A public involvement meeting for the reconstruction of state Highway 22 between 13th Street and state Highway 156/Green Tree Road in Clintonville will take place from 5-7 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Clintonville Community Center, 30 S. Main St. A brief presentation is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. followed by an open house format by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

According to the DOT, the pavement on North Main Street, part of Highway 22, has reached the end of its service life. The proposed project will reconstruct the roadway. There will be modifications to the intersection of Main Street and Green Tree Road. Additonal improvements include replacing curb and gutter, sidewalks, storm sewer and street lighting.

During construction, the city of Clintonville plans to replace the city water main and sanitary sewer systems.

The objective of the meeting is to provide residents with updated information regarding proposed improvements, right of way needs, and acquisitions. The DOT is also seeking input and feedback on proposed traffic management strategies during construction.

Construction of this section of Main Street is currently scheduled for 2017, but may occur as early as 2016. The planned improvements require that the highway be closed during construction. During the closure, traffic will be detoured via Seventh Street, North Lyons Street, East 12th Street, SSGT Warren Hansen Drive and Highway 156.

Anyone with questions, comments or suggestions can attend the meeting.

For those who cannot attend but would like to comment on the project, contact Roxann Cuty at 715-421-8081 or by email at Roxann.Cutydot.wi.gov.

Gov. Scott Walker and the Forest County Potawatomi have signed a compact amendment that would formally require the state to ensure the tribe receives payments for any losses its Milwaukee casino might suffer if the Menominee Nation opens a competing facility in Kenosha.

A trio of arbitrators handed the amendment to the state and Potawatomi last month, according to the Wisconsin Department of Administration and the tribe. The governor stressed in a Nov. 25 letter alerting the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs about the agreement that the deal doesn’t indicate whether he supports or opposes the Kenosha project.

The bureau has 45 days to accept the amendment, reject it or take no action, which would in effect amount to approval.

Walker has said the Kenosha casino could cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars over multiple years. R. Lance Boldrey, an attorney Walker’s administration hired to handle the dispute, said in a letter to Assistant Secretary of Interior for Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn that the deal may violate Wisconsin’s constitution. He said the governor doesn’t have the power to create annual spending obligations.

The Menominee has been pushing to open an off-reservation casino for more than 20 years, saying it would help pull the tribe out of poverty. Last year, the Bureau of Indian Affairs granted the tribe permission to build a casino in Kenosha, but Walker has the final say as governor.

Walker, who has until Feb. 19 to make a decision, has said he won’t approve the project unless the state’s 11 other tribes sign off. The Potawatomi has been fiercely opposed to the idea.

That tribe’s 2005 gambling compact with the state requires Wisconsin to reimburse it for losses linked to Kenosha. The tribe has refused to make its $25 million annual payment to the state out of concerns Wisconsin will end up owing the tribe if Walker approves the Kenosha casino. The Potawatomi has argued the compact also requires the state to refund as much as $100 million to the tribe if the governor gives the Kenosha project the green light.

The deal requires both sides to enter arbitration to determine both the state and tribe’s rights and obligations. The compact amendment the arbitrators approved on Nov. 21 requires the state to fully reimburse the Potawatomi for its losses and lays out a mechanism for the two sides to calculate annual losses.

The Menominee has offered to make the reimbursements to the Potawatomi, but the amendment says the state would still be responsible for making sure the Potawatomi get paid.

The Ho-Chunk Nation also opposes the Kenosha casino. Under that tribe’s current gambling compact, its payments to the state would decrease by how much it loses due to the new facility.

Potawatomi Attorney General Jeff Crawford issued a statement Tuesday evening saying the tribe continues to oppose the Kenosha project and “believes Gov. Walker will ultimately find that this project is not in the best interest of Wisconsin.”

The Menominee issued a statement saying the tribe was pleased with the arbitration and that completing the process removes a major hurdle the governor faced before giving final approval.

Shawano County’s Public Safety Committee Wednesday put an end to the Sheriff’s Department’s plans to seek a mine resistant armored personnel carrier, known in shorthand as MRAP.

The vehicle had been a contentious issue in the race for sheriff, with incumbent Randy Wright promoting it as a safety tool for the department’s Special Response Team.

Sheriff-elect Adam Bieber, who defeated Wright in the August primary and the November election when Wright ran as a write-in, opposed the vehicle, calling it “excessive and impractical.”

The committee voted 4-0 to halt any further efforts to secure the vehicle.

“I would make a motion that it doesn’t happen in Shawano County because all the other counties are getting rid of them,” said Supervisor Bert Huntington, committee chairman.

Supervisor Richard Ferfecki said the public attitude has lately turned against military vehicles in the hands of law enforcement.

“It seems like the police departments that do have them, they’re getting a lot of heat from the citizens about getting too militarized,” he said.

Wright did not attend Wednesday’s meeting.

Bieber, who will take office on Jan. 5, attended the meeting, but did not comment about the MRAP.

The Sheriff’s Department would have gotten the vehicle by paying an annual $500 membership fee to Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM), which would have allowed the department to obtain available military equipment.

The department had already been approved for the vehicle by WEM but also needed federal approval, which had not yet come through.

“It’s not on the way. We’ve never been approved to this point, anyhow,” said Chief Deputy John Gutho.

As proposed, the department would have paid transportation costs to deliver the vehicle from Texas, and would have paid for outfitting the vehicle with radios and other equipment. The cost would have been funded by asset forfeitures.

