the town off and on for the last 15 years, starting as an intern election inspector,” he said of his relationship with the town. 

He said that the resignations and dismissals and lack of transparency are his main reasons for running for public office. 

“I think there is an illusion of transparency. There are more committees and processes,” he said, but doesn’t feel that more people and time spent equals transparency.

MIDDLETON–Hubbard Ave. Diner general manager and part-owner José Garcia will receive the regional Champion in Restaurant Entrepreneurship award from the Wisconsin Restaurant Association next month. Garcia along with winners from the state’s other five regions will be honored at an award gala March 12 at the Marcus Center for Performing Arts in Milwaukee.

Garcia says he wasn’t expecting an award or even aware that he had been nominated but being recognized feels nice.

“Sometimes you get caught up in the day to day, keeping up the equipment, snow removal, customer complaints and you kind of forget what it’s really for that we are doing this,” Garcia says. “So it is kind of nice to get a recognition to remind you what you are doing here.”

MIDDLETON–Lisa Pardon, town clerk in the Town of Middleton tendered her resignation with the town in late January, with Feb. 1 as her last day. In a letter sent to town leaders, Pardon cited her run for the town board against incumbent Richard Oberle as the reason she is leaving because of concerns about her election job duties being a conflict of interest. 

Pardon said she contacted the Wisconsin Election Commission to learn if she would be able to perform all the duties required and learned she could do everything but be in the polling place. She goes on to say that if elected she would have to quit the position.

She also said she has timed the resignation so that the town will have time before the April election to have everything in place.

“I wanted to give them time to advertise and hire a new clerk,” she said.

MADISON–Officers from the Middleton Police Department Richard O’Conner, and Tyler Loether, and Dane County Sheriff Deputies David Lambrecht and Matthew Earll, were recipients of the of the Wisconsin Legislature’s Hometown Hero Award on Feb. 12.

The four were involved in shooting and killing Anthony Tong when they, along with many other law enforcement officers, responded to an active shooter in the workplace at WTS Paradigm (now known as Paradigm) in September 2018.

An investigation found that the officers repeatedly told Tong to drop his weapon, before firing upon him when he refused. An investigation following the incident cleared the men of any wrongdoing. 

Wisconsin State Rep. Dianne Hesselbein (D-79) nominated the officers for the award, and said she felt the men were deserving of the honor because of the courage and valor they showed during the shooting, which left four people wounded.