Wisconsin businesses and residents affected by the heavy rains and flash flooding on July 19-23, 2017, can apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA Administrator Linda McMahon announced Tuesday.

Administrator McMahon made the loans available in response to a letter from Gov. Scott Walker on Sept. 13, 2017, requesting a disaster declaration by the SBA. The declaration covers La Crosse and Trempealeau counties, and the adjacent counties of Buffalo, Eau Claire, Jackson, Monroe and Vernon in Wisconsin; Houston and Winona in Minnesota.

“The SBA is strongly committed to providing the people of Wisconsin with the most effective and customer-focused response possible to assist businesses of all sizes, homeowners and renters with federal disaster loans,” said Administrator McMahon. “Getting businesses and communities up and running after a disaster is our highest priority at SBA.”

SBA’s Customer Service Representatives will be available at the Disaster Loan Outreach Center to answer questions about the disaster loan program and help individuals complete their applications.

“Businesses and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets,” said SBA’s state District Director, Eric Ness.

For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.

“Loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.

Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase up to 20 percent of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements may include a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage caused by a similar disaster.

Interest rates are as low as 3.305 percent for businesses, 2.5 percent for nonprofit organizations, and 1.75 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amount and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Businesses and individuals may also obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or by emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Loan applications can also be downloaded at www.sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be returned to the centers or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Nov. 17, 2017. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 18, 2018.

Contributed

Sauk County authorities say a Baraboo man faces his 36^th operating after suspension citation. Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister said on Monday, at about 8:40pm, a Sauk County deputy stopped a pickup truck on County Highway BD for failure to display license plates. The operator of the pickup was identified as 27-year-old Lucas Allen Adrian. During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that Adrian’s driver’s license was suspended and he had 35 prior convictions for Operating After Suspensions. In addition, he has three other Operate After Suspension charges pending, including one from earlier that day. Adrian was issued citations for Operating After Suspension 36th offense, Failure to Display License Plates, and Operating a Vehicle Without Insurance.

WARRENS, WIS. – St. Andrew Catholic Church will hold their annual pancake breakfast – featuring their secret cranberry syrup recipe – all three days of the Warrens Cranberry Festival, which runs Sept. 22-24. Serving is from 6 to 11 a.m. in the church hall, located at the corner of May and Pine Streets.

The cost for the breakfast – which includes pancakes with choice of cranberry syrup or organic maple syrup, sausage, cranberry sauce, coffee, milk and cranberry juice – is $7 for adults and $4 for children 6-11yrs. Children 5 or younger eat for free.

During the festival, Mass is offered on Saturday at 4 and 6 p.m.

Contributed

A Mauston man has been charged with attempted sexual exploitation of a child. 32-year-old Victor Bolchen is also charged with attempt causing child older than 13 to view/listen to sexual activity and two counts of attempt exposing a child to harmful material. If convicted, Bolchen could face a $50,000 fine or imprisonment of not more than 20 years, or both. The second charge carries a possible $10,000 fine, or imprisonment of not more than six years or both. The attempt exposing a child to harmful material charges each carry a possible $10,000 fine, or imprisonment of not more than nine months or both.

According to the criminal complaint: On August 3rd and 4th, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Criminal Investigation (DCI) Special Agents (SA), conducted an undercover online operation. Before this, an SA posted an ad on Craigslist.com on August 1st. This SA was operating in an undercover capacity and was responding to individuals in the ad. On August 4th, that agent received a text message from a person who advised his name was “Victor”, and the agent was able to link the phone number to a Facebook profile and the profile name on the account showed “Victor Bolchen.” The agent did an open search with in WisDOT database, and located Bolchen. It showed he lived in Mauston, and the images appeared to be of the same person with the Facebook images. The agent was engaged in undercover conversations with Bolchen from August 4th to September 4th. During those conversations, the agent disclosed that he was fourteen years old seven times. Bolchen sent five sexually explicit images to what he believed was a fourteen-year-old female. Also during the conversation, Bolchen asked the fourteen-year-old female to have verbal phone sex with him on an almost daily basis. The agent and Bolchen exchanged 1,258 text messages and Bolchen sent the agent eight images. On September 14th, agents spoke with Bolchen. Bolchen said he didn’t used Craigslist to meet women and he had not been on the site for 12-14 years. Bolchen told the agent he didn’t recognize the name or phone number that the agent had been using to communicate with Bolchen in an undercover manner.  The agent explained to Bolchen he had exchanged 1,258 messages with the number, and he wanted to know who he was talking to. Bolchen said he had been talking to a female who told him she was fourteen-year-old, and when asked believed he met her through the website Plenty of Fish, but said he did look at personal sections of Craigslist when he was at a friend’s cabin in Northern Wisconsin. Bolchen said he had sent the images but he had downloaded them from off the internet. He told the agent that he was not going to meet the female because she sounded “fishy”. After the interview, the Mauston Police Department came to the scene and took Bolchen into custody, and transported him to the Juneau County Jail.

