Norwalk resident honored for service

Norwalk resident Barb Ornes received an award in April from the American Association of University Women’s Tomah chapter. 

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Norwalk’s sewer plant upgrades nearing completion

Norwalk’s expansive sewer-plant renovation project is nearing its end nearly three years after the village board first approved the upgrades.… Read the rest

Royall elects new board president

Melissa Murray will assume the role of Royall School Board president, replacing long-time president Doug Waterman, who will now serve … Read the rest

EXTRA

Royall pops concert is Friday; middle school concert is Monday

The Royall High School Music Department will present its annual Pops Concert on Friday, May 9, at 7 p.m. in the old high school gymnasium.  This years’ theme is “A Night on Broadway,” including songs from the Broadway musical’s “Hamilton,” “Wicked,” “The Lion...

Vehicles collide off Irish Ridge Road

The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday reporting a two-vehicle collision on Oneida Road, off Irish Ridge Road, in rural Cashton, in the town of Clinton.   Wayne K. Kruizenga, 64, of rural Viroqua was driving a 2011 Ford...

Your Right to Know: When people die, openness matters

By Tim Vetscher In any community, the role of the medical examiner is vital.  Medical examiners — or coroners, in the nearly half of Wisconsin’s 72 counties that have them as an alternative — determine the cause and manner of death, support the criminal...

Pedestrian struck on Highway 27, near Cashton

A pedestrian was struck by a commercial motor vehicle on Highway 27, about 1½ miles south of Cashton, in the town of Christiana at about 9:45 p.m. Saturday, April 19, according to Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson.  The preliminary investigation revealed that...

Norwalk’s floral fundraiser

Contributed by the Norwalk Rails-to-Trails Committee One of the highlights of driving through Norwalk in the summer are the flower baskets hanging from the light poles and in the planters lining the street. These indicators of summer have been sponsored by the Rails...

One injured in Clinton rollover

The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatch Center was notified at 4:45 p.m. Sunday, April 6, of a single-vehicle rollover on County Highway D, east of Hall Road, in the town of Clinton. Ralph E. Smalley, 62, of Richland Center, Wis., was operating a 1999 Ford...

NEWS

Kendall Mustang Riders donate to local EMS, fire departments

Contributed by the Kendall Mustang Riders ATV/UTV Club — Over the past few years, the Kendall Mustang Riders ATV/UTV Club has donated the proceeds from its annual bowling tournament to local EMS and fire departments. This money has been raised with the support of...

Inventors and Entrepreneurs Club meets May 14

Contributed by the I&E Club The next meeting of the Inventors and Entrepreneurs Club will be held on Wednesday, May 14, at the Food Enterprise Center, 1201 N. Main St. in Viroqua.  Maggie Cornelius, the outreach coordinator for the Rural Wisconsin...

Vernon County Sheriff’s Report for April 27 to May 3

Sunday, April 27: Vernon County sheriff’s deputies and an officer with the Westby Police Department responded to Snowflake Curve Road in the town of Christiana for a female reporting she was struck in the head by a male party. The investigation is ongoing. Sunday,...

‘We Take Our Sports Seriously’ history walk set for May 30

Contributed by the Vernon County Museum The Wisconsin Historical Society has brought its traveling History Makers Tour to Vernon County, and the historic Sherry-Butt House Museum in Viroqua is a participating host.  The Sherry-Butt House is hosting the “We Take...

Local man putting a light on the need for dark skies

Local man putting a light on the need for dark skies

By Pat Mulvaney | For the County Line Scott Lind of Ontario has had a thing for dark skies ever since he stood at 6,000 feet on a mountain in Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1970s. On that summer evening, he gazed up at the unadulterated night sky where a...

Norwalk to seek $728,000 in CDBG money for street work

By Sarah Parker | County Line Editor Norwalk will apply for $728,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds to help offset the cost of its $1,092,000 street project, the village board decided at its meeting April 8. The venture will consist of roadwork and...

Archives

Community

Perspectives: A spring drive for every age, past, present and future

By Carolene Obert Martalock | rural Ontario Find a beautiful spring day to drive Highway 131 in Vernon County, to County Highway P east toward Valley. Here in the sun-dappled woods, before Warner Creek merges with the larger meandering Kickapoo River, is the amazing...

Wilton Public Library to host events

By Kelly Lupton | Wilton Public Library director The Wilton Public Library will host the following events: • 10 a.m. Friday, May 9: Current-Events Discussion Group • 10 a.m. Saturday, May 10: Second-Saturday Writer’s Club • 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 12: Second-Monday...

Bill Karis Shoe Store, Norwalk, circa 1910

The Bill Karis Shoe Store, located at 105 Main St. in Norwalk, circa 1910. Left to right: Joe Wepfer, Alvin Wruck and William Karis. More historic photos are available at the Monroe County Local History Room’s website at www.MCLHR.org. In its April 24 issue, the...

Senior menus for May 12–16

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, May...

Obituaries

Harold “Buzz” Jensen

Harold “Buzz” Jensen, 82, of Elroy, Wis., passed away on Monday, April 28, 2025, at the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse due to complications from Parkinson’s disease. Buzz was born Aug. 2, 1942, in Plymouth, Wis., to Lawrence and Cora (Smith) Jensen. At...

