Researched by Michael J. Caylor, Jr.
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After a run of 81 years, the Merrill transit system is no more. Both local residents and City officials climbed on board the Merrill bus this past Saturday as it made its final runs through the city. Bus driver Alfred Schenk was behind the wheel for the final day, which marked the end of a system that began with street cars. The buses now sit idle and for sale under sealed bid, although not many will likely compete for the two, both GMC’s with model years 1963 and 1965. One of the buses has a cracked transmission and has not run in weeks. Some of the final riders on the bus Saturday included Duane and Danny Bacher of Pier St.; Duane brought his son along for what he considered an historic event. Mrs. John Cannon rode from her Curran Street home to her job at Zettler’s Bakery; she was concerned about how she will get to work in the future without the bus. Mrs. Olga Hulke stated her disapproval for the bus service ending, as she headed to a housekeeping job on the west side. Some regular passengers were startled when Mayor Ralph (Fata) Voigt climbed on board, along with Harry Seidell, Don Koll, and Reinhardt Knispel of the transit commission. One perk of the final ride is it was free, as Schenk hung the free ride sign up for his last day. Schenk has been driving the bus for the past 16 years, and he, along with fellow driver, Victor Batchelder, will be climbing into Street Department trucks today as they transition to that Department.
Labor officials with the state are concerned about the local job market, as the jobless rate at Merrill holds steady at 6.9%. A large decline in the number of manufacturing jobs is blamed for the decline.
Governor Patrick Lucey has declared Lincoln County as one of 26 counties under a state of emergency due to the threat of floods. City Engineer Charles Pierotti was hoping to get immediate repairs done to levees which were built in 1969; however, piles of snow still sit on those banks, preventing heavy equipment from operating on them. The Army Corp of Engineers have joined with local officials in planning for the expected rush of water, predicted to be around two feet above flood stage by this week. Currently, we do not have snow on the ground in town, but ice upstream of the dam is showing signs of rotting, meaning it may take a couple of weeks for that surge to come downstream and keep the threats in place. Merrill has obtained 10,000 sandbags, which are expected to be filled tomorrow with the aid of local boys from the high school. Sandbags will be stored at the Wisconsin Window Unit, Lincoln Wood Products, Tiny Tot Manufacturing, Anson and Gilkey, and the T. B. Scott Library. Bags kept at the City Garage and Sewer Plants are free for those who wish to use them to protect their homes.
Thousands of people toured a new store just north of Merrill for their grand opening. Bill’s House of Guns is now open to the public. The store, located on State Rd. 17, gave away ten prizes as part of their grand opening. Pictured handing out the top prizes is Ron Thimm, sales clerk. Carl Karau won the grand prize, a Model 12 Winchester. Second place went to Martin Walsh, a Model 94 Winchester, while third prize, a Ruger Model 10/22, was awarded to Harold Storm.
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You built it, so now they come. So says Sheriff Ron Krueger who is quickly seeing his new jail fill up with prisoners. As of Monday morning, the jail held 23 males and 1 female prisoner, double the daily count in the old lock up. The new jail has a capacity of 31 prisoners.
One number that isn’t going down is the unemployment rate in Lincoln County. Statistics show that rate holding steady at 12.7%. In total 1,480 people reported being out of work this past month.
The City of Merrill is celebrating 90 years (not in a row, obviously) of providing public transit to the community. Four brand new Model T-30 City cruiser buses were delivered this past week. The 31 passenger buses came at a cost of around $92,000 each. Two of the buses, which were driven 1,450 miles from the factory in Roswell, NM, to Merrill, are equipped with wheelchair lifts. Merrill’s first public transportation system was introduced 90 years ago when the first electric street railway system – the first in the state – began.
A large turnout on Sunday welcomed the new addition and renovation at the Merrill Senior High School. Thousands walked through the building, spending most of their time taking in the new indoor pool, auditorium, and fieldhouse. Bands and vocal groups performed throughout the day to large crowds, despite the seats not being installed. Jack Talbot won the honor of being the first person to take a dive in the pool; unfortunately, he also dove into history by dislocating his shoulder during the effort. State and local dignitaries spoke at the event.
Area churches opened their doors Monday night to local faithful who gathered to pray for the quick recovery of President Ronald Reagan and three others who were shot outside of a hotel in Washington D. C. Monday afternoon. At press time, the President is in stable condition, but his press secretary Jim Brady remains critical. A young man from Colorado was arrested at the scene.
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First responders are set to respond, but who will send them is still up in the air. Nancy Stevens of the Town of Russell First Responders appealed to the County Board to allow the Sheriff’s Office to dispatch her team to emergencies. Some members of the Board are reluctant, as they are concerned with liability. Fire Chief Harvey Emanuel said his agency would dispatch them if the Sheriff allows them access to the County repeater system.