MONROE - As the new year draws near, we reviewed some of the events and happenings that helped shape 2013.
Below are five of what we consider to be 10 of the top stories of 2013. A few were tragic, but others signal the progress we have made as a community and why we're optimistic about an even brighter 2014.
Our list is by no means comprehensive. Rather, this list is intended to help spur your own recollections of 2013: What stories most impacted your own life, your friends and family? We invite you to reflect on other stories that made a major impact during the past year and leave other suggestions or comments online at www.themonroetimes.com.
The first half was published in the Thursday, Dec. 26 edition.
Triple murder
A brutal triple homicide rocked the picture-perfect landscape near Wiota in late April. Jaren Kuester pleaded guilty earlier this month to three charges of first-degree intentional homicide for the brutal slayings of Gary and Chloe Thoreson, and Gary's brother Dean Thoreson.
The horrific crime began when Kuester, a 31-year-old from Waukesha with a long history of mental illness, drove to the western edge of Green County and abandoned his SUV near a field. He stripped off his clothes and hiked several miles, believing he was being followed. Seeking a place to sleep, he happened upon the farm of Gary and Chloe Thoreson, who were in California visiting family at the time. Kuester first killed Dean Thoreson when he stopped by his brother's home to check on things; Kuester then killed Gary and Chloe when they returned home.
Kuester's case came to a standstill in September when he clammed up in court and refused to answer procedural questions and a second competency hearing for Kuester was ordered. He spent much of the fall at Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, receiving medication and treatment to bring him to competency for further court proceedings.
Child porn case
Darlington became the epicenter for a massive child pornography case as Timmy J. Reichling was charged with numerous felony counts in a case involving millions of sexually explicit images.
Reichling, 46, pleaded not guilty in September in Lafayette County Circuit Court to 11 felony charges related to sexual exploitation of a child and child pornography. He was arrested in August; when authorities searched his Darlington home, they seized several electronic storage devices that contained hundreds of images and videos. Authorities say Reichling posed as a teen-aged boy on the Internet and coerced a 13-year-old into taking naked images of herself. In October, Reichling was indicted in federal court on five similar charges.
Both state and federal charges against Reichling are currently still pending.
WWTP upgrade
An important infrastructure project that broke ground in 2013 is the $25-million upgrade project to the wastewater treatment plant. Among other improvements, the facility will get a new administration building that will house, in addition to controls and a laboratory, the water utility offices, garages and staff showers. The project allows the treatment plant, built in the 1980s, to update aged facilities and increase capacity.
The project, which has been in planning stages since 2006, has a hefty price tag - about $25 million - but the state Department of Natural Resources Clean Water Fund program will cover the majority of the cost. Construction is expected to be mostly completed by January 2015 and will put Monroe in good stead to continue to serve our "wet" industries and residential areas alike.
MAC addition
Anyone who has visited the Monroe Arts Center can appreciate the beauty of the historic building. Formerly a Methodist church, the Gothic revival structure from the mid-1800s is home to performances and exhibits and is an important hub in the local arts scene. Unfortunately, the building was constructed long before much thought was given to access for people with mobility concerns: The main performance area is simply unreachable to those in wheelchairs or who have difficulty navigating multiple stairs.
But during 2013, MAC reached an important milestone: The multi-million dollar MAC Legacy Campaign is within throwing distance of the money needed to break ground on a 10,000-square-foot addition. The new space will provide needed accessibility, as well as add art education classrooms, a gift shop and space for workshops and meetings. MAC hired CG Schmidt of Milwaukee in November to manage construction of the addition and ground-breaking is scheduled for spring.
The new addition is designed to blend old and new seamlessly - a reflection of our community's desire to honor and preserve our history while moving forward to meet the demands of tomorrow.
New GCHS shelter
Finally, our list would not be complete without inclusion of one important project that serves our furry, four-legged friends. After years of planning and fundraising, the Green County Humane Society was able last January to open the doors to its new shelter facility in the Pleasant View complex.
Previously, the animal shelter was housed in a dilapidated building and adjoining trailer. The facility was crowded, difficult to heat and equally difficult to keep clean. The new shelter, built on 8.5 acres that Green County has leased to the Humane Society for $1 per year, is everything the old shelter was not: At almost 14,000 square feet, it is spacious, well-insulated, easy to clean and efficiently designed.
Like the MAC project, the new shelter building shows our area's commitment to supporting worthwhile nonprofit ventures. It also illustrates our area's collective compassion and caring in working to provide safe shelter for companion animals in need.
