Community

Menominee legislator tells her story to help women

Published by LPulaski on Sat, 10/16/2021 - 12:28pm

Rachel Fernandez, a Menominee tribal legislator, spoke her truth Oct. 16 at the Menominee Casino Resort in the hopes of empowering other women and breaking a code of silence dating back several generations.

A lot to reflect on as gardening season closes

Published by LPulaski on Fri, 10/15/2021 - 12:32pm

With the gardening season beginning to wind down, it’s time to take a look back and reflect on the successes, failures, trials and rewards of the growing season in 2021.

It was a year of weather challenges, from heat to cold, from excessive moisture to excessive drought. We saw it all over the past year. How did the gardening season go for you?

ThedaCare doctor advocates vaccine for pregnant women

Published by LPulaski on Wed, 10/13/2021 - 10:15am

The vaccines for COVID-19 will not impact a woman’s ability to get pregnant or cause men to suffer erectile dysfunction, according to a family medicine physician in Shawano.

“The Delta variant, which also is proving to be more severe than earlier COVID-19 variants, creates even more urgency around getting vaccinated,” said Dr. Angela Divjak, with ThedaCare Physicians-Shawano. “It’s vital for patients to protect themselves and the community, because we’re not through the pandemic by any means.”

Optimists install officers, give out awards

Published by LPulaski on Wed, 10/13/2021 - 10:02am

The Shawano Optimist Club recently held its 45th annual installation and awards ceremony, during which officers and directors for the coming year were installed and special awards presented.

Haunted house finds new home at Mielke

Published by LPulaski on Wed, 10/13/2021 - 9:59am

The annual haunted house in Shawano has found a new location at the Mielke Arts Center.

“This is the first year that we have held the event at the Mielke center,” said Maddie Stuewer, who helps to organize the haunted house.

The event was normally held at the Sugar Bowl, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event has found a new home with the Mielke.

“We have more room here,” said Stuewer. “Visitors take a self-guided tour, where they walk through 25 rooms. We have 20 actors who take part in scaring the visitors.”

Staff of Life in Shawano under new ownership

Published by LPulaski on Wed, 10/13/2021 - 9:54am

The Staff of Life store, a place for people to find health food and Christian gifts, is continuing to flourish under new ownership, even as one of the owners is facing an additional challenge.

Holly Montoure and her daughter, Miranda Hoyer, took ownership of Staff of Life on July 1. For Montoure, it was an opportunity to continue to serve her faith after being a Catholic school teacher for a number of years.

“I liked the Christian part of it,” Montoure said. “The health food was just a bonus.”

Gresham author rocking children’s lives

Published by LPulaski on Mon, 09/27/2021 - 4:56pm

Stepheni Curran helps young people to find their voice as a speech and language pathologist with Gresham Community School.

Curran also helps them to find their voice through the children’s books she writes.

With two books and her love of rocks, Curran has helped to teach the valuable lesson of kindness in all circumstances to children and children at heart. Her work has allowed her to speak about her books and the messages behind them on more than 60 occassions, including last week at the Central Wisconsin Book Festival in Wausau.

A complex imagining of Nero's second wife

Published by admin on Wed, 09/22/2021 - 2:00pm

This week I chose “Augusta” by Dora Ilieva. It is a reimagining of the life of a girl who grows up to become Nero’s last wife.

Ms. Ilivea’s preface states that “history is written by the victors” and in the time of the Caesars, women were never the victors. So it felt right to see that world through the eyes of a girl/woman who had to navigate what was royal Rome.

The vast Roman Empire was ruled with the iron fist of the emperor. Some were cruel, some were perverted, and some were deranged. Plots and treachery abounded, and sudden deaths were common.

Paddling in the company of birds

Published by admin on Fri, 09/17/2021 - 1:51pm

Having put our canoe in the Oconto River just downstream of the Stiles dam at the east end of the Machickanee Flowage, we drifted downstream, an eye out for birds and a line cast now and then in search of bass. We soon spotted the “kings” of the river, the ever present Eastern kingbirds and belted kingfishers. Both species spend much of their time along streams, rivers, and lakes in search of prey; the kingbirds after insects and the kingfishers eating mostly small fish.

Homecoming witch solves a mystery with her kitten

Published by admin on Fri, 09/17/2021 - 1:32pm

After an especially busy week, I was ready for some far-fetched reading. So I selected “Black Magic Kitten,” book one of Sara Bourgeois’ “Familiar Kitten Mysteries.”