W A S H B U R N C O U N T Y
Register wcregist eronline.co m
INSIDE
July 17, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013 Vol. 124, No. 48 • Shell Lake, Wis.
We e ke nd w atch • Rock band camper performance @ Shell Lake • Hymn For Her to perform at The Potter’s Shed • Cakes at the Lake breakfast @ Sarona • Show choir camper performance @ Shell Lake See Events page 6
75¢
Ringing in the school day
Spooner Rodeo action Pages 12 and 13
Regatta winners Page 10
Junior high still winning Page 14
BREAKERS
Got an idea for a story? Email us @ wcregister@centurytel.net
SHELL LAKE - EAA Chapter 631 will be giving free airplane rides for young people ages 8 through 17 at the Shell Lake Airport on Saturday, July 20, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., weather permitting. A parent or guardian must accompany the individual in order to sign a permission form. - from EAA ••• SPOONER - A rubber duck race at the fish hatchery dam on Saturday, Aug. 3, will benefit the Lakeland Kinship program. Participants will adopt a duck and watch it race down the Yellow River. Firstplace prize is a Kindle Fire, second place is a one-night stay at Heartwood, third place a $100 Wal-Mart gift card, fourth place a computer diagnosis and the last duck wins four passes to Chaos Waterpark. People may find out more about the event and register online at lakelandkinship.org. Registration forms are also available at area businesses. - with information from Lakeland Kinship
Find us on Facebook facebook.com/ washburncountyregister
Emerson Kubista rings the bell in the old schoolhouse at the Washburn County Historical Society complex in Shell Lake during a special storybook hour, sponsored by the Shell Lake Public Library. Ringing the bell to start the school day was one of the favorite assignments for the children then and now. It was a job often given to the students to motivate them in getting to school early. More photos on back page. - Special photo
Shell Lake man dies from carbon monoxide poisoning Family members, sheriff’s deputy, EMS workers treated at local hospitals after feeling effects of poisonous gas SHELL LAKE - A portable gas generator being used without ventilation in the basement of a home is being blamed for the carbon monoxide death of a 32-year-old Shell Lake man. Joseph A. Parker was taken to Indianhead Medical Center early Tuesday morning, July 16, where he was pronounced dead. His wife and two daughters, who were also in the home, were also taken to IMC for carbon monoxide exposure and are “doing as well as can be expected,” according to a news release from the Washburn County Sheriff’s Department. Washburn County Sheriff’s Deputy Brendan Harrington was among those exposed to the carbon monoxide. He was taken to Spooner Health System for treatment, and several Shell Lake firefighters and members of the North Ambulance crew were taken to IMC for exposure to carbon monoxide as well. All are doing well, however, some were back at the hospital later in the day Tuesday for fur-
ther examination as they were experiencing some aftereffects of the exposure. At approximately 3 a.m., Washburn County Sheriff’s dispatchers received a 911 call, the caller stating her father had fallen down the stairs and was not breathing. As authorities responded to the home at 109 6th Ave., they requested assistance, believing carbon monoxide was present in the home. A preliminary investigation shows that there was no electricity in the home and a portable gas generator set up in the basement had no proper ventilation to the outside and carbon monoxide accumulated throughout the home. A carbon monoxide reading at the top of the stairs leading to the basement was approximately 790 to 800 parts per million. “One could assume that the basement was much higher, probably double the parts per million,” said a statement from Dryden. Exposures at 100 ppm or greater can be dangerous to human health, according to Wikipedia.com. Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless and initially nonirritating, it is very difficult for people to detect. “This is a terrible tragedy for the Parker fam-
See Death, page 5