MTT01 MG

A look back at the year 2014
VOL. 123, NO. 1
THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015
www.MiddletonTimes.com
SINGLE COPY PRICE: $1.25
Recap of the years top stories begins on page 3
File photos
Clockwise from top left: Middleton resident Courtney Baker took part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, as well as challenging Mayor Kurt Sonnentag
to do the same; Longtime city alderman Jim Wexler announced his would leave city politics in the spring of 2014, but he was appointed back to the council
following his successors surprising and cryptic announcement that he would not accept the Middleton Common Councils District 4; Chuck Foulke took
over as chief of the Middleton Police Department after Brad Keil left to take a job in the private sector; Governor Scott Walker campaigned in Middleton
shortly before his victory in the Nov. 4 election; The Madison Beard Wearers Union/Local 608 hosted the Midwest Mustache & Beard Wearers Championship in Middleton in July; President Barack Obama met with Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching winners, including Middleton teacher Kathy Hiteman, in the East Room of the White House on March 3. In 2014, the Middleton Town Board named tireless parks activist Mel
Pope (center photo) as the first Friend of the Town.
PAGE 2
R ecReATiON
MIDDLETON TIMES-TRIBUNE
O biTUARieS
Donald P. Frisch
11:00 am Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014 at

St. ignatius catholic church in Mount
Horeb, Wi with the Very Rev. Fr.
Richard Heilman, VF officiating. burial and full military honors were at calvary cemetery in Mount Horeb.
Visitation was from 3:00 to 7:00 pm on
Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014 at the ellestad
camacho Funeral Home, 500 N 8th
St., Mount Horeb. in lieu of other expressions of sympathy, you may contribute to the charity of your choice in
Dons name.
www.camachofuneralhomes.com
608-437-5077
Beverly Dunn Philumalee
Ctonributed photo
Middleton Recreation has a wide variety of upcoming programs.

Registration is open now for an array of January programs including
Indoor Soccer, Ballet, Tae Kwon Do, Toddler & Preschool Music
Classes, Acrylic Painting, Young Rembrandts Cartooning, Drawing
& Preschool Art, Engineering for Kids programs, Henna Retreat,
Candles & Frames, Eyebrow Threading, Indian Cooking, and Twin
Valley Clay programs. Register online at www.ci.middleton.wi.us . or
check out the GoStrive app.
Pictured at above, a recent Twin Valley Clay program.
Donald P. Frisch, age 84 of Mount

Horeb, Wi died on Saturday, Dec. 27,
2014 at Agrace Hospicecare with family at his side.
He was born April 12, 1930 in Middleton, Wi to Louis and Sibylla (Maly)
Frisch.
He graduated from Middleton High
School at which time he joined the
United States Marine corps until his
discharge in 1952.
Don was married to Rosemarie
Rosie Scheidegger May 9, 1953 at
St. ignatius catholic church. They
farmed in the blue Mounds area until
1966. He, then, worked at the State
Lab of Hygiene for four years and then
for the Wisconsin State employee
Union, (AFScMe) until his retirement
in 1992. Don and Rosie spent many
years enjoying time at their lake house.
He enjoyed fishing, hunting, sports,
casino trips and playing cards with
family and friends. One of his most
memorable vacations was an Alaskan
trip they took for their 50th wedding
anniversary. Most of all, Don enjoyed
spending time with family.
Survivors include his wife of 61
years, Rosemarie Rosie; three sons:
Gary (Deborah), Randy (cathy) and
bruce (Joyce); six grandchildren:
Nathaniel (Kelly), Nedeen (Phil) Waefler; Nicole, chad, chase (Sarah) and
Kyle; five great-grandchildren; three
step-grandchildren, Jeremy, Tabitha
and Joshua and eight step great-grandchildren; one sister: Lavonne (Ray)
Kadrmas; four brothers: Marvin
(Alice), David, Daniel (Kathy) and
Michael (Patti), other relatives and
friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and a brother: edwin.
Mass of christian burial was at
beverly passed away on Dec. 21

with her four sons and daughter in laws
by her side very peacefully at the Villa
of Middleton Village Nursing home.
beverly was born in Milwaukee. on
Sept 20, 1931 and moved to Madison
when she was very young. She attended St. Raphaels and graduated
from Madison central in 1949.
beverly was the second oldest of the
15 children of Maurice and Lucille
connery. Raised in the Greenbush district, bev had many stories to tell. She
married Ronald J. Dunn on June 15,
1950. They lived in a few places, before settling on Madisons east side.
She worked most of her life in the
restaurant business and owned first the
Fair Oaks cafe and then bevs Restaurant on e. Washington Ave. for over 30
years. After Rons passing, she moved
with her second husband Harvey
Philumalee, to Marshall. and helped
her son Jason with a new restaurant,
bevs on Main. Shortly after the
move, Harvey and bev retired in Marshall. When Harvey passed away in
2004, bev stayed in Marshall until
moving to Middleton in 2007. She had
a great time living above the Vespa
store at Dunns import owned by her
son Jeffrey. As her health diminished
her final move was to the Villa at Middleton Village, where the nursing staff
and Agrace took exceptional care of
her.
beverly was a lifetime member of
the VFW womens auxiliary. She and
Harvey belonged to the Madison Vintage Auto club, for many years. She
especially loved just spending time
with family and friends.
bev is survived by her four sons
John (Deidre) of Middleton, Jeff
(Susan) of Middleton, Jim (Jean) of
Madison, and Jason (beth) of Marshall; her step daughter Tammy (Tom)
Dettinger of Madison. She is also survived by eight of her 15 brothers and
sisters, Don connery, Joe (Linda) connery, Mary Lou (Roger) claus, emmett
(JoAnn) connery, Tom (bev) connery,
Sandy (Jim) bancroft, Tim (Randy)
connery, Jerry (Patty) connery;

brother-in-law Lenny Small; sisters-inlaw, carol connery and Kathy connery.
The list of nephews, nieces, grand
kids and great grand kids would be
overwhelming to list, but do know she
loved every one of them very much.
She was preceded in death by her
parents. Her husband, Ronald Dunn in
1981 and her husband Harvey
Philumalee in 2004, her siblings; Jean
(Dennis) Dutch Whitmore, Morris
Muggs connery, Richard (Kathryn)
connery, Ruth Ann Small, Pat connery
and Michael connery.
Her spirit will live on through the
hearts and minds of all who were fortunate to know and love her.
A celebration of her life will be held
at Gunderson Funeral and cremation
care, 5203 Monona Dr., on Saturday,
January 24th from 1:00 - 3:00. Followed by a gathering ...with food, drink
and conversation at east Side club,
3735 Monona Dr. Madison
in lieu of flowers, donations can be
made to Agrace Hospice care. Their
services were greatly appreciated.
Online condolences may be made at
www.gundersonfh.com
Gunderson Funeral
and cremation care
5203 Monona Dr. Monona
608-221-5420
Joyce M.
Sylvester
Racine, formerly of Middleton

Joyce Maxine Sylvester passed
away on Dec 26, 2014, at the age of
98, at Artisan Assisted Living in
Racine, Wi. She is survived by her two
sons Geoffery (Holly) Sylvester,
Stephen (Michelle) Sylvester, 1 sister,
9 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren
and two nieces and a nephew.
Joyce was born in 1916 in evansville, Wi. Always an adventurer, Joyce
left for chicago to work after high
school, jumped at the chance to travel
immediately after WWii and worked
for General McArthur in occupied
Japan. There she met captain Jack
Sylvester of the Australian army, they
married and returned to Middleton, Wi
where she lived for over 50 years and
raised her two sons, Geoffrey and
Stephen. Her husband Jack died in
1969.
Joyce was active in The Middleton
community church, enjoyed reading,
playing cards, and a good word game.
Her energy, enthusiasm, and goodwill
will be sorely missed.
in 2005 she moved to Racine to be
near Stephen and Michelle Sylvester.
They would like to thank the staff at
Artisan Assisted Living for the wonderful care given to Joyce in her last
few years. A private family memorial
service will be held in Madison.
Draeger-Langendorf Funeral
Home And crematory
4600 county Line Rd. Racine,
Wi 53403
262-552-9000
T He Y eAR i N R eVieW
From storm water to a rattlesnake

New and
improved
Youth Center
From the Jan. 9 edition:
The Middleton Youth Resource center is re-opening on February 3. Supporters are hoping a new director, a
changed location and different programming will help bolster the centers
popularity.
A statement issued by the city of
Middleton Recreation Department said
the center will offer a comprehensive
program for children in grades five
through eight. The center, which used
to operate at city Hall, will now use
clark Street community School, 2429
clark St.
Gabrielle Hinahara has been named
the new Youth Resource center Director.
im really excited to re-open the
Middleton Youth Resource center, because i want to provide a safe and fun
space for young teens in our community to spend time after school, said
Hinahara, a former Good Neighbor
Fest Good Neighbor and co-founder of
the non-profit Growing Food and Sustainability.
We are going to provide students
with daily academic help, but the
Youth center is also going to focus on
hands-on, experiential activities such
as painting, gardening, bird watching,
cooking, sports, and community service, she continued. Students will also
be involved in selecting many of the
activities themselves, so they will learn
a lot about leadership and collaboration. Many students have already given
me great ideas for the program, and
im really looking forward to meeting
more students when we open in February.
MEA wins in
dispute with
school district
The state Supreme court has declined to review the lengthy and contentious legal battle between the
Middleton education Association
(MeA) and the Middleton-cross Plains
Area School District.
The decision, which the district
learned of late Tuesday, signals yet another in a string of victories for the
teachers union, which alleges the district imposed excessive and inequitable
punishments on teachers following the
discovery of nude pictures on some
employees work email accounts.
A state appeals court in 2013 concluded that firing Glacier creek Middle School teacher Andrew Harris for
viewing pornography on the job was
unfair in light of sanctions imposed on
other teachers in 2009. The union had
argued successfully that Harris was
fired in part because of his role on the
MeA bargaining team, and not solely
for the emails.
A District 4 court of Appeals opinion last year upheld a Dane county circuit judge who had ordered
reinstatement of Harris. The appeals
court also upheld reducing suspensions
to reprimands for teachers Mike Duren
and Gregg Doc cramer.
The union, represented by attorney
William Haus, contended that the district wished to get rid of Harris, who
was a thorn in their side during contract talks. Haus never disputed that
Harris should be disciplined for having
pornography on a school computer but
said the teacher deserved better than a
knee-jerk reaction from the district.
The courts noted the district cited no
case law to support its position and
even said the district undermined its
own position by not terminating any
other teacher who viewed sexually explicit pictures on school computers.
Haus predicted the Supreme court
would not take the case during an interview with the Times-Tribune last
year, saying the district had little legal
ground on which to appeal.
As of late 2013, the school district
had spent an estimated $600,000 on the
legal battle.
Boosters
create new
Tailgate event
January in Wisconsin might not feel

like tailgating weather, but a group of
dedicated volunteers are currently busy
organizing the inaugural cardinal Tailgate Party.
The event, which replaces the cardinal booster clubs annual Mardi
Gras fundraiser, will take place Saturday, Feb. 1 within the toasty confines
of Keva Sports center, 8312 Forsythia
St., Middleton.
The party begins at 7 p.m., and will
end at midnight.
Tickets cost $50 in advance or $60
at the door and can be ordered online.
A ticket includes two drink vouchers,
tailgate fare and lots of fun and games.
Silent auction items and a raffle are
also part of the party. Half of the cost
of the ticket is also tax-deductible.
Music will be provided by Suburban

Disturbance and disc jockey David
Foster.
in addition, the cardinal booster
club is also selling red cardinal
Domination T-shirts for the party. The
T-shirts cost $10 and include a free raffle ticket.
Tickets and T-shirts will also be sold
at boys and girls varsity home basketball games along with State bank of
cross Plains locations in Middleton
and cross Plains.
Research shows that kids who play
sports are healthier and physically
stronger than their less athletic peers,
said Tailgate coordinator Lisa
Steinkamp. Sports are healthy outlets
for kids to strengthen their skills and
have fun, while keeping them away
from risky behaviors.
Sports help kids build confidence
and boost self-esteem, develop focus,
and teach them about emotional control, she continued. Kids learn essential life skills, such as hard work,
patience, persistence, and how to respond positively to setbacks and failure. Sports teach kids about friendship,
respect, work ethic, perseverance, and
courage, and can create healthy eating
habits. Kids who play sports also learn
time management skills. All of these
benefits lead to well-rounded adults.
The cardinal booster club is a volunteer, parent-based organization that
provides support for local student athletes. A 26-member board of directors
meets monthly to manage the organization.
each board member represents a
sport and acts as a liaison between the
board and their sport.
board members also serve on committees that direct concessions,
fundraising, communications, membership and other activities.
in addition, board members are expected to encourage parents to join the
booster club and put in volunteer
hours, both of which are then converted into funding that is redirected
back to their teams.
The booster club donates an average of $100,000 to Middleton-cross
Plains athletics each year for uniforms,
equipment, facilities improvements
and more.
Steinkamp said that after 15 years of
successful Mardi Gras fundraisers,
many people were itching to try something new.
The organizers were brainstorming
different ideas and were trying to come
up with an event that could be held at
a time when people were around and
feeling cooped up, said Steinkamp.
Superbowl weekend was brought up
and we thought that people would
likely be around that weekend so having an event on the Saturday night before Superbowl Sunday might be fun.
They contacted Keva Sports center,
which agreed to donate the space.
We started thinking about how easy
and entertaining it would be to have a
tailgate theme where people could
dress casually and play tailgate
games, Steinkamp continued.
Tickets include two drink vouchers

and there will be a tailgate cookout,
along with plenty to eat.
Their goal is to raise around
$25,000, or about a quarter of what
they donate to local athletics each year.
Harris
goes back
to school
because of weather cancellations on

