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Peninsula Pulse March 17-24, 2023

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In this issue

  • Final Destination: A lot goes into determining where we can fly

    When you’re in hour seven of a 14-hour travel day with two boys younger than three, your mind goes to unexpected places. Such was the case for me last month, four hours into our flight home from Los Angeles and descending into Detroit.  My wife and I had taken our boys for a long weekend […]

  • Letter to the Editor: Our Kids Deserve Gibraltar School Improvements

    On Feb. 20, my wife and I attended the referendum open house at Gibraltar School, hosted by Superintendent Brett Stousland and representatives from CG Schmidt and Cadence Consulting. The architect started the presentation by addressing planned security enhancements included in the development. This was reassuring and clearly demonstrates a priority on safety. Preparing in advance […]

  • Letter to the Editor: Vote for Janet Protasiewicz for Wisconsin Supreme Court

    In the spring election on April 4, Wisconsin residents will elect a new justice to replace Justice Patience Roggensack on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. We will be casting our votes for Judge Janet Protasiewicz for this consequential position, and we will explain why. • Experience. Judge Protasiewicz has been a circuit court judge in Milwaukee County […]

  • Registration Open for Island Bird Festival

    Registration is now open for the Washington Island Birding Festival, set for May 12-14. In addition to Washington Island birding (during the 2022 festival, participants recorded 132 species of birds), attendees will spend Saturday morning birding on Plum Island. Additional programs include an Owl Prowl and a presentation by Joel Voss, refuge manager for the […]

  • DCHS Featured Pet: Spiderman

    Meet 3-year-old Spiderman! This cool cat is available for adoption at the Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS) Door County Campus. He weighs 8 pounds and has the most adorable white mittens. Like all cats at WHS, Spiderman (wihumane.org/adopt/animal?id=51620899) has been neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, and he goes home with a certificate for a free veterinary exam […]

  • Governor’s Service Awards Accepting Nominations

    Nominations for Serve Wisconsin’s 2023 Governor’s Service Awards are being accepted in advance of the June 7 award ceremony at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison. The accolades honor national service members, volunteers and programs that have made significant contributions to the lives of Wisconsinites. Find more details and the nomination form at servewisconsin.wi.gov/governors-service-awards. Nominations are […]

  • Free Skin-Cancer Screening in Kewaunee

    The Kewaunee County Public Health Department is partnering with Prevea to offer free skin-cancer screening for all age groups April 29, 8:30 am – 12 pm, at the Prevea Luxemburg Health Center, 101 School Creek Trail in Luxemburg. Medical professionals will offer spot checks, discuss the signs of skin cancer and share advice on protecting […]

  • Congressional Art Contest Open

    The 2023 Congressional Art Competition is open to all high school students who live in or attend school in Wisconsin’s 8th District. All eligible art will appear April 25 – May 14 in an exhibition at Appleton’s Trout Museum of Art and be judged by an independent panel of local artists. The first-place selection will […]

  • Call for Tutoring Volunteers

    Literacy Door County, which provides one-to-one adult-literacy tutoring for native and non-native English speakers, is hosting a training session March 25, 12-2:30 pm, for people who are interested in becoming volunteer tutors.  No prior teaching experience or knowledge of a language other than English is required, but those who have a working knowledge of speaking […]

  • Parent Corner: Creating Confidence

    by KAREN COREKIN-DeLaMER, Education and Community Relations Coordinator, Northern Door Children’s Center Dear Karen, My son is seven years old, and he’s a first-grade student. He’s very smart and started reading in kindergarten. He loves science and enjoys making things with building toys. He has a nice group of boys he’s been friends with since […]

  • YMCA Day of Giving

    Nearly 200 people donated to the YMCA’s annual campaign on its fourth annual Day of Giving, held March 7, and raised a total of $19,268. This year, fundraising was focused on year-round and summer food programs, which provide children in the community with nutritious meals.

  • St. Luke’s Donates to Door of Life Pantry

    (From right) Jay Kita, manager of Piggly Wiggly in Sister Bay; and Heidi Penchoff, representing the food pantry at Sister Bay’s Door of Life Church, are shown loading 150 pounds of chicken and 50 pounds of hamburger. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Sister Bay made the pantry donation through its annual outreach budget.

