2023: A Year in Review: 2023 top headlines from October, November, and December
By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — Another year has come and gone, and as the Colfax Messenger enters its 128th year of publication, here is a look back at the top news stories of 2023.
October 4, 2023
The Colfax Village Board has approved sponsoring the Colfantastic Halloween Spooktastic event on October 29 with a $100 donation.
Municipalities that participate in Colfax Solid Waste & Recycling will pay $3 to $4 less per person for 2024.
Representatives for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources say that Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in present in 62 of the state’s 72 counties.
The Colfax Vikings will play the Clear Lake Warriors Friday, October 6, for Homecoming.
The Colfax-Elk Mound girls’ golf team members were the Clover Croix Conference champions.
October 11, 2023
For the first time in more than 20 years, Elk Mound will not have an ice skating rink on the Steve and Margaret Dieter property near Elk Mound High School and Elk Mound Middle School.
Ethan Rubenzer from Troop 11 has been awarded the rank of Eagle Scout at a Court of Honor at the Moose Lodge. He is the son of Bob and Danielle Rubenzer of Bloomer.
The Tainter Lake Rehabilitation District Board of Commissioners is working on an application for a $5,000 planning grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
As of the last week in September, the Neighbors of Dunn County was experiencing an outbreak of SARS-CoV2.
If you are concerned about bacteria and nitrate in your well water, the Dunn County Health Department will soon be able to provide water testing.
October 18, 2023
Some members of the village board like to call it “Gary’s Fund” in reference to village trustee Gary Stene, but Colfax’s unassigned fund balance contained $592,837 as of December 31, 2022.
Members of the Dunn County Planning, Resources and Development Committee hope to take their first look at proposed accessory dwelling unit ordinance in November.
The Colfax Public Library will sponsor a showing of “Hotel Transylvania — Summer Vacation” on Saturday, October 21.
October 25, 2023
The Dunn County Board has reviewed a preliminary budget of $92.5 million for 2024, which compares to the 2023 adopted budget of $92.6 million.
A house fire reported by a passerby on county Highway S northwest of Colfax last. Thursday evening resulted in a total loss of the home. The house was owned by Shawna Stone.
The serving area in the pavilion at the Elk Mound Village Park will soon have shutters. The Elk Mound Village Board approved purchasing Wayne Dalton shutters at a cost of $8,490 at the October 16 meeting.
Dale Bergeson has done it again. Bergeson, of Colfax, and his two daughters, Megan and Tabatha, ran the 39th Army Ten-Miler together in Washington D.C. on October 8. Bergeson has run the Ten-Miler for nearly 30 years.
Dunn County’s program to test nearly 1,000 water wells shows that nearly 12 percent of those wells are at or above 10 milligrams per liter for nitrate. Water that tests above 10 mg/L is not considered safe for consumption, especially for babies, small children and older adults.
November 8, 2023
As it has since October of 2012, the Colfax Community Fire District will be levying $94,700 for the 2024 budget.
The Colfax Village Board has approved writing off the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) that the village would have received from the Colfax Health and Rehabilitation Center in the amount of approximately $30,000 as a condition of the facility’s sale.
The Colfax Village Board has given approval for the Colfax youth baseball program to start fund raising for improvements at Tom Prince Memorial Park, such as replacing the fence around the baseball diamond.
When the COVID-19 public benefits stopped for Food Share, Dunn County residents lost more than half their benefits, representing a total decrease of $548,142 per month.
The number of junior exhibitors and exhibits at the Dunn County Fair in July was still fewer this year than in 2018, two years before the COVID-19 pandemic started. In 2023, there were 204 junior exhibitors. In 2018, there were 334 junior exhibitors.
November 15, 2023
Members of the Northwoods Quilts of Valor presented eight quilts to area veterans for Veterans’ Day during the annual Veterans’ Day supper Saturday evening at the Grapevine Senior Center. Quilts were presented to Vietnam era veterans Jerry Anderson, Mike Boyd, Tom Dunbar, Stan Knudson, Richard Larson, Jon Scott, Julian (Happy) Silva, along with Charles Brady, age 99, a veteran of World War II.
The “Support for Sunday” backpack program, spearheaded by Colfax Caring Ministries, needs help with raising funds and food donations in order to continue the program until the end of the school year. Volunteers pack 27 bags of food a week, which serves 27 families.
The Elk Mound Village Board has approved holding one meeting per month on the third Monday, rather than two meetings on the first and third Monday.