Monday and Tuesday, teacher Andrew
Harris did not actually start his new job
teaching science at Kromrey Middle
School until Wednesday morning. That
didnt stop a series of events surrounding his controversial return to the classroom from unfolding, however.
Four years ago Harris was fired for
having opened e-mails containing adult
images on his school computer. The
ensuing investigation revealed other
staffers had viewed adult images on
school computers as well, but they received suspensions, and were not fired.
At no time were any students exposed
to any of the emails in question, school
officials determined.
The local teachers union took Harris case to arbitration and won. Subsequent court appeals upheld the
arbitrators decision, and last week,
Middleton-cross Plains Area School
District officials finally agreed to abide
by the ruling. Harris has been rehired.
This by no means has brought the
matter to a close, however.
The latest of these events was the
announcement Tuesday that Governor
Scott Walker is asking Department of
Public instruction superintendent Tony
evers to revoke Harris teaching license.
The arbitration process afforded to
Mr. Harris failed the school district and
the students, wrote Walker in a letter
to evers. Walker, who effectively dismantled many teachers unions across
the state with the passage of Act 10,
added, it has taken both a financial
and emotional toll on the district.
cases, such as this one, are a good example of why our reforms are necessary.
Walker did not request that the other
teachers who received adult content in
their emails have their licenses revoked.
Also this past week, the Middletoncross Plains Area School District
teachers union took down its Facebook page after an anonymous person or persons posted a link that makes
demands and promises consequences
regarding the return of Harris to a
Kromrey Middle School classroom.
The video, which depicts a disguised
individual saying he represents a group
called Derpsec, is protesting Harriss
return to the classroom. The narrator
says Harris either should be fired permanently or, if Harris stays, parents
PAGE 3
should be allowed to take their children

out of his class and Harris must pay the
district $100,000 to be used for school
supplies and whatever is needed by
the children.
if one of these two things does not
happen, says the person in the video,
Derpsec will release photographs of
board members and union officials,
their personal telephone numbers and
pictures of their homes and family
members, and much more.
We are not making threats, the
masked individual states, but rather
looking for a resourceful outcome.
Failure to comply with this outcome
will result in personal information
being leaked to the public and those in
the online world.
The person in the video appears to
be styled after a fictional masked revolutionary character who calls himself
V in a film based on a graphic novel
titled, V for Vendetta. Heath Ledgers
iconic Joker from the christopher
Nolan film The Dark Knight, who
served as the inspiration for mass
shooter James Holmes in 2012, is also
visible.
Harris on Wednesday morning offered no comment on recent events except to say he is trying to focus on
providing the best science learning environment for [the] students right
now.
Half of Derpsecs second demand
option has been met, at least for the
time being. A school official on Friday
said Harris is going into the classroom,
but parents who dont want their children in his class have been given the
option of removing their students to a
study hall. As of Monday there was apparently still some question as to
whether these students would take any
more science for the rest of the year,
but district officials indicated the students would be allowed to advance to
the next grade level.
District spokesperson Perry Hibner
on Monday explained the district initially received about 100 communications from parents about the plan to
have Harris teach at Kromrey. (There
are about 125 seventh grade students in
this particular teaching block.) After
the district indicated a para-educator
would be in the classroom with Harris,
however, about 95 of the parents involved indicated they were okay with
the arrangement.
At that point the district met individually with the five or so remaining
families to work out another arrangement. Reportedly district superintendent Don Johnson, union president chris
baumann and union attorney William
See 2014, page 4
CHURCH
NOTES
Haus were
going to meet
sometime this
PAGE 4
2014
week to finalize the particulars.

Harris four years ago admitted to
viewing adult images contained in emails sent to his school computer by
his sister. A subsequent investigation
revealed a number of staffers had also
received and opened e-mails containing adult images.
The Middleton-cross Plains Area
School District after its investigation
decided to fire Harris, a union official
who had on several occasions made
statements critical of the district and its
treatment of teachers, while the other
staffers received suspensions.
Harris and union officials have consistently said they considered opening
the emails on work computers wrong
and deserving of discipline. The union
officials, however, also said the discipline meted out to Harris was out of
line when compared to the discipline
given to the other teachers. The district,
however, said Harriss actions were
more egregious.
The Middleton education Association (MeA), the local teachers union,
made the case in arbitration that Harris
had been treated unfairly because he
had been fired while the other teachers
were suspended and retained their jobs.
The arbitrator ultimately agreed and ordered the district to give Harris his job
back, with back pay.
After a series of court appeals costing district taxpayers over $600,000
failed to overturn the arbitrators ruling, the Wisconsin Supreme court two
weeks ago declined to review the case.
At that point, the district gave up its
legal effort, reluctantly agreed to hire
Harris back to a comparable job, and
to paying the teacher nearly $200,000
in back pay.
The board offered Harris the Kromrey job, and he accepted the position.
Harris has indicated he wants to prove
to the community that he is a good
teacher. Last week and in prior writings
to this newspaper, Harris said he understood why parents would be concerned
about his return, given the publicity
this case has received.
it i were a parent in this situation, i
would want to know what is going on,
he said last week.
When he was fired, Harris was a
teacher at Glacier creek Middle
School in cross Plains. A science
teacher at Kromrey, eric engel, was
currently poised to move to an administrative position, so engels transition
was moved up to make room for Harris.
Friday morning when Harris showed
up at Kromrey to take part in a teacher
work day, a number of parents were

picketing at the school. Middleton police were on hand to keep an eye on
things, but no incidents were reported.
The police said they intended to continue monitoring the situation. Harris,
meanwhile, worked that day with
engel to become familiar with the class
and its curriculum.
The para-educator will be in the
room with Harris for at least the next
two weeks, and engel will be available
if Harris has any questions.
We believe this will be beneficial to
our students, who will now have a second resource available to them, and to
those parents who have expressed concerns about having their child in a
classroom with Mr. Harris, said Johnson in a Jan. 24 email sent to parents.
Economic
recovery
in full swing
From the Feb. 13 edition:
crime is down, taxes are up and

there are several indications the economic recovery is in full swing at the
local level.
Mayor Kurt Sonnentag touched on
those topics and many more during his
annual State of the city address last
week, offering what each year becomes
a more contextual view of local government during his seven years at the
helm.
While the annual speech was perhaps his most substantive yet, providing updated data about taxes, debt and
population trends, it also served as a
form of retrospective, highlighting
changes throughout much of the past
decade.
The mayor, whose tone is always
lighthearted when giving speeches,
started by addressing a somewhat comical elephant in the room: the citys disappearance from the once-coveted
best Places to Live rankings put out
by Money magazine. Sonnentag
pointed out the city ranked fifth in
2005, first in 2007, fourth in 2009 and
11th in 2011.
Last year, Middleton was not even
in the top 50, he said. Apparently we
fell off the face of the earth, he added.
Sonnentag used the introduction to
argue that all of the things that Money
said made Middleton a great place
for the past decade are still here.
The city has 1,300 more residents

than it did in 2007, along with at least
1,500 more jobs. Sonnentag pointed
out that while Middleton, with a total
population of around 18,146, has about
9,600 working, adult residents, the city
is home to around 18,000 jobs.
New construction is bolstering the
citys equalized value, he added.
We finally beat our 2007 high in
2013 for new construction, Sonnentag
said. The result is that, while individual
property values are still down, for the
most part, new growth has helped to
buttress the citys tax base.
Sonnentag continued to contend that
Middleton has the lowest tax rate of
any comparable city in Dane county,
but the claim came with a caveat. With
a municipal mill rate of $6.55, Middleton residents pay $1,742 in city taxes
on a home valued at $265,900, the median in the Good Neighbor city. Thats
a lower rate than is paid by residents in
Waunakee,
Verona,
Fitchburg,
Stoughton or Sun Prairie.
but city taxes have increased substantially in each of the past few years,
a fact Sonnentag acknowledged. Unfortunately, the trend line is up, he
said.
in addition, a closer look at home
values in other cities shows that the
owner of a median value home in
Verona or Stoughton would pay less in
taxes, despite their mill rate being
slightly higher than Middletons.
Sonnentag attributed the hefty tax
increases to construction of new police/court, fire and eMS stations. We
had to do something about those facilities, he said. They had to be built.
i guess, he added, you could
argue about how well they had to be
built.
Sonnentag went on to say the public
safety agencies that serve Middleton
deserved the new buildings. crime, he
pointed out, hit a ten-year low in 2013,
dropping by 23 percent. Thats because of the efforts of the guys at our
police department, Sonnentag commented. crime has dropped consistently during chief of police brad
Keils time running the department.
The fire departments high iSO rating, Sonnentag said, helps save citizens
money on their insurance.
Sonnentag continued to laud the effects of Tax increment Financing (TiF)
on the local economy. He said TiF District 3 has generated $630 million in
new increment over the course of its
life, $270 million of which has been returned to the citys general fund. He
said the district continues to provide an
influx in the millions each year.

The city retains a high, Aa1 bond
rating, despite what some critics say is
an overly high debt burden. He also acknowledged that the municipally
owned and operated Pleasant View
Golf course continues to carry excessive debt, despite the fact that the
course itself consistently operates in
the black.
its a fairly large number, but its a
number we can handle, Sonnentag
said of the citys debt. He pointed out
that the city borrowed at a stellar rate
of three percent in 2013.
Sonnentag said the city continues
channeling more funding into street repairs in an attempt to rectify one of the
most common complaints about city
infrastructure. Middleton allocated
$1,226 million for roadwork in 2014,
up from $850,000 in 2013.
Sonnentags speech took place during the Middleton chamber of commerces monthly Get Moving
Middleton gathering at the Marriott
Madison/West.
Sonnentag will run unopposed for
another three-year term in the spring.
County tries
to rein in
mining sites
imagine a long-slumbering mine, located on the edge of a residential

neighborhood or nature conservancy,
roaring to life one day without any review or recourse for those affected by
the operations noise, dust and traffic.
That could happen in dozens of sites
across Dane county, according to proponents of a zoning law change that
would require dormant mines to obtain
a permit before re-opening.
Dane county is on the verge of approving an ordinance amendment that
would bolster control over local mining sites that a county planning document said are essentially unregulated
right now.
but the fate of the amendment,
which has broad support from both the
county board and county executive Joe
Parisi, will ultimately be up to local
towns, which have the power to decide
whether they want the increased oversight.
The amendment would alter Section
continued from page 3
10.21 of the countys current zoning

ordinance, which deals with nonconforming land uses. The section details
limitations and conditions that apply to
the continuation of existing uses that
do not conform to current ordinance
standards. in other words, places where
uses, such as mining, enjoy grandfathered status and are allowed to take
place despite violating zoning regulations that apply to the surrounding
land.
Most nonconforming uses lose their
grandfathered status when they are discontinued for a year or longer. but
there is one notable exception: mines.
Registered nonconforming mineral
extraction sites currently enjoy an exemption that allows them to become
active again, without any county review, no matter how long they have sat
dormant.
county officials believe there are
around 40 such sites in Dane county
alone.
This was a political decision made
years ago, Parisi said of the exemption. The powers that be decided to
take away residents input.
Ordinance Amendment 26 would remove the exemption by deleting section 10.21(1)(d) from the county
zoning ordinance.
This is not a radical concept,
Parisi said. its just leveling the playing field.
Parisi and the county board must approve Ordinance Amendment 26 for it
to become effective, but if a majority
of Dane countys 34 towns submit
documentation of their disapproval of
the amendment, they can effectively
kill the proposal.
The Middleton Town board was
among less than a handful of communities to vote against the amendment.
Middleton supervisor Tim Roehl
said the amendment was drafted to deal
with one complaint and would force
quarry owners to open their sites once
per year in an effort to avoid being designated as inactive.
The Middleton Town board voted
unanimously against the amendment. it
also suggested the creation of a stakeholders work group to resolve some
of the issues around mining.
but a January 15 memo prepared by
Majid Allan, senior planner for the
county, called the amendment a sensible change.
There are good reasons that mineral extraction is a conditional, rather
than permitted, use in several of the
See 2014, page 5
2014
countys zoning districts, Allan wrote.

