A moose is loose in Shawano County, and he is getting around quite a bit in search of a mate.

Jana Schroder Carstedt, who lives along Shawano Lake, spotted the antlered male moose standing along the water’s edge about 11:30 a.m. Friday outside her cottage near Bischoff Bay Lane.

“It was an awesome sight,” she said. “I said, ‘There’s a moose! A moose! A moose!’”

Carstedt was not the only eyewitness, either.

The state Department of Natural Resources received reports of a moose sighting one day earlier in the Marion area, and the day before that around Gresham.

Jeff Pritzl, a wildlife biologist for the state agency, said he suspects all sightings involved the same moose, and that the animal is searching for a mate during the breeding season.

“It’s not that difficult for a moose to cover that much ground,” Pritzl said.

Although sightings are uncommon in this part of the state, they are not unprecedented. A moose spotted in Marinette County a couple of years ago ended up being struck and killed by a train. Sightings have been reported in Shawano County before, too.

The state recorded 22 sightings last year, nearly all of them in far northern Wisconsin.

For the most part, however, moose stay in Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Only occasionally do they wander into Wisconsin, and even less frequently are seen this far south.

Carstedt said she has never seen one before, so she followed her visitor Friday for about an hour as he made his way east along the southern shore of Shawano Lake.

“He just kind of moseyed along,” she said. “He was pretty, very pretty.”

Pritzl said the moose found in Shawano County on Friday might stick around for a while. People should feel free to observe from a distance, but he cautioned against trying to get close.

“Give him his space,” Pritzl said, “and he’ll find his way out of the area.”

Even if you thought there was still something missing from Doc’s Harley-Davidson of Shawano County, you probably never would have imagined this.

Owner Steve “Doc” Hopkins has reached far back into his childhood to capture the inspiration for his roadside menagerie’s newest addition: boats.

Alongside his motorcycle showroom, amusement park, wildlife exhibition and other attractions, Hopkins now is displaying two historic fishing boats salvaged from Lake Michigan.

Hopkins plans to clean up the 48-foot-long vessels, assemble staircases outside and — what else? — invite motorcyclists and other patrons to climb aboard.

The imaginative business owner said the old boats harken back to his days growing up near Algoma during the 1960s, when commercial fishing was booming on Lake Michigan and he could watch such vessels chug around town.

“They’re part of my history,” he said. “I’ve just always appreciated looking at them.”

Since Hopkins moved his business in 1998 to state Highway 29 east of Shawano, he has surrounded the Harley-Davidson dealership with an eclectic assortment, including a classic car museum, a Ferris wheel and other rides, a collection of exotic animals, an old-style saloon and more. The property is perhaps most recognizable for the “Dukes of Hazzard” car displayed outside in an airborne position, with a police car close behind.

The 58-acre compound long ago became a tourist attraction — for motorcycle riders and nonriders alike — and the latest evolution is expected to make it even more so.

Patti Peterson, tourism manager for the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce, said the addition of historic old fishing boats adds a new component to a fun collection that already draws big crowds by offering, as she put it, “a little something for everybody.”

“He keeps coming up with ideas,” Peterson said. “You never know what he’s going to do next.”

As usual, Hopkins has a method to his madness.

After recently acquiring an additional 18 acres just east of his Harley-Davidson property, he has decided to create a parking lot where patrons can park RVs or other vehicles for overnight stays — free of charge. The boats will be displayed there, too, and will be equipped with beds for visitors who want to climb inside and spend the night.

“They’re pretty rough inside,” he said of the vessels. “They’re not the Ritz-Carlton, but they’re free.”

Hopkins was shopping for a sailboat in Marinette about a year ago when he noticed the old fishing boats in a nearby marina. Dating back to the 1930s and 1940s, the boats looked much like the commercial vessels he enjoyed watching as a kid, hauling fresh catches of Lake Michigan whitefish, perch and grubb.

After much negotiation, Hopkins purchased the boats for $3,000 each and paid another $3,500 to transport them to his business property in Bonduel.

He hopes to have the boats ready for patrons to enjoy by next spring, along with the rest of the overnight parking lot.

Wendell Wilke, a lake shipping historian from Algoma, has provided Hopkins with a deeper appreciation of the history of the boats. Wilke remembers seeing both vessels in action before commercial fishing on Lake Michigan declined and most boats either relocated or deteriorated.

Wilke said the Harley-Davidson dealership in Shawano County is achieving important historical preservation for a type of boat that is largely forgotten.

“It is a bygone era,” he said. “It’s kind of nice to keep one or two of them intact.”

A Birnamwood man was charged with a felony count of fleeing an officer after a high-speed chase in the town of Wittenberg on Wednesday.

James D. Pierzchalski, 25, could face 3½ years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted. He was also cited for first-offense operating while intoxicated.

According to the criminal complaint, sheriff’s deputies spotted Pierzchalski car traveling at a high rate of speed on U.S. Highway 45 shortly before midnight.

Pierzchalski allegedly ignored attempts to pull the vehicle over, instead fleeing at speeds that reached 125 mph, according to the complaint.

The vehicle turned onto Hemlock Road and the chase continued onto County Road OO, crossing the center line several times during the pursuit, according to the complaint.

Spike strips were deployed as the vehicle approached Fourth Street in the village of Eland and the car was finally brought to a stop.

An initial breath test showed Pierzchalski had a blood-alcohol count of 0.19 percent, according to the complaint.

Pierzchalski was ordered held on a $1,000 cash bond after a hearing Thursday before Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court Judge James Habeck. He is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 9.

A Fond du Lac man who came to the town of Wescott on Monday night for what he allegedly thought was going to be sex with a 15-year-old girl was instead arrested by Shawano County authorities.