Below are five of what we consider to be 10 of the top stories of 2013. A few were tragic, but others signal the progress we have made as a community and why we're optimistic about an even brighter 2014.
Our list is by no means comprehensive. Rather, this list is intended to help spur your own recollections of 2013: What stories most impacted your own life, your friends and family? We invite you to reflect on other stories that made a major impact during the past year and leave other suggestions or comments online at www.themonroetimes.com.
The first half was published in the Thursday, Dec. 26 edition.
Triple murder
A brutal triple homicide rocked the picture-perfect landscape near Wiota in late April. Jaren Kuester pleaded guilty earlier this month to three charges of first-degree intentional homicide for the brutal slayings of Gary and Chloe Thoreson, and Gary's brother Dean Thoreson.
The horrific crime began when Kuester, a 31-year-old from Waukesha with a long history of mental illness, drove to the western edge of Green County and abandoned his SUV near a field. He stripped off his clothes and hiked several miles, believing he was being followed. Seeking a place to sleep, he happened upon the farm of Gary and Chloe Thoreson, who were in California visiting family at the time. Kuester first killed Dean Thoreson when he stopped by his brother's home to check on things; Kuester then killed Gary and Chloe when they returned home.
Kuester's case came to a standstill in September when he clammed up in court and refused to answer procedural questions and a second competency hearing for Kuester was ordered. He spent much of the fall at Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, receiving medication and treatment to bring him to competency for further court proceedings.
Child porn case
Darlington became the epicenter for a massive child pornography case as Timmy J. Reichling was charged with numerous felony counts in a case involving millions of sexually explicit images.
Reichling, 46, pleaded not guilty in September in Lafayette County Circuit Court to 11 felony charges related to sexual exploitation of a child and child pornography. He was arrested in August; when authorities searched his Darlington home, they seized several electronic storage devices that contained hundreds of images and videos. Authorities say Reichling posed as a teen-aged boy on the Internet and coerced a 13-year-old into taking naked images of herself. In October, Reichling was indicted in federal court on five similar charges.
Both state and federal charges against Reichling are currently still pending.
WWTP upgrade
An important infrastructure project that broke ground in 2013 is the $25-million upgrade project to the wastewater treatment plant. Among other improvements, the facility will get a new administration building that will house, in addition to controls and a laboratory, the water utility offices, garages and staff showers. The project allows the treatment plant, built in the 1980s, to update aged facilities and increase capacity.
The project, which has been in planning stages since 2006, has a hefty price tag - about $25 million - but the state Department of Natural Resources Clean Water Fund program will cover the majority of the cost. Construction is expected to be mostly completed by January 2015 and will put Monroe in good stead to continue to serve our "wet" industries and residential areas alike.
MAC addition
Anyone who has visited the Monroe Arts Center can appreciate the beauty of the historic building. Formerly a Methodist church, the Gothic revival structure from the mid-1800s is home to performances and exhibits and is an important hub in the local arts scene. Unfortunately, the building was constructed long before much thought was given to access for people with mobility concerns: The main performance area is simply unreachable to those in wheelchairs or who have difficulty navigating multiple stairs.
But during 2013, MAC reached an important milestone: The multi-million dollar MAC Legacy Campaign is within throwing distance of the money needed to break ground on a 10,000-square-foot addition. The new space will provide needed accessibility, as well as add art education classrooms, a gift shop and space for workshops and meetings. MAC hired CG Schmidt of Milwaukee in November to manage construction of the addition and ground-breaking is scheduled for spring.
The new addition is designed to blend old and new seamlessly - a reflection of our community's desire to honor and preserve our history while moving forward to meet the demands of tomorrow.
New GCHS shelter
Finally, our list would not be complete without inclusion of one important project that serves our furry, four-legged friends. After years of planning and fundraising, the Green County Humane Society was able last January to open the doors to its new shelter facility in the Pleasant View complex.
Previously, the animal shelter was housed in a dilapidated building and adjoining trailer. The facility was crowded, difficult to heat and equally difficult to keep clean. The new shelter, built on 8.5 acres that Green County has leased to the Humane Society for $1 per year, is everything the old shelter was not: At almost 14,000 square feet, it is spacious, well-insulated, easy to clean and efficiently designed.
Like the MAC project, the new shelter building shows our area's commitment to supporting worthwhile nonprofit ventures. It also illustrates our area's collective compassion and caring in working to provide safe shelter for companion animals in need.