2022: A Year in Review – Part I
As another year draws to a close, we take a look back at the stories that impacted our local communities in 2022. Here are some snippets from the top stories in the Tribune Record Gleaner from the last year. This week’s issue will cover January through June. Pick up a copy of next week’s TRG for stories from July through December. JANUARY Jan. 5 — Heavy winds damage Greenwood cemetery The city of Greenwood will wait until the snow is gone in spring to further assess damages and possible repair costs at the city cemetery. Dozens of headstones and monuments were upended and/ or broken when several large white pine trees were uprooted or broken off in the freak December windstorm that caused extensive damage to buildings and power lines in the area. City crews estimate that more than 50 headstones — some dating back almost 100 years — were either torn from the soil by tree roots or knocked over and broken by falling limbs.
Jan. 19 — COVID-19 outbreak forces Granton school closure An outbreak of COVID- 19 at the Granton Area School District has resulted in the closing of the entire school facilities for the next week. Besides the Granton Community Childcare Center, which will remain open during the week, all in-school and after school activities at the district will be cancelled until Jan. 24 as the school goes virtual to combat the virus. According to a news release from the district, approximately 45 percent of students at the school were absent on Jan. 14, with many of those students leaving that day due to sickness.
Jan. 26 — Driver who killed Neillsville woman gets 15 years On Dec. 15, 2017, Michelle Kunze, 29, and Jeannie Carillo, 35, were killed on U.S. Highway 10 about two miles west of Neillsville when the car in which they were traveling was struck head-on by a pickup driven by then 26-year-old Trenton Bemis of Humbird. Blood tests taken after the crash showed Bemis’ blood alcohol level was almost four times the legal limit.
On Jan. 25, 2022, Judge Robert Shannon concluded a five-hour sentencing hearing by ordering Bemis to serve seven-and-a-half years in prison for each woman’s death. In addition to 15 years of confinement, he’ll also serve 10 years on extended supervision, his driver’s license will be revoked for five years upon his release from prison and he’ll have to pay a yet-tobe- determined amount in restitution. Shannon also ordered him to make an annual presentation to a high school or another appropriate group on the dangers of drunken driving. FEBRUARY Feb. 2 — Teachers of Distinction named Teachers from the Greenwood, Spencer and Granton school districts were recently selected as Crystal Apple Teachers of Distinction by the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Chosen for the awards were Granton fourth-grade teacher Jessica Schier, Greenwood special education teacher Kelsey Hoverson, Spencer high school science teacher Abbi Roehrborn and Spencer K-8 reading interventionist Shannon Malone.
Feb. 9 — Greenwood residents to see large water rate hike Based on state Public Service Commission (PSC) orders, water usage rates for Greenwood city residents will jump 51 percent and another $25.77 will be tacked on per quarter to help the city cover the cost of maintaining public fire protection infrastructure. The city council approved the tentative rate increase on Feb. 2. While some municipalities work with the PSC on annual small increases, Greenwood chose to wait to increase its rates and will now see the large increase, probably taking effect this fall. The PSC is now ordering a raise in rates from $6.90 per 1,000 gallons of usage to $10.45.
Feb. 9 — Granton Elementary hosts its own Olympic Games Granton Elementary staff and students held a special ceremony to start their own Olympic Games on Feb. 4. The games at Granton will coincide with official events in China that will take place over the next two weeks and conclude Feb. 21. Each class chose a country to study and follow during the Olympic Games and paraded that country’s flag around the gym. Various academic lessons over the next two weeks will be Olympic-themed.
Feb. 16 — Granton community concerned about future of school A discussion about potential future talks with neighboring school districts on cooperating on student education took a dramatic turn at the Granton School Board regular monthly meeting Feb. 14. The board heard concerns voiced by community members about where such talks could lead, partially brought on by rumors floated on social media the week prior.
At least 50 people attended the meeting and spoke their minds about how far cooperation between school districts should go. The discussion about the future of the school started after board member Paul Knoff read a formal letter he had written requesting a joint meeting with other local school boards to discuss options on what to do for the future.
Feb. 23 — County disallows claims in highway workers’ August death and injury The Clark County Board of Supervisors last week followed “standard practice” in disallowing two notices of claim filed against it by the families of two highway department employees involved in an August 2021 traffic crash, but the families of those involved are asking for more personal treatment. “Put a face on them; don’t put a number,” one family member said in addressing the board before it took action on Feb. 17.
The notices of claim have been filed against the county by Jill Opelt, widow of Russell Opelt, and by David and Dawn Murphy. Russell Opelt and David Murphy were in the process of removing a tree from Highway G near Willard on Aug. 8, 2021 when Cory Neumueller struck the tree with this truck. The impact led to Russell Opelt’s death and David Murphy was severely injured.
The notices are the first step in a process that may lead to the families filing lawsuits against the county. The Opelt claim asks for $1,812,500 for funeral expenses, loss of future income, and loss of society and companionship. The Murphy claim seeks $2,475,000 for medical expenses, pain and suffering, wage and income loss, and loss of society and companionship.
Feb. 23 — Catching up: Schools dealing with COVID-19 aftereffects Even though much of the danger and concern that affected life at the beginning of the pandemic has passed, aftereffects of the measures taken to slow the virus’ spread are still having a residual effect on students of all ages at our local schools. Inconsistency in student internet access during virtual learning made it a challenge for many students to do as well online as they did inside the classroom. Even though students have returned to school, there is still a gap in academic performance for many students. Mental health too has deteriorated for some kids. Others lack in social skills and classroom behaviors, having not gotten the chance to practice those as much. MARCH March 16 — “It’s a mess” — Sunday morning fire causes extensive damage at Spencer Gross Motors A Sunday morning fire that apparently started in a utility closet at Gross Motors wiped out most of the business’ sales and parts areas and upended business operations for the time being. “The shop area was untouched but the sales and office areas received extensive damage,” said Spencer Fire Chief Jason Foth. He estimated the total loss at $75,000.
