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Peninsula Pulse December 11-18, 2020

In this issue

  • This Place Still Matters

    by Tim Sweet Plum Island is one of those special Door County places that’s easy to love. It’s a 325-acre island that’s located plumb in the middle of Death’s Door and packed with more maritime history than probably any other place in the entire state of Wisconsin. The lighthouses on Plum Island are going to […]

  • In Memoriam: Fahey Inspired as Coach, Teacher, Friend

    Korey Mallien laughed and showed admirable clarity when he was asked to share his favorite story about former Southern Door football coach and history teacher Rich Fahey. Mallien, a senior offensive lineman for the Eagles in 1986, said Fahey, the offensive line coach, was running the linemen through a drill demonstrating the correct way to […]

  • Packerland Conference Standings

    Boys Basketball Southern Door, 3-0Kewaunee, 2-0Oconto, 1-0Algoma, 0-1Gibraltar, 0-1NEW Lutheran, 0-1Peshtigo, 0-1Sevastopol, 0-1Sturgeon Bay, 0-0 Girls BasketballSouthern Door, 3-0Peshtigo, 1-0Gibraltar, 2-1Algoma, 0-1NEW Lutheran, 0-1Oconto, 0-1Sturgeon Bay, 0-2Kewaunee, 0-0Sevastopol, 0-0 Wrestling Kewaunee, 1-0Southern Door, 1-0Oconto, 0-1Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol, 0-1Peshtigo, 0-0

  • Bowling Results

    Apple Dumpling League Dec. 4, 2020 • High team game: Strike Force 812 • High team series: Strike Force 2,256 • High game (women): Kathy Franke 254, Tracy May 239, Gail Chadek 217 • High series (women): Kathy Franke 692, Tracy May 580, Judy Schuyler 559 • High game (men): Matt Heldmann 299, Adam Kring 279, […]

  • Letter to the Editor: GOP Support the Sanctity of the Vote

    I’m writing this letter exactly 40 days after the election and 35 days after Joe Biden was declared the next president. The current administration continues to not accept this fact and to find any avenue to contest it. We have endured four long years with a leader who has the maturity level of a toddler, […]

  • Pinkert Law Firm Welcomes Door County Native Bjorn Johnson

    Pinkert Law Firm has welcomed Bjorn Johnson – a Door County native and Gibraltar High School graduate – as its newest associate. His family’s community involvement spans three generations. Johnson graduated from Marquette University, where he focused on earning a sports law certificate from the National Sports Law Institute, and on all areas of the law affecting […]

  • Letter to the Editor: Clean-Energy Economy Equals Climate and Economic Opportunity

    There’s a multitude of reasons to support and participate in growing a clean-energy economy. There are many individuals and groups that are realizing it’s in their self-interest to “come to the table or be on the menu” when energy and climate policy are addressed. Youth, purple Republicans and the business community represent noteworthy players asking […]

  • Letter to the Editor: A Sigh of Relief and the Way Forward

    Now that 50-plus judges, the U.S. Supreme Court and the Wisconsin Supreme Court have found no reason to doubt the results of the November 2020 election in Wisconsin or elsewhere, we may finally breathe more deeply. The certified electors from Wisconsin will vote in the Electoral College along with other duly certified electors, and they […]

  • This Old Store: Wagners Were Maplewood’s Reluctant Storekeepers

    “My dad hoped I’d be a veterinarian,” Gerald Wagner said, “but when I found out how long that would take, I said I’d rather join the Army. Dad dragged me out of bed by my leg and said, ‘From now on, you’ll be working in the store!’” Gerald comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. […]

  • Land Trust Adds 3 Properties to Protected Rolls

    Door County Land Trust (DCLT) is now protecting a forested property on Washington Island as part of the Coffey Swamp State Natural Area that’s home to a high-quality wet northern forest with mature white cedar and balsam fir. Wisconsin’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program provided funding for this purchase. Longtime DCLT supporters Jim and Donna Janning have […]

  • Bob Ross of Ross Estate Planning Selected as a 2020 Wisconsin Super Lawyer

    Certified estate-planning specialist Bob Ross of Ross Estate Planning has been selected as a 2020 Wisconsin Super Lawyer in Estate Planning and Probate – an accolade that fewer than 5 percent of attorneys earn each year statewide. Ross is also accredited by the National Association of Estate Planners. Super Lawyers is a service that rates […]

