Community gathers in Ontario to celebrate Independence Day

The Ontario Community Club hosted its annual July 4 celebration from July 3–6.

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Whitestown denies variance for quarry

When the Town of Whitestown Board met Tuesday, it voted to deny Kale Winchel’s request to reopen and operate the … Read the rest

Ontario Public Library going solar in 2025

This spring, the Ontario Public Library Board approved the installation of a solar array, which will be installed at the … Read the rest

EXTRA

Your Right to Know: When transparency is disregarded

By Bill Lueders Last month, the Wisconsin town of Hazelhurst postponed discussion of a proposed ordinance due to a typo. The meeting agenda had incorrectly listed “wake board” instead of the intended “wake boat.” Said town chairman Ted Cushing, “I’m not...

Norwalk spill affects 8 miles of trout waters

At least eight miles of a Southwest-Wisconsin stream were polluted by a manure spill earlier this month. The spill killed hundreds of fish, including many wild brown trout. The affected waterways — Spring Valley Creek, Moore Creek and the Kickapoo River — have long...

Your Right to Know: Want a closed session? Explain yourself!

By Tom Kamenick Probably the most commonly used — and, in my opinion, abused — exemption in our state’s Open Meetings Law is the one that lets governmental bodies meet behind closed doors “whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session." The...

Springtime birding on the Kickapoo

By Charlie Luthin of Lodi, Wis. The month of May brings fresh rains to the Kickapoo Valley, and paddlers ready themselves for their spring float or paddle down this iconic Driftless Area River.  May also brings...

Narcan training will be offered in Elroy

 SAFE in Juneau County will be hosting a FREE community Narcan training in Elroy at the Elroy Public Library on Thursday, June 12th at 5pm. This training will teach participants how to take life-saving steps in the event of an opioid overdose. Participants will...

County Highway U scheduled for resurfacing

County Highway U in the towns of Jefferson and Wells in Monroe County, between Nemo Avenue in Cashton and County Highway XU, 7.9 miles in length, will be restricted to alternating one lane of traffic beginning Wednesday, June 4, and continuing for about two...

NEWS

Wildcat to offer ‘Tales with Terry’

Wildcat Mountain State Park will host “Tales by Terry” at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 12, at the park amphitheater.  Terry Visger told stories to students in her classroom for years, and she now weaves stories for all ages. She will tell folktales and scary...

Winners of Ontario July 4 pedal pull

The following were winners in the Ontario July 4 pedal pull by Kindschi Pedal Pulls. • 4-year-olds (14 in class) — First place, Jocelyn Schmitz of Kendall; second place, Arian Bergaman of Sparta; and third place, Jack Witt of Kendall • 5-year-olds (eight in class) —...

Ontario Auxiliary announces winners of July 4 raffle

Contributed by the Ontario Auxiliary The following were the winners in the Ontario American Legion Auxiliary’s July 4 raffle: • Quilt — Theresa Nicholas • $200 cash — Kathy Wolf • Battery chainsaw — Kerry Schendel • Hansen House — Emma Baldwin • Driftless Cottage —...

Vernon County Sheriff’s Report for June 29 to July 5

Sunday, June 29: A business on Highway 131 in the Viola called to report that some electronic cigarettes or vapes were stolen from an open case. A deputy was able to identify suspects from the store surveillance footage and made contact with them. The property was...

Ontario puts on hat luncheon

The Friends of the Ontario Public Library put on its annual Hat Luncheon fundraiser on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week. Wilmer “Butch” Pearson hosted the meal at his residence.  Pat and Lisa Sullivan enjoy the repast on Friday.   Wilmer Pearson, Kathy Barrett...

KVR garden tour set for July 13

Contributed by the Friends of the KVR Mark your calendar for the sixth annual Friends of Kickapoo Valley Reserve Garden Tour. Drive the backroads of the Driftless on Sunday, July 13, beginning at 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. This year, the Friends have identified nine stops...

BHS graduate honored in ceremony at Pentagon

Roger Gerber retired at a June 18 ceremony at the Pentagon Hall of Heroes after 47 years of government service.  Roger Gerber He was commissioned in the Army Corps of Engineers branch from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville ROTC program in 1978 (he had...

Archives

Community

BHS class of ‘70 reunites

Sitting (left to right): Cathy Oldenburg-Miller, Diane Ruskell-Schumacher, Peggy Vieth-Casey, Linda Savall-Beier, Pam Olsen-Ballard, Marsha Tainter-Sullivan and Terry Robinson. Standing: Ervin (Doc) Ziegler, Eirik Eness, Steve Hutchens, Dennis Path, Elvin Ottum,...