Lawrence A. Wafer, 52, was charged Thursday with felony counts of using of a computer to facilitate a sex crime and possession of child pornography.

On Friday, a Shawano County sheriff’s detective, working undercover as part of the Internet Crimes Against Children Wisconsin Task Force, went on the Internet posing as a 15-year-old girl.

According to the criminal complaint, he was contacted by Wafer, who began exchanging texts with the supposed girl. The exchanges included graphic sexual comments and photos, according to the complaint.

A rendezvous was eventually set up for Monday night. Wafer was taken into custody without incident when he arrived. He could face a maximum 40 years in prison and $100,000 fine if convicted of using a computer to facilitate a sex crime.

He could also face a maximum 25 years in prison and $100,000 fine for possession of child pornography.

According to the complaint, Wafer was in possession of three digital child porn photos; two showing pre-pubescent girls engaged in sex acts and another showing a naked female toddler.

Wafer is also charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and bail jumping.

Wafer was ordered held on a $10,000 cash bond Thursday after a hearing before Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court Judge James Habeck.

He is scheduled for an adjourned initial appearance on Oct. 12.

The sheriff’s office on Thursday issued a statement about the arrest. “The Shawano County Sheriff’s Office is aware that opportunistic predators are an ever present reality on the Internet and will continue to operate proactively to detect and intervene prior to there being any potential where the victimization of a child is the intent of any individual,” it said.

Citing the community’s right to be informed on public health issues, The Shawano Leader on Thursday asked a district attorney to examine closed-door meetings of the county health board to discuss local cases of tuberculosis.

The newspaper’s action follows meetings of the Shawano County Board of Health and Veteran Services that excluded the public during discussion of the tuberculosis cases on Aug. 17 and Sept. 21.

In both cases, the health board invoked a provision of the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law that permits closed meetings to deliberate on real estate dealings or investment of public funds. Board members later said that no such discussions took place and that the board instead reviewed the tuberculosis situation — Shawano County’s first confirmed cases of the deadly disease in nearly 10 years.

In a letter Thursday to the Shawano County district attorney, Leader publisher Greg Mellis alleged that the closed-door meetings violated the law, and he asked the district attorney to investigate.

Mellis wrote that he does not want health board members prosecuted or subjected to fines of up to $300 each, as allowed under the law.

“We ask that you look into this matter and provide an appropriate remedy,” he wrote. “We are not seeking prosecution or punishment, but rather education of the health board regarding its responsibility to the public.”

District Attorney Gregory Parker was out of the office Thursday and could not be reached for comment.

Health board chairman Jon Zwirschitz, who previously said the meetings were closed to protect the confidentiality of tuberculosis patients, said Thursday that the meetings were legal, in his opinion, although he declined to elaborate.

“There’s nothing we violated,” he told a reporter. “Don’t bother me any more.”

The Leader has never asked county officials to identify either tuberculosis patient, but only to explain how the county is handling the situation and working to prevent the disease from spreading.

Beth Bennett, executive director of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, said the open meetings law requires government bodies to conduct business in the open, and there is no exception for discussions about how government employees are managing a public health problem.

The law does allow closed meetings to protect an individual’s private health information, but that does not mean officials can exclude the public from all related deliberations, Bennett said. Especially when the general public has an interest in how a communicable disease outbreak is being controlled, she added, the government should not conduct itself in secrecy.

“To have no public discussion whatsoever is not acceptable,” she said.

The head of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council similarly said last month that the health board’s closed meetings were inappropriate under the law.

Mellis said officials at The Shawano Leader gave careful consideration to the matter before deciding to get the district attorney involved.

“We do not take this action lightly,” he said. “But our mission as a newspaper goes beyond just reporting the news. We also are the reader’s advocate for open government and the public’s right-to-know.”

The Shawano-Menominee Counties Health Department has disclosed that one case of tuberculosis was confirmed in April and another in August. The two cases, which are believed to be unrelated to each other, are the first confirmed incidents of tuberculosis in the county since 2006.

Health officials also have reported an unspecified number of additional patients with “latent tuberculosis infections,” which means those people have tested positive but not actually developed the disease.

Tuberculosis, also known as TB, is a bacterial disease that commonly attacks the lungs and can be spread by an infected person coughing or sneezing around others. Officials have said both patients in Shawano County — both described as men in their 50s — have agreed to remain in isolation during their treatment to avoid spreading the disease, which can be fatal if not treated properly.

The county health board, a seven-member panel responsible for overseeing the health department, met behind closed doors on Aug. 17 and Sept. 21, both times indicating on agendas that the closed sessions were for discussion of “communicable disease investigation and control.”

For both meetings, the board cited a provision of the open meetings law that authorizes closed-door discussions regarding “the purchasing of public properties, the investing of public funds, or conducting other specified public business, whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session.” That part of the law makes no mention of communicable diseases.

County Corporation Counsel Tony Kordus, who declined to comment Thursday about the Leader’s complaint, previously defended the health board’s closed meetings. In a Sept. 22 email to the newspaper, Kordus wrote that the closed meetings were authorized by the provision cited, as well as others in the open meetings law and elsewhere.

Kordus noted that the health board did not consult his office before holding the closed meetings. He added: “What is important is that the public had notice of what was being discussed in closed session, and the item discussed in fact falls within one of the sections allowing for a closed session.”

One of Shawano’s largest manufacturers, Wisconsin Film & Bag, has a new owner, the company announced on Thursday.

Novolex, a packaging company headquartered in Hartsville, South Carolina, and owned by investment group Wind Point Partners, acquired Film & Bag for an undisclosed amount. The deal was closed Thursday.

Wisconsin Film & Bag President Jim Feeney said the purchase was a great opportunity for the company.