March 23 — For Sweet 16, Granton twins to help give gift of life to others As part of the celebration of their 16th birthday, twins Caleb and Abby Schoessow of Granton will be donating their first pints of blood during a blood drive they are hosting and are asking others to do the same. The drive will be at Zion Lutheran (Missouri Synod) Church in Granton on March 28. The goal is to collect 32 units of blood, which would help almost 100 people.
March 30 — Greenwood couple honored for their community contributions Diane Opelt and Kevin Syth were named Greenwood Citizens of the Year for 2021 and 2022 at the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet on March 27 at Parkway Pines. Diane was a longtime teacher at Greenwood Elementary School. Kevin owned and operated a local construction company. They with several local organizations. APRIL April 6 — Longtime Loyal firefighter, EMT named Citizen of the Year Dave Esselman was chosen as this year’s Citizen of the Year by the Loyal Chamber of Commerce during its annual banquet held March 31. He has been a member of the Loyal Fire Department for more than 30 years and an EMT for 28 years.
April 6 — Loyal school facilities upgrade referendum fails The Loyal School District referendum failed, 514-305. The referendum would have authorized the district to issue general obligation bonds for an amount not to exceed $11.7 million for the purpose of a school facility improvement project. The project would have included creating a new centralized office on the west side of the building, additions for tech. ed. and a commons space, and renovations to classrooms, including the 4K/5K, art and special education rooms and the elementary gym.
April 6 — Spencer school recurring referendum narrowly passes The Spencer School District referendum passed, 597-554. The referendum authorizes the district to exceed the school’s revenue limit for a total of $2,550,000 spread out over the 2022-23 school year and the next four school years, plus $150,000 per year for the 2026-27 school year and each year thereafter, for recurring operating expenses.
April 27 — Man charged for ordering “hit” that led to town of Spencer homicide Steven Crandall, 24, of Wisconsin Rapids, was charged April 8 in Marathon County Circuit Court with felony first-degree intentional homicide as party to a crime in the shooting death of Christian Schauer, 20, of Marshfield, on Dec. 29, 2020. Crandall resides in the Wood County Jail on a charge filed Oct. 15, 2021 for felony taking and driving a vehicle without the owner’s consent. In January, Crandall told Wood County Jail staff he wanted to talk about Schauer’s murder, prosecutors allege in the criminal complaint. He told two detectives he did not kill Schauer but he “put out a hit” on Schauer by hiring associates in Chicago to kill him, take the license plates off his car and get rid of all the evidence for $5,000, prosecutors allege in the complaint. A fur trapper found Schauer’s body at about 2 p.m. on Dec. 29, 2020, south of Swamp Road in the McMillan Marsh Wildlife Area in the town of Spencer. An autopsy showed Schauer died of multiple gunshot wounds.
April 27—Loyal firemen now well-equipped thanks to $118K anonymous gift The fire department recently completed its purchase of 22 new sets of turn-out gear and 12 self-contained breathing apparatuses, and is in the process of training its volunteer members on the new features of the gear, all thanks to an anonymous donation in the amount of $118,000. MAY May 11 — Bridge project bumped back a year A project that will replace the County Road G bridge over the Black River at Greenwood has been moved back a year to 2024 on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s schedule. Contributing to the delay are questions regarding the 80-year-old structure’s historic value, according to Clark County Highway Commissioner Brian Duell. He said last week that the State Historic Preservation office is classifying the overhead truss structure as one with historic value, while the Federal Bureau of Structures and the state Department of Transportation contend it does not have such value.
May 18 — Ground broken on O’Neill Creek Trailhead and Opelt Park With a few shovelfuls of dirt overturned at a groundbreaking ceremony at 801 Hewett St. in Neillsville, a new park has been created that will serve as the first stepping point for a walking/biking trail that organizers hope will one day wind from Neillsville through Granton to Chili. The May 9 ceremony was attended by members of the Opelt family, the Neillsville Improvement Corporation and community members and leaders from Neillsville and Granton. JUNE June 8 — Local siblings break stilt-walking world record Ashley McCauley of Spencer and Jordan Wolf of Marshfield each took 10 steps on 54-foot, 1-inch stilts early the morning of June 4 at the Marshfield Fairgrounds to break the stilt-walking world record. Jordan broke the record for tallest stilts in The Guinness Book of World Records. Ashley’s attempt was not considered, as Guinness denied her application for establishing a female-only record; however, she still unofficially broke the record. Jordan and Ashley took back the record once held by both their father, “Steady Eddie” Wolf, and their brother, Travis Wolf.
June 15 — Guilty: Contreras Perez convicted on all counts in Ayon murder case A 42-year-old Mosinee man has been found guilty by a Clark County jury of stalking and murdering Cassandra Ayon of Loyal and then hiding her corpse in 2020. It took the 12-person jury about seven hours last Friday to convict Jesus Contreras Perez of first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse and stalking. Contreras Perez was arrested and charged in 2021 after Ayon, 27, went missing on Oct. 3, 2020, having last been seen at a trailer park in Unity. Her body has never been found, and neither has the car she was driving.
June 29 — Spencer’s Zimmerman joins elite group in FFA Hall of Fame Longtime Spencer FFA advisor and agriculture teacher Mark Zimmerman was recently inducted into the Wisconsin FFA Hall of Fame in honor of the work he’s done for more than 30 years guiding the newest and brightest along their FFA paths.
The remainder of “2022: A Year in Review” will appear in the Jan. 4 edition of the TRG.
