Graduate of Kettle Moraine Lutheran H.S. serves as pallbearer at Sen. McCain memorial

 There was a Washington County tie to the funeral of U.S. Senator John McCain as 2016 Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School graduate Collin Schwab had the honor of serving as a pallbearer at the memorial service in Phoenix. Schwab, 20, serves in the US Navy.

Mike Schwab said his son is humbled by the experience.

“He’s been given the honor of seeing to it that America’s Navy veterans are laid to rest with the decorum and dignity they deserve and that’s a huge responsibility,” he said.

While at KML Collin Schwab was captain of the Chargers wrestling team, football team and track team. He was also part of the school’s Veteran’s Day program.

Collin Schwab is the youngest of three brothers. His oldest sibling is an aerospace engineer with Boeing and the middle brother is a mining engineer.

“Collin was going into nuclear engineering but when the military determined he was color deficient the Navy asked if he would participate in the ceremonial guard and he’s been doing that since October 2016,” said Mike Schwab.

The Schwab family found out Monday, Aug. 27 via text their son would participate in the Senator McCain procession.

“He rarely does funerals anymore but said he would be flying out Monday night,” said Mike Schwab.

In the past, most of Collin Schwab’s duties had been at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

“He’s done funerals for Metal of Honor recipients, Secretaries of Defense, and he helped with funerals for dignified transfers for soldiers killed in the USS John McCain incident in August 2017,” Mike Schwab said.

There were times, according to Mike Schwab, when his son was doing up to six funerals a day at Arlington National Cemetery.

Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School Superintendent David Bartelt said while the situation surrounding the event is sad, it’s exciting to see a local graduate in the midst of such a high-profile event. “It’s very nice to see our graduates doing good things,” he said.

Mike Schwab said Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School really helped prepare his son and give him a solid foundation for his future.

“His education at Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School certainly gives him a perspective on life-and-death issues. He’s always been a kid with a lot of decorum and he understands how to act,” Mike Schwab said.

Since the service in Phoenix on Aug. 30 the Schwab family in Jackson has been receiving comments and texts from across the country.

Senator McCain died following a battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 81.

OSHA said Sunburst contesting citations

OSHA completed its inspection, found violations and proposed penalties of $48, 041.

This week OSHA spokesman Scott Allen said the owner of the ski hill is contesting the findings.

“I just got word they (Sunburst) contested the citations so it will go before an Independent Occupational Safety Review Committee to make a final determination on whether the citation and penalties will be upheld or whether there will be some type of settlement talks,” Allen said.

In terms of appeal, Allen said “some companies will agree to pay the penalties and abate all the issues and some will contest the citations and have settlement discussions or it will go further to a legal process and make a final determination.”

There is no date on when a final decision will be made. Allen said it could “take up to a year to get it finalized.”

As far as resolving the violations in the OSHA write up, Allen said “technically the company doesn’t have to abate all the issues until everything has been resolved legally.”

“A lot of these cases will get resolved before it goes to a full legal process and they’ll get a settlement negotiation and they’ll come to some terms where they’ll abate the issues and the penalties will be reduced, but that is not always the case,” he said.

D.J. Burns, director of operations at the Sunburst Ski Area said shortly after the incident occurred OSHA’s inspectors arrived on site to review the work area where the injury occurred. During that site visit OSHA staff alerted Sunburst to some potential improvements that could be made in order to help Sunburst ensure workplace safety.

“The case file is still open but an informal conference was held near the end of August and Sunburst provided notice of its intent to participate in an informal conference to all of its employees as required by OSHA.

“The informal conference was held to discuss OSHA’s findings, potential methods to improve workplace safety and to discuss the alleged violations contained within OSHA’s notice.

“Sunburst also had the opportunity to inform OSHA of its ongoing work through the National Ski Areas Association in regard to best practices to ensure workplace safety at ski resorts throughout the United States,” said Burns.

There is no closed date until OSHA reviews the information

OSHA will follow up with a letter apprising Sunburst of any grouping of violations or elimination of violations and any reductions in associated fines.

Burns is hoping OSHA will review improvements Sunburst has already made to its facility.

He said the culture of safety at Sunburst is vastly different than other ski resorts across the country.

“Our commitment to employee safety is such that we train all our senior management and management staff in CPR, First Aid, and AED,” said Burns. “That comes at a great cost but we want to ensure a safe workplace.”