“We spent a good amount of time looking for our next owner,” Feeney said, adding that Novolex “was a hand-in-glove fit.”

Novolex manufactures packaging for retail, grocery, food service, hospitality, institutional and industrial markets. The company has 37 manufacturing plants with the addition of Wisconsin Film & Bag, according to a news release from the company.

Feeney said Film & Bag wanted an owner that would commit to growing the company in Shawano and worked with an investment banking firm to shop the company around.

“There were 10 or 12 companies we showed the business to,” Feeney said.

He said Novolex was committed to expanding the Shawano plant.

“It’s important we keep this successful plant here,” he said “We’ve got a wonderful group of employees.”

The Film & Bag workforce in Shawano has grown from just over 100 five years ago to nearly 180 today, according to Feeney.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see that grow to 200 or 210 over the next year,” he said.

Feeney said the plant would expand under Novolex, with additional extruders and an expansion of the recycling facility.

Feeney said there were a number of factors that attracted Novolex to the company, including its sales and distribution strength, and its growth over the last several years.

Feeney said Film & Bag has had 11 record months in each of the last two years.

“We’ve been growing strongly,” he said.

Stan Bikulege, chairman and CEO of Novolex, said the company was excited about the addition of Film & Bag.

“This is important to us because it will further enhance our high-quality packaging choices for customers while advancing our position as the industry leader in sustainability,” he said. “It’s a great fit for Novolex and we will look forward to integrating the Shawano team with our successful Novolex Custom Film & Bag brand. Our focus is to continue to invest in our business and supply our customers with world class paper and plastic packaging products.”

Wisconsin Film & Bag was previously owned by an investment group led by Marquette Capital Partners with co-investors Argosy Private Equity, First Capital Partners and members of management.

Feeney said the sale won’t mean any significant changes to the Shawano operations, aside from the expansion possibilities and the fact that he and Chief Financial Officer Al Johnson will be stepping down in a few months.

He said they will be retiring once the transition has been completed, likely by the end of winter.

Grant Gamble, vice president of Novolex Custom Film & Bag, will oversee both operations.

“After 47 years, it’s time to turn the keys over to a younger me,” Feeney said.

Feeney and Johnson have also been heavily involved in local business and community organizations such as the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce and Shawano County Economic Progress, Inc.

“Shawano has been a wonderful community to be involved in; we both feel that way,” Feeney said. “The city and the county are important to the state of Wisconsin.”

Wisconsin Film & Bag was founded in 1972 in Oconto as a manufacturer of can liners. The company moved to Shawano’s industrial park in 1983.

It has experienced continuous growth over the last 40 years and invested in state-of-the-art manufacturing systems. The company has won several prestigious awards in recent years for innovation and its unique expertise in the recovery and recycling of post-industrial and post-consumer plastics packaging.

The city has gotten its first request for a convicted sex offender to reside at a new Department of Corrections housing facility in the city.

Milwaukee-based Matt Talbot Recovery Services has contracted with the DOC to operate a six-bed temporary placement facility for recently released felons at 118 S. Union St. It was expected some of those felons would be sex offenders.

But that contract was agreed to before city officials last month added a new regulation to its code requiring that DOC facilities that house sex offenders must have full-time, live-in supervision.

The requirement would only apply to sex offenders. The facility wouldn’t require live-in supervision for other types of offenders.

Talbot had not been planning to have live-in supervisory staff. The company’s plan called for residents at the facility to be checked on three times a day.

Talbot won its contract with the state with a low bid of $27.69 per bed, for an estimated annual cost of $60,641.

Neither the DOC or Talbot has responded to requests for information about how the city’s new rule would affect the facility’s operations.

Another new rule the Shawano Common Council added last month also requires sex offenders to be approved by the Shawano Sexual Predator Ordinance Committee before they can move into the facility.

The agenda for the committee’s next meeting, on Wednesday, includes a request from the DOC to allow a sex offender to be housed at the Union Street facility.

City Administrator Brian Knapp said the city has not had any other contact with the DOC since last month’s council meeting when the new rules were adopted. There has also not been any word from Talbot about whether the new rules would mean any change in their plans, he said.

Police Lt. Dan Mauel, a member of the sexual predator ordinance committee, said Thursday he had not heard anything more about the Union Street facility until seeing the DOC request on next week’s agenda.

He said he is unaware whether Talbot has hired full-time, live-in supervision for the facility. But, he said, that would be addressed with the sex offender’s probation agent at Wednesday’s meeting.

“It’s something we’ll have to take up,” he said.

Mayor Lorna Marquardt said Friday she consulted City Attorney Tim Schmid on the options available for making sure the live-in supervisor rules are being followed.

“The sexual predator ordinance committee will be asked to obtain the contact information for the person who has been hired to fill that ordinance requirement,” she said. “The city will follow up with either police or building inspector visits to the location to ensure the requirement is being followed. However, even if a live-in supervisor has been hired, the committee still has authority to deny placement of sexual predators to that location.”

The committee meets at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, 127 S. Sawyer St.

Shawano Police Department

Oct. 1

Police logged 28 incidents, including the following:

OAR — A 26-year-old woman was cited for operating after revocation at Airport Drive and Green Bay Street.

Theft — Nintendo games were reported stolen from a vehicle in the 200 block of Teddington Lane.

Shoplifting — Walmart, 1244 E. Green Bay St., reported a male and a female shoplifter in custody.

Harassment — Police responded to a harassment complaint in the 100 block of South Lafayette Street.

Vandalism — A lawn decoration was reported vandalized in the 600 block of South Lincoln Street.

Arrest — A 21-year-old man was taken into custody at the probation and parole offices, 1340 E. Green Bay St.

