There are four Oconto County Board seats without a ballot candidate and two contested races in the April 7 general election, according to Kim Pytleski, Oconto County clerk.

Incumbent Jolene Barkhaus is not seeking another term to represent District 9. Joseph M. Prior, of Oconto Falls, and Carl Blank, of Abrams, will compete for the seat.

All of the equipment is on site, and Motorola crews are working on the final implementation stage for a new radio system at the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department.

Lt. Chris Madle said a mistake by Motorola almost pushed the setup back four months, but his persistence prevented the delay.

A rising jail population has Shawano County authorities considering shipping some inmates to neighboring counties.

Troy Beyer, jail administrator, told members of the public safety committee Jan. 7 the average daily population in December was 185 and stood at 195 just hours before the meeting.

You could almost hear the collective sigh of relief at the Jan. 7 public safety committee meeting when members were told the Shawano County Dispatch Center was near full employment.

Kasey Cross, communications supervisor, said two vacancies remain in the department, but there are two candidates in the final stages of pre-employment screening. If all goes well, the department will be at full staff for the first time in many months.

A 58-year-old man convicted of using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime and possession of child pornography was released into the Shawano area Jan. 8, according to the Shawano County Sheriff’s Department.

Christopher K. Morley is listed as 6 feet tall, weighing 190 pounds. He is white with blue eyes and gray hair.

Morley, formerly of Suring, is considered homeless in Shawano County.

After 34 years of influencing aspiring young adults with the benefits of agriculture, Shawano Community High School’s Steve Stomberg is retiring.

Growing up on a 50-cow dairy farm in northern Minnesota, his family also raised 100 beef cows. Hence, Stomberg had a foundation in agriculture from an early age.