Rebecca "Becky" Puhl, director of the Phillips Public Library, has received the WLA/WEMTA Intellectual Freedom Award.
This award can be given to two recipients each year. One recipient must be from a school setting and the other recipient must be from a public, academic, or special library. Becky received the award for doing work at the Phillips Public Library. She was nominated by staff members at Carleton A. Friday Memorial Library in New Richmond, which included Monica LaVold, director, and Jake Wyrzykowski, youth services librarian.
This award recognizes those Wisconsinites who, within the last five years, have made extraordinary contributions to the promotion and protection of intellectual freedom. It celebrates people who uphold the right to access information, challenge censorship, and offer a culture of open discussion.
According to the Laura Sauser, executive director of the Wisconsin Library Association (WLA), "As director of the Phillips Public Library, Puhl has faced numerous book and materials challenges over the past two years. These challenges have not only been reported on locally but have also captured the attention of intellectual freedom advocates from around the country. Through it all, Puhl has not only upheld her commitment to intellectual freedom but shielded her staff from negative comments and actions coming from the community. As described in a recommendation letter for this award, she has consistently prioritized her patrons, her staff safety and well-being, and her belief in doing what is right over her own mental and emotional health. In selecting Puhl for this award, the WLA/WEMTA Intellectual Freedom Award Committee cited her steadfast courage in defending the principles of intellectual freedom while ensuring the Phillips Public Library was a safe, welcoming, and inclusive place for all members of the community."
Becky received the award at the Wisconsin Library Association awards banquet on Thursday, November 7, 2024. The banquet was part of the WLA annual conference and was held at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay. Becky said she is proud to receive the award recognizing the work she has done to "ensure that the Phillips Public Library is a place where all people feel welcome and where everyone is represented regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, or age. I look forward to continuing this work and helping ensure that all Phillips Public Library patrons receive the support and resources they need and deserve. Libraries have always been, and will always strive to be, places where people can find the most up-to-date, trusted information they need to make informed decisions about their lives and the lives of those around them."
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Three 911 calls, reporting fires, were received by the Sawyer County Communication Center between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Monday, November 18, 2024.
The fires were all located in the southern part of the county. Sawyer County deputies, assisted by the Radisson, Exeland, and Birchwood fire departments, responded to the locations.
First, at 4:02 a.m., a structure fire was reported on Weirgor Road in the Town of Radisson. According to police, "The residence was currently under new construction and was unoccupied at the time of the fire. The structure was deemed a total loss."
Next, at 4:10 a.m., a second fire was reported at a residence on Gueldners Lane in the Town of Meteor. According to police, "This residence was also unoccupied and a total loss."
A third fire, reported at 6:02 a.m., was at the Birchwood American Legion Post on County Highway F in the Town of Edgewater. The building was unoccupied at the time of the fire.
The Sawyer County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice – Division of Criminal Investigation, is currently investigating the cause of the fires. Information is being requested from the public. If you have any information regarding the fires, or if you observed any suspicious activity in those areas during the time of the fires, please contact the Sawyer County Sheriff’s Office at 715-634-4858 or use the Tip Line on the Sawyer County Sheriff’s Office website.
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The City of Park Falls has announced various elected positions that will be on the April 2025 ballot.
The mayor will be elected for a term of two years. This person will succeed Mayor Tara Tervort, whose term will expire on April 15, 2025.
There are four alderperson offices that will be elected for a term of two years given Alderperson Daniel Greenwood, Alderperson Terry Wilson, Alderperson Dixie Weidman, and Alderperson Michael Mader will have terms expiring on April 15, 2025.
Nomination papers may be filed from December 1, 2024 through 5:00 p.m. on January 7, 2025.
If a primary is necessary, it will be held on February 18, 2025.
SPONSOR OF FREE NEWS AND COMMUNITY EVENTS: Park Village offers affordable, active living in a park-like setting for those 55+ and disabled persons in Park Falls. Rent is based on 30% Adjusted Gross Income. Small pets under 30 pounds are welcome. Contact Park Village at 715-762-4747.
