Valley Sentinel - 04-18-2024

Universities of Wisconsin forum to be held in Southwest Wisconsin, legislators Roys & Shankland to speak

Two state legislators who serve on legislative committees overseeing colleges and universities will speak about the future of the Universities of Wisconsin on Tuesday, April 23rd at 6 p.m. The public forum will take place at the Kratochwill Memorial Building (Village Hall) in Muscoda. State Senator Kelda Roys (D-Madison) and Assembly Representative Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point) will share their experiences regarding recent higher education funding negotiations.

In October 2023, UW System President Jay Rothman closed the UW-Richland campus, which had been a mainstay of Richland County since 1967. UWRichland was one of 13 two-year campuses in the UW System and as recently as 2013 served 400 students. After a series of legislative budget cuts and consolidation measures, 2021 enrollment plummeted by 85% to 60 students.

Also in October 2023, UW-Platteville Chancellor Tammy Evetovich announced the elimination of 111 positions at the

UW-Platteville campus, a staff reduction of more than 12%. This included 49 academic staff, 27 university staff, 20 limited appointments, 11 faculty retirements, and four positions from other categories.

In the last six months, the UW System has closed four additional two-year campuses including UW-Fond du Lac, UW-Marinette, UW-Washington County, and UW-Waukesha. Two-year campuses across the state are located in more rural areas and have increased higher education access at lower tuition rates for students.

When adjusted for inflation, the UW System has experienced an approximate $0.5 billion legislative budget cut between 2001 and 2022, from $1.7 billion to $1.2 billion. State of Wisconsin appropriations

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Village of Arena Board throws out police automatic aid agreement, replaces resident Public Safety Committee with majority board members

At the Village of Arena Board of Trustees regular meeting held April 9, the board ended their automatic aid agreement with the Town of Arena and formed a new Public Safety Committee which will consist mostly of Board members rather than residents.

The board also finalized a survey to residents for input on public safety, pledged to consult their municipal attorney about reimbursement for mutual aid the Arena Police provide to the county and voted to change the fire and EMS contract it holds with the town of Arena.

New Public Safety Committee

Trustee Jim Doerflinger was the first to suggest abolishing the current Public Safety Committee, which consisted of

three Arena residents who were not board members. Doerflinger claimed he was unsure if the committee was effective, as communication between the committee and the board was lacking.

“We obviously have a really big problem with our police. And they're still not as bad as no communication with this committee,” said Doerflinger, referring to the ongoing controversy surrounding the Arena Police Department. Nick Stroik, Arena police chief, announced in November 2023 the entire department was changing from full-time to parttime and due to inadequate benefits and low morale due to disrespect from the board. Arena officers have since taken positions with the Iowa County Sheriff’s Department as the board has held a series of special meetings with closed sessions to

plan how to move forward. The “Handbook for Boards, Commissions, and Committees: Village of Arena”—a reference guide for board, commission and committee members concerning Wisconsin law—says the Public Safety Committee’s role is to counsel Arena police about community concerns and to advise the Board about police operations. The handbook says the committee is to consist of three citizen representatives.

Kate Reimann, Arena village president, raised the possibility of having two board members and one citizen on the new committee, rather than three citizens. “I don't want to make it sound like the board is trying to do some power grab here, but something needs to be done by someone. It might as well be us,” said

Doerflinger.

Reimann alleged she invited the chairperson of the committee to a meeting in March, and the chairperson didn’t respond. Reimann also alleged the committee held their last meeting in November 2023, even though they were supposed to have a meeting in January 2024.

The board passed a motion abolishing the old and forming the new Public Safety Committee. The new committee will be composed of two board members and one citizen. The new committee will meet once a month and report to the full board. Reimann said the board will have to redo ordinance 2.10.040(3), which defines the committee, its power and responsibilities.

continued on page 9

Shaun Murphy-Lopez, Contributed

Photos contributed by Shaun Murphy-Lopez Senator Roys, on left, and Representative Shankland, on right, to speak at the UW System forum.

Sauk Prairie Healthcare, Anthem dispute letters

Alex Prochaska, Editorial Intern

OPINION/EDITORIAL

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

I am deeply concerned about the direction our Village of Arena is heading under the current Village Board. It's disheartening to witness individuals elected to public office prioritize personal agendas over the betterment of our community.

The recent moves of trying to disband our Police Department are particularly alarming. Despite claims of seeking resident input through a survey, it's evident that decisions are being made swiftly and quietly, without genuine transparency or consideration for community input. The revelation of discussions regarding contracting services for the village at the Iowa County Public Safety Committee on April 9th only adds to the suspicion

Dear Editor,

"What I saw was just a war scene. ... There were officers on the ground. ... They were bleeding. They were throwing up. ... I saw friends with blood all over their faces. I was slipping in people's blood. ... It was carnage. It was chaos."

— Police Officer Caroline Edwards, describing the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol

In one of the greatest acts of revisionism and selective perception in U.S. history, former president Donald Trump calls the Capitol attackers hostages and patriots and promises to pardon them on day one of his presidency. He also defends rioters' "Hang Mike Pence!"

On the cover

“The Spring Green Saga: Eclipse” (2024)

Photo, by Taylor Scott

When taking astronomical photography, clouds usually stand in the way of a good shot. For the April 8 solar eclipse seen across North America, without special lenses or filters the clouds created some perfect moments perceptible only to camera.

These shots were taken in downtown Spring Green in a couple of those perfect moments when the right mix and density of clouds revealed the solar eclipse to the camera—if not our naked eyes (don't look directly at the sun folks, we shouldn't have to say that).

The next solar eclipse of this extent to cross North America isn't expected until 2045.

Submit your artwork or photography for cover consideration: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

that the Board has already made up its mind. https://www.iowacounty.org/ events/85394/ While cost-saving measures are necessary, the Board's approach seems shortsighted. Instead of targeting essential services like law enforcement, they should focus on more prudent planning and budgeting. Neglecting crucial infrastructure maintenance, such as the urgently needed repairs to the water tower, demonstrates a lack of foresight and responsible governance.

Moreover, the assertion that eliminating the Police Department would lead to tax reductions is dubious at best. I have learned that such decisions often result in higher taxes and diminished services

chants, calls January 6 "a beautiful day" and often starts his rallies with a version of the National Anthem performed by January 6 prisoners.

Many GOP members of Congress, including House Conference Chair and potential vice presidential candidate Elise Stefanik (R-NY), have followed Trump's lead. Remarkably, the Republican National Committee calls the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol a "persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse."

Despite injuries to over 100 police officers, Trump has stated: “It was zero threat, right from the start, it was zero threat. ... Some of them went in, and they are hugging and kissing the police and the guards, you know, they had great relationships ...They were there with love in their heart.”

On Jan. 6, DC police officer Michael Fanone, a father of three, was repeatedly shocked with a stun gun at the base of

Dear Editor, Trump: Man or Beast?

What would our world be like if it was ready for a heavenly existence? I believe all humanity would be living in peace and equality, without the fear, hate, hunger and wars that plague so many now. Then that would actually be heavenly! I’ve often questioned the sanity of MAGA Evangelicals for their apparent worship of Trump. If they read their newly purchased Trump-endorsed Bi-

Dear Editor,

On behalf of “old people”.

Yesterday, at the age of 83 I took a mile long walk in my pasture. If you know anything about the terrain of pastures you know they are made for tractors and animals not for leisurely walks for any human. My trek through the pasture could not have been made by either Biden nor Trump. Does this mean I am more equipped to be president than either of them? Hardly. Going a step further, I bet most of the people bellyaching about the fitness of Biden could not have kept up with me.

Americans are glued to shows like Antiques Roadshow, Auction Hunters, American Pickers, Pawn Stars and all the rest. Collecting old furniture, li-

for residents. The recent increase in drug-related incidents within the Village, underscores the importance of having competent and dedicated police officers in our community.

Furthermore, the Board's strained relationships with other essential services, such as the Township, Fire, and EMS Departments, only exacerbate the current crisis. The decision not to renew the mutual aid agreement with the Township and County raises serious doubts about the Board's commitment to advancing the village's interests.

Recently, Village President Kate Reimann did not allow the posting of the Act (Arena Community Team) flyer in Village Hall. By denying the placement of the

his skull by Daniel Rodriguez and beaten with a flag pole until he was unconscious. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and heart attack. Rodriguez was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison and yelled, "Trump won!" as he was led out of the courtroom. The judge called Rodriguez "a one man army of hate." According to Fanone, "So many of the people I put my life at risk to defend are downplaying or outright denying what happened. ...But nothing, truly nothing, has prepared me to address those elected members of our government who continue to deny the events of that day and in doing so betray their oath of office." He is determined to use his platform "for the sole purpose of making people stop describing January 6th as anything other than what it was: a horrific day in which a lot of police officers almost died.”

Donald Trump should rethink what he means when he talks about "making America great again." Certainly, a great

bles, maybe they’ll notice that in the Book of Revelation, Trump would more closely represent the Beast pursuing the woman with child, rather than the savior they imagine him to be. It would seem they want the “end of days”, with all that fire and brimstone hastening the time that they, Evangelicals, might join the Jews, as God’s chosen people. Literacy is required for Jewish passage into adulthood. It’s the basis of intelligence, inspiring open discussions of reli-

cense plates, baseball cards, marbles, paintings and most everything else on God’s green earth is highly revered.

But when we switch gears and talk about “antique” people we value them less. If President Biden was seen walking through a pasture at my clip, most questions concerning his age would disappear.

Biden may not be able to bounce up and down steps like Obama did, but his wisdom, his experience, his intellect, his compassion is still intact. A recent winner on Jeopardy sat in a chair, my teacher at 91 still reads and writes on a daily basis and at 83 I still take hikes through my pasture.

Social Security labels the elderly as anyone being 65 or over. Before we

ACT flyer in Village Hall, President Reimann is essentially limiting access to important community information for residents. Village Hall should be a welcoming space that promotes civic engagement and community involvement.

As a resident of Arena, I implore the Village Board to reassess its priorities and act in the best interests of the community. With the recent addition of two new trustees, there's hope for positive change. However, it's crucial that all members of the Board work together to address the pressing issues facing our village and restore trust among residents.

Sue Pustina Arena, Wisconsin

nation continues to honor the sacrifices of its police officers even when it's not politically convenient to do so.

