n r u b h s Wa unty Co
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IN SIDE
Student’s gun turns out to be toy
Wednesday, February 2, 2011 Vol. 121, No. 24 • Shell Lake, Wisconsin
75¢
All kinds of warm
District turns matter over to juvenile authorities
S o lo and Ensemble See page 11
by Jessica Beecroft SHELL LAKE - A gun shown to other students at the Shell Lake High School last Friday afternoon, Jan. 28, turned out to be a toy, but disciplinary action will still take place, according to authorities. The school district has referred the incident to the appropriate juvenile authorities. Don Peterson, high school principal, called the Shell Lake Police Department after a student reported to a teacher that someone had a gun. The student was shown the gun, and then told the teacher of the incident. Officers from both the Washburn County Sheriff’s Department and the Shell Lake Police Department responded to the 3-12 school. Some students thought the youth was being arrested, but apparently he was simply placed against the wall with his hands held behind his back. Several students said they were scared and thought perhaps it was something to do with recent lockdowns the school has had to keep drugs out of the school. Officers then discovered the gun was in fact a toy and released the student to the school district for disciplinary action. Some students were upset, believing the student had a real firearm. Some did not hear it was not a real gun until they returned back to school on Monday.
See Gun, page 4
Little Lakers b-ball See page 14
SPORTS Pages 12 - 15
Violet Nasman found that some hot chocolate helps to warm the spirit and the body. The cold temperatures held off for the fishing contest with daytime temperatures around 20 degrees. It was a nice day on the ice, though the fishing was slow. Only five fish were caught and registered during the Shell Lake Fire Department’s second-annual ice-fishing contest. For some, the worst day on the lake is better than the best day at work. More photos on page 2. — Photo by Larry Samson
Allied Waste/BFI to remove soil from new location
by Jessica Beecroft WASHBURN COUNTY - County zoning committee members approved a conditional use permit for Allied Waste/BFI last week, allowing the landfill operators to dig fine soil from 10 acres of land the company owns across the road from its operation. The approval came at a public hearing, Tuesday, Jan. 25. Several concerned citizens came to voice their concerns at the hearing. James Swanson, who lives half a mile from the landfill, asked about the benefits of approving the conditional use permit to Washburn County or Sarona. The lawyer representing Allied Waste/BFI, Joshua Bobich of Nilan Johnson Lewis P.A., addressed Swanson’s inquiry by stating, “It is not in violation of any Washburn County ordinances. Allied Waste has been doing this for years. It is only going to the zoning committee for a permit because now it is (involving) a new location.” It was explained at the hearing that no waste will be dumped on this land. The fine soil they are getting off the land is used to cap the cells on the landfill. The fine soil on the property they own at the landfill has already been used. Sarona resident Chuck Hoffman told
James Swanson, Sarona, addresses his concerns to the zoning committee at the public hearing held Tuesday, Jan. 25. - Photo by Jessica Beecroft
the committee that the land in question will be of “no value to no one” after the fine soil has been removed. He pointed out the fact that this was done in other locations and no vegetation grows at all in these places. Hoffman said if the fine soil is removed, you cannot use that land
at a later time to build on if it is not compacted. BFI engineer consultant Nick Sturzl reassured those present that the ground would be built back up and compacted with the bulldozers as they are moving the dry fill back onto the ground. BFI will be responsible to make sure the elevation is back to the original conditions. Other provisions were made to the approval. They included having a 25-foot buffer area around the trees on the property, limiting the activity to 50 consecutive workdays, with notification to zoning office when it begins, including written verification from town about closure of road and operational hours being between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. The last provision was to assure that standard practices for environment protection be used. This includes dust control and the use a steel plate for road protection. Nell Lee, of the zoning committee, inquired on the storm water permit that will also have to be issued by the DNR. Allied Waste will have an annual review by the DNR to assure that they are following the rules and regulations. The DNR will be watching for environmental effects and take appropriate action.
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