Mtt11 Mg Final

Middleton Outreach Ministry(MOM) has a new face to go alongwith its new home on ParmenterStreet. It just so happens to be an af-fable, local face that is already famil-iar to countless people throughoutthe community.

On the eve of last week’s movefrom MOM’s outdated Hubbard Av-enue offices to a new facility at 3502Parmenter Street, Al Ripp, the chari-table organization’s new executivedirector, was reclining in a chair inan office stripped almost bare. Boxeswere piled high, and volunteers weretaking a break from carrying itemsup and down the creaky woodensteps of the old MOM offices.

Through the window, large flakesof snow were gently swaying in thebreeze as they make their way downto Hubbard Avenue.

Ripp, a lifelong Middleton resi-dent, was describing the emotionalimpact of MOM’s annual backpackgive-away program, through whichyoung students from Middleton,Cross Plains and Madison receivebags full of school supplies they need

VOL. 121, NO. 11 THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013 SINGLE COPY PRICE: $1.25

www.MiddletonTimes.com

Inside this issue:Local: School: Sports:Local restaurant celebrates25 years. 2

Middleton High School releases honor roll. Page 14

MHS focuses on strengthand conditioning. Page 19

Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - 3Dining Guide . . . . . . . . 6 - 7Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Crimeratedownin 2012

The local crime rate hit its lowestpoint in more than a decade last year,with the Middleton Police Department(MIPD) reporting an FBI index of2,754 crimes per 100,000 citizens.

However, chief of police Brad Keilsaid offenses linked to heroin continueto “plague” the Good Neighbor City.

Middleton’s crime rate in 2012 waslower than those of Madison, theUnited States, and Dane County, re-spectively. It was slightly higher thanthe State of Wisconsin’s rate of 2,695.

The local violent crime rate re-mained lower than those of Madison,Dane County, Wisconsin, and theUnited States.

“We are very fortunate to experiencea crime rate that is typically lower thanNational, State, and Dane County ratesof crime,” wrote Keil in his introduc-tion to the annual MIPD report. “Un-fortunately, the use of heroin, andcrimes being committed by users ofheroin, continues to plague our com-munity.”

Keil said burglary, theft from vehi-cles and fraud were frequently linkedto heroin users, who committed their

Police chief says heroinremains a problem

by MATT GEIGERTimes-Tribune


See CRIME, page 13

See MOM, page 10

MOM’s new day

Should citylimit boat landing access?

Buildingbonds approved

Some residents who live near thecity’s Lake Street boat landing sayrowdy behavior at all hours of the

Tribune wins awardsThe Wisconsin Newspaper Asso-

ciation Foundation presented awardsto winners of the 2012 Better News-paper Contest at the Madison Mar-riott West in Middleton during thegroup’s 159th annual convention,Feb. 28-March 1. The contest in-cluded 3,003 total entries, includingeditorial entries from 126 newspa-pers, and advertising entries from 64newspapers. Middleton Times-Tribune news

editor Matt Geiger earned a SecondAward, in the Environmental Report-ing category, for his article about theimpact of invasive species on the fishthrowing tradition at Bockfest. The

judges called the story “informativeyet very entertaining [and] easy toread.”

Geiger also received a SecondAward for Reporting on Local Edu-cation. The judges called his cover-age of the legal battle between theMEA teachers’ union and the Mid-dleton-Cross Plains Area School Dis-trict “just overall excellent.” Geigeris the winner of eight WNA awardsduring his time at the MiddletonTimes-Tribune.

The Wisconsin Newspaper Asso-ciation (WNA) was established in1853 and is among the oldest pressassociations in the world.

See LANDING, page 10

by MATT GEIGERTimes-TribuneTimes-Tribune photo by Matt Geiger

Al Ripp is the new executive director at Middleton Outreach Ministry,but he’s hardly a stranger to the community he’s now serving with thenon-profit organization.

Times-Tribune photo by Matt GeigerTheir storyIn Making Lemonade With Ben: The Audacity to Cope, local author Kather-

ine Perreth (right) reveals the many highs and lows that followed her sonBen’s brain hemorrhage. To learn more about the book, which is availablenow, turn to page 11.

The Middleton-Cross Plains AreaSchool Board on Monday unanimouslyapproved a resolution awarding thesale of $59.86 million in general obli-gation school building bonds.

Proceeds of the bonds are to fundupcoming additions and renovations atKromrey and Glacier Creek middleschools, projects that were approved by


See BONDS, page 13

The Middleton Police Department(MIPD) is launching tip411, an Internetbased tool that enables the public totext anonymous tips to police. It alsolets police respond back, creating atwo-way anonymous “chat.”

Reserved exclusively for publicsafety purposes and powered by Citi-zenObserver, a St. Paul, MN company,tip411 puts a powerful new crimefighting tool into the hands of our com-munity for all ages and demographics.

“We’re proud to be part of a nationalprogram that benefits over 1,000 com-munities around the country,” saidMIPD captain Charles Foulke. “Thisnew capability will help our citizensplay an active role in keeping neigh-

borhoods safer, it will engage ayounger demographic in the processand it will save our agency time and re-sources.”

Anyone with a cell phone can nowsend an anonymous tip to the Middle-ton Police Department by texting theword “MIDDLETON,” followed bythe tip information to 847411 (tip411).

CitizenObserver’s technology re-moves all identifying information be-fore the Middleton Police Departmentsees it, so there’s no way to identify thesender.

According to police chief Brad Keil,this capability is a new paradigm forcreating safer communities, especiallyin reaching out to a younger age demo-graphic.

“When someone feels afraid tocome forward or simply feels like theydon’t want to get involved, this can bea great way to pass information onwithout fear of retribution,” aid Keil.

Anonymous tips can also be submit-ted right from the police department’swebsite at www.MiddletonPD.com, aswell as on the MIPD Facebook page.

If children are awake, they aremost likely online. According to thethe Dane County Sheriff’s Office,that puts some at risk.

According to the National Centerfor Missing and Exploited children,one in three teens have experiencedonline harassment. When onlinegaming, 27 percent of teens admitthey play games with people theydon’t know. In addition, one in 25youth have received an online sexualsolicitation where the solicitor triedto make offline contact.

The Dane County Sheriff’s Officewill provide an Internet and Technol-ogy Safety presentation Wednesday,March 20 at the Westport Commu-nity Meeting Room, located at 5387Mary Lake Road. From 6-8 p.m.,adults will learn about topics such asFacebook, cyber bullying, onlinepredators and cell phone texting andphoto sharing.

This is an adults only presentationand is offered free of charge to thepublic.

PAGE 2 MIDDLETON TIMES-TRIBUNE THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

Priest’s murderin True CrimemagazineA local murder from 1998 has

landed on the pages of a Britishmagazine. The March edition ofTrue Crime Detective Monthly fea-tures a story about the unsolvedkilling of Father Alfred Kunz, theCatholic priest found murdered inthe Village of Dane. The article isauthored by Middleton Times-Tri-bune news editor Matt Geiger.Copies are available at

www.truecrimelibrary.com.

Sheriff’s office offers Internetsafety education for parents

Cops launch tip411

On Friday, March 22, the MiddletonPolice Department will join law en-forcement agencies around the world,connecting via Twitter to participate ina 24-hour Tweet-a-thon to bring atten-tion to the use of social media by lawenforcement. Middleton Police areplanning to tweet all calls between 3p.m. and 11 p.m. on March 22 and any-one interested in following the Tweet-a-Thon locally can simply follow@MiddletonPD on Twitter, like the de-partment’s Facebook page or log ontowww.MiddletonPD.com to follow theTwitter feed there.

Additionally, agencies across theworld will all tweet using the samehashtag, “#poltwt,” to create awarenessabout police work and issues policeface as well as to promote the use ofsocial media in policing.

“We hope to give community mem-bers an opportunity to do a virtual ride-along, similar to the tweet-along thatwe held locally last year, in hopes ofproviding a glimpse of the daily activ-ity and behind-the-scenes look at a typ-ical day at the Middleton PoliceDepartment,” said social media man-ager Keith Cleasby.

MIPD in global ‘Tweet-a-Thon’

THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013 MIDDLETON TIMES-TRIBUNE PAGE 3

Biendseil backsSt. John for judge

To the editor,

I am not judge or attorney. I am justa citizen trying to figure out whom tovote for in the election for DaneCounty Circuit Court.

I have met and talked with both can-didates. They are both people of greatintelligence, who work hard and dogood work in our community. Both arecommitted to upholding the state andfederal constitutions.

However, I have decided that JudgeRebecca St. John is the better candi-date. She has judicial experience andher opponent does not. Judge St. Johnhas presided over more than 700 cases.And 35 judges have endorsed her,while only three have endorsed her op-ponent.

Judge St. John is independent anddoesn’t make judicial decision basedon personalities or politics. As she haswritten, “Put simply, as a Judge I havean independent duty to enforce theConstitution and to invalidate uncon-stitutional laws. I believe deeply in therole of an independent judiciary, as athird branch serving as a check and bal-ance in our democratic form of govern-ment.”

That’s good enough for me.Finally, I support Rebecca St. John

because her personal beliefs are at-tuned to my own. She has said she per-sonally believes in equality for allunder the law, that health care deci-sions are between a woman and herdoctor, and that more people should beencouraged to vote.

I trust Rebecca St. John to continueto be a fair and independent judge inDane Country and urge voters to sup-port her on April 2.

Ron Biendseil

Town officialshave failed onATC issue

To the editor,

As a homeowner with children, I amvery concerned about the prospect ofhaving American Transmission Com-pany (ATC) bring in high voltagepower lines near my home and SunsetRidge Elementary school. Many cred-ible scientists have raised concernsover the health risks of living, working,or attending school near high-voltageelectric lines – especially for youngchildren.

I try to pay attention to local issuesas much as I am able. I have recentlylearned that the Middleton Town Boardcould have negotiated with ATC re-garding details of the high-voltageelectric line routes when the Boardvoted both to allow ATC to build theCardinal Substation in the Town andmore recently when the Board againvoted on agreements with ATC.

Instead of protecting us, the Boardquietly made a deal with ATC, took theone-time payment from ATC, and did-n’t stand up to ATC despite knowingthat ATC wants to build a total of fournew high-voltage electric line routes,which will divide the Town.

As a potentially impacted home-owner, and for everyone who has achild at Sunset Ridge ElementarySchool, I am upset by this failure ofleadership by elected Town officials. It

is for this reason that I am strongly sup-porting Greg DiMiceli and Plan Com-mission member Cynthia Richson,who are both running to replace currentmembers of the Town Board.

Sincerely,

Kelly Huntington

Town financesare in good shape

To the editor,

In a recent Letter to the Editor, townboard candidate Cynthia Richasonstated that the Town of Middleton’s fi-nancial affairs were in a mess and willlead to higher property taxes. OnMarch 4th, Town residents at the Boardmeeting were provided with informa-tion that suggests quite a different pic-ture.

Preliminary results project a budgetsurplus for 2012 and in keeping withpast practices, the current Town Boardwill appropriate these funds to Townreserves to meet future obligations andexpenses.

Johnson Block, an independent pub-lic accounting firm, is in the process ofcompleting its year end audit work ofTown’s financial affairs and the Townis on track to earn yet another unquali-fied opinion - the highest opinion to begarnered.

One of the Town’s designated re-serves is for the Middleton Fire Districtand in a presentation from Fire ChiefAaron Harris at the same meeting, itwas clear that the Town has sufficientreserves to pay for its share of any cap-ital equipment that may need to be ac-quired in the near future. He alsoreminded residents that the Town’sshare of these expenses for the FireDistrict is set at 25 percent based onexisting agreements with other munic-ipalities. If the Town were to spend$1,000,000 as Candidate Richason im-plies, then the Middleton Fire Districtwould be spending $4,000,000 in 2014and that certainly is not the case.

A review of the Town’s debt totaling$6,300,000 at year end, showed thatnearly 90 percent of this balance wasincurred for the reconstruction of OldSauk Road and our fire stations. Thelow interest bonds will be retired overthe next seven and 16 years respec-tively. In both situations, the Townearned a high “AA+” rating from Stan-dard and Poor’s - another favorable re-flection on the Town’s financialcondition.

The “chicken little” scenario andthreats of spikes in tax bills cast bycandidates for the Town’s Board sim-ply aren’t true. When residents look atthe facts, they will learn that the Townof Middleton has been able to achievea budget surplus for 2012, build strongreserves for the future, appropriatelyfund obligations to the Middleton FireDistrict, earn high marks from an inde-pendent accounting firm and last butnot least, achieve a highly respectableAA+ rating from Standard &Poor’s. These accomplishments camewith a disciplined financial commit-ment from the Town Board and shouldbe considered when residents vote onApril 2nd.

Kevin Mahaney

Chair of town finance committee/Campaign treasurer for

Milo Breunig

Town board ‘passive’ on ATC

To the editor,

I am very concerned about the pos-sibility of having ATC place high-volt-age electric lines near our home andschool. Even more troubling is the factthat current members of our TownBoard have been passive about pre-venting this or at least trying to makesure they aren’t built as close as 300feet from our homes and schools.

Yes, I know they are now trying toput on a good show at Town BoardMeetings, but if Town of Middletonvoters don’t go to the polls on April 2to elect better representatives to theTown Board, rest assured the show willsoon end to the detriment of Townhomeowners.

We, the taxpaying property owners,with school-aged children will be theones who will suffer the negativehealth effects and property devaluationeffects because of the current TownBoard’s failure to stand up for us. Andif anyone from other areas of the Townthink this won’t affect them, let me as-sure you that when property valuesplummet in our area, you will be theones paying higher taxes to make upfor the lost value. One way or another,the Town Board will get its spendingmoney.