The department also would have paid an estimated $300 a year for maintenance, which would have been done by the county Highway Department.

The Sheriff’s Department currently borrows similar armored vehicles when needed from Brown and Marathon counties.

The Clintonville Police Department has announced the addition of its new K-9 police dog Chero (pronounced Kar-O) to the force.

Chero is a purebred German shepherd from the Czech Republic and was purchased through the Fox-Tal Training Academy in Black Creek.

Chero started training on Nov. 10 with his handler, Officer Chris Wendorf, and is being trained as a dual-purpose police dog that will be skilled in narcotics detection, as well as search and protection tactics. Chero will begin his patrol duties after completion of his first five-week phase of training on December 12th.

After Chero has gained experience on the street, he and Wendorf will begin the second five weeks of the training in early spring. Chero will reside with Wendorf and his wife, Cheryl, in the city.

The police department’s K-9 program operates on donations and fund raising efforts. Donations cans are placed at businesses throughout the community. Financial contributions can be dropped off or mailed to the Clintonville Police Department at 35 S. Clinton Ave., Clintonville, WI 54929.

Shawano Police Department

Dec. 3

Police logged 20 incidents, including the following:

Theft — Christmas decorations were reported stolen in the 100 block of East Maurer Street.

Reckless Driving — Police responded to a reckless driving complaint at County Road B and Airport Drive.

Accident — Police responded to a vehicle versus deer crash at Airport Drive and state Highway 29.

Hit and Run — Police responded to a property damage hit-and-run at Maiden Lane and Maurer Street.

Shawano County Sheriff’s Department

Dec. 3

Deputies logged 35 incidents, including the following:

Juvenile — Authorities responded to a juvenile problem on North Shore Lane in Wescott.

Disorderly — Authorities responded to a disorderly conduct complaint at Bonduel Middle/High School, 400 W. Green Bay St. in Bonduel.

Sex Offense — A reported sex offense in Mattoon was under investigation.

Fraud — Authorities investigated an Internet fraud complaint on Church Street in Bonduel.

Accidents — Authorities logged seven accidents, including four deer-related crashes.

Clintonville Police Department

Dec. 3

Police logged 11 incidents, including the following:

Burglary — A burglary was reported on 11th Street.

Suspicious — Police responded to a report of a suspicious incident on East Second Street.

Suspicious — Police responded to a report of a suspicious incident on West Third Street.

Accident — Officers and an ambulance responded to a vehicle versus pedestrian accident on Main at 12th Street.

Though total accumulations have been only slightly more than three inches since the snow began falling late last month, according to the National Weather Service, the intermittent snowfalls have given the city an early opportunity to take its new snow removal policy out for a test drive.

The policy, which sets plowing priorities and varying levels of response for the Public Works Department, was adopted by the Shawano Common Council last month and is aimed at making sure the city is using its resources efficiently.

The policy lays out three levels of response, depending on the amount of snow that falls, with the city’s 60 miles of streets prioritized “based on function, traffic volume, and importance to the overall welfare of the community.”

The first level, Code Yellow, addresses snowfalls of less than one inch and generally doesn’t include any plowing at all, under the policy.

Mostly, Code Yellow calls for the use of sand and salt, but some intermittent plowing might be done near heavy traffic intersections if necessary.

The second level, Code Blue, goes into effect for snowfalls between one and two inches and calls for snow removal operations to commence for high volume, arterial routes that connect major sections of the city and provide access for fire, police, medical services, schools and commercial business.

Sand and salt, as well as some additional plowing, will also be done to address problem areas.

Medium volume and low-volume residential streets, as well as municipal parking facilities, are generally not covered under Code Blue.

The highest level, Code Red, goes into effect for any snowfall of more than two inches, or when drifting snow and icy conditions require it.

Code Red calls for Public Works staff to break into 11 plowing routes to cover high, medium and low-volume streets. Salt and sand can also be used at the plow driver’s discretion, depending on road conditions.

According to the policy, some of the responses can be changed to deal with particular weather conditions, but the new focus under the policy will be to maintain safe driving conditions rather than providing bare pavement.

Shawano Police Department

Dec. 4

Police logged 37 incidents, including the following:

Juvenile — Police responded to a juvenile problem in the 1000 block of South Lutz Street.

Reckless Driving — Police responded to a reckless driving complaint in the 1400 block of Waukechon Street.

Theft — Police investigated two separate complaints of theft at Walmart, 1244 E. Green Bay St.

Juvenile — Police logged 18 truancy complaints from Shawano Community High School, 220 County Road B.

Suspicious — Police responded to a suspicious vehicle complaint at Kwik Trip, 1241 E. Green Bay St.

Disturbance — Police responded to a report of a fight in progress at Shawano Community High School, 220 County Road B.

Disturbance — Police responded to a domestic disturbance in the 1500 block of Estates Lane.

Shawano County Sheriff’s Department

Dec. 4

Deputies logged 40 incidents, including the following:

Haz-Mat — Bonduel police and fire responded to a spill of about 30 gallons of diesel fuel at Kwik Trip, 102 Express Way in Bonduel, after a gas pump handle fell out of a truck tank.

Assault — Authorities responded to an assault complaint on North Shore Lane in Wescott.

Juvenile — Authorities responded to a juvenile problem on Oriole Road in Wittenberg.

Drug Offense — Authorities investigated a drug complaint involving a juvenile on Hemlock Road in Wittenberg.

Trespass — Authorities responded to a trespassing complaint on Stony Hill Road in Pella.