The preliminary budget for the Village of Elk Mound shows total expenses of $779,039, representing an increase of $46,039 over 2023.
November 22, 2023
Heather Morning of Colfax, a paramedic with the Eau Claire Fire Department, received a First Responder of the Year Award in Madison in October after going down into a septic tank head first to rescue a four-year-old boy last April.
The Dunn County Board has approved a budget of $99,453,355 for 2024 with a property tax levy of $25,561,316.
An open house was held November 14 for Cairn House, the new 20-bed homeless shelter built by Stepping Stones, a non-profit organization located in Menomonie.
Dunn County Judge James Peterson has denied a new trial for Ezra J. McCandless, who was convicted by a jury of first degree intentional homicide in November of 2019 for the murder of Alexander Woodworth in the Town of Spring Brook on March 23, 2018.
November 29, 2023
The Elk Mound Village Board has approved a license for the sale of liquor and beer to be consumed off praises as well as a cigarette license for Synergy Cooperative, which has purchased the former Elk Mound Travel Stop. The Travel Stop was one of 13 convenience store locations out of 31 owned by Mega Consumers Cooperative that were closed as part of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in September.
The Colfax Village Board has approved a developer’s agreement with Colfax Senior Living LLC as a condition of the sale of the Colfax Health and Rehabilitation Center. The developer’s agreement includes an easement for fire hydrants, for the road and for the stormwater pond.
The Colfax Public Library is pleased to announce the addition of The Library of Things, which includes a variety of kids for children and for adults.
Brandon R. Guthrie, the last of our men accused of illegal bear hunting in the Town of Sheridan, has been found guilty on violations of fish and game regulations, fined $1,834 and has had his hunting privileges revoked for three years.
December 6, 2023
Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer, reported to the Colfax Village Board that the health insurance premiums for village employees would be increasing by 75 percent for 2024. The cost for 2023 was $100,343, and the cost for 2024 will be nearly $175,000.
The Elk Mound school district has received a grade of “exceeds expectations” on the state report card issued by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Tax Increment Finance District 3, 4 and 5 in Colfax are doing well, and the next big project will be Balsam Street in TID 3 at an estimated cost of over $600,000.
The Colfax Village Board — or rather, the audit and finance committee, which is a committee of the whole board — has reviewed a revenue and expense budget of $1,323,242 for 2024.
The Elk Mound Board of Education has given approval for a community member to continue fund raising for improvements to the Elk Mound High School football field that would include turf.
December 13, 2023
Talk about cataclysmic change for both the Colfax Rescue Squad — and for the director of the Colfax Rescue Squad, Don Knutson. After working in Emergency Medical Services for 34 years, Knutson tendered his resignation December 4. His resignation will become effective on January 1, and on January 2, he starts a new position as clerk-treasurer for the Village of Wheeler.
The Elk Mound Village Board has approved a revenue and expense budget of $779,010 for 2024.
The Colfax Village Board has approved a total property tax levy for the 2024 budget of $496,147 with an overall mill rate of $20.98 per $1,000 of property value.
The Colfax Village Board awarded a 6 percent pay increase to village employees along with larger pay increases for the police department following a closed session meeting December 4 that lasted more than five hours. A wage survey showed that wages for police chiefs ranged from $33 per hour to $37.56 per hour. The Colfax police chief was being paid $28.15 per hour this year under the 2023 budget.
December 20, 2023
The Colfax Village Board has approved changing the procedure so that instead of paying the entire bill from the Colfax fire department for a fire within the village limits, the village will cover $500 toward the deductible.
The Colfax Village Board has contracted with Ayres Associates for preliminary work on Balsam Street and Oak Street in the amount of $87,000.
Residents and businesses in Colfax will be paying an increase of 2 percent on sewer rates in 2024.
The Dunn County Planning and Land Use (Zoning) Division is working on updates to the shoreland-wetland zoning ordinance that will most likely go into effect by next summer.
December 27, 2023
The Elk Mound school district plans to hire another technology education teacher.
The Village of Elk Mound has been awarded a $20,800 transportation grant for repaving Mound Park Drive.
Residents who use the solid waste and recycling sites at Colfax and Elk Mound will have six months to implement the use of clear plastic bags for trash.
Two of the new resolutions that will be introduced at the Wisconsin Association of School Boards convention in January focus on incentivizing talent development to help alleviate the teacher shortage.
The Colfax school district, with a score of 64.9, “meets expectations” on the school report card for 2022-2023 issued by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