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

Shawano County Sheriff’s Department

Oct. 1

Deputies logged 37 incidents, including the following:

Suspicious — Authorities responded to a suspicious person complaint on Oak Grove Road in the town of Pella.

Arrest — A 42-year-old man was taken into custody for a probation violation on Cecil Street in Bonduel.

Theft — Jewelry was reported stolen on Vinal Street in Wittenberg.

Theft Attempt — Authorities investigated an apparent attempted auto theft on Pulcifer Road in the town of Green Valley.

OWI — A 29-year-old Clintonville woman was arrested for operating while intoxicated on Cedar Court in the town of Wescott.

Accidents — Authorities logged five deer-related crashes, including a motorcycle versus deer with minor injuries on County Road M in the town of Fairbanks.

A rural Shawano teen was charged Friday with using the Internet to set up a sexual rendezvous with what he believed was a 15-year-old girl.

Ethan R. R. Magee, 18, became the second person this week arrested in computer sex stings conducted by Shawano County sheriff’s detectives.

He was arrested Thursday after showing up at a pre-arranged location in the town of Wescott allegedly expecting to have sex with a minor, according to the criminal complaint.

A sheriff’s detective working undercover as part of the Internet Crimes Against Children task force responded Thursday to an Internet ad titled “Looking for sex in Shawano.”

The detective identified himself as a 15-year-old girl and texts were exchanged, including sexually graphic messages and references to sex toys, that eventually led to the rendezvous being set up.

Magee was taken into custody without incident when he showed up.

According to the complaint, “numerous sexual devices” were found in his vehicle.

Magee was freed on a $5,000 signature bond after a hearing Friday before Shawano-Menominee County Judge James Habeck. He is due back in court for an adjourned initial appearance Oct. 19.

Magee could face a maximum 40 years in prison and $100,000 fine if convicted of using a computer to facilitate a sex crime.

Earlier this week, Lawrence A. Wafer, of Fond du Lac, was arrested in a similar sting operating. He faces the same charge, along with possession of child pornography.

He was ordered held on a $10,000 cash bond and is scheduled for an adjourned initial appearance Oct. 12.

Shawano’s Park and Recreation Department will be at the farmers market Saturday seeking public input on development plans for the newly designated Smalley Park.

This will be the last opportunity for the public to view design proposals and give feedback in person before the plans go before the Shawano Park and Recreation Commission. However, the public can still contact the department to provide input over the next several weeks.

There are three conceptual designs for the park, which stretches from Third to Fifth streets along the Wolf River, adjacent to the soon-to-be vacant Shawano Medical Center.

All three options have at least one thing in common: tying the park into a a long-term home for the Shawano Ski Sharks.

The park could feature a natural seating area with an amphitheater-type feel for Ski Sharks performances, and for other entertainment that might want to use the venue.

Walking trails are also proposed, as well as improvements that would make it easier for those with disabilities to access the park and particularly the Ski Sharks shows.

The park and recreation department is also looking at the possibility of restoring a “more defined” city beach that would be cared for and maintained, said Matt Hendricks, park and recreation director.

Other features being considered include a concession building with restrooms and storage, a sheltered picnic table area, and a potential pier or boat slips.

There is no price tag for the proposed designs. The estimates will be nailed down by the time the design options are narrowed down to a master plan.

Hendricks said most of the public comment so far has focused on several themes, including tying the park into the Ski Sharks performances, public swimming and re-landscaping with natural plantings.

A preferred concept will be drawn from the three conceptual designs and presented to the park and recreation commission later this month.

Depending on whether further changes are requested, the plan could be before the Shawano Common Council in November or December.

The future use of the former Shawano Medical Center property appears to still be in limbo after a meeting between city and ThedaCare officials Thursday.

Neither side is commenting on the discussions, saying only that the talks will continue. The next meeting date has not been set.

The renewed talks come two months after ThedaCare refused to sign on to a deal that would have allowed the vacant hospital to become a medical training facility, which ThedaCare officials called a competing, duplicated health care system.

Meanwhile, a citizens group is pushing forward with its plans to turn the hospital building into a community center.

Todd Dobberstein, who is heading up that effort, recently told the Shawano Common Council that some of the possibilities include meeting space for local nonprofit groups, educational space for area wellness programs, a training facility, a new indoor pool, and indoor volleyball and basketball courts.

In an interview Friday, Dobberstein said a local Boys and Girls Club, a handicapped-accessible therapeutic pool and an Alzheimer’s treatment center were additional amenities he could envision.

Dobberstein said the possibilities are wide open at this point, but a specific plan would be forthcoming.

He said he is planning a public educational meeting within the next couple of weeks at which a steering committee and project finance committee would be assembled. The date of the meeting is not yet set.

Once more detailed plans are put in place, Dobberstein said, the concept would be shopped to developers.

Dobberstein said a key component of the concept is that the community center be complemented by some type of development that would add to the city’s tax base.

“It would be part of a larger development,” he said, “so we don’t make this a tax burden for the city.”

Dobberstein said he wants to ensure that the project is financially sustainable.

Dobberstein is also hoping that the Shawano Park and Recreation Department will become part of the project. He said he would like to see park and rec move to the new community center.

City Administrator Brian Knapp said there have been several meetings with Dobberstein to discuss the proposal, the process for moving forward, and the city’s expectations for the former hospital property.

Knapp said the proposed community center “could be a very nice amenity,” but a few things would have to be ensured to get the city’s support.

“It’s important that it be able to sustain itself financially,” Knapp said.

He said it would also have to be clear that this was not strictly a city project.

“The city’s involvement would be just one of many components,” Knapp said.

Knapp was dubious, however, about the idea of moving the Park and Recreation Department to the proposed community center.