Imagine how officers who were assaulted and their families feel when they hear Trump say that January 6th was "a beautiful day," or when the officers are mocked by Fox News. Here's how Terry Fanone, Michael's mother, responds to Trump's comments: "It's outrageous. It's so dehumanizing, It's so devaluing." And regarding the lack of criticism of Trump's remarks by Republicans, she asserted, "The silence is palpable."

So much is at stake. Historian Timothy Snyder reminds us that it is "our collective trust in common knowledge that makes us a society."

At this critical time for our democracy, let's heed the words of Voltaire: "Whoever can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

Terry

Hansen Milwaukee, Wisconsin

gion, and it is valuable to any democratic society, Woke or not. Wherever there is antisemitism, Jews aren’t the only ones at risk, but so are freedom, education, and human dignity. These are values all of us should share, but which are in danger when our public schools and universities are not adequately funded to educate everyone equally.

Kay Ziegahn Richland Center, Wisconsin

push anymore “elderly” off to pasture in some nursing home, may we all take the time, the courage to see past our aging marks, our drooping skin, our lapse in memory and see the real us. I too forget at times, but I have a lot more to recall than a forty-year-old. “WHY SONNY I HAVE FORGOTTEN MORE THAN WHAT YOU PRESENTLY KNOW.” Real strength comes not from youth and the ability to walk briskly, but through wisdom and truly caring for one’s neighbor and protecting the poor and the disenfranchised. Now that is the kind of leader I will follow and vote for.

Dennis Siebert Sylvan Township, Wisconsin

Wisconsin public universities face challenging financial futures, according to reports

University of Wisconsin schools are facing challenging financial futures without major changes, according to recent campus financial reports.

Several factors have led to campuses’ financial difficulties including declining state support on an inflation-adjusted basis over the last decade, the impacts of the decade-long tuition freeze that ended in 2022, declining enrollment

and inflation.

The UW system employed Deloitte as a third-party consultant to conduct financial assessments of the individual campuses. Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman said in a statement that the assessments are part of the work being done to help eliminate structural deficits throughout the system by 2028, and ensure the state’s campuses are financially viable

and durable. However, he also said that additional investment from the state of Wisconsin is needed to ensure the system’s future success.

Reports for seven campuses — including UW-Green Bay, UW-Oshkosh, UWParkside, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls, UW-Superior and UW-Whitewater — were released on Thursday.

continued on page 5

Baylor Spears, Wisconsin Examiner

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Project 2025: The Conservative Promise — Part 1: What’s It All About?

Beverly Pestel, Columnist

I hate to leave the Public Education series and may come back to it but addressing Project 2025 is something I both dread and feel compelled to do. I’m certainly not the first to attempt it but many who have tried have given up and that may be dangerous. One comment on Reddit was, “Nope, read 2 pages, started crying. Currently looking at videos of baby goats instead.” My go-to is kitten videos and I may be watching a lot of those, but here we go…

Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise, otherwise known as Project 2025 was published by the right-leaning think tank Heritage Foundation in 2023. It describes itself as “the opening salvo of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project [and] lay[s] out hundreds of clear and concrete policy recommendations for White House offices, Cabinet departments, Congress, and agencies, commissions, and boards.” I started reading it recently – 887 pages, so it will take a while to get through it, not only because it is so long, but because it needs to be digested a small amount at a time so as not to be overwhelmed by it. This is just from page 1: “Look at America under the ruling and cultural elite today: Inflation is ravaging family budgets, drug overdose deaths continue to escalate, and children suffer the toxic normalization of transgenderism with drag queens and pornography invading their school libraries…Moreover, low-income communities are drowning in addiction and government dependence…Most alarming of all, the very

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moral foundations of our society are in peril.”

Well, that sounds ominous.

But be of good cheer, it continues: “Conservatives should be confident that we can rescue our kids, reclaim our culture, revive our economy, and defeat the anti-American Left—at home and abroad… if conservatives want to save the country, we need a bold and courageous plan. This book is the first step in that plan… This is an agenda prepared by and for conservatives who will be ready on Day One of the next Administration to save our country from the brink of disaster.” (pg.2)

The America I see as I walk the streets of our rural Wisconsin small towns certainly has people in need, and wages need to continue to increase, and inflation – which is more greedflation and shrinkflation at this point - needs to be brought under control. But our schools and libraries are still intellectually safe places for our children. Our moral foundations, though cracked in places since our origin, are holding. So, I need to know what their “bold and courageous plan” is to rescue us from their version of a dark and threatened America that is on “the brink of disaster.”

hold the same conservative principles as those their parents and grandparents voted for?

To determine the conservative principles that were the foundation of the Republican Party for decades, I’ve gone to the Republican Party Platforms of 1956 and 1980.

I’m tempted to cherry-pick these documents to pull out issues I think may come up, but that should wait. These documents are our benchmark, however, of the conservatism of the Republican Party of recent history against which to compare the conservatism presented in Project 2025

What I am interested in finding out is if this Eisenhower and Reagan-style conservatism is the same as that to be found in Project 2025. This is an incredibly important question, especially for those who continue to support the Republican Party (GOP) in elections. Is this the same Republican Party of their parents and grandparents?

Before we delve into these documents, however, it is instructive to listen to those who are the spokespersons for the current Republican Party.

Multiple news organizations reported massive changes at the Republican National Committee the second week of March. A report in The Guardian on March 11, 2024 pretty much nailed it down, “Donald Trump’s new leadership team at the Republican National Committee started the process of ousting scores of staffers on Monday night, clearing out its ranks…The RNC is expected to cull about 60 people…One source familiar with the situation described it as an “absolute bloodbath”… the firings are part of a strategy to ensure that only staffers committed to Trump and the Maga movement are left at the RNC as Trump tightens his grip on the party…”

So, it seems that the conservatism of today is not the conservatism of the Reagan era, and the Republican Party of today is not the Republican Party of your grandparents. What is yet to be determined by a thorough reading of Project 2025 is how different it is and whether this new conservatism and this new Republican Party is good for American democracy or not.

We may be a free paper, but unfortunately it’s not free to print papers.

Newsweek reported a quote from Donald Trump Jr. in May 2022: "the GOP is now the MAGA party," again in October 2022 a quote by Eric Trump confirms this shift: "He's fundamentally changed the party," Eric Trump said about his father. "It's no longer the Republican Party, it's the Trump Party." The New York Post reported in March 2024 that Donald Jr. said: “People have to understand that America First, the MAGA movement is the new Republican Party. That is conservatism today.”

In an interview with Fox News Channel on March 15, 2024, Pence stated: “It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year.”

So, on to page 3 of Project 2025, the answer lies in the next 884 pages. If you want to fact check me as I go through this, here is a link so you can read it for yourself: tinyurl.com/ReadProject2025

Beverly is a retired professor. She lives in a remodeled farmhouse and tends 40 acres of woodland in Richland County. When not in the woods she spends her time reading, writing and enjoying the beauty of the Driftless Area. Beverly may be contacted at bpestel@msn.com.

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I’m wading in, and I’ll let you know what I find, but a little perspective first. The Heritage Foundation “attests [that] this book is the work of the entire conservative movement.” The Heritage Foundation has served as the foundational think-tank for the self-described conservative Republican Party for years, there is nothing to indicate that this has changed. This document is especially important because the Republican Party has not issued a party platform since 2016. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, they may adopt one for 2024, but that is not certain. What is perplexing me at the moment is that there is nothing in the opening pages of Project 2025 that smacks of the highly touted Reagan-style conservatism. Reaganism dominated the Republican Party in the 1980s and beyond, but is that Reagan-style conservatism the conservatism of the Republican Party of today? We could go back to the 1950’s and ask if this is Eisenhower conservatism. Are the folks who are voting for Republicans today voting for people who

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A post regarding former VP Mike Pence in Politico, March 24, 2024 by Adam Wren is also instructive. It contains these quotes: ”Long before he became Trump’s hype man, Pence was an Indiana governor who sided with what he called “the Reagan agenda”…Pence’s move is also the latest sign that Trumpism is now permanently and irrevocably divorced from its initial marriage of convenience with the Reaganism he has long espoused.”

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be point, counterpoint and expert analysis. This community discussion shall serve as a moderated dialogue that presents multiple views of important community topics.

Correction: We have updated the article “Sauk Prairie Healthcare no longer in-network for some area patients as system, Anthem are at odds over costs, reimbursements” from our April 4 print edition online to better reflect that the loss of in-network healthcare insurance coverage was immediate.

Beverly Pestel

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Capitol Report — Marklein: My Legislative Report Card

Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green)

The 2023-2024 legislative session is winding down and I am proud to report that we have successfully moved 20 bills all of the way through the legislative process to become law. This is a testament to the important issues we worked on and our bi-partisan effort to get things done for the people of the 17th Senate District.

In total, I authored 37 bills. Again, 20 of them were signed into law while two were vetoed, three resolutions were adopted by the legislature and 12 did not move all of the way through the process. These bills will be considered for re-introduction in the new session that begins in January 2025.

Following are the details:

Marklein Bills Signed into law:

• Act 4 – Protective Status for County Jailers,

• Act 13 – Creation of the Agricultural Road Improvement Program (ARIP),

• Act 19 – State Budget bill,

• Act 36 – Internal Revenue Code Updates,

• Act 67 – ATV Communications Grant structure,

• Act 69 – Designating State Hwy 80 as the Desert Storm, Desert Shield Memorial Highway,

• Act 77 – Broadband Grant Program Reform,

• Act 102 – Funding for UW Building Projects and Maintenance,

• Act 121 – Electric Vehicle Charging Policy to allow private sector participation,

• Act 122 – Electric Vehicle Charging budget authority for the Department of Transportation (DOT) to accept federal funds,

• Act 135 – Expansion of a Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) district in Evansville to enable a soy processing facility,

• Act 149 – Department of Revenue (DOR) updates,

• Act 151 – Non-profit audit threshold reform,

• Act 152 – Revising a member definition for the Ag Education Workforce Development Council,

• Act 176 – Medflight Staffing for juvenile patients,

• Act 177 – Directing the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) to apply for a waiver related to Institutes for Mental Disease (IMD) so that these facilities can serve more people,

• Act 181 – Adding two rural members to the statewide Emergency Medical Services (EMS) board,

• Act 221 – Structure for the WISCOM Grant program to provide interoperable radios for public safety,

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

For 85 years, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has served Wisconsinites, including those in Sauk County, ensuring our members have access to high-quality, affordable healthcare through collaborative care provider relationships.

That’s why it’s incredibly disheartening that Sauk Prairie Healthcare recently chose to terminate our contract because Anthem would not agree to dramatically increased healthcare costs for our members and employers in this community. As a result, on April 1, Sauk Prairie facilities and physicians left our network for 2,700 Anthem members.