Court records show that Bolchen is out on a $750 cash bond and he is not to use electronic devices or internet services. An adjourned initial appearance for Bolchen has been scheduled on October 25 at 9:00 am at the Juneau County Justice Center.

The ATV routes in the City of Mauston are open. Public Works Director Rob Nelson said that the trails are marked and the signs are up. Nelson said the signs were not an expense for the city, but rather the signs were paid for and installed by the Castle Rock Family ATV Club. All streets, excluding Grayside, Union and state highways, will be open for ATV use from 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. and ATVs would be subjected to city rules on public parking.

Lake Delton police are investigating the near drowning of a 10-month-old in a motel bath tub. On Wednesday, at 7:51pm, officers were dispatched to the Delton Motel, and once on scene, they began resuscitation efforts. The Dells-Delton Ambulance Service arrived and took over patient care. The victim was transported to UW-Madison Hospital, where the child is in intensive care. In a release from the police department, the parents were inside the motel room at the time of the incident, but left the victim and a two year old unattended in the bath tub for unknown amount of time. When mother returned, she found the victim face down in the water. The mother removed the victim from the bath tub and immediately called 911. Detectives are continuing to investigate this incident.

32^nd Senate District Senator Jennifer Shilling has announced that district representative; Taylor Goodine will be holding district office hours over the coming weeks. One of the scheduled office hours will take place Thursday, September 28th from 12pm-1pm at the Hillsboro Public Library in the Community Room. These office hours offer local residents an opportunity to meet with Sen. Shilling’s staff, share their thoughts on state issues and request assistance with state agencies. These listening sessions are open to the public and no reservation is required. If individuals would like more information, they can contact Sen. Shilling’s district office at 1-608-782-2785 or toll-free at 1-800-385-3385 or emailSen.Shilling@legis.wi.gov.

MADISON – The public has through October 5, 2017 to comment on a proposed variance to the master plan for Devil’s Lake State Park that would allow for the construction of a new boat rental facility in the park.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is proposing to construct a small boat rental building directly across from the park’s Chateau on the North Shore of the lake for the rental and storage of boats and booking of boat tours and other recreational activities (guided interpretive hikes, rock climbing instruction, scuba diving instruction, etc.).

“Devil’s Lake State Park has become one of the most popular parks in the Midwest with more than 2.5 million visitors per year,” according to Steve Schmelzer, park manager. “With the increase in visitation, there has been a signification increase in the demand for kayak, paddle board, peddle boat and canoe rentals at Devil’s Lake.”

Currently, boat rentals are done off the loading dock and some temporary counters on the side of the Chateau. The other recreation services would be added as the demand increases. The building would also provide off-season storage of boating equipment that is currently stored outdoors or in racks inside the Chateau, which results in premature breakdown of the equipment.

The building will include clothing changing stalls for visitors. The new facility would add three unplumbed changing stalls and would be handicapped accessible.

The State Natural Resources Board is scheduled to consider accepting a donation of a future completed facility estimated at $105,000 from the Friends of Devil’s Lake and Devil’s Lake Concession Corporation at its September meeting in Minocqua.

The draft master plan variance and associated documents are available for review on the Department of Natural Resources website, dnr,wi.gov, by searching keywords “master planning,” and clicking on the link for “Devil’s Lake State Park Master Plan Variance.”  For more information about the park, search “Devil’s Lake.”

