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June 24, 2016 The Brillion News The 115th Annual Reedsville Firefighter’s Picnic and Parade weekend schedule is as follows: Friday June 24: Stands open at 5:00 p.m. Fish fry Oil Can Harry from 8:00 p.m until 12:00 a.m. Saturday June 25: Stands open at 10:00 a.m. Extinguishing Cancer 5K at 8:00 a.m. Charity motorcycle and classic car ride at 10:00 a.m. Volleyball tournament at 11:00 a.m. Johnny Wad from 8:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m. Sunday June 26: Stands open at 10:00 a.m. Parade at 11:30 a.m. University of Wisconsin Marching Band in the park following the parade Tractor pulls at 2:00 p.m. Broasted chicken plates catered by Webster’s Inn on Third Happy Schnapps from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.

NOTE: The following is an opinion piece. The opinions stated in commentaries, here and otherwise in our newspaper, are those of the author and not The Brillion News, Zander Press Inc. or the owners or staff. The Brillion News welcomes letters to the editor to respond to this or any other topic of interest. Commentary by Ed Byrne Suicide has been described as a permanent solution to a temporary problem. But even that description is unfair, because none of us is privileged to see into another person’s mind or heart. I know it is not easy for the family members or friends of a person who takes his own life. I’ve been close enough to several suicide situations in the past 10 years to know that survivors have a tough time. People who use suicide as an occasion for moralizing or making some religious pronouncement on it do a huge disservice. It is usually a self-righteous pronouncement by someone who fails to see the wisdom of mercy. A friend and I were talking about suicide the other day and she made a point that’s worth considering. We coddle children. We give everyone a blue ribbon. We turn mothering into smothering. We don’t allow kids to fail, and so they don’t know how to survive failure and recover from it. When I was a kid, a bully was the kid who beat the crap out of you and took your ice cream cone. Now, it’s considered bullying if someone looks at you the wrong way or doesn’t give a Valentine‘s Day card to every girl in the class. We have produced a lot of young people who are not resilient enough to survive without protection from real life. All that said, I don’t think any of us has a right to judge someone who ends his own life. “She had everything to live for,” we say. But we really don’t know that. We can’t. The best we can honestly say is something like this: “I’m sorry for myself that you took your life, because there’s an empty spot in my life now.” But casting a negative judgment on someone who commits suicide is wrong. Nearly every religion I’m familiar with asks people not to take their own lives, or anyone else’s life. But they all leave any judgment to the creator of life, and we need to respect that. If we really care for the person who ended his own life, the kindest thing we can do is to provide non-judgmental compassion for those who are devastated by the loss of someone they loved. This commentary was published in the June 23, 2016 edition of The Brillion News. Ed Byrne writes a weekly column for The Brillion News.

By David Nordby The Brillion News BRILLION – The annual Relay for Life event took place last Friday night at the Brillion Middle School, with a special guest highlighting this year’s event. Ireland, who is in remission from a highly rare brain cancer, is one of hundreds of thousands of children in the United States who have suffered from cancer. 300,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year. In the United States more children die of cancer than any other disease, and two thirds of the survivors suffer lasting effects. “We wanted to put a face on childhood cancer,” Karen Loose, Ireland’s grandmother said. Loose, speaking for her daughter, read a timeline of her daughter’s thoughts throughout Ireland’s fight with the monster. Ireland was born in April 2011 and described by her mother as “happy-go-lucky” and “the best baby you’d want.” At nine months old Ireland was walking and appeared healthy. In February 2012 Ireland had multiple trips to the emergency room, where the doctors diagnosed bowel obstruction. Ireland’s mother insisted that something was going on and she called the pediatrician. The pediatrician ordered a CTE scan. The scan revealed a tumor, the size of Ireland’s mom’s fist, in her head. Unable to do anything locally, Ireland was sent to Milwaukee. A snowstorm in March forced an ambulance to come to their home in Manitowoc. “The pressure was so great in her head that we were watching her die,” Ireland’s mother said. Ireland’s cancer was the only one properly diagnosed or reported out of seven cases in the world. The doctors in Milwaukee were able to create a tunnel in Ireland’s head to drain the pressure on her brain, which was also impacting the rest of her body including her heart rate. “The potentially deadly tumor has introduced Ireland to the world of surgery and chemo at too early of an age,” Ireland’s mother said at the time. “It turned our world upside down.” Please see the complete story in the June 23, 2016 edition of The Brillion News.

