News

School safety became a hot topic Monday for the Shawano School Board, with several board members urging school officials to take proactive, not reactive steps to avoid becoming the next Parkland or Sandy Hook.

The Parkland school shooting prompted the board two weeks earlier to call for a review of local school safety procedures to determine if there were any loopholes that might make Shawano schools vulnerable.

The issue of school safety became even more heightened last week when graffiti was scrawled on a picnic table in Shawano’s Memorial Park suggesting that someone intended to shoot up one of the schools. Local law enforcement stepped up patrols around the schools after the threat was discovered, but no one is in custody for the threat.

A former Menominee Tribal Police officer faces a minimum of 15 years in prison after recently pleading guilty to attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct and make a visual depiction of it.

According to court documents, Basil L. O’Kimosh Jr., 39, admitted to using social media in 2017 to ask a 15-year-old girl to send him nude photographs of herself.

The girl’s mother became aware of O’Kimosh’s communications and contacted tribal police. On Nov. 2, tribal investigators, assuming the identity of the girl, sent O’Kimosh a communication. O’Kimosh responded asking the “girl” to send me a picture of her genitals. He also said he wanted her to leave her house, meet him and perform a sex act on him.

O’Kimosh drove a squad car to the agreed meeting location where he was summoned to the MTP station. O’Kimosh sent the “girl” a message that he would be back.

O’Kimosh was arrested upon arrival.

Shawano Police Department

April 2

Police logged 22 incidents, including the following:

Drug Offense — Police investigated a drug complaint in the 200 block of South Andrews Street.

Disorderly — Police responded to an intoxicated person complaint in the 600 block of East Randall Street.

Theft — A license plate was reported stolen in the 800 block of East Richmond Street.

Theft — House keys were reported stolen in the 200 block of South Washington Street.

April 1

Police logged 15 incidents, including the following:

Harassment — City Cab, 707 E. Elizabeth St., reported a harassment incident.

Accident — Police responded to a property damage accident at Green Bay Street and Airport Drive.

OWI — A 67-year-old Shawano woman arrested for operating while intoxicated at Ash Lane and state Highway 22.

March 31

Police logged 17 incidents, including the following:

Voters in the village of Wittenberg will weigh in Tuesday on whether to amend the U.S. Constitution to clarify that only people, not corporations or entities, should have constitutional rights.

The amendment would declare that money is not the same as speech and political spending can be limited to allow all Americans to participate in the democratic process.

So far, 120 Wisconsin communities have voted in favor of the We The People amendment.

Wittenberg is one of nine more in the state that will vote on the question Tuesday.

Voters will also cast ballots in Green and St. Croix counties, the cities of La Crosse, Marshfield, Sun Prairie, Rice Lake, the village of McFarland, and the town of Sand Creek in Dunn County.

Nationwide, 19 state legislatures and more than 760 towns, villages, cities, and counties have already voted in favor of the measure.

Shawano voters on Tuesday will decide whether incumbent Mayor Jeanne Cronce should stay in office for another two-year term or whether to hand the reins over to former police chief Ed Whealon.

The mayor’s race could mark a seminal turning point for the city of Shawano.

Cronce has argued that the city has made progress over the last two years, even if not as fast as some people would like, with new businesses coming to town and some business expanding.

Meanwhile, the Shawano Redevelopment Authority, continues to work at finally addressing complaints about blighted and vacant downtown buildings.

Whealon has raised concerns about the city’s tax rate and debt, and what he maintains is a lack of communication with the business community and a lack of transparency of government operations.

Meanwhile, a score of Shawano County Board, school district and municipal races are also on tap.

Shawano Police Department

March 29

Police logged 28 incidents, including the following:

Theft — A cell phone was reported stolen at Charlie’s County Market, 521 S. Main St.

Vandalism — A house was reported egged in the 900 block of South River Street.

Threatening — Police responded to a threatening complaint at ThedaCare Medical Center, 100 County Road B.

Trespass — Police responded to a trespassing complaint at Walmart, 1244 E. Green Bay St.

Disturbance — Police responded to a disturbance at Division and Lafayette streets.

Shoplifting — Walmart, 1244 E. Green Bay St., reported a shoplifting incident.

Burglary — A residence was reported burglarized in the 800 block of West Picnic Street.

Shawano County Sheriff’s Department

March 29

Deputies logged 42 incidents, including the following:

Drug Offense — Authorities investigated a drug complaint on Curt Black Road in the town of Wescott.

Incumbent Shawano County Board District 23 Supervisor Ray Faehling will face off with challenger Jill Brown in Tuesday’s election. The district includes all of the town of Fairbanks and Village of Tigerton, and Ward 2 of the town of Germania.

Faehling did not respond to requests to participate in this Q&A.

Name: Jill Brown

Age: 38

Address: N3666 Tower Road, Tigerton.

Family: Married for 13 years with twins, a boy and a girl, 7 years old. Born and raised on a family farm in Tigerton and lived in Tigerton for over 30 years.

Occupation: Senior director, client delivery for an IT hosting services and consulting firm.

Incumbent Shawano County Board District 4 Supervisor Aimee Zeinert will be challenged in Tuesday’s election by former supervisor Michael McClelland, who lost the seat to Zeinert two years ago. The district includes Wards 7 and 8 in the city of Shawano.

Name: Aimee Zeinert

Age: 36

Address: 928 S. Hamlin St., Shawano.

Family: Fiancé Jeff Krause.

Occupation: Critical care paramedic, Shawano Ambulance Service.

Experience/Community Involvement: One-term County Board supervisor; Volunteer for EMS during the fair.

Name: Michael T. McClelland

Age: 71

Address: 1037 S. Union St., Shawano.

Family: Two children, six grandchildren.

Occupation: Retired from aircraft industry

The Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe is one step closer to food sovereignty after it received a grant from the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program to create a demonstration garden.

SARE announced the tribe received a $29,655 grant this week to create the garden, which will go on a two-acre parcel on Maple Road in the town of Bartelme. Kellie Zahn, the tribe’s agricultural agent, wants the 150-by-150-foot garden to serve as a teaching tool for members of the tribe and its neighbors.

“What we really want to do is use this garden area as an educational space, specifically looking to connect with people who maybe are interested in gardening or vegetable farming but don’t necessarily know a lot about it,” Zahn said. “It is very educational based.”

An undetermined amount of money is not accounted for in the Clintonville School District, according to a press release from the School Board issued this week.

The board requested than an internal audit be conducted outside of the required yearly district audit process last fall. Kerber-Rose Certified Public Accountants was hired to complete an audit to review personal expense reimbursements and documentation of school district credit card usage. As part of the summary, an opinion was requested for preferred protocols and procedures of business practices related to employee expenses and reimbursements.

“Board members questioned some listed expenses and began to wonder if there was a pattern,” said board president Ben Huber.