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Thursday, April 12, 2018 • Vol. 136, No. 38 • Stoughton, WI • ConnectStoughton.com • $1.25
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Courier Hub The
Spring Election 2018
Shift could affect KPW, riverfront Dane Dem-backed candidates prevail BILL LIVICK Unified Newspaper Group
Photo by Kimberly Wethal
From left, Haley-Jo Whiteaker and her mother Michelle, of Evansville, hold baby goats at the Lambing and Kidding Days.
Lambing and Kidding Days begin
Eugster’s Farm Market is holding Lambing and Kidding Days every weekend in April. Attendees held baby goats, called kids, and other farm animals during the first weekend. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
‘A history of helping’ Stoughton Area Community Foundation celebrates 20 years If You Go
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Bob Diebel said he couldn’t be more pleased with how far the Stoughton Area Community Foundation has come over the last 20 years. Diebel, the board president of SACF, has been with the foundation for the last three years and talked to the Hub about how it has reached its anniversary milestone. SACF’s mission is “to make a difference in the lives of area residents through charitable donations.” The foundation contributes tens of thousands of dollars each year via grants and scholarships to organizations and individuals within the borders of the Stoughton Area School District. The organizations the foundation supports are categorized by: the arts, children/youth, community development, community wellness, education, health, historic preservation and programs for seniors. “It’s always struck me that Stoughton is a community that has a lot of
What: SACF annual meeting When: 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 17 Where: Stoughton EMS building, 516 S Fourth St. Information: stoughtonareafoundation.org
things going on that unify the community and we try to support people who need it in the community,” he said. “It feels good to be a part of this.” The foundation has helped support countless community organizations over the last two decades, so it’s likely that Stoughton residents have been impacted in some way by the foundation — if not directly. It donated $49,200 via grants to 14 different organizations in 2017, including Lunches for Vikings, Veterans Memorial Park, Kiwanis Club, Affordable
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Transportation Program, Stoughton Personal Essentials Pantry, the Stoughton Area Resource Team and numerous programs within the school district. It awarded six scholarships, totalling $42,500. The prior year, over $90,000 was given in the form of grants and scholarships. The organization also donated to hurricane relief efforts in 2007. “It turns out that most of the money does go to youth in one way or another, the other one is helping people in need, that’s a big one,” Diebel said. “There’s a lot of overlap on these, with most of them helping people in need.” Despite this impact, Diebel said most people aren’t aware of exactly what the foundation does and how it operates. “A lot of people in Stoughton know who we are and what we do but there’s quite a few who don’t,” he said. “I think we’ve grown in recognition but there’s more to be done to get the word out there. That helps on
Turn to Foundation/Page 8
Turn to Election/Page 14
Finance director resigns LaBorde is the new manager of Village of River Hills AMBER LEVENHAGEN Unified Newspaper Group
The City of Stoughton is looking for another finance director again. After just over a year in the position, Tammy LaBorde has accepted a job as the new village manager for the Village of River Hills. LaBorde She submitted her resignation Monday, and her last day with the city will be May 25. Prior to being hired by Stoughton, she was the administrator for the City of Pewaukee for 10 years a n d wa s s e e k i n g o t h e r
administrator or manager positions. “I was an administrator prior to coming here so it’s a role I’m familiar with,” she told the Hub Tuesday morning while expressing her excitement for the new job. The resignation comes just days after Tim Swadley was elected mayor, and despite the timing, LaBorde said her leaving has nothing to do with the transition. “ I fi g u r e d t h a t w i t h the timing people would assume that, but it has nothing to do with the election,” she said. LaBorde succeeded Laurie Sullivan, who left in January 2017 after nine years in Stoughton. Founded in 1930, River Hills is a village in Milwaukee County with a population of just over 1,500. Contact Amber Levenhagen at amber.levenhagen@ wcinet.com.
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AMBER LEVENHAGEN
Despite being officially nonpartisan, last week’s election was a clean sweep for Stoughton candidates backed by the Democratic Part y o f D a n e Swadley County. Sitting Common Council president Tim Swadley won his race for mayor, and three other council candidates endorsed by Dane
Dems also emerged victorious. Swadley defeated challenger and former alder Bob McGeever by a 6 percent margin, winning 1,837 to McGeever’s 1,630 for a four-year term as mayor. A group that campaigned as a bloc for three-year terms on council also won, with Dist. 3 incumbent Regina Hirsch defeating Dorann Bradford 506-310, Nicole Wiessinger besting Dennis Pince in District 4 (498-356), and Phil Caravello easily beating Franklin James in District 2 (499191). The campaign was marked by some negative comments, but for the most