  • Letter to the Editor: Renew Your Commitment to United Way

    I retired from Door County Medical Center in late 2016. While I was employed there, I participated in the hospital’s workplace giving program to support the mission and goals of United Way of Door County. Like many who retire and lose the easy option of workplace giving, I let my charitable giving slide for a […]

  • Recipe: Jell-O Pretzel Salad

    My mom got this recipe from a friend who got it from a friend, and she’s been incorporating it into our family’s holiday menu since my childhood. Even though Jell-O is typically outside my food-consumption boundaries, I look forward to this holiday deliciousness every year!  Mom always dubbed it a pretzel salad, but I think […]

  • Golden Acupuncture Launches in Sturgeon Bay

    Golden Acupuncture has begun a practice at Door County Massage, 141 N. 4th Ave. in Sturgeon Bay, and seeks to provide acupuncture to the community through evidence-based practices and traditional theories. Golden Acupuncture specializes in digestive disorders, pain and injuries, menstrual issues and immune support through a form of medicine that is thousands of years old […]

  • Kewaunee County Earns New Score in Moody’s Bond Rating

    Kewaunee County’s budget management has contributed to a recent upgrade in its Moody’s bond rating. The county has earned a new score of A1 for its long-term credit: the fifth-highest score on a 10-step scale and an increase of one step from its A2 rating during its last full review in 2015.  “We are pleased […]

  • Letter to the Editor: United Way Needs Your Support

    Most people have heard of United Way of Door County, and you know the great job it’s been doing for our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. You may have contributed to the Door County Emergency Response Fund or to the Door County Food Pantry Coalition, both of which United Way of Door County has helped […]

  • Business Alumni Spotlight: Erin Leline

    Gibraltar alumna and Shorewest realtor Erin Leline never saw herself as a real estate agent and was initially put off by the notion of even owning property in her hometown.  The global-studies graduate had been traveling extensively, spending winters out of the county and returning home to work during the summer season each year. In […]

  • Blue Heron Glass Etching Offers Custom Ornaments

    When Blue Heron Glass Etching artist and business owner Mary Blichmann was a girl, her parents vacationed every year in Door County. She recalled sitting at a picnic table in Peninsula State Park with her art supplies and painting rocks.  Fifty years later, she’s still painting rocks and ornaments. Blichmann has owned her Sister Bay […]

  • Letter to the Editor: Silence Won’t Protect Us

    As I look at the madness surrounding our country, one has to wonder whether we will ever know peace again. These last four years – and especially the last nine months – have been mostly chaos, driven by a president with no moral compass, no empathy and incompetence on a large scale.  We are now approaching 300,000 […]

  • Door County Medical Center Update on Vaccine Status

    With the COVID-19 vaccine now being shipped, Door County residents are wondering when they can expect it to arrive here. Door County Medical Center released an update Monday. “At this time DCMC does not have a supply of the vaccine to distribute to our community, and is not taking Covid-19 vaccination appointments,” the statement said. “There […]

  • Eli Mattson Presents Virtual Holiday Concert

    Join the Southern Door Community Auditorium for Eli Mattson’s free, virtual Home for The Holidays concert Dec. 12, 7 pm. Tune in at southerndoorauditorium.org. As the second-place winner on season three of America’s Got Talent, Mattson has earned international attention and fans. His powerful, yet intimate voice is unexpected, and his piano performances are extensions […]

  • Katie Dahl’s Door County Songmobile

    When the pandemic struck earlier this year, Katie Dahl found herself stranded in Amsterdam at the beginning of her first European tour, looking down the barrel of a stack of tour expenses and – suddenly – no tour to pay for them. Long before livestreams became a constant in our lives, Dahl set up in […]

  • Wild Things: Forestry Concerns Cited as Council Votes for Fewer Deer

    For the third time since forming in 2014, the Door County Deer Advisory Council (CDAC) wants hunters to try to decrease the peninsula’s whitetail herd. “With the lack of forestry regeneration, it’s still totally evident there’s too many deer on the landscape,” said council member John Propsom of Sturgeon Bay. The Door CDAC – which comprises […]