  • Rotary Revives Trivia Fundraiser

    The Sturgeon Bay Breakfast Rotary Club is reviving its annual trivia-contest fundraiser March 18, 7 pm. There will be room for 16 teams of up to eight players. The cost of $20 per person includes heavy appetizers, and beer and wine will be available. Team registration begins at 6:30 pm at the Sturgeon Bay Masonic […]

  • Cornhole Tournament Winners

    The Friends of Gibraltar organization brought back its cornhole tournament March 4, when the winning team was the Portsiders. Proceeds benefit the Friends of Gibraltar and educational programs for students at Gibraltar Area Schools.

  • Presentation on Youth Mental Health

    The League of Women Voters of Door County will host a presentation March 23, 5:30 pm, that focuses on the mental health and well-being of Door County’s youth. It’s the fifth installment in the Eileen Bohn Speaker Series. During the presentation, a panel will delve into the results of a recent survey of middle and […]

  • Car-Seat Checkup Program

    Door County Public Health now has a staff member who’s certified for car-seat installations and inspections, and the department plans to have another person certified this spring.  Starting March 23, Public Health will offer a free car-seat checkup program monthly on the fourth Thursday. Make appointments – which are required and last about 30 minutes per car […]

  • Trivia Night Raises Record $28k

    When the parents of Peninsula Preschool held their trivia fundraiser last week at Alexander’s – the first since the pandemic began – they raised a record $28,000 for the preschool. Twenty-six teams competed. The Buncha Naked Lumberjacks took first place; Peninsula Pulse came in second; and Nicolet Bank finished third. In addition to trivia, a basket raffle […]

  • Lonely? You’re Not the Only One

    UW-Green Bay panel discusses loneliness and how to deal with it America has a loneliness problem. And although the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated the issue, loneliness was on the rise long before lockdowns started, according to David Helpap, associate professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UW-GB). “America’s stock of social […]

  • Farmstead Pasta Shop Opens on 3rd Avenue

    Clario Farms is opening Clario Farmstead Pasta at 19 N. 3rd Ave. in Sturgeon Bay and hosting a grand-opening celebration April 1, 10 am – 5 pm, with special pop-up-market guests arriving in the afternoon. Clario Farms has been producing pesticide-free produce and other farmstead products for nearly 20 years and selling them at farmers […]

  • Wisconsin’s Underfunded Arts Programs

    Brian Kelsey, executive director of Peninsula Players Theatre in Fish Creek, who also chairs the Wisconsin Arts Board, looks longingly at states such as Minnesota. In 2008, Minnesota voters passed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, which increased the state sales tax by three-eighths of 1%, with 33% of that […]

  • Sturgeon Bay to Assess If More Streetlights Are Needed

    A city committee decided earlier this year to assess whether more streetlights are needed in some Sturgeon Bay neighborhoods to illuminate dark spots that could pose a safety hazard. Committee members have now decided to wait on that assessment until summer, when trees are in full leaf. District 3 alderman and Community Protection and Services […]

  • Baileys Harbor Comprehensive Plan Gets More Study Time

    Town chair Don Sitte asked the town board to delay a presentation on the new comprehensive plan until a future board meeting.  He said during the town’s March 13 board meeting that members should spend some extra time studying the document compiled by the town’s plan commission during the past two years. Sitte also emphasized […]

  • Sturgeon Bay Preps for Water-Weed Season

    The city is getting ready for the upcoming and future seasons of water-weed control by purchasing harvesting equipment, contracting for spraying services and adding another water body to its aquatic-plant management plan. The Common Council last week authorized the purchase of an aquatic-plant harvester and trailer from Inland Harvester, with an optional water pump, in […]

  • Gardner Rejects Wheel Tax

    Town of Gardner officials are looking to come up with more money to maintain roads, but on March 8, the town board rejected one possible way of doing that: a wheel tax. Town chair Carl Waterstreet said he believes town residents are being taxed enough by living in the Southern Door School District, so he […]

  • Gibraltar Working on Mobile Vending Ordinance

    In 2018, the Town of Gibraltar implemented an ordinance to ban mobile vendors. Now it’s working on an ordinance to regulate them. The new requirements aren’t finalized yet, but they will be similar to those in nearby municipalities, according to town administrator Travis Thyssen. A $500 permit fee – put in place because food trucks […]

  • Fire Chief Named for New Nasewaupee Fire Rescue

    Jacob Schartner has been selected to lead the new Nasewaupee Fire Rescue when the town’s split from the Southern Door Fire Department (SDFD) is completed Oct. 1.  Schartner was selected during a special Nasewaupee Town Board meeting March 8, when the board also approved an ordinance to create the new department’s standard operating guidelines.  Town […]