“We have a rec center,” he said. “It’s seeing its age, but it’s functional and well-maintained.”

Knapp said there are numerous other park and recreation priorities that have been identified and will require significant city investment.

Relocating the department, he said, “wasn’t on the calender for quite a few years.”

If Dobberstein’s idea were to go forward, it would require approval by the Shawano Park and Recreation Commission, Plan Commission and Common Council.

“We’re interested in working with the community group on a plan,” Knapp said, “but it’s too early to say whether the city can be involved.”

Jeffrey Remsik, a ThedaCare spokesperson who has been a consultant on development proposals for the former hospital property, said ThedaCare officials have also met with Dobberstein.

“We’re supportive of the project, and we look forward to getting more details on his proposal,” Remsik said.

Remsik said ThedaCare shares the city’s goal of wanting to find a development that would have the best economic impact for the community in terms of job creation and growing the tax base.

Remsik said those goals could be accomplished if the proposed community center were part of a larger development, such as a senior living community. He said there are senior living communities in Southeast Wisconsin that have community centers also available to the public.

Capri Senior Communities, of Waukesha, was one of two developers that brought forward proposals that were considered for the former hospital property earlier this year.

The city has never identified the developer because of closed session discussions, describing it only as assisted living, but Remsik identified the developer during an interview in August.

City officials have previously said the development was rejected because of the terms being proposed, including requiring that the city raze the hospital building at an estimated cost of $1.5 million.

The city and ThedaCare also would not have been reimbursed for the roughly $380,000 in expenses spent on clearing the title to and marketing the hospital property.

The medical residency training center proposal included reimbursing the city and ThedaCare for those costs.

The city owns a roughly 3.5-acre parcel of the property that was became home to the original Shawano Medical Center in 1931 and was leased from the city.

SMC purchased additional land for expansion over the years, and the hospital campus now occupies about 10 acres.

An ad hoc task force that studied future possible uses for the property two years ago recommended options that included a waterfront supper club and lodge and a mix of condominiums and town homes, along with additional green space and a park shelter, and two single-family residential lots.

Knapp said a property developed along those lines could add anywhere from $5 million to $10 million to the tax base.

Municipalities in western Shawano County are considering opting out of their landfill deal with the county rather than pay extra fees for waste diverted to nearby Marathon County.

The prospective departure of several partners raises new questions for a struggling county landfill operation that already is losing more than $200,000 a year.

It also could create a legal conflict because of a longstanding contractual agreement among all the parties to support the landfill, which is owned by the county and operated by the city of Shawano.

Town of Seneca trustee Michael Trinko said he considers any contracts null and void already, and he does not believe the landfill principals can prevent towns and villages from walking away.

“Sure, they can send us a bill,” Trinko said. “I don’t know what else they can do.”

The landfill, located on the far east side of Shawano, once served as the primary dumping site for household and business trash collected countywide. After expanding to about 45 acres, the operation is expected to continue for perhaps another five years before reaching capacity.

But several western communities have discovered that they can save money by directing their trash trucks to a landfill located closer in Ringle, just across the Marathon County border.

As a result, the Shawano County landfill is losing revenue and last year posted a financial loss of $227,000.

To make up for the losses, the county earlier this year proposed that towns and villages pay $8 per ton to Shawano County whenever sending their waste out of the county. The county’s Solid Waste Management Board in June voted to start imposing the new fees effective Jan. 1.

Municipal officials opposed to the new fees are now taking steps to sever all ties with the county-owned landfill.

The town of Birnamwood has notified the county that the town is opting out of the landfill partnership, which town Chairman Peter Stewart said “makes no sense” for the town because the Marathon County landfill is cheaper already and Shawano County wants more money.

Stewart said county officials have done a poor job of explaining how the new $8-per-ton fee would be used to rescue the ailing landfill.

“We wanted to work together,” Stewart said. “But they didn’t want to work with us.”

County officials have said the 11 affected western towns and villages all signed long-term agreements to use the landfill, and that the county would accept the $8-per-ton payments going forward rather than seeking back payments for diverted waste over several years. The arrangement was presented as a cooperative solution that would keep the countywide partnership intact.

With some towns and villages now planning to opt out, Bob Jacobson, the county’s planning and development director, said he could not forecast how that would affect the already-strained financial performance of the landfill.

Jacobson also said that while the municipalities could break their contract with the county after giving a 12-month advance notice, the city has its own contract with each partner — and there is no opt-out clause, he said.

“That’s something that the city’s going to have to decide,” he said.

City officials could not be reached for comment.

Tigerton village trustee Holly Weatherwax said she feels a sense of loyalty to Shawano County as a landfill partner, and is undecided about whether to try opting out of the contract. But she worries about the village being asked to pay higher costs for its waste disposal.

“My concern is money,” she said, “and where we’re going to get it from.”

Birnamwood village President Michael Sprague, meanwhile, said he is leaning toward following others and sending the county a notice that the contract is ending.

Sprague said his community is getting better service from the Marathon County landfill, and he suspects that having fewer customers will help Shawano County by extending the life of its landfill. He is uncertain how the county will respond, including whether the village still will be expected to pay the new the $8-per-ton fee during the 12 months before the contract officially ends.

“If we opt out,” he said, “it’s back in the county’s court.”

An Oshkosh man on Wednesday became the third person in two weeks nabbed in a computer sex sting in Shawano County aimed at catching alleged sexual predators finding their victims over the Internet.

John M. Mobley, 46, is accused of arranging a sexual rendezvous with what he believed was a 15-year-old girl.

He was in fact exchanging text messages with a Shawano County sheriff’s detective posing as a 15-year-old girl on the Internet, according to the criminal complaint filed Thursday.