Greg DiMiceli and Cynthia Richsonhave been fighting to protect our kidsand our property values by proactivelyopposing the ATC high-voltage electriclines. The current Town Board hasdone almost nothing to protect you inthis regard. I urge all Town of Middle-ton residents to support Mr. DiMiceliand Ms. Richson in the Spring Electionon April 2.

Sincerely,Debbie Parente

Roehl has servedcitizens well

Dear editor,

I appreciate folks that take the time,and have the energy, to run for publicoffice. Especially folks with commonsense and the eagerness to do the rightthing for the community as a whole.

This is why I will continue to sup-port Tim Roehl to retain his seat on thetown board. I have known Tim for 15-plus years now and he has always beenenergetic, eager to learn, and eager todo the right thing. As a Realtor, Timhas superior knowledge about thehousing market and land use issues andwhat that means to the township as awhole.

Tim is also sensitive to the budget tohelp maintain basic services at a highlevel. An example would be the profes-sional street maintenance crew. We’veall driven in nearby communities andhave seen their lack of winter plowing.Our roads are always in better condi-tion.

Another thing I like about Tim isthat he doesn’t feel hemmed in to goalong with the crowd. Tim is a personthat has questioned the prevailing wis-dom and is not afraid to shake thingsup as he is always searching for moreefficient ways of completing the task athand.

I guess what I appreciate the most isthat Tim doesn’t look to the town resi-dents as a source of money to spend in-

discriminately. Tim sees to it that everydollar we pay to support town govern-ment is spent wisely and not squan-dered. I like that, and I will be votingfor Tim Roehl.

Ron Reif

Town boardneeds new blood

To the editor,

We have been homeowners in theTown of Middleton for 28 years. Overthe years there has not been very muchturnover on the Town Board with in-cumbents being automatically re-elected because no one runs againstthem.

We are glad to see that Town home-owners Greg DiMiceli and CynthiaRichson have stepped-up to challengeincumbents who have been in officelong enough. We need more qualifiedpeople to step-up and run for local of-fice. Town homeowners deserve avoice on the Town Board. We will bevoting for Mr. DiMiceli and Ms. Rich-son and encourage others to do so aswell on April 2.

Kevin & Catherine Snitchler

Sipsma supportsMilo Breunig

To the editor,

I heartily endorse Milo Breunig forre-election as Town Chair in the Townof Middleton.

Milo serves on the Middleton FireCommission with me. Milo is consci-entious and thoughtful in his service tothe Commission. His paramount con-cern is for the public safety of theTown’s residents. He balances this con-cern with the sound fiscal managementof the Fire District. The Town’s safetyhas been enhanced and finances pro-tected with the construction of StationNo.2 in the Town during Milo’s tenure.

Effective leadership comes from ex-perienced and selfless public servantslike Milo, not from self-serving oneissue neophytes who can’t even gettheir facts straight from the get- go.Don’t be fooled with false promises.Look at the facts and re-elect Milo Bre-unig. Your wallet and your safety willbe thankful you did!

Ken Sipsma Chair, Middleton Fire Commission,

Town of Westport Board

Lanford hasearned trust

Letter to the editor,

As a practicing attorney, and munic-ipal court judge, I support Rhonda Lan-ford for Dane County Judge on April 2.She has a distinguished record of serv-ice to our community. She graduatedfrom the UW Law School, received theRuth B.

Doyle Award for Outstanding Serv-ice, and has used her legal skills to ad-vance the interests of working men andwomen.

Dane County voters should be con-cerned about statements made by Ms.Lanford’s opponent Rebecca St. John,to Governor Walker when she success-

fully sought his appointment to be ajudge. She wrote that she views JusticeGableman’s decision in State v Henleyas one of the “best” Supreme Court de-cisions in the last thirty years. In thatdecision, Justice Gableman, joined byJustices Roggensack, Prosser andZiegler, set aside a long standing inter-pretation of the Wisconsin constitution,and ruled that a trial judge had no au-thority to order a new trial to considernew evidence that might exonerate thedefendant.

Justice Crooks wrote a vigorous dis-sent joined by Justices Abrahamsonand Bradley. He stated that until the de-cision (that Ms. St. John praises) it wasrecognized law that trial courts have“inherent authority” which “is derivedfrom the Wisconsin Constitution” toorder a new trial in the interests of jus-tice. He voiced his concern that “a manin his early 20s” now “faces a 20-yearprison sentence” when the judge whotried him took the “rare step” of order-ing a new trial based on evidence notpresented at the first trial.

Ms. St. John’s praise of the Gable-man decision as one of the “best”should give Dane County voters pause.When it comes to interpreting ourstate’s constitution, Dane County needsjudges who are fair and independent,and will not lightly reverse longstand-ing precedent. Voters should recall thatthe interpretation of the Wisconsin con-stitution played a significant role in thedecision of a Dane County Judge tostrike down parts of Act 10, a decisionwhich Governor Walker dismissed asthat of a “liberal activist” judge. Ms. St.John’s application suggests that shemay share the Governor’s concernsabout “liberal activist” judges. She ad-vised him that the “first” reason she hasfor wanting him to appoint her judge isto “protect” our government from the“numerous instances” she has seen “inwhich judges deviated from the law.”

I trust Rhonda Lanford to be fair andindependent and urge voters to supporther on April 2, 2013.

Marilyn Townsend

Wexler endorsesLanford for court

To the editor,

I am writing to urge Dane Countyvoters to elect Rhonda Lanford asJudge for the Branch 16 Circuit Courtseat on April 2nd.

We are so used to voting for candi-dates for legislative and executive of-fices that we tend to minimize just howimportant the judicial branch plays inenforcing the law. I have researchedand met the candidates for this seat andI am very impressed with Rhonda’spassion and commitment to make surethat the law is enforced equitably andwith respect for anyone appearing inher court. I had the opportunity towork as a Court Aide for the DaneCounty Clerk of Circuit Courts and Isaw firsthand the need for judges whocould effectively and fairly dispensejustice. Rhonda’s experience and out-standing character make her a perfectchoice for this judgeship.

All too often, the Circuit Court isnecessary to assure the equity that isabsent in actions by the State Legisla-ture and Governor. I would sure feelmore comfortable having a judge thatI know would consider the legality andbest interests of the public when inter-

Letters to the Editor

See OPINION, page 4

preting the law. Dane County has a long and impres-

sive record of electing progressivejudges who stand for the values that wehold dear. Voting for Rhonda Lanfordon April 2nd will assure that this recordcontinues.

Best Wishes,

Jim Wexler

Glad to vote forTim Roehl

To the editor,

As new town residents we are goingto be very glad to vote for Tim Roehlin the April election. We are new to thetown and one of the main reasons isthat Tim is your great cheerleader.

Tim was very happy to tell us of thegreat schools, Dane County Sheriffcontracted deputies Garret and Mike,low property taxes, and how the build-ing inspector Fred is also one to ask

about helpful new home tips! All andmore are true of the Town Middletonand our new home.

Sincerely,Kirk & Peggy Daubenspeck

Leave dogs out of conservancy


The reintroduction of Dogs in GothConservancy seems to be the centralfocus of Mr. Alton’s campaign for theTown of Middleton Board. The infer-ence is that Royce Goth somehow en-visioned the land he donated to theTown as becoming a neighborhood dogpark.

This might be convenient, but it issimply not true. His wishes have beenwell established by family members,the executor of his estate, his friends,and town officials who were there atthe time and know the facts.

The Town is currently working onways to open up more areas for dogwalking. The Ice Age Trail NationalPark is less than a mile away fromGoth Conservancy with miles of dogwalking trails. It would be wrong todegrade Goth Conservancy by intro-ducing dogs for the sake of conven-ience.

I agree with Mae “Goth” Hartwig’sletter to you dated February 14th. TheTown of Middleton has done a greatjob in the first phase of the plan forGoth Conservancy. It is my opinionthat it is important that they finish thefinal phase to increase human interestand traffic. Utilizing interpretive sig-nage and changing the front end of theconservancy including, more parking,grass areas, and picnic tables, willmake it more people friendly, and helpgenerate traffic to Goth Conservancy.

It is true that half way thru the de-velopment process of Goth Conser-vancy, there is not enough humantraffic as of yet. It is my hope that a“Friends of Goth Conservancy” organ-ization will be formed to help the Townwith this last phase and beyond. Byworking together with family, neigh-bors, and friends, we can bring Goth

Conservancy to the traffic level that weall want.

Goth Conservancy has a beauty ofits own, and this final phase will makeit a neighborhood conservancy thatbrings people together. Royce Gothwould be pleased.

Sincerely,

Jerry Goth

3 incumbents deserve support

To the editor,

From my participation with theTown’s Comprehensive PlanningCommission (2007-2009), the PlanCommission (2008-present), and theFinance Committee (2011-present), Ihave had the opportunity to work withthe three incumbents and two of thechallengers for the Middleton TownBoard election on April 2.

From these direct experiences, I amsupporting the three incumbents, MiloBreunig, Tim Roehl, and Bill Kolar. Irespect them for their honesty, in-

tegrity, and fairness. They listen, learn,and then act in the best interests of theTown’s residents.

There is financial misinformationbeing broadcast by two challengerswithin Internet sites, brochures, and ed-itorials. The Town’s finances are notin disarray, nor in a fiscal mess, nor isthere irresponsible spending. If real,the Finance Committee would havebeen the first to know this and recom-mend preemptive actions to avoid anyof these situations. This Committeeconsists of financial professionals andwas formed by the incumbents. At theirbehest, the scrutiny over the Town’s fi-nances has never been better.

Directly from financial data, theTown’s spending part of its reserves in2013 was planned and resulted fromsavings set aside from previous years.

Town debt is for large capital proj-ects and not to fund operations. Inter-est spending is only $300,000, not$900,000, is less than 7 percent of thebudget, not 30 percent as described bya challenger. There is no plan to spiketaxes in 2014 or later. The FinanceCommittee’s goal on day one has beento limit tax growth year to year. Thefire district capital improvements areexpected in 2015, not 2014, and areplanned for about $600,000. TheTown’s share is 25 percent or$150,000, not $1 million. TIF spend-ing? The Town is only investigating apossible TIF near Seybold Road for asmall fee. TIFs are self-contained fi-nancial entities. Tax bills for residentsoutside of the TIF will notincrease. All TIF costs are paid by theTIF, not the residents. Once closed,there is a long-term reward to the resi-dents.

Are the Town’s finances highrisk? Not hardly. The high risk is mis-used information to coerce voters. Theincumbents have a successful historydoing what is best for the Town’s resi-dents and we should want them to con-tinue to do good things for theTown. I’m supporting Milo Breunig,Tim Roehl, and Bill Kolar on April 2.

Mike Stoetzel

Roehl is a good listener, leader


I ask town of Middleton residents tojoin us in our support in re-electingTim Roehl to the board on April 2. Wehave known the Roehls ever since webuilt our home in Stonebrook Es-tates. We could not be happier.

We support Tim because he cares forthe town first and what people think ofa decision he makes second. You willget a direct, well-thought answer fromTim. You might not always like the an-swer, but you know that it will be rightfor the entire town and not influencedby special interests.

I read the first article on the electionand saw that his opponent stated that,“Tim never a saw a development hedidn’t like.” That’s just not true. Hecame to our home for his first signa-tures when he first ran for theboard. His main reason for running in2007 was that the Planning Commis-sion (that he was on at the time) unan-imously turned down a developmenton several occasions and yet the boardpassed it.

If you want to find out where Timstands on an issue just ask him. Givehim a call. We know that you will findhim well read on the issues, caring, agood listener, and humorous. We areproud to support him, ask that you dothe same, and happily call him ourfriend.

Linda & Randy Grosse


OPINION continued from page 3

American Transmission Co. (ATC)has energized the completed 32-mile,345-kilovolt Rockdale-West MiddletonTransmission Line.

The project was first introduced tothe public in 2004. In 2009, after nearlytwo years of regulatory review andample public opposition to both thePSC-funded study that showed theneed for the line and the routes pro-posed, the PSC ordered a portion of theline to be built along the Beltline High-way.

Brian Fischer, Rockdale-West Mid-dleton project manager, pointed to thecompany’s coordinated performanceon multiple fronts during the past fouryears of planning, design and construc-tion as evidence of the project’s suc-cess. “Our project team’s practice ofcollaboration and taking into account

all factors - rather than consideringeach area or stage separately - resultedin unique solutions that saved time,money and minimized environmentalimpacts,” said Fischer.

“We received outstanding supportfrom local officials, and state regula-tors worked with us in a cooperativemanner to ensure that their concernswere addressed effectively,” he contin-ued. The line can carry 1,267megawatts of electricity, enough topower 239,000 homes.

ATC is a Wisconsin-based companythat owns, operates, builds and main-tains the high-voltage electric transmis-sion system serving portions of theUpper Midwest. It is now is a $3.1 bil-lion company with 9,440 miles oftransmission lines and 525 substations.

The Middleton Common Council onFeb. 19 approved a development agree-ment with Nursery Drive Investors,LLC, and Timothy Carey, in the lateststep toward construction of a 40,000square foot Affiliated ConstructionServices (ACS) facility in the GoodNeighbor City.

The council already approved TheCarey Group’s request for $400,000 indeveloper-financed Tax Increment Fi-nancing (TIF) for the project. The deal

was designed to attract ACS to lot 19in the Airport Road Business Park.

The building being planned herewould include both manufacturingquarters and warehouse space.

The preliminary developmentbudget, according to Carey’s figures, is$4.34 million. It includes $605,000 forthe land, slightly more than $3.155 mil-lion for construction, and $580,000 toremedy “soft soils.”

According to Carey, ACS will moveits manufacturing operation to Middle-ton along with about 25 full-time em-ployees with gross wages ranging from

$16 to $43 per hour, with an average of$27.50 per hour. ACS also expects tomove the salaried engineers from itsMadison office building to the facilitywithin the next 18 months.