Recently, a former employee of the Phillips Public Library created a video and posted it to YouTube stating that a possibly controversial proposal was going to be presented at the library board meeting. This prompted some residents to attend the meeting in person and about a dozen people attended via Zoom, though many left the Zoom video call before the proposal was presented.
The proposal, made by Jenny Markle, president of the board, has to do with a proposed new library card system for children.
Jenny stated she thought of the idea and researched it to see if other libraries were using similar systems. She reached out to those libraries, two lawyers, and an ethics professor to get their feedback. After talking to them, she told the board, "It seems like a good idea to me."
The idea is a tiered library card system which would give parents the ability to select general criteria for what their underage children are checking out of the library. Jenny proposed that Level 1 would allow full access to check out materials in the children's collection only. Level 2 would allow full access to check out materials in the children's and young adult collections, with the possibility of also adding general non-fiction and DVDs that are not R-rated. Level 3 would allow full access to check out materials in the entire library. She added this would only apply to the physical materials in the Phillips Public Library and not the Libby (eBooks) and MORE system, which already have filters that can be put in place by the parents. She said parents would be allowed to decide when to upgrade the card to another level.
(Article continues after the image of the library's events.)
Jenny mentioned that, in a case brought to the Supreme Court, the court "ruled that the due process clause of the 14th Amendment protects the fundamental rights of parents to direct the care, upbringing, and education of their children. This tiered system would be in support of that parental right and would not violate any kind of state laws or statutes we have in place in Wisconsin."
Becky Puhl, the library director, stated that she cannot tell parents what is on their child's library card once they are 16, so she questioned if the system may only be able to be implemented up to the age of 16. However, Jenny said a lawyer told her that this system could be implemented to the age of 18.
Feeling the idea had merit, Becky also added, "We will already do this for you. If you came into the library and said that you didn't want your minor child to be able to check out adult materials, we would put a note on their account, and we wouldn't let them check out adult materials." She felt that if the board voted in support of a tiered library card system, it could be implemented rather easily.
Jenny added, "This is a good faith gesture to parents and grandparents in our community. It's like we're saying, 'We heard your concerns, look what we're offering you; come back to the library and love it.'"
This proposal will be back on the agenda at the next meeting for discussion and action, if everyone is ready to take action at that time. Public input is welcome, and people can sign up to make public comments at the next meeting, which will be Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. at the Phillips Public Library.
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The CESA 12 Sportsmanship Summit was held in Superior, Wisconsin on November 14, 2024.
Five of Chequamegon School District's student athletes attended the summit.
According to Daren Patterson, Park Falls Elementary School counselor, "Chequamegon is going to be working on improving school culture and incorporating some new initiatives to improve the atmosphere at sporting events in which we demonstrate a positive environment and endorse sportsmanship at its best."
From left to right, students in attendance included Caedon Bottolfson, Jarrett Hekendorf, Matt Hirteiter, Madi Ernst, and Hailey Bodoh.
The Sawyer County Sheriff's Office is investigating several alleged credit card theft complaints reported on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
Reports of credit card fraud occurred at Price Rite for $1,600, Market Place for $1,800, and Hayward Bait and Tackle for $1,800.
According to police, it is believed the suspects also used the card in Ironwood, Michigan and Ashland, Wisconsin.
The woman's name is Destiny Johnson. The man's last name is Johnson.
The credit card does not hava a chip, so the cashiers have to manually enter the credit card number.
The Sawyer County Sheriff's Office is attempting to locate these individuals for possible felony charges. If anyone has information, Sawyer County Deputy Ryan Krummel should be contact at 715-634-4858.
The unofficial results for the November 2024 General Election have been published.
In the state and national races, all the Republicans (in contests that affect Price County) won at the county level. At the state level, Democrat Tammy Baldwin won as a United States senator, Republican Tom Tiffany won as District 7's representative in Congress, and Republican Rob Summerfield won as District 68's representative to the assembly. Around 12:45 a.m. on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, Wisconsin was called for the presidential vote giving former President Donald J. Trump the win for the 47th presidency of the United States with 277 electoral votes and counting.
Price County's new county clerk is Meredith Hueckman. The new county treasurer is Renee Leinfelder. Sylvia Kerner was re-elected at the Register of Deeds, and Matthew McElroy is the district attorney. All four of those races were unopposed except Amy Casey was the registered write-in for the county clerk position.
