Letters to the Editor published in the March 6, 2024 issue of the Tomahawk Leader.
NOTE: The following is a paid letter, per policy.
SB265 needs to be taken up by the Senate
Dear Editor:
In January the Wisconsin Assembly unanimously passed AB270, a bill that would require youth age 17 and under to take an in-person, hands-on DNR Hunter Safety course and exam, in order to receive certification to hunt. Led by Treig Pronchinske, Chairman of the Assembly Sporting Heritage Committee, this was overwhelmingly supported by both sides of the aisle.
Meanwhile, the five-member, Senate Sporting Heritage Committee has received AB270 in order to take action on it. AB 270 is the same bill as SB265 which is lying dormant and needs to be taken up by the Senate.
Citizens, including hunters and non-hunters alike, have voiced their opinion to this committee that this type of training should be made mandatory. In 2022, 93% of residents supported this at the annual Conservation Congress Spring Hearings.
“Wisconsin residents have expectations that those carrying firearms, while hunting have been properly trained by certified DNR Hunter Safety Instructors,” said Rick Heisler of the Wisconsin Hunter Education Coalition. He goes on to say that, “the work done by the Assembly, and Representative Ty Bodden, in listening to the public and placing a priority on safety, should be commended.”
Further endorsement by the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, and Executive Director Cody Kamrowski who said, “This legislation is a “no-brainer” as youth need this type of training to safely and responsibly carry firearms.”
Wisconsin has an exceptional track record of safety as it relates to hunting related injuries and deaths; largely due to the efforts of the volunteer DNR Hunter Safety instructors. Making this mandatory will cement the rich hunting heritage that Wisconsin has enjoyed since the inception of the Hunter Safety program in 1967.
Families have spoken and want their loved ones to be trained in person and not by a video. It is time that elected officials listen to their concerns. If you believe as we do, please contact members of the Senate Sporting Heritage Committee and ask them to move this bill forward. It is the right thing to do.
Sincerely,
John Plenke
Wisconsin Hunter Education Coalition
People still want the facts
The job of the news media is to cover the facts, regardless the level of controversy on any given topic. When that scrutiny is absent, the public still has a right to know and often follows through on its own.
Take the issue of the sale of Pine Crest Nursing Home. The purchase agreement between the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors and the ultimate buyer was not available to the public until Thursday before the board’s vote on the sale the following Monday. The name of the buyer, exactly what was being included in the sale, (specifically the inclusion of the Social Services building), the dollar amount of the sale, how that dollar amount was arrived at, and the details of continuing Pine Crest Nursing Home as a skilled nursing facility were not known until just before the actual sale.
Some questions still remain unanswered even though the facilities are now sold. One of the glaring concerns within the agreement under Section 9, Purchaser’s Representations and Warranties, item D. “…it is Purchaser’s intent to continue the Nursing Home Facility as a skilled nursing facility.” But also under Section 9, item F, “The representations and warranties of Purchaser in this Section 9 shall survive the Closing for a period of two (2) years after the Closing Date whereupon they shall automatically expire.”
So, even though the County Board extended the buyer a five-year loan for $2 million of the $8.5 million sale’s price, they were perfectly willing to provide a two-year escape clause on the skilled nursing facility requirement. Supervisor McCrank offered a compromise amendment to extend that escape clause to five years to match the five-year loan, but that was defeated.
No appraisals of the properties were ever made public. One can only guess that the final price of $8.5 million for the nursing home and the social services building plus, might be the balance of the debt on the last two additions to Pine Crest. Also of note, Pine Crest apparently closed their books in the black for 2023.
People still want the facts.
Diana C. Smith
Tomahawk