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  • Bipartisan Bill Would Give Park Passes to Fourth Graders

    Rep. Melissa Sargent (D-Madison) is leading the charge on a bipartisan bill to provide free passes to state parks and natural areas to Wisconsin fourth-graders and their families. It’s an idea modeled after the successful Every Kid in a Park program established by the National Park Service in 2015. It was launched that year to […]

  • State Libertarian Convention in Sturgeon Bay May 3-5

    The Libertarian Party of Wisconsin is holding its state convention at Stone Harbor Resort in Sturgeon Bay May 3-5. Outgoing Chair Phillip Anderson of Madison said they are expecting 80 to 100 Libertarians from across the state to take part in electing new leadership to two-year terms and voting for bylaw and constitutional changes. But […]

  • Housing Presentations Planned Across County

    Door County Economic Development Corporation’s (DCEDC) Attainable Housing Committee will host a series of meetings later this month about the county’s lack of affordable housing and potential solutions. “The housing study revealed basic information most people were already aware of: Door County has a housing crisis,” said DCEDC Executive Director Jim Schuessler. “Beyond that foundation, […]

  • Bills to Watch: Dairy Innovation Hub, Gas-tax Sticker

    SB-186 Creating a Dairy Innovation Hub This bill would authorize $7.9 million to create a Dairy Innovation Hub at UW-Madison, UW-Platteville and UW-River Falls to focus on ensuring animal health and welfare, enriching human health and nutrition, stewarding land and water resources, and growing farm businesses and communities. The dairy industry has suffered from more […]

  • 2,300 Runners Coming for Half Marathon Saturday

    Door County fashion will have a new look this weekend when more than 2,300 runners funnel up the peninsula to run the 12th annual Door County Half Marathon and Nicolet Bay 5K in Peninsula State Park. They’ll fill barstools and restaurant seats wearing running shoes, race shirts and finishers’ bling as they bring an economic […]

  • Ephraim Highway Open to Local Traffic Only During Half Marathon Weekend

    Construction on Highway 42 in Ephraim continued this week, and the highway will be closed to non-local traffic during the Door County Half Marathon and Nicolet 5K weekend. Guests staying at Ephraim resorts will be able to reach their lodging via Highway 42, but those staying in Sister Bay and north Ephraim are encouraged to […]

  • High Costs Delay Eagle Tower Reconstruction

    When the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) dismantled Eagle Tower in 2016, officials said it would be extremely expensive to reconstruct it in accordance with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It turns out that the expense is even greater than expected. The lowest bid for the project came in at $3.6 […]

  • Jeff Meyer Pulls Plug as Head of Egg Harbor Public Works

    After 21 years leading the Village of Egg Harbor’s Public Works Department, Jeff Meyer has decided to go out on a high note. “It’s a good time to leave, when you’re on top of the game,” Meyer told the Peninsula Pulse before he steps down on April 30. “I just don’t want anybody thinking I’m […]

  • Cannabis Activist Sees Major Impediments to Reform

    Last November, 16 referenda on medical and recreational marijuana passed in various municipalities around the state. In April, the Village of Egg Harbor and the City of Sturgeon Bay voted in favor of medical and recreational marijuana. Various polls in the state have shown widespread support for medical and recreational marijuana legalization. At its 86th […]

  • Bills to Watch: Wetland Mitigation, Plastic Bags, Pesticides

    SP-169 Wetland Mitigation The Department of Natural Resources allows a development to dredge or fill a wetland as long as the development compensates for the action in one of three ways: by purchasing credits from a mitigation bank located in this state, by participating in the in-lieu-of-fee subprogram or by completing mitigation within the same […]

  • First Steps Taken for Adult Drug Treatment Court

    Ever since David Weber replaced retired Door County Circuit Court Judge Peter Diltz in 2016, Weber has been interested in bringing an Adult Drug Treatment Court to the county. Now, he said, all the right people are in place to make it happen. He and the team that will be a part of the system […]

  • Sister Bay Restarts Administrator Search

    The Village of Sister Bay has not had an administrator since Zeke Jackson left the job at the end of 2017, but there’s hope of finding a good candidate in the coming weeks. Plan Commission Chair Denise Bhirdo said the village will interview candidates the week of April 28. Janal Suppanz has filled the role […]

  • Bills to Watch: Sparsity Aid, Voter Registration

    SB-159 Automatic voter registration This bill, among several other efforts to increase voter participation, would automatically register residents to vote by transferring information provided by the Department of Transportation on state IDs or driver’s licenses to the Elections Commission, although residents could opt out of this information transfer. Voter turnout in the 2016 general election […]

  • Sustainability 2019: Can Home Sharing Fill A Gap?

    by Ashley Lusk I moved to Door County in 2009, and like so many other young workers, I struggled to find a place to live. Jobs were plentiful, but housing was scarce. All six potential employers I interviewed with offered me a job – contingent on me finding a place to live. Fortunately, I was […]

  • Sustainability 2019: Are Tiny Homes a Practical Solution?

    Tiny homes are trendy, and the tiny-home lifestyle is the subject of several television shows, but could they also help solve the housing shortage on the peninsula? Mariah Goode, Door County’s land use services director, said there are several roadblocks that make the 400-square-foot homes a long shot, but the size of the structures isn’t […]

  • Sustainability 2019: Zoned Out – Communities Loosen Grip on Land Use

    No matter the financial resources, motivation or incentive to develop affordable housing, any project may run up against the concrete wall of local zoning codes. Zoning administrators are acutely aware of the ways in which zoning can stifle or promote housing development, and they are working on that piece of the puzzle. Zoning codes regulate […]

  • Sustainability 2019: Housing Ideas – In Wisconsin Dells, Dorms Fill Housing Void

    The struggle to find affordable housing is more than a lifestyle problem in Door County – it’s a workforce problem. People are already turning down jobs or shying away from applying for jobs on the peninsula because of a lack of housing. Phil Berndt, membership director of the Door County Visitor Bureau, offered a seasoned […]

  • Last-ditch Effort to Save Fish Creek Fourth of July Festival Fails

    A last-ditch effort to resurrect the Summer Festival and Fireworks in Fish Creek has come up short. In January, the Fish Creek Civic Association (FCCA) announced it was canceling the festival and fireworks that usually take place the Saturday after the Fourth of July. FCCA President Denise Stillman cited a number of factors that led […]

  • Sustainability 2019: Main Street Market Builds New Home for Summer Workers

    Kaaren Northrop recalls a time in the not-too-distant past when summer employees would show up for work and ask, “Where am I living?” “The whole process is way more difficult now,” she said. “Now when you fill out the paperwork for J-1 Visa students, you either have to have a place for them to live […]