MONROE - As 2012 draws to a close, the Monroe Times news staff reflected on the top stories that shaped this year. We came up with a list of 10 stories we felt were the most significant, for better or worse, for 2012.
Stories are not ranked in order - we offer this as our top stories, but encourage our readers to consider what was most significant in their own lives. We present below the first five stories. The remaining five will appear in tomorrow's edition.
Wand fire
The community of Argyle was rocked by tragedy when a Sept. 7 house fire claimed the lives of three young boys and seriously injured their mother. But the story took an unimaginable and horrific turn when Armin Wand III, the boys' father, was arrested and charged with multiple felonies for plotting to set the fatal fire in order to kill his family. Wand's younger brother Jeremy Wand, 18, was also charged in connection with the fire.
Fortunately, the youngest Wand child, a 2-year-old girl, survived the fire. And while it's been a long and difficult road, the children's mother Sharon continues to make progress in her recovery, her family reports.
Armin Wand and Jeremy Wand have each pleaded not guilty to the charges they face. Armin Wand's jury trial is scheduled for February.
Elections, elections, elections
Here an election, there an election: It seemed like 2012 was one non-stop election-year cycle.
From the local all the way to the national level, we saw incumbents retain their seats. Here in Monroe, incumbent mayor Bill Ross beat out alderman Michael Boyce to retain the city's top seat. And who could forget the drawn out race for first the Republican nomination for president, and then the slugfest for the White House that ultimately saw Barack Obama victorious over Mitt Romney.
The Wisconsin senate race was particularly interesting to watch. The fight pitted two long-time and popular figures in state politics, Tammy Baldwin and Tommy Thompson, against each other in what became the most expensive Senate race in state history. Baldwin won the seat to replace retiring Sen. Herb Kohl, another mainstay Wisconsin lawmaker.
Walker recall
While the Walker recall was a large part of the entire Election Year Extravaganza, we felt it was only fitting to give the recall election it's on spot on our list. While every election was vital, and many were acrimonious, the Walker recall capped more than a year of hard political fighting that literally pitted neighbor against neighbor in a way we haven't seen before.
It's hard to believe the whole ordeal over Act 10 started almost two years ago. Walker retained his seat, but we're still feeling the fallout. We'll see how successful lawmakers are at mending fences and moving Wisconsin forward as 2013 progresses.
School changes
Area schools continued to see change during 2012. In Monroe, district administrator Larry Brown announced his resignation to accept a similar position in Rice Lake. Cory Hirsbrunner, who has served as teacher, elementary school principal and curriculum coordinator for the district, was subsequently named to take over the district's top position.
Meanwhile, in Gratiot, residents grieved the loss of their school, which closed at the end of the 2011-12 school year. Closing the school was intended to help the district save more than $375,000, as students were moved the district's South Wayne campus.
Drought
The long, hot summer of 2012 brought us a drought unlike any we've seen. Even comparisons to the summer of 1998 dried up and blew away as we went months without any appreciable precipitation. The summer got off to such a bad start that by July 9, Gov. Walker declared a state of emergency in 42 Wisconsin counties.
As crops dried up, feed costs soared, placing an extra financial burden on area dairy farmers. Only time will tell the true financial impact of the 2012 drought, but its effects are sure to be felt into the coming year. With any luck, 2013 will be a year of perfect weather for growing and harvesting crops to help ag producers get back on track.
Stories are not ranked in order - we offer this as our top stories, but encourage our readers to consider what was most significant in their own lives. We present below the first five stories. The remaining five will appear in tomorrow's edition.
Wand fire
The community of Argyle was rocked by tragedy when a Sept. 7 house fire claimed the lives of three young boys and seriously injured their mother. But the story took an unimaginable and horrific turn when Armin Wand III, the boys' father, was arrested and charged with multiple felonies for plotting to set the fatal fire in order to kill his family. Wand's younger brother Jeremy Wand, 18, was also charged in connection with the fire.
Fortunately, the youngest Wand child, a 2-year-old girl, survived the fire. And while it's been a long and difficult road, the children's mother Sharon continues to make progress in her recovery, her family reports.
Armin Wand and Jeremy Wand have each pleaded not guilty to the charges they face. Armin Wand's jury trial is scheduled for February.
Elections, elections, elections
Here an election, there an election: It seemed like 2012 was one non-stop election-year cycle.
From the local all the way to the national level, we saw incumbents retain their seats. Here in Monroe, incumbent mayor Bill Ross beat out alderman Michael Boyce to retain the city's top seat. And who could forget the drawn out race for first the Republican nomination for president, and then the slugfest for the White House that ultimately saw Barack Obama victorious over Mitt Romney.
The Wisconsin senate race was particularly interesting to watch. The fight pitted two long-time and popular figures in state politics, Tammy Baldwin and Tommy Thompson, against each other in what became the most expensive Senate race in state history. Baldwin won the seat to replace retiring Sen. Herb Kohl, another mainstay Wisconsin lawmaker.
Walker recall
While the Walker recall was a large part of the entire Election Year Extravaganza, we felt it was only fitting to give the recall election it's on spot on our list. While every election was vital, and many were acrimonious, the Walker recall capped more than a year of hard political fighting that literally pitted neighbor against neighbor in a way we haven't seen before.
It's hard to believe the whole ordeal over Act 10 started almost two years ago. Walker retained his seat, but we're still feeling the fallout. We'll see how successful lawmakers are at mending fences and moving Wisconsin forward as 2013 progresses.
School changes
Area schools continued to see change during 2012. In Monroe, district administrator Larry Brown announced his resignation to accept a similar position in Rice Lake. Cory Hirsbrunner, who has served as teacher, elementary school principal and curriculum coordinator for the district, was subsequently named to take over the district's top position.
Meanwhile, in Gratiot, residents grieved the loss of their school, which closed at the end of the 2011-12 school year. Closing the school was intended to help the district save more than $375,000, as students were moved the district's South Wayne campus.
Drought
The long, hot summer of 2012 brought us a drought unlike any we've seen. Even comparisons to the summer of 1998 dried up and blew away as we went months without any appreciable precipitation. The summer got off to such a bad start that by July 9, Gov. Walker declared a state of emergency in 42 Wisconsin counties.
As crops dried up, feed costs soared, placing an extra financial burden on area dairy farmers. Only time will tell the true financial impact of the 2012 drought, but its effects are sure to be felt into the coming year. With any luck, 2013 will be a year of perfect weather for growing and harvesting crops to help ag producers get back on track.