Sauk Prairie could have easily avoided this disruption, and instead of negotiat-

Dear Editor, Recently, Paul Nobile, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield WI, sent a letter to the editors of area newspapers in regard to his insurance company’s contract negotiations with Sauk Prairie Healthcare. Sadly, Mr. Nobile’s letter was filled with misleading statements intended to sow misunderstanding and anger toward Sauk Prairie Healthcare. By using limited data points and taking numbers out of context to paint a false picture, he is banking on people not understanding the terminology and complexity of healthcare

ing with us in good faith, is now spreading misinformation. The fact is that Anthem has offered reasonable payment increases like those accepted by other area health systems. We even offered to extend our current agreement to allow more time for discussions. Sauk Prairie rejected these offers – choosing instead to needlessly disrupt care, put our members in the middle, and prioritize profits over patients.

Sauk Prairie is already a very expensive place to receive care, currently charging Anthem members and employers an eye-popping 45% more than state average. Now, Sauk Prairie is demanding to hike prices even further at rates two times inflation. This is particularly concerning when you consider that Wis-

finance and believing Anthem’s narrative. We know our patients and community are frustrated, confused, mad, and even sad to watch this situation play out — we’re right there with you. As you hear numbers and accusations thrown around, we ask you to remember these three things:

1. 4-5% — the overall increase Sauk Prairie Healthcare is asking of Anthem to cover the rising costs of labor, supplies, and medicine needed to provide quality, high-value care

2. 16%* — Blue Cross Blue Shield WI’s 2023 profit margin as compared

• Act 249 – Enables DHS to issue certifications for new, 24/7 regional mental health facilities,

• Act 250 – Campus Community Transition Grant program to help communities affected by the closure of a UW Branch Campus.

Resolutions adopted by the legislature:

• Recognize the 50th Anniversary of the National Wild Turkey Federation,

• Proclaim June 7, 2024 as Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Day,

• 2nd Consideration of a Constitutional Amendment to return oversight of Federal funds to the legislature.

Bills vetoed by the Governor:

• Middle Class Tax Cut,

• Standardizing the interest rate on over and under-payments of state taxes.

Bills that did not make it all of the way through the legislative process:

• Allowing counties to require licenses for animal-drawn vehicles, aka: the Buggy Bill,

• UWSP Institute for Sustainable Technology funding – this was funded with COVID-relief funding,

• Dairy Product Labeling,

• Milk Labeling,

• GAAP Constitutional Amendment –to require WI to budget using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP),

• ATV Omnibus – several changes to ATV/UTV-related laws and regulations,

• Non-resident hunting fee increase,

• EMS Omnibus – several changes to rural EMS-related laws and regula-

consinites covered by their employer or through the ACA currently pay about three times more than Medicare pays for the exact same services. These costs directly impact consumers through higher out-of-pocket costs. They also impact area employers, most of whom pay their employees’ healthcare costs themselves. These healthcare prices come at the expense of hiring, business growth, and our economy.

Wisconsinites already face some of the highest healthcare costs in the country, and it’s not fair to further burden them.

It’s troubling that Sauk Prairie leadership would walk away from negotiations, despite our efforts to address their concerns and reach a new agreement. Our ask of Sauk Prairie’s leadership

to Sauk Prairie Healthcare’s 2023 margin of 1.81% (*source: financial statements filed with Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance)

3. And most importantly, it’s not okay for an insurance company to force patients to give up their trusted healthcare providers.

For those who are interested in understanding more behind the “he said, she said”, we’ve created this page on our website: www.saukprairiehealthcare.org/anthem-myth-vs-fact. We hope patients and

tions,

• Length of Service Award Reform,

• Seasonally maintained highways –to allow local governments to designate some roads as seasonal,

• State Fair Admission Tax Exemption,

• State Park Reservation Reform – to provide preference to Wisconsinites.

Again, I am very proud of my work on your behalf, especially considering that my team and I were very involved in the State Budget process for the first half of 2023. Our success in moving legislation through the legislative process is a testament to the good ideas that you provide and the advocacy that citizens of the 17th Senate District.

I am actively crafting plans for legislative priorities for the 2025-26 legislative session. If you have any ideas, challenges or suggestions, please contact me!

Please consider a Subscription to My Weekly E-Update - Every Friday at 11 a.m., I send a legislative E-Update to share information, updates and data to subscribers. This is the very best way to stay up-to-date on my work on your behalf. If you would like to subscribe, please send me an email to Sen.Marklein@legis. wisconsin.gov and I will add you to the list. An archive of past E-Updates is available on my website: www.legis.wisconsin.gov/senate/17/marklein

As always, if you need assistance with any state-related matters, please call our team at the State Capitol – 608-2660703 – or email me – Sen.Marklein@ legis.wisconsin.gov. My team is ready, and willing, to help navigate your state government, clear obstacles and receive your input.

is simple: let’s restore access to quality, affordable healthcare for Anthem members across the county. We’re committed to protecting our members from unreasonable cost increases – a commitment we hope Sauk Prairie shares. In the meantime, we stand ready to assist Anthem members with alternative in-network care providers.

Now more than ever, hospitals and health plans must collaborate. We remain committed to that course so that our families and neighbors continue to have access to high-quality, affordable healthcare for years to come.

Paul Nobile President and General Manager, Anthem, Inc

the community will appreciate our efforts to be transparent and help them better understand this complex topic.

Please know we haven’t given up. Although Anthem has walked away from the negotiations, we have made it clear that our offer is still on the table. We still hold out hope that a new, fair agreement which enables Sauk Prairie Healthcare to continue to provide high-value care can be negotiated.

Shawn Lerch CEO, Sauk Prairie Healthcare

Universities of Wisconsin forum to be held in Southwest Wisconsin, legislators Roys & Shankland to speak

continued from page 1

to the UW System have also fallen from 38% of the total UW System budget in 1992 to 18% in 2022.

Senator Roys, member of the Senate Committee on Universities and Revenue, and Representative Shankland, member of the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities, will discuss the legislature’s role in budget cuts. They will also share their views about the future of the Universities of Wisconsin in rural Wisconsin. Representative Shankland

will discuss the Reaching Higher for Higher Education bill package, which invests in technical colleges, universities, and financial aid for students. The public is invited to attend the forum which will take place at 206 N. Wisconsin Avenue (Kratochwill Memorial Building),

Muscoda, WI 53573. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for an opportunity to meet and greet the legislators. The forum will last between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Refreshments will be provided by the Richland and Grant County Democratic Parties. No fees or donations will be solicited or collected.

Senator Howard Marklein

Wisconsin public universities face challenging financial futures, according to reports

continued from page 2

Rothman noted that several campuses are already in the process of making decisions to get schools on a healthier financial track. Those decisions have come in the form of voluntary buyouts, layoffs and furloughs at UW-Parkside, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville. UWGreen Bay has considered eliminating several majors and minors.

However, some of the reports noted that further changes at the campuses are likely necessary. For example, UWGreen Bay’s report warned that campus leadership should “act with urgency to steer the University on a path of financial sustainability.”

“Green Bay has recognized these challenges and made budget reductions; however, absent further changes to the status quo, the university will struggle to resolve its deficit as the state participation rate declines and the traditional college applicant pool in Wisconsin shrinks; these trends could result in depletion of the tuition fund

balance by FY27,” the report stated. UW-Oshkosh’s report noted that the school has implemented a plan that uses furloughs, voluntary retirement incentives, layoffs, elimination of open positions and academic workload adjustments to address its structural deficit, but additional savings will be needed for fiscal year 2025 and beyond.

It said that “fresh approaches to student recruitment and retention are needed to help secure a viable future” for the school, and its academic portfolio may need refinement and it could consider being more transfer-friendly.

University administrators said there were certain themes in the opportunities that will be available to schools including improving student retention, leveraging schools’ core strengths, implementing direct admissions and expanding dual enrollment and continuing education programs.

However, Rothman acknowledged that funding from the state of Wisconsin will play a deciding role in the system’s

financial future, and the type of education that can be afforded across the state.

“While we will do our part on the expense side of the ledger, ultimately it is up to the state to decide whether it wants and can afford a weakened Universities of Wisconsin. The adage is that you get what you pay for,” Rothman said. He noted Wisconsin’s current funding for its public universities ranks 42nd in the country.

Rothman said that level of funding “will eventually get you a 42nd ranked university system. Wisconsin deserves better than that.”

It would take about $440 million to bring the state to the median level of funding.

Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement that the reports are the result of Republican lawmakers’ inadequate funding to Wisconsin’s public university campuses, and that he would be requesting additional funding in the next budget cycle.

Meet farmers and food makers: Savor the River Valley’s second annual Farm and Food Tour

Celebrate Earth Day, enjoy the scenic Driftless countryside and get to know farmers and food makers during Savor the River Valley’s second annual Farm and Food Tour. This free, familyfriendly tour is Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Farm and Food Tour meanders along Highway 23 from Cedar Grove Cheese in Plain to Meadowlark Farm and Mill in Ridgeway. This is your chance to get behind the scenes and purchase directly from several businesses not normally open to the

public including BrewHaHa Roasters, Cates Family Farm, Ducks in a Row Family Farm, Meadowlark Mill, RedBarn Catering and Tortilleria Zepeda.

Several businesses are also offering special tours, demos or product samples including Cedar Grove Cheese, Straka Meats and Block 23 in Plain, Bird of Paradise Cheese, Taliesin and Wander Provisions in Spring Green and Seven Seeds Farm outside Spring Green.

Along the way, Savor members will offer a variety of delicious options for

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breakfast, lunch, dinner and treats.

And the baby farm animals at Ducks in a Row and Seven Seeds farms are sure to be crowd pleasers!

For a map and brochure, go to: www. savortherivervalley.org/events

This tour is partially funded by a grant from Iowa County and sponsored by Savor the River Valley, a non-profit, grassroots initiative to promote farmers, makers, restaurants and food retailers in the River Valley. We gratefully accept all donations on our website to help us continue our

“Republican lawmakers have spent more than a decade waging war on public education in Wisconsin, including our UW System and higher education institutions,” Evers said, “and have consistently refused to make the necessary, meaningful investments our state and our campuses desperately need to compete and that our students deserve.”

Evers committed to asking for additional funding from the state Legislature in the next budget cycle. In the latest state budget, UW schools didn’t receive a funding increase from the Legislature.