From a public policy standpoint, it is
preferable that mineral extraction proposals undergo a thorough public review and approval procedure that can
impose reasonable conditions designed
to protect the public health, safety, and
welfare.
The sensible change proposed by
[Amendment] 26 would ensure that
long inactive mineral extraction sites
would have to obtain a conditional use
permit and comply with current ordinance requirements in order to conduct
any future extraction activities, Allan
continued.
county supervisor Sharon corrigan
(Dist. 26), who represents Middleton,
is an enthusiastic supporter of the
change.
There are some mining sites that
neighbors dont even know about,
corrigan stated. This just gives citizens a voice in the process.
corrigan emphasized that she believes the amendment is not an attempt
by the county to overreach or infringe on local control.
She also said that, pending the results of an upcoming public hearing on
the matter, she expected the amendment to pass.
i cant speak for all of my fellow
supervisors, but most of what ive
heard from them so far is support,
corrigan stated.
The Dane county Office of the corporation counsel weighed in on the
amendment in a December 19 memo.
in it, David R. Gault, assistant corporation counsel, indicated that the
change would not violate a state law
known as the diminishing asset rule.
[Amendment] 26 would simply
bring Dane countys zoning ordinance
into conformation with the common
law of nonconforming uses, Gault
wrote. A nonconforming mineral extraction use would be deemed terminated if discontinued for more than one
year.
it is also important to note that
adoption of [Amendment] 26 will not
prohibit future mineral extraction on
these sites, Gault continued. Future
mineral extraction would simply require a conditional use permit in conformance with the ordinance.
The countys rationale for the
change is relatively simple.
Since extraction activities are essentially unregulated at such sites,
there is no enforcement mechanism to
ensure that operations are done in a
manner that respects the rights and interests of neighboring property owners
and towns, according to Allan. As a
result, significant disputes and neighborhood unrest can emerge and fester
for years at great cost to a community
when the potential impacts of mineral
extraction operations are not addressed
and preempted on the front end of an
operation.
Mineral extraction is a land use that
can have major implications for neighbors, according to county officials.
Not surprisingly, not every mining
company was excited about the
prospect of increased regulation.
ive reached out and the response
has been varied, said Parisi. Some
said they think its fair for everyone to
follow the same rules, while other
would prefer no regulation at all.
Virtually unregulated blasting, unlimited hours of operation, unmitigated
fugitive dust emissions, and costly road
damage from heavy truck traffic can
occur at non-conforming mineral extraction sites could all be byproducts
of a suddenly active mining site, Allan
contended.
county staff supports the proposed
change to the ordinance, saying it
would result in a more transparent
process for mineral extraction operations and fewer neighbor complaints.
Editors note: Village and towns
subsequently blocked the proposal,
saying it would be a burden on mining
companies and that the county was

over-reaching.
Report on
city crime
The Middleton Police Department

has released its annual report for the
year 2013.
The overall crime rate was down 23
percent in 2013 from 2012, marking
the lowest rate of crime reported in
Middleton in more than ten years.
Residential burglaries and thefts
from motor vehicles, which make up a
majority of local crimes, were down 42
percent and 21 percent, respectively.
Police attribute the reduction to cooperation from citizens after outreach
efforts through the use of social media
and a Vehicle Report card system.
Unfortunately, the use of Heroin
continues to plague our community,
wrote chief of police brad Keil in the
report. Police officers and paramedics
responded to six overdose calls in
2013.
Two of those calls resulted in the
death of the users. Arrests of those responsible for delivering the drug were
made after the most recent death, according to Keil.
Middleton Police continue to work
with other area law enforcement agencies to try to curb this epidemic, which
Keil said is responsible for many of the
crimes committed in the community.
We worked very closely with our
School District again this past year on
planning for and responding to critical
incidents that might occur at schools or
during school related activities, Keil
wrote. Joint training and a full scale
exercise, paid for in part with a grant
through the Office of Justice Assistance, was conducted in 2013.
The departments goal to achieve
Accreditation through the Wisconsin
Law enforcement Accreditation Group
(WiLeAG ) will soon become a reality,
Keil predicted. Work on revising and
updating all department policies and
procedures in order to meet Accreditation Standards was completed in
2013.
An assessment of the department
was conducted by members of
WiLeAG in early January of
2014. The WiLeAG board will meet
in early 2014 to determine if the Middleton Police Department meets the
234 standards necessary to achieve accreditation.
While nothing is official, i am confident that our department has done the
work needed to achieve accreditation,
Keil wrote. i want to publicly thank
captain Noel Kakuske, our accreditation manager, for all of his hard work
over the past year and a half on this important achievement.
Chief Keil
steps down
From the March 13 edition:
being a police chief comes with certain expectations. You are supposed to
be balding, paunchy, with saggy jowls
and a perpetually cantankerous demeanor. You spend most of your time
making rogue detectives hand over
their badges and guns. You like to bark,
Youre off the case!
At least, thats the way Hollywood
often portrays it.
brad Keil has always belied that
image. And now, after a decade running the Middleton Police Department,
the trim, soft spoken chief, his face noticeably jowl-less, is saying farewell
much as he ran the department. Quietly
and even-keeled.
Keil, who will move on to take over

as manager of corporate facilities security at WPS insurance, entered the
world of law enforcement when he was
just 18 years old. He had seen friends
and family members enter the field,
and it seemed like a good fit.
i had a little exposure to law enforcement, he said, and it always interested me.
i thought i might enjoy it, but i didnt really know exactly what i wanted
to do, he added. i ended up working
in security.
Plus, his job at the time, working in
a print shop, didnt provide the excitement he wanted.
He came from a military family, so
Keil became a military officer in the
U.S. Army, stationed in West Germany
from 1977 to 1980. Policing any population comes with its own unique difficulties, but Keil found himself
charged with maintaining order amidst
an almost exclusively young, male,
heavily armed population.
it was there he learned that part of
being in charge is not constantly trying
to prove you are in command. When
two big guys get in a brawl, he learned,
let them tire each other out for a
minute. Then step in and break it up.
Most of the time one of them will
want someone to break it up pretty
quickly, anyway, he said with a grin.
Right off the bat, Keil found the
work suited him.
i really enjoyed it, he reflected. i
liked that it was different every day and
the challenge presented by that. Whats
our call going to be today?
And i enjoyed the camaraderie of
the military, he continued. The way
the MPS was so different from any
other unit.
When he returned to the United
States, he found the county mired in recession.
There were not a lot of jobs, he
said, and a buddy of mine called and
told me about work in california. i was
working in Wisconsin, as a bartender
in a bowling alley, so i went.
Keil worked in both retail and corporate security, but it didnt take long
for him to realize he missed Wisconsin.
i missed hunting and fishing in
Wisconsin, he said. i missed the outdoors.
Her returned, finishing a criminal
justice degree, and got a job working
for his hometown police department in
West bend, Wi.
i had a lot of great opportunities,
he recalled. SWAT team, instructor,
detective, patrol, gang officer, public
information officer.
in 1997, Keil took a job at the
Monona Police Department. Only a
year later, he made chief.
His next stop was the Good Neighbor city.
in both Monona and Middleton, Keil
guided departments through the development and implementation of strategic plans.
in his 10 years in Middleton, Keil
presided over a growing city with the
issues that accompany new development and a larger population. but the
crime rate fell consistently, and the departments commitment to community
policing expanded exponentially.
Today, many people in the Good
Neighbor city see their police force as
a collection of allies with whom they
communicate frequently via social
media, and in person at various events.
Under his guidance, the department
also moved into a new, state of the art
public safety facility, leaving the old
quarters at city Hall behind.
To what does Keil attribute his success?
First, i would say be open to new
ideas, Keil said. Try to get beyond
the status quo. Always look for ways to
improve.
Another point i would make, he
added, would be that, if you have
good people, get out of their way. i
PAGE 5
cant take credit for the success of this

department. That goes to everyone
here, from officers to dispatch.
Keil said he feels satisfied with the
state in which he leaves Middleton. His
last day will be Friday, March 28. He
will take over as manager of corporate
facilities security at WPS three days
later.
im very much looking forward to
bringing chief brad Keil on board to
support and enhance our ongoing security initiative, said Mark Jensen, vice
president of business services for WPS.
As former chief of police for the city
of Monona, his familiarity with the
community and the local business
Watch program will be a tremendous
asset.
Founded in 1946, WPS is Wisconsins leading not-for-profit health insurer, offering individual health
insurance, family health insurance,
high-deductible health insurance, and
short-term health plans, as well as flexible and affordable group plans and
cost-effective benefit plan administration for businesses. The WPS Medicare
division administers Part A and b benefits for millions of seniors in multiple
states, and the WPS TRicARe division serves millions more members of
the U.S. military and their families. in
2013, the international ethisphere institute named WPS one of the Worlds
Most ethical companies for the fourth
straight year. WPS is the only health insurance company to earn this distinction four times. For more information
about WPS, visit www.wpsic.com.
Foulke is
named new
police chief
From the March 27 edition:
The Middleton Police commission

has selected captain chuck Foulke to
replace retiring chief of police brad
Keil.
im very pleased with the commissions selection of chuck Foulke to be
our next chief of police, said Mayor
Kurt Sonnentag. chuck has served superbly over the past 30-plus years at
the Middleton Police Department
(MiPD) in every facet of police work.
He is capable and well-prepared to

lead the department, and he has the
perfect temperament and vision for the
work necessary to keep MiPD at the
forefront of law enforcement, Sonnentag added.
Foulke will officially take over as
chief of police on March 29.
Foulke serves currently as the captain for Field Services at MiPD, and he
has a bachelors degree in History and
Sociology with a minor in criminal
Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
He also graduated from the Federal
bureau of investigations National
Academy, accredited through the University of Virginia, in 2007.
With MiPD, Foulke has performed
in the profession from the bottom moving up first as an officer for Patrol,
School Resource, Juvenile, Detective,
Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, and
Lieutenant, and over the past several
years as captain for Field Services.
in heading the Field Services of
MPD, he has prepared the annual Field
Services operating budget of about
$3.7 million (75 percent of the entire
police department budget).
Furthermore, he has worked on the
collective bargaining team, staffed the
License & Ordinance committee and
has served in numerous liaison positions with the community at large.
Foulke is active in the community as
President of the Middleton Kiwanis
club, as a citizen member of the commission on Youth, and he even finds
time to deliver lunches for Meals on
Wheels through the Senior center.
Keil recently announced his retirement from law enforcement in order to
take a position as Manager of corporate Facilities Security for WPS in
Monona. Keil has been chief of the
MiPD for 10 years, leading its initiatives for proactive community policing
and programs; strategic planning; state
accreditation with very high marks and
in reduction of crime.
We wish chief Keil a healthy and
successful retirement from law enforcement, and we welcome with great
anticipation chuck Foulke to this critical leadership position in the community, said city administrator Mike
Davis.
See 2014, page 6
PAGE 6
2014
Mel Pope
honored by
the town
From the April 3 edition:

The Middletown Town board has
named tireless parks activist Mel Pope
as the first Friend of the Town.
For the past 10 years Pope has been
the driving force in shaping the 105acre Pope Farm conservancy into the
renown educational, ecological and
bird sanctuary it has become.
With Mels help the town has a
park unlike any other. Mel has donated many hours of planning, working, preparing budgets, and anything
else needed to get the job done, according to an anonymous submission
nominating Pope for the annual award.
in addition to the day-to-day tasks of
conducting park tours for school children, wildlife experts and media or,
dragging hoses around to save the
prairie from drought; Pope helped establish the Friends of Pope Farm conservancy last year so people can
continue to experience the propertys
beauty by engaging volunteer help.
Pope said he was gratified to receive
the honor but said the work for which
he is being recognized for is accomplished by team effort.
i appreciate the recognition but really the conservancy reflects the hard
work many, many people, most who
are volunteers, have done over the
years, he said.
burr Fraser, Park commission
member and a former Park Ranger
agreed that Pope was a great choice for
the first Friend of the Town.
Hes not only the one to the get the
conservancy going, hes the one who
got the paperwork done for the [240-
member] friends groupthat will do a

lot of the work that would be over and
above what the town crew would do,
Fraser said.
board supervisor Tim Roehl moved
Popes nomination that resulted in a
unanimous vote by the town board.
its an easy decision, said board
supervisor Paul connell.
A pleased as he has been with the
progress the conservancy has made,
Pope said he is even more enthused
about its future.
in the next two years well have another prairie restoration project, a savanna oaks prairie, which will be
planted with seeds, gathered by the
Friends, that represent more than 100
plant species, he said.
That prairie will combine 150-yearold oak trees with specific plant species
to make a very rare prairie type that
will be a point of destination, Pope
predicted.
Pope also looks forward to Heritage
Days next September that will feature
horse-drawn wagon rides, and talks on
the areas geology, Native American
history, German immigration, and the
civil conservation corps work.
Youll be able to follow the history
of the area through the talks given that
day, he said.
Town chair Milo breunig said Jim
Daklk deserved mention for his 30
years of work in behalf of youth baseball; theres not a better candidate
[than Pope] especially since its the
first [year of the] award.
The town board established the
Friend of the Town Award last fall to
recognize residents who have made a
positive difference in the community.
Popes will be the first name on a
plaque that will remain at town hall and
Pope will be presented with a plaque
at the July 4th Freedom Fest. A similar
plaque will be kept in the town hall
where a new Friend name will be
added each year.