  • Top Issues Identified for Legislative Days

    The Door County and Kewaunee County economic-development corporations have announced the local issues to be addressed with legislators and state-agency leaders April 19-20 in Madison during their Legislative Days event, and the organizations invite interested people to participate.  This year’s agenda will focus on water quality, affordable housing, child care, commercial fishing and the repair […]

  • Gardner Reconsidering Seasonal RV Park

    Having received a more detailed plan for a proposed seasonal RV park, the Gardner Plan Commission will reconsider the proposal during its April 10 meeting. The location of the operation is in the 3400 block of County CC, where a mobile-home park used to be located. The Gardner Town Board, which received an eight-page operating […]

  • Town of Gibraltar to Issue Reserve Liquor License

    After being shelved since 1999, the Town of Gibraltar’s reserve Class B liquor license is on its way to being issued. The town has eight regular liquor licenses and one reserve license. Proprietors of numerous businesses such as Skaliwags and the former Fish Creek Grill have approached the town about the reserve license in the […]

  • Meet the Candidates: Baileys Harbor, Forestville and Liberty Grove

    Six referenda address issues on various ballots this election Voters up and down Door County will have contested races to decide during the April 4 election. We’ll introduce all of those candidates, beginning with Baileys Harbor, Forestville and Liberty Grove in this issue. Our candidate coverage will continue in the March 24 and March 31 […]

  • Crossroads Book Club

    Crossroads at Big Creek’s book club is discussing My Double Life by Frances Hamerstrom on March 22, 10 am, as part of World Water Day and Women’s History Month. Hamerstrom was a falconer, naturalist and student of Aldo Leopold.  The club meets in the upper level of Crossroads’ Collins Learning Center, 2041 Michigan St. in […]

  • Gov. Evers’ Capital Budget has $20 Million for Local Projects

    The first job of the governor following a gubernatorial election is releasing a two-year state-budget plan. Having accomplished that in February, Gov. Tony Evers next released his capital budget or building plan – this one proposing to spend $3.8 billion on projects across the state. Evers is also proposing to finance half of those projects with […]

  • Uncovering Green Bay’s Minahan Trials

    At the turn of the 19th century in Green Bay, Mary Cenefelt, an illiterate maid; and Mollie Bertles, a college-educated socialite, were victims of the physical violence and mental abuse of the celebrated surgeon Dr. John R. Minahan. Author Lynda Drews has uncovered the stories of the women behind this story in her new nonfiction […]

  • New Cell Phone Tower Slated for Big Hill Park

    Sturgeon Bay’s Finance/Purchasing and Building Committee is recommending that the city lease out land at Big Hill Park – the highest point on the east side – for the construction of a 170-foot cellular tower. It would be about the same height as the antenna on top of the water tower and would not need […]

  • Around the Door: ‘If Winter Comes, Can Spring Be Far Behind?’

    Not that we can’t appreciate stunning beauty – that of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Pierhead Lighthouse, for instance, as Tim Sweet captured here – but we’re really hoping this variety of winter beauty will soon be done. Meteorological spring has already arrived, and the astrological variety – also known as the spring, or vernal, equinox […]

  • Southern Door Middle School Honor Rolls: Semester 1, 2022-23

    GRADE 6 ACADEMIC HIGH HONORS Axel Anderson, Ashton Bouche, Brooklyn Cmeyla, CallaRose DeFere, Karissa Denil, Marilyn Garcia Hernandez, Xiomara Gonzales, Ali Griep, Cooper Hagen, Tiana Hah, Mac Hoffman, Ihla Jeanquart, Tyler Kluge, Josie Knapp, Renata Larios Amezquita, Lilyanne Logerquist, Vienna Manske, Finn McMahon, Caroline Milewicz, Tyler Mountin, Hazel Monfils, Leah Nooyen, Jonathan Olson, Joseph Olson, […]

  • Environmental Council Seeks Scholarship Applicants

    The Door County Environmental Council is offering a $1,500 scholarship this year to high school students or college sophomores who want to sustain natural resources. Applications are due by April 15. Read about eligibility and how to apply at dcec-wi.org.

