November 2020

CASPER/LANDER, WY–Lois Simonson, age 103, passed away peacefully on Nov. 2, 2020 at the home of her daughter and son-in-law Sara and Verlin Pitt in Lander, WY. She lived with them for the past 12 years.

Lois was born in Groton, SD on Nov. 13, 1916 to Robert Bruce McCordic and Melvina (Maltby) McCordic. She had two sisters, Margaret and Ella and one brother, Robert (Bob). When Lois was four years old, the family went on a picnic, and her mother and sister drank from a contaminated well. They died from typhoid fever shortly afterwards in 1921.

Lois and her brother Bob were sent to Idaho to live with her maternal grandparents and her aunt Nellie on their farm in Rogerson, ID.  

The Great Depression had a profound impact on Lois. She and her brother lived alone in an old shack during the winter of 1931 to 1932 when she was 13 and Bob was 10. She complained of the ceiling plaster falling into the bread dough she was making on one occasion.

MIDDLETON–In a year in which district students have less access to clubs and activities, Middleton High School (MHS) Theatre has been working to center student self-expression during uncertain times. Like so many educators and artists, MHS Theatre Director Katrina Williams Brunner, Performing Arts Center Director Zane Enloe and frequent MHS Theatre guest director Tim Gittings of American Players Theatre find themselves in the position of learning flexibility.

“Our goal,” says Brunner, in her third year as MHS Theatre Director, “is to stay creative and collaborative along the way.”

The 2020-21 MHS Theatre theme “Out of Chaos” references Steven Sondheim, the lyricist and composer who has explored a rich diversity of material in his complex productions. Sondheim himself experienced some very difficult events in his childhood, later reflecting that, “Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos.”

City Council Expands MERL Funding

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Common Council voted to triple the amount of funding for the city’s low interest loan program to assist businesses struggling due to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The council approved the $200,000 increase in response to a surge in the number of applicants. 

The council also approved an agreement to receive a grant to reimburse expenses for marketing and promotion for businesses related to the pandemic.

The program titled Middleton Economic Relief Loan or MERL was established in collaboration with Middleton Area Development Corporation (MADC). Both the city and MADC have now committed $300,000 to the program. The city’s portion will be covered by a State Trust Fund Loan program.

City Administrator Mike Davis said the number of applications is now up to 20, which equates to about $500,000 in loan requests.