Per today's primary, Britt Bilgrien and Bryan Weisrock will be on the spring ballot for the school board. About 17% of eligible voters cast a ballot. The unofficial totals are as follows:
SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES IN PRICE COUNTY: Lake Village offers affordable, active living in a park-like setting for those 55+ and disabled persons. Rent is based on 30% Adjusted Gross Income. Small pets under 30 pounds are welcome. Contact Lake Village at 715-339-4148.
Ken Haines grew up on the southwest side of Eau Claire. He said he never knew what he wanted to be when he grew up, but he certainly figured it out along the way. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed at Park Air Force Base in California. He completed training in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and then he spent three years stationed in Hawaii. He worked in Milwaukee for five years while he was single. He met Mary, who became his wife, and they had two children, Brenda and Jenny. The family moved from Eau Claire to Phillips in 1979 while Ken was working for Northwestern Loan. He then worked at Phillips Plastics as a supervisor for nine years. During that time, he set his sights on being an entrepreneur.
He remarked that he noticed some of the most influential business people when he moved to the area. "There were people I liked around here when I got to Phillips. I looked at guys like Bob Cervenka who grew up in a very common type of family and look at what he's done. And Carl Marschke and people like that, like the Baratkas. You look at them and see what they did and really were making something of themselves." Ken said those men proved you can build something from nothing if you put in the time and effort. Ken decided to focus his time and effort on a carpet and furniture store. He started his business in downtown Phillips. About twenty years ago the business moved to its current location on the south end of town, located at 722 South Lake Avenue in Phillips.
Ken's Carpet and Consignment Store sells a wide array of products, including appliances, bedding, and flooring. He also offers a consignment business for used furniture. If you have furniture you would like to sell, or if you are looking for a quality used item to buy, stop by Ken's Carpet to see what he can offer you. (Follow Ken's Carpet & The Consignment Store's Facebook page.) He recently has gotten involved with the sale of solar systems, as well. "We will be at the Home and Sport Show in March," Ken noted, so make sure to visit him at the booth or stop into Ken's Carpet and Consignment Store before then to get a brochure and talk with Ken. "Talking to people from all walks of life is one of the things I enjoy most about my job," Ken shared.
Along with having a genuine interest in his customers, his work ethic has made him a successful business owner, and he feels that is the most important thing to be successful. "Young people need to get an attitude that you are going to work for a living. If you want to be a little bit more successful in your life, go on out and take advantage of our schools. Not everybody needs a college degree. Everybody isn't fit to go to college, but the State of Wisconsin has a very good rated tech school, so learn a trade and you can be more successful if that is what you are looking to do. Take advantage of the education systems that are out there. You don't need to be a genius, but you need to have a work ethic."
Ken shared that he notices a lack of carpet layers in the area as the ones that have been successful in the business are now getting older and retiring, and he isn't seeing many young people pursue that path. Like many trades, Ken said young people need to realize that is where the money is. "I think there are people who would like to get into it, but they don't know anything about that career. If a kid doesn't want to go to a college or a tech school, that is an option they might want to get interested in. Carpet layers make good money. You take a carpet layer around here working 5 days a week, and they can knock out a 100 grand a year like a shot, and they don't need a big investment or anything. If they want to go to a bigger city, they can make a lot more money than that. In the Twin Cities area, I know guys who are very aggressive and work more than forty hours per week, and they are making $200,000 a year laying flooring. The young kids don't know that because nobody tells them." However, Ken admitted that money isn't everything, either. "I did a lot of different things, but the thing I have really liked is working for myself. I could go out to some factory and make a lot more money than I make out of this store, but I do like coming in here. I like doing what I'm doing. I think if you are fairly happy doing what you are doing, then you are doing okay. You can look at somebody making a lot more money, but is that person always the happiest person on the block? Not necessarily. Money ain't everything."