The land is currently assessed at$1,095,800. The ACS building wouldpush that figure to around $3,472,000,creating $2,376,200 in new incremen-tal value, said the developer. If thosenumbers are accurate, the TIF willhave a payback period of eight years.


ACS takes the next stepby MATT GEIGERTimes-Tribune

Middleton is celebrating 50 years asa city. As part of the celebration, theMiddleton Times-Tribune and the Mid-dleton Senior Center are sponsoring anessay contest: “Tell us your Middletonstory in 600 words or less.”

The winning entries will be pub-lished in a special section, included inthe Times-Tribune, in early April.There will be one winner selected fromeach of three age groups: youth (under21); adult (21-55); and senior (56 andup).

Please include a title. Anythingabout the community in the last 50years will be considered, but we arehoping people will tell tales that en-lighten all of us about this unique city’sculture and people.

The author’s name, age and identi-fying information should be included,and submissions should be sent [email protected] or to LauraLanger at the Senior Center.

The deadline for all entries has beenextended to the end of the day Sunday.

Essay contestdeadline extended

The Middleton Fire District is re-minding residents to make a changethat could save their lives – changingthe batteries in their smoke alarmsand carbon monoxide detectors.

Non-working smoke alarms robresidents of the protective benefitshome fire safety devices were de-signed to provide, and the most com-monly cited cause of non-workingsmoke alarms is worn or missing bat-teries.

Changing smoke alarm batteries atleast twice per year is one of the sim-plest, most effective ways to reducethese tragic deaths and injuries. Infact, working smoke alarms nearlycut in half the risk of dying in a homefire. Additionally, the InternationalAssociation of Fire Chiefs recom-mends replacing smoke alarms everyten years.

The Middleton Fire District hasjoined the “Change Your Clock,Change Your Battery” campaign.The program urges all Americans toadopt a simple, lifesaving habit:changing smoke alarm and carbonmonoxide detector batteries whenchanging clocks to daylight savingstime.

The peak time for home fire fatal-ities is between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.when most families are sleeping.Smoke alarm maintenance is a sim-ple, effective way to reduce homefire deaths.

In addition, the Middleton FireDistrict recommends residents usethe “extra” hour they save from thetime change to test smoke alarms andcarbon monoxide detectors by push-ing the test button, planning “twoways out” and practicing escaperoutes with the entire family.

How batteries can save lives

It’s electric: Rockdale-WestMiddleton power line is on

MIDDLETON TIMES-TRIBUNE THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2013

The MHS Orchestra Mike DeweyMemorial Concerto-Pops Concert willfeature commissioned works by Chi-travina N. Ravikiran.

The concert is scheduled to takeplace tonight (Thursday, March 14),from 7:30- 9:30 p.m. at the MiddletonPerforming Arts Center, 2100 BristolStreet.

This popular concert showcases fivefeatured student performers playingand singing concertos/arias. Perform-ing with piano accompaniment will be

alto saxophonist Chance Stine, playingIbert’s Concertino di Camera.

Performing with the MHS Sym-phony Orchestra will be violists JuliaTibbetts and Nathaniel Corey, playingBach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.6,Mvt. 3; soprano soloist Anja Pustaver,singing Puccini’s “O Mio BabbinoCaro” from Gianni Schicchi; and clar-inetist Sonia Urquidi, performing Clar-inet Concertino by Weber. In additionto the concertos, the orchestra will alsobe playing two movements from the

Tchaikovsky “Serenade for Strings,”the “Surprise” movement from theHaydn Symphony No.94, and excerptsfrom Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Ex-hibition” under the direction of Mr.Steve Kurr.

This year’s concert will also featurethe premier of “Not i,” a commis-sioned work by Chitravina N. Raviki-ran, popularly referred to as the“Mozart of Indian Music.” Throughthe Global Initiative Grant, The Mid-dleton Cross Plains Area School Dis-

trict has invited this world renownedcomposer, slide instrumentalist, vocal-ist and guru to compose pieces forMHS Symphony Orchestra perform-ances including the Concerto PopsConcert and Eine Kleine Kindermusikperformed for over 1,000 elementaryschool students on March 13 at 9 and10 am at the MHS PAC.

The middle school orchestras willpremier Ravikiran’s “Bay of Bengal”at their May concert. Ravikiran is vis-iting MCPASD schools for re-hearsals/workshops with theorchestras on March 12 and 14.

Tonight’s performance is free andopen to the community.

On Saturday and Sunday, more than340 talented young musicians will en-liven the Wisconsin winter with beau-tiful performances of both classical andcontemporary works.

Youth Orchestra will open the con-cert series at 7 p.m. on Saturday, withaudience favorites including move-ments from Bizet’s Carmen Suite,Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, andProkofiev’s Symphony No. 7.

Local residents Savannah Albrecht,Matthew Kim, Emily Schmidt, TannerTanyeri, Sonia Urquidi, Michael Xieand Michelle Xie perform with YouthOrchestra.

On Sunday at 1:30 p.m., Sinfoniettawill perform pieces including Grusel’s“A Wisconsin Tableau,” whose fourmovements create a musical explo-ration of our state’s history and land-marks. Concert Orchestra will treat theaudience to Grieg’s Norwegian Dancesand Smith’s “The Great SteamboatRace.”

Local residents Alan Chen, JasonDou and Simone Hendrix perform withSinfonietta Orchestra. Local residentsSophie Auerbach, Calvin Guse, Made-line Straus, and Anna Welton-Arndtperform with Concert Orchestra.

At 4 p.m., following a performanceby the eight young musicians of theHarp Ensemble, Philharmonia Orches-tra will present some of their mostcomplex and challenging repertoire ofthe year, including Sibelius’s Sym-phony No. 2 and Berceuse & Finalefrom Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite.

Local residents Henry Cryns,Cherry Kayo, Anna Kim, Emily Marty,Sarah Marty, Akash Pattnaik, NikhilTrivedi, Wesley Wakai and LaurenWelton-Arndt perform with Philhar-monia Orchestra. Local resident NoahHelbach performs with Harp Ensem-ble.

The Winterfest Concerts will be heldin Mills Concert Hall in the UW Hu-manities Building, 455 N. Park Street,Madison. WYSO concerts are gener-ally about an hour and a half in length,providing a great orchestral concert op-portunity for families.

Tickets are available at the door, $10for adults and $5 for children under 18years of age.

WYSO was founded in 1966 andhas served nearly 5000 young musi-cians from more than 100 communitiesin southern Wisconsin.


W H A T ’ S H A P P E N I N G ?

Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra presents Winterfest Concerts

MHS Orchestra to play Ravikiran at Concerto-PopsPhoto contributed

Winterfest tickets will be available at the door.

Ravikiran

Author Ron McCrea will be visitingthe Middleton Public Library on Thurs-day, March 21 at 7 p.m. to discuss andread from his recently published book,Building Taliesin: Frank LloydWright’s Home of Love and Loss.

McCrea is a prize-winning journalistand former Alicia Patterson Fellowwho worked on the news desks of NewYork Newsday, the San Jose MercuryNews, the Washington Post, the Wash-ington Star, the Boston Globe, and theCapital Times in Madison, Wisconsin,where he served for a decade as cityeditor.Building Taliesin details the creation

of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin,

which would be the architect’s princi-pal residence to the end of his life. Mc-Crea paints a vibrant picture of thebuilding and its central charactersthrough letters, memoirs, contempo-rary documents, and a stunning assem-blage of photographs - many of which

have never before been published.Wisconsin Historical Society Press

will have copies of the book availablefor purchase after the event. For moreinformation or to register for this pro-gram, email [email protected] or call608-827-7403.


Photo contributed

Go-Getters 4H Club has been busyThe 41-member club, comprised of 30 families, put together 15 care

packages for U.S. army troops stationed in Afghanistan. Items includedin the care packages included gum, beef jerky, snacks, drink mixes andpersonal hygiene items. But the club’s generosity didn’t stop there.On January 26, members got together and tied 24 fleece blankets to

donate to the Salvation Army Homeless Shelter. The group reconvenedon Saturday, Feb. 9 and baked and decorated 180 cupcakes. The clubdelivered the cupcakes and the fleece blankets to the Salvation ArmyHomeless Shelter.The Go-Getters are also planning to volunteer at the Heartland Farm

Sanctuary near Verona. It won’t be too long before they are busy withpreparations for both the Lodi Fair and the Dane County Junior Fair,as well.

The Hubbard Art Center will offi-cially open its doors with a grand open-ing Thursday, March 21, from 4-8 p.m.

Middleton Recreation and the Mid-

dleton Senior Center will offer activi-ties at the center, for all ages, startingin April. Those who attend the grandopening will have a chance to meet the

instructors, register for programs, andenjoy hors d’oeuvres. Local artists willhave their original artwork on display.A ribbon cutting will be held at 6 p.m.

The Middleton Knights of Colum-bus Council 4549 will be serving abountiful Country Breakfast to raisefunds for the Cardinal Virtues Youth

Group. St. Bernard Parish Center, Middle-

ton, on Sunday, March 24, 2013, from7:30 am to 1 p.m. Breakfast will in-

clude pancakes, sausage, tater tots,scrambled eggs, applesauce, coffee,and orange juice. Cost: $4 for children3-9, and $7 per person 10 and up.

Because It’s Small, a documentaryshort film about Little Free Libraries,will be shown Wednesday, March 27 at7 p.m. at in the Middleton Public Li-brary Archer Room.

The film is by Marc Kornblatt, anauthor, filmmaker, and educator wholives in Madison. After the film, Korn-blatt will answer questions and lead a

discussion about Little Free Libraries. Little Free Libraries - small wooden

boxes mounted on posts where anyonecan take or leave a book - are a great away to promote literacy and build asense of community through booksharing.

Since the Little Free Library Move-ment was first conceived by Wisconsi-

nite Todd Bol, the movement hasspread to all fifty states and four conti-nents. Anyone can be a steward of aLittle Free Library; new LFLs are pop-ping up all the time.

For more information or to registerfor this program, [email protected] or call 608-827-7403.

Each month on a Monday night, theMiddleton Public Library hosts a ReadIt and Eat book club for ‘tweens (ages8-12). The group eats supper togetherwhile discussing a book, then does anactivity related to the book.

Last month, Read It and Eat met onFebruary 11. Participants had read thebook The Year of the Dog by Grace Linin preparation for the book club meet-ing. This is the story of a Chinese-

American girl who celebrates ChineseNew Year and finds friendship and luckin the year that follows. The authorweaves many of her own childhoodmemories into the book, including try-ing out for The Wizard of Oz, enteringthe science fair, and dressing up onHalloween.

Middleton’s own Imperial Gardenrestaurant generously donated a deli-cious Chinese supper for the group this

month. The participants loved tasting Chi-

nese dishes while discussing ChineseNew Year.

After dinner and discussion, groupmembers created red paper envelopesin the tradition of Chinese New Year.Many participants also created book-marks, which they put inside their en-velopes to give to friends and lovedones.

Hubbard Arts Center to open soon

Knights of Columbus serve breakfast

A ‘Small’ documentary March 27

‘Tweens enjoy library’s Read It and Eat

Author Ron McCrea arrives at public library next week

night has become a public nuisance.They took their case to city hall,where they called for increased re-strictions that would prevent someLake Mendota users from accessingthe area, and parking near it, at night.

But the threat of restricted accessto Middleton’s only boat launch ontothe lake brought a torrent of fishingenthusiasts to a recent meeting of theMiddleton Common Council, wherethey said the tranquility afforded bylate night and early morning fishingprovides a vital escape from the bus-

tle of daily life, offering a uniquechance to experience nature. Theysaid the launch should be availableto everyone, not just those wealthyenough to own lakefront property.

The council appeared to hear theirimplorations, voting to impose nofurther parking restrictions on LakeStreet in the area of the boat launchat this time.

But the reprieve could be shortlived, as the council also requestedthat the city’s license and ordinancecommittee develop a more specific

proposal for boat launch hours, aswell as signage.

Tom Karman, who lives at 2623Middleton Beach Rd., near the boatlaunch and on the lake, spoke infavor of restricting parking on LakeStreet in the area of the boat launchand other restrictions to lessen ongo-ing problems with noise. He listed anarray of disturbances and “negativeactivities,” including drunkennessand late night commotions.

Others who live nearby said they

simply want visible signage in thearea to help combat ongoing distur-bances.

Speaking at the forefront of astring of fishermen, Mike Hinz, wholives on Voss Parkway, away fromthe water, gave voice to the otherside of the issue, Hinz said “some ofthe best times to fish are before sun-rise, and after sunset.” He called it a“mystical time, and also a quitetime.”

Hinz said the land is a public right

of way, which should be open toeveryone, rather than a dedicatedcity park, which would usually haverestricted hours. He said parking re-strictions would “have the same ef-fect as closing the launch.”

(Mayor Kurt Sonnentag said thelanding was dedicated as a city parkbut is treated like a right of way inmany instances.)

“What are the neighbors … tryingto accomplish?” Hinz asked. He tookissue with the idea that those wholive on the lake should have uniquerights, saying the launch should be“for everyone.”

“When people buy property thatoverlooks the lake and has a publicboat launch, they should expect traf-fic and people using the facility,”Hinz said. “It’s not their specialarea.”

Hinz said he lives near a park, andsometimes parking near his house isfull because of its users. “I knew thatwhen I bought the property, and Idon’t come to the city asking for spe-cial rights,” he stated.

Hinz, like many who spoke, saidany problems related to publicdrunkenness or loud noise should beaddressed with lighting, cameras, orlaw enforcement measures.