The sting operation was being conducted as part of the Internet Crimes Against Children Wisconsin Task Force.

The detective posted an ad on the Internet Craigslist website posing as a 15-year-old and was contacted by Mobley on Sept. 25, according to the criminal complaint.

Messages, many of them sexually graphic in nature, were exchanged for nearly two weeks before a rendezvous was arranged in the town of Belle Plaine on Wednesday.

Mobley, who told authorities he intended to bring the girl to the police or to school and wasn’t intending to have sex, was arrested without incident Wednesday afternoon when he arrived at the rendezvous.

Mobley could face a maximum 40 years in prison and $100,000 fine if convicted of using a computer to facilitate a sex crime.

He was ordered held on a $15,000 cash bond after a court appearance Friday before Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court Judge William Kussel Jr., and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Oct. 19.

Ethan R. R. Magee, 18, of rural Shawano, was arrested last week on a similar charge and is free on a $5,000 signature bond. He is due back in court for an adjourned initial appearance Oct. 19.

Lawrence A. Wafer, of Fond du Lac, was arrested last week in a similar sting operating. He faces the same charge, along with possession of child pornography. He was ordered held on a $10,000 cash bond and is scheduled for an adjourned initial appearance Oct. 12.

The arrests bring to 18 the number of people charged in Shawano County over the last three years with using a computer to facilitate a sex crime.

“These latest arrests make it clear that there is an ever present element on the web that is willing to engage in predatory type behavior when given the opportunity,” Sheriff Adam Bieber said in a news release.

Renovation of the Spirit of Shawano Park is on track to be completed by mid-November, though it will be next spring before donors’ names will be restored to the site.

Construction crews started Monday with demolition of the existing park structure to make way for the eventual open space park that will replace it.

“There’s some wrecking going on out there,” Park and Recreation Director Matt Hendricks told the Common Council on Wednesday. “Before things get pretty, they get ugly, I guess.”

The park is located on the northeast and southeast corners of the intersection of Green Bay and Main streets, and features statues paying tribute to farming and logging, along with the names of donors who contributed to the project.

The statues and the names will remain part of the park, though the location of the statues will change and the names will be re-engraved on new monuments.

Hendricks said the statues will still be a focal point of the park, on high ground, a few feet above the rest of the site so that they stand out.

The roughly 1,350 donor names will be re-engraved onto two granite monuments, each 6-by-3½ feet. The names will be white-on-black granite and laser-engraved.

“We will still honor the folks that kind of were the foundation of that project when it was first started,” Hendricks said.

The monuments won’t be erected until the spring, however, because of the time it takes to secure the materials and do the engraving, he said.

New landscaping will also be in place by mid-November though it will take some time for it to blossom into full flower.

“Obviously, it will take a solid year or two for it to grow in and really become part of the landscape,” Hendricks said.

The new Spirit of Shawano Park will be slightly scaled down from what was originally envisioned due to a bid for the project that exceeded expectations.

A price tag of around $90,000 was anticipated for the project. Instead, the one bid that came in was just over $184,000.

An archway and welcoming sign that would have spanned Green Bay Street at that location were subsequently jettisoned, along with some water features.

The Common Council in August approved a new bid for the scaled-down project from Martel Construction Inc. in the amount of $123,457, along with a quote from Schneider Monument Co. in the amount of $13,190 for the donor monuments, for a total cost of $136,647.

Park and recreation staff last month began doing some of the prep work to make way for Martel, removing landscaping and benches to cut down the cost of the project.

Shawano County’s domestic violence shelter, Safe Haven, has experienced its first-ever waiting lists, as victims come forward with increasingly complex problems needing more intensive assistance.

With many clients requiring shelter for 30 days or longer, the organization has been forced, as recently as this month, to put people on a waiting list if they face no immediate threat of violence.

“This problem is relatively new,” shelter executive director Stacey Cicero said. “We’ve just been busy all the time.”

Safe Haven staffers and supporters gathered inside the shelter Thursday for a vigil honoring past victims of domestic violence in recognition of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Joining in solidarity during a moment of silence, participants in the event also were urged to remain supportive of victims whenever they step forward seeking assistance.

Sharon Woiak-Meisner, a survivor of domestic violence, told the crowd that the Shawano area needs better legal resources for victims, as well as greater sensitivity and development of transitional housing to help those emerging from shelters.

Recalling her own struggles, Woiak-Meisner said that arriving on the doorstep at Safe Haven was the start of a successful battle to regain control of her life.

“The best resource we have in this community,” she said, “is right here.”

Located at 380 Lakeland Road in Shawano, Safe Haven opened its doors in 2002 after operating for more than 10 years in various temporary locations.

The nonprofit organization gets federal and state funds to serve domestic violence and sexual assault victims through a 24-hour crisis line, outreach assistance and emergency shelter. The high-security shelter facility includes 22 beds for adults and children in five different rooms.

Nobody facing immediate threats of violence is ever turned away, even if it means doubling up in rooms with other victims and their families.

Starting last year and continuing this year, the shelter has periodically exceeded its capacity, requiring staff to place people on a waiting list if they have another safe place to stay. Under some circumstances, clients have been housed temporarily in hotels until space becomes available at the shelter.

Referrals also can be sent to emergency shelters in Green Bay or elsewhere, but those facilities frequently are filled to capacity, too.

The situation is complicated, Cicero said, by the fact that many Safe Haven clients not only are victims of violence or abuse, they also are battling such other issues as mental illness, addiction or financial troubles. That means those clients often need to spend more time at Safe Haven getting counseling and other assistance before they are ready to return to the community.

“It’s kind of a vicious circle,” Cicero said, adding that she hopes to adjust services and staffing in a way that prepares clients to leave the shelter sooner, reducing the need for waiting lists.