Other residents nominated included
John Neumann, for keeping up our
prairies in cherrywood,; Mike Hanson, for his neighborhood gathering
and the 4th of July Freedom Fest,;
Daklk, for the [30 years]he dedicated to the Parks commission and the
West Middleton baseball program,;
craig benson, for collecting a bag of
trash from the streets and trails during his daily runs; and Darren and
Wendy Judd, for clearing snow from
Highwood circles common driveway
and helping neighbors.
Residents
reject town
land sale
From the April 24 edition:
Town of Middleton residents unanimously rejected Tuesday selling 15

acres just south of town hall and overwhelmingly approved increasing the
road budget by $600,000 to construct a
storage facility.
The roll call vote at the annual town
meeting recorded 125 against the land
sale and one abstention, Town chair
Milo breunig.
The vote to increase the road budget
passed 113 to 4 with 3 abstentions.
Since last fall, the town board had
been discussing the idea of selling and
developing 10 residential lots it called
Pioneer Lands. The projects estimated
$873,647 net proceeds would pay off
the propertys debt, fund construction
of an 80-stall parking lot and a 6,400square-foot salt/equipment storage
shed located on the remainder of the
tract.
The town board talked up the posi-
tive aspects of the project for months

saying the real estate had rebounded,
there was no need for additional park
land, and ordered a delineation of the
propertys wetlands, a development pro
forma, topographic and boundary surveys.
The parking lot was part of the project from the onset, but when the
salt/equipment shed was included this
year it gave the land sale opponents an
issue; why sell the land when future
needs are not crystal clear?
Residents repeated that issue Tuesday.
These needs developed only in a
few months. it took you by surprise,
whats the next surprise, asked Jean
Kollasch of Pioneer Rd.
The town loses its nucleus by selling this property, said Ardith Lawson.
The land should be retained to provide
more expansion room for the sheriffs
department, a community center, or a
need not currently identified, she said.
A year from now we could have another problem. i dont want to come
back and have to buy land in two years.
it will be expensive and not centrally
located. if we sell it, its gone, she said
to sustained applause.
Town officials bragged about the
bond rating recently upgraded to AAA,
having about $5 million in cash reserves and an unblemished annual
audit of town finances. That evidently
convinced residents the land did not
have to be sold to fund more parking
for Pioneer Park and salt shed.
The town should keep taxes low
but retain the amenities that increase
the quality of life. We have a triple A
bond rating, we should use it for long
term low interest borrowing, said Tom
Poehling.
After the vote some board members
said they had not supported the land
sale but only wanted to present the
issue to the residents.
it was one way to pay for (the parking lot and salt shed). This (rejecting
the land sale) will have a financial impact but thats evidently one the residents felt was okay, said board
Supervisor Tim Roehl.
board Supervisor Paul connell also
said the overwhelming residents vote
was not a rejection of the boards interest in selling the land. instead, the
board was merely vetting the choices
the residents would choose, he said.
Larry Seuferer, said the board, with
the exception of now former board Supervisor Richard Oberle, wanted residents approval to sell the land so the
board could develop it.
Lots of people knew this and knew
of the potential risks the taxpayers
would face it anything went wrong
with the project, he said.
Also, when the board acts as the developer, there are potential conflicts of
interest for the town engineer who
would design the subdivision and then
supervise construction, said Seuferer.
Also, potential conflicts for any board
member to profit from the sale of the
lots, he said.
i think most people at the meeting
realized the potential for conflicts of
interest but they could make that mute
by refusing their permission to sell the
land, he said.
The board really shot themselves in
the foot, by seeking the land sale now
because it will take more than 125
votes to approve the land sale in the future, Seuferer added.
The effect of the vote to increase the
town road budget will permit the board
to move ahead with plans to construct
a salt shed on the land.
See 2014, page 7
2014
Wexler leaves
city council,
then comes
right back
From the May 1 edition:
Perhaps April Fools day was a particularly apt day for this years Spring
election
Longtime city alderman Jim Wexler
has turned his horse around while riding off into the sunset and returned to
his seat despite filing non-candidacy
papers last year. Wexler was appointed
back to the council following his successors surprising and cryptic announcement that he would not accept
the Middleton common councils District 4 seat that he won while running
unopposed in the April 1 election.
Wexler, who had represented the
citys fourth district since 1988, announced late last year that he would not
seek an unprecedented 14th term.
While announcing his departure, he
said he was pleased to see chad Gehin,
a political newcomer, lifelong city of
Middleton resident, and local apartment manager, step forward to run for
the seat.
Wexler offered Gehin his guidance,
and Gehin recently completed a
lengthy, multi-part question and answer session with the Times-Tribunes
editorial staff regarding his views on
city policy.
Wexler was honored by the city
council and Mayor Kurt Sonnentag, receiving a commemorative plaque, a
clock symbolizing his nearly three
decades of public service, and a barrage of well-wishes.
During his time on the council,
Wexler served for ten years as council
president and for 21 years on the influential plan commission. He also
chaired various committees including
finance, personnel, license and ordinance, transportation and the emergency medical services commission.
Then, at 10:23 a.m. on Saturday,
April 12, Wexler and other city leaders
received a three-sentence message
from Gehin.
i have a conflict with serving on
Middletons common council. i need
to respectfully step down before i am
sworn in as Middletons District 4
Alder, read the email. i am choosing
not to reveal details of the circumstances; however, you deserve to know
that i looked forward to working with
you and felt honored to have the
chance.
Gehin was scheduled to be sworn in
three days later, at the conclusion of the
councils Tuesday, April 15 meeting.
His announcement mystified city
leaders, and it also sent them scrambling to figure out how to handle the
vacant District 4 seat.
The council is made up of eight
members, along with the mayor, and a
vacant seat would leave an entire district unrepresented in city government,
as well as leading to the possibility of
tie votes if the remaining eight people
(including the mayor) ended up locked
in a 4-4 tie.
So Mayor Kurt Sonnentag reached
out to Wexler, asking the departing alderman to return for a year. The council unanimously approved Wexlers
re-appointment.
He is expected to serve half a term,
until the Spring, 2015 election. At that
time, the city will hold an early election for the District 4 seat.
You couldnt just leave the seat
empty for a year, said Wexler. That
wouldnt be right.
They told me they were happy to
have someone with experience they
could call on to step in, Wexler con-
tinued. i put a lot of thought into my

decision not to run for another term,
but at the end of the day you are either
committed to public service or you
arent.
The man who was three days away
from taking Wexlers old seat remains
relatively silent regarding his reasons
for declining to fill the seat he won unopposed on the April 1 ballot.
i have decided to respectfully decline [the seat], Gehin told the TimesTribune. i am going to maintain my
privacy. im happy that Jim [Wexler]
has stepped up. My privacy is valuable
to me, and i had some circumstances
pop up.
Gehin, who did not have a clear platform during the months leading up to
the election, is manager of Springtree
Apartments, a housing unit where
Wexler lives.
ive been so honored by the
process, Gehin continued. im totally
supportive of the council and i hoped
to join them, but things didnt turn out
that way.
earlier this year, Wexler was presented with a 25 Years of Service lapel
pin by the League of Wisconsin Municipalities for his role in local government in Wisconsin.
in a farewell letter to the editor that
it turns out was a year premature,
Wexler laid out his feelings about the
city.
in my almost 26 years on the council, i have never forgotten that i was
there to represent my constituents,
Wexler wrote. in all that time, i
missed only one council meeting and
never missed a single committee meeting. it will indeed be strange having
many evenings free, but im sure that
there are new challenges ahead. it has
been a good run.
it turns out the run will last just a little bit longer.
Herrmann
leave MHS
Middleton High School principal

Denise Herrmann announced Sunday
night she is resigning to accept a similar position in california.
Herrmann took over at MHS for retiring principal Tom Vandervest in
2006 after six years as the assistant
principal of curriculum and instruction
at St. charles (ill.) North High School.
in the 1990s, she worked nine years as
a science teacher and chair of the science department at North High.
During Herrmanns eight-year
tenure, MHS received a number of accolades. The school was a U.S. Department of education Green Ribbon
Schools award winner in 2012. MHS
ranked the third-best public high
school in the state by Newsweek in
2013.
The school also earned a composite
AcT score of 25.5 each of the past two
years, which ranked MHS in the top
four in the state both years.
Herrmanns time with the district
was undoubtedly one during which the
high school thrived on many levels.
However, she also helped usher in a
new age at the school, and its more
rigid tone was not embraced by every
member of the staff, or by every parent.
Under Herrmann, the high school
became increasingly closed off from
the public, including from parents who
said they found it difficult to contact
their children after new protocols were
put in place. Likewise, while Vandervest welcomed the public, including
the local press, into the classroom, Herrmann created a less open campus and
frequently declined to respond to questions about what transpired within the
schools walls.
Ash borer
arrives
On Monday, May 19, the presence

of the emerald Ash borer (eAb) was
identified and confirmed in the 6900
block of cooper Avenue in the city of
Middleton.
An employee from the USDA Animal and Plant Health inspection Service was conducting pest surveys and
notified the Wi Department of Agriculture, Trade and consumer Protection
and the city of Middleton city
Forester. Officials from the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources
made the final confirmation. Middleton
now joins a growing list of Wisconsin
communities where the insect has been
detected.
Dane county has been under an
eAb quarantine since the borer was
found in the city of Madison in November of 2013. Materials regulated
under the eAb quarantine include all
hardwood firewood; ash products such
as timber, pallets, mulch and trimmings; and ash nursery stock. businesses that deal with these products can
apply for a variety of certificates or exemptions that are not available to the
general public. Residents should be
aware that it is illegal to move firewood out of the eAb quarantined area,
as it is the primary means for the eAb
to spread. it is best to keep firewood
onsite.
Middleton began preparing for the
arrival of eAb with the adoption of a
written plan and completion of an ash
tree inventory in 2009. Over 2,500 ash
trees were identified on public right of
ways and parklands. Pre-emptive removal of ash trees was started in 2010.
Over 600 ash trees have been removed
and more than 500 new trees of other
species have been planted in place of
the ash trees. Most of the removals and
plantings have been done by city staff.
No treatments have been conducted
due to the overpopulation of ash trees
in Middleton. When the total number
of ash trees is reduced to 10% of the
overall street tree population, a re-evaluation of treatment options and management approaches will be conducted
for possible inclusion into future management. if a resident would like to
pay for treatment of a tree in the public
right of way, they should contact the
city Forester at 821-8345.
Residents concerned about the
health of their ash trees should consult
with professional arborists or tree care
specialists. A list of certified arborists
for hire can be found at: www.waaisa.org/arborists/search.asp.
Offensive
dress-up?
From the June 12 edition:
Middleton High School seniors have

organized dress-up days to celebrate
their last week of regular classes. it has
been tradition for several years.
Dress-up themes have included senior citizen day, beach attire, and gender
swap. Though cross-dressing has been
done years before, the district administration this year told students it was inappropriate. Many seniors participated
anyway and some were forced to
change. community members, including LGbT advocates, have had mixed
messages on the dress-up theme.
The idea was for students to dress
up in clothes usually reserved for people of another gender, says Adam Jordahl, a senior at MHS. The intent was
not to mock cross-dressing or to stereotype, but instead to have fun and show
PAGE 7
that the clothing someone wears

doesnt change a thing about who they
are.
Superintendent Don Johnson said
the district made an announcement
asking students not to cross-dress because of the potential hurtfulness it
could cause to gay, lesbian and transgender students in the school. Johnson
and the school board recently heard numerous comments from students who
identify as transgender asking that district do more to prevent the discrimination they have been facing at the high
school.
The district is planning to review
their discrimination policy and make
any changes needed to accommodate
those with grievances. A vote is expected in July.
Gay Straight Alliance for Safe
Schools (GSAFe) is a 501(c)3 organization that serves the state though primarily South central Wisconsin. The
announced their support for the administrations decision on social media.
This is not the first time crossdressing day has come up, says Tim
Michael, GSAFe Outreach Manager.
Often times we get a call from the advisor of the Gay Straight Alliance or a
similar club and they have a concern
about it.
District spokesman Perry Hibner
said seniors that came in dressed up
were cooperative when asked to
change.
We want our school to be a fun
place for the seniors, we want it to be a
great last week, but we dont want that
fun to come at the expense of any
group at our school, said Hibner.
said. He also brings an amazing track

record of building strong relationships
with students, parents and faculty. He
will be an incredible addition to an already strong administrative team.
Plank said he wished to thank the
entire leadership team, as well as the
students, faculty, parents, and community that gave of their time for this hiring process.
i found it to be thorough, informative, and an excellent demonstration
about what the McPASD values,
Plank continued.
Lakes community High School was
named an AcT Red Quill winner in
2012 and a Red Quill Legacy Recipient
in 2013. The school was also cited by
chicago Magazine in its best Public
Schools in illinois in 2012.
The school saw a 15.5 percent increase in reading, a 15.2 percent increase in science and a 7 percent
increase on the Prairie State Achievement exam over the past five years.
Plank has been a principal at
Kenosha bradford and Durand high
schools along with an associate principal at Fort Atkinson High School. He
also served for four years as the director of fine arts at Adlai e. Stevenson
High School in Lincolnshire, ill. He
began his career in education as a band
director at Marinette Middle School
and Watertown High School.
Plank received his bachelors degree
from UW-Whitewater in 1996 and his
masters degree from UW-Milwaukee
in 1999. He earned his doctorate from
Loyola of chicago in 2014.
Plank named Fuzzy faces

MHS head
Steve Plank, who since 2010 has

been the principal at Lakes community
High School in Antioch, ill., has been
named principal at Middleton High
School. He replaces Denise Herrmann,
who resigned in May to accept a similar position in california.
Dr. Plank is an exceptional leader
who will continue the tradition of academic excellence at Middleton High
School, Superintendent Don Johnson
They go by many names. The Van