Ken shared that young people should consider living in the area. He said Phillips is certainly not a big city but that is the charm of it. "It's the lifestyle here." He stated that many people are moving to the area for the lifestyle because more jobs have moved to a work from home environment. Ken feels the new school should attract younger families, and he appreciates the people who are doing things to make the area better, including those considering fixing up the fairgrounds, the campground put in place by the city, the development happening in Elk Lake Park, and everything that keeps making the area better and more inviting. "I look at it from a business standpoint. How do you know if a guy is pulling a motor home through town on vacation with his family, and he pulls up to Philips and notices they have a city campground, so he says 'We'll spend the night at the campground.' Maybe this guy is from Illinois or Milwaukee and he's an owner of some kind of a factory. Maybe he goes downtown for breakfast the next morning at a restaurant and decides they have an airport here and other good things, and we have been looking to expand our factory, so maybe this is a good place to bring a factory. You don't know what could happen from this positive growth; it could happen."
As for Ken's family life, both as a child and adult, he has always had a large family. He is one of twelve siblings. Adding to that already large family, he and Mary had two daughters who gave them six grandchildren, and he now has seven great grandchildren, all sprinkled across the country. "In general, I like the life that I have. I have a good family. I had very good parents and a lot of good brothers and sisters and their families and my daughters and grandchildren," Ken said, reminiscing over his life.
In his childhood, he remembers he, his siblings, and many of the neighborhood children would spend much of their time outside. "It's a completely different world," he shared. "Now most kids are inside on their devices, but we spent our time outside building a shack or swimming." They also liked to ice skate and play ball. "Everybody around there had kids. There were families of four, five, or six kids. There were hundreds of kids all around. In the summertime, we'd go out there and play ball. I was okay but wasn't going to be a big baseball star. In the early '50s, when I was about 13 years old or so, Eau Claire had a Class C major league baseball team that was part of the Milwaukee Braves. And we saw several ball players that came through there one summer. The two that I really remember were Hank Aaron and Billy Bruton. Both of them made it into the majors, and I got to see them. They were big baseball players, and I remember that from my childhood."
Ken remembers other things he enjoyed as a child. "With all the ice skating I did, I never learned hockey. I don't know why, because they had hockey leagues in Eau Claire, but I never did. I was a pretty good ice skater," Ken shared. He mostly enjoyed playing ball sports. As for watching them now, Ken shared, "I've lost a lot of interest in the major league sports due to the tremendous amount of money that these guys make for playing a kids' game and they lost the allegiance to their fans. Back years ago, I had an interest, but in the early '60s when I was working in Milwaukee, those major league football players like Jerry Kramer were making about $8,500 a year. They weren't making 25 million, so that's all changed and there are millions of fans paying several hundred dollars to watch those games."
Ken never had major league sports money, then or now, in his vision, but he did know it was important to work for a living. "In my large family, if you wanted a dollar in your pocket, you didn't go play football; you went to work. And I liked going to work better than I liked playing football, because I couldn't make any money playing football," Ken chuckled. So, he worked at a restaurant in 7th and 8th grade and then worked at a grocery store during high school. This helped instill a work ethic in him that carried him throughout his life.
If he could go back in time to when he was eighteen and give himself one piece of advice, Ken said, with a chuckle, he would have told himself to invest any money he drank up into the stock market. Joking aside, Ken said one's outlook in life changes at different stages, and it is best not to live with regrets. "As each segment of your life goes on, you get a different outlook on what is going on. When you're young, well, when I was 18, I went into the service because back in my day you either enlisted or you got drafted. Today, you don't have that. It was an interesting part of my life to get out and see places and meet people. Then you are single and you are out having a lot of fun. Eventually, a person gets married and has kids. Things change. That doesn't mean you cannot go out and have fun, but it's different. You are doing stuff with the family, going on trips. You don't need to sit down in your living room and live the rest of your life. You can still have fun but it's different fun. Then the grand kids come. These are all different segments of life. They are not the same. It might be easy to say 'When I was young, I should have done this,' but you didn't. It's too late to change that, and I don't have regrets like that."
Follow Ken's Carpet & The Consignment Store's Facebook page.
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Reports received by the police departments in Price County for the month have been condensed and summarized.
PRICE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
1/1/22: Two separate people called 911 due to a couple fighting. The female caller said the female spit on the male and the male hit her. The male caller stated the female was sitting in the snow in a skirt and crying. He was worried about the female's safety so he decided to stay and requested a deputy.
