Here’s Issue 12 of Menomonie News Net! If you missed Issues 1-11, you can catch up HERE. Thank you for reading YOUR nonprofit, nonpartisan community-led Menomonie news source. Thank you to the Community Foundation of Dunn County for your sponsorship. Featuring civic focused news (city, county, town, schools, organizations) your donations help keep MNN free for all. And by subscribing (currently 734 members) it helps as we apply for funding. Please continue to share with family & friends!

Website: https://menomonienewsnet.org 

Submit News: [email protected]

Editors: Layne Pitt & Becky Kneer; Tech Support: Tracy Glenz

In This Issue…

• County Announces Road Weight Restriction

• Revolving Loan Fund Available to Area Businesses

• MTG’s Little Prince Opens Feb 21

• MHS Grads: Where Are They Now?

• LWV Offers Free Training 

• Public Meetings Update

• Library Hosts Genealogy Help Session, Author Meagan Frank

• Letter From SDMA Administrator

• MHS Students in the News

• Looking Back - February

• Setting the Record Straight

Vehicle weight limit on Highway BB/Tainter Lake bridge

MENOMONIE - A routine bridge inspection has led Dunn County highway officials to reduce to 20 tons the weight allowed on the County Highway BB/Tainter Lake bridge in Cedar Falls.

"We inspect our bridges every year or every other year," said Dustin Binder, Highway Commissioner.  "A recent inspection was performed on bridge structure B17-951 and concluded that certain steel members of the bridge have deteriorated to a point that warrants the implementation of a 20-ton gross vehicle weight load posting of this structure."

The weight limit on the County Highway BB/Tainter Lake bridge was reduced from 45 tons to 20 tons, Binder said, and signs with the new weight limit have been installed.

All loads greater than 20 tons must use an alternate route and are restricted from crossing the posted bridge. Disregarding the load posting is subject to fines and could compromise the structural integrity of the bridge, Binder said.

This bridge structure will be monitored annually by licensed inspectors and will be evaluated for potential replacement in the future, he added.

Dustin Binder is the Dunn County Highway Commissioner. He can be reached at 715-231-6587 or [email protected]

Loans Available to Area Businesses

Newly announced Capital Catalyst Loan Program

West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (WCWRPC) is pleased to announce their receipt of a $250,000 Capital Catalyst grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). The grant award will be used to establish a business revolving loan fund in west central Wisconsin. WCWRPC has provided $250,000 in match funds, so a new $500,000 business revolving loan fund has been established called the Capital Catalyst Revolving Loan Fund. WCWRPC sub-granted the funds to the nonprofit Regional Business Fund, Inc. (RBF) who will administer the program on behalf of WCWRPC.

The Capital Catalyst Revolving Loan Fund will provide loans ranging from $10,000 - $250,000 to businesses, if needed, to complete their financing packages for land/building acquisition, equipment purchases, construction/renovations, business acquisition, and/or working capital. The program is not meant to compete with traditional business financing products; more information can be found at www.rbfinc.org/capitalcatalyst or by contacting Fund Manager Tobi LeMahieu at (715) 836-2918, ext. 19 or [email protected].

WEDC’s Capital Catalyst program grants funds to organizations dedicated to stimulating entrepreneurship. More information can be found HERE.

Adam Accola, Director, Dunn Economic Development, can also be contacted at 715/232-5444 [email protected]

MTG’s The Little Prince Opens Feb 21

MENOMONIE, WI – Menomonie Theater Guild is proud to present The Little Prince, a stage adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s timeless novella, directed for MTG by Katie Bovee. The production will take place at the historic Mabel Tainter Theater in Menomonie, Wisconsin, with performances the weekends of February 21-23, and February 28-March 2, 2025.

After his plane crashes in the Sahara, a pilot is plotting his survival strategy when a little prince with a gleeful spirit appears. Over the course of a week, the prince tells the pilot tales of his intergalactic travels to various planets, Earth included. Each story sheds new light on their philosophical questions until the two unlikely companions find the answers — and their lives — hanging in the balance. Full of whimsy and wonder, this imaginative fairy tale studies the contrast between the innocence of youth and the inevitable realities of adulthood.