Dyke. The Musketeer. The Grizzly
Adams.
They are sustained by an array
ofwaxes, oils, tonics and balms. Some
say sweat, or the tears of beautiful
maidens, are the secrets to their luster
and length.
Soup is their kryptonite.
Ranging from ridiculous to elegant from comical to historical - these epic
mustaches and beards will soon face
off in the Good Neighbor city. The
Madison beard Wearers Union - Local
See 2014, page 9
PAGE 8
BEARDS
608 will host the Midwest Mustache &

beard Wearers championship, right
here in Middleton on Saturday, July
12.
The event, held at capital brewery
from 1-8 p.m., is sponsored by Remington, an ironic supporter if ever there
were one. Proceeds will go to Porchlight, an organization that provides
emergency shelter, food, employment
services, counseling, and affordable
transitional and permanent housing to
homeless people in the Dane county
area.
Speaking through a ruby-hued bib of
facial hair, Ryan Lammey, president of
the Madison beard Wearers Union,
says the local chapter began informally, three years ago, with a Facebook
page and small meetings at area public
houses.
i had a co-worker who told me
about clubs and competitions and
beard culture, Lammey says. it turns
out its people from all walks of life.
Lammey, like many of his fellow
union members, is equal parts scholar,
historian, and showman when it comes
to facial hair.
Over tankards of ale at least one of
them using a straw to circumvent immaculately groomed horns made of silver hair - these bearded and
mustachioed men chat about daily life,
as well as the history of facial hair.
Howard Taft, they all know, was the
last sitting president with facial hair.
(He sported a mustache.) William
Henry Harrison, they all nod in agreement, was the last commander in chief
to wear a full beard while in office.
but beyond the jesting, which is par
for the course in the world of competitive beard wearing, they say there is
something primal something atavistic
about their common bond.
To shave everyday seems like it
would be a denial of the way im supposed to look, Lammey explains,
pointing to himself. This right here is
the default setting.
i think a lot of people know us as
the beard guy or the mustache guy,
he adds. im okay with that.
Lets not forget the camaraderie,
adds Nathan Wilson, a red rose pinned
to his lapel and a pencil-thin black
mustache curling up and pointing toward his cheeks. ive met so many
people and made a lot of friends because i have a silly mustache.
Wilson says facial hairstyles ebb
and flow over time depending on cultural variables. The result is that these
men (and women for there is a category in the competition for them as
well) are often walking, talking history
lessons.
Machete
attack
On Sunday at 5:44 p.m., the Middleton Police Department was informed of

a physical disturbance in the 6300
block of Pheasant Lane involving a
machete.
A statement issued by captain Troy
Hellenbrand said that based on the preliminary investigation, brandon c.
Green, 27, of Stoughton, forcibly entered an apartment and confronted a female companion and a number of
residents who were inside the
dwelling. During this disturbance,
Green physically battered a number of
the occupants resulting in one of them
losing consciousness. Additionally,
Green armed himself with a
machete. injuries to all of the parties
involved in this disturbance were nonlife threatening.
MTT goes
behind the
scenes at
Monsanto
From the July 31 edition:
if you want to ruin a dinner party,

just bring up Monsanto. Like politics
and religion before it, the worlds
largest seed company is a topic notorious for starting arguments.
To critics of Monsanto and the genetically modified (GMO) crops it develops,
the
company
is
a
money-grubbing force for evil, poisoning the food supply and stomping on
small farmers and environmentalists
who get in its way.
To defenders, Monsanto is well on
the way to wiping out world hunger,
working to usher in an age in which,
for the first time in mankinds 200,000year history, everyone has enough to
eat. (The companyschief technology
officer,Robert Fraley, won the coveted
World Food Prize last year.)
Those two camps are firmly entrenched, thanks in large part to the internets bunker system. Those who
believe the ethical and practical questions raised by GMOs are a bit more
nuanced have been largely silent on
issue, at least online.
but outside the vortex of vitriol and
rhetoric that surrounds this company,
there is one indisputable fact: Monsanto is a scientific research and development entity that has been at the
forefront of a fundamental change in
how crops like corn, cotton and soy are
grown.
Globally, the company has more
than 400 campuses and 21,000 employees. but it was right here in Middleton that the first Roundup Ready
seeds were developed. Today, those
seeds are growing on hundreds of millions of acres across the globe.
it all started 10,000 years ago, when
humans began domesticating crops by
selectively breeding them. by the
1700s, farmers and scientists were
crossbreeding plants within a species.
Then, in the 1980s, researchers
worked to find ways to introduce genes
from other species in an effort to improve crops yields and bolster disease
resistance.
Using a cobbled-together device that
included part of a .22-caliber firearm,
researchers essentially bludgeoned a
new gene into the genetic makeup of
another crop, and in the 1990s the first
GMOs were introduced onto the market.
The early scientists, who were so
close to those first individual plants
they gave them each names taken from
science fiction characters, made many
of their first breakthroughs at a company that was founded as cetus in
1981 and later purchased by Monsanto
in 1996.
The company has spent an estimated
$7 million on improvements to the
Middleton campus over the last three
years.
ben brancel, deputy secretary of the
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture,
Trade and consumer Protection, along
with other department members and
area farmers, toured the Middleton
Monsanto on Wednesday of last week,
getting a glimpse behind the scenes at
the work being carried out there. (Monsanto technically has two facilities in
Middleton, both in the citys industrial
park area. They toured the one on University Green.)
The tour walked guests through the
facility, guiding them through the
process that Monsanto (and other
biotech companies) use to genetically
engineer crops that tout traits such as

drought-, pest- and disease-resistance
and higher yields. it was first demonstrated in tobacco in the early 1980s.
While labor intensive, the process is
actually fairly simple, at least in theory.
if scientists want to create a type of
wheat that will survive the increased
temperatures and lengthy droughts that
could accompany global climate
change, for instance, they seek out
other species of plant that thrive in
deserts. They extract a gene - or a combination of genes - from those plants,
and inject them into a wheat embryo.
The devil, according to researchers
in Middleton, is in the details. it is
through painstaking trial and error that
scientists find out which genes will - or
usually wont - work. Throughout the
process, the seeds, then the plants they
grow into are digitally tracked and
meticulously observed.
eventually, the next generation is
shipped to warmer climes, where it is
grown and evaluated again.
it is, as Middleton site and dicot
transformation lead Travis Frey, Ph.D.
told brancel last week in the simplest
possible terms, taking genes and putting them into a plant.
This is the front end, Frey said.
The discovery phase.
The seeds and plants glimpsed by
those touring Monsanto last week are
at the very beginning of a journey to
the marketplace that could take as long
as 20 years, according to Frey.
Youre seeing the future, he stated.
And it wouldnt be much of a future
without particle guns, centrifuges and
bright pink, wavelength-specific growing lights, all of which were on display
last week.They also utilize reporter
genes, which turn parts of the plant
blue to indicate the presence of genetic
changes.
Scientist brian Martinell, who has
worked at the Middleton facility for
more than 30 years, showed off a an
accelerator that he described, slightly
dreamily, as simple but elegant.
The device utilizes a quarter of a
lightning bolt worth of electricity in
order to blast genes into their new
homes.
Martinell said the procedure is similar, in some aspects, to gene therapy in
humans.
Scientist Megan Dickens takes
sprouted plants out of the lab and
grows them in a series of greenhouses
on site. Leading the tour through a particularly balmy enclosure where various species climb and spread out their
leaves, Dickens explained that each flat
of plants is carefully coded for tracking.
On the final stage of the tour, scientist Mike Peterson explained how researchers extract DNA from the grown
plants, analyze it, and help determine
if the new genes have done their job.
From start to finish, researches can
test tens of thousands of leads before
coming up with a single licensable one.
The cost of bringing one GMO crop
to market, according to Frey, is between $120 and $150 million.
Apartments
break ground
From the Oct. 2 edition:
Middleton Station Apartments held

a groundbreaking on Monday, Sept. 22.
The development, supported in part
with Tax increment Financing (TiF)
provided by the city of Middleton, is
adjacent to the capital brewery.
its 39 studio, one- and two-bedroom
market-rate apartments will accompany two levels of underground parking, a community room, a fitness
center, bicycle storage, shop space, a
pet-washing facility, an activated green
PAGE 9
terrace and top floor community outdoor lounge, and resident gardens.
Our team at the city is thrilled to
see this development come to fruition
just east of the capital brewery, said
city administrator Mike Davis. The
city staffs Tax increment Finance
project team has worked in concert
with our consultants from Vandewalle
and Associates and Strand engineering
to make the $3.8 million Terrace Avenue reconstruction the best it can be.
execution of all of these moving parts
will continue to make Middleton a
truly special place to live, work and
play.
New Urban Focus, inc. is a partnership formed in 2014 by Jeff Gillis,
Roger bowden, and chris Laurent that
develops infill residential and mixeduse communities. Middleton Station is
a $7.8 million development. The developer anticipates pre-leasing in mid-fall
and residences will be available in
summer of 2015.
City goes to
referendum
to create a
new storm
water utility
impervious surfaces like pavement

and rooftops prevent rain water from
soaking into the ground. it runs
through the citys drainage system
eventually ending up in streams and
lakes picking up sediments and pollution on its way. This problem is not
unique to Middleton and federal and
state requirements have been applying
increased pressure on cities to control
the pollution and environmental degradation caused by storm water.
Middletons storm water runoff
problems have been getting set aside
for several years. Historically, funding
has come from the city councils annual budgeting process. Since at least
2006, not one request for funding has
made it in the budget. The problem is
storm water management must compete against more tangible things like
road maintenance or public safety.
Projects or services like these tend to
be a higher priority.
Managing the runoff can be a costly
process that needs continual funding.
implementing a utility puts a mechanism in place that can provide stable,
continuous funding.
Middletons storm water utility
would cost residents $15 a year. The
$15 covers one equivalent Runoff
Unit, or eRU. One eRU in the city of
Middleton is defined to be equal to
2,880 square feet, which is the citys
average quantity of impervious area on
a lot with a single family house. All
residential units (single family lots, duplex units and triplex units) will be assigned
one
eRU
each.
A
non-residential lot with ten times the
impervious area of an average single
family house would be assigned ten
eRUs.
Neighboring communities including
Madison, Monona, McFarland, Fitchburg, Sun Prairie, DeForest, and
Verona have previously implemented
storm water utilities. The public utility
would be organized as a separate enterprise like the citys water or sewer utility. it would own storm sewers,
detention basins, and equipment used
for managing storm drainage systems.
The utility would be responsible for
providing storm water management to
meet public needs and comply with
Federal and State laws. it would also
work to solve current and future
drainage problems, as well as repair,

maintain, and enhance facilities already constructed.
Municipalities that previously implemented a storm water utility did not
have to ask for voter support in a referendum. Middleton must do so because of recent changes in state law.
Wisconsin Act 20, passed in 2013, requires that property taxes must be reduced by the amount collected by a
utility, unless voters pass a referendum
allowing that the property tax levy not
be reduced.
District 7 alderman Hans Hilbert has
been a driving force behind implementing the utility. Managing storm
water was a high priority when he was
running for the seat in 2006. He says
he has been working on it so long he is
barely interested anymore.
it has been the same problem since
2006, Hilbert explains. How do we
get these projects funded because we
have to do them?
Hilbert says if the city had just created the utility in 2010 when he first
proposed it rather than continue to look
for other budget options they would
not have to do a referendum at this
point.
Walkers administration came up
with this grand idea that they are going
to eliminate cost shifts to utilities, because certain municipalities could use
that as a way around the levy cap,
Hilbert details. So they shut down
that gap but unfortunately it applied to
even legitimate utilities that were being
developed at that time.
Hilbert says he wishes the city didnt
have to create a utility but he believes
its wishful thinking to count o the
funding needed to come from the citys
capital budget.
it would be so much simpler if by
resolution the council could just say
every year we are going to put
$200,000 aside and it is going to be in
a segregated fund just for that,
Hilbert points out. it just never happens; a Valley Ridge Road or a Middleton Street will come along and we will
just borrow from there.
The Mayor Kurt Sonnentag has said
he doesnt like the idea of the utility,
although he supports the needed improvements and projects. He and other
critics have pointed out the city council
already has the power to fund water
management in its regular budgeting
process. Sonnentag also says he doesnt like the cost it puts on non-profits
like schools, churches, and community
organizations. The mayor also points
out that, by bringing in revenue from
citizens in the form of a fee rather than
a tax, municipalities can create artificially low tax levies for public relations
purposes.
Under the utility customers who
generate the larger share of runoff pay
a proportionately larger share of the
cost.
This applies to all
structures equally regardless of forprofit or non-profit status. Hilbert says
with a $15 cap per eRU the cost is still
relatively low.
At least 79 communities in Wisconsin have established a storm water utility. eRU rates across the state range
from $9 to $126, with a state average
rate of $60.00.
Tom Wohlleber, assistant superintendent of business services for the
school district, said administrators are
aware fees might be on the horizon.
Wohlleber said the district set aside
some funding to help soften the blow,
if the city does approve a utility.
Hilbert says he knows some residents that have been proactive in supporting the referendum, and has seen
little opposition from the business
community. He says most businesses
are aware of the cost and are comfortable with a $15 eRU.
People that are from around here
have grown up in this culture where
See 2014, page 10
PAGE 10
2014
they do value our water resources and

they understand that it doesnt come
without a cost, Hilbert comments. i
think we are going to see pretty wide
spread support.
Ald. Hilbert says he is confident the
referendum will pass and the utility
will ultimately come to fruition, if not
in this election then maybe the next.
A no vote in my mind just means
we need to educate the public more on
the topic, he contends. but i am very
optimistic that the public is smart
enough to understand this at this
point.
When snakes
attack...
i havent felt pain like that since