1/4/22: A man called stating that he lives with his mother, and while he was out of town, a woman came to their door stating she needed to get some of the man's paperwork. The mother let the woman into the home. However, the man reported he did not send anyone to the house to pick up paperwork. He made an informational report in case something turned up missing.
1/4/22: A man reported he flipped his truck due to icy road conditions.
1/5/22: A female reported she was at her grandpa's apartment and someone had broken in and was still there. She locked herself in the bathroom until deputies arrived, and they were able to convince her to come out of the bathroom.
1/7/22: A man found five kittens on the side of the road and delivered them to the sheriff's office.
1/7/22: A vehicle rolled over with a person trapped inside. Emergency services were deployed. Meanwhile, a caller stated he was taking the man to the hospital. He was alert and speaking but he would need help getting the man out of the vehicle. The ambulance was advised and returned to the hospital to assist.
1/8/22: A woman called stating that her babysitter had a phone the woman had purchased that the babysitter could use if the babysitter needed to contact the woman. When the woman decided to use other babysitting services, she asked for the phone back. The babysitter returned the phone but then made posts on social media that the woman considered threatening.
1/8/22: A man reported receiving phone calls from an unknown woman who made statements about things the man did during the day and inquired where he lives.
1/10/22: A woman called to report a solid object falling from the sky and possibly on fire. She stated it appeared to be a distance off and she could not see a plane but she felt fairly confident it was a solid object. She indicated it also could have been the sun setting. The location was west of Hwy. 13 near County Road A, south of Phillips and off in the distance.
1/10/22: A house fire was reported in Ogema.
1/11/22: A caller reported an older black horse that appeared to be in distress.
1/11/22: A woman called to report she left a pot of water on the gas range burning and she was out of town. A deputy advised he was at the residence earlier and the range was not on.
1/11/22: A woman reported that her adult daughter was kidnapped from Lake Hallie by a man she met on the Internet a few years ago. She stated the police there told her to contact Price County. The woman was concerned about a four year old child, that may be the man's, being taken with her daughter. She also mentioned her daughter had her vehicle which was abandoned at a gas station. The police report notes the woman described this situation as being nearly fourth hand information of a possible kidnapping. The woman told the police about text messages with her daughter. The daughter had not returned a phone call from her child's teacher. The police let the woman know they could perform a welfare check but that adult children may cut ties if they so choose.
1/12/22: A man reported that he was working in his home office when he heard his doorbell ring, and his dog started to bark and would not quit. The man went to the door a couple minutes later, and two men, about age 30-something and 60-something, were standing in his foyer. He thought they were holding boxes of games or puzzles. They told him they may be in the wrong house and they left in a gray van. The caller wanted this information on file.
1/14/22: A man reported that another man broke into his home while he and his wife were sleeping. He stated the man has been stalking his wife. He said the man turned on the bedroom light and stole his dog. The man was yelling into the phone and at his wife, so dispatch had difficulty understanding the situation. Officers responded on scene.
1/15/22: The same woman who had called earlier in the week reporting her adult daughter as being kidnapped called again about a kidnapping. Since the residence where the woman thought her daughter was had been checked, the police had no information that she was in Price County and told this to the woman. The woman said, "You guys are in on it," and dispatch advised they were not. The woman stated, "You better hope not," and hung up.
1/16/22: A called reported he did not have contact with his brother for over a month and was concerned about his brother's cat and wanted a welfare check on the cat. An officer advised there was no cause to enter the residence to check on the cat at that point. Dispatch attempted to call the cat's owner. The brother who called then said the person who had contacted him concerned about the cat did see it in the window that day.
1/17/22: A deputy served paperwork and conducted a warrant apprehension on a man who became combative. The deputy requested assistance.
1/18/22: A man reported a roll-over accident on Hwy. 8. The driver was out of the vehicle but had a serious laceration to his right hand and a head injury. The patient was currently in another man's truck and they were applying pressure to the wound.
1/20/22: A woman reported frozen fish on and in her mailbox.