Assault — Authorities responded to an assault complaint on County Road S in Lessor.

Accidents — Authorities logged seven accidents, including four deer-related crashes.

Tenants have been moving into the Historic Lincoln School Apartments since restoration was completed in September, but on Friday the developer behind the project hosted an official grand opening and ribbon-cutting attended by dozens of community and business leaders.

“This is a way of thanking all the key players that made it happen,” said Louie Lange III, founder of Commonwealth Development Corp. of Fond du Lac.

Commonwealth approached the Shawano School District in 2012 with an offer to purchase the property for renovation into an apartment building that would maintain the historic characteristics of the former Lincoln School at 237 S. Sawyer St. in Shawano.

The School Board agreed to sell the property for $110,000.

It took more than a year after that before Commonwealth was assured of the tax credits and financing to go forward.

Lange said the school district and the city were willing to gamble with Commonwealth and funding going through and allow the property to be tied up in limbo in the interim.

Shawano Mayor Lorna Marquardt said it was a gamble that paid off.

“On behalf of the city of Shawano and its residents, we would like to say a resounding thank you to Commonwealth,” she said. “Thank you for taking this lovely historic building and turning it into a new home for the holidays and many years beyond. Within these walls, there are many lasting memories.”

The ceremony was held in the community room of the apartment building, which used to be the school gymnasium and still retains the basketball hoops and floor markings.

“This is really a wonderful project,” said Deby Dehn, business development officer with Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA).

“I love walking through and seeing the apartments with the high ceilings and all the light flowing in. It’s really, really nice,” she said.

The project will receive $2.86 million over the next 10 years through a WHEDA program designed to increase affordable housing statewide.

The restoration of the former school, named to state and federal historic registers, began in the spring and was completed in September.

It includes 16 apartments in the building, plus an additional eight cottage units constructed on the property. The two-bedroom units are approximately 1,000 to 1,300 square feet, and the three-bedroom units are between 1,200 and 1,600 square feet.

The total cost of the project for both the cottage homes and restoration of Lincoln School was $5.2 million.

As of Friday, all but one of the property’s 24 units had been rented, according to Lange.

The 31,826-square-foot Lincoln School was built in 1924. It was retired in 2010 after Hillcrest Primary School was completed and students were moved there and to the remodeled Olga Brener Intermediate School.

Commonwealth Development, which specializes in housing projects, has done similar renovation projects — including an elementary school in Rhinelander now called the Historic West Elementary Apartments and a maternity ward in Milwaukee that was turned into a 51-unit apartment complex.

The Shawano Common Council adopted the first complete overhaul of its zoning code in more than 30 years on Wednesday, along with a new zoning map, both of which will go into effect on Jan. 1.

The council’s vote, postponed from last month to allow for additional public comment, came after an unsuccessful effort by a Realtors’ group to gain another delay.

“This is a very complex ordinance,” said Jennifer Sundstrom, government affairs director for the Realtors Association of Northeast Wisconsin. “More importantly, this is a big change for the city of Shawano.”

Sundstrom recommended that city officials meet with local Realtors to go through the code to ensure the new rules don’t discourage businesses that might want to locate in the city or make it more difficult for small business to make improvements.

“I think those discussions would be worthy of more time,” she said.

Some council members questioned why those concerns weren’t brought forward previously during the two years that an ad hoc committee and a consultant were working on the zoning code rewrite.

“All of our meetings were open to the public and everyone was invited,” said Alderwoman Sandy Steinke. “Where was this feedback two years ago?”

The city received a lengthy memo from Realtor Terry Hilgenberg this week, detailing nearly 140 questions and concerns about the new zoning code.

The council and consultant Mike Slavney of Vandewalle and Associates spent about an hour Wednesday going through the points Hilgenberg raised. About 40 of Hilgenberg’s proposed changes to the code, mainly cleaning up or expanding on some of the language, were adopted by the council.

The city had not heard objections from anyone else, according to Mayor Lorna Marquardt.

“Other Realtors are apparently satisfied,” she said. “They didn’t come forward.”

Slavney also noted that the proposed new code has been available at City Hall and online since August and many of the proposals have been available to the public for review for more than a year.

Slavney said the new code was aimed at promoting growth and redevelopment, not at making it more difficult for property owners.

He said the new code provides more detail for property owners and will make it easier for city staff to work with property owners to accomplish their goals.

Slavney said the code can also be amended if necessary.

“This isn’t set in stone,” he said.

Among the biggest changes that will go into effect in January, the new code tosses the “legal nonconforming” designation for properties that don’t fit in with the zoning in their neighborhoods. The change would make the properties legally conforming and make it easier for property owners to get loans to make improvements or sell the properties.

The change applies only to physical characteristics, not unauthorized uses, such as a business being run out of a home, which would still require a permit and be subject to limitations.

One of the flaws in the city’s existing code, according to city officials, are a number of areas where existing property uses don’t match their zoning.

The code also puts a premium on landscaping for any new development, setting a score that proposed developments would have to meet. They would get points toward the score for various types of landscaping included in the site plan.

The requirement applies to new development and to those portions of existing properties that are significantly remodeled or expanded.

The code reserves its most rigid requirements for downtown Shawano, which under the proposed new zoning map would run from the 100 block of North Main Street to Presbyterian Street on the south and would promote two-story storefront buildings with no setback from the sidewalk.

Any proposed renovations, designs or projects in that area would be closely scrutinized by the city, down to which storefront colors would be appropriate.