Vietnam, said bill Forrest, a former
Middleton resident who returned to the
city recently only to be bitten by a rattlesnake.
Forrest, who currently lives in the
town of Token creek, encountered the
creature, likely a timber rattlesnake, on

the evening of Sunday, Sept. 28 at
Strickers Pond. While he experienced
severe discomfort and a good deal of
surprise - following the incident, he
said he actually got lucky.
Forrest, a nature lover and avid birdwatcher, saw the snake while walking
near the waters edge but did not realize he had been bitten until the following morning.
All of a sudden i stepped on something and my ankle turned all the way
over, he recalled. it was excruciating.
i tried to roll over and see what i had
stepped on.
What he saw was the last 14 inches
of a snake going into the brush.
The last inch and a quarter had a
rattle on it, he added.
but Forrest thought his pain was the
result of a severely sprained ankle, not
a snakebite.
i actually thought, im lucky i didnt sit down on him.
His ankle hurt, but he was alive and
eventually made his way home. The
following morning, he woke up to find
a nasty rash spreading down his ankle.
i put my glasses on and looked
again, and i saw puncture wounds, he
said. i thought, What the heck is
going on?
Thats when Forrest said he got a
little panicky.
He called the hospital and spoke
with physicians assistant who formerly worked in the American Southwest, where snakebites are a far more
common occurrence.
She told me i was one of the lucky
ones, he said. That i was one in 60
or 100 who got what is called a dry
bite.
essentially, the snake that attacked
Forrest felt threatened, but did not want
to waste its valuable venom on an animal it couldnt ultimately eat.
Now Forrest, alive and well, but still
a bit sore, is planning to visit schools,
police departments and fire stations to
spread an important message: Watch
where you step.
Referendum
approved
From the Nov. 6 edition:

Sixty-five percent of local voters on
Nov. 4 voted yes on the following
question. Their support means the city
is now free to establish a storm water

utility:
Shall the City of Middleton Storm
Water Utility be permitted to charge
customers of the Storm Water Utility an
annual charge up to $15.00 per equivalent runoff unit for each property for
maintenance of existing storm water
management facilities without reducing the levy limit for the charges of the
Storm Water Utility?
Kinart
named
brewmaster
From the Nov. 6 edition:
When i made my first beer here, a

lot of people asked me if i was doing it
to empower women, says Ashley Kinart. My answer was no, i was doing
it to brew a beer. i happen to be a
woman.
but Kinart, who at only 30 years old
was recently named brewmaster at one
of the most lauded craft beer companies in the country, might be using her
tall rubber brewing boots to stomp on
a variety of barriers in an industry historically dominated by men, whether
she means to or not.
clad in flannel, with a glint visible
in her eyes even through thick-rimmed
glasses, she says she loves many
things. The tranquility that comes with
yoga. The companionship of her two
dogs. And the sights, smells and
sounds of a bustling brew house.
Kinarts beer education started
humbly. Working as a bartender, she
wanted to know more about the craft libations she served to customers. She
eventually decided the best way to understand beer was to make her own, so
she set up a small brewing operation at
home.
With a bachelors degree in biology,
she figured the chemistry of ales and
lagers would dovetail nicely with some
of her prior education. Then the kettle
began spewing sloppy, hoppy water all
over the stovetop.
i definitely had a boil over right at
the start, she says. but then i made a
few more, and i thought to myself,
Yeah, i can do this.
Kinart spent much of the ensuing
decade taking classes, reading recipe
books, and shadowing Wisconsin
brewmasters. (She learned in part from
former capital brewery employee and

current Port Huron brewing brewmaster Tanner brethorst.)
At the glorious but somewhat notorious crossroads of science, art and
blue-collar labor, Kinart found satisfaction and success.
its hard physically, she says. but
like any hard work - physical or mental
- at the end of the day it makes you feel
good.
Lugging sacks of grain. Sweating
and scrubbing tanks. Getting scalded
by boiling mash. These brew houses
where Kinart learned were typically
the domains of men.
but she joined in to work, and to
learn, and found herself adept at both.
She also felt the same alchemic
magic that draws so many to the brewing business. When i walk into a brew
house on a day when were brewing a
dark beer, she says, theatrically sniffing the air and causing a ruby bun of
hair on top of her head to bob backward, i think, yeah, this is what beer
is supposed to smell like.
The fact that she saw few women
around her only added to brewings allure.
i think in general i tend to gravitate
toward things that arent normal or
mainstream, she says. My thought
was, why the hell shouldnt i do it? if
you want to do something, do it. Whoever you are.
Running the brewery means she will
focus on the very large production
management is like a big puzzle you
have to step back from to see - and the
very small, from every little grain to
every hop pellet.
PAGE 11
Good times
THE YEAR IN REVIEW
Middleton sports
programs enjoy
memorable year
Multiple state tournament appearances. A handful of conference championships.

And remarkable consistency
throughout the athletic department.
it was a sensational year for the
sports teams at Middleton High
School.
Heres one persons opinion of the
top sports stories of 2014.
Rob
Reischel
1. Sensational Skibba
Lindsey Solberg.
This was Middletons list of individual girls golf state champions
before 2014.
Then, Loren Skibba went and doubled that total.
Skibba, Middletons remarkably
Follow Rob
Reischel on
Twitter at
@robreischel
gifted junior, gave a memorable performance at this years state meet held
in mid-October at University Ridge.
Skibba conquered the rain, wind and
plummeting temperatures and posted
a two-day score of 3-over par, 147,
which was good for a four-shot win
over Homesteads Anika Hitt.
Skibba joined Solberg (2006) as
just the second individual champion in
Middleton history. And Skibbas score
was the eighth-best in Division 1 history, an amazing achievement considering veteran observers all agreed this
was the worst two days of weather the
tournament ever had.
See 2014, page 14
What a run!
File photos
Middletons Loren Skibba (top) won the WIAA Division a girls state golf
championship in October. Skibba, Alexis Thomas (above) and the rest of the
Cardinals finished in third place as a team.
Middleton rallies for title

PAGE 12
Cardinals late
surge sinks
Monona Grove
by ROB REISCHEL
Times-Tribune
it appeared to be over.
Their holiday break was set to
start. And Middletons boys basketball team seemed certain to have its
time off spoiled.
The cardinals trailed Monona
Grove, 57-47, with 1:43 left in the
championship
game
of
the
Middleton Holiday Tournament last
Tuesday.
Then, amazingly, Middleton finished the game on a 13-0 run. And
the cardinals stunned the Silver
eagles and notched a 60-57 win.
With several alumni on hand to
watch the dramatics, Middleton
improved to 6-1 overall and is 3-1 in
the big eight conference. The
cardinals then had 12 days off
before they travel to Madison
Memorial Saturday.
Any time you make a miraculous
comeback everything, or almost
everything, has to go right,
Middleton coach Kevin bavery said.
And that was certainly the case
for the cardinals.
Trailing by 10, senior center ian
Hokanson who led Middleton
with 22 points made the first of
two free throws with 1:43 left.
Hokanson missed the second, but
junior forward cody Markel grabbed
the rebound.
Markel fed Hokanson, who scored
and was fouled. Hokanson then made
the free throw, completing the fourpoint play and pulling the cardinals
within 57-51.
Monona Grove missed a pair of
foul shots. Then cardinals point
guard c.J. Fermanich (12 points)
found Storm Murphy for a threepointer that pulled Middleton within
57-54 with 1:20 remaining.
coming out of a timeout,
Middleton junior guard cam Maly
had a steal and fed Fermanich for a
lay-up to pull the cardinals within
57-56.
Thats cam, bavery said. i had
told him that he allowed (the) middle
the time before and to anticipate and
make a play. You rarely have to tell
him anything twice.
The Silver eagles ran some clock,
then worked the ball low for a potential lay-up. but Markel blocked the
shot, grabbed the rebound and was
fouled.
Markel then drilled both free
throws with 24 seconds left to give

Middleton a 58-57 lead.
The Silver eagles missed a pair of
potential game-winning shots.
Hokanson was fouled and made both
free throws to cap a thrilling comefrom-behind win.
What was most impressive to me
was watching the film and seeing all
the incredible effort plays made in
the final two minutes, bavery said.
Scary to think what a team could
possibly be if that was there for 32
minutes every game. And of course
thats the challenge, to continually
work to get closer and closer to that
point.
it certainly wasnt easy against a
solid Monona Grove team.
Middleton senior guard Kellan
Schulz (10 points) had a pair of three
pointers in the first quarter as the
cardinals raced to a 15-11 lead. but
the Silver eagles had a big second
quarter and surged to a 26-25 halftime lead.
MG plays 10-11 guys and they
have great balance, bavery said.
They were easily the physically
strongest team weve faced, and that
combination allowed them to switch
a lot of our ball screens, which bothered us early.
We dribbled too much without a
purpose and didnt take advantage of
making the extra pass that would
have led to move post feeds. No matter how anyone chooses to play the
game you have to have paint touches.
Hokanson erupted for 11 third
quarter points. but Middleton shot
just 3-of-8 from the free throw line in
the quarter as Monona Grove took a
45-38 lead.
The Silver eagles eventually
stretched that lead to double digits.
but Middleton produced a rally for
the ages despite an uneasy feeling
from their head coach.
i remember thinking we had two
key misses about a minute earlier
and thought That was it, bavery
said. Often times youll get a gut
feeling that youre going to win
the game or youre just not going to
quite get over the hump. Fortunately
my instinct was wrong and we were
about to witness the most amazing
late game comeback that i think ive
ever been a part of.
Things were much easier the previous night when Middleton rolled
past Glendale Nicolet, 73-54.
Fermanich led the cardinals with
13 points, while sophomore forward
Tyree eady added 12 and Schulz had
10.
Middleton shot 8-of-12 on threepoint attempts in the first half and
Times-Tribune photo by Mary Langenfeld
Cam Maly and Middletons boys basketball team rallied past Monona Grove last Tuesday.
raced to a 41-23 lead at the break.

Senior guard Tyler ballweg had three
three-pointers in the first half.
Weve been getting the looks we
want, but until the Sun Prairie game
hadnt hit a real high percentage,
bavery said of Middletons threepoint prowess.
Nicolet pulled within 51-38 after
three quarters. but the cardinals
pulled away in the fourth.
Dec. 23
Middleton 60, Monona Grove 57

Monona Grove .. 11 15 19 12 57
Middleton . 15 10 15 20 60
MONONA GROVE beilke 2, Kelsey 5,
Maier 5, Mueller 5, Nelson 6, ODonnell 12,
Riley 3, Stinson 9, Thomas 10. Totals: 21 13-20
57.
MIDDLETON bacon 2, eady 6,
Fermanich 12, Hokanson 22, Markel 3, Murphy
3, Ripp 2, Schulz 10. Totals: 17 20-33 60.
Three-point goals M 6 (Hokanson 3,
Schulz 2, Murphy), MG 2 (Kelsey 1, ODonnell
1). Total fouls M 19, MG 26.
Dec. 22
Middleton 73, Nicolet 54
Nicolet ... 10 13 15 16 54
Middleton ...... 19 22 10 22 73
NICOLET burton 15, Dodroochi 4, Fears
1, Glidden 15, Harris 2, Walker 9, William 7,
Young 1. Totals: 19 12-19 54.
MIDDLETON bacon 4, ballweg 9,
collien 3, easy 12, Fermanich 13, Hokanson 2,
Joers 2, Maly 2, Markel 6, Murphy 3, Ripp 2,
Ross 1, Schulz 10, Thomas 4. Totals: 25 14-20
73.
Three-point goals M 9 (ballweg 3,
Schulz 2, Murphy 1, Thomas 1, eady 1, collien
1), N 4 (Glidden 3, burton 1). Total fouls M
19, N 19.
Bergum comes up big