Director Katie Bovee brings a fresh perspective to this beloved classic, guiding the cast in a production that is both visually striking and emotionally resonant. “The Little Prince is a beautiful, universal story that invites audiences of all ages to reflect on what truly matters in life. Our production emphasizes the themes of connection, curiosity, and the innocence of childhood, while offering a message that also resonates with adults,” says Bovee.

Tickets for the show are $20 for adults | $18 for seniors/students/military and available now at menomonietheaterguild.org, or in-person at the MTG box office located at 502 West Second Street in downtown Menomonie, open Monday and Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

MHS Grads: Where are They Now?

By Judy Foust

Allow me to introduce myself. Some of you may remember me as a long-time seventh grade Reading Specialist at Menomonie Middle School.

At the encouragement of MNN editorial staff I will be writing a new feature: “MHS Grads—Where are They Now?”

When students leave the Menomonie school system and move on to start the next phases of their lives, the community often loses track of them. So many of our graduates have interesting stories to tell about further schooling, occupational choices, adventures (both exotic and “ordinary”), and what they are up to now. If you’re like me, you enjoy hearing updates.

For this column, I ask you to send news (including a photo if possible) about yourself or someone in your family that is a graduate of MHS. Tell about your/their lives after leaving high school. These stories may be humorous, exciting, heart-wrenching—whatever you wish to share.

Or feel free to send me contact information and I’ll do the interviewing. No story is too small to publish! Our lives all have meaning and value. Share where your life journeys have led you.

You can contact me at [email protected] I look forward to hearing from you!

Free Online Voter Registration Training offered Feb 20 by League of Women Voters

By Lori Miller

A free voter registration training will be offered Thur Feb 20 from 6-8 pm via Zoom by the League of Women Voters-Greater Chippewa Valley (LWV-GCV).

The information is geared for people who want to learn about voting in Wisconsin, so they may help guide others through the voter registration process. Presenters will role-play common voter registration scenarios, provide handouts, and answer questions.

The goal of the training is for participants to feel comfortably knowledgeable in helping others register to vote and to know how to access expert resources.

Topics include: registration methods by mail, in person, or on-line through MyVote.wi.gov; registration deadlines; eligibility requirements and required documents.

In addition, participants will learn how to direct voters to the following practical information: their municipal clerk or their polling place; the next election dates; what’s on the ballot; their voting activity history; and how to request an absentee ballot.

Recent changes to the Wisconsin voting process will be covered, as needed.

This free training is open to LWV-GCV members and to the public.

Registration is required and can be completed online at the LWV-GCV website. Click on the Calendar Tab in the blue bar at the top of the page, and go to the event title on Feb 20. A confirmation and Zoom link will be sent after you register.

LWV-GCV is a local chapter of the League of Women Voters, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 1920 that provides voter information and encourages voter registration.

Lori Miller is a LWV-GCV member; for more information contact her at [email protected]

Public Meetings Update

Compiled by MNN Staff

City of Menomonie Meetings  

Click HERE for calendar. (To subscribe to receive calendar notices click HERE)

Th Feb 6 - Board of Zoning Appeals 1pm (City Hall)

M Feb 10 - Recreation Advisory Board 7pm (Leisure Center)

School District of Menomonie Meetings

Click HERE for the calendar with more details

M Feb 10 - School Board Meeting - 5:45pm (Oaklawn Elementary)

Dunn County Meetings

Click HERE for Calendar, Documents, Recordings & Public Commenting

Th Feb 6 - Fair Board Meeting 5pm (Govt Ctr)

W Feb 12 - Transit Committee - 8am (Hwy Dept)

W Feb 12 - Highway Commission - 8:15am (Hwy Dept)

W Feb 12 - Executive Committee - 3:30pm (Govt Ctr)

Library Hosts Genealogy Help Session, Author Meagan Frank and More

SAT Feb 8: Genealogy Help Session. 9-11 am. UW Stout professor Sylvia Tiala will offer genealogy help sessions in the Storytime Room. FREE. Or to schedule an appointment contact Sylvia at [email protected]

TUE Feb 11, 18, 25: 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Remaining Resilient: Overcoming Life’s Challenges. A 3-session online class to learn tools to thrive during challenging times. No pre-registration required. On the date you wish to attend, go to the online Menomonie Public Library calendar and click on the zoom link. Not required to attend all 3 sessions but first session highly recommended. Presenters: Gary Johnson, retired Menomonie School Social Worker & mental health therapist; Lori Smith, retired Menomonie Schools educator. Questions: Email [email protected].

