Wittenberg Enterprise & Birnamwood News

Farm living is the life for Jesse and Carla Hanke

Published by admin on Wed, 09/23/2020 - 2:03pm

For the past 39 years, Jesse and Carla Hanke have been busy farming, and raising a son and a daughter. Jesse Hanke also worked full time as a rural postal carrier for 27 years while his wife, Carla, operated their garden market.

Like most markets, the food is picked fresh each day, but unlike other places, the food stays fresh all day long. The fresh produce they offer is displayed on their wagon, but it is also stored in covered insulated cartons when there aren’t any customers around.

More coverage for Birnamwood, Mattoon and Wittenberg

Published by admin on Wed, 09/23/2020 - 1:55pm

Deputy Eric Chernetski of the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department introduced himself at the Village of Wittenberg board meeting Sept. 15 and explained that in the future, he will be attending board meetings in Wittenberg, Birnamwood and Mattoon.

Chernetski recently moved to the Village of Birnamwood and was looking for a way to bring more attention what he sees as an under-served area by law enforcement. The western edge of the county — Mattoon to Marion — can almost seem like its own county, Chernetski said.

Birnamwood prepares for new phosphorus limits

Published by admin on Wed, 09/23/2020 - 1:48pm

The Village of Birnamwood has too much phosphorus in its wastewater, said Chris Jensen, director of public works, to the village board at its Sept. 14 meeting.

While the municipality is not in violation of state Department of Natural Resources guidelines yet, he said they will need to put a plan in place to stay compliant, and some residents with older homes might need to replace their external plumbing.

Tigerton School District switches to virtual learning due to COVID-19 outbreak

Published by admin on Tue, 09/22/2020 - 11:35am

Multiple positive cases of COVID-19 have been documented in the Tigerton Middle/High School, leading the district to move to a virtual learning setting as of Sept. 22.

A girls night out adventure awaits

Published by admin on Thu, 09/17/2020 - 9:43am

Taking a gamble on the “girls’ night out” theme, Karen Schairer marketed an event last year where women could create something while enjoying wine, food and the company of good friends.

Schairer, owner of Autumn Acres — a farm and corn maze venue in Birnamwood, brought back the event this year, and the Thursday night spots are filling up quickly. In fact, the Sept. 24 event is already sold out. People will be in full fall mode and ready to embrace the season by then, says Schairer.

Stockbridge-Munsee member succumbs to COVID

Published by admin on Mon, 09/14/2020 - 4:30pm

The Stockbridge-Munsee tribal government has reported that one of its members has died due to complications of COVID-19. No details of the victim were released. If the individual was a Shawano County resident, he or she would be the first in Shawano County to be linked to the disease.

“With heavy hearts, we share that a member of our community has lost their life due to complications from COVID-19. We mourn with their family and friends and send them our deepest sympathy,” the tribal government website reports.

Let’s go on with the show

Published by admin on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 10:43am

It’s been an interesting year for Walls of Wittenberg as they’ve navigated through the pandemic deciding which events should be held and which should be cancelled. With seven artists involved with the annual fall art show the decision to proceed was an easy one.

“Our artists are excited to be part of the show this fall,” said event coordinator Elaine Diffor who noted that there is plenty of room to social distance in the WOWSPACE.

Estimated school budget is proposed at annual meeting

Published by admin on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 10:32am

Superintendent Garrett Rogowski updated district residents and the school board about upcoming budget numbers at the district’s Aug. 24 annual meeting.

The formal budget will not be approved until October after all the various resources are factored in. Property valuation and enrollment numbers will be provided in September, and numbers for general aid and computer aid will be finalized in October said Rogowski.

The Badger Amateur Baseball Association says good bye to two of its local legends

Published by admin on Wed, 09/09/2020 - 9:12am

The Badger Amateur Baseball Association, as well as all local area baseball, lost two of its greatest ambassadors within a couple of days of one another. Don Jirschele passed away on July 27 at the age of 87 and Bert Thiel passed a couple days later on July 31 at the age of 94. Both men have left unforgettable legacies.

Tigerton gets tasty with food truck rally

Published by admin on Mon, 09/07/2020 - 2:21pm

Tigerton Main Street suffered a blow when it had to cancel its annual Independence Day festivities, and it was due to take another hit later this month when officials decided to cancel Applefest, a favorite in the community for years.

However, officials came up with an event to help with the financial loss, and on Sunday, five food trucks lined up for Tigerton Main Street’s first food truck rally.