1. Fatal crash claims lives of Shawano, Bonduel students: The Shawano and Bonduel communities were rocked in October by a two-vehicle crash that claimed three young lives — two Shawano Community High School students and one from Bonduel.
The accident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. Oct. 21 on state Highway 22 near Friendship Road in Belle Plaine.
Two SCHS seniors, 17-year-old Cody Borsche and 18-year-old Tyler Welch, were pronounced dead at the scene. A Bonduel High School sophomore, 15-year-old Paige Brunette, was transported to Shawano Medical Center for medical attention and later died. Another Shawano student, 17-year-old Ryan Swadner, of Clintonville, was hospitalized.
Authorities are still awaiting the results of accident reconstruction and a final report from the State Patrol.
2. Bieber ousts incumbent Wright in sheriff’s race: Shawano police officer Adam Bieber validated his August primary win over incumbent Shawano County Sheriff Randy Wright, who waged a write-in campaign, in November’s general election. The certified tally was 9,750 votes for Bieber and 5,167 for Wright. Independent candidate Lucas Christenson received 1,206 votes.
It was a deeply contentious race that divided many in the community and flared up in sometimes heated exchanges in social media.
Experience and cooperation between other law enforcement agencies and government entities were key issues in the campaign. Other contentious issues included the Sheriff’s Department’s K-9 unit, evidence storage needs and the proposed purchase of a mine-resistant armored personnel carrier.
3. Fire destroys landmark Shawano restaurant: An early morning blaze destroyed the landmark Anello’s Torch Lite restaurant at 1276 E. Green Bay St. in Shawano on Dec. 30, taking with it a rich history that had been part of the community for more than a century.
The building dates back to 1897, though it has seen numerous reconstructions and additions since then. It changed owners a number of times and was patronized by the likes of Al Capone and John Dillinger in the Roaring ’20s.
It became Anello’s Torch Lite in 1981. The site also featured a popular petting zoo that owner Rita Mondus hopes will continue in spite of the loss of the restaurant.
4. Menominee tribe seeks OK from governor to open casino at former dog track in Kenosha: The Menominee Indian Tribe continued working toward its longtime goal of opening a casino in Kenosha. The tribe wants to build the casino complex on the grounds of the old Dairyland Greyhound dog track in Kenosha, saying the $800 million project will create 5,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The tribe scored a significant victory in 2013 after the Bureau of Indian Management approved the tribe’s application. The project must still be approved by Gov. Scott Walker.
5. Human remains found in Shawano County: Human remains found in the town of Richmond in May sparked rampant speculation on social media, but still no positive identification more than seven months later.
A group of young adults discovered the remains along the south side of Peach Road near County Road MMM. The only information released by officials so far is that the remains were of a female.
The remains were initially sent to the State Crime Lab in Madison but tests failed to produce a positive ID. They were subsequently sent to another lab out of state.
The Department of Criminal Investigations is leading the investigation.
6. Winter flooding closes state highway, affects Keshena businesses and residences: The Menominee Tribe and Menominee County issued an emergency disaster declaration due to flooding that closed State Highway 47-55 in downtown Keshena in December.
Reports of flooding in the area began Thanksgiving week and continued despite efforts by several agencies to address the problem, which was blamed on ice jams created by frazil ice that prevented the Wolf River from flowing properly.
County Road VV was closed on Dec. 14 and Highway 47-55 on Dec. 16.
Work crews utilized high-powered pumps to help remove water from the roads and replaced sandbags with concrete barriers.
7. Turmoil on Clintonville Common Council: Clintonville’s Common Council spent much of the year embroiled in controversy that began when City Administrator Lisa Kotter was suspended in May amid undisclosed allegations. She resigned in September, issuing a joint news release with the city saying her departure was not based on any misconduct but rather on “philosophical and stylistic differences.”
A recall effort against Alderman Greg Rose coincided with the council’s decision to suspend Kotter. The council initially rejected holding a recall election, but was forced to by state Government Accountability Board.
Clintonville Mayor Judith Magee took a medical leave of absence in October, saying she needed time away from the turmoil that enveloped the council. She returned in late November.
On Nov. 18, District 4 residents voted 108-93 to recall Rose and replace him with Lois Bressette. It was the first recall effort in the city’s 167-year history.
8. Sheriff’s department executes search warrant at county supervisor’s home: Shawano County sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at County Supervisor Deb Noffke’s home April 15, but came away empty-handed in a futile attempt to find drug activity.
The search started two hours before Noffke was due for a reorganizational meeting of the County Board and election of board chairman, spurring accusations that the sheriff’s department was trying to disrupt that vote. The department has denied that allegation and maintains a garbage pick at Noffke’s residence tested positive for marijuana residue.
9. County committee investigates sheriff’s department: Shawano County’s Administrative Committee an attorney in May to investigate $1,000 in jail bond money that went missing in 2013. The investigation ultimately expanded to include the actions of sheriff’s department employees involved in a campaign dustup at the Republican Party picnic with Shawano police officer Adam Bieber, who was running for sheriff in the Nov. 4 election.
Sheriff Randy Wright called the investigations a “witch hunt” aimed at influencing the election.
The investigations were expected to be finished by the end of the year, but there has been no public statement about their status from the committee.
10. Deep freeze settles in: Bitter temperatures from an extended cold snap early in 2014 led to propane shortages, higher fuel costs and, in many communities, orders to run a constant trickle of water to keep pipes from freezing.
The propane shortage throughout the Midwest caused a state of emergency to be declared as the state announced it would help propane dealers secure loans to purchase gas and will release more money to help low-income propane users.
Locally, Shawano County set up warming shelters to help residents deal with the extreme cold.
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