1/21/22: A woman arrived at a church in Park Falls stating she had seen demons. The woman was frantic.
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SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES - SHOP PRICE COUNTY FIRST: From burgers for grilling to bacon-wrapped tenderloins, Deer Creek Angus has a large selection of Black Angus beef 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.
PHILLIPS POLICE DEPARTMENT
1/1/22: A female reported foot tracks leading up to a window of her residence. She wanted to report this in case other people had similar reports.
1/2/22: A man reported his aunt took his belongings that she picked up from the police department and would not give them back. The woman told police she took them to the thrift store because the items were not of any value.
1/4/22: Officers responded to a report of a domestic situation. Officers separated the parties and realized a mental health evaluation was needed for an adult female.
1/4/22: The police were notified by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections that an offender will be released from a state prison facility and will be residing in the City of Phillips.
1/7/22: A local retail business reported an adult female was seen shoplifting, and they did not want to pursue criminal charges but wanted the woman to know she was no longer allowed in the store.
1/8/22: A juvenile reported being chased on a snowmobile by another snowmobile, causing him to crash while trying to get away.
1/9/22: A man was served a criminal complaint and summons in Elk Lake Park.
1/9/22: A male was assisted by police by letting him sit in the squad car to warm up as the man had been standing in Elk Lake Park for approximately two hours. The man asked the officer to call his father to pick him up, and the father did pick him up.
1/13/22: An officer observed a man, who he was aware had a bench warrant for failure to appear, walking on Flambeau Avenue. The man was taken into custody for the warrant and transported to the Price County Jail.
1/15/22: A man reported having wild animals inside his residence. The responding officer arrived and realized the man was experiencing hallucinations. While there was no evidence of an illicit substance in the apartment, the officer suspected the man had ingested an illicit substance. The man was taken to the medical center.
1/15/22: A man called to report people breaking into his residence. An officer advised the male individual he was having hallucinations stemming from the prior incident.
1/16/22: A man reported his neighbor above him was pounding and yelling all night. An officer responded and found the doors of the apartment were open and the apartment was destroyed. An officer placed the man into protective custody and transported him to the medical center for further treatment.
1/16/22: A female reported a neighbor was outside without shoes and digging in snowbanks. An officer responded and found the man was yelling at imaginary people inside of an apartment. An officer arrested the man for disorderly conduct.
1/17/22: Police assisted the ambulance service with an adult female who had not eaten in three days and was dehydrated. An officer assisted with loading the female onto a cot and into the ambulance.
1/20/22: Police assisted the ambulance service with a man who was involved in a snowmobile accident and had some bruising to his head.
1/22/22: On January 22nd, the Phillips Police Department, Price County Human Services, and the Price County Sheriff's Department met with a Phillips School District representative. Information was brought forward of a possible crime that had taken place. An officer and a Price County Sheriff's deputy interviewed a juvenile male in regard to information learned.
1/25/22: There was a complaint of prescription fraud at a local pharmacy. Statements were collected and interviews were conducted.
1/28/22: A report was received of a male suspect who bought a female's prescription drugs without her consent. An officer spoke with the female individual about the prescriptions and followed up with the Park Falls Police Department about the incident. The investigation is ongoing.
1/30/22: A male individual was reportedly disrupting business at a local gas station in the City of Phillips. An officer was asked by the employee to warn the individual. An officer spoke with the individual and advised him if his actions continued he would be banned from the store.
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SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES - SHOP PRICE COUNTY FIRST: Davette Lynne Hrabak, CPA, located at 164 South Lake Avenue in Phillips, specializes in tax return preparation, business start-up services, consulting, bookkeeping, payroll, and all your accounting needs. Call 715-339-6638 or visit Davette's website. Follow her Facebook page.
PARK FALLS POLICE DEPARTMENT
1/7/22: Two motor vehicles became stuck when trying to drive the roadway and snowmobile trail between 5th Street North and 3rd Avenue North, which is the athletic field access road. Both vehicles had to be towed from the area.
1/8/22: A person had a first offense OWI slide-off and threatened that he would kill two police officers.
