Local

MIDDLETON–A Middleton Public Works employee was terminated after an internal investigation by the city revealed that the employee had been running a business out of the city’s maintenance facility for more than a decade.

Ryan Madigan was accused not only of running his snowplow business from the Municipal Operations Center (MOC), but also of stealing fuel and snow shovels from the premises. A fellow employee brought the matter to the city’s attention through an email sent to Middleton City Administrator Bryan Gadow, mayor Gurdip Brar, common council president Kathy Olson and HR manager Brian Wolhaupter in February. The employee attached nine videos he had taken at the MOC, which showed Madigan moving gas cans and shop equipment in and out of his personal vehicles. The video was taken with a hidden trail camera the employee had placed in the building.

MIDDLETON–On July 6 at 1:15 a.m., the Middleton Police Department responded to a report of a strong armed robbery that had just occurred behind a business in the 5400 block of Century Avenue.  The adult victim reported that he had arranged to meet two males behind this business that he recently met online. Upon meeting these two individuals, they proceeded to physically attack him and stole his cell phone and backpack. The victim received minor injuries and was transported by EMS to the hospital as a precaution.

The suspects were last seen running east from the scene towards Highway Q. The victim’s cell phone was later recovered in a dumpster at the nearby Arbor Lakes Apartments. The suspects are described as follows:

Suspect #1: Younger black male, slender build, approximately 5’9”, wearing black pants and a red t-shirt with white shoes. Possible nickname of “Ja Ja.”

MIDDLETON–Shelby Olstad dreamed of owning her own bakery since she was a kid, and at only 26 years old she has made that dream a reality. Miggy’s Bakes moved from a shared space in Madison at Marigold Kitchen to now having its own storefront in the Middleton Hills shopping area on Frank Lloyd Wright Avenue. The shop opened June 26 and Olstad says the welcome from the community has been overwhelming. 

“Ever since I was little, I pictured myself having a bakery, but I always thought it would happen when I was older, once I'm established and have kids and money to do that, but I just kept going, kept getting bigger and bigger,” Ostad says. “So now I did it.”

She taught herself to bake at an early age driven by an acute sweet tooth. 

WISCONSIN–On June 14, a deal was reached between the legislature and Gov. Tony Evers to increase shared revenue in the state. The bill gives a boost of $1.6 billion to municipalities, counties and utilities in the state, and although it was diluted from the original, and restrictions were put on the use of the funds, towns, villages and cities are happy to be getting a boost is revenue as many have put off projects or borrowed funds to complete them, but local legislators wanted more.

Middleton City Administrator Bryan Gadow, Cross Plains Village Administrator Brian Mooney, Town of Middleton Board Chair Cynthia Richson and Town of Springfield Board Chair Jim Pulvermacher all expressed that discussions would need to be made by their respective boards and city council, but they also said they would likely continue using the increase to fund those that already rely upon shared revenue for funding.

MIDDLETON–In recent weeks, residents of Middleton have been voicing their concerns about the mounting weeds along the shore of Lake Mendota and particularly the Middleton boat launch on Lake Street. They have contacted the city and Mayor Emily Kuhn, who living on the lake, agrees the weeds are a problem. In fact, last year Kuhn invited then mayor Gurdip Brar to her house to see the pile up of aquatic plants. She also got an estimate from the Dane County Land & Water Resources Department for the cost of removal. The county charges a fee to remove weeds homeowners and municipalities place on their docks during scheduled times. The city, however, chose not to participate in the program due to the cost because they see the program benefiting few people. 

The Middleton Common Council approved a concept proposal for a redesigned boat launch on Lake Street of Allen Blvd. The complete details will be included when final design comes back to the council for approval, but the concept proposal calls for limiting the boat launch to hand launch craft only and prohibiting motorized and trailered craft.  

TOWN OF MIDDLETON– The Dane County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a home invasion that occurred in the Town of Middleton overnight on June 17.

Deputies were called to a home on the 3800 block of Silverbell Road at 5:16 a.m., after the homeowners woke up to find someone had entered their garage while they were sleeping. The suspects entered the garage by accessing a garage door opener left inside their vehicle in the driveway. Once inside the garage, they attempted to enter the home and the homeowner prevented them from doing so. The suspects made off with a purse and a set of keys. 

They were traveling in a stolen 2023 Hyundai Elantra seen in the attached photo. As they fled from the crime on June 17, one suspect fired several rounds. Detectives believe they are also responsible for several other car break-ins that occurred in the area. 

Deputies are reviewing video doorbell footage and have contacted neighboring homes to gather potential video evidence. 

MIDDLETON–The City of Middleton Plan Commission approved a concept proposal for a resigned boat launch on Lake Street off Allen Boulevard If the redesign is approved by the common council the boat launch will no longer allow motorized craft and will create more green space near the lakeshore.

The redesign of the boat launch was originally overseen by the city’s parks and recreation committee. In its recommendation to the common council members of that committee expressed that the aspects of redesign fell outside the scope of the committee. The council then referred the redesign to the public works, public safety and sustainability committees and the plan commission. 

Director of Planning and Community Development Abby Attoun presented the concept proposal to the plan commission and the recommendations from the public works and sustainability committees.

MIDDLETON–Driven by inflation, competition for employees and meeting its goal of being in the top 25 percent of Dane County school districts’ wages, the Board of Education Monday approved a 13-20 percent pay increase for Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD) support staff.

In April, the board approved a six percent base pay increase for all continuing district staff, which had been promised in the referendum that was approved last fall.

To prevent newly hired employees from earning the same as continuing staff, the board also approved a 5.25 percent increase in the base pay for new hires.

Support staff, which includes paraeducators, drivers, food service staff, and custodians, need a further wage adjustment as the district had experienced a, “really, really high turnover and a really, really” difficult time filling those vacancies, Assistant Superintendent Jerrod Rossing told the board.

MIDDLETON–The Middleton Common Council approved a resolution to intervene in a case challenging proposed utility rate changes by Madison Gas & Electric (MGE). The proposed changes would effectively eliminate net metering and increase payback time on solar systems.

Net metering is a billing mechanism that credits owners of solar energy systems for the excess electricity they generate and provide to the grid. Special meters that can run both forward and backward give customers credit for the electricity they feed into the grid.

MGE is requesting approval from the State of Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) for an electricity rate increase of 3.75 percent next year and a 3.41 percent increase in 2025. It also requested a gas rate increase of 2.56 percent in 2024 and 1.66 percent in 2025.