“The Legislature must step up, and that’s what I’ll be asking them to do once again in my next proposed budget,” Evers said.

Reports for the state’s remaining campuses and Universities of Wisconsin Administration — excluding UWMadison, which doesn’t have a structural deficit and carries a healthy reserve — will be prepared in the summer and fall.

programs to support small local food businesses and family farms.

May 16: Wedding Destination: Spring Green wedding special section

Presented by the Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center Timed to be on newsstands during Memorial Day for tourists/visitors. Just ahead of June, the most popular wedding month, and perfectly timed with the average wedding taking just under a year to plan.

The Spring Green area has so many wonderful sights, venues and food options that it is truly becoming a wedding destination. This section will cover what the area has to offer as well as include listings and sponsored article opportunities.

Ad reservations due EOD May 6. Ad copy due EOD May 8.

OPPORTUNITIES IN ALL SPECIAL SECTIONS

Presenting Sponsor of the section — $400 (1 available each special section)

A presenting sponsorship grants your logo and business name on the section itself. A sponsorship also includes a banner ad to be run within the section. Sponsor will also receive half off any sponsored article content within the special section.

Supporting Sponsor — Supporting sponsorships of special sections may be available at $200 for all benefits above, excluding banner (limited availability), but including 50% off ads in the section.

Presenting and supporting sponsors are included on any promotional materials and spots are limited, so reserve spots ASAP.

Featured Business/Sponsored Articles — $200 for 1/2 page promotional article with 1-2 pictures ($100 if a sponsor for the section). Editorial freedom to decide what is featured - Limited availability. Runs online as well.

All special sections subject to change and participation. The more support and engagement we get, the more we can offer the community together.

— Advertising Spots — $400 full page, $200 half page, $100 quarter page, $50 eighth page, $25 sixteenth page – Limited availability. Inquire about sponsorships, article/partner content and online & social ad opportunities.

Events for April 18 - May 2

Thursday, April 18

COmmunitycalendar

COmmunitycalendar

The Community Calendar is curated and designed by Julianna Williams. Events are subject to change, always check ahead for up-to-date information on any events you are interested in.

Sunday, April 21 cont.

Yoga with Rural Remedy 8:15 AM - 9:30 AM Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green ruralremedy.com Yoga is for all bodies. There is something for everyone. Join and find out. Classes will be adapted for the group that attends. More info and registration details online.

Storytime 10:30 AM Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock lonerocklibrary.wordpress.com Join us every Thursday for storytime!

Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green springgreengeneralstore.com The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome.

Tech Help 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Arena Village Hall, 345 West St, Arena rvbroadband.org/techhelp Come on in with any devices or technology you need help with! No appoiontment necessary.

Family Fun Night! 5:00 PM Plain Kraemer Library, 910 Main St., Plain kraemerlibrary.org Join us for Family Fun Nights at the Library! Each month we will have a fun themed activity for families to drop in to do. Join us for pizza and a movie! Families can sign up at the front desk or call 608-546-4201. Kids under 6 must be with

Bingo at Arthur’s Supper Club 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Arthur’s Supper Club, E4885 US-14, Spring Green arthurssupperclub.com FREE 18+ Every Thursday evening until May Arthur’s plays 7 games of Bingo. Bingo is FREE, food and beverages available. Prizes for the winner of each game, donated by area businesses.

Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green ninasdepartmentstore.com Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm.

Saturday, April 20

Heck’s Vendor/Flea Market 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Heck’s Farm Market, 7266 US Highway 14, Arena For more info look up Heck’s Farm Market on Facebook Various types of vendors to shop every Saturday and Sunday - weather permitting. Vendors must contact Heck’s Farm Market for free registration.

Spring Fling 2024 Craft & Vendor Market 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Lone Rock Community Building, 214 Broadway St., Lone Rock Need new Spring / Summer decor? A day out of the house? Or an early jump on Spring / Summer needs? Stop in to see some wonderful craftors and vendors!

Spring Green Winter Farmers Market 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM S230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green Spring Green Farmers Market Is a year-round outdoor market offering seasonal produce, local meats, baked goods and many other wonderful items. Held outside the Spring Green Community Public Library every Saturday morning.

Savor the River Valley’s Farm & Food Tour 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spring Green Area savortherivervalley.org The Farm and Food Tour is free and family friendly. It meanders along Highway 23 from Cedar Grove Cheese in Plain to Meadowlark Farm and Mill in Ridgeway. This is your chance to get behind the scenes and purchase directly from several businesses not normally open to the public. Several businesses are also offering special tours, demos or product samples. And, there will be baby farm animals! The tour map and other details about the day can be found online.

Spring Green KEEP Screening 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM Spring Green Community Center, 121 S Washington St, Spring Green kidneywi.org Free Kidney Health Screening. Open to the Public. Receive a review of health history, basic vital signs, urine testing for participants with an elevated risk of kidney disease, and discussion with a medical provider. No medical insurance is required and results are processed while you wait.

LIVE MUSIC: Doctor Dale Glaudell 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St., Spring Green 608-5880-707, karin@springgreengeneralstore.com, SpringGreenGeneralStore.com Doctor Dale Glaudell, a solid musical performer in Wisconsin and the Midwest with over 40 years of show business under his guitar strap, he plays a mixture of hit songs, originals, old-time favorites, country and rock classics, with humor mixed in.

LIVE MUSIC: Camela Widad 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com Tickets $10 in advance / $15 at the door A mainstay Americana Folk Troubadour, with strong vocals and a backdrop of organic and stripped back performances, Camela Widad’s unique voice pulls you back to something remembered. The rich underbelly of American culture courses through her veins: unpretentious, honest and welcoming to anyone who loves the pull of great songs wrapped in the familiarity of a timeless Americana soundscape.

Sunday, April 21

CLC Youth Pancake Breakfast 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM Christ Lutheran Church, 237 E Daley St, Spring Green For more info look up Christ Lutheran Church Spring Green on Facebook Join us for a delicious breakfast while supporting a great cause! Ham from Prem Meats and breakfast sausage from Straka Meats.

Heck’s Vendor/Flea Market 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Heck’s Farm Market, 7266 US Highway 14, Arena For more info look up Heck’s Farm Market on Facebook Various types of vendors to shop every Saturday and Sunday - weather permitting. Vendors must contact Heck’s Farm Market for free registration.

Yoga with Rural Remedy 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Radiant Spirit Retreats Yoga, S7163 County Rd G, Hill Point ruralremedy.com Yoga is for all bodies. There is something for everyone. Join and find out. Classes will be adapted for the group that attends. More info and registration details online.

Spring Green Literary Festival — Plays Out Loud: Ring Round the Moon 2:00 PM Spring Green Community Center, 117 S. Washington Street, Spring Green For more info look up Spring Green Literary Festival on Facebook Those who attend the reading are invited to choose a part to read out loud or just listen. Free scripts will be available at the door. Playbooks are available for sale at Arcadia Books or on loan from the Spring Green Community Library. This romantic comedy is a story of two brothers and the women that are after them. A glamorous society ball in 1950's France is the setting for this merry-go-round of love and matchmaking.

River Valley Film Club Presents... 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com Join us once a month on Sundays (and occasional Mondays) as we screen a movie selected by the River Valley Film Club. Movie titles remain under wraps until showtime, so follow RVFC on Facebook for details.

Monday, April 22

Move & Groove 10:30 AM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.org We'll have the music on, instruments and noise makers ready! Tunnels, bounce toys, hula hoops and active games will give us lots of opportunities to wiggle! Come ready to shake your sillies out!

RV Chorus Presents: Musicians Unite 7:00 PM Christ Lutheran Church, 237 Daley St, Spring Green communityfoodpantryspringgreen.org Join us for the 4th Annual Musicians Unite Concert. The River Valley High School students will perform their State-qualifying solo and ensemble pieces and the River Valley Community Chorus will perform as well. This is a free will donation with all proceeds to benefit the Community Food pantry of Spring Green.

Open Mic 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com No cover, but tips for our host are always welcome! Join us the fourth Monday of every month for an Open Mic, hosted by Dylan Harris. We’ve got the mics, the plug-ins, the piano - you bring the music! Whether you want to play solo, sing to a back up, or get the band together, this is the place. So come on out and show your stuff, or just support the folks on stage. Either way, we’re making music together!

Tuesday, April 23

Movies, Munchies and More: Line Dancing 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Free beginner class, no experience needed. From the popular classics to the very latest favorites. Take it one step at a time! Discover why people love line dancing!

Spring Afternoon Storytime 4:30 PM - 5:15 PM Plain Kraemer Library, 910 Main St., Plain kraemerlibrary.org Story time includes stories and songs followed by a fun themed craft and activity.

Yoga with Rural Remedy 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green ruralremedy.com Yoga is for all bodies. There is something for everyone. Join and find out. Classes will be adapted for the group that attends. More info and registration details online.

Wednesday, April 24

All Ages Storytime 10:30 AM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Throughout the month of April we'll be sharing books, songs and activities. All ages welcome. Is your child active, noisy or "fidgety"? No worries! It's okay if your kiddo needs to wiggle and giggle to enjoy their time at story hour! April themes will include poetry to celebrate National Poetry Month, and Rain to celebrate April showers!

Book Discussion 10:30 AM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Every Fourth Wednesday at 2pm, join us for a cup of coffee, snack, and a chat about this month's selection. The book is available at the Library a month before the discussion. April: "The Wonder" by Emma Donoghue.

Thursday, April 25

Yoga with Rural Remedy 8:15 AM - 9:30 AM Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green ruralremedy.com Yoga is for all bodies. There is something for everyone. Join and find out. Classes will be adapted for the group that attends. More info and registration details online.

Storytime 10:30 AM Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock lonerocklibrary.wordpress.com Join us every Thursday for storytime!

Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green springgreengeneralstore.com . The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome.

Tech Help 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM . Plain Kraemer Library, 910 Main St., Plain kraemerlibrary.org . rvbroadband.org/techhelp Come on in with any devices or technology you need help with! No appoiontment necessary.

Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green ninasdepartmentstore.com Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm.

Jefferson & Lexington Literary Journal Workgroup 6:00 PM Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green Questions? Contact: editor@valleysentinelnews.com Join us for a Jefferson & Lexington Literary Journal Workgroup meeting as we endeavor to launch an annual literary journal for the Spring Green area. This gathering marks the start of our collaborative effort to launch the journal. Share your ideas and help shape our collective vision. We'll discuss contributions, objectives, and more. Regular bi-weekly meetings thru spring.

