County

CROSS PLAINS–Maple sap needs temperatures above 45º during the day and 25º at night to flow up the trunk and through taps for syrup making. Cold temperatures this winter meant the sap wouldn’t flow, and during the Open Kettle Farms Open House last weekend, the business had produced just 30 gallons of syrup. 

“This is the latest it’s been since we started,” said Jan Noll, who started up the maple syrup production with her husband Tim 10 years ago.

“We’ve got a ways to go,” added Tim.

Tim wasn’t too concerned as temperatures reached that 45º mark on March 13 and the clear, sweet liquid began to drip from spouts on a stand of maples at the Cross Plains farm.

The goal this year is to produce 250 gallons of syrup, which Tim said comes at a ratio of 50 gallons of sap to one gallon of finished syrup. “We have a lot of red maples, and they’re not as sweet,” he explains. 

DANE COUNTY–A PFAS-based fish consumption advisory has been issued for Black Earth Creek by the Wisconsin Department of Resources and Department of Health Services (DHS). Following sampling in 2020, the DNR found elevated levels of PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate), a type of PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances), in brown trout sampled from Black Earth Creek near Cross Plains. As a result, the DNR and DHS recommend consuming one meal per week for brown trout harvested from the creek from Cross Plains to Blue Mound Creek.

According to Seam Strom, DNR Fish and Wildlife Toxicologist, this was the first time the Black Earth Creek corridor was tested for PFAS.

“Additional fish were collected in 2021 and we are still waiting on those results; [they] likely will not be available until later this year,” said Strom. “We also plan to collect additional fish (different species) later this summer.”

What are PFAS?

CROSS PLAINS–It’s been more than three years since the World of Variety store in in Cross Plains closed, but the building will soon come back to life when Ace Hardware opens its doors at the end of the month.

Tyler Johnson, regional director of operations for Niemann Foods, the company that holds the franchises, said the company saw a need for a hardware store in the community.

“We thought we could bring some revitalization, perhaps, to this area,” Johnson said. The Cross Plains Ace will be located in the Glacier Creek Shopping Center next to Piggly Wiggly, and Johnson, who oversees the company’s Wisconsin stores, said he hopes the Ace will bring further revitalizations and more traffic to the businesses.

“We like being in a hub with Piggly Wiggly and other businesses. We hope that we can bring in business for them and they can bring in business for us. 

“We hope to be an anchor in the community as well as being an employer,” stated Johnson.

DANE COUNTY–County supervisors Michele Doolan (District 28), Pat Downing (District 30) and Dave Ripp (District 29) last week introduced a resolution to commit matching funds for a Public Service Commission (PSC) Broadband Expansion grant application for approximately 1,000 locations in the Southwest and Western areas of Dane County. 

“Basically, we’re partnering with the state to expand the affordability piece of [broadband access],” said Doolan.

If the resolution is ultimately approved, Dane County would be committing $1 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds towards the project (if the grant application is successful), estimated to cost approximately $10.3 million.  Charter Communications will be applying for the funds and would provide at least $3.5 million for the project. The application is requesting a match from the State of Wisconsin for the remaining amount. 

MADISON–Everyone agrees, something must be done to improve the conditions at the Dane County Jail, and after years of discussions and planning, those improvements are still up in the air. 

At a press conference on Valentine’s Day, Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett and Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne were joined by Dr. Bill Greer, who worked at the jail facility, Allison Owens, a formerly justice involved community member and members of the Dane County Sheriff’s Deputies Union to support the original plan for a 922 bed jail with mental and medical care services on site. 

The conference came on the heels of RES-320, which would add an addition $24 million to the $200 million project, citing increased costs and the project stalling out for the past two years due to COVID-19. 

DANE COUNTY–Public Health of Madison and Dane County (PHMDC) announced on Monday that face coverings will no longer be required in Dane County beginning March 1 at midnight. The decision comes after a surge in COVID-19 cases plummeted in recent days, reaching a seven-day peak of 1,491 new confirmed cases on Jan. 12.

On Feb. 14 cases we down to 340, less than 25 percent of the peak. In addition, the seven-day average of hospitalizations has fallen 44 percent in the same time frame. Currently 110 people in Dane County are hospitalized due to the Omicron variant of the virus.

In addition, the high number of cases did not translate to as high a spike in hospitalizations as they did prior to vaccinations being readily available. PHMDC continues to encourage vaccination to prevent serious illness.

DANE COUNTY–Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC) is issuing Face Covering Emergency Order #7, effective at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 1, immediately after the current order expires. The Dane County Order mirrors the previous order and requires face coverings among people ages two and older when in most enclosed spaces open to the public where other people are present, with certain exceptions. The order will expire after 28 days.

While current rates of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization in Dane County may be starting to decrease, they remain very high. Over the past several weeks, the highly infectious Omicron variant has driven up the seven-day average of people testing positive to 1,258 per day. There are currently 181 hospitalizations and 36 in the ICU with COVID-19.

DANE COUNTY–Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC) is supporting DHS-contracted private testing provider, Accelerated Labs, to open an additional mass testing clinic in Dane County to help meet the demand for testing with a sustainable solution amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. 

The walk-up clinic, located at the Alliant Energy Center, will open in three phases, beginning on Jan. 10, with a testing capacity of about 500-750 tests per day, five days a week. On Jan. 17, capacity will increase to 1,000 tests per day and will expand to weekends as soon as possible. It is not a drive through style clinic. Hours of operation will be 10:am-6 p.m.

“This addition will have a huge impact for folks who are anxious about getting a test right now,” said Ken Van Horn, testing director, PHMDC. “It will increase the total testing capacity in Dane County by 12.5 percent right away on week one, 25 percent on week two and 33 percent when weekends are added to the mix.”

CROSS PLAINS–A Cross Plains man has pleaded not guilty to multiple child sex offenses allegedly involving three Cross Plains minor girls.

Logan G. Schultz, 21, has been charged with:

• One count of repeated sexual assault of a child

• Two counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years old

• Three counts of exposing genitals

The offenses were alleged to have occurred between August 1, 2018 and July 11, 2020.

The charges total five felonies and one misdemeanor. If convicted on all counts, Schultz faces maximum penalties of 126 years and nine months in prison.

Not guilty pleas were entered in Schultz’s behalf on Dec. 6 and he was released on $10,000 cash bond with conditions including no contact with three individuals, identified only by initials, and their families.

According to the criminal complaint based on information gathered by Cross Plains and Madison police, and a Dane County Sheriff’s deputy:

CROSS PLAINS–The Cross Plains Village Board Monday “regretfully accepted” Village Administrator Bill Chang’s resignation as he will take a similar position with the Village of DeForest next month.

“I want to thank all of you (on the board), the community and all the staff for a wonderful time working here. There’s been some growing pains, but for the most part we’ve made it through them, and the village is pointing in the right direction,” Chang said.

Chang’s last day with the village will be Jan. 21.

Village President Jay Lengfeld said that Chang will be missed, and he valued his service to the village.

“We will miss you, but I must say that it’s been an absolute joy working with you and the village is better off than when you came on. I certainly appreciate your hard work and leadership and wish you the best at DeForest,” said Lengfeld.

Other trustees also thanked Chang for his service and wished him good luck in his new job.