Amy Flessert, currently living in Northern Wisconsin, was raised in Phillips. Her family home was on a lake, which likely played a role with swimming being a huge part of her life then and now.
"I swam with the Phillips Wave from 1992 through high school and college. I helped with coaching as I got older. I enjoyed my time working for the Phillips Community Pool as a lifeguard and swim instructor in the past," Amy said.
Amy graduated from Phillips High School in 2003 and went on to attend the University of Wisconsin-Superior. "I hold my bachelor of science degree in exercise science with a double minor in psychology and health and human performance. I am a lifetime member of Psi Chi Psychology National Honor Society. I am a lifetime member of Girl Scouts and a Gold Award recipient."
After college, while working at the YMCA in 2010, Amy was introduced to Masters swimming, which is competitive swimming for those over the age of 18, and she has been an active member of US Masters Swimming since that time. "I have qualified for Masters swimming championships and gone four times in Montreal, Canada in 2014; Budapest, Hungary in 2017; Gwangju, South Korea in 2019; and, most recently, Fukuoka, Japan."
The Masters Worlds competition in Japan took place in early August. She received 10th place for the 800-meter freestyle, which was her first event of the meet.
(Article continues after photos.) Submitted photos.
"I think one thing about Masters Swimming is I've met people in their 90s that have reminded me of growing up with my grandparents. On my Masters swim team, in particular, there's who I like to call "Grandma Ann" and "Grandpa Don," she said, enjoying mixing with all the age groups and watching how well people can compete at any age if they stay focused on their goals.
Submitted photos.
At the last Worlds competition in Japan, Amy said her biggest motivator and promise to herself was remembering to be, "110%. All. The. Way. To. The. End." She added, "I have never felt more humbled that I fulfilled that promise."
Amy plans to keep swimming, setting more goals, and hopefully breaking more personal bests in the future.
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According to the Taylor County Sheriff's Office, "A firearm was found on County Road G over the weekend. Please contact Detective Chad Kowalczyk at 715-748-2200 x 205 with description and proof of ownership to claim."
See below the article for larger photos.
Photos Submitted By: Phillips Police Department
On Tuesday evening, the Phillips Police Department issued an alert for public dissemination.
At approximately 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 3, 2023, Phillips Police were dispatched to the Subway restaurant on Lake Avenue in Phillips.
It was reported that a male, of unknown race, entered the restaurant. He was wearing all black, including a black face mask and black gloves. He stood by the checkout counter. An employee indicated that the male subject was looking at the video cameras inside the restaurant before running out of the restaurant.
Video surveillance from inside the store showed the unknown male observe another customer behind him, and then he fled the restaurant.
The male subject was captured on surveillance cameras and was seen entering a white van. The white van did not have license plates on it. The van has a dent on the driver's side rear hatch liftgate.
The Phillips Police Department is looking to identify this vehicle and subject. If you have any information, contact 715-339-3847. For an emergency, call 911.
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Governor Tony Evers has appointed Matthew McElroy to serve as Price County's district attorney. He is replacing Karl Kelz, who resigned earlier this year. (Read the related article at this link.) Matt will serve for the remainder of Karl's term, which expires in January of 2025.
“Matt McElroy has demonstrated a commitment to public service and a passion for pursuing justice,” Governor Evers said. “I am confident that he will serve the people of Price County well as their next district attorney.”
Matthew McElroy graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Marquette University Law School. He began his legal career in the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office as a special prosecutor in 2019 while subsequently working in the district attorney's offices in Green Lake and Wood Counties. He is currently an assistant district attorney in the Wood County District Attorney’s Office. During the last four years, he has prosecuted various cases, some of which include traffic, guardianship matters, domestic violence, sexual assault, and drug-related felonies.
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Wood County District Attorney Craig Lamber said, “Matt is a hard worker, a good prosecutor, and a great guy. I am sure he will be a very good district attorney for the people of Price County.”
“I am honored to become the next district attorney of Price County,” said Matt. “I look forward to working with law enforcement and district attorney staff in the pursuit of justice. I am eager to get started and will work diligently to be the fair and honest prosecutor the people of Price County deserve.”