The code was last adopted in October 1983. Though it has been frequently amended, this is the first complete overhaul in 31 years.

The city budgeted $50,000 for the project.

Multiple agencies were responding Wednesday to flooding concerns along the Wolf River in Keshena, after the banks formed an ice jam, due to recent rising temperatures.

An ice jam is formed when water levels rise due to formations of ice that meets ground level. It could result in local and regional flooding causing damage to buildings.

Emergency management officials with both Menominee County and the Menominee Tribal Office, and local businesses have placed 1,000 sandbags, with 2,000 more on reserve, along the Wolf River on state Highway 47.

Emergency management coordinator Ben Warrington of the Menominee Tribal Office said there were indications of potential flooding since the end of November.

“We have started seeing the rising floodwaters along the Wolf River area from Keshena Falls all the way down to Keshena since the week of Thanksgiving,” Warrington said.

Emergency Management officials from both agencies began responding to reports from businesses and property owners at the beginning of this month.

“It really started affecting the downtown area after the Thanksgiving holiday, right around Dec. 1, then it started affecting the properties in downtown Keshena,” Warrington said.

Additionally, the Town of Menominee Fire Department and Menominee Tribal Police have assisted emergency management officials, Warrington said.

Businesses began adding sandbags last weekend, and residents have reported flooded basements, he said.

“Right now, we are not seeing any damages, nothing to the building structures, we still got at least another six to eight inches for the water to rise and get into the businesses,” Warrington said.

Property owners have responded with increased use of sump pumps, and doing proactive work to prevent potential fires.

“We do have some property owners to the north that have water in their basements and their sump pumps are running, and we have one property owner with three sump pumps running,” Warrington said.

With temperatures expected to rise into the mid-40s by the weekend, emergency management officials are remaining proactive, with the Tribal office expected to receive an additional 8,000 sandbags within the next 48 hours.

“There are a number of people affected. We got people in their homes raising their furnaces off the ground in their basements so they can still stay in their homes,” Warrington said.

Warrington credited officials and agencies in the city of Shawano, the general public, and Menominee County agencies for offering assistance.

“We are going to still keep monitoring, and we have gotten a huge outpouring of support from the public from different agencies, including the county and the tribe,” Warrington said. “We have had the mayor of Shawano, Lorna Marquardt, offering assistance, and the Shawano Fire Department has offered assistance.”

“Our ultimate goal is to keep these people in their homes,” Warrington said.

Indian tribes can grow and sell marijuana on their lands as long as they follow the same federal conditions laid out for states that have legalized the drug, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday.

Some advocates said the announcement could open new markets across the country and give rise to a rich new business on reservations, not unlike the advent of casino gambling. Others said it was too early to tell; many tribes oppose legalization, and only a handful of tribes have expressed any interest in the marijuana business.

Oregon U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall said that the Justice Department policy addresses questions raised by tribes about how legalization of pot in states like Oregon, Washington and Colorado would apply to Indian lands.

“That’s been the primary message tribes are getting to us as U.S. attorneys,” Marshall said from Portland. “What will the U.S. as federal partners do to assist tribes in protecting our children and families, our tribal businesses, our tribal housing? How will you help us combat marijuana abuse in Indian Country when states are no longer there to partner with us?”

Whether tribal pot could become a major bonanza rivaling tribal casinos is a big question. Marshall said only three tribes — one each in California, Washington state and the Midwest — have voiced any interest. She did not identify them.

Seattle attorney Anthony Broadman, whose firm represents tribal governments throughout the West, said the economic potential is vast. “If tribes can balance all the potential social issues, it could be a really huge opportunity,” Broadman said.

Many in Indian Country are wary of compounding existing drug and alcohol problems by growing and selling pot.

The Yakama Nation in Washington state recently banned marijuana on the reservation and is trying to halt state regulated pot sales and grows on lands off the reservation where it still holds hunting and fishing rights. The Hoopa Valley Tribe in Northern California has battled illegal pot plantations on its reservation that have damaged the environment.

In South Dakota, the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council this year rejected a proposal to allow marijuana.

Oglala Sioux tribal Councilwoman Ellen Fills the Pipe, chairwoman of the council’s Law and Order Committee, said Thursday she needs to review the federal policy more thoroughly but that given her long background in law enforcement, she opposes loosening marijuana laws.

“For me, it’s a drug,” Fills the Pipe said. “My gut feeling is we’re most likely going to shoot it down.”

In Oregon, former Klamath Tribes chairman Jeff Mitchell said communities everywhere deal with drug and alcohol issues, and tribes are likely to proceed carefully.

“I have confidence in tribal government that they will deal with it appropriately and they’ll take into consideration social and legal aspects, as well as other implications that go along with bringing something like that into a community,” Mitchell said.

Marshall warned that marijuana is still illegal under federal law. Problems could arise for tribes with lands in states that outlaw marijuana due to the likelihood that pot would be transported or sold outside tribal boundaries, she said.

Tribes selling marijuana may not be subject to state and local taxes, allowing them to undercut off-reservation sales. In Washington, heavy taxes on recreational pot have pushed the price to about twice the price at medical marijuana dispensaries.

Alison Holcomb, a primary drafter of Washington state’s legalization measure, said most people in larger states won’t want to drive to far-flung reservations to buy pot. “The reality is that so much of the market depends on convenience; it’s not just price that drives consumer choices,” Holcomb said.

