EXTRA
Semi rolls over on County Highway D
The Vernon County Sheriff's Office was notified of semi rollover on County Highway D, near Buckeye Ridge Road, in the town of Webster, at about 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19. Vernon County Sheriff's Office photo Christopher Harris, 23, of La Farge was...
Your Right to Know: Nursing home sale shows why transparency matters
By Jeff Seering On Tuesday, Sept. 17, the Sauk County Board voted to spend $40,500 to buy a sheriff’s department vehicle to replace one totaled in a July incident. The resolution printed on the agenda included details of the incident, the car dealer and...
OFD responds to car fire at gas station
The Ontario Fire Department responded to a car fire Thursday, Sept 19, at the Zzip Stop. Ten firefighters spent about a half-hour on the scene, and the fire was contained to the engine. The driver was Sherie Wondra of Norwalk. (Contributed photo)
Man accused in Dolowy murder grew up in Kendall
The man accused of the 1985 murder of La Crosse resident Terry Dolowy spent his childhood in Kendall. Michael R. Popp Michael R. Popp, 60, a current Tomah resident, was charged with first-degree murder Tuesday in Vernon County in relation to the 1985 case. ...
Several vehicles struck in Hillsboro hit-and-run crash
A hit-and-run crash occurred late Saturday night, Sept. 14, in Hillsboro, according to Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson and Hillsboro Chief of Police Patrick Clark. At about 11:45 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatch Center began receiving calls reporting that...
Your Right to Know: Using outside record vendors brings risks
By Tom Kamenick Last March, the Wisconsin Examiner asked the Black River Falls Police Department to search for emails regarding the death of a missing Indigenous man. The department said it would process the request but the news outlet would have to pay...
Half of Wisconsin school districts go to referendum amid debate over state aid for public education
by Hallie Claflin / Wisconsin Watch, Wisconsin Watch September 16, 2024 Come Nov. 5, nearly half of all Wisconsin school districts will have gone to referendum in 2024, asking for almost $6 billion in total from Wisconsin residents in districts scattered across the...
NEWS
Mile Bluff to host monthly diabetes discussions
Contributed by Mile Bluff Medical Center If you are looking for answers and tips on how to live your life to the fullest while managing diabetes, plan to attend this month’s Diabetes Connect. This event is free and open to everyone, including individuals with...
Vernon County to offer ‘Over 50’ activities
Vernon County will host the following “Over 50” activities in November: • Monday, Nov. 4, from 1–1:45 p.m. — Tai Chi exercise at Bethel Home Fellowship Hall, 614 S. Rock Ave., Viroqua, and the Ontario and Readstown public libraries. Call Vernon County Over 50 at (262)...
Tomah Health to host program on Parkinson’s disease
Dietary guidance for people with Parkinson’s disease will be the topic for the Tomah Health Parkinson’s Support Group meeting Tuesday, Nov. 5, from 1–2:30 p.m. in the first-floor conference rooms 1B/1C at Tomah Health, 501 Gopher Drive, Tomah. Davis Phinney...
Vernon County Sheriff’s Report for Oct. 13–26
Sunday, Oct. 13: The sheriff’s office received a call for help with a vehicle lock out near Three Chimney Road in Viroqua. A dog inside in the vehicle had inadvertently tripped the lock. The deputy was able to assist the owner gain access to the vehicle. Wednesday,...
Valley Stewardship Network to offer presentation on climate change
Contributed by Valley Stewardship Network The Valley Stewardship Network Conservation on Tap November presentation discusses climate change in the Driftless Area. This November Conservation on Tap will take place on the second Tuesday of the month due to the election....
Veterans Day programs slated at local schools
Local schools will offer Veterans Day programs on Monday, Nov. 11. Brookwood High School will host its program at 10:30 a.m. in the varsity gymnasium. All veterans and guests are invited for lunch in the high school cafeteria after the program. Parking will be...
Royall fall concert set for Tuesday
Contributed by the Royall Music Department The Royall High School Music Department will present its annual fall concert Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. in the OLD Royall High School gymnasium. It will include performances by the concert band, concert choir, and...
N-O-W’s new playground opens
Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton Elementary School’s grand opening for its new playground was Thursday.
Royall approves budget
Because the Royall School District will run a $1.5 million, nonrecurring referendum Tuesday, the board of education approved two sets … Read the rest
N-O-W board sets levy
The N-O-W School Board unanimously approved a $3.179 million property tax levy Monday following its sparsely attended budget hearing and … Read the rest
N-O-W building project meets code challenges
Though challenges associated with meeting state building requirements has resulted in more expenses for the Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton School District’s new construction, … Read the rest
Kendall Community Club donates $4,000 to village
The Kendall Community Club donated $4,000 on Tuesday to the Village of Kendall to help replace the furnaces at the … Read the rest
An Ontario business owner raises concerns with village
An Ontario businessman raised issues with work already completed on the new business development at Monday’s village board meeting.
