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Dells Girls Basketball Team Heads to State Tournament Undefeated

The Wisconsin Dells Lady Chiefs earned their way to the WIAA D3 State Girls basketball tournament with a 57-51 victory over Edgerton Saturday afternoon.  Wisconsin Dells was led by Senior Natalie Backhaus who had a team high 23points and pulled down 18rebounds while freshmen Aja Gahl added 20points for the Dells. Claudia Jenny led Edgerton with a game high 27points in a game played at Portage high school.  Wisconsin Dells is undefeated at 28-0 on their season but will come in as just the #3 seed at the State Tournament and take on Kettle Moraine Lutheran Thursday afternoon at around 3:30pm.

Thomm, Eloise, J. “Lois” Age 89 of Madison

Eloise J. “Lois” Thomm, age 89, of Madison, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully on Monday, January 26, 2026.

Funeral services will be held at 12:00 noon on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at Roseberry’s Funeral Home in Friendship, Wisconsin. Chaplain Robert Groth from SSM Hospice will officiate. Interment will follow at South Arkdale Cemetery in the Town of Strongs Prairie, Adams County, Wisconsin. Visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m. until the time of service on Saturday at the funeral home.

Eloise was born June 4, 1936, in Adams County, Wisconsin, to Lyle and Irma (Beals) Zink. She married Harold Thomm on September 17, 1954, in Dubuque, Iowa.

Eloise worked for 43 years in the bindery at Webcrafters. She was an avid reader who enjoyed word search puzzles, embroidery, and watching game shows. She collected birdhouses and piggy banks and especially loved feeding and watching birds in her front yard. After retiring at the age of 74, she volunteered at Bethesda Thrift Shop and delivered Meals on Wheels. She enjoyed country music and fondly remembered her trip to the Grand Ole Opry in 2010.

Eloise is survived by her daughters, Carol (Wayne) Radtke, Linda (Jerry) Benisch, and Lori (Roger) Hustad; grandchildren, Suzanne Radtke, Heather Dammen, Dylan Hustad, and Jesse Benisch; and great-grandchildren, Conner Radtke, Haleigh Benisch, and Mason Benisch. She is further survived by her sisters, Karen Pantaleo and Lylette Smith; sister-in-law, Eleanor Zink; and many nieces, nephews, and other relatives.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Harold; and her brothers, Duane Zink and Gary Zink.

The family would like to thank the staff of SSM Health Hospice — Megan, Blanca, Joanne, Laura, and Chaplain Bob — as well as the staff of Home Instead for their compassionate care. Eloise was especially grateful for her daughter Carol and son-in-law Wayne, along with her granddaughter Suzanne and great-grandson Conner, for helping Eloise maintain and remain in her home until the end.

Roseberry’s Funeral Home is assisting the family. Visit www.roseberrys.com for online condolences and further information.

Local WIAA Regional Semi-Final Boys Basketball Games from Friday 3-6

D2

Fox Valley Lutheran 64 Tomah 54

D3

Stanley-Boyd 64 Adams-Friendship 36

Platteville 71 at Mauston 50

Brillion 92 Ripon 68

Berlin 75 Campbellsport 54

D4

Eau Claire Regis 91 Bangor 80

Lomira 77 Nekoosa 33

D5

Hillsboro 75 Plum City/Elmwood 43 (Miles Ravenscroft 17points for Hillsboro)

Royall 79 Alma-Pepin 47 (Trey Wildes 24points for Royall)

Fritz, Larry Lee Age 85 on New Lisbon

Larry Lee Fritz, 85, of New Lisbon, Wisconsin passed away peacefully on March 3, 2026 at the Veteran’s Medical Center in Tomah, Wisconsin after short stay with complications of dementia. 

 

Larry was born on July 15, 1940 in New London, Wisconsin and grew up in Oconto, Wisconsin where he graduated from high school in 1958.  He spent nearly six years as an Ordinary Seaman sailing the Great Lakes primarily aboard the vessel Richard J Reiss.  In 1963 he volunteered for the draft and spent two years in the Army as a member of the 82nd Airborne Unit at Forts Benning and Bragg with thirty-two weeks at Fort Sam Houston in the Special Forces medical field school. He had an honorable discharge from the service in 1966 and then enrolled at UW-Whitewater and graduated with the help of the GI Bill in 1969 with a degree in Business Administration.  During this time he also became a private pilot and received a certificate as an airframe and power plant mechanic.

He married the former Karen Riewe, his high school sweetheart, on September 3, 1966 and their two children, Eric and Victoria, were born in Fond du Lac where he was employed in sales at Brenner Stainless Steel.  They moved to Mauston in 1974 where he was the sales manager for new products at Walker Stainless & Equipment Company in New Lisbon before retiring in 1998.