John Evich disagreed. He runs one of the five legal marijuana stores in the northwest Washington city of Bellingham, near the Nooksack and Lummi Indian reservations. When he chewed tobacco, he said, he used to stop at the Nooksack reservation to stock up because it was about 30 percent cheaper there. He had little doubt people would do the same if tribes began selling pot.

The Nooksack and Lummi tribes did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Thursday.

Marshall said with 566 tribes around the country recognized by the federal government, there will be a lot of consulting going on between tribal leaders and federal prosecutors. As sovereign nations, some tribes have their own police, some rely on federal law enforcement, and some call in state and local police.

With limited resources and vast amounts of territory to cover, federal prosecutors will not prosecute minor cases, Marshall said.

The tribal policy is based on an August 2013 Justice Department announcement that the federal government wouldn’t intervene as long as legalization states tightly regulate the drug and take steps to keep it from children, criminal cartels and federal property.

U.S. attorneys also reserve the right to prosecute trafficking, firearms violations and possession of marijuana on federal property.

A rally has been planned in Kenosha next week aimed at showing support for the Menominee Tribe’s efforts to open a casino there.

The Kenosha Rally for Jobs will be held from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday at the Dairyland Greyhound Track, where the tribe hopes to open its Menominee-Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The event will be hosted by state Rep. Samantha Kerkman, R-Burlington.

“I have been an outspoken supporter of the casino from the onset and am happy to rally for jobs and increased economic activity in southeastern Wisconsin,” Kerkman said.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has approved the tribe’s application, but it still needs Gov. Scott. Walker’s approval.

Gary Besaw, chairman of the Menominee Kenosha Gaming Authority, said the tribe is grateful for the public support being shown.

“This rally will represent yet another demonstration of our efforts to bring good paying jobs to Southeast Wisconsin while providing top-notch entertainment for visitors who come to our state,” he said.

The tribe and Hard Rock have joined with the College of Menominee Nation and Gateway Technical College to initiate the creation of a jobs institute providing necessary training for the hotel and casino. Representatives from both colleges will be on hand at the rally, as will employment assistance personnel from both Kenosha and Racine counties.

More than 1,800 job seekers have already registered online, according to the tribe.

The tribe says the $800 million facility, to be located at the former greyhound track, will pump $1.6 billion into the state’s economy in the first 10 years of operation.

Walker has until Feb. 19 to make a decision.

Emergency management personnel from the Menominee Indian tribe will attempt to break an ice jam Friday morning to alleviate future flooding problems along the Wolf River near downtown Keshena.

“Our environmental services personnel determined it is important that this is done,” said Ben Warrington, the tribe’s emergency management coordinator. “We have decided to go in there and try to break it through mechanical means.”

The primary concern, Warrington said, is a 100-foot wide ice jam in a wooded area a quarter-mile north of the Shawano County line. He said he did not know how thick the ice is.

Following severe flooding along the Wolf River, the tribe, Menominee County and town of Menominee inspected three areas of the Wolf River where ice jams formed.

A flood warning remains in effect until Friday morning in parts of Menominee County.

Tribal and county officials say they are hopeful warmer temperatures this weekend will help melt the jams, but cold weather could mean more flooding.

“If … colder temperatures set in for the remainder of the winter, we could be looking at a state highway closure lasting all winter long, damage to residential and business properties, and even worse flooding in the spring,” officials said in a statement released Wednesday.

Warrington said there have been signs of potential flooding issues since Thanksgiving as far north as Keshena Falls, and he began receiving calls about flooding around Dec. 1.

Lisa Wauka was among the residents along state Highway 47 who reported flooded basements.

“This is the worst, and what makes it as bad as it is, is that it is usually a spring phenomena, and I have never seen it in the winter season,” she said. “I have had water in my basement since Thanksgiving, and for years I have never had water in the basement.”

Tribal and county officials recently started providing sandbags to people residing in the affected area. The agencies placed 1,000 sandbags Monday and have 2,000 in reserve. They received an additional 8,000 sandbags Thursday.

“This is the first time we have had to sandbag here,” said Wauka, as plumber Mike Moede was installing a second sump pump in her basement Thursday.

Warrington reported at least eight homes have been affected by the flooding. Some residents have had additional sump pumps installed and raised their furnaces from the basement floors.

Keshena residents living near the floodwaters can receive sandbags and other supplies at a service station on Mianaceqtawak Road near Go Around Road.

Warrington said Mayor Lorna Marquardt has offered the city of Shawano’s assistance. The Shawano Area Fire Department also has offered its help.

“The community of Keshena contributes a lot to the economic stability of Shawano, so it is important we help them in need,” Marquardt said. “It is about people helping people. They are our friends, and they are our neighbors.”

It might not be news to health professionals or those working in the social services, but Shawano County has a drinking problem, with a rate of alcohol abuse that’s above the state average — in a state where the average is already well above the national norm.

According to county health rankings compiled this year, 27 percent of Shawano County adults drink excessively, compared to 24 percent statewide. Nationwide, 10 percent of Americans consume alcohol excessively, according to the statistics.

A local work group that was formed in 2010 out of the Healthy Shawano County Initiative to address alcohol and other drug abuse (AODA) issues recently launched a campaign aimed at getting people to start talking about the problem.

“We want to focus on having a conversation about the fact that we as a community use alcohol excessively,” said the Rev. Susan Phillips, pastor at First Presbyterian Church and chairperson of the Shawano-Menominee County AODA Work Group.

The group has recently posted signs around Shawano County sharing some facts and figures about the problem of binge drinking and its social and economic impact.