Wilton to work toward repairing softball field
Wilton will proceed with repairing its recently constructed softball field, remedying a problem with surface material that caused players’ legs … Read the rest
Homecoming 2024: Royall celebrates Panther pride
The Royall School District celebrated its homecoming last week.
Volunteer sought for Norwalk’s hidden, unofficial park
Bob and Susie Brownell of Norwalk have kept an unofficial, somewhat-improvised park outside of the village well-tended and available to … Read the rest
Norwalk rejected for grant; money would have gone toward new community center
In a setback for the village, Norwalk did not receive a grant for a new community center, president Levi Helgren … Read the rest
Brookwood’s Cunitz nets 1,000 assists
Coming into the Brookwood girls volleyball team’s match with Bangor on Thursday night, Falcons senior captain Emily Cunitz needed 33 … Read the rest
Benefit for Lynn Evans family of Wilton is Oct. 12
Lynn (Schmitz) Evans of Wilton had already beaten cancer once; she won her fight against breast cancer in 2018.
Community
Vernon County Museum Notes: Walking-tour brochure available for Viroqua Cemetery
By Kristen Parrott | Vernon County Museum curator Just in time for Halloween, a walking tour brochure for the Viroqua Cemetery has been published by the Vernon County Historical Society. The tour brochure is available in paper format at the Vernon County Museum and...
Ontario Public Library announces winners of coloring contest
By Rachel Conner | Ontario Public Library director Thank you to all the amazing artists who participated in the annual Ontario Public Library Halloween coloring contest! Congratulations to prize winners: Thaya, Ivy, and Noelle. Please stop by the library to pick up...
Wilton Public Library to host activities
By Kelly Lupton | Wilton Public Library director The following activities are coming up at the Wilton Public Library: • 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 1: Current-events discussion group • 12:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1: Book club for adults with special needs • 4 p.m....
Seeing Stars: Fall nights are good times for walks
By Susan Cushing | Kickapoo Valley Dark Sky Initiative The days are getting noticeably shorter, and fall is in the air. We think of taking a walk and enjoying the fall colors, but fall is also a good time to walk at night when colors fade but other aspects of the land...
Senior menus for Nov. 4–9
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. Note: The Wilton meal site closed permanently Sept. 6. Monday, Nov....
Obituaries
Fred Albert Summerfield
Fred Albert Summerfield, 82, passed away peacefully Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Tomah Veterans Hospital. Fred was born Jan. 10, 1942, to Fred and Pauline (Marcum) Summerfield in Parkersburg, W.V. After completing high school, Fred felt a strong call to serve his...
Josephine M. (Jo) Bartz
Josephine M. (Jo) Bartz, 102, of Mauston and formerly of Wilton, passed away Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, at the Fair View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Mauston, Wis. She was born June 8, 1922, to Joseph and Maude (Johnson) Druschba in Griggs County, N.D.,...
John Ernest Gerber
John Ernest Gerber went to his heavenly home the evening of Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, Wis., surrounded by his family. John was born Nov. 2, 1944, to John Ernest “Ernie” and Pansy Fern (Johnston) Gerber in...
Betty Carol Leis
Betty Carol Leis, a cherished wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) at her home in Tomah, Wis., on Oct. 20, 2024, at the age of 77. Born on April 12, 1947, to Carl and Amanda...
Ronald W. Schmitz
Ronald W. Schmitz, 90, passed away peacefully Saturday evening at Rolling Hills Senior Living in Sparta, Wis. On Oct. 19, 1934, he was the 11th child born to Louis and Mary (Herricks) Schmitz on the home farm on St. Mary's Ridge, and on Oct. 19, 2024,...
Opinion
Letter to the editor: Biased news media
By Jan Path | Wilton I would like to urge all Americans to watch/listen to a wide variety of news sources. Getting all your news from the mainstream media will not give you a well-rounded perspective. MSNBC was recently recorded admitting the news of the day...
Royall’s referendum is of vital importance
Editor’s note: Royall High School alum Alice Palamaruk submitted the following letter to the Royall Board of Education. By Alice Palamaruk | Royall High School class of 2024 I am a former student of Royall High School, and I am writing to express my strong support for...
Letter to the editor: Farm Bureau endorses Baldwin
By Joey Esterline | Norwalk/Sparta U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin was recently endorsed by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau’s Board of Directors, which brings an important awareness to why she must be re-elected on Nov. 5. “Sen. Baldwin has been a steadfast advocate for...