At the city’s subsequent licenseand ordinance committee meeting onMarch 5, the committee voted unan-imously to draft an ordinance thatwould allow 24/7 access for anglers,but would also put in place a permitsystem for use between 10 p.m. and5 a.m.

State statute allows the city to re-strict access to the lake but prohibitslaws that would prevent people fromaccessing land from the water, at anytime, for safety reasons.


for the coming semester.“The overall need is just shocking,”

Ripp said. “You see so many people.The children come in with the biggestsmiles, and you see the anxiety justmelt away from the faces of their par-ents.”

Ripp retired from his prior job onthe last day of 2012, after nearly 40years of service in the telecommunica-tions industry. During his time withTDS Telecommunications Corp., heworked closely with MOM.

“I was very fortunate to be able towork on the giving side through TDS,”he said. “Now I get to give directly tothose in need.”

When Ripp retired, Dave Wittwer,president and CEO of TDS, said, “Iknow he did everything he could to de-light others.”

Members of the MOM Board of Di-rectors chose Ripp for that very reason,as well as for his ability to communi-cate with the business community uponwhich MOM relies for much of its fi-nancial support.

Ripp believes his corporate experi-ence, combined with his longstandingrelationships in the community, willhelp him in his new capacity. “I can tellthe story from both sides,” he said.“We all know the economy has beentight for most businesses, it’s gettingbetter, but I know, from my corporateexperience, that businesses alwayswant to help an organization likeMOM, even when things are tough.”

Ripp is MOM’s fourth executive di-rector in as many years, but his prede-cessors all came from outside thenon-profit’s service area. The new di-

rector grew up on a farm here, the sec-ond youngest in a large family.

“I’ve actually been thinking aboutthat lately,” he reflected. “When I wastoo young to go work on the farm withmy older siblings, I’d always stay withmy mom and help her with the garden-ing, and with preparing and canning allthe food.”

MOM has its own garden – a clusterof community plots where clients areable to grow fresh vegetables to feedtheir families. Ripp sees a connectionto his agricultural roots.

“I’m really looking forward toMOM’s garden,” he commented.“There’s a certain pride and excitementthat comes with learning how to growyour own food. It’s really what MOMis all about – and I mean beyond thegarden. That idea, along with our new

consolidated facilities, will really helpwith the mission – the goal of helpingfolks become self sustaining.”

Jim Hartlieb, president of the MOMBoard of Directors, said the organiza-tion’s leadership feels “very fortunateto have someone with Al’s dynamicbackground” as the new executive di-rector.

MOM’s new consolidated headquar-ters, which includes the main offices,food pantry and clothing closet, offi-cially opened on Monday of this week.

Of course, a more accessible MOMcould end up equating to even more de-mand for the organization’s services.“Yup,” agreed Ripp. “That’s whatwe’re looking at. It will probably driveup demand.”

Demand was already on the rise,

thanks in no small part to the lengthyrecession. In 2012, more than 500households each month brought homeover 60,000 pounds of food to nourishtheir families. Hundreds of volunteersgave more than 1,500 hours or servicewith MOM – surpassing the hours putin by paid staff. Case Managersserved nearly 130 families each month.

But with a new facility, MOM willhave new ways to help.

“Storage is a key element,” saidRipp. “We have two walk-in coolers tostore food donations, which shouldallow us to more easily manage theflow of food through our pantry. I thinkthe new MOM will also allow us to ex-pand our ability to take donations,which will help too.”

LANDING continued from page 1

MOM continued from page 1

Middleton Times-Tribune: Firstthings first - How did you come up withthe book’s title?

Katherine Perreth: Some folks mis-read the title, and thus believe the bookto be about hope. For me, MakingLemonade With Ben: The Audacity ToCope is about what happens after hopehas evaporated, poof! What do you dothen? But MLWB is much more thanchapter and verse on what happened tomy firstborn, Ben, after I found him ina coma. It’s what happened to the en-tire family.

MTT: That’s a lot of ground to cover.Where does the narrative take you?

KP: MLWB alternates between tworealities: 1996-2010, the years Ben sus-tained most of the repeated traumastemming from a brain hemorrhagewhen he was a second-grader at ElmLawn, and the fall of 2011, when theMadison Children’s Museum selectedhim to represent the community whileMCM received their national medal inWashington D.C. MLWB is a Cin-derella story with multiple love storythreads, overlaid with humor of allshades: black, white and grey. It alsoincludes bits and bobs from our threeyears living in Japan, and is a compre-hensive snapshot of my life, mergingmy Middleton childhood with my Mid-dleton adulthood, wrapping up mylife’s loose ends. I find that extremelygratifying, just like finishing laundry.

MTT: This is a really personal story.About Ben, about your family andfriends, but most of all about you. It’sa serious topic, but there are also lightmoments. How did you end up with thisparticular mix?

KP: MLWB morphed into an ama-teur psychological study on my kidsand husband, which, unbelievably, theyhave approved – I threatened to stopcooking nightly dinners if they didn’t– but mostly it’s a candid look at me,as Ben’s mom. The physical, mental,emotional and spiritual impact Ben’slife has had on me, and how I’ve man-aged to survive, oftentimes despite my-self. The most terrifying part for menow is that I’ve done such a marvelousjob accurately portraying myself, leav-ing me feeling as if I were Lady Go-diva, minus the hair. MLWB is real,inhaling my brand of quirky and exhal-ing heartache. While I’m dead seriouson some subjects in the book, notablymy suicidal tendencies, depression,psychotherapy, and mental illness, andhow we can intentionally support ourstruggling citizens, you’d be hardpressed to go many paragraphs withoutfinding humor. After all, it’s been highon my family’s list of coping strategies.I also feel that humor makes us stopand think. One intention is for thereader to ponder: What percentage ofher jokes are serious stuff wearing awittily wicked smile, and why?

MTT: You are a prolific writer bynature. When you decided to write anactual book, what was your goal?

KP: I had multiple goals for MLWB,many only my subconscious under-stood at first, but the obvious one wasfor Ben to hold a document he couldread for the rest of his life, to help himunderstand what has happened to him.He is absolutely enamored of the book,and talks it up everywhere he goes.Ben embodies Yeats’ sentiment, “Thereare no strangers here; Only friends youhaven’t yet met.”

Additionally, from the start Ben hasdriven the bus on the inclusion of hismental health challenges. Both of ussuffered ramifications from his signif-icant physical health events. We feelstrongly about helping to removestigma from mental illness, and we’repartnering with the local branch ofNAMI to do so. We’d also like to en-courage communities worldwide toembrace and develop mental healthClubhouse Models for recovery andtreatment, like Madison’s YaharaHouse. We hope speaking our reality

helps those who may be sufferingalone, as well as helps other people tobetter understand those with mental ill-ness. Really, how can you best helpsomeone you love if you don’t under-stand?

Of course, the book also addressesBen’s disabilities and what it is like asa family to have one member with sig-nificant special needs. Half of my can-dor is a personal desire to be heard andunderstood. For me, that’s the begin-ning of true help. MLWB is all aboutvalidation, and trading our seventeenyears of coping for hoping. The otherhalf stems from the fact I’m a socialworker by heart and by UW-Madisondegree. By reaching out with mywords, I aim to change the world forthe better.

MTT: Are you glad, in retrospect,that you opted to be so honest withyour readers?

KP: When I was a kid at Elm Lawnin the 1960s, in the building that nowhouses the DAC, I got called into theprincipal’s office. For being Trouble.Yeah, capital T. I don’t remember whatI did, but it only took one look at thepaddle hanging on the wall behind myprincipal’s shoulder to cure me. It wasthe size of my head. I learned quicklythat to survive without punishment I’dneed to be more creative in covering upbeing Trouble. I think, in MLWB, I mayhave failed in that endeavor. I didn’thave to write in such a way that allowsthe reader to sit at our dinner table, takea peek into my marriage, and hang outwith me in my head, but I chose to.And I’m so glad I did. Unexpectedly,the end product has put my brokenheart back together, and perhaps, in atiny way, the book can help assuage thebroken hearts of others, as well.

MTT: Name one of the biggest ob-stacles you had to overcome to getMaking Lemonade With Ben finished?

KP: The problem for me, from thestart of writing MLWB, was one of myfamily’s privacy. If Mom wants tomouth off, well, that’s just Mom. Buthow would it reflect on the innocentbystanders in my life, aka, Ben, Samand Sarah, and my husband, Dan? So,in my first drafts, each of my familymembers was not identified by name.It became an exercise in futility,though, because in so many other wayswe’re easily identifiable. There is onlyone Ben Perreth, and I imagine thosewho know Ben will agree with me thatI’m not even sure there was a mold tobreak after his creation. If possible,he’s more than one of a kind, one ofthose larger-than-life people, and Icouldn’t hide his identity, it wouldn’tmake sense. His D.C. trip with theMadison Children’s Museum was al-ready front-page-news. In addition,other than the lone guy in Germanywho wanted to friend me on Facebook,we are the only Perreth family on theplanet. Or at least in the US, barring, ofcourse, my in-laws. If MLWB takes off,I think they’re planning on going intohiding. If the book really takes off, I’llbuy all the Perreths a private Caribbeanisland like Johnny Depp’s. Oh! Ishould mention for my prospective fe-male readers, my encounter withJohnny at 4 a.m. makes a cameo inMLWB, as well.

MTT: So did your family get to editthe story before it went public?

KP: I gave my kids censorship op-tions: Trust me, I’m your mother; readthe entire manuscript; or read only the

sections in which you feature. Ben readit all, of course, and offered insights,commentary and clarifications, makingMLWB so much richer. Sam and Sarahchose to read only their appearances,and I couldn’t believe they let them allthrough. What they don’t know, and Iknow it’s safe to say this now becausethey aren’t going to read this intervieweither, is that although their parsedparts may be okay in their minds, puttogether with the rest of what I’m say-ing, Whoa Nellie. Still, there isn’t any-thing in there that they didn’t livethrough with their mother.

The real hero of MLWB, Dan, myhusband of 27 years, 31 if you countdating (the years when he could easilyhave excused himself from the pres-ence of my fiery life) was tremen-dously helpful. When I wanted to yankthis or that section because I felt toovulnerable, he talked me out of it everytime. The notebook he’d kept duringBen’s coma proved invaluable inbringing his voice into the story as well– and, sometimes, also corrected mymemory. I took Dan’s advice on every-thing except for the chapter entitled “AWoman Is A Woman.” He asked if Icould at least blow up some shoes.

MTT: What needs to happen inorder for you to view this book as asuccess?

KP: It already is a success; it’s outof me, I’ve said what I needed to say.That’s the chocolate cake. Thewhipped cream on top is dreaming big,promoting multiple global grandiosegoals to remove stigma from mentalillness while increasing support. I trulybelieve that if our streets sprouted asmany places like Yahara House, as theydo McDonald’s and Starbucks, ourplanet would fare much better. And yet,are my goals purely altruistic? Sure,achieving them would provide per-sonal intense joy, but deep down I amattempting to wangle an invitation totea with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.My cherry on top isn’t as farfetched asit seems, because she holds annual

Garden Parties for thousands of com-moners, you know.

MTT: Can you sit back and assessthe book on its own merits yet?

KP: People are doing that for me,which is such a profound relief. So far,comments in person, on the MLWBFacebook page, and on my website,katherineperreth.com, have all beenoverwhelmingly positive. If you cancall crying positive. I have been toldthe book is to blame for a lot of tears,one woman cried her way home on herbus commute, and for lost sleep, anumber of women have stayed up pasttheir bedtimes, unable to put it down.But it’s also caused a tremendousamount of laughter. Whether crying orlaughing, people have credited mywriting style with making them feellike they’ve been right there with meall along. This is incredibly satisfying.I feel like I’ve done my job.

People ask if I’m going to have booksignings. And if I’ll read from MLWB.Yes and no. But Ben will be helpingme with that, he’s a natural speaker.There might be one or two partial sen-tences I could read without crying, butI’d still probably want to take a red pento some of them. MLWB is not perfect,which on my firstborn level really bugsme. But I believe my 1979 MiddletonHigh School writing teacher, Ms. Mari-beth Mohan, would be proud. I thinkshe’d give me a gold star. This, as myK-12 teachers well knew, is all I’veever aimed for.

The paperback book is availablefor purchase directly from the au-thor or online at:www.createspace.com/3896776 orthrough amazon.com.E-reader versions are available

from www.smashwords.com.Katherine and Ben will hold their

first Q&A discussion and book read-ing/signing together on April 24 atthe Middleton Public Library, start-ing at 7 p.m.


A mother’s love and the audacity to cope

Times-Tribune photo by Matt Geiger

Ben Perreth, left, jokes around to make his mother smile for the camera.

BBOOKSOOKS


In her new bookMakingLemonade With Ben: TheAudacity To Cope, authorKatherine Perreth tells thestory of her son’s recoveryfrom a brain hemorrhage

It’s hard to imagine Wisconsin with-out supper clubs, brandy old fash-ioneds and Friday night fish fries. It’shard to imagine Middleton withoutFitzgerald’s, which has been givingdiners a taste of all three for a quarterof a century.

Now a new generation has steppedin to make sure the restaurant staysaround for another 25 years.

Longtime owner John Kaul, whopurchased Fitzgerald’s in 1995 fromJerry Fitzgerald, is working with co-owners Jennifer Coppernoll (hisdaughter) and her husband, Jack.

Fitzgerald’s will technically cele-brate 25 years in business next week,but the infusion of new managementmeans the restaurant has been festivefor some time now, with a remodeledinterior and new initiatives.

Fitzgerald’s - with its green sign,Midwestern ambiance and the gump-tion to stick around even after its ad-

dress was bypassed by Highway 12 –was already something of a Middletonicon.

“It’s probably one of the last family-owned supper clubs around,” said JohnKaul. “Now we’re kind of passing thebaton to the next generation.”

