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.

More than 22,000 acres in the Town of Lessor are now part of a newly designated agricultural enterprise area set up by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection as of Jan. 1.

A new fan in the horse barn at the Shawano County Fairgrounds created quite the mess for the Shawano County Ag and Extension Committee.

Members agreed to pay the remaining $950 of an invoice from work performed in June 2025, while also declaring the county will close its pockets to future projects if proper procedures are not followed.

Two decades ago, the cookbook “A man, a can, a microwave” was a big hit.

Today, Shawano County 4-H educator Megan Suehring is using a similar idea for the foundation of a new cooking curriculum.