Ontario Public Library to host programs for kids

By Rachel Conner | Ontario Public Library director SUMMER READING PROGRAM 2025 - COLOR OUR WORLD! This year’s summer reading theme is “Color Our World,” and we will explore the many ways we can color our world.  In addition to fun programs, kids can read to earn...

Seeing Stars: Good lights, bad lights

By Susan Cushing | Kickapoo Dark-Sky Initiative There’s more news lately about light pollution and the loss of starry skies. But artificial light has changed life for the better in so many ways. Is artificial light bad or good? As with many things, jumping to a...

Senior menus for July 14–18

Kendall and Norwalk meal sites Call 463-7622 (Kendall) or 343-3158 (Norwalk) by noon one day before to reserve a meal. Suggested donation is $4 per meal. One-percent milk is served with each meal.  Monday, July 14: Egg salad on whole-grain bread, cowboy caviar,...

Ontario CCC camp, 1930s

This circa 1930s photo depicts the pool hall at the Civilian Conservation Corps camp north of Ontario. It was one of nearly 4,000 camps operated by the federal government through the New Deal program. The program, which employed unmarried men from ages 18–25, ended in...

Obituaries

Scott Dobbs

Scott Dobbs, 68, of rural Ontario passed away peacefully at home with his wife Sue by his side on Monday, June 7, 2025. Scott was born Sept. 27, 1956, in Sparta, Wis., to Stacy and Margie (Worthington) Dobbs. He grew up on a farm outside of Ontario with his parents...

Francis R Hynek

“A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years’ mere study of books.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Francis Raymond Hynek, 91, of La Farge (and formerly of Hillsboro), a gifted storyteller and one of life’s true characters, played his...

Kenneth Odell Ottum (full obituary)

Kenneth Odell Ottum, 84, of Ontario, Wis., passed away peacefully at home on Friday, June 20, 2025. He was born on May 20, 1941, to Edwin and Evelyn (Kolbo) Ottum. A proud graduate of Ontario High School, class of 1959, Ken was known for his strong work ethic,...

Rosella M. Schendel

Rosella M. Schendel, 91, of Tomah, Wis., passed away Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at Close to Home in Tomah, Wis. She was born Sept. 18, 1933, to Matt and Ottilia (Schreier) Schmid in Hillsboro, Wis.  Rosella was united in holy matrimony to Darwin L. Schendel...

Kenneth Odell Ottum

Kenneth Odell Ottum, 84, of Ontario, Wis., passed away Friday, June 20, 2025.   Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Monday, June 30, at Brush Creek Lutheran Church, rural Ontario.  Pastor Pat Ziems will officiate.  Burial will follow in...

Opinion

Letter to the editor: Bluebells

By Lyda Lanier | Town of Ridgeville In her column “South Ridge News,” Alice Brandau always brought us up to date in the spring when the bluebells were in bloom. This year, Carolene Martalock encouraged readers of the County Line to take a drive in Vernon County...

Letter to the editor: Democracy has been deteriorating

By Kent Gallaway | Readstown Democracy in America has been deteriorating for decades from corruption, inequality, and a flawed campaign election process. The accumulating causes have resulted in a dangerous election of a power-hungry character, Donald Trump....

Letter to the editor: ‘Hands off’

By Lee D. Van Landuyt | Hillsboro On April 5, there were massive, coordinated national protests involving over three million angry citizens. This protest was entitled “Hands Off!” Sign-carrying protesters rejected massive cuts to essential government programs relied...

Sports

Brookwood names athletes of the month

The following Brookwood High School students were named athletes of the month for May/June. Coaches’ comments follow the students’ names. BASEBALL • Julian Cunitz: “Julian led the team in batting with .480 average for May. He also was one of our most reliable...

Local athletes named all-conference

The following local high school athletes were named to the Scenic Bluffs All-Conference Teams: BASEBALL First team — Braeden Pasch, Owen Wang and Jackson Cunitz, Brookwood; and Seth Brandau, Jackson Bender, Trey Wildes and Cole Eberhardt, Royall Second team — Ben...

Falcon softball claims regional title

The Brookwood softball team claimed the WIAA Division 5 regional title with a 15–5 win in six innings over No. 6 Kickapoo on May 29. In the regional semifinal, Brookwood hosted No. 7 Wonewoc-Center on May 27 with a 12–0 wn in five innings. Brookwood traveled to No. 1...

Royall softball runs to regional final

The No. 4 Royall softball team hosted No. 5 Cochrane-Fountain City on May 27 in the regional semifinal WIAA Division 5 tournament game. Kenady Olson catches a quick ground ball and tosses to first for an out in the fourth inning, as Royall led 6–1. (Tasha Mueller...