Letter to the editor: Wisconsin needs to expand Medicaid
By Ed Martinez | Viroqua In 2005, my wife and I retired to Viroqua, Wis. I worked 30 years in public healthcare in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and overseas. I served as CEO of one of the largest public hospitals in the U.S. and was appointed to the Advisory...
Letter to the editor: Quit setting children against taxpayers
Nalani Bever | Royall class of 1969 Time to cut to the chase. Should you elect to vote NO on the upcoming Royall School District, you can boast that you had a part in the demise of the district. For those of you voting NO to finally wrestle the school out of Elroy,...
Sports
Runners place in conference, sectional
Cross country runners competed in the Scenic Bluffs Conference championship meet Oct. 19 and the Division 3 Sectional meet at Prairie Du Chien on Oct. 26, with teams and individuals competing for the top spots in conference and advancing to the state meet. Katie Field...
Royall volleyball rolls to regional title
Royall volleyball captured a stunner of a finish over No. 1 Highland in the sectional final Oct. 26. Royall gained wins in the first and second sets, 25–22 and 25–20, as Highland came back 25–22 in the third. Royall sealed the win in the fourth set, 27–25, for the...
Hillsboro too much for Brookwood
The Brookwood volleyball team advanced to the Division 4 regional final matchup on Oct. 26 against Hillsboro after a 3–0 win over Kickapoo on Oct. 24. Brookwood kept a steady pace against Hillsboro in the first set for a close-set win for Hillsboro 27–25. Brookwood...
Falcon volleyball clinches second in conference
The Brookwood volleyball team rounded out its regular-season play by traveling to Cashton on Oct. 17. Reagan Muehlenkamp extends for the kill over the net. Brookwood took set one, 25–19. (Tasha Mueller photo) Emily Cunitz saves the ball to keep possession late in set...
Royall rounds out regular season
Royall volleyball traveled to Wonewoc-Center on Oct. 15 and avenged a second-set loss 17_25 to win 3–1, with wins 25-15, 25-23, and 25-23. Bria Gruen powered up 20 kills in the win. (Tasha Mueller photo) Laya Wainwright jumps up in the second set and totaled 10 kills,...
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...
E-Edition
Pictures from the Past
Wilton senior quartet, 1955
The following students were members of the senior quartet at Wilton High School in 1955: Orvis Schindler, Roger Pasch, Charles Zellmer and Merlyn Eckelberg. This photo appeared in the Wilton High School yearbook, “Wiltonian.”
Kendall High School class of 1934
Photo courtesy of Dean Hutchens
Ontario High School basketball, 1949–50
The 1949–50 Ontario High School basketball team sits on the Ontario Community Hall stage. Back row (left to right): Roger Budde, Donald Breidenstein, Bob Bassett, Stan White and coach Joe Ott. Front row: Dale Thomas, Bill Calhoun, Dick Olson, Bill Jantz and Bob...
Pictures from the past: Early 20th century Ontario
These undated, early 20th century images depict Ontario. Can you offer more information on the photos and what they portray? Contact the County Line at (608) 337-4232 or countyline@centurytel.net. (Photos courtesy of Aldis Strazdins)
Vernon County Museum Notes: Reflections on early Ontario, Whitestown
By KRISTEN PARROTT | Vernon County Museum curator Summer is winding down, and that means that the historic Sherry-Butt House at 795 N. Main St. in Viroqua is coming to the end of its season. The house is open for tours from 1–5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Labor...
School
N-O-W students take part in Performing Arts Fair
Contributed by N-O-W Elementary School — Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton Elementary School fifth-graders were presented an opportunity to present something fun at our school’s Performing Arts Fair. Seven students volunteered to showcase a special talent. Performances ranged...
Brookwood theater students advance to sectionals
Back row (left to right): Director Kim Neal Nofsinger, Cooper Powell, Brayden Thieman, Jackie Hernandez and Elijah John. Front row: Emma Wiedmeyer, Samantha Markee, Miranda Arndt and Katherine McElhose. (Contributed photo) Students in the Brookwood theater program...
Brookwood names artists of the month
The Brookwood artists of the month for September are Lilly Brueggeman for her visual pun (football), Deja Jimenez for her Expressionist-inspired tempera painting and Adeline Slattery for her color-wheel families tempera painting. (Contributed photos)
Royall FFA gets donation for national convention
The Royall School District recently thanked American Family Insurance-Ruiz-Jorandby Agency in Reedsburg for donating money from its summer block party and pig roast to the Royall FFA Chapter, plus the home office matched the donation. The funds will be used to help...
Brookwood names artists of the month
Fernanda Garcia Barr (top), Deja Jimenez (middle) and Sophie Teynor (below) were the Brookwood High School artists of the month for April. Sophie painted an album cover using acrylic paint, Deja created original portraits of the members of the Prom Court using an iPad...