Fact sheets and discussion guides are also being distributed that the group hopes will spur “conversation about what’s healthy, what’s not healthy, how we can encourage healthier behavior related to alcohol,” Phillips said.

Signs are also being created in Menominee County by a group called Maehnow-Pematesen, which means “living in a good way,” Phillips said.

Phillips said the Menominee County group is already well ahead of their Shawano County counterparts, having been putting out fact sheets on alcohol abuse for several years.

The Menominee County signs will emphasize alternatives for having a good time that don’t involve drinking, such as learning the Menominee language, playing lacrosse, dancing, singing and drumming.

In Shawano County, getting a conversation started about alcohol abuse is a little more difficult, according to Phillips.

“There seems to be resistance to that very idea,” she said. “People resist having that conversation.”

Phillips said there was also some initial anxiety within the group that they might be seen as teetotalers chastising anyone who enjoys a social drink.

“That is absolutely not what we’re talking about,” she said.

The group’s focus has been raising awareness about the problem of binge drinking, which is defined as five or more drinks in a row for a man or four or more for a woman. In Wisconsin, the average binge drinker has nine drinks in a row, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, one in five Shawano County adults reported engaging in binge drinking.

“It’s really clear when you look at the statistics that we have a problem with alcohol in the state and within this community,” Phillips said. “We don’t seem to have clear awareness of how unusual our drinking behavior is here in Wisconsin. It’s our sense that people aren’t aware that it’s a problem.”

One fact that Phillips said might surprise people is the economic impact of binge drinking on the community.

According to a 2013 study by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, excessive alcohol use was estimated to cost Shawano County $46.7 million per year, or $1,114 per person, in lost productivity, health care, law enforcement and other related costs.

Phillips said there are also attitudes toward alcohol in Wisconsin that need to be discussed.

“There’s an expectation here that you will drink that is different from other places I’ve lived,” she said.

Even kids’ birthday parties often have beer available for the adults, she noted, and some adults go so far as to host parties where beer is served to minors.

“Some parents want to rationalize that and say, ‘Well, then I know they’re safe,’” Phillips said. “It’s not legal, and it’s not safe, and it’s not healthy.”

Phillips said she is grateful for the amount of time and energy that so many people in the community have put forward in assisting the work group’s awareness project.

The group’s next step will be seeking partners in the community that can assist in making more options available for treatment of AODA issues.

In the meantime, it’s hoped the conversations about alcohol abuse will begin.

“The more we talk about it, the better we’ll be able to work together to make all of our communities healthier,” Phillips said.

Shawano Police Department

Dec. 10

Police logged 19 incidents, including the following:

Fraud — Police investigated a fraud complaint at Qualheim’s True Value, 1345 E. Green Bay St.

Shoplifting — A 38-year-old woman was cited for shoplifting at Walmart, 1244 E. Green Bay St.

Harassment — Police responded to a harassment complaint in the 800 block of East Richmond Street.

Reckless Driving — Police responded to a reckless driving complaint at County Road B and County Road K.

Shawano County Sheriff’s Department

Dec. 10

Deputies logged 30 incidents, including the following:

Disorderly — Authorities responded to a disorderly juvenile on North Shore Lane in Wescott.

Theft — Medication was reported stolen from a vehicle on Shawano Shores Circle in Wescott.

Disturbance — Authorities responded to a disturbance on Main Street in Angelica.

Disturbance — Authorities responded to a domestic disturbance on Maple Street in Birnamwood.

Accidents — Authorities logged six accidents, including one deer-related crash and a vehicle versus turkey.

Clintonville Police Department

Dec. 10

Police logged five incidents, including the following:

Theft — Checks were reported stolen on 11th Street.

Disorderly — Police responded to a disorderly conduct complaint on South Madison Street.

Disturbance — Police responded to a family disturbance on 10th Street.

Shawano Police Department

Dec. 11

Police logged 16 incidents, including the following:

Harassment — Police responded to a harassment complaint at Shawano Community High School, 220 County Road B.

Disturbance — Police responded to a disturbance in the 400 block of South Washington Street.

Theft — A snowmobile trailer was reported stolen in the 700 block of South Union Street.

Suspicious — Police responded to a suspicious person complaint in the 1300 block of County Road B.

Shawano County Sheriff’s Department

Dec. 11

Deputies logged 38 incidents, including the following:

Missing Person — A missing person report was filed after a juvenile failed to arrive home from school on County Road N in Birnamwood. The child was later located.

Disturbance — Authorities responded to a disturbance on Old Shawano Road in Pella.

Harassment — Authorities responded to a harassment complaint on County Road Z in Aniwa.

Juvenile — Authorities responded to a juvenile problem on Oriole Road in Wittenberg.

Accidents — Authorities logged seven accidents, including three deer-related crashes.

Clintonville Police Department

Dec. 11

Police logged three incidents, including the following:

Accident — A minor accident report was completed for a two-vehicle property damage accident on Eighth and Main streets.

Assault — A battery complaint at the high school was under investigation.

Marlene Buettner, 67, of Cecil, died on what she and her husband, Robert, fondly referred to as a “goof day.”

It was a day for goofing off, spending time together and sharing things they enjoyed doing.

On this particular “goof day” — July 24, 2012 — they were headed home from a day of shopping in Green Bay and a dinner out.

It was also the day that Shannon M. Parker, 31, of Shawano, offered to help her father with his paper route, even though she had no license to drive and was taking pain medication for a back problem. She took her 8-year-old daughter along on the paper route.