Expansion of the Safe Haven facility has not been discussed, but some say it could become an option in the future.

Jody Johnson, vice chairman of the group’s board of directors, said the Safe Haven staff has done a commendable job of meeting the community’s growing needs. One reason demand for services is so high, Johnson said, is that victims of domestic violence know help is available at Safe Haven.

Because it is impossible to predict future demand, Johnson added, nobody knows if the waiting list will continue and if expanding the shelter might become necessary.

“This is pretty new to us,” she said of the waiting list. “If it continues, we’re going to have to look at doing something.”

CoVantage Credit Union and credit unions in 105 countries will celebrate International Credit Union Day on Thursday.

Since 1948, International Credit Union Day has been celebrated annually on the third Thursday of October. Each year, the international event affords the opportunity to remember credit unions’ proud history and promote awareness of and support for the credit union difference.

This year’s theme, “People Helping People,” embraces the longstanding credit union philosophy.

“We continue to work hard to develop ways to serve all members, regardless of their situation,” CoVantage Credit Union President Brian Prunty said. “Young, old, financially secure, or living from paycheck to paycheck, all members have financial needs, and it is our job, and all credit unions for that matter, to work to meet those needs. That is what ‘People Helping People’ is all about.”

Residents are invited to join the staff of CoVantage Credit Union as they celebrate the unique service credit unions provide and the many ways individuals, families and communities have benefited from the credit union difference. Refreshments will be served in the Antigo, Wausau, Weston, Rib Mountain, Rothschild, Stevens Point, Crandon, Shawano, Rhinelander, Iron River and Crystal Falls offices on Thursday.

The Shawano office is at 911 E. Green Bay St.

Shawano Police Department

Oct. 8

Police logged 25 incidents, including the following:

Parking — An anonymous caller reported several unregistered cars parked on the street in the 200 block of East Richmond Street.

Theft — A resident reported the theft of a bicycle worth at least $1,500 in the 100 block of South Lincoln Street.

Forgery — A man reported that his wife, whom he has since divorced, forged his name on a car loan in 2010 at an unknown location.

Vandalism — A road worker reported that a group of children kept putting fingerprints in freshly laid concrete near Stevens Street and Sawyer Street.

Shawano County Sheriff’s Department

Oct. 8

Deputies logged 25 incidents, including the following:

Property Damage — A resident reported hearing gunshots outside his house and later finding a sign damaged by gunfire in the town of Lessor.

Assist — A resident called for help after a neighbor fell and could not get up inside the neighbor’s house in the town of Richmond.

Clintonville Police Department

Oct. 8

Police logged six incidents, including the following:

Disorderly conduct — An incident of disorderly conduct was reported at Clintonville Middle School, 255 N. Main St.

Suspicious — A suspicious incident was reported on South Clinton Avenue.

The owner of Shawano’s controversial Wisconsin House Inn is coming under scrutiny for a property he owns in downtown Bonduel.

Bonduel village leaders are considering taking action to force property owner Keith Block to make repairs to his commercial and residential building at 101 E. Green Bay St.

The nearly vacant structure stands in the center of Bonduel’s main business district in what village officials describe as a state of disrepair and structural hazard.

Village President Sharon Wussow said the property has previously housed an ice cream shop, a sporting goods store and other attractions.

“It has a lot of history to it,” Wussow said. “Too bad it wasn’t taken care of.”

The Village Board soon will consider giving Block a deadline to fix up the two-story property or possibly face demolition.

The city of Shawano has similarly pushed Block to make repairs and operational changes at the Wisconsin House Inn under the threat that the hotel otherwise could be bulldozed.

Contacted by telephone Friday, Block said he had just learned about concerns surrounding his Bonduel property. He pledged to complete repairs as quickly as possible, saying he already started looking for a contractor.

“I’m there to fix the issues,” he said.

Block attributed the building’s problems to a concrete wall that is leaking, but he said it could take months to get a contractor on the job. He said he disagrees that the troubles are serious enough to warrant possible demolition of the building.

“I believe it should be salvaged,” he said.

Village officials said they have examined the property’s interior and exterior, and they are concerned about both the living conditions inside and the structural safety.

Village Trustee Luka Zischka said the building looks like it could be unstable enough to pose a risk to neighboring buildings. He also said the issue with Block has come up at a time when Bonduel civic leaders are working to improve the image of their downtown business district.

“We’re moving in that direction,” Zischka said. “This is just one step.”

Situated at the northeast corner of Green Bay Street and Cecil Street, the building arousing concerns has vacant storefronts on the first floor, with a for rent sign in the window. There are several apartments upstairs, although only one apartment is occupied.

Lance Ihlenfeld, who lives in the apartment with his parents, said the family pays $400 a month for a two-bedroom apartment. The family has been there for 11 years, and has been trying unsuccessfully to persuade Block to fix a clogged drain, a leaky roof, defective electrical outlets and a mold problem.

“He stops by and collects the rent — that’s it,” Ihlenfeld said.

Aware that village officials are considering bulldozing the building, the Ihlenfelds already are making plans to move.

“I would just say knock it down at this point,” Ihlenfeld said. “There ain’t no way he’s fixing it up.”

The city of Shawano last year took Block to court over conditions at the Wisconsin House Inn, 216 E. Green Bay St., which the city described as a public nuisance. The hotel had become the site of numerous police complaints involving drug activity, thefts and other disturbances.

Block at the time agreed to make numerous improvements in the appearance and operation of the hotel. The two sides are due back in court next month to update a judge on how well Block has fulfilled those promises, or whether the city can take further steps toward demolition.