1/8/22: A traffic stop occurred when a vehicle was traveling 70 MPH in a 30 MPH zone. The driver received numerous traffic citations.
1/17/22: A possible sexual assault between two juveniles was reported.
1/17/22: A vehicle struck a legally parked vehicle in the ambulance garage parking area causing property damage.
1/17/22: A fire was reported possibly at a house and a garage. The fire was located in the detached garage. Officers used fire extinguishers to control the fire until the fire department arrived to take over.
1/20/22: A commercial burglary alarm sounded at a local store. One balloon was removed from in front of the motion detector. Another balloon was caught in a light and unable to be reached.
1/21/22: An officer responded to a female having a mental health episode at a church. The woman threatened to kill the officer, resisted arrest, and assaulted the officer. The suspect was transported to the hospital for evaluation and was committed.
1/22/22: A two vehicle crash occurred at the intersection of Wisconsin Street and Avery Avenue. A vehicle failed to yield for traffic and was struck by the other vehicle.
1/23/22: A tenant stated a renter changed the locks on her residence without her knowledge.
1/26/22: A domestic abuse incident was reported. Officers checked numerous locations in the city and outskirts but were unable to find the man. Upon investigation, information was found leading to the arrest of an adult male the next day.
SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES - SHOP PRICE COUNTY FIRST: Fred Mueller Ford, Phillips, sells a full line of automobiles and offers quality mechanic services performed by factory-trained technicians. Visit Fred Mueller Ford's website., follow their Facebook page, call 715-339-3045, or view their inventory at 175 North Avon Avenue in Phillips.
By: Davette Lynne Hrabak, CPA, CFE, CBM, ATA, ATP, ABA, ECS, CGMA, https://www.DavetteLynneHrabak.com
“When it comes to taxes, save the lion’s share; enter between the lions to get this special care.”
As you have heard about and may have received during 2020 and/or 2021, there were multiple economic impact payments. It is a credit that is issued as an advanced refund to eligible individuals.
Taxpayers will need to reconcile their economic impact payments that they received with their Allowable Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 income tax return. The amount of the allowable credit will be reduced, but not below zero, by the economic impact payment received.
There have been some changes and modifications to this for 2021. However, one of the changes that people may be interested in is that an individual who was not an eligible individual for 2019 or 2020 may become an eligible individual for 2021. One situation that causes this to occur is where an individual was a dependent for 2019 or 2020 but is not for 2021. The IRS will not and has not sent out advance rebates to these individuals because advance rebates are based on information on the 2019 or 2020 returns. Therefore, an individual falling into this category will be able to claim the credit when filing a 2021 return if they meet all the other criteria.
Remember, if you have already filed but realize that you could have had a credit or deduction that you missed, it is not too late; you can always amend your return. If you need more information or believe you could qualify for them, I would be happy to give you a free quote on the preparation of your return.
When the right tax and financial advice is essential, talk to someone with an unmatched level of knowledge, experience, and education. A CPA understands the business of taxes and finance and can provide trusted advice and services during the tax season and throughout the calendar year.
For a free, no obligation quote, call Davette at 715-339-6638. Her office is located between the lion statues at 164 South Lake Avenue in Phillips.
The Spring 2022 Primary will be held on February 15, 2022. The Phillips School District Area 2 and Butternut School District races will be on the ballot.
Wisconsin driver's licenses or IDs are the most common form of identification used for voting purposes. Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) encourages voters to check and be sure that they have the proper identification needed to vote in the spring primary. A federally-compliant REAL ID card is not required for voting purposes. Anyone who doesn't have an ID to vote in the spring primary should start the process now.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission notes other forms of identification, such as military or student ID cards, are valid for voting purposes. To see if a card meets the requirements, visit the Wisconsin Elections Commission website.
Voters looking to get their first Wisconsin ID can turn to DMV for help. To obtain an official ID card, there are documentation requirements such as a birth certificate. If all documentation is not readily available, the ID Petition Process can be used to obtain a receipt valid for voting while the remaining documents or verifications are obtained. The DMV offers this service and ID cards for voting purposes free of charge. The DMV's toll-free Voter ID hotline, (844) 588-1069, is available for questions on obtaining an ID to vote.
SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES - SHOP PRICE COUNTY FIRST: Fred Mueller Ford, Phillips, sells a full line of automobiles and offers quality mechanic services performed by factory-trained technicians. Visit Fred Mueller Ford's website., follow their Facebook page, call 715-339-3045, or view their inventory at 175 North Avon Avenue in Phillips.
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The following are a few police reports from Lincoln County.
End of January 2022:
No injuries were reported following a car vs school bus crash on Monday, January 24. The crash occurred on State Rd 17 at State Rd 64 in the Town of Pine River.
A 16 year Tomahawk girl was stopped and cited for travelling 88mph on USH 8 near County Rd Y in the Town of Bradley Monday evening, January 24.
A 42 year old Sun Prairie WI man was arrested on charges of Possession of drug paraphernalia (Methamphetamine), Possession of an illegally obtained prescription, Possession of Cocaine, and Possession of Methamphetamine following a traffic stop Wednesday morning, January 26, on USH 8 near USH 51 in the Town of Bradley.
Deputies and the Merrill FD responded to a fully engulfed semi-tractor Thursday afternoon, January 27, on County Rd G in the Town of Merrill. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire does not appear to be suspicious.
A 29 year old Merrill man was arrested Friday afternoon, January 28, on charges of disorderly conduct, multiple bail jumping violations and a probation violation following a disturbance at an establishment in the Town of Pine River.
A 22 year old Portage, WI man was stopped and cited for travelling 99 mph on USH 51 near County Rd H in the Town of Birch Saturday evening, January 29.
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WeCOPE is a free, interactive program designed to help adults cope with life stress. WeCOPE has been shown to reduce stress and depression, increase positive emotions, and improve health.
It’s important to note that the WeCOPE program sessions are not therapy or counseling sessions, but rather skill-building sessions where we’ll share 11 skills that may help you reduce stress and increase positive emotions. You’ll probably find that some of the skills are familiar, some come more naturally than others, and that you like some more than others. That’s OK. The idea is to give you a full toolbox of skills.
The WeCOPE program will be offered virtually via Zoom from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. every other Thursday beginning on February 24th. To allow us to mail program materials to participants, we ask that people register by Monday, February 14th at bit.ly/WeCOPEReg. The program will be taught by Terri Kolb, Extension Educator in Forest and Oneida Counties and Debbie Moellendorf, Extension Educator in Lincoln County.
WeCOPE is offered free through the Wisconsin Rural Opioid and Stimulant Engagement (WiROSE) funded by SAMHSA and is a project of Extension Health and Well-Being Institute.
On Thursday, January 27, 2022, at approximately 10:42 p.m., a 911 call was received regarding a snowmobile crash on Trail 77 between Gile and Hurley. It was reported the male operator of the snowmobile was unresponsive. Emergency services immediately responded, according to Sheriff Paul Samardich.
Although the crash was unwitnessed, it appeared that the driver of the snowmobile failed to negotiate a curve, left the trail, and struck a tree. Speed also appears to be a factor in the crash.
The man, who was 55 years old and from the La Crosse area, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Iron County coroner, Diane Simonich.
On January 24, 2022 at 5:22 a.m., the Sawyer County Sheriff's Office received a report of a two vehicle semi vs. car traffic crash on STH 70 one mile west of the intersection of CTH EE in the Town of Draper. Sawyer County Deputies, Sawyer County EMS, and Wisconsin State Patrol, along with Draper, Winter, and Radisson Fire Departments, responded.
A preliminary investigation indicates a 2015 Chevrolet Cruze, operated by William J. Bohn, 35, from Rib Lake, was traveling westbound on STH 70. The Chevrolet Cruze crossed the center line and collided head-on with an eastbound semi-tractor/trailer operated by Marvin R. Zacharias, 62, from Hayward. Mr. Bohn received fatal injuries from the crash and was the only occupant in the vehicle. Mr. Zacharias received very minor injuries.
This traffic crash remains under investigation by the Sawyer County Sheriff's Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, and Sawyer County Coroner's Office.