Contributed by the Wisconsin DNR

A Florida man was critically injured in a two vehicle accident in Monroe County Thursday evening. Sheriff Scott Perkins said 57-year-old Eric K. Vaughn, and his wife, 57-year-old Lyndarae Vaughn, of Bangor were northbound on County Highway O in the Town of Lincoln when they struck a deer. The deer then flew into the windshield of a southbound van operated by 69-year-old Samuel Garcia, of Hialeah, Florida. Garcia was removed from the vehicle by Tomah Area Ambulance Service with life threatening injuries and transported by Med-Link Air to Gundersen Hospital. The passenger of the van operated by Garcia was 48-year-old Jose Diaz of Chicago and was not injured. The crash remains under investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.

Governor Scott Walker has declared September 24 – 30 as Rail Safety Week in Wisconsin. According to the DOT, the number of crashes at railroad crossings was up from 2015. In 2016, two people were killed and 15 people were injured as a result of 46 railroad crossing crashes. Additionally, 1 person died and three people were injured while trespassing on railroad tracks. The DOT is joining with the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads, Wisconsin Operation Lifesaver, Federal Railroad Administration and the railroads to increase the awareness of the importance of safe practices at railroad crossings and around tracks. There will be rail safety events throughout the state, including at Warren’s Cranfest this weekend.

This weekend’s events:

The DOT also has a list of safety tips:

1. Cross train tracks only at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings, and obey all warning signs and signals posted there. The only safe place for pedestrians and vehicles to cross a railroad track is at a designated public crossing with either a crossbuck (X-shaped warning sign), flashing red lights or a gate. If you cross at any other place, you are trespassing and can be ticketed or fined.
2. Always expect a train at each highway-rail intersection. Freight trains don’t travel at fixed times, and schedules for passenger trains change.
3.  All train tracks are private property. Never walk on tracks; it is illegal to trespass and highly dangerous. By the time a locomotive engineer sees a trespasser or vehicle on the tracks it’s too late. It can take a mile or more to stop a train.
4.  Trains overhang the tracks by at least three feet in both directions; loose straps hanging from rail cars may extend even further. If you are in the right-of-way next to the tracks, you can be hit by the train.
5.  Trains can move in either direction at any time. Sometimes their cars are pushed by locomotives instead of being pulled, which is especially true in commuter and light rail passenger service.
6. Today’s trains are quieter than ever, producing no telltale “clackety-clack.” Any approaching train is always closer, moving faster, than you think.
7.  Stay alert around railroad tracks. No texting, headphones or other distractions that would prevent you from hearing an approaching train; never mix rails and recreation.

The Mauston School Board received an update on the new Olson Middle School Schedule at its meeting on Monday night. Middle School Principal Brian Bauer said as they started the school year, the changes on the structure of the school day have been positive. With this new schedule, only about half of the students are moving at a time, because the other half of students are in the modified block times of math or English language, which has created less traffic and less office referrals. Bauer said there are also less bells throughout the day, and it has created a calmer environment for students because they’re not looking or waiting for the bell. In the afternoon, students have Eagle Time, where they have the opportunity to be in music, go to a reteaching classroom, or an enrichment classroom. Bauer said he’s excited for it and with any change, there’s always a challenge, and he believes the staff has embraced it and looking for what it can do for this year as well as the future.

The board then approved employee contracts for Kelly Kustief as the Olson Middle School Special Education teacher; Katreena Howell as a Olson Middle School Science Teacher; and Ann Pesta to serve as the part-time School Psychologist. Board members then approved donations from Gray Electric in the amount of $3,646.05 for materials and labor for the new press box as well as for the FFA food stand; from DonorsChoose.org, in the amount $3,398.11, for four different high school teachers; again from DonorsChoose.org in the amount $1,209 for the purchase of Legos for a creative writing project and books; a $2,500 donation from Dollar General to purchase more reading materials for Olson Middle School English teacher Kaitlyn Wagner. The board then approved the Policy 492-Homeless Students, and the approval of the district budget calendar for 2017-2018.

The board also approved the district’s property and liability insurance carrier for 2017-2020. Business Manager Julie Lankey-Smallwood said they bid the insurance out every three years, and they received a bid from TRICORE Insurance, who is the district’s current provider. The amount was $154,048, but Lankey-Smallwood said the district has a 30 percent dividend coming back from worker’s compensation, so the amount the district pays will be less than that. She said that TRICORE would come in and do some training for worker’s compensation and safety, and boiler inspections. The item was approved unanimously.