Recount Monday for Big Cedar Lake PRD

There’s going to be a request for a recount during Monday’s meeting, Sept. 11, for the Big Cedar Lake PRD.

Petitions from candidates Troy Zagel and Nicole Gonring have been filed. The pair lost in an election at the annual meeting on August 29.

Four candidates were vying for two seats on the Big Cedar Lake PRD. Each seat carried a 3-year term. The terms of board members Roger Walsh and Jim McGath had expired. McGath chose not to run again.

Walsh was on the ballot with David Claussen, Nicole Gonring and Troy Zagel.

Nearly an hour after ballots had been cast and votes tabulated the results were read by Walsh which showed he finished first followed by a very close second through fourth place finish.

Only five votes separated three candidates.

Dan Carroll, Operations Manager/Chief of Patrol at Big Cedar Lake PRD, said they counted the votes five times. There were about 300 people who voted Wednesday night.

Gonring questioned if they counted five times, how come these were the final totals they settled on. Monday’s meeting begins at 5:45 p.m.

City of West Bend considering sharp shooters for deer management

On Sept. 10 the West Bend Common Council will review a managed deer hunt for the 2018-19 season. The city is targeting a reduction in deer numbers in an effort to reduce deer damage to habitat, property and car/deer collisions. For this year the Deer Management Committee will recommend licensed sharp shooters perform the hunt during the evening at Ridge Run Park and Lac Lawrann Conservancy. The hunt will be conducted while the parks are closed.

The sharp shooters are part of a cooperative service agreement with the USDA Wildlife Service. They will target the removal of 30 deer per park. The financial plan for the managed hunt will not exceed $9,002. The City is also applying for a $5,000 Urban Wildlife Damage Abatement and Control grant.

Veterans from Washington Co. on the Sept. 15 Honor Flight

Eight veterans from Washington County will be on the Sept. 15 Stars & Stripes Honor Flight. Veterans include Jerry Bentfield of Hartford who served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, Oscar Rathke of Jackson, and six veterans from West Bend including Ed Farrell, Vietnam War Army, Lester Hahn, WWII Army, Michael Henner, Vietnam War Army, Bob Martin, Vietnam War Army, Bob Schulz, Vietnam War Army, and Ivan Vorderbruggen, Korean War Army. This is the 47^th mission of the Stars & Stripes Honor Flight since 2008.

Silver Lining Chamber Artists Concert Series      By Ian Tomaz

Ian Tomaz, West Bend High School class of 2013 and recent graduate with distinction from the University of Wisconsin Mead Witter School of Music, has created a 10 concert monthly series of classical chamber music recitals as part of his Artist in Residency position at Silver Lining Arts Center for the 2018-2019 school year. The first concert is Sept. 9 at 3 p.m., featuring vocalists and string instrumentalists in a range of works from classical composers Brahms and Debussy to early American Jazz and Disney classics. Tickets are $5 for adults and seniors, free for students and children, with a portion of proceeds going to a scholarship fund for students involved in the performance class.

Updates & tidbits

– Make your life more secure by shredding old documents and make your community better too. Horicon Bank, 1535 W. Paradise Drive, in West Bend will be collecting donations for the Wisconsin Honor Flight at its Shred Day event, Saturday, Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. – noon.

-Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 777 S. Indiana Avenue, in West Bend is dedicating its $3.2 million “Building Connections” expansion project Sunday, Sept. 9. There will be a meal and banquet following the 10:30 a.m. service.

–The annual St. Frances Cabrini Used Book Sale and Rummage Sale is Saturday, Sept. 8 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 9 from 8:30 a.m. – noon in Mother Cabrini Hall in the lower level of church.

– The Kettle Moraine Ice Center will host a try hockey free weekend Sept. 14-16. Any interested family can register at www.wcyha.org

-Cars in Kewaskum, formerly the Grand Larsony Custom Classic Car Show, is set for Saturday, Sept. 15. Mike Beal from Top Fuel is organizing the event. This year money raise will be donated to Art Klemme and Janine Prunty. Modern Woodmen will provide matching funds.

– St. Gabriel’s Parish is excited to announce Milwaukee Brewers Hernan Perez, will be at the St. Gabe Flea Market on Sept. 8 from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30am for a meet and greet and Perez will be signing autographs.  Proceeds will benefit Karl’s Place/Family Promise in West Bend.