By David Nordby The Brillion News REEDSVILLE – For the first time in over a year St. John-St. James Lutheran Church will have a permanent pastor. Pastor Darin Aden is bringing over 18 years of experience to the town and couldn’t be more energized for it. “We’re excited to live in the community that we’re serving in,” Aden said. “Especially with smaller communities I think it’s important to be a part of that.” Aden recently set the closing date on the house in Reedsville that he and his family will be moving into. Aden arrived to Reedsville in May and started preaching in June. Originating from Olivia, Minnesota, Aden spent the last 11 years in Appleton at Bethany Lutheran Church. “Appleton was kind of a nice stepping down,” Aden said referring to population size. “I know for me this is comfortable. I’m looking forward to getting back to a little slower pace of life … That little more friendliness and openness with people.” St. John-St. James’ congregation is around 650 people, which is similar to Bethany’s. The only difference is that Aden is now the sole pastor, unlike Bethany where he was one of three. “It’s a good sized congregation for one pastor to serve,” Aden said. Aden believes the people of Reedsville will continue to be a big part of the church, as he’s seen they’re willing to “roll up their sleeves.” Prior to moving to Appleton, Aden worked in Woodbury, Minnesota just outside the Twin Cities. For seven and a half years Aden did mission exploratory work, or what’s basically starting a congregation from scratch. “Whenever you do anything new there’s always nerves that come with it,” Aden admitted. But Aden also believes the Lord has put him in a place to use his past experiences. Please see the complete story in the June 23, 2016 edition of The Brillion News.

The Brillion News WRIGHTSTOWN – The Wrightstown Village Board voted 4-3 in favor of an ordinance tightening up rules for parking RVs, motor homes, boats and other recreational vehicles on residential lots. But the June 21 vote didn’t get the required two-thirds majority needed, and so the proposal died. The board was also expected to name an interim village administrator after a closed session – but it didn’t happen. A special board meeting about naming a temporary administrator should be coming soon. Former village trustee Mark Leonard, who lost his re-election bid in the April general election, was the only outsider allowed in the closed session. A complete story on these issues, and others in the June 21 board meeting, will appear in the June 23 print edition of The Brillion News.

Robert J. Hensel, age 76 of Brillion, passed away at a Green Bay hospital on Sunday, June 19, 2016. He was born on November 2, 1940 in Waupaca, son of the late Dwight and Ann (Christensen) Hensel.  A resident of Brillion since 1954, he graduated from Brillion High School. The following year he joined the U.S. Army, serving for 3 1/2 years stateside and in France. After his military service, Bob returned to Brillion and worked at the Ariens Company until his retirement. Bob was a life member of VCCA and a founding member of the Packerland Region, serving in many offices. He was a longtime coordinator of the VCCA G&D Tech Advisors for several decades. He was an active member of the Brillion American Legion Post #126 and the Brillion Historical Society. He is survived by his sister, Ann (Richard) Koehler of Oshkosh; two nephews: Andrew (Penny) Koehler and their son Dwight of Ripon, and Patrick (Suzy) Koehler of Vancouver, WA. He leaves behind a very special person, Carol Berken of Green Bay and faithful canine, Jeffery plus numerous cousins. His interests were wide and varied and included real full-size railroads, miniature scale railroads, old farm tractors, country music, but Chevrolets were his real passion. He collected and established one of the largest collections of Chevrolet literature in the United States and shared that wealth of information with Chevrolet people all over the world. He will be missed by Chevrolet people all over the United States, Canada, Australia and many countries in Europe. Cremation has taken place and a memorial service has been planned for Saturday, July 9, 2016 with a visitation at 2 p.m. and a service at 3 p.m. at the Wieting Funeral Home in Brillion. The Rev. Kris Borns will officiate. Military honors will be performed following service.

The Brillion News WRIGHTSTOWN – The plans to have a new track and football field ready at Tiger Stadium in time for the September 9 homecoming football game are in some doubt because of heavy rains. The contractor was to have had the new field landscaped and planted by Friday, June 10, but the land was still not ready for grading and planting as of Thursday, June 16. District  Buildings and Grounds Director Russ Bowers said that early games – or perhaps all 2016 football games – may have to be played at Walt Maki Memorial Field, the district’s old stadium adjacent to the middle school. More about this story will be featured in the June 23 print edition of The Brillion News.

NOTE: The following is an opinion piece. The opinions stated in commentaries, here and otherwise in our newspaper, are those of the author and not The Brillion News, Zander Press Inc. or the owners or staff. The Brillion News welcomes letters to the editor to respond to this or any other topic of interest. Commentary by Ed Byrne Sunday is Fathers’ Day. There used to be a joke about Fathers’ Day as the most confusing day in the ghetto because most kids’ fathers were absent – little more than sperm donors. It was a bad joke because the punch line hits the children hard throughout their lives. One of my uncles, who had both biological and adopted kids in his brood, said every dad should say to every one of his children: “I will never fail you.” And then he would keep that promise no matter the cost. Children are more than the accidental byproduct of irresponsible sex. I wish the fathers well who stuck around to be a positive force in the lives of their sons and daughters. For those who spread their DNA around and then took off, I hope they burn forever in Hades. Please see the June 16, 2016 edition of The Brillion News for the complete commentary which also includes Byrne’s take on the job crisis and the UWEC student government.