  • Manners Matter: Holiday Cheer on a Tight Budget

    Dear Mary Pat, Because of the pandemic, my hours have been cut, and I haven’t made as much money as I typically do. Although my husband is still working, money has been very tight this year. Now I’m worried about Christmas and making it perfect for our kids. Because of our tight finances, we won’t […]

  • Remodeling for the Long Run: Aging-in-Place Renovations

    Visitors to Cheryl and Hugh Zettel’s house walk up a ramp to the front door instead of climbing stairs. It’s a subtle detail that you might notice only if you were using a walker or wheelchair. And that’s exactly the point. Neither Zettel uses a wheelchair or walker – right now. (Full disclosure: They’re my aunt […]

  • Door Shakespeare Reading Series Continues Dec. 11

    The third offering in Door Shakespeare’s (doorshakespeare.com) 2020 reading series will be John Kishline’s Dream Upon Avon, to be performed Dec. 11 and 12, 7 pm; and Dec. 13, 5 pm. The reading is free, but donations are encouraged. It’s Christmas Eve at the Windmill Inn, Shakespeare’s favorite pub in Stratford-upon-Avon. While the Bard quaffs […]

  • Education Notes: Many Gibraltar Parents Opt for Remote Learning

    Fish Creek – Forty-seven percent of parents chose to send preschool- through second-grade sons and daughters to Gibraltar on Monday, according to Superintendent Tina Van Meer. It was the first day of in-person schooling in the Gibraltar School District since last spring. With remote learning still available online, the district has implemented a “blended learning […]

  • Homeschooling on the Road

    Bridenhagen family answers when opportunity knocks This year’s pandemic has forced many Americans into a nomadic lifestyle, but one Sister Bay family has embarked on an on-the-road adventure by choice. With bicycles attached to the back of their jam-packed SUV and additional luggage on the roof rack, Ivan Bridenhagen, Brittney Smith, their dog and their […]

  • Glacier Ledge’s Hutchinson launches virtual cooking classes

    Good food – from the satisfaction of preparing it to the rewards of eating it – is meant to be a shared joy. So goes the creed of Door County chef Lawrence Hutchinson. And in these days when COVID-19 has become the mother of invention – no matter how unwelcome – for many a business, […]

  • Egg Harbor Fire Department Increasingly Scrutinized

    Those who believe the Joint Egg Harbor Fire Department Commission made a mistake by selecting Chief Andy Staats and want that decision reversed before the chief’s six-month probationary period ends in December have ratcheted up the pressure on Staats and the commission. The Village of Egg Harbor and the Town of Egg Harbor were scheduled […]

  • Santa Visits Brussels Dec. 12

    Santa Claus will visit Brussels to receive children’s Christmas wish lists Dec. 12, 4-8 pm, during a COVID-safe event at the Travis Price Plastering and Masonry office (the former Nicolet Bank building), 1364 Cty DK in Brussels. Children may turn in their letters and interact with Santa through the bank-teller window, and there may also […]

  • DCMM with John Purves.2015.bySteveReinke-1

    12 Days of Merry-Times Online Auction

    Bid on memorable experiences to support the Door County Maritime Museum during the 12 Days of Merry-Times online auction Dec. 4-15. Auction packages include a trip to the top of the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Gantry crane, exclusive access to the new museum event space in Sturgeon Bay, a private party to watch the July Fourth […]

  • New Fees, Increased Monitoring for Sturgeon Bay Compost Site

    For decades, City residents have been able to take their leaf, lawn, garden and brush waste to the city’s yard-waste collection site on Division Road at any time of the day or night. But for several years now, the city has struggled to manage rising operational costs and illegal dumping, including use by nonresidents. It’s […]

  • SBA to Offer PPP Loan Forgiveness Workshop

    The Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering a loan forgiveness workshop for recipients of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. On Tuesday, Dec. 15, 10:30 am, learn about the process, forms and documentation needed to maximize forgiveness for your business. The workshop will include an overview of the forgiveness process and requirements and an overview of […]

  • Ho, Ho, Ho: Property Tax Bills on Their Way

    December is here, and property tax bills are arriving in mailboxes. Door County Treasurer Jay Zahn said his office will now collect for 16 of 19 municipalities, with the addition of the Town of Brussels this year. Residents of Clay Banks, Nasewaupee and Union will continue to remit property taxes to their local treasurers. Zahn […]