There were referendum questions in the county and state. The Town of Knox clerk and treasurer referendum questions passed. The Prentice and Butternut School Districts referendum questions did not pass.
Stats and results for Price County are listed below with the state winner noted.
Number of Voters 8,913 Number of Eligible Voters 11,548 Percentage of Eligible Voters 77% Number of Registered Voters 9,386 Number of Absentee Ballots Issued 1,989
Percentage of Eligible Voters Who Voted
Spirit 94%
Flambeau 91%
Hill 88%
Town of Catawba 87%
Elk 87%
Knox 86%
Worcester 85%
Emery 82%
Hackett 82%
Harmony 82%
Lake 81%
Village of Kennan 80%
Town of Prentice 79%
Eisenstein 78%
Village of Prentice 78%
Town of Kennan 76%
Ogema 75%
Georgetown 73%
Village of Catawba 71%
Park Falls 62%
Phillips 61%
Fifield 56%
PRESIDENT / VICE PRESIDENT
Kamala D. Harris / Tim Walz 3,005
Donald J. Trump / JD Vance 5,763 - Winner in the state and nation
Randall Terry / Stephen Broden 11
Chase Russell Oliver / Mike ter Maat 17
Jill Stein / Rudolph Ware 13
Claudia De la Cruz / Karina Garcia 2
Cornel West / Melina Abdullah 2
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. / Nicole Shanahan 41
UNITED STATES SENATOR
Tammy Baldwin 3,171 - Winner in the state
Eric Hovde 5,439
Phil Anderson 93
Thomas Leager 99
John Schless (Registered write-in) 1
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS, DISTRIST 7
Kyle Kilbourn 2,824
Tom Tiffany - 5,775 - Winner in the state
REPRESENTATIVE TO THE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 68
Richard Pulcher 2,781
Rob Summerfield - 5,648 - Winner in the state
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Matthew McElroy 5,990
COUNTY CLERK
Meredith Hueckman 5,750
Amy Casey (Registered write-in) 1,666
TREASURER
Renee Leinfelder 6,857
REGISTER OF DEEDS
Sylvia R. Kerner 6,145
REFERENDUMS
State of Wisconsin ("Only" U.S. citizens can vote)
Yes 6,622 - Winner in the state
No 1,740
Town of Knox Clerk
Yes 135
No 84
Town of Knox Treasurer
Yes 129
No 86
Prentice School District
Yes 770
No 869
Butternut School District
Yes 9
No 22
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On Monday, November 4, 2024, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office received a call about a two-vehicle accident. The accident occurred on Highway 17 N at Chick-A-Dee Peek Road.
The caller informed police that the driver of the striking vehicle hit the caller's vehicle while attempting to pass in a no passing zone. The vehicles pulled over, and the striking vehicle hit the caller's vehicle again. The caller said the driver of the striking vehicle was trying to start an altercation with the caller.
Oneida County Deputies responded and saw the vehicle leaving the accident. According to police, "When Oneida County deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, it accelerated and a pursuit was initiated. The vehicle committed several traffic offenses, including reaching speeds of over 100 MPH while continuing to travel south on Highway 17 N. The vehicle then turned onto Stevens Street and continued into the City of Rhinelander at a high rate of speed. The operator also failed to stop for stop signs, traffic signals, operating in the oncoming lane of travel, and passing on the right. The vehicle turned onto Oneida Street and then onto Highway 8 W where a short distance later an Oneida County Deputy performed a PIT (Pursuit Intervention Technique) successfully. However, the operator drove out of the ditch and continued on Highway 8 W. The operator continued east on Kemp Street and turned north on Oneida Avenue. The operator continued to Frederick Street, then onto Baird Avenue, then east on Timber Drive. The operator went east on Timber Drive, and, as the operator crossed Highway 17 N, an Oneida County Deputy rammed the operator’s vehicle. The operator continued down County Highway C. The operator then drove north onto the east end of Camp Brynn Afron Road. The operator then turned down a logging road and was taken into custody without incident."
Rhinelander schools were put on administrative lockdown for a short time while the pursuit was taking place.
