Westosha Central Cheer No. 11
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
There were several historical events, and notable achievements in the news in 2016, marked by the cooperative plan developed by the Village of Silver Lake and Town of Salem.
Accolades for several local schools also made headlines, including the Wilmot Union High School Academic Decathlon team and Westosha Central’s boys basketball conference title.
Here is a ranking by the Report staff of top stories 11-20 in the area during 2016.
11. Westosha, Wilmot win state cheer titles
While Westosha Central High School’s cheer squad captured another Wisconsin Association of Cheer/Pom Coaches state title in the Division 2 All-Girl Large category, Wilmot Union High School garnered their own in the Small category at the state meet in February.
The Falcons title came on the heels of seven straight top finishes in previous meets, including several individual honors locally and statewide, headlined by two all-state cheerleaders, then-junior Madi Hansen and then-sophomore Jaden McKenna at the state meet.
The honor was not McKenna’s first. She also had first-place finishes in East Troy, one individually, and the other as part of a stunt group consisting of Madi Leafblad, Joscelynn Gould and Lauren LaPlant.
McKenna added first-place All-Southern Lakes Conference honors, and her stunt group finished second in the same meet.
For Wilmot, however, they had two all-state honorees of their own, then-juniors Savannah Myers and Rachel Kostrova.
12. Public Safety Officer’s death an unknown
While speed played a role in the July 8 fatal crash of Michael Josua Ventura, authorities were unable to solve the puzzle of why the former Town of Salem Public Safety Officer had his emergency lights deployed, according to a 91-page report by the Wisconsin State Patrol released in September.
Trooper Michael Smith compiled the report that includes witness statements, scene evidence, speed analysis, in addition to statements by three Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputies and four other troopers.
Ventura, 32, had been heading westbound on Highway 50 near Highway B at approximately 82-85 mph without a seatbelt, and in turn, got ejected from the 2003 Ford Expedition, the report said.
Sgt. Nate Clarke of the State Patrol said in September that Ventura, whose vehicle rolled over multiple times upon contact with a gravel shoulder, left Ventura on the Highway 50 pavement.
“Speed was a factor in this crash, he was driving at a high rate, leaving him to get ejected,” Clarke said.
The report revealed no mechanical failures in the 2003 Ford Expedition or signs of substance abuse in his system, according to the state patrol report and an autopsy.
“At this time there is no evidence to support or explain why the officer was traveling in emergency status at the time of the crash,” the report concluded.
13. Cold case reviewed
Acting on a tip, Kenosha County authorities finished their first exhumation of victim involved in a cold case in history, when they removed the body of 1989 Baby Doe at a Town of Randall cemetery in August.
Baby Doe, a newborn boy found dead in the Town of Paris, has been nameless since trappers discovered the remains beneath the Des Plaines River bridge, just east of Highway 45 near Highway N in November, 1989.
Following the August, 2016 exhumation, authorities hope DNA evidence extracted from the body can lead to the baby’s identity, and perhaps the person responsible for leaving him there in 1989.
The exhumation was executed following a tip from a person who saw the case among the 14 unsolved cold cases on the Kenosha County website.
“It is a good enough tip to get us to this point,” said Sgt. Eric Klinkhammer of the Sheriff’s Department at St. John’s Cemetery. “This is something that our department has never done and it is not something that is done very often.”
Following the exhumation, forensic anthropologist Dr. Rick Snow of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children examined the remains at the Kenosha County Medical Examiner’s Office.
From there, the remains were sent to University of North Texas Center for Human IdentificatioN, where they will extract DNA.
The process, Klinkhammer said in August, “could take months.”
14. Zelich takes plea
Steven Zelich, a former West Allis Police Officer, allegedly placed suitcases containing the victims, one of which was killed in Kenosha County, at a remote area in Walworth County in 2014.
Less than two years later, Zelich accepted a plea bargain in January in Kenosha County Circuit Court, where he was convicted of first-degree reckless homicide in the death of 19-year-old Jenny Gamez of Oregon state.
Zelich, who originally faced first-degree intentional homicide, received a 35 year sentence for the crime he claimed was the result of an accident during a sexual encounter at a hotel on Highway 50 and Interstate 94.
“I am very sorry that I was unable to protect Jenny like I was supposed to, it was an accident,” Zelich told court officials at his April sentencing.
However, prosecutors, who sought the maximum 75 years for the reckless homicide charge, contend Zelich followed a similar pattern, which led him to Minnesota, where he allegedly killed 37-year-old Laura Simonson.
Then-Kenosha County Deputy District Attorney Michael Graveley, who requested the maximum sentence, told court officials to consider Zelich’s history.
“Fifteen months after the death of Jenny Gamez, Laura Simonson in a hotel room in Minnesota met exactly the same fate by exactly the same means,” Graveley said.
While Zelich still has two pending charges of hiding a corpse in Walworth, the 55-year-old is awaiting a hearing in Minnesota, where he faces murder charges in the death of Simonson.