“It’s always been the kind of placepeople go for birthdays and anniver-saries, and it’s always been the kind ofplace people feel comfortable,” he con-tinued. “Now [Jennifer and Jack] havekind of re-energized it.”

New this year is a birthday club,through which people who sign up re-ceive a gift certificate to use during themonth of their birthday. Also new isownership’s commitment to team upwith a different charitable cause forone night each month to raise aware-ness and funding. (The first is autism.)

“There are so many great causes,”said Jennifer. “This is just our way ofshining a spotlight on them.”

While much of the building has beenremodeled, there are still many familiarfaces at Fitzgerald’s. General managerVern Schwarz has been with the busi-ness, serving a variety of capacities, theentire time. Kitty Garfoot, front ofhouse manager and hostess, is a main-stay as well.

And Fitzgerald’s still specializes inthe type of Wisconsin fare that blendsfine dining with meat and potatoes, nofrills Midwestern comfort food. It’sknown for steaks, fish fries, soups andsalads, and a sprawling buffet.


Fitzgerald’s celebrates 25 years

Times-Tribune photo by Matt Geiger

Fitzgerald’s owners (from left to right) Jack Coppernoll, Jennifer Coppernoll and John Kaul.

IINN BBUSINESSUSINESS


crimes to help fund their drug habits.The MIPD Communications Center

received a total of 3,049 emergency911 calls last year, along with 23,099non-emergency calls.

The highest volume of calls (184)came on Dec. 20, the day a large snow-storm came howling into the city. (Theslowest day of the year took place justfour days earlier, when police receivedonly 36 calls.)

Larceny and theft made of the bulkof crime in Middleton last year, with330 reported cases. Burglary came in adistant second (86 cases), followed byAssault and Battery (58), Robbery(eight), Motor Vehicle Theft (eight)and Rape (three reported cases).

There was one crime documented in2012 that is rarely seen in Middleton:Human Trafficking. It began Feb. 2 onthe 5200 block of Brindisi Court. Ac-cording to police, investigators follow-ing up on a simple tip ended up

launching a ten-month investigationthat brought in officers from other lawenforcement agencies, as well. The in-vestigation led to Alvin C. Siller beingcharged with Human Trafficking, 1stdegree Reckless Endangerment, Pos-session of a Firearm by a Felon, Bat-tery, Substantial Battery andStrangulation.

Bloodshed 1,000 miles awaybrought school safety back to the foreof national news in December of 2012,but Keil said local police have beenworking proactively with officials inthe Middleton-Cross Plains AreaSchool District for years now.

Keil said officers “worked veryclosely with our school district this pastyear on planning for and responding tocritical incidents that might occur atschools or during school related activ-ities.” Law enforcement officials,along with staff representing allschools in the district, participated intabletop exercises simulating variousemergency situations.

“The recent tragic events occurringin Newtown, Connecticut, will keep usfocused on school safety and security

in 2013,” wrote Keil. “Joint trainingand a full scale exercise, paid for inpart with a grant through the Office ofJustice Assistance, has been plannedfor 2013. Our staff will be workingwith school officials on aspects ofphysical security in all schools, includ-ing the planning phase of the new[Kromrey] middle school.”

The MIPD report also noted atragedy that befell a local teen in 2012.A Middleton High School student com-mitted suicide in February of last year.The death was followed by two failedsuicide attempts that occurred at Mid-dleton High School (MHS), accordingto police. Following the student’sdeath, another MHS pupil attempted tohang himself in a high school bath-room, and another took an intentionaloverdose of pills at school. Police saidboth attempts failed.

MIPD continued expanding its useof social media in 2012. The depart-ment encourages citizens to followlocal police activities on Facebook andTwitter, and sign up for various emailalerts at www.middletonpd.com.


CHURCH NOTES

Mike and Julie Smith of Middleton are pleased to announce the engage-ment of their daughter, Shelby Beth Smith, to Matthew Daniel Sivertson.Matt is the son of Dan and Sue Sivertson of Elk Mound, WI. Shelby is aMiddleton High School graduate and also graduated from UW Eau Claireand Chippewa Technical School. She works as a registered nurse at SacredHeart Hospital in Eau Claire,WI. Matt graduated from UW Stout and worksfor Sivertson Brothers LLC. The wedding is planned for May 25, 2013 atGrace Lutheran Church in Eau Claire.

Smith - SivertsonENGAGEMENT

CRIME continued from page 1

BONDS continued from 1

voter referendum in November of2012.

The winning bid came from PiperJaffrey & Co., based out of Minneapo-lis. The interest rate is 3.0957 percent,which equates to $27,222,548 in net in-terest costs over the life of the borrow-ing.

The vote came three days afterMoody’s Investor Services applied aglowing Aaa rating to the district forthe issuance.

Middleton-Cross Plains is one ofonly five districts in the state to earnthe maximum rating, which Moody’sattributed to a favorable location withinthe greater Madison economy, a grow-ing population and robust general fund.

The school district’s land wealthagain came into play, with Moody’snoting that the district, which included37,298 people as of the 2010 census,

has a full valuation of $5.8 billion.Moody’s also took into account the factthat the district’s per capita income of$45,626 is 171 percent that of the na-tional average. Dane County’s low un-employment rate of 4 percent alsofactored into the rating.

Post sale the district will have $92million in outstanding general obliga-tion debt.

The interest rate suggests citizensliving within Middleton-Cross Plainswill see an impact on their tax bills thatis extremely close to what the districtsuggested when it rolled out the refer-endum last year.

The school board followed its voteto approve with a round of applause.

“Now we will have the money topay for these projects,” stated TomWohlleber, the district’s superintendentof business services.

Middleton High SchoolHonor Roll - Semester 1Honors = 3.6 or Higher* designates a 4.0

FreshmenJacob AegerterHanne Andersen-SmithJosue ArandiaJulia Armani*Anna AshleyMitchell BaconSamantha Ballweg*Shelby Ballweg*Brian BellissimoSallie BestulJoshua BiatchHunter BindlSophie BlissSeeham BnyatCole BolligCharles BooherKailey BoyleSophie BramanAaron Buelo*James BuenfilAmanda ButlerChloe CarriganCatherine CastagnetMadeline ClarkMaxwell Collien*Lauren CoonsStefan CornilsEllen Cottingham*Chase Cunniff*Nicole CushmanIrelyn DanzAndrew DeglerSierra DeMartinoElizabeth DiTullioTimothy Dorn*Grace DouglasJoseph Druzba

Thomas DunnOliver EpsteinAmy Ernst*Kelly EsentherNatalie FabbriAlexander FagreDorsey FalkDrew Finley HaagAlexander FisherClaire Fralka*Kira GalangDaniela Garcia-PeralesGabriel Garlough-ShahAndrew GengAutumn GrimAliyah Grote-HirschHeather HaackElizabeth Haberland-ErvinPerrin HaggeEvan HandowskiKaitlin HanrahanJacob Harnois*Casey HarperKristin HartungCarlton HenrySydnee HerrlingGreta HevesiEstelle HigginsEvan Higgins*Amanda HuffJordan HylbertSarah IhrigSamuel InmanSavanna Jackson*Jack JesseDan JinBennett JohnsonDaniel Johnson-SchunkAnna JordahlRiley KalsbeekAmanda KalscheurElizabeth KellerBryan Kim

Michael KjentvetRussell KjorlieJonas Klare*Connor KooistraChandler KrajcoJacob KuehnAlex KushnerMegan LangeEdward Larson*Maia Lathrop*Thomas LawtonDemi LeeEthan LengfeldJoseph Levin*Heather LevyAndrew LewisVictoria LinChristian LindblomSydney LiveseyAudrey LoomisAbigail LoweRegina MacLeanCody MarkelDavid MarroneKatherine Marshall*Brennan MartinMichael Mavroulis*Celia MayneKevin McMahonJacob MeffordVanesa MenesesJoshua MeyerKathryn Meyer*Michael Mondi*Genevieve Moreau*Brandon Munoz*Angela NewmanTaylor NortonJamie OesterleTimothy O’Shea*McKenna O’SullivanCharlotte Patterson*Akash Pattnaik

Jadrien PaustianMorgan Peter*Madison Pincombe*Alissa PollardKyle PuchalskiMichael QualeTravis RaffelKatelyn Robson*Ana Roden*Samantha RollJack RonnieJacob RossAva SchieblerKatherine Schmidt*Michael SchmidtBrennan SchmittJacob SchmitzEllen SchuebelAlexander SelkirkHannah SingerKaisey SkibbaLoren SkibbaLauren Smith*Sebastian SoKalyn SondayChandler SquiresKathryn SteinAllison Thompson*Hannah Thompson*Sarah ThorntonTori TranVictoria Trantow*Sheyenne Tung*Samantha ValentineJohn VincentMatthew WakaiAbigail WebberMatthew WedekindLogan Welti*Anna Welton-ArndtJenelle WempnerKenyon Wensing*Sarah WexlerArianna White*Kyle WhiteMena WilliamsTheodore WilliamsLaura Wilson*Amanda WolfingerGray Woodward*Allie Yan*Emily ZeimentzAmalia Zeinemann*Tammy ZhongLogan ZieglerJack Zocher*Zachary Zuengler

Sophomores*Tylor AdkinsSavannah AlbrechtTyler BallwegTyler BambroughPaxton BauerJoseph BeltzSean BenedictLucy Bergenthal*Emily Bergum*Farhat BhuiyanEmma BirkeloAmber BoBianca BockwinkelLauren BoettingerAlyssa BossEmily BruhnEli BucheitGeorge BuechnerHannah BuntingJames CaldwellGabriela ChardonVanessa ChavezMeredith DahlkTristan Dalgety*Katherine DavisJornay DeatonCole DennisHayden DensonJoshua DickmeyerAlyson Dietz*Kayleigh DietzAbby DigneyHanna DocterJohn DonleySamantha Dresen*Joseph DuffElise Durst

*Morgan FalkLaurel FanningKatherine FermanichAlexandra FranzenNicholas Fredrickson*Nicholas FriedlDimitris Friesen*Lindsay GallAnna Garren*Margaret Garren*Calvin Geppert*Sydney GoedenNatalie GrandeJordan GrapentineConnor GreenRyan GreenPatrick Hall*Rachel HartigTessa HellenbrandMarlee HenigeLeah HerderMitchell HerlChristopher HinesTimothy Hinkens*Audrey HinshawErin HoffmanTyler HolleyKimberly HolmesLauren HoppHannah Howe*Jacob HunterShay JensNadine JessupBrett JoersKaileigh JohnsonKaroline JohnsonHayden Johnston*Alban Jonuzi*Nicolette JordeeGregory JorgensenHannah JosephHaley JoyceJulien KaestnerEric KarwoskiKarlee KetelboeterTruman KilenAnna Kim*Kyoung Heon KimEvan KivolowitzHeidi KnocheJordan Kobbervig*Kennedy Kooistra*Emily KruegerRiley KuehnSadie KvistadBenjamin LaMasneyLuisa Lara SantiagoJennifer LaunderMarie LawtonSydney LeeJacob Lepage*Fiona Ljumani*Megan Lund*Nicholas MaesJennifer Mangas*Margaret MangasJacob ManserJon Matsumura*Ellis MayneAlexis McCannKatherine McCarthyMaxwell McConnellAllyson McMurray*Erin McShaneNoah MeeteerCarley MeyersLeah MeylorShannon MousseauKyle Mueller*Marissa Nelson*Ester NikollaKelsey NonnNikki NoughaniSteven OakesEmily OberwetterNnamdi Okoli*Michael OlsenShelby Olstad*Chris Olszewski*Ellen Opitz*Devin Ott*Marilyn Perkins*Kennedy Peter*Alexander Peterson


MHS releases first semester honor roll

See HONORS, page 15

Emily PetersonKira PetersonAlison Petrick*Jennifer PhillipsEmma PiepenbrokGarrett PiernotCarlos PimentelAndrew PlumbAmanda PowersPaige PrestigiacomoAlondra Quechol RamirezAbigail QuintanaAllison RagsdaleAmanda Ramirez*Tia RashkeJoshua ReddemannJordan ReddersGrace Reif*Annika ReikersdorferStephanie ReissTara RoachOlivia RobertsDana Angeli RodriguezMichael Royer*Soren Rozema*Kyra RubinAvery SampsonNicole SatterlundMadeline SchachteAndrew Schenck*Tamara ScottJolyon Scudder*Ivraj SeerhaEmily SeifrizRachel SeversonMiranda ShanksMaegan SheehanKaylee SimonRory SlatteryJordan SmithMadeleine SmithArielle StadlerAshley StahnkeJack StantonNoah SteinerMax StenklyftAbigail StoppleworthMegan SullivanKailey SweeneyAnna SwensonTanner Tanyeri*Rachel ThorntonNikhil TrivediRalph TurnerHarish Veeramani*Jack VerstegenWesley Wakai*Katelyn Waldenmaier*Roger Waleffe*Tanner WallomEmily WaltherMadeline Warda*Alison WeberBenjamin WeissburgDaniel WendtAnne WerneckeElisabeth Whritenour*Rachel WiansPeter WilliamsAlexander Wills*Sarah Woody*Michelle XieAmber YaegerAdam YeazelSu Jin YooTravis Zander*Emily ZekerSamantha ZimmermanWilliam Zocher

Juniors*Connor AckerAshley Aegerter*Sara AllenBrett AndersenSamantha AndrykGabrielle Aranda PinoJason AroraEmerson AshbyEmanuel AvilesShelby BacusAnne Baker*Kayla Bauhs*Bridget BellissimoBrandon BestAndrew BeyerIffat BhuiyanPayton BillsSydney BlackAlexis BlaschkeMagdalena Bobadilla SandovalChristina BourilIsabel BramanRosepetra BrandenburgAshley BrooksKyle BuechnerCollin BueloGabriella Cacciotti*Manuela Calderon GomezEmma CallaciGabrielle Campagnola

