A look into the governing of the Lower Wisconsin River Valley, covering the River Valley School District and the municipalities within it.
EDITORIAL: Open government report card — Arena improves, Lone Rock sued, other local public bodies receive letters
Sunshine Week is a time to celebrate government transparency and public service, as well as a time to address lapses in the same. In October 2020, shortly after incorporating and shortly before our first edition, we sent out a Wis. Stat. 19.84(1)(b) written request by email from news media to our local governmental bodies asking…
Legal Editor’s Column: Lone Rock Lawsuit, open meetings update
A couple months back, I wrote here that the Valley Sentinel was suing the Village of Lone Rock. It feels like time for an update, and I wanted to talk about our two cases — one not yet filed and one possibly almost done, and why they are so different.
Arena board hears tenure of current Arena clerk audited in Monticello, discrepancies found in water bills
Audit reached no conclusions, but shows potentially large errors in water bills. During public comment at last month’s regular meeting of the Village of Arena Board of Trustees on March 7, board members were handed papers by former Village President Paul Pustina. Those papers contained an “Independent Accountant’s Report” covering current Arena Village Clerk/Treasurer DeNean…
Local EMS directors respond to Marklein’s rural EMS bill as Evers issues a veto, expert weighs in
On March 31, Gov. Tony Evers announced that he had vetoed recently passed Senate Bill 89. The bill, introduced by Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, would have made the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians exam optional for emergency medical responders. Marklein argued the bill would improve recruitment and retention for rural emergency medical services.…
Legal Column: Complaints filed with DA against Arena officials, open meetings law violated – analysis
On Tuesday, February 22, at 8 a.m. the Village of Arena Personnel Committee met, made a recommendation to accept the resignation of Arena’s superintendent of public works effective March 31, and started right in working on interviewing for a replacement. If nothing else, the committee moved with laudable speed to fill a hole that was…
Arena Public Works superintendent resigns, rush to fill position internally leads to open meetings law complaints
On Feb. 15, Village of Arena’s Public Works Superintendent Michael Schmidt submitted his resignation, with a month and a half notice. By the next week, the village was already holding a meeting to interview internal candidates. That rush to hold an interview resulted in several village officials having open meetings law complaints filed against them.
Governor Evers visits Spring Green businesses that received ‘We’re All In’ grants
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers visited Spring Green Tuesday to tour two businesses that received “We’re All In” grants, in the midst of a proposal that would seek to change how federal moneys, including those that fund grants like these, are allocated and by whom.
River Valley School Board recommends masks, implements new plan that outlines when masking would be mandatory
On August 12 the River Valley School Board met, in its last meeting before the school year starts, to discuss masking, new COVID-19 protocols and more, before ultimately stopping short of requiring students and staff to wear masks to start the year.
Gov. Evers, DHS Announce Gender-Neutral Language Options to be Added to Wisconsin Birth Certificates
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers June 28 with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced that beginning Thurs., July 1, 2021, Wisconsin parents will have a new, gender-neutral option for identifying the parents of a child. Birth forms used to generate birth certificates will be updated to include an option for “parent-parent,” in addition…
VIDEO: Committee finds no wrongdoing in complaint against Arena Police Chief
The Arena Police Committee did not take any disciplinary action against Arena Police Chief Nicholas Stroik following a complaint from an area resident who said she felt harassed and targeted by the chief.
Column: Republican Budget Falls Short—Wisconsinites Pandemic Recovery Disregarded by GOP
MADISON – Despite overwhelming public support for Governor Tony Evers’ state budget proposal that prioritized a successful economic recovery for the state, Republican politicians settled for less. Senate Democrats introduced an amendment to enact key proposals from the Governor’s Bounceback Budget, including investing in schools, increasing access to affordable health care, securing federal funding for…
Sen. Howard Marklein: State Budget Passes the Legislature
MADISON, WI – Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) made the following statement June 30 following the final Senate’s passage of the State Budget bill: “I am very proud of the legislature’s state budget. We made strategic investments to support the priorities of the people of Wisconsin while respecting the hard-working taxpayers we serve.
Spring Green finds new location for StoryWalks, looks to revisit signage ordinance
The village of Spring Green met for its bi-weekly meeting June 23, where the board discussed the continued, temporary placement of village library StoryWalk signs in North Park.
Representative Dave Considine— Celebrate our dairy farmers
It’s been one heck of a year. Through it all, our farmers have been strong and steady. They have added extra hours onto their already long days to ensure that we have safe and healthy foods on our table each night. They also have weathered unpredictable markets, pricing, and supply issues. Producers and processors are…
Board Actions: Lone Rock Village Board approves various licenses, permits
The Lone Rock Village Board met June 8 for it monthly regular meeting.
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