Parker’s vehicle went through a stop sign at the intersection of County Road F and Beech Drive in the town of Hartland, striking the vehicle driven by Robert Buettner.

Marlene Buettner was pronounced dead at the scene. Robert Buettner and Parker’s daughter also sustained injuries.

On Friday, after an emotional court hearing, Parker was sentenced to 10 years in prison and another nine years of extended supervision.

“Shannon Parker devastated our family,” Buettner’s daughter Michelle told the court Friday. “Because of her selfish decision that day to get high behind the wheel of a car, my sisters and I are left without a mom … my best friend in life. And my kids and nephews are left without their favorite grandma.”

Michelle Buettner and another daughter, Kristine, asked the court to levy the maximum sentence against Parker.

“I don’t want to see this happen to another family,” Kristine said.

Robert Buettner recounted how he and Marlene had been trapped upside down in the overturned vehicle after the accident. His wife was in pain and he was unable to free her.

“It’s been almost 2½ years and yet there are nights when I go to bed that I can hear Marlene crying for help,” Buettner said. “Shannon Parker, if there’s one wish I have for you, it would be that you could hear the woman you killed crying out for help when you try and go to sleep.”

Parker’s mother, Linda Johner, asked the court not to “compound the tragedy” by taking Parker away from her daughter.

Parker’s attorney, Jane Krueger Smith, told the court Parker had not sought to get high while driving but had mismanaged her pain medication.

Toxicology reports from the state crime lab showed both marijuana and amphetamines in her system at the time of the crash, according to the criminal complaint.

In her statement to the court, Parker apologized to the Buettner family.

“I will never for one minute stop thinking about your family,” she said. “There is nothing I can do to undo the harm I caused you. I just want you to know I didn’t intend to hurt anybody. I hope and pray that someday you can find, you can forgive me in your hearts.”

Parker pleaded no contest in September to vehicular homicide while using a controlled substance, knowingly operating a vehicle without a driver’s license-causing death, two counts of causing injury while using a controlled substance, and operating a vehicle without a valid license-causing great bodily harm.

She also pleaded no contest to a felony count of bail jumping after she was found to have non-prescription morphine in her system during a random drug test while out on bond in May.

Shawano County Planning and Development Director Tim Reed was terminated from his post Thursday and escorted from the courthouse, a week after a county committee voted to end his employment.

According to minutes from a Dec. 2 meeting, the Planning, Development and Zoning Committee went into a closed session to discuss Reed’s job performance evaluation “and to confer with legal counsel” concerning the evaluation.

After coming out of closed session, the committee voted unanimously to put the evaluation on file, then voted 4-1 to direct the county’s corporation counsel and administrative coordinator to “take action as directed by the committee concerning (the) personnel issue discussed in closed session.”

Supervisors Steve Gueths, Marlin Noffke, Gene Hoppe and Tom Kautza voted in favor. Supervisor Ken Capelle cast the sole no vote.

“It was voted on to terminate Mr. Reed,” Administrative Coordinator Tom Madsen said Friday.

Madsen said Reed was offered a severance package and was given a week to decide whether he wanted to accept it.

“It was a generous offer,” Madsen said. “He never responded.”

According to the county’s management and administrative manual adopted early this year, the committee that oversees a particular department has the authority to terminate an employee, if the administrative coordinator agrees.

If the administrative coordinator does not agree, the matter would be settled by the Administrative Committee.

Madsen ultimately decided to go along with the PD&Z Committee.

“In the best interests of the county, it would be better if we terminated the relationship between (Reed) and the county,” he said. “Actually, the best interests probably of Tim, too, to start fresh someplace else.”

Madsen said he could not go into detail about the reasons for Reed’s termination.

“The committee, PD&Z, no longer had faith in him to do the job,” Madsen said.

Reed’s situation was complicated by the fact that he also answers to two other committees: the Land Conservation Committee and Solid Waste Management Board.

“The other two committees gave him a good evaluation. PD&Z didn’t,” Madsen said.

Reed was escorted from the courthouse shortly before noon Thursday by Madsen and a sheriff’s deputy.

“That’s standard operating procedure,” Madsen said. “When someone is terminated on the spot like that, you bring a deputy up. You walk him to his office, get his keys, his ID badge, credit cards, whatever he’s got that’s county owned, and he’s allowed to remove his personal effects.”

Madsen said he sent emails after the termination was carried out informing members of the other committees and County Board Chairman Jerry Erdmann, and recommending that Zoning Director Robert Jacobson be made acting director.

He said all of the responses were amenable to that.

“I don’t foresee the county replacing Tim any time soon,” Madsen said.

“We’re going to divvy up some of the stuff Tim does amongst other staff and see what we can do,” he said. “This is standard operating procedures in counties, too. Can we go without this position for a while, and how long can we do it, and maybe, can we combine? If there’s a way of being creative and moving some duties around, maybe we don’t have to replace this position.”

Reed started with Shawano County in 1998 and was made planning and development director in 2002. His 2014 salary was $73,875.

Shawano Police Department

Dec. 14

Police logged 35 incidents, including the following:

Disorderly — Police responded to a disorderly conduct complaint in the 500 block of South Washington Street.

Disturbance — Police responded to a disturbance in the 500 block of South Main Street.

Threatening — Police responded to a threatening complaint at Payday Loans, 1056 E. Green Bay St.

Theft — A GPS unit and other items were reported stolen at the Wisconsin House, 216 E. Green Bay St.