Bonduel village attorney Tim Schmid — who also represents the city of Shawano in its case against Block — said the village must first have the building inspected and then give Block an opportunity to address any issues. A property owner typically gets 30 days or 60 days to comply with such an order.

Although the village could have authority to bulldoze a neglected property, Schmid said, “There are steps that need to be taken.”

There is good news in the most recent batch of area crime numbers, according to local law enforcement agencies, even if those numbers come with a few caveats and cautions.

The Shawano County Sheriff’s Department’s annual report for 2014 — which includes the most recent numbers compiled by the department — shows a sharp drop in some crimes over the past couple of years.

The department logged 201 burglary cases in 2012, but that number fell dramatically in 2013 to 116 and further in 2014 to 102.

Thefts also receded, from 291 in 2012 to 205 in 2013 and to 184 last year.

Why that might be is anyone’s guess, Chief Deputy John Gutho said.

“One can only go off assumptions,” Gutho said. “It may be home and business owners doing a better job of securing their buildings and being vigilant.”

Detective Sgt. Gordon Kowaleski of the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department said he wouldn’t read too much into the numbers, noting that crime statistics fluctuate from year to year for a variety of reasons.

“You could have some guys who do over 100 burglaries. Then they’re caught and the numbers drop,” Kowaleski said.

Shawano County authorities made 23 arrests for burglary in 2013 and 15 arrests in 2014.
Arrest records also show drug violations down, with 113 people arrested in 2013 for various drug-related crimes and 91 arrested in 2014.
The county’s numbers for offenses of driving under the influence were also down, going from 242 arrests in 2013 to 172 arrests in 2014.

Gutho said that decrease is likely due to people becoming more aware of the dangers of drunken driving, choosing to have designated drivers or some other alternative to getting behind the wheel when they’ve been drinking.

He said it wouldn’t seem to be because of additional patrol.

“We’ve got the same amount of guys on the road,” he said.

However, Gutho said, while there have been fewer arrests for operating while intoxicated, those who are being arrested are more likely to have multiple previous convictions from drunken driving.

Other statistics in the annual report assaults dropping from 96 in 2012 to 66 in 2013 and 64 in 2014. Motor vehicle thefts dropped from 32 in 2012 to 21 in 2013 and to 17 in 2014.

Sexual assaults, which rose slightly in 2013, dropped to 22 last year.

Meanwhile, Shawano police are crediting community outreach for improvement in the city’s crime statistics.

“I’m proud to say that our efforts may be paying off, slowly but surely,” Police Chief Mark Kohl said. “Some of the numbers are gratifying.”

Since Kohl’s arrival at the Shawano Police Department in May 2014, the department has put a greater emphasis on quality of life issues, such as zoning code violations, and has worked to get the community more involved.

“We need the community’s help as much as they need ours,” Kohl said.

Some of the public outreach efforts have included Coffee With a Cop, the citizen police academy, neighborhood watch programs, and seminars for landlords aimed at explaining tenant rights and what can be done to keep properties crime-free.

The sheriff’s department has launched similar efforts recently, including a citizen academy of its own and a higher profile Facebook presence keeping the community informed of ongoing issues.

Police Department crime statistics, which are updated monthly, show a year-over-year increase in some types of calls, which, Kohl said, is actually a positive thing.

Calls about suspicious behavior jumped 26 percent in the first six months of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014, from 154 calls to 195.

Kohl said that’s due partly to more people being vigilant and willing to call police about what they see.

Officers on patrol are also making more curfew stops and checking buildings and doors during their night shifts, which has also pushed the suspicious incident numbers up.

Kohl said public involvement is also partly behind a 13 percent increase in disturbance calls.

“That’s neighbors knowing their neighbors,” he said. “We encourage them to call and report those activities.”

Police responded to 187 disturbance calls in the first six months of this year compared to 165 in the first six months of 2014.

The city has also seen a 24 percent increase in drug cases, rising from 45 in the first six months of 2014 to 53 during the same period this year.

“Our drug enforcement has increased,” Kohl said.

He credited the mayor and Common Council with their willingness to put additional money into drug investigations.

Most of the city’s property crimes, Kohl said, can be traced to drug problems.

“We know there’s a direct relationship to drugs,” he said. “They will steal to pawn or sell in exchange for drugs. In order to maintain their habit, they will commit other crimes.”

Property thefts, including shoplifting, rose from 121 during the first six months of 2014 to 142 during the same period this year.
Shoplifting saw the largest increase, spiking from 37 incidents to 54. Other property crimes were relatively stable.
Burglaries, meanwhile, dropped from 18 in the first six months of 2014 to 12 during the same period this year.

Two types of property crimes continue to be a particular frustration for the department, according to Kohl, mainly because they are easily preventable.

That would be auto theft and thefts of items from vehicles.

“We still get residents who don’t lock their vehicles, who still leave their keys in their unlocked vehicles,” Kohl said.

There were six auto thefts in the first six months of 2014 and nine during the same period this year.

Thefts from vehicles rose from from three to seven during those time frames, but Kohl said the numbers have been on the increase recently.

“If people would lock their vehicle and take their keys, we would prevent all those thefts,” he said. “It would be a crime we could basically eliminate.”

Three people were taken to the hospital Friday after a rollover on state Highway 29.

The female driver, 69, was from the Pulaski area, according to a Shawano County Sheriff’s Department press release. The female and male passengers, 65 and 73, respectively, were from Cordova, Tennessee.

The male passenger was listed in critical condition, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

A preliminary investigation indicated the vehicle was traveling eastbound on Highway 29 about 3 p.m. and left the roadway, crossing the grassy median and the westbound lanes before striking the embankment of the County Road K overpass. The vehicle rolled several times.

The incident remains under investigation, according to the Sheriff’s Department.