  • Growth in County Virus Cases Slows

    After climbing rapidly during October and November, the pace of the spread of COVID-19 in Door County has slowed in the last two weeks.  As of Tuesday, the number of new positive tests during the previous seven days was 96. But on Wednesday, the county reported 30 new positive tests, the highest single-day count since […]

  • Hike This: Hemlock Trail in Potawatomi State Park

    Tucked into the southwest edge of the City of Sturgeon Bay is Potawatomi State Park, a wilderness often overlooked by visitors flocking to Peninsula State Park to the north or the beaches of Whitefish Dunes and Cave Point to the east. This less-traveled park should not be underrated.  Get a taste of it on the […]

  • Crossroads Buys Ginzugroomer, Plans for Ski for Free

    Crossroads at Big Creek’s Run the Distance at a Distance event in June helped to raise funds to purchase a Ginzugroomer. With this top-of-the-line equipment, Crossroads will be able to offer classical and skate-ski opportunities, free of charge. At this time, Friends of Crossroads intends to once again lend equipment – cross-country skis, boots, poles and […]

  • Santa Claus to Visit Brussels Dec. 12

    Santa Claus will visit Brussels to receive children’s Christmas wish lists Dec. 12, 4-8 pm, during a COVID-safe event at the Travis Price Plastering and Masonry office (the former Nicolet Bank building), 1364 Cty DK in Brussels. Children may turn in their letters and interact with Santa through the bank-teller window, and there may also […]

  • DCMM’s 12 Days of Merry-Times Online Auction

    Bid on memorable experiences to support the Door County Maritime Museum (DCMM) during the 12 Days of Merry-Times online auction Dec. 4-15. Auction packages include a trip to the top of the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Gantry crane, exclusive access to the new museum event space in Sturgeon Bay, a private party to watch the July […]

  • Obituary: Cynthia “Cindy” Joy Tong

    April 8, 1958 ~ December 5, 2020 Cynthia “Cindy” Joy Tong, 62, lifelong resident of Sturgeon Bay, died peacefully on Saturday, December 5, 2020 at Door County Medical Center. She was born April 8, 1958 in Sturgeon Bay along with her sister Sue, the twin daughters of William “Bill” and Helen (Klapatch) Tong. Cindy attended […]

  • Obituary: Thomas Penglase Bullock

    July 21, 1941 – Dec. 3, 2020 Thomas Penglase Bullock, 79, formerly of Marquette and recently of Iron Mountain, died surrounded by his loving family after a very long, but courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia. He was born in Marquette to Clarence “Pinky” and Rubye (Penglase) Bullock. After graduating from Marquette […]

  • Obituary: Maureen Faye (Arndt) Weber

    Dec. 26, 1933 – Dec. 3, 2020  Maureen Faye (Arndt) Weber, 86, of Sturgeon Bay died December 3, 2020, at Anna’s Healthcare CBRF. Maureen was born on December 26, 1933, in Sturgeon Bay, the daughter of William J. and Gloris H. (Hayes) Arndt. She attended grade school at Evergreen School, and was a 1951 graduate of Sturgeon […]

  • Town of Gibraltar Voters Approve Budget Increase

    Gibraltar residents approved the town budget Monday after 90 minutes of questions and comments during an annual meeting held through a combination of Zoom and in-person attendance.  Voters approved a 13 percent tax hike over this year’s budget and approved allowing the town to exceed the state-imposed levy limit by 20.66 percent. The levy increase […]

  • Obituary: Robert “Bob” Hunsader

    June 4, 1950 – Dec. 1, 2020 Robert “Bob” Hunsader, 70, died at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Green Bay. He was born to Robert and Marie (Daubner) Hunsader in Sturgeon Bay, the third of six children.  Bob went to St. Joseph Catholic School through eighth grade, and it was there where he earned the nickname “Rumpy,” […]

  • Obituary: Richard Raymond Fahey Jr.

    May 4, 1947 – Dec. 2, 2020  Richard Raymond Fahey Jr., 73, died peacefully at home, surrounded by family, following a brave and courageous battle against cancer. He was born in Chicago to Richard and Eleanore Fahey. He was the youngest of three, having two sisters, Loretta and Barbara. He attended Prosser High School in Chicago, then […]