PAGE 13
Senior guard
shoots Middleton
past Waunakee
by ROB REISCHEL
Times-Tribune
FRANKLIN There are several

things to like about emily bergums
game.
but theres one reason above any
other why bergum plays a key role for
Middletons girls basketball team.
She can really shoot it, cardinals
head coach Jeff Kind said.
That was certainly evident Tuesday
afternoon.
bergum knocked down consecutive three-point baskets late in the
game and powered Middleton to a 5950 win over Waunakee in the consolation bracket of the christine Rathke
Memorial Tournament held at
Franklin High School.
The cardinals, who dropped their
tournament opener to beaver Dam
Monday, improved to 8-1 on the season.
i like shooting, and when i made
those it really boosted our confidence, bergum said. Those were
pretty big shots.
They sure were.
Middleton struggled much of the
night against the scrappy and aggressive Warriors (4-5). but the cardinals
rallied from a 43-38 deficit through
three quarters and forged a 50-50 tie.
Thats when bergum took over.
First, she drained a three-pointer
with 2:51 left to give Middleton a 5350 lead. Then bergum drilled another
three-ball to make it 56-50 with 2:24
remaining.
bergum had nine of her team-high
13 points in the fourth quarter and the
cardinals finished the game on a 9-0
burst.
Middleton senior center cole
Jordee added eight points and 13
rebounds, while sophomore guard
bria Lemirande had nine points.
We had to grind and find a way to
win, Kind said. So it was big to have
those three-pointers.
There was certainly nothing easy
about this one.
Middleton junior forward Grace
Douglas and Waunakee junior guard
Jada Dayne the daughter of former
Wisconsin standout Ron Dayne
both missed the game. And each team
struggled without one of their key
players.
Waunakee raced to an early 13-7
lead. but the cardinals answered with
an 11-2 run and held a 20-17 lead after
the first quarter.
Jordee had seven points and five
rebounds in the first quarter to help the
cardinals fight back from their slow
start.
Waunakee answered in the second
quarter, though, and closed the half on
a 7-2 run to take a 34-29 lead at the
break.
The Warriors shadowed cardinals
leading scorer elizabeth Norregaard
throughout the game, limiting her
touches and shots. And with
Norregaard being held in check,
Middleton shot just 4-of-18 in the second quarter (22.2%).
They were really playing like a 13 zone, and that left a lot of spots on
the wing and the top wide-open,
Kind said. We were just hesitant to
take shots and i dont know why. Until
we prove we can beat that, thats how
teams are going to defend us.
Middleton remained ice cold in the
third quarter, shooting just 3-of-18
overall (16.7%). but Waunakee had
seven turnovers and shot just 3-of-11
Cole Jordee (left) had a big game Tuesday as Middleton defeated Waunakee.
itself (27.3%), and the Warriors took a

43-38 lead to the fourth.
We definitely werent playing
great, Jordee said. Teams get in a
funk sometimes. We just have to get
out of this one.
The fourth quarter should be a
good start.
Lemirande opened the fourth with
a three-point play, then Norregaard
had a rebound basket to tie things at
43. Junior guard Abbey Webber then
completed the 8-0 run with a threepointer that gave Middleton a 46-43
lead its first since midway through
the second quarter.
After a Waunakee basket, Jordee
found bergum for a wide-open threepointer and a 49-45 Middleton advantage. but the scrappy Warriors refused
to fold, and answered with a 5-1 run to
knot things, 50-50, with 3 minutes
left.
but thats when bergum took over
and shot the cardinals to a muchneeded win.
We really needed this to keep our
confidence up, bergum said. This
was big for us.

especially because 24 hours earlier
the cardinals struggled in a 58-48 loss
to beaver Dam.
Middleton turned the ball over 23
times and was outrebounded, 34-23.
beaver Dams inside tandem of
brooke Heck and brianna Johnson
combined for 28 points and 19
rebounds.
Norregaard led the cardinals with
14 points, while Alyssa Lemirande
added 10.
Middleton trailed, 33-20, at halftime, but used an 11-0 burst to close
within four late in the third quarter.
The beavers embarked on a 17-3 run,
though, that put the game away.
Theres a lot we need to clean up,
said Kind, whose team has been battling the flu bug. Once we get everyone healthy again, i think well get it
going. Were still a long ways from
March.
Jordee agreed.
We have a lot of work to do and
were not anywhere close to our
potential yet, she said. but well get
Times-Tribune photo by Mary Langenfeld
there.
Dec. 29
Beaver Dam 59, Middleton 49
Beaver Dam . 14 19 10 15 58
Middleton ..... 10 10 11 17 48
BEAVER DAM Trotter 6, Schmidt 2,
Miller 9, cullen 3, Stobbe 6, brooks 4, Johnson
10, Heck 18. Totals 22 10-21 58.
MIDDLETON Norregaard 14, Alyssa
Lemirande 10, Douglas 4, Thomas 4, bergum 2,
Jordee 3, White 3, bria Lemirande 8. Totals 15
13-25 48.
Three-point goals bD 4 ( Miller 2, cullen
1, Stobbe 1), Mi 5 (Norregaard 4, bria Lemirande
1). Total fouls bD 23, Mi 21. Fouled out
Johnson, Lemirande.
Dec. 30
Middleton 59, Waunakee 50
Waunakee ..... 17 17 9 7 50
Middleton .... 20 9 9 21 59
WAUNAKEE buchman 6, Kienow 9,
Harman 6, Rindy 7, Kind 11, Zibel 11. Totals: 19
6-15 50.
MIDDLETON Norregaard 6, Fermanich
3, Thomas 2, Jordee 8, b. Lemirande 9, White 2,
bergum 13, Webber 3, blair 5, ballweg 2, Hibner
3. Totals: 19 12-17 59.
Three-point goals: W 6 (Kind 3, buchman 2,
Zibel 1). M 9 (bergum 4, Norregaard 1, b.
Lemirande 1, Hibner 1, blair 1, Webber 1).
PAGE 14
n 2014
Shes amazing, Middleton coach

becky Halverson said of Skibba.
Shes so focused and so strong.
Shes what i envision for our program. i want the girls to see that and
dig down within themselves and stay
with it.
Skibbas amazing two-day journey
propelled the cardinals to a thirdplace finish in the team standings.
Verona won the team title with a
648, while defending champion
Hartland Arrowhead settled for second at 656. Middleton was third at
670, while Homestead (681) and
Milton (700) rounded out the top five
at the 12-team tournament.
The whole thing was awesome,
Middleton senior Rachel Thornton
said. All the girls did great. Were
just so thrilled. This was so much
fun.
Skibba matched her career-low
with an opening round 3-under par,
69. That allowed Skibba to grab a
five-shot lead over two-time defending champion Jessica Reinecke of
Verona and Homesteads Hitt.
Skibbas 69 was also just one shot
off the Division 1 record set by
Miltons Ashton Stair in 2010.
During the second round, the
weather was at its worst early and
Skibba shot 4-over par on her first five
holes. but she birdied the par-5 sixth
hole, made the turn at 40, and still held
a four-shot lead over the rest of the
field.
Skibba bogeyed No. 10, then steadied herself and made pars on seven of
her final eight holes. As golfers all
around her imploded, Skibba had a
remarkably steady back nine and
refused to let her challengers creep too
close.
im really happy, kind of speechless, Skibba said. it hasnt sunk in
yet.
Once it did, Skibba certainly had
plenty to be giddy about.
Skibba is a grinder, and her game
plays well in rotten weather. Skibba
keeps her drives low, which is a positive when playing into heavy winds.
And her iron game has always been a
strength.
but Skibbas improvement on the
greens was a major reason shes a state
champion today.
My short game always hurt me,
Skibba said. but i got a lot better on
those little 3- and 4-foot putts. That
was really big.
And it all paid off in a big way.
2. Surging to the top
back in August, Middletons football team felt disrespected when one

poll picked it to finish fourth in the
big eight conference.
We should be first. easily,
Middleton senior tight end Mitchell
Herl said. i know what really good
classes look like here, and we have a
great senior class and a great junior
class. its a great combo. We will not
be fourth.
Herl certainly knew what he was
talking about.
Middleton was the undisputed big
eight conference champion after
posting an 8-1 league record and edging Madison La Follette by one game
for the title. The cardinals outscored
league foes by an average of 34-7 in
one of the most dominant showings by
a conference team in years.
Middleton capped off its sensational conference season by routing
Janesville
craig,
41-0,
on
Homecoming. The cougars had a
chance to share the league title with an
upset win, but the cardinals werent in
the mood to share.
We told them at the start of the
week that there was a lot on the line,
but to embrace this, Middleton coach
THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Tim Simon said. its one of the more

fun weeks of the year with
Homecoming and a lot of things going
on around school. but we embraced it
and came out and played great.
Middletons defense played great
all season long. And late in the year,
cardinals veteran defensive coordinator Tom cabalka called it the best
group he ever coached.
Middleton allowed just 7.1 points
per game during the regular season.
And only one big eight team reached
double figures against Middletons
defense.
This group really wanted it and
not just on game nights, cabalka
said. The games were important to
them, but so was Monday and
Tuesday and everything that went
with it. They put in the work because
they wanted to be great, they wanted
moments like these. Thats a lot of fun
to coach.
Middletons offense was awfully
dangerous, too, scoring at least 30
points in six of nine regular season
games.
Middleton continued its dream season by knocking off Sun Prairie in the
first round of the playoffs. but
Middletons fell in Level 2 to Fond du
Lac.
Afterwards, several Middleton
players collapsed on the turf and wept
for several minutes, a reaction that
certainly didnt surprise their head
coach.
Thats what happens when you
put so much into something, Simon
said. And the reason this hurts so
much is because this was such a special group. if it wasnt this special of a
group and this special of a season, it
wouldnt hurt so much.
Still, it was a year no one will forget anytime soon.
it was a hell of a year, Herl said.
What ill remember most and what
the other players will is our chemistry
and how much talent was given to us
by the junior class.
And these guys are going to stay
great. Theres a lot of talent here and
we had a great coaching staff. it was
just a great year.
3. Fabulous fourth
every year, Middleton boys golf

coach Tom cabalka spends his winters
in Arizona.
And when cabalka races back
every March to coach the cardinals,
many wonder why?
Heres why.
For players like Josh Haunty,
charlie Stankiewicz, brady Thomas,
Joey Levin and emmet Herb.
That quintet assembled another terrific season for Middletons dynamic
golf program and finished fourth at the
WiAA Division 1 state tournament
last June. And even though the
cardinals fell short of their ultimate
goal of winning a state title, they produced a year to remember and one
cabalka will always hold dear.
its guys like this that keep me
coming back, cabalka said. This
was a really, really special group.
Homestead won the state title with
a 618-team score, edging Green bay
Notre Dame (619) by one shot. eau
claire Memorial was third at 624,
while Middleton (627) and Marquette
(630) rounded out the top five at the
16-team event.
The cardinals tied for the lowest
score in the tournament on the second
day, shooting a rock solid 306. but
Middleton was done in by an opening
round 321 that left it in ninth place
going to the second day.
i think we did a great job battling
back and showing that were legit,
See 2014, page 15
On top, Middletons Mitch Bacon (85) and Cam Maly (32) celebrated what was a memorable season.
Above, Josh Haunty helped the Cardinals boys golf team finish fourth at state.
File photos
n 2014
said Levin, a sophomore. but i just

feel really bad for the seniors that we
shot a 321 and were in that position.
Haunty, a senior, agreed.
Were sad, but happy we made a
comeback, Haunty said. i think we
proved something.
Middleton entered the tournament
hoping to prove it was the best team in
the state. The cardinals were ranked
No. 1 in the final Golf coaches
Association of Wisconsin poll, and
seemed poised to live up to that lofty
acclaim.
but Middleton struggled during a
frustrating first round, which prevented the cardinals from hoisting gold.
Still, Middleton reached virtually all
of its goals except finishing on top of
the state.
The cardinals won the big eight
conference dual meet and postseason
titles. Middleton was the regional and
sectional champion.
And perhaps most importantly,
they were a band of brothers that had
just as much fun off the course as they
did on it.
it was a great year and id call it a
success, Stankiewicz said. it would
have been great to play close to home
and bring home a state title. but it was
still a great season.
Levin agreed.
This was the best season ever, he
said. We were a tight group of guys
and we hung out all the time and all of
us got along great. Now, its going to
be hard without Josh and charlie.
4. In the swing of things
Kari Steck knew what was realistic.

As Middletons girls gymnastics
coach studied the WiAA Division 1
state field last March, one thing was
clear: there were three Milwaukeearea teams that seemed head and
shoulders above the field.
So Steck set this goal for her team.
We thought it would be awesome
to aim for fourth place, Steck said.
The top three teams in the state dominate Division 1. There was no way for
us to even come close to the scores
they put up. but fourth was a good
goal for the girls.
And one that Middleton was
thrilled to achieve.
The cardinals had one of their best
meets of the year, posting a score of
142.9480 that landed them in fourth
place.
The Franklin co-op team won the
meet with a 147.2850, while
burlingtons co-op team was second
(147.2330) and Arrowhead was third
THE YEAR IN REVIEW

PAGE 15
(146.4840).
Middleton finished more than one
point ahead of fifth place Mequon
Homestead (141.8350).
We knew coming in that we
weren't going to be close to the
Milwaukee teams, Middleton senior
standout Aryn Skibba said. So our
goal was to just beat out the others and
we did it. it was such a great feeling
that we could have another great final
team meet like at sectionals.
Middletons finish was its best at
state since the 2009 team also took
fourth.
We knew going in that the three
schools ahead of us had a lot of talent, Middleton freshman Madeline
Pflasterer-Jennerjohn said. So we
were more likely competing for
fourth, fifth, or sixth place. We all
went out and put together some good
routines, so we were very happy with
fourth place.
Middletons performance capped a
memorable year for the program.
The cardinals finished second in
the big eight conference dual meet
season and were also second at the
leagues postseason meet. but
Middleton won the Madison
Memorial Sectional, then had a huge
day at state.
Middleton senior standout Aryn
Skibba also finished third individually
in the all-around competition.
i think every year is memorable,
but this one was definitely a special
one, Steck said. The girls overcame
so much as a team, which is amazing
to watch and be a part of for the season.
They have all grown so much, not
only as gymnasts but as young adults
too. That's one of the greatest parts of
coaching, especially in gymnastics.
i couldn't be more proud of the
girls. They make coaching fun. it's
teams like this that keep you coming
back for more.
5. Familiar landing spot
Middleton baseball manager Tom