15. Fire destroys Salem industrial unit
Fire officials from two dozen agencies, including some from Illinois, battled a five-alarm blaze of a commercial unit at the Salem Business Center in June.
After several hours of containing the fire, which destroyed the unit, authorities determined sparks and metal shavings from a transmission shop caused the blaze.
“An occupant was working on a vehicle, and the fire was discovered, and he tried to extinguish it,” said Town of Salem Fire Chief Mike Slover said at the time. “It is not suspicious.”
Town of Salem Fire and Rescue received mutual aid from Racine, Kenosha counties along with departments from Northern Illinois.
Departments in Kenosha County were from Bristol, Pleasant Prairie, Silver Lake, Paris, City of Kenosha, Randall, Wheatland and Somers.
Responding agencies from Racine included Kansasville, Union Grove, Town of Burlington and the Racine Fire Bells.
Northern Illinois departments came from Lake Villa, Round Lake, Fox Lake, McHenry, Richmond, Spring Grove, Antioch, Newport and Wauconda.
The Fire Investigation Task Force of Kenosha County, which includes fire officials and the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department led the investigation, Slover said.
16. Salem welcomes first tenant
Noting a cramped facility in Illinois, Vonco Products LLC, a flexible packaging company announced they have relocated to Salem’s new business park at an October news conference.
With a large continent of elected officials, including Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, they were welcomed with open arms.
Kleefisch, who noted economic development has been a top priority, told those in attendance it was an indication of Wisconsin’s determination.
“The fact that Vonco and other companies have decided to relocate to Wisconsin in the last six years demonstrates that our efforts to create a positive business climate and strengthen our workforce are making a real impact,” said Kleefisch.
Vonco, which is business park’s first tenant, plans to expand its operations at the eventual new 85,000-square-foot facility, where they hope to bring in 86 more jobs in the next three years.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be formally announcing Vonco’s expansion, including moving our operations to Salem, in a newly built 80,000 square foot building,” said Vonco President Keith Smith.
17. Animals on the loose, or not
After several attempts in March to wrangle loose bison from a Town Paris ranch, Kenosha County authorities were left with no option other than to euthanize the last 10 bison, noting they attempted to charge at motorists.
The 17 total bison broke free from their corral following a broke tree limb, which damaged a fencing unit at the property located in the 20300 block of Highway NN.
The owner reported it was the first incident at the farm, which drew high praise from state inspectors in assessments, stating the herd was well taken care of.
Meanwhile, four months later, reports of a cougar roaming in the Town of Wheatland was a hoax, according to a Department of Natural Resources representative.
18. Deputy cleared in shooting
A Kenosha County Sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed a man while on duty in October 2015 returned to active duty following a thorough Department of Justice investigation in May, 2016.
Deputy James Campbell had been on desk duty since the shooting on Oct. 24.
The officer-involved shooting stemmed from an Oct. 24, 2015, motorcycle crash that involved 47-year-old Salem resident Darren Myron Fude, who was under the influence of alcohol and drugs, the investigation concluded.
The shooting was the first involving a Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputy since 2007.
“This is a situation where there is no one that wins,” said Sheriff Beth following the release.
19. ATC route given okay
Despite protestations from some western Kenosha County communities in 2015, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin gave the American Transmission Company approval of a proposed transmission line in March.
The proposal, the Spring Valley-North Lake Geneva Electric Reliability Project, called for a new 138,000-volt transmission line of 23 miles, noting future vulnerabilities, according to ATC.
In the PSC hearing, the blue route, where segment F meets subsection FB was approved among three options.
The route, which will extend from the Spring Valley substation in Bristol, located on 98th St and near County Highway C, extending west toward state Highway 83.
From state Highway 83, the line ventures north to county Highway AH, where it will go west to 256th Avenue in the Town of Salem and go north to State Highway 50.
The line extends west to the Highway 12 in Walworth County, where it will connect to the North Lake Geneva substation.
Additionally, there will be a new 138- and 69-kV Balsam substation on an ATC-owned parcel on Highway 50 in the Town of Wheatland.
Included in the plan is a new 69-kV transmission line from the Balsam substation, stretching south along County Highway O into an existing substation in the Village of Twin Lakes.
20. Aquanuts remember two
The Twin Lakes Aquanuts remembered two fixtures in the history of organization developed in 1972.
In March, 26-year Aquanut member Brian Schaufel, who served the program in multiple capacities, including the titles of president, show director, skier and advisor.
Throughout his tenure, Schaufel was a champion boat driver, and in an August show, the Aquanuts honored him and his family for their dedication to the program.
Aquanuts’ President Cindy Amore, who presented the family with a framed tribute photo, said the Schaufels will always be Aquanuts.
“You guys just need to know that we are always an Aquanut family,”
Four months later, one of three co-founders, Gary Borowski passed away and was a key piece in the history of the program.
“Much of who we are today, would not have been possible without Gary,” Amore said in December. “He was a lot of fun, very talented and creative.”