February 2021

MIDDLETON–Responding to an increasing number of noise complaints the Middleton Airport Commission last week simplified the noise complaint reporting form aimed at making it more user friendly.

Commission Chair Ald. Robert Burck drafted a revised form that removed a space to insert the aircraft’s tail number, information many said was impractical if not impossible to obtain from a moving plane.

The form requires the street address of where the noise occurred, which has been a sore spot for those who have filed complaints and say they then had planes fly low and loud over their address in retaliation.

The section requiring the filer’s email addresses and phone number has been omitted from the new form.

“What information we do need is to identify the time, date and location of the noise concern,” Burck said, in order to investigate the complaint.

WAUKESHA — Nick Chirafisi touched the finish line.

Chirafisi looked up at the scoreboard, then a moment later pumped his fist.

Yes, there was plenty to be excited about.

Chirafisi, a sophomore at Middleton High School, had just finished first in the 200-yard freestyle at the WIAA Division 1 state meet held at Waukesha South High School on Feb. 6.

Chirafisi’s big performance helped the Cardinals finish in 10th place overall. Sun Prairie won the meet with 232.5 points, while Middleton had 92.0.

“Nick continues to impress us year after year,” Middleton coach Danny Lynam said. “Oftentimes after a breakout freshman year some guys will struggle to recreate that their sophomore year. It happens enough that we have a term for it — ‘the sophomore slump.’ Nick blew right through his sophomore year and continued to produce.”

Middleton’s boys basketball team is just two weeks into this strange, shortened season.

But the Cardinals aren’t — and never have been — about moral victories.

That’s why Middleton’s 61-60 setback at Edgerton on Feb. 1 was a tough one to take. The Cardinals played from the lead much of the night, before the Tide rallied back in the final minutes.

Nick Meinholz led Middleton with 15 points, while Logan Raffel, Kaden Fosdick and Hayden Statz all added eight.

"I'm really proud of the effort and overall where we are at,” said Middleton coach Kevin Bavery, whose team fell to 1-2 on the year. “But this is a competitive group, and playing really well in difficult circumstances and restrictions isn't where they want to be at the end of the night.”

Game experience matters.

Middleton’s hockey team, which was thrilled to get back on the ice last month after COVID restrictions delayed the start of its season, found that out the hard way.

Reedsburg’s co-op team was playing its 18^th game of the year when it met the Cardinals in a WIAA Division 1 regional semifinal on Feb. 2. Middleton, on the other hand, was playing just its second game of the season.

In the end, the Beavers’ two extra months of ice time paid immense dividends and Reedsburg posted a 4-1 win.

“Obviously not the result that we wanted, but I thought that the boys played hard,” Middleton first-year coach Dan Truehl said. “We got close a few times early, but just couldn’t find that first goal to settle us down and play from in front.”

The Cardinals were competitive throughout, but converted just one of their 31 shots on goal.