Researched by Michael J. Caylor Jr

12-1-71
The nine-day gun deer season almost took a tragic turn when a cabin in the Town of Rock Falls caught fire early Thanksgiving Day, nearly taking the lives of the seven men inside of it. A passing motorist saw flames coming from the roof of the cabin that was located on County Rd. E north of State Rd. 107. At about 2:30 a.m. the motorist roused the sleeping hunters and then set off to find a phone to alert Merrill firemen. William Stuemke, Harry Toschner, Duane Tomajcik and his son Michael, William Toschner, Carl Thiel, and Don Iattoni were all able to escape the flames. One of the men was not able to find the keys to his car as he escaped the burning building, but others were able to use another vehicle to tow his car away from the fire. Merrill firefighters reported the building had collapsed when they arrived on the scene.
The DNR reported a comparable number of deer killed this season as compared to last year. In total, 1,131 buck deer were registered, as compared to 1,150 in 1972. The doe count will be lower this year, as fewer party tags were given out.
A batch of fresh snow did not deter shoppers on Friday. Seven inches of the white stuff left roadways slippery throughout the weekend, as deer hunters made their way home. Santa was able to make his first appearance in town despite the snow. He set up inside of the Christmas cottage outside of City Hall Friday to hear all about the wishes of area children.
An ad in this week’s paper announces a new store about to open in downtown Merrill. Campbell’s “Clothes ‘n’ Things” offers few other details in their notice.

12-2-81
The Depot, the youth center partially funded by the City of Merrill, may be in danger of closing if attendance does not increase. So says Mayor Richard Holt whose concerns about the lack of attendance were echoed by the center’s director, Sharon Anderson. The Depot was started in 1968 in a former railroad depot by the Merrill Lions Club. In 1976, the youth center moved to a building erected by the city near the Weinbrenner Shoe Company (now the outlet store). Anderson, who has supervised the facility for the last 10 years, is puzzled by the downturn in attendance, which is the worst she has seen during her tenure. A potential conflict to the fledgling building, is a new arcade known as Fantasy Island that has opened across from the high school. Mayor Holt said if attendance does not turn around, he could see the $5,175 that has been budgeted for the center being cut.
The remains of Merrill native Edward A. Novak were returned to this city and buried yesterday after his mysterious death in Florida. Novak, formerly of 1318 E. Main St. had reportedly been residing in the St. Petersburg area the past three months. Authorities in Tampa reported finding Novak’s body floating this past week in the Hillsborough River. Early indications are that Novak was likely the victim of foul play.
The Merrill Common Council voted on the 1982 budget last night at the Council chambers, though little interest was shown by residents. Besides the media, the lone person in attendance was Vivian Borchardt who has been attending Council meetings since the 1930’s. Borchardt currently serves on the Merrill Area Board of Education. The proposed tax rate will show a .58-cent increase per $1,000 of assessed value, although final numbers will not be known until next week when revenue sharing numbers arrive from the state.

12-3-91
The Merrill Common Council approved the 1992 budget at last night’s monthly meeting. No one spoke during the public hearing for the budget that will see an increase of .38-cents per $1,000 of assessed value, according to City Clerk Judy Stockowitz. Large ticket items in the budget include the purchase of land for a proposed recreation center on Grand Ave. and the establishment of a full time City Attorney.
Local football fans may have something to cheer about, as the Green Bay Packers have fired Tom Braatz as the team’s Executive Vice-President and hired Ron Wolf. Braatz was let go late last week by team President Bob Harlan after a vote by the Executive Committee. Wolf, in his second year with the New York Jets, formerly worked with the Oakland and LA Raiders. Wolf has been tabbed as the Executive Vice-President and General Manager, giving him complete control over the team’s operations. His first task will be to decide the fate of Coach Lindy Infante, who has a 23-37 record as coach of the Packers. (Watch out Lindy, here comes the Holmgren era.)