Local

MIDDLETON–The Airport Commission is pushing back against the public perception that recreational, or hobby flying, is the primary use of the Middleton Municipal Airport–Morey Field.

Instead, with its two flight schools, it’s primarily used to train pilots, Airport Manager Richard Morey and others said at last Thursday’s commission meeting.

The airport was built by Morey’s grandfather in 1942 to train military pilots and continues that use to today, said Morey.

‘Since then, we’ve trained thousands and thousands of pilots,” with many becoming commercial aviators, said Morey, who also heads the Morey Airplane Co.

Nearly 75 percent of the roughly 40,000 annual operations at the airport are training related, said Morey. An operation is defined as one takeoff or one landing.

By contrast commission member Kevin Munson called recreational use “an insignificant component of what we do.” Munson had asked that the topic be discussed.

TOWN OF MIDDLETON–Town of Middleton residents living in Wards 5-8 will have a new polling place starting with the Feb. 21 Primary Election.

After voters waited in long lines–sometimes up to four hours–during the November 2022 General Election, the town board voted on Jan. 3 to include a second polling place at West Middleton Lutheran Church, 3763 Pioneer Rd.

Voters in Wards 1-4 will continue to vote at Town Hall, 7555 W. Old Sauk Rd.

Both polling places are accessible to those with disabilities. Disabled individuals who cannot make it inside to vote can also vote curbside. Look for handicap parking stalls, which include a number to call when you arrive.

During in-person absentee voting, the town’s clerk and deputy clerk will come to your car. On election day, poll workers will be available to perform this service. Curbside voting is available at both polling places. 

If you are not sure what ward you live in, visit myvote.wi.gov.

WISCONSIN–The Wisconsin Supreme court seat left open by the retirement of Justice Patience Roggensack who served two terms on the state’s highest court has a field of four, who would like to fill her seat. 

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, and circuit court judges Everett Mitchell (Dane County), Jennifer Dorow (Waukesha County) and Janet Protasiewicz (Milwaukee County) will run in the Feb. 21 Spring Primary, with the top two competing in the April 4 Spring Election.

The justice seat is a 10-year term and non-partisan. 

For more information about your polling places, visit myvote.wi.gov.

Daniel Kelly

Daniel Kelly wants you to give him his old job back. Kelly served as a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice between the years of 2016-2020 after being appointed by former Gov. Scott Walker. Kelly lost his bid for reelection, and said he was running a second time because he wants to serve the people of Wisconsin.

DANE COUNTY–An announcement by Little John’s, a non-profit organization that provides hot meals to other non-profits and government agencies, left Dane County Senior Dining holding the (lunch) bag last week when they drastically reduced production and cancelled contracts.

Paulette Glunn Northwest Dane Senior Services (NWDSS) director and Middleton Senior Center Director Tammy Derrickson both said the dissolution of the contract came as a surprised to them on Jan. 23 when the announcement was made. The short notice caused the senior dining sites to scramble to find replacements for the hot meals. Both women sought help from the community, and local stores, restaurants and Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM) pulled together to offer shelf stable meals.

MADISON–A Dane County judge Friday refused to grant the Town of Middleton an injunction against a resident who caused town hall to close for two days after he harassed staff about snow plowing.

Town hall closed on Jan. 18 and 19, after Samuel A. Roessler, 42, yelled profanities at Town Treasurer Megan Hughes and Town Clerk Barbara Roesslein about damage made to his lawn by a snowplow driver.

“He repeatedly told (Hughes) that he was tired of the f-ing snowplow plowing snow into his year and f-ing destroying his yard,” Town Attorney Eileen Brownlee wrote in a petition for an injunction.

Hughes testified Friday that Roessler was “swearing every other word,” during their encounter. She also said that Roessler refused her requests to “calm down,” and continued to “pace and swear…I was intimidated by this.”

When Roessler also refused Hughes request to leave, she went downstairs to the Dane County Sheriff’s West Precinct office to summon help.

TOWN OF MIDDLETON–Despite the threat of being infected with the COVID-19 virus falling to the low stage in Dane County, all town meetings will continue to be held via Zoom until at least the April 4 spring election, the Town of Middleton Board decided last week.

Continuing to hold virtual meetings is prudent, said Board Supervisor David Bryce.

“If we can have these meetings without risk of being exposed, I’ll agree with that,” he said, but the country is entering the season when COVID-19 cases have been most numerous.

In urging that meetings remain virtual; Town Chair Cynthia Richson said the newest virus strain is the most antibody resistant to date.

The Park Commission expressed interest in resuming in-person meetings again, said Town Clerk Barbara Roesslein, who added that the latest vaccines aren’t as effective against the new coronavirus variant.

MIDDLETON–Complaints that Middleton Hills residents had in September about the United States Postal Service (USPS) ending package delivery to their homes have been resolved to their satisfaction, residents report.

Middleton Hills neighbors always had to pick up letters at a rented mailroom adjacent to the Prairie Café but, they enjoyed home delivery of packages.

That changed last year amid staffing shortages and the volume of packages growing due to the popularity of online shopping.

In September, residents of the 430-home subdivision met and said they had enough. Boxes overwhelmed the shortage capacity of the mailroom shelving resulting in packages piled on the floor in an unsorted fashion.

They noted that UPS and FedEx still made home delivery of packages.

Don Knorr, of the MHNA (Middleton Hills Neighborhood Association), proposed meeting with postal officials to expand the rented mailroom’s package capacity 

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Common Council approved an agreement with Elevate Energy for an energy efficiency navigator program and deferred a resolution petitioning the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for funding airport improvements.

The agreement with Elevate Energy authorizes the nonprofit organization to manage the city’s first residential energy efficiency navigator program. The program aims to assist landlords in making efficiency upgrades to existing properties to lower energy costs for tenants in areas of the city where the average income is 50 percent or less than the area median income.

The Roman Candle Pizza restaurant owner Brewer Stouffer says, “I am hanging up my apron.” Serving pizza in the Madison area for 18 years and for a time at four different locations, Stouffer says the business was hit with the perfect storm of challenges that led him to make the tough decision to walk away. 

The Roman Candle Pizza will close its last remaining location in Middleton on Feb. 4. The restaurant once had locations on Monroe Street and Williamson Street in Madison and in Fitchburg. Stouffer says the business, like many others, has been impacted by several factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic and rapid changes in technology and consumer trends. 

“It was a perfect storm for a lot of local businesses, you had the labor crisis that pre-existed COVID, then you had food costs go up exponentially in some cases, and then you had people’s dining habits change,” Stouffer says.

UNITED STATES–The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, passed by Congress in late December, ends a federal program that has been providing additional benefits to households enrolled in Wisconsin’s FoodShare program. FoodShare households have been receiving the maximum amount for their household size or $95, whichever is more. In recent months, an average of approximately $80 million has been distributed monthly to help almost 400,000 households across our state struggling to afford food. This also indirectly supports Wisconsinites involved in food production and retail like farmers, truckers, and grocers. February 2023 will be the last month families will receive the extra benefits. Regular FoodShare benefits will continue.