Learn more about this job opportunity at this link.
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The Phillips High School Class of 1998 held their class reunion on Saturday, August 19, 2023.
The classmates gathered at Solberg Lake County Park on Saturday from noon until 5 p.m. enjoying a pig roast for lunch.
Ryan Sidenbender, James Rabusitz, Weston Arndt, Aemus Balsis, Jennifer Maglio, Martin Severson, Naomi (Lukes) Morrison, Mitch Meives, Lindy (Wegerer) Protovinsky, Tim Hahn, Jesse Kempen, and Ben Morey.
The group finished the celebration at Phillips on Tap in Elk Lake Park where they were joined by a few additional classmates.
Weston Arndt, Heather (Gago) Prohaska, Aemus Balsis, Lindy (Wegerer) Protivinsky, Martin Severson, Laci Schuh, Jennifer Maglio, David Reiff, Ryan Sidenbender, Tim Hahn, Howard Borchert, Nick Gabay, Nikki (Grant) Kalander, Ben Morey, and James Rabusitz.
Submitted photos.
Submit your class reunion photo and information about the event to contact@mypricecounty.com.
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Deer Creek Angus, LLC has a large selection of Black Angus burgers, steaks, roasts, and other beef products sold by individual packages and in quarters, halves, and whole. Contact Deer Creek Angus, LLC at 715-550-6156, find products & pricing on their website, and follow their Facebook page.
According to Rusk County Sheriff Jeffery S. Wallace, on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at approximately 5:46 p.m., the Rusk County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call reporting a man had been struck by a train.
The caller stated the man was on the train tracks at Marshall Road in the Township of Marshall in Rusk County.
Rusk County Sheriff's deputies, Rusk County Ambulance, Sheldon Fire Department, and Canadian National Railroad responded to the scene. Upon arrival, the man was under the train and pronounced deceased. Upon investigation, it was determined the man was Richard J. Kramer of Catawba, Wisconsin.
The incident is under investigation by the Rusk County Sheriff's Office, Canadian National Railroad, and the Rusk County Medical Examiner's Office.
*Note: This article was updated on 8-25-2023 at 3:28 p.m. with the information shown in bold below.
On Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at 4:15 p.m., a man reported to Price County Dispatch that he was seriously assaulted by a male suspect in the Catawba area.
The victim reported the suspect came to his residence and was acting in a strange manner. The victim was then injured by being stabbed with a pitchfork and hit in the head with a shovel.
The victim told dispatch he was bleeding profusely and needed an ambulance.
The suspect, Richard J. Kraemer of Catawba, fled the area in a vehicle. However, he was later located and is no longer a danger to the public, according to Price County Sheriff Brian Schmidt. Kraemer and the victim know each other.
Agencies assisting the Price County Sheriff’s Office with this ongoing investigation include Prentice Ambulance Service, Wisconsin State Patrol, Department of Criminal Investigation, Price County Law Enforcement Chaplains, and Rusk County Sheriff’s Office.
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The following schedule of events and admission prices are for the 2023 Price County Fair.
Some residents have asked us the cost of the grandstand entertainment. The grandstand entertainment comes with your gate entry ticket. There is not an additional charge.
Also, people are asking who owns the fairgrounds. Price County Productions took ownership of the fairgrounds on December 21, 2022. For the first time, Price County government no longer owns the fairgrounds. The fair association is leasing the fairgrounds from the new owners. To answer additional questions, read an earlier related article at this link.
We often see an accident that delays our travel plans as time lost, but it often becomes the circumstances for a "better life found." Unexpected changes are the colored threads the Lord uses when weaving our life's tapestry. The nine-day delay following Dennis’ accident in Alberta resulted in him crossing paths with numerous people traveling up the Alcan to Alaska. One of those persons, Donna McConkey, (pictured below), would become Dennis' "matchmaker." That thread would become the "multi-colored" strand that would forever change Dennis' life for the "BETTER" (my opinion, of course).
