Navigation

Category: Features

  • Hecker Stays Inspired, One Foot at a Time

    Podiatrist marks 50 years in health care Dr. Richard Hecker could be retired right now. A few weeks ago, he celebrated his 50th year practicing medicine, having seen more than enough pairs of feet to call it a career. But he plans to keep going for at least a little while longer because he still […]

  • Islanders Stand for Dan: Neighbors plan multiple fundraisers for Nelson family

    Washington Islanders have launched the We Stand for Dan campaign, rallying in a big way for a family in crisis. Sixty-two-year-old carpenter Dan Nelson and wife, Dawn, had recently taken on a big project and investment: They were renovating the Frog Hollow bed-and-breakfast when Dan was diagnosed with skin cancer this summer. The cancer has […]

  • Moments: Images of 2020

    It was a year that didn’t look like any other. Elbow and fist bumps were goofy until they became a sign you cared. Masks were a joke, then they were ubiquitous. Crowds were a sign of a bustling economy – until they became a target of scorn. Here’s a look at 20 images that help […]

  • 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 […]

  • The Fairytale Cabins of Chapel Lane

    Just south of Baileys Harbor is a small stretch of road that’s much like the Door peninsula itself: not on the way to anything — a destination unto itself. The dead-end road is tree lined and quiet, and walking there feels like stepping into a fairy tale. What makes this road so unusual are the […]

  • Never Forget: Veterans Day

    By Mike Shaw “If anyone’s good at following orders, it’s going to be a veteran.” With those words, Beth Wartella, a former U.S. Navy enlistee and now Door County’s veterans service officer, described why those who have served in the military should have little trouble abiding by strong stay-at-home advice this Veterans Day, however reluctantly. […]

  • Pitching In: Friends, family bring in harvest as Krowas fights cancer

    For nearly all of Dan Krowas’ 66 years, September and October have meant one thing: harvest season. His father, Charles, planted the family’s first cherry trees on their property in Baileys Harbor in 1956, when Dan was just two years old, and Dan grew up learning the responsibilities of the orchard before taking it over […]

  • Museum with a Mission

    Ephraim’s fire house museum tells the story of a dedicated firefighting family Tucked into the cliffs of the Village of Ephraim, and across the street from the shimmering waters of Green Bay, the Ephraim Fire House Museum stands as a memorial to the firefighters who have risked their lives over the years.  It also serves […]

  • The Street Clock on Memorial Drive

    Vitses enhance their property – and the neighborhood – with Old World charm by Maggie Rossiter Peterman When Gary and Lonnie Vitse met in Colorado in 1972, Gary was already an avid clock collector. “That’s when I should have known better,” Lonnie said with a laugh about the man she’s been married to for 46 […]

  • Porter Reflects On 40 Years With Sturgeon Bay Police Department

    Arleigh Porter, police chief of the Sturgeon Bay Police Department, will reach only 64 years in November. That may be younger than many when they retire, but it’s getting up there for a police chief with 40 years on the job, he said. His last day will be Oct. 2. “You can retire with a […]

  • From Repair to Full-Service Information Technology

    Nathan Drager earns business accolades two years in a row Nathan Drager had a natural-born talent for technology and computers. What he didn’t have was a college degree or formal training. That didn’t stop him from trying to break into the IT world throughout his 20s, but no company would give him a chance. “Every […]

  • Fall Flowers Help Fuel Monarch Migrations

    It seems everyone loves monarch butterflies – arguably the most charismatic insects in North America. Certainly these black and orange creatures are gorgeous, but many butterflies are beautiful. Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on one plant, but that’s true of almost all butterfly species. They probably spread pollen from flower to flower, but monarchs are not […]

  • The Status of Wild Parsnip on State Highways

    The journey to learn how the invasive plant is being fought It first came up during an Aug. 6 Door County Highway Safety Commission meeting. The agenda item said, “Status of wild parsnips on state highways.”  When you join the virtual meeting, you learn that Supervisor Roy Englebert, who chairs the group, had included it […]

  • Department of Conversation: Longtime Coffee Klatch Goes Alfresco

    by Michael Shaw, Peninsula Pulse contributor Neither rain, nor wind, nor the threat of a potentially deadly contagious disease could keep these men from their appointed grounds – coffee grounds, that is. Except for about the first month of Wisconsin’s coronavirus shutdown in the spring, the regular morning coffee klatch of senior-aged men at Sturgeon […]

  • Back to School: Project Preparation for Door County Districts

    School districts polish up plans for welcoming students back to school Door County’s five public school districts are poised to welcome back some 3,500 students next month in what could arguably be the most challenging school year of any educator’s career. That means hammering out what a school year looks like beneath the shadow of […]

  • School Reopening: Washington Island Votes to Bring Students Back

    Washington Island School District Current enrollment: 75 students What it’s doing: In-person instruction five days a week. School will start Tuesday, Sept. 1. During its brief Aug. 3 school board meeting, the Washington Island School District voted unanimously to reopen its school at full capacity. Washington Island Principal/Curriculum Director Michelle Kanipes said that among the […]

  • School Reopening: Sturgeon Bay to Open for In-Person Instruction

    Sturgeon Bay School District Current enrollment: 1,200 students What it’s doing: In-person instruction five days per week with a remote/virtual learning option. School will begin Tuesday, Sept. 1. What’s next: Consensus came July 27 among school board members that masks/facial coverings should be required for all students and staff, even before Gov. Tony Evers’ mask […]

  • School Reopening: Sevastopol Plans to Phase Reopening

    Sevastopol School District Current enrollment: 557 students What it’s doing: Phased reopening with an option for virtual learning. What’s next: The district’s school board will meet Aug. 20 and is scheduled to have an annual meeting Aug. 26. The Sevastopol School District approved a reopening plan for the 2020-21 school year during its July 16 […]

  • School Reopening: Southern Door Plans for In-Person Return

    Southern Door School District Current enrollment: 1,029 students What it’s doing: In-person instruction five days per week with a remote/virtual learning option. School will begin Tuesday, Sept. 1. What’s next: The school board will meet Aug. 10 and 17. The Aug. 10 special board meeting will focus on the administrative team sharing more details about […]

  • School Reopening: Gibraltar to Use Threshold Plan

    Gibraltar Area School District Current enrollment: 541 students What it’s doing: Will open if the Door County COVID-19 activity level is below a certain threshold based on the COVID-19 activity level for Door County. School will begin Tuesday, Sept. 8. What’s next: The school board is scheduled to meet Aug. 10 and will discuss adjustments […]