May 2022

MADISON–Roland Richard "Dick" Wagner, 78, passed away of a heart attack at his favorite eastside Madison park during a walk on Dec. 13, 2021.

He was born on Sept. 29, 1943 to Roland A. Wagner and Katherine (Moorman) Wagner at Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton, OH. He was a 1965 graduate of the University of Dayton, and later a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, M.A. (1967), and Ph.D. (1971) in American history.

While working for the State of Wisconsin in various budget, policy, and management positions for 33 years, Dick was also a member and the chairman of the Madison Landmarks Commission. In the late 1970s, Gov. Martin J. Schreiber appointed him to the Wisconsin Arts Board, where he served as chairperson, and also on the Wisconsin Humanities Council.

From 1980 to 1994, Dick was the elected Dane County board supervisor for District 6, representing the downtown/east-side portion of Madison.

MIDDLETON–Serving as Middleton’s City Administrator since 1998, Mike Davis reflects on his achievements, gives his qualified advice to city leaders and residents and shares his plans for retirement. Davis’ final day is May 5, his successor Bryan Gadow, who is leaving his position as Monona’s City Administrator, begins May 2.

Davis has served his entire career in local government. Even before that Davis was involved in student government in high school and college. Now he is ready to spend time with his family, travel, dive deeper into his hobbies and explore new volunteer opportunities. 

Survival of the fittest.

That’s what many spring sports might turn into over the next few weeks.

After rain, wind, sleet and snow have caused postponements of games for more than a month now, teams everywhere have been forced to jam additional games into a tiny window.

Right now, though, Middleton’s baseball team is doing a tremendous job of handling the additional workload. The Cardinals played games on five straight days last week and went an impressive 4-1.

“It was a long week of baseball, but our guys did a great job of staying focused in the moment of each game,” Middleton manager Brent Jorgensen said. “We also had a few moments that really tested us as a team.”

Middleton defeated Milton, 5-0, on April 25 and fell to Verona, 13-8, on April 26. The Cardinals rolled past Beloit Memorial, 11-0 on April 27 and turned the tables on Verona with a 5-0 win on April 28.

SUN PRAIRIE – Finn Patenaude isn’t afraid of a challenge.

That is why the Middleton junior plays varsity soccer in the fall and competes for Middleton’s club ski team in the winter, when he plays indoor soccer, as well. He also competes for a Madison-based Cyclocross team.

So when he opted to give track and field a try in middle school, Patenaude naturally gravitated toward the hurdles.

Good choice.

Patenaude recorded a pair of top-five finishes in the hurdles events at the 19-team Paul Frank Invitational hosted by Sun Prairie High School last Friday.

“I’ve played soccer my whole life. As a striker, an attacker, I love obstacles,” Patenaude said. “So when I went to my first track practice it was, ‘oh, I’ve got to try those’. That seemed easy for me.”