Jason Schulte
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Jason Schulte has been with the Herald since 2006. He covers County government and anything else that happens in Pierce County on a daily basis.
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- Member for
- 2 years 2 months
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The year is only 20 days old, but there have already been two notable animal cruelty cases in the county. On Saturday, Evelyn Halvorson of River Falls reported "Thunder", her 14-year-old Arabian gelding horse was shot and killed. According to the police report, Thunder was found next to six other horses enclosed in a pasture with woods and open land surrounding it. The Halvorsons, who live on County Highway W, believe the shooter was a coyote hunter as Thunder was shot right between the eyes with a rifle bullet. Thunder was a gelding raised from a colt, Halvorson explained.
Expansion of departments in the Pierce County Courthouse will likely not happen in the foreseeable future for two reasons: money, as evident by the budget cuts made last year, and space, as there is hardly any of that, either. That is the opinion of a recent building summary done by KKE Architects, the architectural firm specializing in interior design and architectural planning. The company, with locations in Minneapolis and throughout the United States, did an overview of the judicial portion of the courthouse.
PRESCOTT--Prescott Mayor Mike Hunter updated the Prescott Chamber of Commerce on an assortment of topics city-related Thursday at Great Rivers Printing. --Pride of Prescott: The most recent city-wide meeting drew between 15-20 people. Themes were discussed, including economic development, community pride, natural resources, history of Prescott and city management. He said at the next meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, at the high school library, the topics will be discussed more. He asked for more participation from chamber members in these meetings.
A recent building summary of the Pierce County Courthouse has confirmed what those who work or visit have known all along: "Among many physical and operational problems with the facility, the most severe and immediate issues revolve around space needs, efficient operations, accessibility and security," representatives of KKE Architects said. The architectural firm, specializing in interior design and architectural planning, with locations in Minneapolis and throughout the United States, praised the complex for being attractive and well-maintained for being over 100-years-old.
For as soon as Rod Rommel threw his hat in the ring to become Pierce County's Administrative Coordinator, out it went. Rommel, who was approved in November to be the Finance and Personnel's committee choice to be the new AC, withdrew his candidacy in last month's committee meeting. "Please be advised that I hereby withdraw my name from consideration for the position," Rommel wrote in a letter to County Board Chair Paul Barkla. "As a sitting County Board member I do not believe it would be appropriate at this time." The committee approved the request.
The proposed Tax Incremental District between the Village of Ellsworth and the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery passed another step Monday as the Village Board approved the agreement. Clerk/Treasurer Peggy Nelson said the next steps in the process will be street improvements (turn lanes on Wallace and Morse Streets along with culverts on Wallace), which likely will begin in the spring. In other action, the Board: * Held an update on the Lawrence property, located at 423 W. Main St. Village President Gerald DeWolfe said the Village and the family reached an Aug.
A 35-year-old Ellsworth man stands accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl. Aaron J. Steele, 380 E. Wall St., Upper Appt., was charged Wednesday in Pierce County Circuit Court with three counts of sexual assault of a child. His first court appearance is scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 7. According to the criminal complaint, Ellsworth Police interviewed the victim on Nov. 29. She explained she only knew Steele for about a week through friends and started talking at his house. She ended up sleeping on his couch the first night she met him.
A Prescott man who allegedly struck a teenager several times in a dispute over the boy's housekeeping, faces a charge of felony child abuse. Mark H. Nelson, 53, 334 N. Dakota St., has been ordered to appear for a preliminary hearing at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 31. Prescott police were dispatched around 8 a.m. Dec. 21 for a possible domestic/battery to a child, according to the criminal complaint. Upon arrival, a 14-year-old alleged that earlier in the day, Nelson grabbed him by the back of the neck.
A Hager City man is alleged to have failed to pay over $17,000 in child support since March 2007, resulting in nine felony charges against him. Christopher R. Curtis, 39, N2792 830th St., was charged with the nine felonies Monday in Pierce County Circuit Court. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance 10 a.m. Jan. 24. Each count carries a maximum penalty of $10,000 and/or 42 months prison if found guilty. According to the criminal complaint, a child support order was initially established on the case in Goodhue County in April 1998.
Mother Nature and the collapse of the U.S. economy forced Steve and Jennifer Koth out of their Ellsworth home. At the same time, the couple is bound and determined not to join one of the nearly 150 foreclosure homeowners in Pierce County this year. "There are other options you can aggressively pursue," Steve Koth said. "You can stand up to these banks and fight them.