The Broadsheet
Headlines from the Barron News-Shield Feb. 16, 2022 edition, plus some extra, newsy recommendations from the editor.
Hello readers,
It’s often feast or famine in the news business, especially with photo opportunities. This weekend was a feast for the viewfinder at Prairie Farm’s Fun on the Flowage event. Hundreds of people bundled up, came out and had a great time. Between the ice cutting, beater parade and a cauldron of hot, delicious booyah, it’s pretty unique event. Click the photo to see a full gallery from Fun on the Flowage.
Headlines
After some reconfiguration, a major development deal is moving forward in Rice Lake. On Feb. 8 the City Council approved a developer’s agreement that will enable Chippewa Valley Orthopedics & Sports Medicine to build a facility on the south side of the city.
Randy and Lisa Mickelson, of County Hwy. W, rural Ridgeland, lost all of the possessions inside their home, which caught fire sometime Saturday evening. Two pets also died in the blaze.
The Rice Lake Fire Department was called out Friday morning, Feb. 11, at 10:47 a.m. to an unoccupied house fire that caused an estimated $150,000 in damage.
The residence was located at 623 Phipps Ave.
A tradition that dates back to the early 1980s will reappear this Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, as Ridgeland area businesses and civic organizations once again host the annual Pioneer Day celebration. In spite of two recent court challenges and at least one case of “chicken kidnapping,” the chicken fly is once again scheduled to start at 12 noon Feb. 19 in the downtown area.
Enjoy Winterfest at Anderson Park in Barron this Friday from 4-7 p.m. compliments of the Barron Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Commission. All activities are free and include horse-drawn sleigh rides through the park (Lost Creek Ranch), and a snowshoeing experience for adults and kids (provided by Hunt Hill).
Barron High School students are performing the musical comedy “Bye, Bye, Birdie” next week at the Barron Area Community Center theater. Performances are Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 24-26 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 27, at 2 p.m.
Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Saputo Cheese, current owners of what was formerly known as the Twin Town Cheese factory, has confirmed it will demolish the 94-year-old building at the northwest corner of County Hwy. P and 10 ½ Avenue, south of Almena.
Urban Rural Column
My column this week focused on a real wedge issue—should one kind Wisconsin cheese be put on a pedestal above the rest? Check out the excerpt below:
One of the most closely contested pieces of legislation this session may prove to be Wisconsin Senate Bill 371.
The bill has nothing to do with voting rights, criminal justice reform or vaccine mandates, but rather the official state cheese.
Colby should be Wisconsin’s state cheese according to legislation authored by Republicans Rep. Donna Rozar, Sen. Kathy Bernier and Sen. Julian Bradley, and Democrat Sen. Lena Taylor. Local Rep. Dave Armstrong is among a bipartisan list of co-sponsors.
But not everyone is in Colby’s camp. On Feb. 11, the bill narrowly passed a committee, 3-2.
What is the case for Colby?
Wisconsin cheesemakers make more than 45 million pounds of Colby cheese each year.
If you’re not familiar with the town, Colby, you’ve probably whizzed by it on Hwy. 29 through Marathon County. It’s just south of Abbotsford, “Wisconsin’s First City,” alphabetically, that is.
But Colby’s claim to fame started in 1885 when 16-year-old Joseph Steinwand invented the cheese at his father’s cheese factory through a new technique. He modified the process of making English Cheddar by rinsing the curds in cold water and not removing excess moisture. This created a cheese that was softer, more sliceable, and mildly sweet compared to semi-hard cheddar.
As a Chippewa Falls social studies teacher testified at a recent hearing on the bill, “Colby’s mildness offends no one.”
More than 25 people—mostly Colby fourth-graders—submitted written testimony in favor of the legislation. There’s even a song about it. Lines include, “It starts out just like cheddar, but then we make it better,” and “No matter how you slice it, you’ll be pleased.”
Wisconsin has several state symbols, including, but not limited to: Beverage—milk; Fruit—cranberry; Pastry—Kringle; Dance—Polka; Flower—wood violet; Insect—honeybee; Fossil—trilobite; Rock—red granite; and even Soil—Antigo Silt Loam.
The full column appears on page A8 of this week’s issue.
Editor’s Picks
In the news: In last week’s newsletter I mentioned by enthusiasm for Olympic cross country skiing. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel came out with another article this week about Wisconsin native biathlon athlete Deedra Irwin. She has a local connection as an athlete sponsored in part by Rice Lake-based Out There. Proprietors Bjorn and Kris Hanson are quoted in the article.
Good Read: Every year around Valentine’s Day, The Chetek Alert features “Stories of Love.” This year none other than Bell Press publisher Jim Bell and wife, Judy, are featured, having surpassed 50 years of marriage. Congrats, Jim and Judy!
Thanks for reading. If you need to catch up on local news or are looking for more Editor’s Picks, check out the archives at newsshield.substack.com.
—Ryan Urban