March 2019

MIDDLETON–The town of Middleton is taking heat from homeowners with expensive mailboxes over its policy of paying a maximum of $50 to replace mailboxes damaged by snow plows.

So far this year, the town has paid eight claims and has about 18 under consideration, Town Administrator Greg DiMiceli said at Monday’s town board meeting.

The problem some residents have pointed out, is that the covenants of their home owner’s associations require mailboxes be made out of materials costing more than $50.

Glenn Allen, of English Daisy Ct., told the town board supervisors that he wants his plow-damaged $250 mailbox replaced as driver negligence should be an exception to the dollar limits of the policy

“Driver error shouldn’t be covered by the policy. It (the mailbox) should be replaced due to negligence,” he said.

WAUNAKEE–Dan Pawlak, age 60, of Waunakee passed away surrounded by his loved ones on Feb. 25, 2019 at home. He was born on March 20, 1958 in Hammond, IN the son of Frank and Josephine (Schuster) Pawlak. He married Lynn Miller on Oct. 9, 1987 in Reno, NV.

Dan graduated from University of Michigan, Kalamazoo, with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He was the V.P. of Operations for a pharmaceutical company until his retirement in April of 2017. Dan’s hobbies were endless, but his favorites included flying, woodworking, competitive shooting, and riding motorcycles. Next to his family, Dan’s second love was being in the North Woods.

Survivors include his wife, Lynn; daughter Kelsey (Jake) and son, Stuart; sisters Renee (John) Reback, Karen (Bill) Ross, and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Dan’s Life will be held May 4, from 12-4 pm at Morey Airport, 8300 Airport Road, Middleton. 

Overlooked? Been there.

Disrespected? Done that.

Underdogs? Oh well.

Middleton’s girls basketball team has traveled each of these paths this season and the Cardinals will do it again this weekend.

Middleton received the No. 4 seed at the WIAA Division 1 state tournament at the Resch Center in Green Bay and will meet No. 1 seed Mukwonago in a semifinal game Friday at 6:35 p.m.

The winner of that game meets either second-seeded Kimberly or third-seeded Bay Port in the state finals Saturday at approximately 8:15 p.m.

For Middleton, being discounted and snubbed has been par for the course this season.

“I love being the underdog,” said senior point guard Charlotte Dunn. “We’ve kind of been that all season.

“We’re young, no expectations there. Coming off of last year, losing in the first round, it was kind of like ‘let’s see what they can do.’ We wanted to prove them wrong, and here we are. Now we’re going (to state).”

VERONA — The tension was palpable, the gym deafening. Nearly everybody inside Verona High School was on their feet. 

During the final five minutes of last Thursday’s WIAA Division1 girls basketball sectional final between Middleton and Madison Memorial, the Big Eight Conference rivals traded blow after blow.

Thanks to smothering defense, though, and some clutch baskets down the stretch, the Cardinals rallied back from an eight-point deficit and downed the Spartans, 41-39.

The win was the 12th in a row for Middleton and improved its record to 20-5. The win also placed the Cardinals in their second sectional final in three years.

Memorial finished the year 19-6 and had its seven-game winning streak snapped.