Friday, April 26

Managing Beavers in Driftless Streams 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM . Savanna Institute South Farm, 6172 Co Rd Z, Spring Green driftlessconservancy.org . The presence and habits of beavers can be beneficial for many aquatic animals and systems, but harmful to others. As beavers expand into Driftless Area trout streams, landowners are often faced with difficult decisions as dramatic changes occur. Learn about the effect beavers can have on Driftless streams, vegetation, and trout populations, and options landowners have for managing them.

LIVE MUSIC: TAE and the Neighborly 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM

Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com Tickets $10 in advance / $15 at the door Tae & The Neighborly, is a Wisconsin based Soul-pop R&B group. TAE has performed mainly as a one-woman-band since 2012, until she joined forces with four other creatives in 2020. All in all, they provide a dense show that will give you more inspiration fuel for self lovin’, world changin’, and consideration havin’.

Events for April 18 - May 2

Heck’s Vendor/Flea Market 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM . Heck’s Farm Market, 7266 US Highway 14, Arena For more info look up Heck’s Farm Market on Facebook Various types of vendors to shop every Saturday and Sunday - weather permitting. Vendors must contact Heck’s Farm Market for free registration.

RV Nature Journaling 9:00 AM - 10:30 PM River Valley Area Community Gardens, Spring Green rvacg.org This weekly event is being facilitated Kay Balink. Participants will observe various aspects of nature and record what they see in a journalling method of their choice. River Valley Area Community Gardens will be the starting point with the posibility of advancing to other nature areas around the community in the coming weeks. Bring blanket or lawn chair to sit on. Also bring paper, pencil, hard surface to write or draw on. All ages welcome. Children should be accompanied by an adult.

Mostly Man Stuff Show and Swap 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Lone Rock Community Building, 214 Broadway St., Lone Rock For more info look up Mostly Man Stuff Show and Swap on Facebook Free admittance. No carry ins Spring cleaning your cool stuff?

First Annual show and swap meet! Car, bike parts, vintage everything!! Including guns, fishing, stereo, magazines, pictures, beer stuff, mounts, hunting, knives, models, posters, lunchboxes, hot wheels, jewelry, records, as well as hung pictures of bigger items being sold. Food will be available and maybe even Girl Scout cookies !!

The Second Age Game 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Governor Dodge State Park, 4175 State Hwy 23 North, Dodgeville secondagegame.com Experience the adventure of a lifetime with a massive game of capture the flag set in nature, inspired by Tolkien’s Middle Earth. No experience needed—join us for a day of strategy and teamwork suitable for all. Registration open at $10 per person, with discounts for new players. Character Picks on April 21 at 1pm at Alice Good Coffee, Verona. Unable to attend? Contact us via the website or Facebook to participate. More info online.

Spring Green Winter Farmers Market 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM S230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green Spring Green Farmers Market Is a year-round outdoor market offering seasonal produce, local meats, baked goods and many other wonderful items. Held outside the Spring Green Community Public Library every Saturday morning.

LIVE MUSIC: Vets on Frets 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green springgreengeneralstore.com Donations to the musicians gratefully accepted Vets on Frets, a Madison-area group of veterans who play folk, country, pop, and rock favorites from the 60’s and 70’s, formed in 2013. They love to engage the audience in singalongs and keep the golden oldies alive. The group has passed on thousands of dollars raised from their performances to charities and support groups for veterans and their families.

Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP) Show 9:30 AM - 3:00 PM Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 State Highway 23, Spring Green For more info and the full schedule look up Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center on Facebook The Wisconsin Regional Art Program (WRAP) encourages nonprofessional, student, and emerging artists to create and exhibit their work across Wisconsin. The Driftless Region Art Exhibit will be held at the Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center. Finalists from this competition will move on to the state show at UW-Madison. Some works of art are available for purchase and the event is free and open to the public.

Open Euchre 5:00 PM Arena VFW Hall 514 Willow Street, Arena For more info look up Arena VFW on Facebook $5 BBQ, Chips and Pork & Beans available for purchase. No partner needed.

LIVE MUSIC: Djangophonique with Christo's Novelty Combo 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM

Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com Tickets $10 in advance/$15 at the door Djangophonique delivers infectious joy, and expressive freedom, with respect for the tradition of jazz, and a fearless creativity that bends the conventions of the style, Djangophonique is keeping the Hot Club revival alive and well. They have a sound that can bring the lively energy of a Parisian dance hall to the quietest listening room or captivate a buzzing festival audience with the aching nostalgia of a shimmering ballad.

Thursday, May 2

Yoga with Rural Remedy 8:15 AM - 9:30 AM . Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green ruralremedy.com Yoga is for all bodies. There is something for everyone. Join and find out. Classes will be adapted for the group that attends. More info and registration details online.

Storytime 10:30 AM Lone Rock Community Library, 234 N Broadway St, Lone Rock lonerocklibrary.wordpress.com Join us every Thursday for storytime!

Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green springgreengeneralstore.com The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome.

Tech Drop-In 2:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.org Whether you're grappling with setting up email accounts, navigating social media platforms, or troubleshooting software issues, knowledgeable volunteers or library staff will be on hand to lend a helping hand.

Bingo at Arthur’s Supper Club 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Arthur’s Supper Club, E4885 US-14, Spring Green arthurssupperclub.com FREE 18+ Every Thursday evening until May Arthur’s plays 7 games of Bingo. Bingo is FREE, food and beverages available. Prizes for the winner of each game, donated by area businesses.

Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green ninasdepartmentstore.com Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm.

Friday, May 3

LIVE MUSIC: Red Rose 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green slowpokelounge.com Tickets $10 in advance/$15 at the door Red Rose is a 4 piece live looping Space-Funk/House/Trip-Hop band from Madison, joined on stage with special guest Raquel Aleman. Each show is different and you are guaranteed to never hear a song played the same twice.

WHAT’S HANGINg ? ongoing art exhibitions

Spring Green Community Library Art Exhibitions . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E Monroe St, Spring Green Monday-Thursday: 10 AM - 7 PM Friday: 10 AM - 5 PM Saturday: 9 AM - 1 PM

The Community Room Gallery will feature the art of fourth grade students at River Valley Elementary. They have been working hard in art class this year learning about the principles of design. Works of art incorporating contrast, emphasis, pattern, movement, and unity will be on display. They have picked their very best work to share with you! We hope you come to see their work during the month of April! This display is available for viewing during regular library hours. Please ask for the key at the circulation desk.

CIVICS & SERVICES

CIVICS & SERVICES CALENDAR

This calendar is a place listing (for free) the typical meeting dates for area governmental bodies, and Please email us with these meetings, or use the form on our Community Calendar page — let's build community together: editor@valleysentinelnews.com Sunday, April 28

Heck’s Vendor/Flea Market 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Heck’s Farm Market, 7266 US Highway 14, Arena For more info look up Heck’s Farm Market on Facebook Various types of vendors to shop every Saturday and Sunday - weather permitting. Vendors must contact Heck’s Farm Market for free registration.

Yoga with Rural Remedy 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM Radiant Spirit Retreats Yoga, S7163 County Rd G, Hill Point ruralremedy.com Yoga is for all bodies. There is something for everyone. Join and find out. Classes will be adapted for the group that attends. More info and registration details online.

Psychography Automatic Writing Class with Gwyn Padden-Lechten 1:00 PM3:00 PM North Earth Crystals & Gifts, 124 W. Jefferson St, Spring Green northearth.com Cost: $35 Call 608-588-3313 to reserve your spot in the class Psychography Class: Psychography, also known as automatic writing, is the practice of working with ancients, Divine Spirit or any deep source of wisdom outside of conscious awareness. This intuitive writing practice is usually done in a trance-like state. With practice, you will not need to be in a state of meditation and can bring this into your everyday life. In this workshop, you will be guided into a sacred space where you will put pen to paper and practice the spontaneous flow of information from beyond our everyday consciousness.

LIVE MUSIC: Inna and Jeff Larsen 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green springgreengeneralstore.com Donations to the musicians gratefully accepted Inna has played the Norwegian hardanger fiddle since 1993 and performs for Scandinavian events around Southern Wisconsin. Jeff Larsen has been performing solo guitar instrumentals for over thirty years with a repertoire ranging from modern and mainstream jazz to classical and fingerstyle. You are sure to hear beautiful music and to learn more about their musical journeys.

Spring Green Literary Festival — Plays out Loud: Constellations by Nick Payne

2:00 PM Homecoming, 242 N. Lexington St, Spring Green

For more info look up Spring Green Literary Festival on Facebook

Those that attend are invited to participate in these readings by selecting a part to read out loud or to simply listen and join in the discussion that follows.

Tuesday, April 30

Movies, Munchies and More: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com Every Tuesday at 1pm, come to the library for a cup of coffee, a sweet treat, and either a movie or a presentation. We are going to continue watching some movies that haven't quite made it to DVD yet. Tensions and temperatures rise at a Chicago music studio in 1927 when fiery, fearless blues singer Ma Rainey joins her band for a recording session. (R, 1hr 34min, 2020).

Spring Afternoon Storytime 4:30 PM - 5:15 PM Plain Kraemer Library, 910 Main St., Plain kraemerlibrary.org Story time includes stories and songs followed by a fun themed craft and activity.

Yoga with Rural Remedy 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, 6306 WI-23 Trunk, Spring Green ruralremedy.com Yoga is for all bodies. There is something for everyone. Join and find out. Classes will be adapted for the group that attends. More info and registration details online.

April 18: Public Meeting: WIS 23 improvements 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Spring Green Town Hall, E4411 Kennedy Rd, Spring Green Discussing the improvements to WIS 23 between the Wisconsin River bridge and US 14 in Spring Green. Scheduled to start April 19, the project includes resurfacing, curb ramp updates, and safety enhancements. Project completion is scheduled for early August 2024. For more info: projects.511wi.gov/wis23-springgreen/ and projects.511wi.gov/wis23-saukcounty/

April 20: Friends of Governor Dodge: Volunteers Needed - Spring Clean Up - Tree Planting 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Governor Dodge State Park, 4175 State Hwy 23 North Dodgeville Contact FriendsofGovDodge@gmail.com River Valley Community Gardens Spring Work Day 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM River Valley Area Community Gardens, Spring Green rvacg.org Rain date is Saturday April 27. If you want to help just show up. They are looking for volunteers to help with the food pantry plots and maintaining flower beds. If you would like to help on a regular basis let someone know.

