The Shawano County Dispatch Center was awarded an over $700,000 grant for new equipment, but elected officials have to sign off on it first as it comes with a need for county funds that aren’t part of the current budget.

The grant is from Round 2 of the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs Office of Emergency Communications PSAP Grant. The application was due in February and awarded May 1.

The Mattoon Veteran Kids will once again return to the village for the annual Memorial Day parade.

Organized by James Fonder, adjutant of John Owen American Legion Post 287, children honor veterans by dressing up as military veterans, Native Americans or other historical figures and walking behind a float in the parade.

“You have to spend money to make money” is a common business adage, and it could very well be true for any hopes of building a new Shawano County Library.

The Samuels Group’s Kurt Berner is recommending the county hire the McDonald Schaefer firm to conduct a feasibility fundraising study to determine local financial support for a new library.

As Nurses’ Week came to a close, Hospital Sisters Health System announced the 2025 Nurse of the Year, DAISY Nurse Leader of the Year and Nursing Team of the Year award winners from hospitals in Green Bay, Sheboygan and Oconto Falls.

Meshan Latender and Shawano County officials have verbally agreed to the former selling her home to pave the way for a new courthouse, jail pod and jail auxiliary services.

Latender owns the home at 211 W. Fourth St., Shawano.

We recently enjoyed a birding trip to the southeast United States that rewarded us with sightings of many bird species not seen in Wisconsin. These included the wood stork, roseate spoonbill, yellow-crowned night heron and brown pelican among others. It also allowed us to see many more egrets than we’d see here in northeast Wisconsin.

I joined the American Legion Auxiliary in 2004. Jon had joined the Legion, and I’d just published “My Mother Kept a Scrapbook: The True Story of a WWII POW” by Gerhard Johnson. Lifelong fishing buddies, Jon and Gerhard were both born and raised in Elderon.

Make it fun and convenient to add some homegrown flavor to cookouts, garden parties and meals. Grow a few herbs in containers on a patio, deck or balcony.

Set a pot near the grill and fill it with favorite grilling herbs. Include some barbecue rosemary known for its especially good flavor and aroma suited to cooking. Plus, the strong stems make the perfect skewer, something guests are sure to remember.

Wabeno American Legion Post has announced its annual Memorial Day ceremony will take place May 25 at Veterans Park, located off state Highway 32 in Wabeno.