Larry was an avid golfer and a long-time member of Castle Rock Golf Course in New Lisbon.  He was also a sports fan and enjoyed watching the Packers every week as well as betting on horse racing and other sports.  He loved working with his tools in the basement, loved all dogs and both he and Karen like to travel, taking frequent trips to Las Vegas and around the country visiting friends and sightseeing at National Parks.

Larry is survived by Karen, his wife of 59 years, his son Eric (Amy) of St. Paul, Minnesota and daughter Victoria (Rocky) of Henderson, Nevada, brother-in-law Tom Riewe (Julie), their sons Jason (Meg) and Kyle (Margaux) and their children, Emma and Finn.   He was preceded in death by his parents, Gaylerd and Lorraine Fritz, and in-laws, Victor and Elizabeth Riewe and brother-in-law John Riewe. 

The family would like to thank the staff at the VA Medical Center for their wonderful care and compassion.

Services will be held at Bethany Lutheran Church in Mauston on Saturday, March 14 with a visitation at 9:30 until the service at 11:00.  A luncheon will follow the service. 

Memorials designated to Bethany Memorial Foundation or the Carl Nelson Animal Shelter

Juneau County Pair Facing Charges After State Patrol Pulls Them Over

March 04, 2026 at 4:26 PM
CHRISTOPHER NEWLUN, 52 years of age, from New Lisbon has been arrested by the Wisconsin
State Patrol DeForest Post for operating a motor vehicle under the influence, 4th offense.
A Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper stopped Newlun for speeding – 110 mph in a posted 70 mph zone.
During the initial investigation, the driver was found to show signs of impairment. After performing
Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, Newlun was arrested for operating while under the influence 4th
offense.
An evidentiary blood draw was completed, and Newlun was booked into the Sauk County Jail.
Charges include 4th offense operating while under the influence, possession of methamphetamine,
possession of paraphernalia, carrying a concealed weapon, and reckless driving.
The passenger, Todd P. Murray, 53 years-of-age, from Mauston, was arrested for possession of
methamphetamine, possession of THC, possession of paraphernalia, and felony bail jumping.
“Pursuant to the direction of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as found in Supreme Court Rule 20:3.6,
Trial Publicly, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is
presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.”

Tomah Roatary Club To Have Mayoral & School Board Forums

The Tomah Rotary Club, a recognized nonpartisan organization, will present two Candidates’ Forum on Thursday, March 19th.
The forums will take place at Cranberry Country Lodge, 319 Wittig Road, Tomah, WI. The
first forum will begin at 6:00 and will include the individuals running for the position of
Mayor and the position of City of Tomah Alderperson. The second forum will take place
immediately following the Mayor/Alderperson Forum and will include the individuals
running for the Tomah Area School District Board.
Candidates running for Mayor are Paul Dwyer and Remy Gomez. City Alderperson
candidates are Richard Yarrington – District 2, Shawn Zabinski – District 4, Eric Devine
and Daniel Crego – District 6, and Dean Peterson – District 8. Candidates running for
Tomah School Board include Rick Murray, Joseph Ingalls, Susan Bloom, Ryan DeFreitas,
Vaughn Kuehl and Mike Gnewikow. The top three candidates will take a seat on the
school board.
The format of the forum will be: Each candidate will have a timed opportunity to introduce
themselves. Lots will be drawn to determine order and then will follow a round robin
format. A moderator will ask preset questions. Each candidate will have a timed
opportunity to answer the question. All questions will be vetted for appropriateness and
content. Each forum will end with a timed opportunity to present their closing thoughts.
The public is encouraged to attend the forums. The election will be held on Tuesday, April
7th. Polls are open from 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM in Wisconsin. City of Tomah residents can
vote at Recreation Park at 1625 Butts Avenue in Tomah. Voters living outside of the city
of Tomah will need to check their voting locations with their township or village. Members
of the public who would like their question considered should send their question via email
to tomahrotaryclub@gmail.com by Thursday, March 12

Local WIAA Regional Qrt-Final Scores from Tuesday 3/3

D2

Tomah 69 La Crosse Logan 64 (Quinn Gerke 36points for Tomah)

Baraboo 68 Reedsburg 55

D3

Arcadia 70 Wautoma 52

Adams-Friendship 56 Bloomer 40

Amherst 57 Westfield 55

Platteville 76 River Valley 66 (Platteville will play at Mauston Friday night)