April 22:

Village Of Arena Special Board Meeting 6:00 PM Village Hall, 345 West Street, Arena In this meeting: Consider and take action to terminate the existing Fire Protection and EMS Services Agreement as amended with the Town of Arena effective at midnight July 31, 2024. Consider and take action to authorize Village staff to enter into negotiations with the Town of Arena to create a new Fire Protection and EMS Services Agreement.

April 23:

Universities of Wisconsin Forum: Senator Roys and Representative Shankland to Speak in Muscoda 6:00 PM Kratochwill Memorial Municipal Building, 206 N Wisconsin Ave, Muscoda For more information please contact: shaunmurphyjefferson@gmail.com Join State Senator Kelda Roys and Assembly Representative Katrina Shankland for a public forum on the future of the Universities of Wisconsin. As members of legislative committees overseeing higher education, they'll address recent funding challenges and campus closures. Hear their insights on budget cuts and the impact on rural Wisconsin. Rep. Shankland will discuss the Reaching Higher for Higher Education bill package.

April 24: Village of Spring Green Board Meeting 7:00 PM In person and virtual event 154 N. Lexington Street, Spring Green vi.springgreen.wi.gov

April 29: Plain Kraemer Library Board Meeting 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM 910 Main St., Plain kraemerlibrary.org

May 5:

Spring Green Library Board Meeting 5:00 PM Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green springgreenlibrary.com The Library Board of Trustees meets each month, typically on the first or second Monday, at 5 PM. Changes to this schedule are posted at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. The meetings are open to the public.

The Community Calendar is curated and designed by Julianna Williams. Events are subject to change, always check ahead for up-to-date information on any events you are interested in.

Some time ago, we announced the soft launch of a semi-regular to regular literary section we've been inspired by other literary compilations to call Lexington & Jefferson

As the pivotal intersection of our community, we envision this as a place that celebrates the cross-section of arts in our greater community.

We envision it as a place of curated and submitted prose, poetry and more that showcase the talents of our community.

What is Lexington & Jefferson?

Each edition we receive submissions of artwork, poetry, prose and other musings that we have trouble placing in the paper on their own and often have to simply hold or regrettably turn down.

We hope this becomes a welcome place for them.

This space will grow and change, as all things do, and we welcome talented individuals, organizations, authors, experts and artists to help curate this section. We are beginning to actively seek to publish an

annual literary journal. If interested, please reach out. We may also use this space for arts & culture news and submitted musings that don't quite fit within the bounds of a traditional column, profile or letter to the editor.

Get involved: If you're interested in submitting, curating or have ideas, please do not hesitate at all to submit them to us at: editor@valleysentinelnews.com

Lexington & Jefferson

LITERARY + ARTS & CULTURE SECTION

River Valley ARTS announces 2024 Creative Community, Artistic Development grant recipients

River Valley ARTS, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering creativity and supporting the arts in the community, recently announced their 2024 Creative Community and Artistic Development grant recipients. These grants, made possible by the generosity of members and donors, as well as a matching grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board, aim to stimulate creative programming and artistic development in the River Valley area. The recipients of the Creative Community Grants include:

• ChamberFest at the Spring Green

General Store, which received $1,000 to support their event on Saturday, August 17th.

• The newly formed River Valley Film Club, awarded $1,500 to fund a Summer Movie Series at the Gard.

• Rural Musicians Forum, granted $1,310 to support their concert on June 10th at the Hillside Theater.

• Spring Green Community Library, which received $1,000 to purchase materials and supplies for a community makerspace.

• Valley Sentinel, awarded $2,000

Musings from the End of the Rainbow

Just two “girls” sharing coffee and “She words” was

if she had another “incident” was one that she wasn’t willing to take.

I don’t recognize my life any n’t take off and go

doesn’t even realize that

to help fund a literary journal.

• Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center, granted $1,000 to offer a Ceramics Experience summer workshop.

Additionally, Artistic Development Grants were awarded to individuals:

• Marnie Bullock Dresser received $1,500 to adapt an original poem into a full-length play.

• Monica Kmak was granted $690 to attend workshops to further her ceramics skills and to attend an Art Education conference to share her knowledge

with fellow educators.

The Creative Community Grant program aims to stimulate creative and innovative arts programming in the community. Projects can encompass any artistic discipline and may include public exhibits, performances, publications, and educational activities.

Meanwhile, the Artistic Development Grant program emphasizes individual arts projects or artistic learning and development.

For more information about River Valley ARTS and their grant programs, visit rivervalleyarts.org.

Poetic Wonderer

. She doesn’t even remember the person a sonnet...of March...

In that old shadow of time - the once dark, When silence had traveled alone - as night; I thought myself to be unseen - a lost lark, Nesting early, in burned prairies, of death's delight;

In that old shadow of time - of Winter's death, I saw without believing in the hope of day; The darkness, like smoke, had stolen my breath, And the poetry left and burned - leaving nothing to say;

In that old shadow of time - it did bring, A pine's view of those fires kept smoldering; I sat beneath the old oak - a raven's wing, Fallen into existence - stillness - an echoing;

Grounded in ash - ancestral voices sing, Marking this time of March - this time for Spring.

a.thomas 20march2024

Village of Arena Board throws out police automatic aid agreement, replaces resident Public Safety Committee with majority board members

continued from page 1

Reimann did not specify when the ordinance redo would be completed or if she considered the measure taken by the board to have completed that action.

Law Enforcement Response Agreement

In an ongoing discussion of public safety in the village, Trustee Melissa Bandell proposed rescinding a longstanding agreement the Village of Arena has with Iowa County that provides automatic mutual aid when a call comes in for the Town of Arena. The agreement saved minutes in response time where an Arena police officer may otherwise be waiting in limbo for a mutual aid request from the County. On a motion by Doerflinger the board rescinded the agreement.

While it wasn’t clear from the meeting notice ahead of the meeting what action the board was contemplating taking on the law enforcement response agreement, if any, Bandell said she wanted to rescind the agreement based on her interpretation of Wisconsin Statute §66.0513.

“Wisconsin Statute §66.0513 tells us that we should be reimbursed and it tells us how we should be reimbursed. So if there is a call for service from Iowa County to deputize our police, this says that we

should get their wage, salary, pension— any other service—we get reimbursed for all that,” said Bandell. “So we are expected under state statute to pay our police officers when they leave the village. That is what statute says, that when they have a call for service they do lead, this is not mutual aid. This is deputizing our police. So that's a misnomer. It is not mutual aid. Our police have been deputized when they leave. In that instance, they are paid employees, and then we are to be reimbursed. And that's not currently happening. We need to be reimbursed. It's under state statute that we need to be paid. So in this case we would be paid by the county.”

Reimann agreed Arena should be reimbursed. When the Board asked Bandell if she had verified her interpretation of the statute with Municipal Attorney Paul Johnson, Bandell said no—but she insisted other municipalities got reimbursed like she was proposing.

Due to questions of interpretation, the board passed a motion stating they will consult with Johnson about the statute. Iowa County regularly provides police services to the Village of Arena, with Doerflinger himself being arrested and charged with Disorderly ConductDomestic and Battery on April 13 by the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office (with

I have been asked to briefly address the law enforcement mutual aid agreement between the Village of Arena and the Town of Arena, and also to address whether the public notice given by the Village Board of their taking up action on the agreement and on changes to its Public Safety Committee are sufficiently detailed under law. I’ll address the notice issue first. The most important case in this area is Buswell v. Tomah Area School District. In that case, the Wisconsin Supreme Court said that notice was expected under the statute to be reasonable, which is a complicated question: “The reasonableness standard requires taking into account the circumstances of the case in determining whether notice is sufficient. This includes analyzing such factors as the burden of providing more detailed notice, whether the subject is of particular public interest, and whether it involves non-routine action that the public would be unlikely to anticipate.”

These are typically cited factors but not the only possible ones. The goal of the statute is to give the public access to the greatest possible information, and notice may be insufficient merely for failure to note that action on an item is anticipated—in this case, the law enforcement response agreement item on the agenda failed to note any specific action was being contemplated by the board, including the resulting action of scrapping the agreement. It’s not easy to assess without context. Someone more interested in this is likely to have more information which might make a notice that is otherwise vague sufficient for those who have the greatest interest. I don’t think this action is completely unanticipated,

assistance from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office), according to a release by the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office.

Citizen Survey

The board also finalized a survey for Arena residents, which the board said they will use to guide their future decisions about police employment and budgeting. The mailed survey will present three options for residents, along with the estimated budget and tax burdens of each option.

Option A says “Maintain Current Structure: We continue with two fulltime and one part-time officers. (includes salaries, benefits, equipment, two vehicles, police dog and drone) … Annual budgeted amount: $195,968 … Tax amount per $100,000 of assessed value: $331.23.”

Option B says “One Full-Time Officer: Reduce to one full-time village of Arena officer. (includes salary, benefits, equipment, one vehicle) … Annual budgeted amount: $123,137 … Tax amount per $100,000 of assessed value: $208.13.”

Option C says “No Village of Arena Police Department: Arena would not maintain a local police department (police matters will be serviced by Iowa County). Arena will contract/hire for ordinance enforcement. (includes compensation for a maximum of 4 hours per week) … Annual budgeted amount: $12,480 … Tax amount per $100,000 of assessed value: $21.09.”

The tax burden for each option is calculated on the assessed value of a citizen’s property, meaning for every $100,000 a citizen’s property is worth, they will pay the listed estimated tax amount each year. For example, for option C, the cheapest option on the survey, a citizen with a house worth $200,000 will pay approximately $42.18 annually for the service.

The board decided to include a budget section on the survey where residents can rank basic public services they want prioritized over others. The five categories to be prioritized are police, fire/EMS, infrastructure (which includes water and sewer, roads and stormwater control),

business development and parks and recreation.

There will also be a box on the survey where residents can make comments to the board.

The survey will be mailed April 19 and must be returned by May 17. Each household in the village will receive one survey.

“[The survey] is going to give us a ton of valuable information. And if nothing else, it’ll determine how many torches and pitchforks are waiting for us outside, when we do this thing,” said Doerflinger, alluding to possible future actions of the board.

Fire and EMS agreement

The board also discussed the contract it shares with the Town of Arena to provide joint fire and EMS services to residents, the discussion focused on whether to renew the 2007 contract as is, or negotiate a new agreement between the two entities. The board ultimately voted to negotiate a new contract, after determining a variety of concerns with the current contract. However, Doerflinger originally made a motion to renew the existing contract, but rescinded later, citing a lack of information on the contract.

