The Thorp Courier

At their March 17 meeting, the Thorp School Board approved the hiring of Dan Sutton as the school’s fitness center manager. It was also announced that the date of Thorp High School graduation will be Friday, May 28. The plan is to hold graduation on the football field, similar to last year. Each graduate will receive tickets for eight guests and the valedictorian will be allowed to invite 10 guests. +++ Minnesota based auto parts distributor and store group, named Mandy Balk of Thorp Auto Value as recipient of the 2020 Auto Value – Impact Player of the Year Award. +++ Congratulations to the Thorp Elementary students for raising a total of $3,000 for the JDRF Fundraiser (JDRF is the leading global organization funding Type 1 diabetes research).

Courier Sentinel

The Cornell Winery is given a chance! After holding a second meeting, the Cornell Board of Zoning Appeals decided it would issue a Conditional Use Permit for the agriculturally zoned property of Dan Osborn, to be used for the sole purpose of a winery – making wine and bottling it. He is in the process of being approved by the Wisconsin Alcohol & Tobacco Enforcement Office. Osborn was informed that he is responsible for making sure all permits are obtained and on file in city hall. He was admonished by one board member, “No screw ups!” +++ BINGO is back in Cadott!! The Cadott Community Association held HAM BINGO on March 19, with the winner of each round taking home a ham. The Cadott Lions Club is planning another afternoon of senior citizen BINGO on Sunday, April 18, from 1-3 pm, at Halfway Hall.

Bloomer Advance

Bloomer High School was closed on Friday, March 26 due to lingering smoke from a small fire in the woodshop area of the school. Superintendent Brian Misfeldt said the fire was in a small garbage can and the damage to the school was minimal. +++ St. John’s Catholic Church in Cooks Valley celebrated their redecorated church sanctuary on Palm Sunday. Work on the project began on December 28, 2020, when volunteers emptied the nave, balcony and sacristies making ready for the painters and carpenters. +++ The Annual Kid’s Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Bloomer Chamber, was held at the Bloomer Fair Grounds on Saturday, April 3. +++ Alyxandra Lunemann from New Auburn became the first female Eagle Scout in Chippewa County on Tuesday, March 2. She is the third Eagle Scout in her family. Her older brothers, Forest and Colton, became Eagle Scouts in 2012. She is also the youngest Eagle Scout, at age 13, in the Chippewa Valley.

The Sentinel & Rural News

Joe Feldbruegge, owner of Feldbraegge Insurance Agency in Abbotsford, recently presented the O-W-C Fires Department with a $1,000 donation that will be used towards the purchase of a defibrillator for use in the department’s new ambulance. +++ Brandi Arndt of Owen won $268.50 for her best estimate in the Mill Pond Ice-Out Contest. Friends of the Old School placed a lifeguard chair, with orange sideboards on the pond and the winner was the one guessing closest to the date and time when the sideboards were submerged. The winner picked March 21 at 8:15 a. m. and that met the criteria of the sponsors of the contest.

Tribune Phonograph

Developer, Straight Shot Investment Group of Spencer, has agreed to undertake a two-phase construction project that would result in the building of 11 townhomes in an Abbotsford subdivision. +++ A Marathon County spokesperson said a significant drop in new COVID-19 cases since a spike in November 2020 could be evidence of a partial herd immunity O-W Enterprise At a recent meeting with Representatives Jesse James and Donna Rozar, Cindy Cardinal, Associate Editor of the O-W Enterprise newspaper appeared and talked about AB60 which would change the rules so that local municipalities and school boards no longer have to print meeting minutes in the newspaper and allow them to put them on their websites. Among the points she made was that the public should not have to seek out information. Government should deliver it to them. The public notice process exists to provide independent third party oversight of government; it is about accountability and checks and balances. She also stated that “Newspapers provide a permanent record of what takes place. Copies are in our office, at the State Historical Society and at both the Owen and Withee Public Library.”