Researched by Michael J. Caylor, Jr.
9-15-71
The Peterson brothers, operators of Park City Cab, are reporting that the business is not picking up like they expected. Back in April, the City discontinued bus service and provided a supplement to Petersons to run a city pick up school bus and taxi cab service. Ralph Peterson said ridership on the city school bus was so low he was just able to afford to pay the driver with zero profit. Riders in the cabs are few and far between, something that could be blamed on a variety of factors. The city phone directory was already printed before the cab went online; however, Peterson said he and his brother Glenn posted cards near most phone booths in the city advertising the service. Peterson also told of how a windstorm in August knocked their phone out of service for three days. Night shift workers seem to be the most frequent and loyal patrons of the cab, but unless things turn around soon, it might be a thing of the past. The Transit Commission heard of the issues with the service and hope a public plea might attract riders; otherwise, the service will likely go away, said Harry Seidell, Chair of the Commission.
The contest is over and Ms. Nathalie Tank is the winner; the name she submitted of “Park Place” has been chosen for the new high-rise apartment complex on Grand Ave. The Westside Businessmen’s Association sponsored the contest, and according to Gay Oberg, Tank’s suggestion was chosen from dozens of submissions. Some of the potential names were duplicate entries, but Oberg said Tank was the only one who came up with the Park Place name. For her effort, Tank was awarded a $25 savings bond, which she will receive when the building is dedicated in October.
The City of Merrill Fiscal Control Board heard a proposal Monday for potential spending of $1.3 million dollars from Merrill Area Public Schools for one new school, the expansion of another, and a new central office and maintenance buildings. Mayor Ralph “Fata” Voigt then shared the plans with the Council last night. The Fiscal Control Board will vote on the borrowing in late October. The plans call for replacing the current Jefferson School, expanding the Junior High School, and building new buildings for both the offices and a central meeting and storage point for the maintenance crews. Meanwhile, the County Board decided last night to allow the voters to decide if an annex to the Courthouse should be built to ease overcrowded office space.
A new commercial business has opened in the downtown area; Gene’s Refrigeration and Appliance has opened its doors at 724 E 2nd St. Eugene Graf and Glenn Kysely will operate the business. Both have numerous years of experience in refrigeration and appliance sales and service.
9-16-81
DA Michael Dudley is asking the County Board to give him some help as the prosecutor faces a record number of cases. Dudley told the Law Enforcement Committee that his caseload has grown from 791 in 1979 to over 1,000 projected for this year. Dudley is seeking a half-time assistant for a salary of about $8,000. Dudley said he could use a full-time assistant prosecutor but realizes the County cannot afford it. (Those positions are now state funded; they had around 2,500 cases last year with three people)
State Representative Sheehan Donoghue is telling her constituents she is still fighting for them; however, if they want to place blame for the lack of funding for a fence at Lincoln Hills School (LHS), blame the Dept. of Corrections. Donoghue and State Senator Clifford “Tiny” Krueger both submitted requests in the state budget for a fence to be built around the facility at Irma. However, at budget hearings, DOC officials told the Budget Committee it wasn’t at the top of their priority list. Donoghue met with local officials this past week again to discuss the issues neighbors face. She pointed to legislation she proposed this summer that required any juvenile who escapes from LHS or commits a violent act while in it, be referred to adult court.
The Merrill Blue Jay football team outplayed Wausau West this past Saturday as they marched to a 26-14 victory in front of the hometown crowd. Quarterback Dan Koch finished the day with 12 of 18 passes completed and a total of 239 yards. Jeff Ott was his most frequent target, catching 9 for 212 yards. Merrill caught West off guard from the start by running a no-huddle offense, and when Koch hit Ott on the third play for a 59-yard scoring pass, anyone not paying close attention might have thought that Ott came off the bench to catch it. West made two quick scores before the end of the half and then came out breathing fire from the break, after denying Merrill on four downs from the one-yard line. West tried to turn a Merrill turnover into a quick scoring drive; however, Ott intercepted them in the end zone and came back a few plays later with another long reception to start turning the game back in the locals’ favor. Tony Hartwig punched one in on a two-yard run with three minutes to play, sealing the victory.
9-19-91
Get out your shovel! Lincoln County announced they will no longer plow private driveways. Highway Commissioner Michael Hemp advised that only in a life-and-death emergency will his operators plow the spans. Some townships may provide the service, but Hemp said the County now has a policy which strictly forbids it unless an ambulance or fire truck is in need of immediate access.