The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Rhinelander Police Department during the pursuit.
Tuesday, November 5, 2024:
The driver of the striking vehicle has been identified by police as Daniel Thunder, age 51, of Neopit, Wisconsin. According to police, "Thunder is awaiting his initial appearance. Charges have been referred to the District Attorney’s office for: Operating While Intoxicated #1, 2nd Degree Reckless Endangering Safety, Felony Fleeing, Operate Motor Vehicle without Owner’s Consent, Negligent Operation of Motor Vehicle, Disorderly Conduct with Motor Vehicle, Physical Abuse of Elder, Hit and Run Attended Vehicle, Fail to Stop/Sign, Fail to Stop for Traffic Control Signal (x3), Left of Center, Exceed Posted Speed Limits, Passing on Right, Passing in No Passing Zone, Improper Parking on Roadway, Operate While License Suspended, Fail to Submit to Alcohol Test and Trespass to Land."
The Price County Sheriff's Office is investigating a suspicious death.
On Sunday, November 3, 2024, at about 8:56 p.m., a deceased person was found near State Highway 13 and Whitby Road in the Township of Hackett in Prentice, Wisconsin.
According to the Price County Sheriff's Office, "A portion of State Highway 13 is currently closed. There is no known threat to the community. This is an ongoing investigation. Additional information will not be released at this time."
Agencies assisting the Price County Sheriff’s Office are Prentice Fire Department, Department of Criminal Investigation, Price County Coroner, Vilas County Sheriff’s Office, and Rhinelander Police Department.
If My Price County receives additional information, we will update this article.
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UPDATE: 11-5-2024:
The Price County Sheriff’s Office is following up on leads regarding the investigation of the deceased individual who was discovered in the area of State Highway 13 and Whitby Road in the Township of Hackett. Price County Sheriff Brian Schmidt is asking for the public’s help with this investigation, requesting the following: "If you were traveling upon State Highway 13 near Whitby Road on November 3, 2024 between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. and noticed anything suspicious or if you were travelling upon State Highway 13 near Whitby Road and your vehicle is equipped with a dash camera, you are asked to contact the Price County Sheriff’s Office at (715) 339-3011."
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UPDATE: 11-12-2024:
INFORMATION RELEASED ABOUT DECEASED PERSON FOUND NEAR HWY. 13
The deceased person found near Hwy. 13 on November 3, 2024 has been identified as a 28-year old woman. She was from Marshfield, Wisconsin, and it is believed her death was caused from a domestic violence incident. The investigation has shown that the woman was killed in the City of Marshfield, but her body was placed in Price County.
Photo Credit: Wood County Jail
Jody Geurink, Marshfield Police Chief, stated the police arrested a Marshfield resident, Deyvin Castro Gutierrez, who is 38 years old. He was arrested in connection to the woman's death and is currently being hold on charges of Suspicion of 1st Degree Intentional Homicide. This is an ongoing investigation.
According to the police, they will not release the victim's name out of respect for the family's privacy.
Sheriff Schmidt and Chief Geurink stated they "would like to thank all of the citizens who took the time to meet with and assist law enforcement during this investigation."
The Price County Sheriff’s Office and Marshfield Police Department were assisted by the FBI, Wisconsin Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigation, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory, Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, Vilas County Sheriff’s Office-K9 unit, Wood County Sheriff’s Office, Park Falls Police Department, Phillips Police Department, Rhinelander Police Department-K9 unit, Prentice Fire Department, Price County Coroner’s Office, Wisconsin State Wide Intelligence Center, Wisconsin Department of Justice-Crime Response Specialists, Wood County District Attorney’s Office, and Price County District Attorney’s Office.
The Price County Sheriff's Office is asking the community to look at the photos they provided to help identify the man pictured. He was seen on a trail camera west of Park Falls off of County Road E. The date on the trail camera is Tuesday, October 29, 2024.
According to the police, "The individual pulled a gate down to enter private property and trespassed onto the property multiple times. If you have any information on who this person is, please contact the Price County Sheriff’s Office. All information received will be confidential."
The Price County Sheriff's Office's phone number is 715-339-3011.
All photos provided by Price County Sheriff's Office
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