The board discussed concerns that the EMS budget was not being done according to statute, and suggested there should be separate budgets for fire services and EMS services, which includes all revenue from each.

Make up of fire board voting power was also an issue for the board. Under the current agreement, the joint fire board meets monthly and consists of two members from the township, one member from the village and one member from the fire department.

In the joint agreement, the village holds 30% ownership of the department, with the town holding 70%.

The village will work with their attorney to suggest a new contract, and is required to have notice of changes to the town by May 1. The agreement must be reviewed and renewed by August 1 of each year. The board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. April 22 at the Village Hall to discuss the fire and EMS contract.

but otherwise I think the notice is arguably insufficient. The big factor for me is always burden. Would it really have been so hard to spell things out a little more closely? I think secretaries and clerks try to make notices very brief and succinct just because that’s a style many people like, but the statute doesn’t care about saving paper. It would have been fairly easy to put a couple of lines of explanation there and there would be no issue.

Regarding the automatic aid agreement, I think the first thing you need to look at is Wisconsin Statute 175.46. State statutes authorize police agencies to enter into mutual aid agreements. So you may need to ask, if the police departments want to reach an agreement authorized under this statute, does the village even have the authority to stand in the way? Supposedly the only limitation is that the Department of Justice receives a copy for review. Of course the statutes also give plenary power to village boards, so there is a conflict here, but a court might say that because specific statutes are deemed to control over more general ones, there is a strong indication that the state legislature intended to give this as an unhindered power to police agencies to promote and facilitate mutual aid as a public good.

The Village is obviously concerned with payment for police services because it cites Wisconsin Statute 66.0513. That statute basically says, the police get paid for work lawfully ordered from outside their jurisdiction exactly as they would otherwise, but the ordering jurisdiction fully reimburses. There's a little detail on what kinds of benefits are covered, and what orders to work cause the statute to kick in, but it's basically: your boss still pays you and your

boss gets reimbursed. The statute is silent on how this happens. It is implied that the jurisdictions and officers will perform the necessary communication upon which the mandatory transactions are predicated. If I were advising a reimbursing jurisdiction, I would suggest paying an estimated amount even if no invoice were received, because the statute says shall. On the other hand, if they wanted to pass an ordinance making the mandatory payment contingent on getting a bill within 30 days, it's not so obviously wrong that I wouldn't defend it. In terms of its interaction with payment, a key part of section 66.0513 is that it only creates payment obligations for the work of an officer “required by command of the governor, sheriff or other superior authority to maintain the peace, or who responds to the request of the authorities of another municipality.” Nothing in this suggests a request or command must be case-by-case. There could be a standing request for assistance whenever certain conditions are met. A mutual aid agreement may stand as a kind of general request. If one department promises aid and the other department gives some consideration for that, it at least suggests that the aid is desired. One could say, “you requested these services when you made an agreement to obtain them.”

Without an agreement, what would happen? I don’t think there’s any way for the village to prevent the town from simply issuing a standing request that calls from its citizens be answered as they would if they came from Arena whenever law enforcement services are required.

An officer who responds to a request would

ordinarily only do so as authorized by their own department. The statute appears to say that they get paid for any response to a request from another municipality. It appears that theoretically, if say the Kenosha county sheriff were to issue an open call for assistance, an Arena officer would be entitled to pay for responding, even without authorization from the Arena PD. Of course, Arena is entitled to control its officers and could forbid this and penalize an officer (note that when I say “Arena” I do not necessarily mean the village board: penalization of officers is not a responsibility of the Board), but it does not appear under the statute that they could avoid payment, at least not if it is interpreted literally.

One other factor that floats over this is that officers are obviously directed by their own department, and their powers outside their jurisdiction might be limited. Common law gives them the same powers as citizens to arrest, and state statutes both give them broader powers when outside their jurisdictions, including emergency response powers, and also offers their departments the opportunity to expand those powers in specified ways by adopting departmental policy. All of this is in section 175.40. Just because police have powers does not mean that using them is required or requested, but having those powers in the first place is a precondition to exercising them, so that limits the range of police actions that we should be talking about in the first place.

This is my hot take on relatively short notice. It’s not intended as legal advice. —Gary Ernest

Grass, esq., Legal Editor

Legal Editor's Analysis

The law enforcement response agreement and the fire/EMS agreement, with QR codes inlaid.

Each edition, retired dairy farmer Barb Garvoille brings her musings on dairy farm life from her own years of experience on Lost Horizon Farm with her late husband Vince “Mr. Farmer” Garvoille. This mooving memoir focuses on 1980-2000, join Barb as she rises with the herd.

Reflections from Lost Horizon Farm — Cows to Remember (Part 2) process again, Mr. Farmer ran over, scooped up our crying child, and shooed the cow away. Fortunately, despite a few bruises, Rebecca was unscathed, and the incident did not translate into bovinophobia. Because Fava had revealed herself as untrustworthy, the very next morning she was loaded out and sent to the sale barn. Simply put, her behavior had sealed her fate.

Havana (con.)

Mr. Farmer thought if he could redirect Havana into the barn, we could somehow work the ladder off of her neck. He opened the barn doors widely and called: "Come, boss." What happened was the opposite of what he had planned. The whole herd ran into the barn followed by Havana. The sound made when she ran inside the barn, that clanging sound of the aluminum ladder banging into all the metal stanchion dividers, was further amplified and even more frightening to the cows. Terrified by the additional noise, the first ten cows kept running and ran right out the other end of the barn! They knocked over a 48 inch circular fan that was in the barn entrance in the process! We managed to slide the heavy solid front barn door shut, and despite the chaos of unpredictable movements from the remaining 30 frightened cows, Mr. Farmer somehow wrested the ladder off Havana's neck. As Havana and the other cows settled down and could be directed and locked in their stanchions, the 10 loose cows, who, by this time had run up the farm road and onto the county road, had to be turned and brought back to the farmstead. Peaches, our Golden Retriever of that time, had jumped into the back of the pickup truck during the fracas. As I jumped into the truck and gunned it to head out onto the county road to try and turn the runaway cows (which, amazingly, did happen), I left the inclined driveway so quickly that poor Peaches was propelled out of the truck bed and onto the gravel drive. In my haste to get the cattle home, I had failed to notice the truck’s end gate was not shut. Perhaps Peaches’ dog spirit was bruised, but, thankfully, nothing else was injured.

As unlikely as a repeat of this event might have been, we never again left an extension ladder in the barnyard when the cows were outside!

Frito

Some cows were very difficult to get bred back. They did not show heats (A farmer would call that phenomenon a “silent heat."). This was definitely not the case with Frito. When she was in heat, Frito would not only bellow as if there were no tomorrow, she would also hold her milk! She would have to be given a shot of oxytocin at milking time so that she would release her milk. Frito would always be remembered because she always got bred back right on schedule, and she always conceived with the first artificial insemination. A farmer could only dream of having a whole herd of cows just like that.

Fava

Extraordinarily tame cows can be dangerous cows because they lose their respect for humans. We remembered Fava because she was one of those animals.

Rebecca was young, and, as was often the case, accompanied her Dad in helping to bring the cows into the barn. As Mr. Farmer momentarily left our small child and went around the heifer building to direct one last cow homeward, Fava, uncharacteristically, broke from the herd, ran up to Rebecca, pushed her over, bunted her and threw her up into the air. As the cow was about to repeat the entire

Foxy

Foxy was long in body and extraordinarily tall in stature; she and Christine were undoubtedly the biggest cows we ever had. Foxy’s milk production was stellar. She was docile at all times except during milking. The "Can't Kick" would not work on her because, even with it on, she would jump up and down, like a bovine bronco, as soon as the milking machine was attached to her udder’s teats. In order to milk her successfully, the only thing we could do would be to employ a stout logging chain and securely wrap her midsection to the barn support post that was next to her stanchion. Foxy was a dilemma to us: We had always been able to work with an animal to gentle it, but Foxy could never accept being milked. We felt our safety eclipsed any high production record and determined that Foxy had to be shipped.

Christine

We called Christine, "Christine, the Bus," because she was huge. We estimated she weighed 1800 pounds. She was a boss cow; when Christine wanted to pass through, the other cows made way for her! In fact, every one of Christine's wishes was acceded to by her herdmates. Christine was forever remembered by the newest partner in the veterinary practice. On his initial visit to Lost Horizon Farm, the young veterinarian had left his stainless steel case on the barn walkway. Whatever he had been doing had badly frightened Christine. She had pulled out of her stanchion and stepped right on the veterinarian's case. The considerable dent she had made in the case was always jokingly referred to afterward as ''the mark of Christine."

Christine remained in the milking herd for a long time. One of her many heifer calves was quite diminutive, and we just had to name her: “Kristin, the Minibus.”

Sterjest

Sterjest was one of the few cows at Lost Horizon Farm that had been purchased as a calf from another farmer. Her purchase was a well-earned reward to our eldest daughter who had saved enough to buy a registered Brown Swiss newborn. For some reason having to do with her registration, the heifer calf’s name had to begin with the letters St. Wanting her calf to have a special name, Rebecca had reversed the syllables in Jester, added an st, and created the name Sterjest.

This cow distinguished herself by somehow getting her eyelid caught on the bolt of her tie stall neck chain. (Cows can get themselves hung up in ways a human could never imagine!)

The veterinarian who came to attend to her found the event not only novel and extraordinary but an ingredient for an interesting day. He had never treated a cow with an injury like this, and he liked the challenge of sewing up a different body part.

Mr. Farmer remembered Sterjest’s stubbornness. It was a trait she seemed to pass on to her calves. Every one of them was obstinate about being trained to drink milk from a nippled bottle. ...

Barb has called Lost Horizon Farm, just north of Spring Green, her home for the past 44 years. She is fond of all creatures (including snakes). Her joy stems from being able to be outdoors every day observing and treasuring the plant and animal life on her small piece of this planet. She loved milking cows and is proud to have been a dairy farmer.

Barb Garvoille, Columnist

Barb Garvoille

Photo contributed by Barb Garvoille Peaches in the box of Old Blue, the Chevy pickup.

The Sauk County Gardener

Growing Bigger Onions

“I am of the opinion that, in most cases, onions should be eaten in their raw form.

Why? Because they are magnificent.”