Logan ClarkElise ClussmanBurton CopelandBritta CrispAdam DesantesEmily DouglasJonathan DowellWilliam EhnertMikayla FarquharTristan FreidesMadeline FriendEden GirmaColin Gloudemans*Spencer GloudemansRavi GopalEliza Gorman-BaerAndrea Green*Cooper Green*Madeline GuyetteLilija HaggeJack HagstromJoseph HallJulia HandelEmorie HartyReece HartyJoshua HauntyElizabeth IhrigEmily Jamieson*Alexa JaumeJosephine Johnson*Adam JordahlAndrew KeelerCaroline KeenanDevin Ketelboeter*Matthew KimVance Koch*Yoko KohmotoVaughn Kottler*Kirstin KravikMadison KrigbaumLeah LaMasney*Courtney LarsonEmily Lathrop*Caroline LiuJenna Livezey*Benjamin LuskinAlice MaJames Mai*Taylor MartinColin MasnicaJohn MayersAriana McCallum*Trent McKinnonMary Grace McMurrayGrace McPhersonJillian MedugnoZachary MeixelspergerAlexandra MilesBennett Miyagawa*Bryce MoyerJed Munson*Brianna MurphyKelsey MurphyHeidi Neidhart*Christopher NevarezJaden Nolden

Laura OberwetterAnna Ostermeier*Emily PadruttZachary ParkinLeia PetermanKristil RabideauDarby RaffelAllana RandallElizabeth Reiss*Kelly RoachJackson RockCourtney RodgersDerek RongstadEmmet RyanMaya SalmonWilliam SalmonBrynn SandyLucas SchaferBreanna Schlueter*Emily Schmidt*Kennah SelfBrenna SheaBrendan SheehanAmelia SigmonAryn SkibbaNaomi SmithCalvin SoNoah Stafford*Alison StiglerRobert StineEmma StodolaEvan StoneHayley SueElliot TaninAlexander TankeHailey ThompsonJulia Tibbetts*Amy TicknorVirginia Wagner*Lisa WangKelly WassarmanRebecca WeaverAlex WhitfieldZachary WiansMacKenzie WildAlison WilleMeta WilliamsJoseph WilsonKaitlyn WolfingerHolly WoodwardKimberly WordenMark YoungTrevor ZenkTroy ZeuskeKathryn ZipsieAlexander Zoroufy

SeniorsElsa Andersson*Tyler AnlaufTheresa AustinAqmarina AzdhaniBrandon BaconAlexis BarbianEvan BauchNicole Bednarz

Ashley BerndtMadeline BielskiJacob BirrenkottLeen BnyatNoah BoehnenJulia BolesClaire BuchholzJoshua BuntingJake CainAlexandra CaldwellShannon Chamberlain*Christie ChengAndreanna Choyce*Nathaniel CoreyEmily Cottingham*Elizabeth CouserAlyssa DeWind*Valerie Doebley*Mikala DurhamRebecca EhnertRiley Eklund*Christopher EomMorgan EricksonWalker Fanning*Abigail FinkKaliska FobesJordan FosterPeter FriedlHallie FunkDaniel GeanonJulia GilbertsonNicholas GleiterCassidi GollAlexander GoodsettJennifer GroomsRachel GunderPaige GundrumSteven HaasAidan HallNatalie HaugenKevin HessDerek Hoot*Michael HootNicholas Hoskins*Casey HutchisonTryana IndriliunasRebecca JinCarolina JonasEmily JorgensenKelli Kalscheur*Suzy KimDanielle Kirch-WhitmoreCarly KirkpatrickLaura KnutsenKendl KobbervigSamantha KretchmarAnna LandgrafEmily LePainKira LightNicholas LundSamuel LyonsKeith LysterBrent MacdonaldTyler MarkelTaylor MavroulisLauren McCann

Jacqueline McGinleyMonica McKee*Ethan McLeodLydia MeierRyleigh MeierEmily MetzJulia MisenheimerKaitlyn MontourAmanda MorrisShannon MurphyMegan NortonJody OetzelDerek OttKenji PassiniLiam Patton*Sarah PerrethMegan PhillipsPichaya PluemaromGregory Plumb*Karlijn PurdyMakonnen Ramsey*Quinn RashkeKatelyn RohdeEmily RollJackson RutledgeThomas Ryan*Amara RymutShaylyn SabolAustin SailingGene SarmientoBenjamin Schauer*Lucas Schneider*Carolyn Scudder*David SingerIsabella SorensonJakob SpurgatAlexander Steiner*Katerina StephanSadie StrassmanKristen SuloffLena SundstedtElena ThompsonJoclyn TiedtTiffany TranMatthew TreheySonia Urquidi*Abby Van AartsenCarly Vig*Andrew Walther*Victoria Wang*Kimberli Ward*Kelly WatsonMatthew WeberHattie WellsEmma WerntzSarah WiebeckTyler WigingtonRyleigh WolffKevin Wolfinger*Hailey WrasmanSarah YeazelElizabeth ZekerSebastian ZensKylie ZubellaMelissa Zuengler.


HONORS continued from page 14

COMFORT FOODPART TWO:

FAMILY DINNERSIn my family, life is shared in the

kitchen and around the table. We eat ahome cooked meal together everynight. Often, on a Sunday afternoon,my husband Glenn and I will cook to-gether for three to four hours, andenjoy a delicious bottle of wine. If thekids aren’t home, this often becomesour date night. Our family defines it-self by the food we eat and the menuswe plan together.

Some of our recipes have beenhanded down through generations; oth-ers have become new traditions for thenew generation.

Our favorite family-style recipes arecasual both to make and to serve. It’sfun, delicious food, nothing too fancy.But it is all deeply satisfying.

Traditions help us understand whowe are and where we come from.

Sharing a meal helps define who weare as a family. Sometimes, circum-stances make us redefine our family.And that’s ok. Cooking is love, andcomfort. Anything goes. Hopefullywith these recipes you’ll find heapingportions of tradition, of good food, andfamily togetherness.

CREAMY TOMATO-BASIL SOUP

A great soup, a crisp green salad,and some grilled cheese sliders make arelaxed and satisfying lunch or dinner

1 Tablespoon olive oil1 medium onion, chopped8 sprigs fresh basil2-35 ounce cans Muir Glenn, or-

ganic whole tomatoes, drained andchopped4 cups chicken brothSalt Freshly ground black pepper1-cup heavy cream3 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar1/2-cup loosely packed fresh basil

In a large soup pot, heat olive oilover medium-high heat. Add onionand cook, stirring occasionally, untilsoftened, about 7 minutes. Tie basilsprigs together with kitchen twine.Add basil sprigs, tomatoes, chickenbroth, 1-teaspoon salt, and 1/2-tea-spoon pepper to the onions. Bring to aboil over high heat, reduce to mediumlow and simmer until reduced by one-quarter, about 20 minutes. Removebasil sprigs.

In a blender or food processor, pureesoup in batches until very smooth, atleast two minutes. Strain soup into aclean pot and bring to a simmer overmedium heat. Remove from heat, stirin cream, sugar, and balsamic vinegar.Taste and add salt and pepper, beinggenerous. Just before serving, cut basilleaves into thin slices. Garnish hotsoup with fresh basil.

Cook’s Tip: Cook with sugar. Apinch of sugar, like a pinch of salt, canbalance flavor and brighten food.Bland tomato sauce? Sprinkle in atouch of sugar to amplify the tomatoes’natural sweetness. Sauteed onionsneed more flavor? Add a light dustingof sugar to enhance the caramelizationprocess.

GRILLED CHEESE SLIDERSBetter than regular grilled cheese

sandwiches since they are smaller andcrustier. These have replaced normalgrilled cheese sandwiches in my home.

1 Clasen’s Artisan SourdoughBaguette, thinly sliced “local favorite”1 package Brennan’s Cheddar

Cheese slices, “local favorite”

Place one to two pieces of cheesebetween two baguette pieces. You willhave to break the cheese to fit onto thebaguette slice. Butter both sides of theslider. Brown carefully in a pan overmedium heat until golden brown, turn.Serve.

ROAST CHICKENCrisp and golden on the outside and

moist and flavorful on the inside. Yourhome will be filled with a heavenlyaroma.

1-3 1/2 to 4 pound chicken1 small yellow onion, quartered1 lemon, thinly sliced1/2-cup celery leavesSaltBlack pepperButter1 small onion, chopped1 carrot, chopped3 Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped2 cups chicken broth

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Washchicken in hot water and dry thor-oughly. Season cavity with salt and


by MichelleWerry

See FOOD, page 17

black pepper and stuff with onion,lemon, and celery leaves. Rub outsideof chicken lightly with softened butterand season all over with salt and pep-per. Tie drumstick ends together withkitchen twine and set chicken, breastside up in an oiled v-shaped rack or ina roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes,then reduce heat to 350 degrees, bastechicken, and roast another 15 minutes.Add chopped onion and carrot to pan,basting them and the chicken. Con-tinue roasting the chicken for anotherhour, for a total of 2 hours. Removechicken from oven, and wrap in tin foil.Set aside. Spoon fat out of roastingpan. Stir in thyme and chicken broth,bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes orlonger to concentrate flavor. Strainsauce into another pan. Carve thechicken and serve with warm sauceand sprigs of thyme.

Cook’s Tip: Add fresh woody herbsat the beginning. Rosemary and thymeinfuse a dish through heat. Add freshleafy herbs at the end. Chervil andchives are brightest when raw.

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

1/2-pound elbow macaroni3 Tablespoons butter3 Tablespoons flour1-Tablespoon powdered mustard3 cups milk1/2-cup yellow onion, finely diced1 bay leaf1/2-teaspoon paprika1 large egg12 ounces Hooks medium cheddar,

shredded “local favorite”1-teaspoon saltFresh black pepper3 Tablespoons butter

1-cup breadcrumbs or pankocrumbs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a largepot of boiling, salted water cook pastato al dente. While pasta is cooking, ina separate pot melt butter. Whisk flourand mustard into butter and keep stir-ring for about five minutes. Make sureit’s free of lumps. Stir in milk, onion,bay leaf and paprika. Simmer for tenminutes and remove bay leaf. Temperin the egg. (Tempering means to stir asmall amount of hot liquid into egg,then add egg to hot liquid, being care-ful not to scramble) Stir in 3/4 of thecheese. Season with salt and pepper.Fold macaroni into mix and pour into

a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with re-maining cheese. Melt butter in a sautépan and toss breadcrumbs to coat. Topmacaroni with bread crumbs. Bake for30 minutes. Remove from oven andrest for five minutes before serving.

CREAMED CORN CASSEROLEGrandma Ethell’s favorite corn dish,

this was tripled for a farm family of 12during harvest season.

2-14 ounce cans creamed cornButter1/4-cup heavy cream1/2-teaspoon salt1/4-teaspoon pepper


FOOD continued from page 16

See FOOD, page 17

24 saltine crackers, crushed2 Tablespoons butter

Heat oven to 350. Butter an oven-proof dish. Pour cans of corn in dish.Pour cream on top of corn and mixlightly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.Sprinkle with crushed saltines. Placebutter on top. Bake for 45 minutes,until golden. Remove from oven andvery lightly stir again, serve.

Cook’s Tip: If you won’t drink it,don’t cook with it. Reject the commonmyth that inferior wine and spirits canbe used in cooking with no ill effect.A dish is only as good as what goesinto it. Contrariwise, there is no needto use Louis XIII cognac to makebrandied apples. As Escoffier writes,“Profligate extravagance is as bad asrestrictive economy.”

HOMESTYLE APPLE PIE

We used to live next to the Rowley’son Donna Drive when we were chil-dren. Cathy Rowley is an amazingcook, and she gave me this recipe over30 years ago. I make it every timesomeone asks for Apple Pie.

5-7 tart apples3/4 -1 cup sugar2 Tablespoons flour

Dash salt1-teaspoon cinnamon1/4-teaspoon nutmeg1 recipe pastry2 Tablespoons butter

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Pare ap-ples and slice thin. Mix sugar, flour,salt and spices together then add to ap-ples. If apples aren’t tart add 1 Table-spoon lemon juice or grated lemon peelif desired. Fill a 9-inch pastry linedpie pan. Dot with butter. Adjust topcrust. Brush a little milk on top crustand sprinkle with a little sugar. Bakein hot oven for 50 minutes.

PIE CRUST3 cups flour1 cup lard, refrigerated (yes use

lard, our forefather’s did, it didn’t killthem)1-teaspoon salt1 egg1-Tablespoon vinegar5-6 Tablespoons water

Mix together flour, salt, and cut lardin with a pastry cutter. Mix egg, vine-gar and water under flour mixture,using a fork or pastry cutter. Divideinto two pieces, refrigerate for 1/2hour, and then roll out on floured sur-face. Place one piece into pie pan, saveother piece for top of pie.

For The Love of Food, may you findyourselves some great family times andcomfort.


FOOD continued from page 17


Derek Rongstad scored morepoints this season than any junior inthe history of Middleton boys basket-ball.

Rongstad set team records for mostthree-pointers in a game (seven) and aseason (56).

Even more amazing, Rongstadaccomplished that despite missingthree games.

So it was no surprise last weekwhen Rongstad was named first-teamall-Big Eight Conference. Middletonjunior guard Luke Schafer was namedthird-team and junior forward MaxOelerich was named honorable-men-tion all-league.

“Look up ‘gym rat’ in the diction-ary and there’s Doc’s picture,”Middleton coach Kevin Bavery saidof Rongstad. “Sometimes you have toworry about whether someone isfocusing on the wrong things or get-ting into a situation that might hurtmore than help when it comes to off-

season training and playing. But withDoc it all starts with a great work ethicas his foundation.”

