THE TIME MACHINE

From past files of The Star News

10 YEARS AGO

November 12, 2009

The Taylor County Land Conservation Committee will make changes in its plans to amend Chapter 63 of the county code in the area of animal manure and nutrient managment.

The rule changes were referred back to the conservation committee after county board supervisior Dave Bizer, a dairy farmer from the Town of Browning, raised concerns when it was brought to the last full county board session in October. The proposed rule changes to the six-year-old ordinance are intended to regulate large concentrated farming operations like the possible North Breeze Dairy in the Town of Little Black. Bizer has argued the changes would only be a minor nuisance to the builders of a large operation but could be a major hurdle for smaller operators in the county.

25 YEARS AGO

November 16, 1994

Following a sometimes spirited debate by the Common Council last week over whether it would be in the best interest of the City if the old Medford depot was city-owned or privately-owned, a four-member committee was appointed by Mayor Dee Meyer to explore the City’s options regarding the depot.

The depot is presently owned by Larry DeMark, DeMark remodeled it and ran a restaurant there for several months, but has since closed the restaurant and has put the building up for sale.

Meyer said at last week’s Council meeting that it was her understanding that the depot has since been sold. “The sign out front says ‘Sold,’ and it’s my understanding it has been sold to a private individual,” she said.

That “individual” is widely believed to be J. A. O’Leary, publisher/owner of The Star News. O’Leary said this week, however, that he has not bought the building, but has made an offer to purchase.

50 YEARS AGO

November 13, 1969

Medford, boasting being the “Mink Capital of the World,” will share in the spotlight Sunday afternoon over nationally televised football.

The Medford senior high school 105-member marching band will be featured in the halftime show during the Green Bay Packer-Minnesota Viking NFL game at Milwaukee county stadium.

A much decorated musical unit, the Red Raider band has won eight consecutive first divisions in class “A” concert, sight reading and marching in Wisconsin School Music Association contests.

75 YEARS AGO

November 9, 1944

The only one of the usual operating crew present to run the November meeting of the Stetsonville Rod and Gun Club Monday evening was Anton Ludwig, who presides over the bread, sausage, cheese and Bermudas.

The most important thing brought up at Monday evening’s meeting was the discussion of the wolf situation in Taylor county. It was brought out: That the wolves and coyotes are be- coming so bold that they show little fear of any man with a club and have respect only for guns; that many fawns, sheep and calves are being killed by them, even some fair-sized heifers; that one bold wolf camped close to a cow with a newborn calf last week at a farm only four miles from the city of Medford, and refused to do more than back slowly away from a man with a club.

100 YEARS AGO

November 12, 1919

It has been many years since the city was presented such “dark and old time candle light” appearance as it has during the past eight or nine evenings. Everything in the shape of lights were pressed into service, kerosene lamps, gasoline lights, candles and even flash lights. People little realize what inconvience an enforced shut down of the lighting plant for a week or more would cause until the experience of the past week. Manager Wm. Ungrodt and his force of machinests succeded in getting the big Diesel engine at the plant together again Saturday evening about five o’clock and turned on the compressed air to start it.

125 YEARS AGO

November 10, 1894

The idea is generally prevalent that the condition of the slaves in the South before the war was one of abject and hopeless misery. They were supposed to be compelled to labor under a cruel task master for many hours every day and there were persons who imagined that they wore chains such as graced the limbs of refactory work-house convicts or unusually tough members of the chain gang. The popularity of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” with its vivid pictures of the miseries of slave life, was responsible for not a few of these mistakes.