  • UUFDC Offers Social-Justice Scholarship

    The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Door County (UUFDC) is awarding a $1,000 social-justice scholarship to a Door County graduating high school or homeschooled senior who demonstrates an outstanding personal commitment to social justice. Applicants do not need to be members of the fellowship.  Applications are due by March 31. Find application guidelines, requirements and materials […]

  • Early Schools Were Designed for Light

    by GIZ HERBST “Two Large Lamps Purchased for Sunnypoint School.” That was the headline in the Door County News on Feb. 22, 1923. But why was the purchase of lamps newsworthy? It was because the electric power line didn’t reach north to the Egg Harbor Township areas until the 1930s, so gas lamps aided lighting […]

  • Sturgeon Bay High Schooler Named to Senate Scholar Program

    Collette Ullman of Sturgeon Bay High School represented Wisconsin Senate District 1 during the March 12-17 session of the 2023 Senate Scholar Program – a “leading educational initiative designed to challenge Wisconsin’s best high school juniors and seniors who are interested in the state legislative process,” according to state Sen. André Jacque, who nominated Ullman for […]

  • Sevastopol High School Names Valedictorians

    Johanna Andreae and Claire Haberli have been named co-valedictorians at Sevastopol High School. Both students have achieved a 4.0 grade point average. Andreae, daughter of Chad and Christine Andreae, plans to attend Wisconsin Lutheran College and major in pre-med and biology, with a long-term goal of attending medical school and pursuing a career in pediatrics […]

  • Southern Door Names Co-Valedictorians, Salutatorian

    Amanda Austin and Laura Zittlow have been named co-valedictorians of Southern Door High School’s Class of 2023, and Chloe Lustila has been named its salutatorian. Austin, daughter of Timothy and Jennifer Austin, has maintained a 4.0 grade point average (GPA) and received the highest possible score on the ACT. She will attend Michigan Technological University […]

  • Tours Reveal Gibraltar School Building Flaws

    Touring the Gibraltar Area Schools creates a better understanding of the problems in the heart of the buildings that are prompting the district to ask voters to pass a $29.8 million building referendum during the April 4 election. “You get to see the doldrums of the buildings,” said Superintendent Brett Stousland to approximately one dozen […]

  • Drumming at DCA with Jahmes Finlayson

    Door Community Auditorium presents Circle of Drums with Jahmes Finlayson on March 24, 7 pm. Participants are encouraged to take a drum if they have one, but extras will be available.  Finlayson is a teacher, workshop facilitator, Reiki practitioner, community activist and well-known performing artist who plays with several southeastern Wisconsin music ensembles, kirtan bands […]

  • Sturgeon Bay Goes Green For St. Paddy’s

    The party was on at Kitty O’Reilly’s on March 11 as Sturgeon Bay celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a parade and music. Whiskey Ditch got things shaking at the bar in the afternoon. Photos by Rachel Lukas.

  • Be Part of World Water Day at Crossroads

    Start your weekend with Saturday Science on March 18, 1-4 pm, at Crossroads at Big Creek. This family science program will feature “green in the water” with videos, hand-on activities and a make-and-take craft. Stop by the upper level of the Collins Learning Center to participate. A naturalist-led hike will take place March 19, 2 […]

  • By the Numbers: Pricey Slopes

    473 The number of downhill-ski resorts in the United States, down from 529 in 1993 $98 The average price of a lift ticket in the Rockies in 2013 $197 The average price of a lift ticket in the Rockies in 2022 3 The percentage of the American population that downhill skis 1 The estimated number […]

  • New Resident at Open Door Bird Sanctuary

    Open Door Bird Sanctuary has welcomed a new snowy owl to its avian family from a Minnesota rehab facility. Now the sanctuary wants your help in naming the beautiful bird.  You can meet the new feathered friend during the next Winter Open Day, March 18, 11 am – 4 pm. Also make use of the trails […]

  • Wild Things: Splitting Door into Two Deer Units Proposed

    DNR, Conservation Congress hosting open houses April 4-5 by KEVIN NAZE, [email protected], Peninsula Pulse contributor Door and Kewaunee County citizens who are concerned about the outdoors are invited to a pair of open houses early next month. For the first time since 2019, members of the public will be able to gather to elect local […]

  • Wine Trails: Mixed MEADia Breaks the Rules

    After Allan Hyland, the winemaker at Door County’s newest winery, explained how he planned to use the abundance and uniqueness that Door County has to offer to make his wine, he surprised me with this statement: “I want people to drink the wine I make not because the wines are local, but because they are […]

  • Island Literary Fest Features 5 Women Authors

    Five acclaimed women authors will headline the Washington Island Literary Festival Sept. 21-23. Write On, Door County has announced this year’s lineup: fiction writers Amy Quan Barry, Lan Samantha Chang and Shelby Van Pelt; poet Brenda Cárdenas; and nonfiction writer Meghan O’Gieblyn. This year’s theme is Space for the Unexpected. The festival will feature writers’ […]