The Brillion News June 14, 2016 TOWN OF BRILLION – A 28-year old male was found dead on Monday night, June 13 at the Brillion Nature Center. At 6:41 p.m. the Calumet County Sheriff’s Department received a call from two hikers who alerted authorities that they found a body in the woods at the Brillion Nature Center off of CTH Highway PP, in the Town of Brillion. The man, whose name has yet to be made public pending the notification of relatives, was lying in a wooded area around one-quarter mile off of the road on a walking trail. The death is not believed to be suspicious at this time and an autopsy will be performed on Tuesday, June 14 by the Fond du Lac County Medical Examiner’s Office. The department has processed the scene and conducted interviews. The Sheriff’s Department was assisted by Brillion Police Department, Brillion Fire Department, Potter Fire Department and the Calumet County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The Brillion News WRIGHTSTOWN – Steve Johnson has left his position as Wrightstown Village Administrator, after resigning on Wednesday, June 15, Village President Dean Erickson confirmed. The Wrightstown Village Board had been scheduled to meet in closed session on June 15 to discuss the Johnson’s status. On Tuesday, June 14, the notice of the June 15 special village board meeting was withdrawn and the meeting was cancelled. Johnson had been working limited hours recently due to a serious illness in his family. Johnson himself had overcome some serious health challenges and had a successful liver transplant in 2013. Johnson served as the village clerk for many years, then as village president. He resigned as village president and then was appointed as village administrator following the resignation of former village administrator Dan Guild in 2009. Construction of the new village hall on High Street and the opening of Zirbel Park were both done on his watch at administrator. Erickson said the village board would deal with the vacancy at its regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21. The village is also without a police chief of clerk/treasurer. Public Works Director Travis Coenen is the only remaining full-time department head in the village. The fire chief, Mike Schampers, is a part-time employee.

Glenn D. Schlorf, Sr. age 76 of Brillion, died on Monday, June 13, 2016 at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton. Survivors include his children; Glenn Schlorf, Jr. of Alabama, David Schlorf of Brillion, John Schlorf and significant other Anji Jordan of Two Rivers, James (Heidi) Schlorf of Brillion, Matthew Schlorf, Emily (Steve) Cisneros, Mark Schlorf, Daniel Schlorf and Joy (Eric) Schramm all of Two Rivers; nine grandchildren, Timothy and Sarah Schlorf, Jessica Jones, Ryan Pulley, Anthony, Steve Jr. and Isabella Cisneros, Trinity Schlorf and Mark Schlorf Jr. and many other relatives and friends. Glenn was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Robert. Funeral service will be held on Friday, June 17, 2016, at 11 A.M. at Zion United Methodist Church in Forest Junction. The Rev. Rick Andrus will officiate. Burial will be in Forest Home Cemetery, Forest Junction. Friends may call at the Wieting Funeral Home in Brillion on Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. and then at the church on Friday from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Online condolences may be made at www.wieting-funeralhome.com

By David Nordby The Brillion News Printed in the June 9, 2016 edition of The Brillion News BRILLION – The highly anticipated Brillion Elementary School STEM Center broke ground in April, but money is still being raised for it. The money raised has come from area businesses, parents, staff, teachers, alumni and now, the students themselves. During the month of May the third graders at Brillion Elementary School, led by their teachers Kelly Bohman, Nicole Fischer and Lauri Roskom, learned the value of profit and teamwork while raising money for the community’s future. Students broke up into 18 business teams and created their own products that would be designed to sell. They researched budgets and costs of different projects, before making a commercial for their team’s product in a presentation to the class. The class then voted on the various projects and “butterfly bags” won. The bags were filled with a s’more mix – marshmallows, crackers, chocolate chips – and sold to students and staff around the school for money for the STEM Center. Clothespins with art on them designed to resemble a butterfly were put in the center of the bang with equal wings on both sides. “My favorite part was the assembly because we got to put the s’more snack mix into it and it was fun making the butterfly clips,” Katie Jones said. The students were also able to put on their marketing hat creating posters that let the school know what the grade level was doing. Though the center is being built to help students learn about science, technology, engineering and math, the project gave the students the chance to learn profits, business, teamwork and innovation. “It was awesome,” Natalie Wittman said. “I was pretty amazed.” Many students felt they learned how to work better with their classmates following the completion of the project. “We got to share our ideas … Take a piece from everyone’s idea and then everyone will be happy,” Drew Rosner said. Please see the complete story in the June 9, 2016 edition of The Brillion News.