July 2023

DEFOREST–Daniel "Dan" Pierstorff, 55, of DeForest, passed away on June 28, 2023, at UW Hospital due to liver disease and a stroke. He was born on Oct. 12, 1967, in Madison, the son of Robert and Lois (Tiedeman) Pierstorff.

In Dan's youth he and his brother, Paul, would play with toy trucks and farm equipment for hours pretending to farm outside in the dirt or inside on the living room rug. In his teen years Dan joined FFA and loved raising his beef cattle on the family farm and dreamed of maybe becoming a farmer.

Dan graduated from Middleton High school in 1986 and enjoyed working as a truck driver for various companies over the years delivering meats and produce or farm supplies from the CO-OP. In later years Dan obtained his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

CROSS PLAINS–Needing to catch up with state statutes and the popularity of rental services like, Airbnb, prompted the village of Cross Plains to advance an ordinance to allow short-term residential rentals in all zoning districts.

“We don’t have anything for short term rental, which is why we’re doing an ordinance now,” Village President Jay Lengfeld said last week.

As online vacation rental services like Airbnb and VRBO became popular alternatives to hotels and motels for travelers, many municipalities banned stays of less than 30 days. They feared renters would create noise and parking problems in otherwise residential neighborhoods.

However, state law changed in 2021 to prevent municipalities from prohibiting short-term rentals in residential zoning districts for seven days or longer. Rentals of six or fewer days are permitted but subject to additional regulations, which the village has been finalizing.

TOWN OF MIDDLETON–By a 3-2 vote Monday, the town board denied a permit for a 100-dog kennel at Meadow Road near Valley View Road on the town’s southern boundary with the city of Madison.

Town Chair Cynthia Richson and Board Supervisors David Bryce and Ken Opin voted to deny Dan and Marlene La Fleur’s request to turn a 20,000-square-foot horse barn into a dog boarding kennel. Supervisors Tom Stemrich and Richard Oberle voted in favor of the facility.

The Conditional-Use Permit request now goes to the Dane County Board of Supervisors, which next meets at 7 p.m. on July 20, for a final decision.

The La Fleurs have operated a horse boarding facility on a 15-acre property for more than 20 years while subdivisions filled in open areas around it.

Homes in the town nearest the proposed kennel are approximately 385 feet to the north and 240 feet to the northeast.

It was a tumultuous year inside Middleton’s athletic department.

There was a bullying scandal in the football program. The legendary Dave Miller, an assistant wrestling coach, and tennis coach Henry Johnson were fired by athletic director Jamie Sims in a pair of head scratching moves.

Along the way, Sims, superintendent Dana Monogue and principal Peg Shoemaker drew the ire of many in the community for the multiple firings and their lack of transparency. The once-proud football program also had multiple candidates turn down the vacant coaching position after Jason Pertzborn resigned in January.

Amazingly, all this drama did nothing to slow the Cardinal Train. Instead, Middleton did what it typically does — win and win big.

The Cardinals enjoyed success from August to June, capturing conference titles, sectional crowns and state championships along the way.

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