WCR | Feb 3 | 2010

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n r u b h s Wa unty Co

Register

www.wcregister.net

I N SI DE

Welcome back from Iraq See page 2

Fire department fis fishing contest See back page

SPORTS See pages 12 - 15

Football proposal voted down

by Larry Samson STEVENS POINT — The Wisconsin Interscholastic Association Board of Control, by a vote of 8-2, rejected the football district proposal that would have done away with the Lakeland and Heart of the North football conferences. The proposal would have established eight districts, and each district would have seven divisions to replace the conferences. Shell Lake would have been in District 8 Division 7, Spooner would have been in District 8 Division 4 and Northwood/Solon Springs — a co-op football program — would be in the same district but would play in Division 5. Shell Lake would be playing Clear Lake, Frederic their traditional rivals but would had to travel long distances to play Boyceville, Glenwood City, McDonell Central in Chippewa Falls, Regis in Eau Claire and Spring Valley. The proposal was to address several issues, competition among the various sized schools and to shorten travel time. It was the later issue that doomed the proposal from the start as it had the opposite effect and made travel longer. The Shell Lake and Frederic school boards joined a choir of school boards around the state objecting to the added cost of transportation at a time they were making cuts in their budgets. WIAA said it will re-evaluate the proposal and come back again to address those issues. The issue of parochial schools from larger populated cities is not being addressed. Schools like Regis, while having a school population of 213, are able to draw student athletes from the Eau Claire Chippewa Falls area making it difficult for small rural schools to compete with them.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 Vol. 120, No. 24• Shell Lake, Wisconsin

Kindergarten Doc

Spooner Elementary School kindergarteners came to school dressed for the career they’d like to have when they grow up on Wannabe Day held Friday, Jan. 29. Britney Wiemeri came as a doctor. More photos on page 11. – Photo by Regan Kohler

Possibility of adult entertainment district near Beaver Brook

by Regan Kohler SPOONER – The city of Spooner is moving closer to creating an adult entertainment district, after the plan commission met Tuesday, Jan. 26, in city hall. The commission began working on creating a venue for adult entertainment, which includes nude dancing, after a Main Street bar owner, Kip Olson, told the city council he planned to start having topless dancers at his establishment to bring in more business. The city ordinance prevents liquor-licensed establishments from having nudity or acts simulating sex, citing potential secondary effects like prostitution and crime. However, performance arts centers are exempt from this part of the ordinance. Olson had tried to denote Moe’s Place as such, but it was not properly zoned for this. He has since been looking to have bikini dancers – similar to go-go dancers, he said, and wearing beach-ready bikinis. According to a Supreme Court ruling the city has cited many times, nude dancing is considered a form of free

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speech, so banning it outright would be in violation of the First Amendment. The plan commission then began working on creating a separate district exclusively for adult entertainment, while studying secondary effects of strip clubs in other towns. A public hearing was held, as well. The city found a potential district, on 1-1/2 acres of land in an industrial park area at the end of West Beaverbrook Avenue, Beaver Brook. This area is past the fairgrounds, close to a sewage treatment plant. The city also suggested a minimum distance of 300 feet, for a setback, from any residential area. Tuesday night, Mayor Gary Cuskey said that the city already owns property to the east of this area, and found the city would have no problem acquiring this land. City attorney Jeff Kohler added that there is no obligation to purchase the land to the west, though there would be the courtesy of notifying those who own nearby property. Of the potential land, Cuskey said, “It’s really not developable. Most of it is

swampland.” This would ensure a buffer, Cuskey added. Kohler provided the city and Olson with a letter he’d drafted to the district, saying it would be a good idea to spell out that adult entertainment is not permitted in any other district. The liquor ordinance would not change, either, so alcohol would not be allowed on the premises. Kohler said a public hearing must be held on the matter, and the Beaver Brook town clerk would need to be notified 10 days prior to it, as the zone would be within 1,000 feet of the town’s border. The commission suggested holding the hearing at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, followed by their regular meeting at 4:30 p.m., in city hall. Commissioner Rick Coquillette moved to recommend scheduling the hearing, with a draft of the potential adult entertainment ordinance made available to the public beforehand. The recommendation came before the council Tuesday, Feb. 2.

“On t h e s h o re s o f b e au ti fu l S he l l L a k e” • www.wcregister.net


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WCR | Feb 3 | 2010 by Inter-County Leader - Issuu