— Aesop Rock

I’m super excited – I just received the email that my onion transplants have shipped and will be arriving shortly. There was a time when I didn’t get excited about planting onions because mine just never grew well. My neighbor and fellow gardener, John Schubring, always gives me a hard time about my onions compared to his onions. He has successfully grown large onions year after year, putting my puny onions to shame. In fact, I should probably have him write this article about growing onions. All kidding aside, I started to grow bigger onions once I learned about planting the right ones and how to keep them healthy and productive. The first step to growing bigger onions is to select the right ones for the region you live in. For those of us in Wisconsin, long-day onions are the way to go. There are both sweet and storage onions that do well in our northern state that gets between

14-16 days of daylight in the summer. The sweet onions will typically mature several weeks before the storage onion varieties and will keep from 1-4 months. Some long-day storage onions can store up to 8-10 months. Some examples of long-day ones for storage are: Patterson, Red Zeppelin, and Red Wing; and for sweet: Walla Walla, and Sterling. Keep in mind, all onions require full sun for best development.

The next step is deciding how you want to grow them - from seed, transplants, or onion set (small bulbs). If you decide to go the seed route, plant them as soon as the soil is workable in your garden. Sow them ¼ to ½ inches deep in rows 12-18 inches apart. Thin them to 3-4 inches apart once the seedlings emerge. You can also plant onion transplants. I will admit, this is the way I go. I, along with a number of fellow master gardeners (and even my fellow gardener, John), order onion transplants for delivery in early to mid-April. Transplants can tolerate light frosts and can be planted when the temps reach about 50 degrees F. You could have started your own, but that needed to happen back in about February. If you started onions indoors, they can be

Creating a Cutting Garden for all Seasons

“Don’t wait for someone to bring you flowers. Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul.”

—Luther Burbank

Last weekend I potted up many of my tomatoes, planted my onions and worked in my shade garden. While in my shade garden, I noticed I had a decent number of blooms – hellebores, daffodils, and crocus – but not enough that I was willing to cut some for a bouquet. I have this same problem throughout the growing season; I dislike cutting flowers from my perennial beds as I worry there won’t be enough color left over. That is one of the reasons I created a cutting garden and why you might want to dedicate a section of your garden to one as well. If planned correctly, a cutting garden allows you to have blooms all season long without taking (much) from your existing flower beds. One key to creating a cutting garden is to plan for the entire growing season. For early spring, these flowers make great cut flowersdaffodils, jonquils, hyacinths, tulips, iris, and violas. There are lots of annual options to consider that can provide

blooms through most of the summer and fall seasons– here are just a few: celosia, zinnias, cosmos, sweet peas, and sunflowers. Dahlias and gladiolas are wonderful tuber/bulb options to add. One year, I dedicated a large section of my cutting garden just to dahlias so that I had enough flowers for my daughter’s wedding.

You can use some perennials to supplement your annual flowers such as astilbe, hostas (both the leaves and flowers), delphinium, peonies, iris, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, lilies, and asters. I would recommend keeping these in your regular garden beds or in a separate section of the cutting garden, so they do not get disturbed when planting your seeds and bulbs. When selecting cutting garden plants, choose ones that have strong stems, a long vase life, and generally lots of blooms when you cut.

Select flowers that offer variety in color, shape, form, texture, and fragrance. Forms that are spiky (salvia, sea holly, astilbe), globe-shapes (gomphrena or alliums), and umbrella (yarrow, queen Anne’s lace, dill) will create interesting forms in your displays. If you’re tight on

transplanted in May. Trim the roots to ½ inch, the tops to 4 inches, and plant 2 inches deep, 3-4 inches apart. You can also plant onions from sets. If you go this route, plant them as soon as the soil is workable.

Once you’ve planted them, you need to keep them happy in order for them to produce large bulbs. Onions need constant moisture (at least one inch of water each week) for good growth. You also need to control the weeds, so they do not compete for nutrients with the onions. Once the onions are about six inches tall, side dress them with superphosphate and then again 3-4 weeks later. Side dressing is done by sprinkling super-phosphate at the base of the plants, taking care to not get any on the onion stalks so they burn. Phosphorus will affect the growth and yield of onions, including the number of leaves, plant height and bulb diameter – a.k.a. bigger onions. You can also use blood meal, but Phyllis Both, the previous Sauk County Horticulture Extension advisor swore by super-phosphate.

You will also need to manage insect pests such as onion maggots, onion flies, and thrips. Interplant your onions with

space, select plants with complimentary colors so that you have enough blooms to create flattering bouquets. With that in mind, don’t forget about filler plants. You can get some of it from your perennial beds but here are some other options: bells of Ireland, dusty miller, honeywort, nigella (love-in-the-mist), baby’s breath, and a variety of ornamental grasses. You can also select native plants such as bee balm and black-eyed Susans to add color and filler to your bouquets. Another tip is to select flowers that bloom over and over when their flowers are cut. Look for varieties that say “cutand-come-again”. Zinnias and dahlias offer these options. Also, stagger your planting time so you can get a succession of blooms. Plant every 2-3 weeks another batch of flower seeds.

When you set up your cutting garden, consider production and efficiency of harvesting. Growing rows and tightly spaced are best. You just need to leave enough room to weed, deadhead, and harvest the blooms. You also need to consider location. Most cutting gardens need full sun – 6 hours or more and well-drained soil. If you don’t have that

River Valley Area Community Gardens — Wanted: Junior Gardeners

carrots, beets, lettuce, and spinach to help deter these pests. Onions are susceptible to Fusarium basal rot, Botrytis neck rot, and bacterial soft rot. Look for varieties that are resistant to these diseases, use crop rotation, and harvest your ones on dry, cool days to limit the diseases after harvesting. Keep these things in mind, and you too, may grow onions as large as John’s.

space in your yard, you can create that same environment using some large containers. Another option is to grow some in your vegetable garden as they will not only be available for cutting but can also attract pollinators or deter pests. Creating a cutting garden is not hard with a little planning. Now if I could just get comfortable cutting the flowers that I planted for that very purpose, I’d be making progress.

Students in Grades 5-12 are eligible for FREE 10’ x 10’ garden plots at the Spring Green Area Community Gardens, 900 N Westmor, Spring Green (behind Rings Classic Auto Body). Water, fertilizer, and mulch are included as well as the use of community tools. Mentors are available to teach gardening skills. More information can be found at www.rvacg.org/students. Application forms are available online: www.rvacg.org or you may request one at info@rvacg.org or 608-588-6040. Application deadline is May 31, 2024. All are welcome!

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Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certified Master Gardener

Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certified Master Gardener

Photo contributed by Jeannie Manis Onion from John Schubring's 2023 garden. Hand length from heel of hand to end of pinkie is 5".

Photo contributed by Jeannie Manis A bouquet of cut Dahlias and Cosmos.

An Outdoorsman’s Journal

Mark Walters, Columnist

Wisconsin

Hello friends,

Every once in a while, I have to get out of actual hunting, fishing, camping, canoeing and backpacking and write about something different. This week I am writing to you about the Wisconsin Conservation Congress annual spring hearings and I will touch on a few of the 49 proposals that were voted on and will be sent to the seven-citizen Natural Resources Board, which sets DNR policy. Due to space constraints I have to be short on each topic, I will give my thoughts on most proposals and I feel it is important to inform you that what I mention, at least for now, will not become law.

A proposal to change the opening of trout inland stream, spring and spring pond opener from the first Saturday in May to the first Saturday in April. If this becomes law, the reasoning is that more opportunities would be offered for trout fishermen. I agree 100-percent, my energy for trout fishing is not nearly as strong in the summer as it is in the spring.

Here is a common-sense advisory question. Currently if you harvest a whitetail deer under Wisconsin’s quartering rule and this is primarily for public land hunters. If you harvest a deer and wish to quarter it in the field, you also have to haul everything but the entrails back to your vehicle. Allowing some parts of the deer to be left in the field, forest, marsh will allow hunters to hunt further from the car and actually help with CWD as those parts will not be distributed in an area where they possibly should not be distributed.

“Keep Cats Indoors” education! One of the greatest causes of unnatural mortality in wild birds is house cats allowed to roam free, the current practice called TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) involves releasing trapped cats back into the wild after neutering them. Even when declawed, one cat can kill several dozen wild birds a year. My feelings on this will get me some hate mail. Feral cats are an enemy in the forest, they are a non-native species that are very good at killing.

Ban live scopes and 360-degree imaging in all Wisconsin waters. This is a tough one. This technology enables

fishermen to find fish in a reliable way. The end result could result in lower bag limits and with time that honestly could happen. On the other hand, what other technology would you allow or ban? My thought, no action on a ban for now but leave the door open.

Voluntary asset tag on canoes and kayaks. This proposal has been around awhile. In the world we live in, nonmotorized watercraft are one of the simplest, most inexpensive, and least maintenance ways to enjoy the water. Ask someone from Minnesota how much they enjoy registering their kayaks and canoes. I’m not a fan of this one.

FYI, the new Wisconsin inland walleye limit is 3 daily but if you go to another body of water to catch your 4th and 5th walleye it is 5. I learned that at this meeting and was impressed, bottom line, now the law.

Finally, there is a fair chance that lake sturgeon will be put on the federal endangered species list, this is not a state issue, but the state would have to follow the Endangered Species Act. This is similar to wolf being on the endangered species list which means the state WDNR in our case has no say over

harvest or should I say no harvest.

The walleye and sturgeon topics are just make you think and read subjects

Get outside, have some fun!

Sunset

Follow along the adventures of Mark Walters, a syndicated outdoor adventure columnist who lives in Necedah, Wisconsin. He began writing his column, An Outdoorsman’s Journal, in 1989. It includes hunting, fishing, lots of canoeing and backpacking. He currently writes for around 60 newspapers. He hopes you enjoy reading about his adventures!

Did you know...

K.A.M.O. is a unique group that provides Wisconsin communities with outdoor education activities for children and families. These activities are provided year around and are free to all participants. KAMO’s kids are generally between 5 – 15.

Learn more at kamokids.org

In order to continue running his outdoors column, we need sponsor(s) to fill the space in print and online so we can continue to support Mark in his adventures and follow along. This space is premium placement top-of-mind awareness, perfect for both businesses that engage with the outdoors or businesses whose customers engage with the outdoors. Only $150 per edition. May be divided into two or three spots among businesses, inquire by email.

Photo contributed by Mark Walters There is a chance that lake sturgeon could be put on the Federal Endangered Species List!

Conservation Congress/ Spring Hearings

Photo contributed by Mark Walters Walters votes a strong “No” on potentially having to register canoes and kayaks!

Photo contributed by Mark Walters The opening of the inland trout stream may change from the 1st Saturday in May to the 1st Saturday in April!