Local

WESTPORT–At 4 a.m. on April 3, Dane County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the Kwik Trip at 5420 Willow Rd. in the Town of Westport.  

Two individuals broke out a window of the business and attempted to remove the ATM but were unsuccessful. They fled in a vehicle before law enforcement arrived.  Evidence was collected at the scene by the Dane County Crime Scene Unit. Sheriff’s Office detectives are working with the countywide Burglary Crime Unit, as it is believed this crime is connected to other similar incidents.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Dane County tip line at 608-284-6900.

MIDDLETON–On March 24, three girls were approached by a man at Stricker’s Pond, who took their picture after asking permission. The man asked for the girls’ names and claimed to be with the Middleton Cross Plains Times-Tribune. 

He is described as a tall, thin, white male in his 50s or 60s, and had a medium sized, black dog with a docked tail and wearing a blue coat with him. The man is not affiliated with the newspaper. Our reporters should have a press pass with them when they are out in public. If you are in doubt about whether they are from the newspaper, please ask to see their press pass.

ESCONDIDO, CA–Henry Avocado Corporation is voluntarily recalling California-grown whole avocados sold in bulk at retail stores because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Henry Avocado is issuing this voluntary recall out of an abundance of caution due to positive test results on environmental samples taken during a routine government inspection at its California packing facility. There are no reported illnesses associated with this recall. 

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

MIDDLETON–Scores of people came through the red doors at Gilda’s Club on March 14 to celebrate the re-opening of the respite facility that received extensive damage from the August 2018 floods. 

Guests toured all three floors of the facility, which offers emotional support to cancer patients, and is named after comedienne and Saturday Night Live alumna, Gilda Radner, who fought a battle with ovarian cancer. The idea of the facility is to highlight the positive and sprinkle laughter into cancer recovery, offering support groups, yoga, art and fitness.

After the flooding, which caused over a million dollars in damage to the building located at 7907 UW Health Ct, Middleton, several businesses opened their doors to provide a place for Gilda’s Club to continue operating. 

MIDDLETON–The local fundraising campaign called “Noah’s Army,” has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, through the Student of the Year program. The money is slated to fund treatment research for the diseases.

Emily Sanger, mother of six-year-old Noah who was diagnosed a year ago with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, knows the importance of fundraising.

“Research has saved the lives of other kids that we’ve met, and has made Noah’s treatment better,” Sanger stated. “The survival rate now is 90 percent, and before the late 1980s, it was 50 percent.” 

Over $30,000 has been raised in six weeks, according to campaign organizer Ava Jambor, 15, Middleton High School (MHS) sophomore, “And that’s not including today!” 

“Today” was the final fundraising event, a Bowl-a-thon held March 9 at Middleton Sport Bowl. 

MIDDLETON–After canceling meetings for public comment on a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed Cardinal Hickory Creek transmission line (CHC), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Utilities Service (RUS) has now rescheduled the Middleton meeting for March 20.

The meetings were slated for January, but due to the partial, Federal government shutdown, RUS expanded the public input period to April 1 and moved the January meeting to March.

In November 2018, the Wisconsin Public Service board held meetings to gather input for the draft. Citizens shared historical site locations, Native American sites and concerns about the impact to their property at that time. Maps and documents detailing the project were also available.

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.