  • Dance Workshop in Sturgeon Bay

    Guest instructor Amanda List will present a “sexy chair playshop” April 1, 1-2:30 pm, at STUDIO234. This event, designed for ages 18-plus, will include a warm-up and a fun, empowering piece of choreography. All levels of ability are welcome. List is a Green Bay–based dancer and choreographer who seeks to create confidence and empowerment for […]

  • Rogue Theater Kicks Off Murder-Mystery Dinner Tour

    The pandemic put Rogue Theater’s dinner-theater shows on pause, but now they’ve returned with The Case of the Mysterious Cravat: An Inspector Giles Murder Mystery. Shows will take place at several Door County restaurants during March and April. Stuart Champeau directs this play within a play. The internal play is set in a venerable British […]

  • Door County Student Advances in Poster Contest

    Elizabeth Bautista has advanced to the state level of the Conservation Awareness poster contest in the Grades 7-9 Division. She was one of four Door County students who advanced Jan. 27 to the Lake Michigan Area level.  Elayna Hatch, in the Grades 2-3 Division; Violet Boyarski, Grades 4-6; and Bethanie Stackhouse, Grades 10-12, joined Bautista […]

  • Art Activities, Programs at Peninsula School of Art

    Peninsula School of Art is hosting its final Cabin Fever Night of the season March 22, 6-9 pm. This 21-plus-only event includes beverages, a nacho bar and a hands-on activity: creating fun March Madness mascots by snapping together and layering wooden pieces, then decorating them with paint.  Tickets for the 2023 Plein Air Festival are […]

  • A Lesson from The Sheets

    How camaraderie breeds creative success It’s a surprisingly sunny winter day, and the Write On, Door County writing center is buzzing with activity. Members of a poets’ group known as The Sheets are trying to connect another member virtually while setting up a snack spread for guests. They move together with the practiced ease of […]

  • Open Call for Art in the Door Contest

    Destination Door County has launched its first Art in the Door contest, encouraging local artists to highlight the beauty and feeling that Door County evokes. The winners will each receive a $2,000 payment for the original piece, inclusion in Door County marketing throughout the year, and the opportunity to be included in Destination Door County’s […]

  • Algoma Businesses Spotlight Student Artists

    When you’re a student athlete, you can show off your skills on the field or court. When you’re involved in your school’s theater department or forensics team, the stage is your showcase. But when you’re a student artist, your talents can be overlooked, according to Lynn Heidemann, owner of Steele Street Trading Co. and Gallery. […]

  • Editor’s Note: Last Call for Political Letters

    We do not publish political letters of any variety, including candidate endorsements, in the issue immediately preceding an election. That means the final political letters for the April 4 election will be published in the March 24 issue. The deadline for letters for that issue is Monday, March 20, by noon sharp.

  • Tourism & the Visitor Economy: Callout to Artists for New Creative Campaign

    by JULIE GILBERT, President and CEO, Destination Door County  As we continue to work to communicate the story of Door County – its history, arts, culture, community and residents – we are thrilled to announce the first Art in the Door contest, which will celebrate the beauty and sentiment that Door County inspires in local […]

  • Obituary: Patrick McInerney

    June 10, 1960 ~ March 13, 2023 Patrick McInerney, 62, died peacefully on March 13, 2023, at his home in Sturgeon Bay, WI.  Patrick was born in Chicago on June 10, 1960, to parents James and Eleanore. He attended Brother Rice High School and later graduated from the UIC with a degree in computer science.  […]

  • Obituary: Joseph Benjamin Rockwell

    August 24, 1948 ~ March 10, 2023 Joseph Benjamin Rockwell, 74, of Sturgeon Bay, died Friday, March 10, 2023. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 16, 2023 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Sturgeon Bay with Fr. Robert Stegmann as celebrant. Joe will be laid to rest […]

  • Obituary: John David Goettelman

    December 27, 1943 ~ March 6, 2023 John David Goettelman passed away at the age of 79 on March 6, 2023 after a short illness. He was born to Ruth (Acker) and Royal Goettelman on December 27, 1943 in Sturgeon Bay. John was named after his great grandfather John Goettelmann who was a pioneer in […]

  • Obituary: Charles J. L. Copiskey Jr.

    October 16, 1958 ~ March 6, 2023 Charles Joseph Lester Copiskey Jr. 64, of Sturgeon Bay, died on March 6, 2023, at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Green Bay.  He was born on October 16, 1958, in Illinois to Charles and Katharina (Maier) Copiskey. Charles had a love for music, art, and gardening.  He was easy-going, […]