(Friendship, WI)  —  Adams County authorities are holding two women and a man, accusing them of hiding the body of another man who likely died of an overdose.  Fifty-five-year-old Debra Phillips, 46-year-old Michael Mathewson and 46-year-old Susan Hall were taken into custody by deputies.  Toxicology tests are still pending in the death of 33-year-old Isaac Salinas.  Investigators say there was no obvious trauma to the dead man’s body.  Salinas had been reported missing September 11th, with his body found a week later under a piece of plywood.  The sheriff’s department says additional arrests are possible.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — State health officials say the flu season is off to an early start in Wisconsin.  Officials say from the start of the month through the end of this work week there have been 19 confirmed cases of influenza in the state. Eight people have been hospitalized. There were five cases reported in that same time period a year ago. State Health Officer Karen McKeown says the results show that people should get their flu shots as soon as possible. Common signs of the virus include abrupt onset of fever, muscle aches, sore throat and cough.

A Madison man was arrested Friday night in Sauk County for OWI-fifth offense. Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister said a deputy stopped 78-year-old Roland H. Wedekind for a speeding violation on Highway 23 in the Town of Excelsior and observed signs of impairment. He refused to participate in field sobriety tests, but a preliminary breath test showed an alcohol concentration greater than permitted by law. Wedekind has 4 prior convictions for Operating While Intoxicated.  He was arrested and incarcerated at the Sauk County Jail.  The charge of Operating While Intoxicated Fifth Offense will be referred to the Sauk County District Attorney’s Office.

The deputy who conducted the traffic stop was participating in a traffic enforcement detail funded through a grant provided by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Tomah Memorial Hospital and area officials will break ground on an estimated $66 million, 140,000 sq. ft. hospital during a ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 28. Preliminary site work has already begun on a nearly 40-acre parcel of land on Tomah’s south side adjacent to Interstate 90 along Gopher Avenue. Last spring, Tomah Memorial first announced the project after purchasing the property in May 2014. Various patient-centered efficiencies are part of the three-story design including; doubling the capacity of operating rooms, expanding emergency and urgent care areas, increasing obstetric services with additional delivery suites, expanding outpatient infusion services and wound care, enlarging rehabilitation areas and patient rooms, and improving efficiencies in daily workflow. In addition to a new hospital, officials are also to unveil a new name for the facility that will encompass the future growth of health care in the Tomah community. Information on a capital campaign for the project will also be disclosed. Construction of the new hospital is expected to be completed in the fall 2019

Contributed

On Wednesday, the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) released the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates of unemployment and employment statistics. According to the DWD, preliminary August 2017 rates decreased in 71 of 72 counties when compared over the year to August 2016 rates. Adams County’s unemployment rate in August was 5.1 percent, Juneau County’s was 3.3 percent, Monroe County’s was 2.8 percent, Vernon County’s was 2.7 percent and Sauk County’s unemployment rate was 2.6 percent. These rates are not seasonally adjusted.

SHERIFF JOHN SPEARS REPORTS THE FOLLOWING ONGOING ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR AND NARRATIVE EXCERPTS FROM THE WEEK ENDING September 25, 2017.

9/18                      Rodney Myhre, La Crosse, backed into a post at Kwik Trip in the Village of Stoddard.  His vehicle was damaged but could be driven.  He was not injured.

9/19                      Xiaoting Liu, Viroqua, reported the lock was cut off her storage unit in the Town of Viroqua.  The lock was found inside the storage unit but nothing appeared to be missing.

9/20                      Dirk Dannhoff, Stoddard, reported three bird feeders were stolen from his Village of Stoddard property.

9/23                      Richard Cordero, La Farge, engaged his directional signal and was slowing to make a left hand turn into an alley on Bird Street in the Village of La Farge. Kamala Bierman, La Farge, thought Cordero was parking and went around the left hand side of his vehicle.  Cordero struck the Bierman vehicle as he was turning into the alley.  The Cordero vehicle was towed with disabling damage.  Cordero suffered possible injuries.  The Bierman vehicle sustained functional damage, and Kamala was not injured.

Be aware!  School is in full swing as are school related activities.  Please remember to use caution when traveling in school zones and obey stop signals on school busses.  Help keep Vernon County’s children safe!

9/25                      3 reportable car / deer crashes:

Donald Henry, Viroqua, on State Highway 27, Town of Christiana;

Dean Daniels, Westby, on Neprud Road, Town of Christiana;

Karen Fowell, La Farge, on State Highway 131, Town of Liberty.