Falcon baseball flies past CFC

The No. 4 Brookwood baseball team hosted No.13 Cochrane-Fountain City on May 29 in the first round of tournament play in the WIAA Division 4 regional. Braeden Pasch bats a fly out to centerfield in the second inning. Drew Thurston fueled a homerun to bring in four...

Backtalk

It will be a seemingly endless campaign season

By KAREN PARKER County Line Publisher Emerita I would imagine if Eric Hovde has secured any demographic in his campaign for Wisconsin Senate, it would be lonely ladies over 40 swooning over his rugged, Marlboro-man-lookalike appearance. You may have noticed that a...

A vibrant press is essential to democracy

By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher Emerita Sadly, there was no obituary in the paper for the Vernon Focus. You likely did not know Vernon, but in his past life, you might have known him as Foxxy Shopper. In my salad days, the Foxxy Shopper was the 800-pound...

America’s bent toward fascism

By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher Emerita Imagine living in a country where the simple act of gathering together to lay flowers after the death of a prominent person could result in a two-week jail sentence. Worse yet, two weeks in a Russian prison possibly...

In 2024, remember that politics were ugly 100 years ago, too

By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher Emerita Good grief! We are barely into the new year, and I am ready to go back to 2023 or leap ahead to 2025. Are we really in for an entire year of presidential election babble? While they exerted monumental efforts to convince...

Looking back on our 40th year, 1983–2023 (part two)

By KAREN PARKER County Line Publisher Emerita Forty years is a long time. Sadly, it’s long enough for most of our area business to have gone away. It’s hard to believe now, but in 1983 Ontario had two bars, two grocery stores, three gas stations, a variety store, and...

Pictures from the Past

Ontario CCC camp, 1930s

This circa 1930s photo depicts the pool hall at the Civilian Conservation Corps camp north of Ontario. It was one of nearly 4,000 camps operated by the federal government through the New Deal program. The program, which employed unmarried men from ages 18–25, ended in...

Norwalk Dry Goods and Groceries, 1901

This 1901 photo depicts the Norwalk Dry Goods and Groceries store, which was located at 203 Main St. It was established in 1900 and incorporated in 1903. Later, it became Norwalk IGA, and then Lehner’s IGA Market. More historic photos are available at the Monroe...

In 1942, Wilton woman joined husband in blacksmith shop

After Fred W. Lueck (right) couldn’t find help for his blacksmith shop in Wilton in 1942, his wife, Anna Lueck (left), joined him in the endeavor. The blacksmith shop was behind the Polstin’s building, which is on Main Street. Herbert Anderson photo (courtesy of Aldis...

Kendall dramatic club, circa 1900

This circa 1900 photo shows members of “Finnegan’s Alley,” which was an amateur dramatic club in Kendall. Seated, from left to right, are Mamie Moote and Clarence S. Dodge. In back are Mayne Daily, Louis H. Felker, Edward DeBarr, Walter F. Houk, Roy Ebert and Mayme...

Wilton Memorial Day parade, 1965

Herbert Anderson of Wilton (1887–1989) captured these photos of the Wilton American Post’s Memorial Day parade in 1965. Along with the legion members, the Royall High School band took part in the event.  Do you have more information on these photos? Contact the...

School

Royall hosts sixth-grade science fair

The Royall School District recently hosted its sixth-grade science fair.  Westly, Ashton, Denaza, Desirae take  part in an experiment.   Gabe, Liam, Corbin and Dwight also created an experiment. (Contributed photo) THIRD-PLACE TEAM — “Magic Mud,” Drake, Connor, Brian...

Brookwood hosts trap shoot

Before school got out, the Brookwood High School trap club hosted a trap shoot.  Bella Brandau (Kathy Nelson photo) Katherine McElhose and Gracin Stebbins (Kathy Nelson photo) Sophie Hyatt. (Kathy Nelson photo) Marshall Dol (Kathy Nelson photo)

Royall seniors receive scholarships

The following 2025 Royall High School graduates received the following scholarships and awards: • Royall Alumni Association Scholarship — CJ Anderson, Tyler Marshall, Maddison Peterson and Piper Pursell • Royall Booster Club Athletic Scholarship — Jackson Bender, Seth...

Brookwood’s night of musical magic

The Brookwood music department put on its pops concert May 13.  Jocelyn Pacheco Pastrana and Drew Powell play with the high school band, which performed the main theme  from “Mandalorian,” “Defying Gravity” from Broadway’s “Wicked,” and “My Shot” from Broadway’s...

Brookwood students named to honor roll 

The following Brookwood Junior/Senior High School students were named to the fourth-quarter honor roll: SENIORS High Honors: Payge A. Clark, Deja S. Jimenez and Hunter A. Zimmerman Honor Roll: Emma J. Baldwin, Camden L. Brueggeman, Marshall C. Doll, Savannah Groom...