Sun Prairie’s Nick Fuller, the lead-ing scorer in Big Eight Conferencehistory, was named the league’s Playerof the Year. Madison Memorial seniorforward Jester Weah, Sun Prairiesophomore guard Nick Noskowiakand Madison West junior guard MalikClements rounded out the first team.

Madison Memorial’s Steve Collinswas named the Big Eight’s Coach ofthe Year.

Rongstad averaged a team-high16.3 points per game in Big Eightplay. He also averaged 5.0 rebounds,3.0 steals, shot 44.8% on three-point-ers and 74.1% from the foul line.

After Rongstad’s breakout junioryear, Bavery believes his senior sea-son will be extremely memorable.

“He will put countless qualityhours between now and nextNovember and he will come in bigger,stronger, and better,” Bavery said. “Heneeds to work on that intermediategame … and we’ve challenged him tobecome our version of (Ohio Stateguard) Aaron Craft. If he can take thatstep to become a lockdown defender

Rongstad namedfirst-team all-Big 8Schafer, Oelerichalso honoredby ROB REISCHELTimes-Tribune

See BOYS BB, page 26

File photo

Middleton junior guard Derek Rongstad was named first-team all-Big Eight Conference.

Follow RobReischel onTwitter at@robreischel

Staying ahead of the curveMHS hires strengthand conditioningcoaches to assistathletes in all sports

For nearly two decades now, theathletic programs at Middleton HighSchool have been the envy of the BigEight Conference — and most of thestate, for that matter.

It’s one thing to be the best,though, and another to stay on top.

In an effort to remain a step aheadof the competition, Middleton hiredBrad Rogeberg and Steve Myrlandlast fall as part-time strength andconditioning coaches. The duo hasimplemented fitness plans toenhance the performance and devel-opment of Middleton athletes in allsports.

“They’ve been a great combo,”Middleton athletic director Bob Joerssaid. “Everybody has worked togeth-er in-season and out of season, and atthe end, it gives you a better athlete.It’s exciting, especially how it’staken off.”

Middleton is the first school in theBig Eight to hire strength and condi-tioning coaches, and is one of just ahandful in the state to have such aposition inside its athletic depart-

by ROB REISCHELTimes-Tribune

See TRAINERS, page 31

Times-Tribune photo by Mary Langenfeld

Brad Rogeberg (left) and Steve Myrland are the new strength and conditioning coaches at Middleton High School.

There isn’t much Jake Bunz didn’tdo for Middleton’s hockey team thisyear.

Score. Defend. Lead.Bunz did it all.Therefore, he was an easy pick as a

first-team all-Big Eight Conferencedefenseman.

In addition to Bunz, Middletonsophomore goalie Max McConnell,senior defenseman Ethan McLeod and

junior forward Jordan Carey were allnamed honorable-mention all-league.

Bunz was a unanimous selection tothe first team, and it’s easy to see why.

Bunz led Middleton in points (29),goals (17) and finished seventh in theconference in scoring. Bunz was theonly defenseman in the league to fin-ish in the top-10 in scoring.

Bunz also was a finalist for theDavis Drewskie award, given to thetop defenseman in the state ofWisconsin.

“It was pretty obvious that Jakewas the top defenseman in the confer-ence,” Middleton coach Steve Libertsaid.

McConnell had a terrific year him-self, going 16-5 with had fourshutouts, an .898 save percentage and


Bunz named first-team all-leagueMcConnell,Carey, McLeodalso honoredby ROB REISCHELTimes-Tribune

See HOCKEY, page 21

File photo

Middleton senior defenseman Jake Bunz was named first-team all-Big Eight Conference.


All-Big Eight Conference Boys HockeyFirst Team

Pos. Name Year SchoolG Nate Teuscher 12 East/La FolletteD Jake Bunz 12 MiddletonD Drew Mikalofsky 12 Sun PrairieF Zach Jones 12 VeronaF Zac Keryluk 12 VeronaF Charlie Parker 11 Verona

Second TeamPos. Name Year SchoolG Henry Cutting 10 Madison WestD Philippe Fromberger 11 VeronaD Griffin Epping 11 Madison WestF Ty Pelton-Byce 10 Madison MemorialF Cole Paskus 10 Madison WestF Austin Luxford 12 Sun Prairie

Honorable MentionPos. Name Year SchoolG Max McConnell 10 MiddletonG Alex Jones 9 VeronaD Jack Andringa 9 Madison MemorialD Harry Henschler 10 JanesvilleD Ethan McLeod 12 MiddletonD Pat Stevens 11 VeronaF Jordan Carey 11 MiddletonF Riley Karns 10 Madison MemorialF Cody Shively 12 Madison WestF Tanner Polglaze 10 Beloit Memorial

Player of the Year: Zach Jones, VeronaCo-Coaches of the Year: Joel Marshall, Verona, and Jon Spencer,

Madison Memorial

a goals against average of 2.10.“No doubt we are a better team

when Max is between the pipes,”Libert said. “I think he lost a few votesbecause of the great year Verona had(undefeated in conference), the resur-gence of Madison West andLaFollette/East giving up 80-90 shotsa game on their goalies.

“I think what was overlooked wasthe fact that we only had three confer-ence losses and two were to Verona.

We relied heavily on Max as he wasone of two conference goalies to playover 1,000 minutes (the other wasMemorial’s).”

McLeod finished the year with 14points and was a steadying influenceon his teammates.

“Ethan was a great lead by exampleplayer,” Libert said. “He played andpracticed hard and was rewarded withan honorable mention nod. The typeof game he plays does not often get

rewarded because it occurs more oftenwithout the puck.”

Carey finished second on theCardinals in scoring with 11 goals and15 assists.

“Jordan has just scratched the sur-face of what he can do and I think theother conference coaches recognizehis potential,” Libert said. “A littlemore discipline and focused effortputs him right with the other first-teamforwards.”

HOCKEY continued from page 20n

File photos

Middleton sopho-more goalie MaxMcConnell (top)and junior for-ward JordanCarey (left) werenamed honor-able-mention all-Big EightConference.

Liz McMahon had a remarkableseason for Middleton’s girls basket-ball team.

McMahon averaged a whopping16.5 points per game, which wasroughly one-third of the Cardinals’total offense. McMahon also ledMiddleton in rebounding (9.8), steals(2.9) and shot 48.0% from the field.

So it was no surprise thatMcMahon — a junior forward — wasnamed to the all-Big Eight Conferencefirst-team last week. Middleton seniorguard Shannon McCauley was alsonamed honorable-mention all-confer-ence.

“I was happy that Liz was recog-nized,” Middleton coach Jeff Kindsaid. “She had a very good year and iscontinuing to improve her all-aroundgame. I look forward to having hercome back next year as a leader with agreat deal of varsity experience.”

McMahon was Middleton’s lead-ing scorer as a sophomore, when theCardinals reached the WIAA Division1 state semifinals. And McMahontook her game to a new level this sea-son.

McMahon missed the start of theyear with a hand injury. But it didn’ttake her long to make up for lost time.

McMahon exceeded 20 points onsix occasions, including a season-best31 points against Janesville Craig onFeb. 16. McMahon got better as theyear went on, too, and averaged 23.4points per game over her final fivecontests.

McMahon also had 11 double-dou-bles and finished the year with sixstraight and eight of nine.

McMahon has a nifty low postgame and found plenty of ways toscore inside. She also used her speedin transition to punish opponents andcould step outside and bury a 15-foot-er.

Sun Prairie senior forwardMcKayla Yentz was named the BigEight’s Player of the Year. Yentz wasjoined on the first team Madison LaFollette junior forward NicoleNewman, Janesville Parker senior for-ward Ashley Hartwig, Madison Westsophomore guard Ebony Nettles-Beyand McMahon.

In all, nine of the 15 players thatcomprised the league’s top threeteams will return next season. AndKind knows that should make for athrilling year in the Big Eight.

“I think this year's selections werepretty representative of the confer-

ence,” Kind said. “Yentz and Newmanstood out as players this year. I thinkthat making a distinction between firstand second team was difficult for thenext tier of players. Some could havebeen ranked higher, some lower.

“Looking at the selections as a


All-Big Eight Conference Girls BasketballFirst Team

Name Yr. Pos. SchoolMcKayla Yentz Sr. C Sun PrairieNicole Newman Jr. F Madison La FolletteLiz McMahon Jr. F MiddletonAshley Hartwig Sr. F Janesville ParkerEbony Nettles-Bey So. G Madison West

Second TeamName Yr. Pos. SchoolAlysha Justice Jr. C Madison EastShannon Kant Sr. F VeronaDani Fugate Sr. G Janesville ParkerAmelia Grahn Jr. G Madison La FolletteLexi Richardson Jr. G Verona

Third TeamName Yr. Pos. SchoolKristi Crandall Sr. G Janesville CraigAli Smith Jr. F Madison La FolletteKatie Villa Jr. C Janesville CraigAlison Hughes So. G Janesville CraigBridgette Jost Sr. F Madison Memorial

Honorable MentionMorgan McCulloch So. G Janesville ParkerJenny La Croix Jr. G VeronaMarissa Hoyer Sr. F Madison MemorialJamie Hintz Sr. G VeronaShaquita Lee So. G Madison WestShannon McCauley Sr. G MiddletonJenna Conom Jr. G Sun PrairieKea Whittington Sr. G Beloit Memorial

McMahon honoredMiddleton juniornamed first-teamall-Big Eightby ROB REISCHELTimes-Tribune

File photo

Middleton junior forward Liz McMahon was named first-team all-BigEight Conference.

See GIRLS BB, page 28

For weeks, they all echoed largelythe same thoughts.

Nothing is guaranteed. Tomorrowpromises you nothing. There are zerothings in life owed to you.

For having such perspective,Middleton’s boys basketball teamdeserves a great deal of credit.

With that being said, though,everyone around the Cardinalsunderstands that the 2013-’14 seasoncould be a banner one.

Middleton will bring back its topthree scorers from this year’s teamthat went 14-11 and reached a WIAADivision 1 sectional semifinal. TheCardinals figure to welcome back sixof the top seven players from theirrotation and 10 total players that sawquality minutes this winter.

While the Cardinals have tried tostay grounded when talking aboutnext season, they also realize it couldbe one of the better seasons in recentmemory.

“I think it’s important for playersto understand that you are neverguaranteed anything in life,” saidMiddleton coach Kevin Bavery,who’s done all he can to keep histeam grounded. “But you positionyourself to be successful with yourbest effort — academics, health andwell being, balance of family,friends, school, and so on.

“In terms of athletics, and specifi-cally basketball, it’s the same thing.You give it your best effort in antici-pation of great things ahead, and ifyou are smart in terms of how andhow much and who you listen to, youposition yourself as well as you pos-sibly can.”

Middleton has put itself in posi-tion to make 2014 a memorable sea-son.

The Cardinals, playing with most-ly juniors this year, improved asmuch as anyone in the Big EightConference.

Middleton was 4-6 on Jan. 4. Butover the final two months, theCardinals went 10-5 and knocked offtop-seeded Sun Prairie in a regionalfinal.

Middleton set a school record formost three-point shots made in a sea-son (150) and a game (13, twice).The Cardinals’ average of 62.1points per game was the secondhighest in school history and they seta record for most points scored in ahalf (48 vs. Janesville Parker).

Middleton also set records foroffensive rebounds in a season (262),steals in a season (221), chargestaken in a season (29) and freethrows made in a season (413).

A young group packed with ques-tions when the ball was first tipped inNovember, had many of the answersby March. Now, with another offsea-son to improve physically and men-tally, the Cardinals figure to joinMadison Memorial as the favoritesto win the Big Eight Conference.

“I think people will see us as oneof the top teams in the conferencenext year,” junior guard Rongstadsaid. “Everyone has been saying,‘2014 is the year.’

“I hope they’re right … but we’vestill got to go and do it.”

Rongstad is a big reason hopeswill be extremely high next year.

During his breakout junior season,Rongstad averaged a team-high 16.4points per game. Rongstad overcamean early-season hand injury, scoredin double figures in 14 of his final 15games, and was named first-team all-Big Eight.

Perhaps the biggest surprise inMiddleton’s program, though, wasthe emergence of Luke Schafer, whowas named third-team all-confer-ence. Bavery knew the junior guardwould be a solid floor leader, but fewanticipated Schafer becoming amajor offensive threat.

Schafer finished second on theCardinals in scoring (12.3) and made73.9% of his free throws. Schafer’soffense kept getting better and better,too, and he averaged 17.6 points pergame in his final eight contests.

“Me and (Rongstad) are reallygoing to push ourselves and the otherguys, too,” Schafer said. “We allknow what our potential is, buteverything starts over.

“There are no guarantees in a sea-son. We’ve just got to work hard andkeep improving.”

The rest of the junior class ispacked with talent, as well.

Forward Max Oelerich (7.5), anhonorable-mention all-league pick,is a clever inside player who can alsostep out and knock down the three-pointer. Guard Demond Hill (6.4) isan extremely athletic player who wasslowed this year by a late-seasonhand injury.

Forwards Chris Little (5.1) andDerek Rogeberg (4.9) were solidreserves most of the year and figureto offer more next season.

The key to the Cardinals’ success,though, could turn out to be IanHokanson. The sophomore centerhas a world of potential and givesMiddleton the one thing it lacks —size. If Hokanson can take a majorstep forward, Middleton’s insidegame could eventually match itsperimeter play.

“The key is to work hard, worksmart, be efficient and productivewith your time, and involve team-


The future’s oh, so brightMiddleton’s boys basketball teamshould be stacked in 2013-’14by ROB REISCHELTimes-Tribune

mates,” Bavery said. “Have noregrets. Have a fire in your belly thatneeds to be stoked constantly andthen embrace the opportunity.