– Hartford’s H.e.l.p. Corner at Redeemer Church is slated to open mid-September.

– The annual Friends of Pike Lake Community and Campfire concert is Saturday, Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. Entertainer Randy Peterson, will perform in the Pike amphitheatre.

-St. Frances Cabrini annual Rummage Sale is Thursday, Sept. 20 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 21 from 8 a.m. to noon in Mother Cabrini Hall in the lower level of the church. Baked goods will also be available. Rummage items can be dropped off Sept. 15 through Sept. 19.

– There’s a golf outing Sept. 23 at West Bend Lakes Golf Club and proceeds go to the Luke Gromowski Ironman Scholarship Fund. Gromowski was a senior at West Bend East when he died in a car accident in November 2014. Registration is 8 a.m. with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. The cost is $100 per adult and $50 for a student. Contact Ed Ihlenfeld at 262-707-5449 for more detail.

– Rally Time Sports Bar and Grill in West Bend is looking for a part-time line cook position. Rally Time has a family-friendly team atmosphere. The position is primarily day shift and coverage as needed. Call Dan at 262-389-1142 or Cindy at 262-389-0839 or stop at the bar for an application.

– Sign up today for the 8th Annual Swinging for Seniors Golf Outing at West Bend Lakes Golf Club on Friday, Sept. 14. All proceeds benefit Senior Citizens Activities, Inc. Stick around after golf and take part in the Classics for a Cause Raffle and a chance to win a 1968 Ford Mustang.

Training for the big day in New Zealand                               By Lexi Bullis          

Slinger High School grad Lexi Bullis, 18, has been participating in the Junior World Snowboarding Championship in New Zealand. She posted this story below.

Training on Saturday and Sunday went really well. We had to wake up around 4 a.m. to make breakfast and leave by 5:45 a.m.

We drove up the road and got to watch the sunrise over the mountain range across the valley and it was the most amazing sight. Because it is still winter here sunrise doesn’t happen until 7 a.m.

Training was from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. Coaches Justin Reiter and Lynn Ott had me working on a few things before the races. I was a quick study and afterward the coaches said my riding improved tremendously and I could definitely feel the difference.

The courses are really fun, however during training the snow didn’t hold out well as ruts formed fast because so many good riders use the same line. Both days we got off the hill around 10 a.m.

Food in New Zealand varies a lot and meat pies are one of my favorite.  I’ve had steak and venison. It’s similar to a pot pie but smaller and more delish. Come to find out it is also a British food.

Since eating out hasn’t always been the easiest or healthiest, I have learned to cook on this trip! My teammate Kaiya and I have made everything from steak to pasta to my now famous breakfast sandwiches. It has been a ton of fun.

Monday was supposed to be our off day from snowboarding but during the early afternoon, the U.S. guys decided we were going to go on a 10 km hike. We hopped in the van and drove through the valley and straight into the mountain range.

There were signs along the fence-lined roads that said ‘Animal crossing next 20 km.’

The road turned from pavement to pasture and animals, including sheep and cows, were everywhere. At one point the car in front of us had to slam on its brakes and swerve out of the way from hitting a cow; it walked across the road like it owned it. As we passed that same cow turned and almost walked straight into the side of our van.

The trailhead started at the end of the road and the glacier hike followed a river uphill into the mountains. It was 3.5 miles there and 3.5 miles back, but the view was outstanding.

The higher we hiked the colder it got and we finished where a recent avalanche had gone through. The ground was very soft and everything was broken up. It was nearly dark by the time we got back and we had a total of 3.5 hours of hiking under our belt.

Tuesday was our final training day before the race and all of the countries had finally arrived including China, Russia, Japan, Holland, Germany, Portugal, Canada, U.S., Sweden, Poland, and a few others I’m forgetting.

We were instructed to only take a few runs and not burn ourselves out. I felt good on my practice runs and went in for the day. In the afternoon, we did a small recovery session and had a team meeting. It was late by the time we had a chance to eat so the girls, Kaiya, my coach Lynn and me, decided to get some Indian Curry. I have never had Indian food and it was absolutely amazing. We went to bed early to get ready for race day.

A big thanks to my sponsors for helping make this tour possible including: Donek Snowboards for the sweet rides that have served me well, Glacier Hills Credit Union, Lifestar Ambulance, and Attitude Sports. This is an experience of a lifetime and I appreciate the community support.