SAT Feb 22: 12:30 - 2:30 pm. Community Conversations will host Georgina Tegart, Executive Director, Community Foundation of Dunn County. Presentation to include services of the CFDC, in particular funding local nonprofits. Here is a video recording of the Jan 18th Community Conversation with the topic Act 12/Local Control including a panel consisting of City Administrator Eric Atkinson, Senator Jeff Smith (D) and Representative Clint Moses (R); video courtesy of Steve Hanson. Here is a copy of Memo for Act 12.

MON Feb 24: Author Visit. 6 pm. Local author Meagan Frank will be at the library to discuss her new book, For the Team in the Library Meeting Room. FREE. Come and listen to how we can all “improve the youth sports experience for everyone”. WIN-WIN! 6 pm presentation; 7 pm book signing. A limited number of books will be for sale at the event. Editor’s Note: Meagan Frank is part of Menomonie News Net editorial group.

Letter from SDMA Administrator

Student services and programs continue

By Joe Zydowsky

Dear SDMA Families and Staff,

Work continues in the School District of the Menomonie Area to understand the possible impact of several new executive orders and other federal directives on our students, educators, and school programs. School officials are collaborating with state and federal agencies, and with other external partners to understand the impacts, and we are closely monitoring this situation. Similar to the information shared last week about Navigating Executive Orders on Immigration, the SDMA will provide reliable information for actions that impact our schools as it becomes available.

Please note that the SDMA is not pausing any work related to federal programs in our schools. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has instructed school districts that funding for federal formula programs was appropriated by Congress and is currently law. Per guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, the temporary pause at the federal level does not impact Title I, IDEA, or other formula grants.

Despite a quickly changing landscape, the SDMA remains committed to doing our best to support students and families.

Please also note that no immediate changes are currently anticipated for the district's school meal program, and as stated on the SDMA Angel Fund webpage, our schools do not turn children away from being fed at school.

Should school families or community stakeholders have any questions or concerns related to our schools, I invite you to contact administration at your child’s school, or visit me at the Administrative Service Center on Pine Avenue. More information can be found on the SDMA website.

Yours in public education…..Joe Zydowsky

Joe Zydowsky is SDMA Administrator and can be reached at
[email protected] (715) 232-1642

MHS Students in the News

Source: Compiled from MHS Online Daily Announcements

Congratulations to the following Environmental Biology students placing in the Dunn County West Central Environmental Poster Contest: Sakora Danforth-1st Place; Emily Watts-2nd Place; Dylan Vang-3rd Place. Sakora's poster will be forwarded to the State Conservation Poster Contest competition in Green Bay on March 5-7. Congratulations Sakora!

Congratulations to the MHS Forensics Team for placing 1st at their first invitational of the season! The team more than doubled the points of the second-place team, bringing home an impressive victory. Many students placed in the top five in their respective events, sealing the win for the team. Great job! The team competes again this week at their home invitational, here at MHS.

On Saturday, Feb 1, FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) members competed at the Region 1 Competition at St. Croix Central High School. Thirty-three schools and more than 450 students participated, competing in testing, speaking, and performance events. Menomonie High School FBLA Chapter received 1st Place for the Community Service Award! Other Results are as follows: 1st Place Anabelle Weber - Introduction to Parliamentary Procedures; 3rd Place Elliot Risler- Introduction to Marketing Concepts; 4th Place Vista Marconett - Social Media Presentation; Kennedy Nowlen - Business Communications; Amelia Weber-Heath Care Administration; Eme Gamez - Job Interview; Tristynn Englund - Intro to Business Communications. Please congratulate these young future business leaders when you see them!