Kent Louis Hendrickson

Kent Louis Hendrickson, 73, of rural Ontario, Wis., passed from this life to be forever with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Saturday, April 26, 2025.  He was born to Earl Henry Hendrickson and Geneva Merle (Gardner) Hendrickson on Sept. 29, 1951, joining...

Leila Helen Moseley

Leila Helen Moseley, 95, of Cassville, Wis., formerly of Tomah, died April 19, 2025, at Eden Vista, Madison. She was born Oct. 27, 1929, to Alloth and Helen (Mahoney) Westpfahl in Tomah, Wis. She was a member of the Tomah High School graduating class of 1947. ...

Deanna Rae Bell

Deanna Rae Bell, 78, of Kendall, Wis., passed away on April 15, 2025.  Born on Feb. 24, 1947, to Everett and Donna (Severson) Walter, Deanna spent her early childhood in Minneapolis, Minn. At the age of 7, she moved to a family farm outside Kendall, where she was...

Metro Palamaruk

Metro Palamaruk, 94, of Kendall, died Saturday, April 19, 2025, at Touch of Home.   He was born Feb. 7, 1931, to Konstantine and Victoria (Mamoff) Palamaruk in Fort William, Ontario, Canada. After graduating high school, he served in the Canadian Armed...

Opinion

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 softball edges 6-3 over Necedah

Brookwood softball gained a conference win over Necedah 6–3 in Monday night action. Reagan Muehlenkamp tosses the ball to first in the third inning as Necedah gains on an error. (Tasha Mueller photo) Deanna Wallace steadies her concentration on the ball in the third,...

Falcons score 16 over Cardinals

The Brookwood baseball team had a number of scored runs and hits at bat on Monday, May 5, hosting Necedah. Jackson Cunitz gets hit by a pitch in the first inning, as the Falcons scored nine runs as Necedah could not battle back. (Tasha Mueller photo) Drew Thurston...

Brookwood names athletes of the month

The following Brookwood High School students were named athletes of the month for March/April. Coaches’ comments follow the students’ names. BASEBALL • Braeden Pasch: “Braeden leads the team in hits and batting average. He also has a 2–0 pitching record. More...

Royall hosts home track invite

Track and field athletes competed in the Gerard Brunner Track Invitational held at Royall on April 24. Brookwood's Katherine McElhose throws in the girls shot put, extending at 25'10.50." (Tasha Mueller photo) Royall's Adonu Ingraham clears the 5'4" bar in the boys...

Softball and baseball teams govern season competition

Royall hosted Brookwood on April 21 in both baseball and softball competition. Royall's Ben Crneckey extends for a ground out over Camden Brueggeman. (Tasha Mueller photo) Braeden Pasch watches for a fast pitch, gaining a walk in the seventh inning. Royall's Jett...

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

Bill Karis Shoe Store, Norwalk, circa 1910

The Bill Karis Shoe Store, located at 105 Main St. in Norwalk, circa 1910. Left to right: Joe Wepfer, Alvin Wruck and William Karis. More historic photos are available at the Monroe County Local History Room’s website at www.MCLHR.org. In its April 24 issue, the...

Tuttle Hill, 1910s

Men construct the road on what is now County Highway ZZ, on Tuttle Hill, just southwest of Ontario, most likely in the 1910s. The back of the photo has the inscription, “Grandpa Phil Bolden driving 1st team working on Tuttle Hill.” Do you have more information about...

Wilton baseball, 1937

WILTON BASEBALL 1937: The village of Wilton’s baseball team won the Milwaukee Sentinel’s state championship in 1937. Left to right, kneeling, are Hunts Steffen, Don Harrison, Vern Ferries (manager), Bud Martalock, Bud Schneider and Bill Heilman. Standing are Bud...

Ontario, 1915

This 1915 photo depicts the road from Hillsboro into Ontario, past the Charles Lord house (a pillared house that's still in place), as the road turns the corner into Ontario. (Photo courtesy of Bob Breidenstein)

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.”

School

Brookwood names artists of the month

The April Artists of the Month for Brookwood High School are Savannah Groom Cruz, Calista Zimmerman and Madelin Matias Perez (below, left to right) for their two-sided tempera paintings called Agamographs.  The fourth Artist of the Month is Brayden Thieman (bottom...

Brookwood hosts FFA banquet

The Brookwood FFA put on its annual banquet April 27. The following students received awards. • Discovery Degrees — Linus Arndt, Cassandra Bever, Marlee Bohn, John DeWitt, Matthew Hyatt, Carson Johnson, Liberty Monsees, Bentley Myers, Dustin Powell, Jonas Rueckheim,...

Royall greenhouse to open

The Royall Greenhouse will have the following hours this month: • Friday, May 9 — 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. • Saturday, May 10 — 8 a.m. to 12 noon • Weekdays from May 12–16 — 3:30 to 5 p.m. • Saturday, May 17 — 8 a.m. to 12 noon • Weekdays from May 19–23 by...

Brookwood trap club fundraiser

The Brookwood Trap Club hosted a fundraiser April 13 at the Wilton Fire Station.  Brookwood students serve up hamburgers and brats.  Allison Maulsby and Amiyia Zimbauer accept payments for the meals. Alice Wiedmeyer and Payge Clark work the grill. 

N-O-W goes to Kid’s College

Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton Elementary School sent a group of sixth graders to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Kid’s College on Friday, April 11. The UW and the Mississippi Valley Gifted and Talented Network partner to offer the event. Students were able to get a...