***********                                               This past week                 Year to Date

Alarm Responses                                           8                                     285

Animal Related Issues                                    23                                   1025

Assisting Municipalities                                   41                                  1468

Crimes Against People                                    15                                   635

Crimes Against Property                                 15                                   555

Domestic Crimes                                           1                                     103

Fire Responses                                              19                                   1349

K-9 Calls                                                       0                                     29

Medical Responses                                         38                                   1443

Mental Health Cases                                        3                                     84

Missing Person Investigations                         8                                     188

Public Talks                                                   0                                     5

Safety Escorts                                                11                                   253

School Walk Through                                      6                                     157

Search and Rescues                                        3                                   29

Security Check                                              115                                  3971

Serving Legal Documents                                15                                  947

Suspicious Activity Investigations                    16                                  252

Threat Investigation                                      3                                     65

Traffic Accidents                                            21                                   865

Traffic Related Investigations                          103                                 3949

Vehicle Lockouts                                            8                                     327

Weapons Investigation                                   1                                    19

Unclassified Calls for Assistance                      55                                   1845

_____                                ______

TOTAL CALLS FOR SERVICE                       515                                22215

ADMISSIONS INTO COUNTY JAIL                    18                                  722

IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION ON AN ABOVE CRIME, OR ANY CRIME, CALL CRIME STOPPERS AT 637-8477 OR 1-800-657-6868.

John B. Spears, Sheriff

Students at New Lisbon Junior / Senior High School learned about the dangers of distracted driving at an “It Can Wait” event hosted at the school by AT&T, AAA and the Wisconsin State Patrol. Pictured L-R: Nick Jarmusz of AAA; student Collin Peterson; Officer Nick Wilkes; students Morgan Brooner and Bailey Granger; Principal Gary Syftestad; and Trooper Ryan Rattunde of the Wisconsin State Patrol.

Nearly 260 students from New Lisbon Junior / Senior High School learned Monday afternoon about the dangers of smartphone activities while driving and were encouraged to take the pledge to keep their eyes on the road and not on their phones.

The school teamed up with AT&T, AAA and the Wisconsin State Patrol as part of the It Can Wait® campaign to remind students that smartphone activity can – and should – wait until after driving. The students watched a documentary produced by AT&T called “The Last Text” that shares real stories about lives altered or ended by someone’s decision to text and drive. They also listened to speakers Jim Jermaine from AT&T, Wisconsin State Trooper Ryan Rattunde, and AAA’s Nick Jarmuz. It also had AAA’s distracted driving simulator, which allowed four students to experience the dangers of smartphone activities behind the wheel.

New Lisbon Principal Gary Syftestad said to the students when making the choice to put their phones down while driving, “You are the generation that can set the tone for the next generation, and the next generation.”

Research from AT&T shows that while 95% of drivers disapprove of distracted driving, 71% still engage in smartphone activities while driving. Texting and emailing are the most prevalent, but 4 in 10 drivers also tap into social media. Over 25 percent are on Facebook, 1 in 7 are on Twitter, almost 3 in 10 surf the net, and surprisingly, 1 in 10 video chat. In addition, research also shows that 57% of people are more likely to stop driving distracted if a friend or passenger pressures them to.

Village of Wonewoc 2017 Fall Clean-up Days will be October 5 & 6 from 9:00am to 5:00pm and October 7 7:00am to 11:00am behind Baker’s Field. There is a recycling fee of $25 each for all TV’s, computers  and monitors, and the fee can be paid at Baker’s Field. There is a maximum of 8 tires without rims.

All items must be brought to the dumpster site located behind Bakersfield Park on Park Street off from Bottom Road.

Items not accepted include: paint cans that contain paint, hazardous materials, and chemicals.

Household garbage will be picked up on Friday as always and must be placed in Village of Wonewoc bags. No remodeling/building materials
will be accepted.

Microwaves may be brought to the dumpster site. The fee for this item is being waived. Appliances will be picked up by the Street Department and must be placed at the curb. The fee for appliances containing substances that are considered dangerous to the environment is being waived.

Any refuse not in compliance with the above requirements will not be accepted.

Any elderly or handicapped resident requiring assistance may call 464-3457 0r 464-3114 to arrange for pick up. This is a Village of Wonewoc service only; anyone bringing refuse into the Village will be cited.

Any questions call: 464-3457 or 464-3114