Lodi 75 Wisconsin Dells 59

Ripon 71 Two Rivers 52

D4

Bangor 61 Eleva-Strum 59

Nekoosa 50 Necedah 42

D5

Royall 82 Coulee Christian 15

Alma/Pepin 69 New Lisbon 62

Blair-Taylor 93 Brookwood 64

Wisconsin Rapids Assumption 75 Cashton 63

Plum City/Elmwood 64 Wonewoc-Center 57

Hillsboro 68 Independence/Gilmanton 38 (David Johnson 23points to lead Hillsboro)

North Crawford 77 Weston 44

Free Throws Lift Nekoosa Over Necedah in Boy Regional

The Nekoosa Papermakers got to the free throw line early and often as they triumphed over Necedah 50-42 Tuesday night in a WIAA D4 Boys Basketball Regional Quarter-final matchup.  Nekoosa made 18-32 free throws in the victory. Fin Krcmar made 13-14 as part of his game high 23points for the Papermakers.  Necedah struggled to get much going offensively in the loss.  Luke Murphy led them in scoring with 11 while Konrad Borym added 10points.  Necedah finishes their season at 6-15.  Nekoosa improves to 6-18 and will move on to take on top seed Lomira Friday night.

WEIGHT LIMIT NOTICE for the TOWN OF KILDARE

    Due to recent warm temperatures and melting,
Notice is hereby given that effective Wed., March 4, 2026

All town roads in the Town of Kildare are

Posted at an eight-ton gross limit until further notice.

By Order of the Kildare Town Board.

Former Monroe County Nurse Sentenced to Prison for Engaging in Sexual Intercourse with Patient


Monroe County District Attorney Kevin D. Croninger announced that on February 27,
2026, Honorable Judge Paul Curran found Melissa R. Knutson, of Readstown, Wisconsin guilty of Misconduct in Public Office and Obstructing an officer. These convictions were based upon Knutson’s pleas to these charges.
Judge Curran then sentenced Knutson to 18 months of initial confinement in prison and an additional 2 years of extended supervision for the Misconduct in Public Office conviction. Knutson was also sentenced to 180 days of jail on the Obstructing an Officer conviction, this sentence will run concurrently to her prison sentence. Judge Curran ordered Knutson be taken into custody immediately following the completion of the February 27, 2026 hearing.
The charges stem from Knutson’s time as a nurse for Monroe County. During that time, while serving as a nurse for a drug court participant, Knutson repeatedly engaged in sexual intercourse with that patient/participant. When the facts of her intercourse with a patient/participant were reported to the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, Knutson responded by falsely accusing the patient of sexual assault. Both via letter and by entering her plea, Knutson acknowledged that she was not sexually assaulted, and instead fabricated that allegation to avoid consequences for her sex acts with the patient/participant.
District Attorney Kevin Croninger praised the sentence from Judge Curran, “The harm caused by Ms. Knutson was deep and significant. Not only did she violate the sacred trust between a patient and a nurse, but she compounded that by falsely accusing the patient of sexual assault. This situation is particularly egregious given the patient in this situation was a participant in drug court. Judge Curran was extremely concerned about the
significant level of harm caused by Ms. Knutson and his sentence reflected that significant level of harm. We are thankful for Judge Curran’s perspective, understanding, and the sentence he handed down.”
The Honorable Judge Paul Curran, who serves as a Juneau County Circuit Court Judge, did not mince words when describing the serious nature of Ms. Knutson’s behavior. During sentencing Curran indicated that Knutson’s behavior was “despicable” and that she was “an embarrassment to nurses everywhere.” Curran further indicated that it appeared Knutson, felt she was more important than everyone else and that her purported remorse was “a mile wide and an inch deep.”
The prosecution of the case was handled by Monroe County District Attorney Kevin Croninger with support and assistance by the staff of the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.
The investigation of the case was led by Lieutenant Jose Tovar of the City of Sparta Police Department, with assistance from Deputy Chief Booker Ferguson and Officer Adam Malin, of the City of Sparta Police Department, Monroe County District Attorney’s Office Investigator Andrew Kuen, and Investigator JoEllen Egge of the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office.
Croninger praised the high quality of work from all officers involved, “All officers involved in this matter
demonstrated a tremendous commitment to seeking the truth, through evidence. All involved take every sexual assault very seriously. When Ms. Knutson reported she was sexually assaulted that allegation was taken seriously. The officers were highly professional in investigating that allegation and determining that Ms. Knutson was lying. Officers then completed an extremely thorough and effective investigation which uncovered a plethora of evidence, that Ms. Knutson was in fact the perpetrator, not the victim. Without this commitment to seeking the truth through evidence, an unjust result may have occurred. Instead the truth was discovered and justice was served. All officers involved deserve a tremendous amount of credit for their commitment to uncovering the truth.

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