“I think we have those kinds ofkids returning and challenging tomove up. We have a great summerlaid out in terms of opportunities toget better. We had kids with greatcharacter and goals in the classroomand for their futures, and we havekids who will have very high expec-

tations for themselves.”Bavery knows 2014 will be noth-

ing like this season.There were virtually no expecta-

tions for this Middleton team. Butthat will change dramatically inNovember.

“With those high expectationscomes some pressure and some chal-lenges, but I think we have playerswho will embrace it,” Baverysaid. “If all we do is simply enter

next season several months older,then it’s up to chance.

“If we commit to a level I thinkwe can commit to in terms of volumeand intensity of work, then we have achance to have another great seasonin terms of enjoying each and everyday of the season, with a greatchance for game night success.”

File photo

Demond Hill will be one of the key returnees for Middleton’s boys basketball team next year.


A big year could await hockey Cards

The fact it ended was toughenough.

But when Middleton’s hockeyteam was eliminated from the post-season after a so-so effort, it madethe ending even tougher.

“Mixed emotions,” Middleton co-coach Steve Libert said. “Becauseyou want to go out playing your bestand we did not have a peak perform-ance.”

Still, Middleton’s season was ahuge success.

After immense graduation lossesfrom a year ago, few knew what toexpect from the 2012-’13 Cardinals.But Middleton exceeded most expec-tations.

The Cardinals went 18-6 overalland finished second in the Big EightConference at 11-3. Middletonreached the WIAA sectional finals,before falling to Madison Edgewood,3-2, in double overtime.

“One fantastic aspect about thisyear’s team was the diverse intereststhat they brought together in thelocker room,” Libert said. “They allhad respect for one another’s inter-ests.”

The Cardinals will take some hits

Middleton willreturn giftedteam next yearby ROB REISCHELTimes-Tribune

See FUTURE, page 27

File photo

Taylor Dickert will be one of the key returnees for Middleton’s hockey team next season.


All-Big Eight Conference Boys BasketballFirst Team

Name Year Pos. SchoolNick Fuller 12 F Sun PrairieJester Weah 12 F Madison MemorialNick Noskowiak 10 G Sun PrairieMalik Clements 11 G Madison WestDerek Rongstad 11 G Middleton

Second TeamName Year Pos. SchoolNygel Drury 12 G Madison La FolletteJerry Ngobi 11 G Janesville CraigAndre Neal 11 F Beloit MemorialTrevon Ampe 12 C Madison La FolletteAndrew Argall 12 G Verona

Third TeamName Year Pos. SchoolLuke Schafer 12 G MiddletonTyler Lindquist 11 F Madison MemorialDe'Shawn Burks 10 C Madison EastTroy Malmanger 12 G Janesville CraigJulian Walters 12 G Madison Memorial

Honorable MentionName Year Pos. SchoolJaylyn Edwards 12 G Beloit MemorialPaul Foster 12 F Janesville CraigTanner Smith 12 F Janesville ParkerDarold Thomas 10 G Madison La FolletteReggie Roemer 11 G Madison MemorialTerrell McFadden 11 G Madison WestMax Oelerich 11 F MiddletonShane Waldon 11 F Sun PrairieJ.T. Ruffin 10 F Sun PrairieMitch Flora 11 F Verona

Coach of the Year: Steve Collins, Madison MemorialPlayer of the Year: Nick Fuller, Sun Prairie

and have a level of conditioningwhere he can be relentless in all phas-es, all the time, the sky is the limit forhim next season.

“All he cares about is winning andhaving the Cardinals challenge for theconference title and advancing as deepas possible in the tournament. He wasa well-deserved first team selection.”

Schafer missed out on the secondteam by one spot. Still, finishing onthe third team was a terrific accom-plishment for Schafer, who was play-ing with the varsity for the first time.

Schafer was second on the team inscoring at 11.7 and had a team-best5.2 rebounds per game. Schafer wasalso second on the Cardinals in assists(3.0) and steals (2.7).

Schafer led the Cardinals in freethrow attempts (134), free throwsmade (99) and free throw percentage(.739). Schafer also led Middleton incharges taken (eight) and improvedhis play dramatically as the year wenton.

“His second half of the season wasplayed at a clear second-team or evenfirst-team level,” Bavery said. “Andwe’ve talked about having him startoff next year where he finished up thisyear. He is excited for that challengeas well as being a solid senior leaderand mentor for us next season.

“His toughness and competitive-ness was there from day one, but hisability to score at the rim over biggerpeople surprised us early on. For a 6-foot guard to lead us in reboundingalso says a lot about his tenacity. Asthe season went on he became moreand more capable to knock downperimeter shots and was our bestclutch free throw shooter the secondhalf of the season.”

Oelerich was third on the Cardinalsin scoring (8.6) and rebounding (4.6).The 6-foot-3 Oelerich did a lot of hisdamage in the paint thanks to his longarms and leaping ability.

“It was nice to have Max acknowl-edged by the conference coaches as an

honorable mention selection,” Baverysaid. “He is very long, which helpshim get deflections in our press and inthe half court, get his shot off in themid-range area, and to get to theoffensive boards as he led the team inthat category.

“He showed a late-season ability toextend his range a bit and we arecounting on that development to con-tinue to give us another consistentthree-point shot threat for next season.More than anything I know Max reallyloves the game and would play everyday of the year if he could.

“If he continues to work on hisskills, as well as in the functional fit-ness program, and comes in a littlebigger and thicker next year, therereally isn’t a way for people to be ableto defend him. He will be able to hitthe three, get into a mid-range game,crash the boards and knock down freethrows.”

BOYS BB continued from page 19n

File photo

Middleton junior guard Luke Schafer (top) was named third-team all-conference, while junior forward MaxOelerich (above) was named honorable-mention all-league.


in graduation.Senior defenseman Jake Bunz led

Middleton in goals (17) and points(29). Forward Danny Klagos (19points) also had a breakthrough year.

“A high profile player like JakeBunz could have been a ‘Do youknow who I am?’ guy,” Libert said.“But he wasn’t. He was a good team-mate.

“Danny Klagos was probably themost improved player Middleton hasever had. This was his first year ofvarsity, but every day you could seethe rewards of all the hard work heput into not just making the team, butto contribute and continue to work toget better during the year.”

Other seniors like Ethan McLeod(14 points), Kevin Wolfinger (13),Nico Campbell (9) and Jack Kvistadprovided steady play.

Still, Libert & Co. weren’t satis-fied with the results.

“Overall the year was inconsis-tent,” Libert said. “One day we couldplay great defense, the next wewould give up odd-man rushes likecandy at Halloween. Our offensewould be on fire, then ice cold.

“As coaches we need to do a bet-ter job of teaching hockey and build-ing the consistency. Create a bettercombination of competition and skilldevelopment. Teamwork and consis-tency can go hand in hand.

“This year’s crew always broughta lot of energy to the rink, whichmade it fun to coach. But as coacheswe need to do a better job of chan-neling that energy.”

Libert believes next season couldbe a banner one for the Cardinals.

Although Middleton will losesome key components, it will alsohave a terrific nucleus back.

Everything starts with goalie MaxMcConnell, who will be a junior next

season. McConnell went 16-5 thisyear, had four shutouts, an .898 savepercentage and a goals against aver-age of 2.10

“Obviously Max is one of the topgoalies in the state, so that is a nicecornerstone,” Libert said. “With anintelligently planned workout he willbecome quicker and more in controlof his body. Max has a good founda-tion and a pretty quiet style, which isimportant in a goalie.

“Max has played with quite fewdifferent personalities and has beenable to observe what works better. Iexpect Max to grab the reins nextyear and help lead the team.”

Forward Jordan Carey wasMiddleton’s second-leading scorerthis season (11-15-26) and should bepoised for a big senior season.Forwards Brendan Sheehan andRyan Dohmeier, along with defense-man Vaughn Kottler add to whatshould be a strong senior class nextwinter.

Forwards Clayton Brown (18points), Taylor Dickert (11), EddyMatush and defenseman Joey Duffheadline what should be a terrificjunior class next year.

Defenseman Davis Bunz (16points) and forward Casey Harperhad outstanding freshman seasons,and should be ready for huge sopho-more campaigns.

“Davis was the best freshmen inthe conference and really developedthis season,” Libert said.

It all adds up to what could be abig year for Middleton hockey.

“Next year looks very promising,”Libert said. “There are also somegood players that if they choose highschool over club hockey, they havethe potential to really add to theteam.”

FUTURE continued from page 25n


whole, the conference is losingsome very good seniors, but there is astrong contingent of players returningwho should provide the backbone fora very competitive conference race.”

McCauley had a solid senior sea-son and ranked fourth on the team inscoring (6.0). McCauley also led theCardinals in assists (3.3) and was sec-ond in steals (2.8).

McCauley was Middleton’s pri-mary ball-handler, played terrificdefense and provided leadership for ayoung bunch.

“It was nice for ShannonMcCauley to get honorable mentionrecognition as she provided prettysteady leadership for us all year,”Kind said.

File photo

Middleton senior guard Shannon McCauley was named honorable-mentionall-Big Eight Conference.

GIRLS BBcontinued from page 22

n

Sunday NeighborsMarch 10

Greg Fritz 647 (200, 213, 234), JimSalzman 643 (223, 204, 216), PaulHughes 624 (214, 224), Keith Kezer610 (238), Marty Meinholz 605 (213,232), Mark Misenheimer 602 (201,246), Gus Schlieckau 599 (223),Eugene Pasch 581 (208, 209), JanetMeinholz 556 (208), Mavis Severson543 (210), Don Acker 518 (210), JeffBallweg 510, Mary Jo Acker 510, JimCampbell 509, Tony Ziegler 509,Cindy Hall 476, Cheryl Hitchins 469.

Middleton LadiesFrayne Born 628, Luann McNally

559, Rosemary Lange 557, SaraGudel 545, Cindy Hall 537, Donna

Cushman 526, Theresa Meisel 508,Sandee Statz 497, Mary Moody 482,Verelene Morris 470, Paula Brunner467.


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ment.The Middleton Cardinal Booster

Club, not the school district, is pay-ing both Rogeberg and Myrland. Theprogram is free to student-athletes,and to date, it’s been a rousing suc-cess.

“Brad and I have received tremen-dous support from coaches, athletesand parents, and we are really havingfun with our training groups,” saidMyrland, who worked for theUniversity of Wisconsin for 13 yearsand several professional sportsteams. “It may seem self-serving tosay it, but we have already seen realimprovements in what we might term‘movement literacy’ among the ath-letes who have made the commit-ment to train with us on a regularbasis.

“For some, that was a leap of faithsince I tend to do things that are nei-ther overly familiar nor immediatelycomfortable for many of the athletesand many of the MHS coaches, aswell. But Brad and I have managedto get the buy-in we need to do thework we feel needs doing here, andwe have seen good things, so far.”

Rogeberg, a football assistant thelast 21 years, has trained players inthat sport throughout that time. Inrecent years, though, Rogeberg haslobbied for MHS to create a positionthat trained all athletes out of season.

Former athletic director LukeFrancois made some progress, butran into funding issues. Then lastsummer, Joers got the necessaryfinancial commitment to make it areality.

“I am totally pumped,” Rogebergsaid. “I am really excited to be ableto train other sports. I can't wait tosee the benefits from our girls sports.Our girls’ programs are always at thetop, and now that they will be able tostrength train year round, it willmake them dominant.”

The program is largely for ath-letes that are out of season. Most ofthem meet for an hour three times aweek, either before or after school.

The program had between 60-100participants most nights this winter.

But “in-sport” athletes are alsoable to participate. In fact, manyMHS coaches have made that train-ing part of their practices, and devote15-20 minutes to it.

The goals for Rogeberg andMyrland are two-fold.

First, they’re aiming to improvethe performance and development ofall MHS athletes.

Second, they’re hoping to reducethe number and the severity ofinjuries.

“Bob Joers and I have often spo-ken about the need to try to create amore coherent, cohesive and com-prehensive approach to training ath-letes,” Myrland said. “This is notbecause the sport coaches at MHSare negligent or deficient, only thatthey are burdened with large tasks insimply keeping up with develop-ments in their respective sports.

“The specialized knowledge oftraining bodies to perform well andsafely — particularly bodies dealingwith significant growth issues —almost has to come from someonewho focuses on that, alone.

“We also hoped to connect ath-letes — physically — from the end-ing of one season to the beginning ofthe next. An athlete might exit his orher fall sport in great physical shape… and then lose that advantage overthe course of the long winter-sportseason, reverting back to the start-ing-line when spring seasons com-mence.”

It would have been hard forMiddleton to find a better tandemthan Myrland and Rogeberg.

Myrland works with competitiveathletes at all levels and has decades

of success on his résumé. Myrlandworked at the UW from 1988-2000,where he assisted with either Big Tenor national championship efforts inhockey, cross country, soccer, tennisand rowing. Myrland later went towork for the San Jose Sharks and theChicago White Sox.

Rogeberg, a 1989 MHS graduate,has led the strength and conditioningprogram inside the football program.Recently, Rogeberg has also organ-ized a middle school strength andconditioning camp.

“We couldn’t have gotten two bet-ter people for this,” Joers said. “It’s

exciting.”Indeed it is.“We worked hard to get this

here,” Rogeberg said. “So now, tohave it happen, it’s really exciting.We’re all pretty fired up.”


Times-Tribune photo by Mary Langenfeld

Brad Rogeberg (right) spearheaded the strength and conditioning program for Middleton’s football program fortwo decades. Now, Rogeberg and Steve Myrland are training athletes in all sports at MHS.

TRAINERS continued from page 19n

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