Dylan Watkins competed solo at the state dance competition in LaCrosse on Feb 1. She was awarded a D3 all-state recipient. We are proud of her hard work and talent. Congratulations Dylan!

Looking Back - February

News items from Dunn County’s past compiled by the Dunn County Historical Society

SKI JUMP ON SUNDAY

Arrangements have been made to put on a ski meet at the Fair grounds next Sunday afternoon. The promoters of the affair are A.C. Damberg, West Burdick, Chris Bjoernson and "Lefty" Kochendorfer. The slide is said to be in good condition for jumping. Bjoernson and Kochendorfer are among Menomonie's best ski runners, and their exhibition alone promises sport for the spectators. Burdick and Damberg are Stout men who have been making good showings.

Bjoernson and Kochendorfer have entered several meets in the vicinity during the past few years in the amateur and have come off with good results. Burdick has represented Stout for the past two years at the interscholastic meets at Minneapolis, and the last year landed sixth place against some of the best college and university runners in this part of the country. It is expected that both he and Damberg will represent Stout at the meet to be held this year on Feb. 10. Running will begin at 3 o'clock. The slide is good for jumps from 55 to 60 feet, and if the weather is right, records probably will be broken. - February 1, 1923 Dunn County News

DEPOT READY NEXT WEEK

The new Omaha depot will be ready for occupancy next week if all plans progress smoothly. The decorators completed their work this week and all that remains is to clean the building and put the furniture in place. The depot is provided with an excellent steam heating plant. It is well-lighted and every convenience will be maintained for the traveling public. A 5OO-gallon tank above the boiler room supplies the water for the depot. This water is pumped from a well under the building. The busses will be stationed on the south side at the end of the covered platform. Private carriages will have the right of way along the east side. The depot has enlarged east and west entrances which open into the general waiting room. The women's room is on the south side and is to be comfortably equipped. - February 2, 1906 Dunn County News

LAKE MENOMIN

The Knapp, Stout & Co. Company's mill pond has at length risen to the dignity of a lake and has been duly christened “Lake Menomin.” The name was selected by Senator Stout and is the Indian word for "wild rice.” It harmonizes with the name of the city and is both euphonious and appropriate. Fullmer & Rooney, who are about to issue a new wall map of Dunn county, will use the new name and the “pond” will hereafter be known officially and every other way as Lake Menomin. - February 7, 1902 Dunn County News

LIBRARY LIFTS BAN

The Memorial library Tuesday resumed its service to children 16 years and under. The ban was lifted, states Mrs. Essie Nickerson, in keeping with the action taken by the city health department. When the health department on January 24 issued its order prohibiting children of this age from gathering in public places, in its efforts to check scarlet fever, the Memorial library banned children 16 years and under from drawing books, or using the reading room. Now, with the lifting of the ban, these facilities of the library are restored to the children. - February 20, 1936 Dunn County News

LT. JAMES PETERSON IN BOMBER OVER CITY

Lt. James Peterson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Peterson, formerly of this city, saluted his grandmother, Mrs. William Schutte, Jr., and his mother, Mrs. Alfred Peterson, who is here from Madison, with his B-25 Mitchell bomber by circling over the Schutte home at least four times at noon Monday. He is with the 5th Ferrying Command. His mother knew he planned to fly over Menomonie. - February 23, 1944 Dunn County News

Source: Dunn County Historical Society

Setting the Record Straight

Menomonie Broadcaster Building MHS Football Record Book

By Layne Pitt

Menomonie has always backed their high school football team. Whatever iteration - Mustangs, Indians, Maroons, the Cardinal, or when John Ohnstad assembled the first team in 1895  - fans have been there for the team.

Menomonie has sponsored football for 130 years, but sometimes keeping track of the history of the program and the record book has been scattershot with historical information all over the place.

Chad Zutter intends to change that.

Zutter has been broadcasting the Menomonie Mustangs football games since 2019. He started with iHeart Radio on WMEQ and has transitioned to covering the Mustangs via live stream, currently on YouTube channel Mustangs TV. Zutter heads up the Mustangs streaming efforts, but is also an assistant coach with the Menomonie High School baseball program.

