Local

The William “Sonny” Simon Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #8216 celebrated the 100th birthday of Army Staff Sgt. John M. “Jack” M. Hall at 7:30 p.m., Jan. 3 at the post building, 6710 Century Avenue.

Hall was born on Jan. 3, 1924 and enlisted in the U.S. Army on Dec. 7, 1942 at the age of 17. 

The Airport Commission is ready to return public comments to its monthly meeting agendas, possibly early next year. 

Public comments were eliminated about three years ago in the wake of meetings that sometimes devolved into sharp back and forth exchanges between commissioners and residents upset about the potential for a longer runway.  

The City of Middleton will kick in $8,000 per year for five years, or a total of $40,000, as part of the Black Earth Creek Stream Monitoring Program thanks to a motion approved Dec. 5 by the Middleton Common Council.

Bob Auerbach, 94, of Middleton – affectionately known as “The Piano Man” for volunteering his musical gifts at a variety of area senior centers, assisted living and memory care facilities – was selected by AARP, the nonprofit organization for people 50 and older, to receive the 2023 AARP Wisconsin Andrus Award for Community Service. It was formally presented to Auerbach at a ceremony on Monday, Dec. 4, at 10:30 a.m. at the Middleton Senior Center, 7448 Hubbard Ave., where Auerbach thrilled the crowd with his playing. Read more on page 5 this week. Photo  by Mary Langenfeld. 

City of Middleton residents may have noticed their city-purpose tax bills increasing by 2.9% when they opened their tax bills over the weekend, but they may not realize the city-purpose increase was just 16 cents from $5.37 to $5.53 per $1,000 of property valuation.

This year's free Santa Visit for the children of the Village of Cross Plains and surrounding communities will be held on Saturday, December 2. 

Sponsored by the Cross Plains Optimists, the Cross Plains Lions, the Cross Plains American Legion, the Cross Plains Community Chest, and various merchants and individuals in the community, the event begins at 9 a.m. with a tour of the Village of Cross Plains with Santa riding on the Cross Plains-Berry fire truck.

Beginning at 10:00 am, Santa will be at the front of the American Legion Hall to greet our 'drive-thru' attendees. Families will receive a 'goodie bag' of treats and toys and will have the opportunity to participate in a non-perishable food drive as well. (flyer for the event attached)

This week marks the start of a special new series in the Times-Tribune, featuring the photography of renowned Middletonian Michael Knapstein. His images, captured primarily right here in your backyard, will serve as a regular reminder that beauty really is all around you. Knapstein is an international award-winning photographer who has lived in Middleton since 1985. His images have been exhibited across the United States as well as in 21 countries around the world. Visit www.knapsteinphotography.com to see more of his work.

The City of Middleton’s eight-member common council and current mayor Emily Kuhn bestowed the highest honors posthumously to the late former Middleton alderman Gordon E. Ellis who died of a heart attack at age 75 on May 17, 2023 in Green Bay.

When Christian Huber was eight years old, he read a book about some kids his age who raised money to help endangered penguins. He thought, “If they can help, then I can too!” The resulting cookie and lemonade stand drew a steady stream of neighbors and even brought in donations from out-of-state relatives. 

 The tenth season of Wisconsin Life on PBS Wisconsin offers plenty to get excited about. Host Angela Fitzgerald connects viewers with people whose passions, experiences and expertise celebrate the best of Wisconsin, introducing new stories from every corner of our state. And this season has a very local highlight.

Middleton pilot David Tan was featured in an all-new episode of Wisconsin Life, 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26 on PBS Wisconsin. The episode is now available to stream at pbswisconsin.org/WILife and on the free PBS video app on all streaming devices and Smart TVs.

Originally from Singapore, Tan learned to fly while attending boarding school in England. He went on to join the Singapore Air Force and flew rescue helicopters. These days, his rescue missions look a little different. He works with Pilots N Paws, an organization that matches aviators with animals in need of rescue from natural disasters or overcrowded shelters.