Schmitt has put together one of the
states most successful and consistent
programs over the past decade. And
Schmitts cardinals enjoyed another
memorable year in 2014.
Middleton reached the state tournament for the seventh time since 2002.
The cardinals defeated La crosse
central, 2-1, in the sectional semifinals. Middleton then toppled
Reedsburg, 7-3, in the sectional finals.
Were playing our best ball right
now and that was our goal at the
beginning of the season, Middleton
senior catcher Jackson Keeler said.
its nice to try to win the conference,
but ultimately we want to be playing
our best baseball when the playoffs
roll around.
The cardinals went to the state
tournament with high hopes. but
Middleton fell to Wilmot, 2-1, in the
state quarterfinals and ended the year
21-9.
We definitely felt like we could
win it all this year, Middleton senior
pitcher Kasey Miller said. We had the
team to do it. Were leaving with our
heads held high, but we certainly feel
like we could have had more.
its easy to see why.
The cardinals were left for dead by
many following early-season, blowout
losses to Janesville Parker, Sun Prairie
and Janesville craig. but Middleton
steadily improved and was playing its
best baseball down the stretch.
i guess im a little frustrated the
way things shook out, senior first
baseman Alex elliott said. but i
couldnt have asked for a better team.
See 2014, page 16
File photos
On top, Middleton gymnast Aryn Skibba was third individually at state and helped the Cardinals finish fourth as
a team. Above, Kasey Miller (right) and Jackson Keeler (left) helped Middletons baseball team reach the state
tournament.
PAGE 16
n 2014
This is a great group of guys and

im really proud of where we came
from. At the beginning of the season,
we had some tough games. but we
really turned it around in the second
half and im really proud of our guys.
Added Schmitt: To play so well
and to not get the benefit of pulling it
off is tough. but thats life. You dont
always get what you want.
6. Life in the fast lane
The goals were high. The competition was fast and furious.
but Middletons boys cross country
team never backed down, never
flinched. And on the biggest stage of
the season, the cardinals came up
huge.
At the WiAA Division 1 state meet
held at Ridges Golf course in
Wisconsin Rapids, Middleton finished
sixth among the 20 schools competing.
Middletons sixth place finish was
the schools best since a sixth-place
showing in 2001.
As a team we did amazing,
Middleton senior Zach ShoemakerAllen said. everyone gave everything they could, and that is all anyone
can ask for.
The year was incomparable to
anything else. Our team was very
close and we worked together to get
better.
Middleton
sophomore
Gus
Newcomb agreed.
We came into the state meet
ranked seventh in the state, so we
knew anything better than that we
would be happy, Newcomb said. We
were in the finishing tent watching the
scoreboard count down from 20, and
when it said, Sixth: Middleton, we
jumped in the air and gave each other
high fives and hugs.
Newcomb was Middletons top finisher, placing 24th overall. Jack Rader
was 27th, Zach Shoemaker-Allen was
34th, christian Lindblom was 54th
and Hayden Johnston was 74th.
i think we were quite pleased with
the results, Middleton co-coach isaac
Mezera said. For the seniors it was a
great finish to an exciting year and a
great career.
For the younger guys it sets a high
bar for next season. based off of how
exciting this experience was, i'm
guessing they'll be up for the task.
Middleton also sent two girls runners to state.
bobbi Patrick, a senior, finished
46th overall, while Rachel Wians,
another senior, was 56th.
This state experience was a lot
different for Rachel and i than past
experiences, Patrick said. We didnt
have our team with us at the starting
line, and we werent able to experience the anticipation for the team
results to see what we finished. it was
hard in that aspect, but i think we were
able to go out and just enjoy the race
this time.
7. Changing of the guard
it was a rough year for Middletons

hockey program.
Tony Libert and his brother Steve,
co-head coaches of Middletons hockey team for nearly 21 years, were
forced to resign during the season.
Tony Libert was at the center of a
locker room incident during a game
against Madison Memorial. Steve
Libert didnt enter the locker room
until the majority of Tonys exploits
had ended, but he also paid the price.
both men were given the option to
resign or be fired and each chose to
resign.
The Liberts left behind a program
they built from ground zero starting in
1993-94. in the time since, Middleton
THE YEAR IN REVIEW

reached the WiAA state tournament

three times, and became a model of
consistency in both its play and professionalism.
Steffon Walby, a former player and
coach in five different minor professional leagues, was named the interim
coach and later accepted the head
coaching duties.
Personally i dont think it was
fair, Steve Libert said. Weve run a
program thats respected all across the
state. A lot of other coaches have
asked for advice. its a well respected
program and weve never had any
incidents before this one.
in 20 years of coaching at MHS,
there was never a complaint filed
against the Liberts for anything more
than playing time issues. but this one
incident wound up costing both men
their jobs.
im sorry for what happened and
its killing me, Tony Libert said. but
this is a huge loss to the community
and the wrong lessons are being taught
here.
i deserved a three-game suspension. Flat out. What happened was my
poor judgment. but it is what it is.
There was a parent behind this who
ran out a coach and thats a loss for
the community.
While the ending was painful, the
Libert brothers certainly brought the
level of Middleton hockey to terrific
heights on the ice.
The cardinals reached the state
tournament in 2003 for the first time
in school history. Middleton also
advanced to the state tournament in
2006 and 2011.
The cardinals lost their opening
round game in each of their first two
trips to state, including a memorable
six-overtime game setback to
Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln in 2006.
but the 2011 cardinals reached the
state championship game before losing to Wausau West.
Middleton also won three big
eight conference titles and reached
10 sectional finals under the Libert
brothers.
im so proud of what we accomplished, Steve Libert said. Weve
been in a ton of sectional finals ... and
been to state three times. i couldnt be
more proud with what we did with the
program.
Added Tony Libert: i cant thank
the community enough. This is a sad
story because weve grown up so
much with this community. but i really have nothing but pride with how
things turned out. i think this is all
unfortunate and the process turned
thoughtless, not thoughtful. im proud
of what weve done. im proud of the
players weve developed and im even
more proud of the young men weve
developed.
8. Reload, never rebuild
if ever there was a year

Middletons dynamite boys volleyball
team had some vulnerabilities, this
was probably it.
The cardinals lost the overwhelming majority of their 2013 state tournament team to graduation. Middleton
suffered a huge early-season injury to
its second-best player.
And all those teams the cardinals
had hammered in the past were licking
their chops, waiting for revenge.
instead, Middleton simply plugged
in its next batch of standouts.
cardinals brilliant head coach ben
White pushed all the right buttons.
And Middleton won the big eight
conference for the eighth time in nine
years and reached the state tournament
for the seventh time since 2002.
This is pretty amazing,
Middleton junior middle hitter Jordan
Futch said. i dont think anybody
File photos
On top, Middletons boys cross country team raced to a sixth place finish at state.
In the middle, Tony Libert (left) and Steve Libert (right) resigned as Middletons hockey coaches after more than
two decades of success.
Above, Middleton senior standout James Caldwell helped the Cardinals boys volleyball team reach the state tournament.
n 2014
expected this from us at the start of the

year. but weve come a long ways
and this is great.
it sure was.
Middleton finished the big eight
season a perfect 10-0. The cardinals
are now 92-4 in conference matches
over the past nine years (.958).
impressive work by all the past
and current players we have in the
program, Middleton coach ben
White said. We are blessed to have
athletes who have fallen in love with
the game of volleyball and we have
great alumni and seniors this year who
instill what it means to play for
Middleton and the tradition.
Middleton earned the No. 1 seed in
its sectional and defeated Kettle
Moraine, 20-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-22
in the sectional finals.
The cardinals memorable season
then ended with a five-set loss to
burlington in the state quarterfinals.
everybody was crying after the
match, but personally, i was smiling,
Futch said. i think our team did so
well, especially with how we started
out this year.
From the way the season started
out, i think we did so well. And what
we came out with at the end was really
good.
9. Net gains
Middletons girls tennis team

reached the state semifinals and the
boys reached the state quarterfinals.
Middletons girls werent exactly
sure what they had when the year
began. The cardinals graduated four
seniors from their 2013 state title team
and had holes to fill everywhere.
but Middleton won the big eight
conference title again, captured a sectional crown and reached the state
semifinals.
The cardinals defeated brookfield
east, 5-2, in the quarterfinals. but
Neenah defeated Middleton, 5-2, in
the semifinals.
We had a lot of fun and made a lot
of good memories, Abbey Webber
said. it will be hard next year without
the senior class, because we've been
hitting with some of them since elementary school.
i wish i could say we exceeded
expectations this season. We wanted
to make the state finals, and that didn't
happen. its OK that we didnt make it
to the finals. That's not how we'll
remember this season.
Added Allison Ragsdale: At the
beginning of the year, i had no idea
how we would end up as a team. i didn't know who the newcomers would
be and was a little nervous about how
they would do. With all things considered, i think everyone exceeded
expectations.
Middletons boys also enjoyed a
sensational season and qualified for
state for the fifth time in six years. but
the cardinals fell to Milwaukee
Marquette, 4-3, in the state quarterfinals.
The team competed amazingly
and i'm so proud of how we played,
Middleton senior ben Luskin said.
We're obviously incredibly disappointed how it turned out, especially
considering how close we came. but
we have had an absolutely amazing
season.
it was very emotional for all of us
to see our season come to an end, but
i cant imagine playing with a better
group of guys. Not only are they great
players, but they are great teammates
and ill never forget this incredible
season.
10. Splish, splash
Middletons girls and boys swimmers both enjoyed terrific years.

Middletons girls were a largely
THE YEAR IN REVIEW

PAGE 17
new and inexperienced bunch. but the

cardinals made substantial improvements and capped their year with a
stirring sixth-place finish at the WiAA
Division 1 state meet in November.
We started as a team with a lot of
new people and to say were the sixthbest team in the state is phenomenal,
Middleton coach Lauren cabalka said.
im proud of the girls with the way
they swam. They performed as a team
and they came together.
Added junior Victoria Lin: With
how we started and how we ended,
sixth is great for us.
A strong finish by senior Paige
Prestigiacomo in the 400-yard
freestyle relay, the meets final event,
allowed Middleton to hold off Neenah
by one point for sixth-place.
The cardinals finished with 109
points, while Neenah had 108.
The cardinals held a slim 87-84
edge entering the 400 freestyle relay,
but Neenah was seeded three spots
higher and would have passed
Middleton had the seeds held up.
Prestigiacomo and relay teammates
Samantha Roll, caroline Hippen, and
Margaret McGill put the pressure on
by winning the second heat in 3 minutes, 35.94 seconds. Neenah placed
seventh in the final heat and finished
just one spot ahead of the cardinals
allowing Middleton to escape with
sixth place overall.
The 200 medley relay of emma
Karbusicky, Lin, chiara PierobonMays, and Hippen finished third in
1:46.85. And Middletons quartet of
Roll, Lin, chiara Pierobon-Mays, and
Prestigiacomo added a ninth-place
finish in the 200 freestyle in 1:38.65.
in all, Middleton received 72
points from its three relay squads.
Not a lot of us knew each other,
but we came together as a family and
it showed through our relays. it
showed how far weve come this season.
Middletons boys finished in the
top-10 for the 12th time in the last 15
years, posting a ninth place finish.
Our guys performed top-notch
and couldnt have performed any better, said then-Middleton coach Luke
Lengfeld. im happy with how we
swam today. They swam very well,
fast, quick times, and big drops.
There were a lot of guys that
dropped times. Whenever youre able
to drop time when tapering for sectionals, then you get to state and drop
more time the week after. You cant
complain much about that.
On top, Middletons girls tennis team reached the state semifinals.

Above, Paige Prestigiacomo and the Cardinals girls swimmers finished sixth at state.
File photos
PAGE 18
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A look back at the year 2014

VOL. 123, NO. 1

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015

SINGLE COPY PRICE: $1.25

Recap of the years top stories begins on page 3

11:00 am Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014 at

Beverly Dunn Philumalee

Middleton Recreation has a wide variety of upcoming programs.

Donald P. Frisch, age 84 of Mount

beverly passed away on Dec. 21

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015

connery, Jerry (Patty) connery;

Racine, formerly of Middleton

From storm water to a rattlesnake

January in Wisconsin might not feel

Music will be provided by Suburban

Tickets include two drink vouchers

From the Jan. 30 edition:

because of weather cancellations on

should be allowed to take their children

week to finalize the particulars.

work day, a number of parents were

crime is down, taxes are up and

The city has 1,300 more residents

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015

influx in the millions each year.

imagine a long-slumbering mine, located on the edge of a residential

continued from page 3

10.21 of the countys current zoning

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015

countys zoning districts, Allan wrote.

companies and that the county was

From the Feb. 27 edition:

The Middleton Police Department

From the March 13 edition:

Keil, who will move on to take over

cant take credit for the success of this

From the March 27 edition:

The Middleton Police commission

continued from page 4

He is capable and well-prepared to

From the April 3 edition:

member] friends groupthat will do a

added each year.

Town of Middleton residents unanimously rejected Tuesday selling 15

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015

tive aspects of the project for months

continued from page 5

See 2014, page 7

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015

tinued. i put a lot of thought into my

Middleton High School principal

From the May 29 edition:

On Monday, May 19, the presence

From the June 12 edition:

Middleton High School seniors have

that the clothing someone wears

continued from page 1

said. He also brings an amazing track

Plank named Fuzzy faces

From the June 19 edition:

Steve Plank, who since 2010 has

They go by many names. The Van

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015