"As an avid sports fan, I've been grateful to be part of one of the most passionate high school football fans I've ever witnessed," Zutter said. "When I first began broadcasting MHS football, I noticed that fans would beat me to the game, which I have never encountered before coming to Menomonie High School football games."

But while prepping for games, Zutter was having a difficult time coming up with Menomonie High School football history and an official record book.

"This past football season, I began game prep early in the week and was looking for the all-time record of Menomonie versus River Falls," Zutter explained.

Zutter sent his request to the Leader-Telegram sports department, which at that point was a one-person operation. And that reporter was leaving in a week to return for a job in his home state of Florida. The reporter did not have the information.

So Zutter, a local entrepreneur living in Downsville with his family, took it upon himself to start building a Menomonie football record book with the goal to include and verify all games scores going back to 1895, along with dates and locations, as well as a comprehensive list of head coaches.

A 2003 economic graduate of Lawrence University in Appleton, Zutter got his start in sports by working in the Lawrence sports information office for director Joe Vanden Acker, helping to build the Vikings' football record by compiling all-time records, statistics and organizing season and career individual records.

That on-hands background came in handy for Zutter.

"My research included online sources such as newspapers.com to verify game scores, dates and locations," Zutter said.  "I've also talked with former sports editors, most notably (former Leader-Telegram sports editor) Ron Buckli, who covered MHS football from the 1960s until 2017 and provided a treasure trove of MHS football history. The Dunn County Historical Society, Menomonie City Library and UW-Stout Archives were other sources that have aided in my research."

The research already paid off during the 2024 season for Zutter and his MHS football on-air broadcast partner, Joe Zydowski, who is also the School District of Menomonie superintendent.

"The research has been very educational, especially for my broadcasting," Zutter said "It has helped me understand the full history of MHS football - coaches, players, special seasons and, of course, all-time records versus opponents."

The record book is a work in progress and currently resides on a Google Drive document, but after hours and hours of digging through yearbooks, microfilm, dusty pieces of paper, progress is being made.

"My goal is to complete the MHS football record book by the start of the 2025 season," Zutter said, "so the most passionate high school football fans this side of the Mississippi can have access to all the information once scattered throughout print media, yearbooks and other sources.

"I'm hoping my research will help encapsulate 130 years of MHS football and take former players and coaches on the memory trip of high school football."

Anyone that may have additional information of the Menomonie High School football program can contact Zutter at: [email protected]

Zutter is not the only person to work at putting together Menomonie High School record books. Over the years, Dunn County News sports editors were the key to keeping the books, as well as many times supplying the game statistics. Radio broadcasters over the years also supplied game statistics to the schools.

A very helpful resource for digging into both Menomonie High School and UW-Stout sports history was a scrapbook kept by town barber Ingwold "Inky" Nesser. If you wanted to talk local sports in Menomonie from the early 1900s to the mid-1960s, you went to Nesser's Main Street barber shop to get your hair cut and your fix of local sports. Nesser religiously updated a scrapbook, clipping articles mostly from the Dunn County News, but occasionally from other regional papers. If the newspaper stories did not include all of the information he deemed necessary, Nesser added details on the edges of the page.

Zutter is not alone in accessing the Nesser scrapbook. UW-Stout utilized it in the mid-1970s and about 10-15 years ago, Keith Moessner spent many, many hours hunched over the microfilm reader to update the Menomonie High School boys and girls basketball record books. The booklet has been kept updated by the boys and girls basketball head coaches since then. Moessner, who played at MHS in the early-1950s, holds the school single game scoring record with 47 points, scored in 1952 against Osseo. Moessner is currently fifth on the career scoring list with 1162 total points, playing during the 1950-51, 51-52, and 52-53 seasons.

Layne Pitt is the retired UW-Stout sports information director and also worked more than a decade at The Dunn County News.

The story Setting the Record Straight by Layne Pitt is licensed under a CC BY SA 4.0 International license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Menomonie Mustangs Athletics and Activities | UW-Stout Blue Devil Athletics

 For a Calendar of Events in the Menomonie Area, visit Kathy Weber’s Menomonie Minute.

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