Dennis met Donna and her family about the second or third day after leaving the Reukerts in Beaver Lodge. Donna and her family were headed to Alaska and were interested in homesteading. The parties met in a small cafe on the Alcan and struck up a conversation. Those who know Donna know she is as friendly as Dennis, and as they traveled up the highway, often stopping at the same campgrounds or to refuel, they forged a friendship that continues today.
...Fast forward 14 months: July 1974...
"Oh, Sandy, you've gotta meet Dennis Onchuck; you two would be perfect for each other," this was how Donna introduced me to the idea of meeting Dennis. And, when you are a 27-year-old unclaimed blessing in a field of "culled" choices, your ears perk up. Donna and her family had returned to South Carolina months earlier after their plans of settling in Alaska had fallen through. I didn't have anything to lose, so I agreed. Dennis wrote his first letter to me on July 12, 1974. (No connection to my Dennis story, but July 12th commemorates the hanging of my great-great-great-grandmother, Frankie Silvers, the first woman legally hung in North Carolina in 1833 for murdering her husband). Frankie's story has been shared in numerous books, such as The Ballad of Frankie Silvers by Sharyn McCrumb and The Untold Story of Frankie Silver by Perry Deane Young. I didn't share this information with Dennis until we were blissfully married. I also failed to mention that Frankie's daughter, Nancy, who was only 13 months old when Frankie killed her husband, “may” have murdered her second husband as well. Curious about that story? Then read A Life for Nancy by Riley Henry and Danita Stoudemire. It is a historical fiction book but follows the storyline passed down by our grandparents. They don't say in the book that Nancy murdered her second husband, but that is the general thought among some of her descendants.
...Now, back to my Dennis story...
I visualized this muscular, handsome, kind he-man from Donna's description. I imagined and expected he would send a picture flexing his muscles with perhaps Mt. McKinley or wildlife in the background. But no, not Dennis; instead, he was standing before a crashed C-130 Hercules at Galbraith Lake, Alaska, where he worked on the trans-Alaska pipeline. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the only words I could come up with were, “Donna, what part of, 'you two would be perfect for each other' was I missing?"
Yes, I know you can't judge a book by its cover, in this case, "its coveralls," greasy, dirty coveralls at that, but I admit, I was tempted to close the book on this relationship before it had even begun. But he said he would ask his mother to send a better picture, so I decided to wait and see how well he cleaned up. That was one of my better choices in life because the following pictures caused my heart to flutter. Despite his "out of date" crew cut, I thought he was a hunk.
...Fast forward to the present: 2023...
Forty-eight years and a few old Maytags later, I realize the initial introductory picture said it ALL. So, what does this picture say? First, he is the most unpretentious man you will ever find - what you see is what you get. He isn't out to impress anyone. Secondly, he's not afraid of hard work. That answered my youthful prayers for a good, hard-working husband. I must note that when the Bible says God "will do above and beyond all we ask or think," He does! I expected a good "hard-working" husband, but a "workaholic" was the "above all we ask or think.” Still, I would rather he be a workaholic than be a couch potato.
A thousand words can't even begin to describe the never-boring life I've "sometimes enjoyed and other times endured" with this fellow. And his most notable attribute - he can fix almost anything. The downside is that he finds it almost impossible to let things die. So, for forty-eight years, I have been patching the patches on those old coveralls, and he has been resurrecting old Maytags to wash them in. Folks, I have learned to choose my battles, so I wash our clothes in those slow, slow, slow agitating machines. Still, unbeknownst to him, I often run the laundry through the wash and rinse cycle twice, but don't anyone reading this tell him.
Most importantly, the introductory picture didn't tell me how faithful he was/is to the Lord. I would discover from Day One that he begins each day reading his Bible and ends the day writing in a daily journal.
...Now, about that journal thing...
He has recorded every disagreement we have ever had and all from his point of view. I just hope that when my great-grandchildren read his accounts, they will not think, "Uh-huh, Frankie Silvers' blood ran through her veins.”
Yes, the accident that interrupted Dennis' long-ago journey was not an accident in the Lord's overall PLAN for Dennis and Sandy Onchuck. Sometimes it seems like we have been "off the road" more than on. Still, for the most part, those colored threads have brought more blessings than failures and more laughter than tears.
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