Burglary — Police investigated a burglary in the 600 block of East Lieg Avenue.

Dec. 13

Police logged 17 incidents, including the following:

Disorderly — Police responded to an intoxicated person complaint at Main and Elizabeth streets.

OWI — A 46-year-old man was arrested for operating while intoxicated at Main Street and County Road B.

Hit and Run — Police investigated a property damage hit-and-run at Main and Green Bay streets.

Burglary — Police investigated a burglary in the 600 block of East Lieg Avenue.

Warrant — A 28-year-old man was taken into custody on a Department of Corrections warrant in the 700 block of West Picnic Street.

Shoplifting — Charlie’s County Market, 521 S. Main St., reported a shoplifting incident.

Dec. 12

Police logged 29 incidents, including the following:

Disturbance — Police responded to a disturbance at Slackers, 146 S. Main St.

Shoplifting — Charlie’s County Market, 521 S. Main St., reported a shoplifting incident.

Threatening — Police responded to a threatening complaint in the 200 block of East Center Street.

Juvenile — Police logged seven truancy complaints from the Shawano Community School District.

Disturbance — Police responded to a domestic disturbance in the 200 block of South Sawyer Street.

Fraud — Police investigated a postal scam complaint in the 300 block of South Union Street.

Shoplifting — Walmart, 1244 E. Green Bay St., reported two female shoplifters in custody.

Disturbance — Police responded to a report of a fight in progress at Slackers, 146 S. Main St.

Shawano County Sheriff’s Department

Dec. 14

Deputies logged 34 incidents, including the following:

Disturbance — Authorities responded to a report of a fight in progress on County Road A in Richmond.

Vandalism — A mailbox was reported vandalized on Swan Acre Drive in the town of Washington.

Threatening — Authorities responded to a threatening complaint on Maplewood Street in Bowler.

Drug Offense — Authorities investigated a drug complaint on High Street in Birnamwood.

Disturbance — Authorities responded to a disturbance on Chicken Alley in Maple Grove.

Disturbance — Authorities responded to a disturbance on Webb Street in Wittenberg.

Accidents — Authorities logged three deer-related crashes.

Dec. 13

Deputies logged 53 incidents, including the following:

Disturbance — Authorities responded to a disturbance on Half Mile Road in Lessor.

Burglary — Authorities investigated an attempted burglary on Carlson Lane in Green Valley.

Drug Offense — Authorities investigated a drug complaint on Jefferson Street in Bonduel.

Juvenile — Authorities responded to a juvenile problem on Lake View Drive in Aniwa.

Disturbance — A 12-year-old Aniwa boy was referred to Social Services for battery and disorderly conduct after a disturbance on Lake View Drive in Aniwa.

Accidents — Authorities logged 12 accidents, including an injury accident on state Highway 156 in Lessor and seven deer-related crashes.

Dec. 12

Deputies logged 40 incidents, including the following:

Theft — An attempted vehicle break-in was reported on Oak Street in Bowler.

Burglary — Authorities investigated a burglary on state Highway 47-55 in Wescott.

Harassment — Authorities responded to a harassment complaint on Olson Road in Green Valley.

Burglary — Authorities investigated a burglary on state Highway 29 in Angelica.

Disturbance — Authorities responded to a disturbance involving a 16-year-old boy at Bonduel Middle/High School, 400 W. Green Bay St., Bonduel.

Harassment — Authorities responded to a harassment complaint on Jefferson Street in Bonduel.

Disorderly — Authorities responded to a disorderly conduct complaint at the North Star Casino, W12222 County Road A, Gresham.

Accidents — Authorities logged two deer-related crashes.

The Menominee Indian tribe and Menominee County on Monday afternoon issued an emergency disaster declaration due to ice jams along the Wolf River that have caused flooding problems in Keshena.

“Homes and businesses in the area continue to be adversely affected, and the tribe and county are continuing efforts to mitigate the situation,” officials said in a joint statement released by both agencies.

The National Weather Service on Monday extended a flood warning through noon Wednesday for state Highway 47 in Keshena.

Reports of flooding began Thanksgiving week and have continued despite efforts by several agencies to address the problem, which has been blamed on ice jams created by frazil ice.

Officials said frazil ice is a buildup of loose, needle-shaped ice crystals. It resembles slush and is the first step in the formation of river ice.

Brian Kelley, owner of Bait and Tackle, said his business along County Road VV faces an uncertain future because of the flooding.

The road was closed Sunday due to flooding between state Highway 47/55 and Blacksmith Road.

“I am not able to run (the store) because it is covered in water. Unfortunately, I do not know what else to do,” Kelley said Monday.

Kelley said he hopes the business, which has been at that location for four years, is salvageable, but time will tell.

“I believe the property can still be used, but it depends on how long the water will stay,” he said. “My next option is to find employment.”

Officials say the problem with frazil ice is larger than they expected, extending north from the ice dam crews busted up Friday to Fairgrounds Road.

Menominee tribal officials assessed one of the ice jams Sunday and concluded it was larger than anticipated.

"At this time, with the amount of frazil ice found, it is unrealistic to reduce or alleviate the ice jam blockage with either mechanical or other means," the agencies' statement said Monday.

The statement also said warmer weather could help reduce the frazil ice jam, but conditions are favorable for worsening of the ice in the upcoming week.

Shawano county emergency management is assisting Menominee officials with alleviating pressure along the Wolf River, which includes the opening of the Balsam Row dam and Shawano dam near Sturgeon Park to release excess water.