The Village of Arena Board of Trustees held a special meeting to discuss the employment of the police officers, sparking concerns and confusion among residents. The closed session meeting raised questions about the board’s control, authority and communication. Past legal disputes over police department funding further complicated the situation. Residents and the village attorney called for transparency and a collaborative approach to address community safety concerns.
The Village of Arena Police Department’s officers are transitioning to part-time positions due to low morale and conflicts with the Village Board of Trustees. Chief of Police Nicholas Stroik announced the shift, citing unjustified interference and non-supportive comments from board members. Despite the reduced hours, the department pledge to maintain the community’s safety, while acknowledging the potential for increased response times. The decision was approved by the village board amidst criticisms about the impact on emergency services.
The Village of Arena Police Department announced its shift to part-time service, citing “low morale” due to issues with the village board. This change sparked concerns among residents about potential increase in emergency response times. Village President Kate Reimann’s response to these concerns — “No records were requested so no answer is given” — is inappropriate and inadequate. Something needs to change.
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 that Valley Sentinel be sent meeting notices for the respective governmental bodies. Recently, we sent reminder letters by mail to the local governmental bodies in our immediate coverage area that have not been consistent in sending us meeting notices, with several having sent none at all in the past nearly 2.5 years.
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.
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 DaNean Naeger’s tenure in Monticello. The report represents the findings of what Monticello Village Board minutes refer to as a forensic audit. Arena officials have stayed quiet since the meeting, but the current Monticello village president insists he saw no evidence of wrongdoing.
Community is invited to share ideas about how to save campus.
An information session and town hall meeting will be held on Thursday, January 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. on the UW-Richland campus in the Pippin Conference Center of Melvill Hall.
Last Halloween, the Village of Lone Rock held a public meeting and did not notify the Valley Sentinel. The next night they held public hearings on their annual budget and a village board meeting. The Valley Sentinel was sent an e-mail notice less than an hour before the meeting started. We asked for various public records related to these matters and got nothing. The village clerk told us we were not entitled to notice, and past notices had merely been given as a courtesy.
Now we’re suing.
Richland County and the greater community were disheartened just over a month ago when a unilateral directive from University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman directed the administration of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Richland campus in Richland Center to start winding down operations and to plan to discontinue in-person instruction starting fall 2023, with the directive also promising a transition plan that floated the red herring ideas of online instruction and continuing education.
It’s become increasingly clear that the only way to save UW-Richland is inside a courtroom.
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. Local EMS directors fell on either side of the issue, with an expert in prehospital emergency medicine arguing lowering the bar is never the answer.
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 not even official yet.
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.
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.
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.
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 the state, and ensuring that Wisconsinites have access to clean drinking water. Unfortunately, Republicans voted against these commonsense proposals and turned their backs on the communities that they represent.
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.
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.
Madison—State Representative Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) and Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Finance, released the following statement following an analyses by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau of the federal funding received for school districts under federal coronavirus aid.
Despite no action being taken, the Spring Green village board heavily discussed the possibility of allowing an ATV/UTV route through the village at its regular meeting March 24.
Home talent baseball could be returning to Arena in the near future, starting with the Muscoda Mudcats this summer.