Podcasts about walworth county

We began today's Morning Show with Tyler August, Wisconsin State Representative for the 31st Assembly District (in Walworth County) and the current Majority Leader for the State Assembly. Our interview includes a conversation about Governor Evers's proposed state budget and the republicans' response to it.

Trees provide lots of benefits to us and our environment, from capturing carbon to fueling ecosystems. We look at initiatives in Walworth County and Waukesha that aim to cultivate healthy and productive canopies.

In this episode, Hailey invites you to experience the heartwarming traditions of Thanksgiving through the lens of Wisconsin's local food scene. Tag along as Hailey highlights the essential staples–homemade pies, fresh cranberries, and the finest turkey–that make for a memorable holiday meal. Start listening and savor the flavors made in Wisconsin!Read the blog here: https://discoverwisconsin.com/the-true-thanksgiving-meal-made-in-wisconsin/Trempealeau County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/trempealeau-county/; Barron County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/barron-county/; Dane County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/dane-county/; Norske Nook: https://norskenook.com/; Door County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/door-county/; Sweetie Pies: https://www.sweetiepiesdoorcounty.com/; Hyline Orchard: https://www.hylineorchards.com/; Racine County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/racine-county/; Elsie Mae's: https://www.elsiemaescanningandpies.com/; Monroe County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/monroe-county/; Wetherby Cranberry Company: https://freshcranberries.com/; Wood County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/wood-county/; Bennett Cranberry Company: https://www.facebook.com/p/Bennett-Cranberry-Co-100067434497940/?paipv=0&eav=Afb1hFB1s1czxK1VUWvWmeeE8F8BKkWZVjLcXNv-YxL-beQXLqjw9pPrLJJqAK9KZLs&_rdr; Vilas County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/vilas-county/; Lake Nokomis Cranberries: https://www.lakenokomiscranberries.com/; Walworth County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/walworth-county/; Old Glory Farm: http://www.oldgloryfarmwisconsin.com/; Green County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/green-county/; Rock County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/rock-county/; Riemer Family Farm: https://riemerfamilyfarm.com/; Shawano County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/shawano-county/; Nueske's: https://www.nueskes.com/about/wittenberg-company-store/The Bobber: https://discoverwisconsin.com/blog/The Cabin Podcast: https://the-cabin.simplecast.com. Follow on social @thecabinpodShop Discover Wisconsin: shop.discoverwisconsin.com. Follow on social @shopdiscoverwisconsinDiscover Wisconsin: https://discoverwisconsin.com/. Follow on social @discoverwisconsinDiscover Mediaworks: https://discovermediaworks.com/. Follow on social @discovermediaworksWisconsin Counties Association: https://www.wicounties.org/

The Cabin is presented by the Wisconsin Counties Association and this week we're featuring Walworth County; https://bit.ly/35sRP7yThe Cabin is also presented by Jolly Good Soda; https://bit.ly/DWxJollyGoodCampfire Conversation: In this episode, we're diving into Wisconsin's best scenic drives to catch the vibrant fall foliage. Starting with Lake Geneva's charming surroundings, we'll explore rustic roads through the Kettle Moraine, including the picturesque town of Lyons and the winding, historic Snake Road. Then, we'll journey through the Driftless Area on Highway 23, passing Taliesin and the famous House on the Rock, before climbing to Gibraltar Rock for stunning views. We'll also venture north along the Nicolet-Wolf River Scenic Byway, where towering trees and peaceful wildlife set the stage for a relaxing drive. Finally, we'll head toward the Great River Road and Timms Hill, Wisconsin's highest point, offering spectacular fall vistas. Tune in now to learn about these drives… and more! Inside Sponsors:Jefferson County; https://bit.ly/3gt0NauGroup Health Trust; https://bit.ly/3evRaEQSauk County; https://bit.ly/3zwPqLI

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we take our annual trip up to Elkhorn, Wisconsin to chat with Larry Gaffey, […]

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we take our annual trip up to Elkhorn, Wisconsin to chat with Larry Gaffey, […]

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we take our annual trip up to Elkhorn, Wisconsin to chat with Larry Gaffey, […]

- Paul Farahvar, Comedian https://www.paulfcomedy.com/ - Ellen Holly (Democratic activist in Walworth County, WI) (?) - LeTina (Tina) Brady Pettis (Director, Get Out the Vote 4 Teens) https://www.lwvil.org/bod-20232025/letina-brady-pettis - Tammy Gibson (Travel historian) https://www.sankofatravelher.com/ - Adam Selzer, https://mysteriouschicago.com/

For Kailyn Palomares's August visit to the Morning Show, we talk about the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge - with acreage in both McHenry County, IL and Walworth County, WI - with Steve Byers, chair of the Friends of Hackmatack NWR, and Vince Mosca, VP and Senior Principal Ecologist for Hays & Associates, which does wetland and ecological assessment projects in Illinois and Wisconsin. They are engaged in a restoration project for the Hackmatack NWR.

For over 100 years, the people of Walworth County, Wisconsin have been stalked in the night by a demonic, wolf-like creature known as the BEAST of Bray Road. Rory and Kit are a little too afraid to investigate this one alone, so joining them this week is Rhys Darby and Dan Schreiber from The Cryptid Factor!Check out The Cryptid FactorFollow us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTubeJoin our Secret Society Facebook CommunitySupport us on Patreon.com/ThisParanormalLife to get access to weekly bonus episodes!Buy Official TPL Merch! - thisparanormallife.com/storeIntro music by www.purple-planet.comEdited by Philip Shacklady Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your next chance to win is tomorrow at 9:20am or ticket info at 991themix.com

Your next chance to win is tomorrow at 9:20am or ticket info at 991themix.com

Your next chance to win is tomorrow at 9:20am or ticket info at 991themix.com

Your next chance to win is tomorrow at 9:20am or ticket info at 991themix.com

It's December 1991 and a new reporter on the the local Elkhorn free newspaper "The Week", gets a lead on a rather unusual story. Could it really be true that a Werewolf was running around Walworth County? What happened next has become cryptid and fortean legend as both Linda Godfrey and the Beat of Bray Road became entwined forever. Linda's incredible body of work has inspired thousands to enter in to the worlds of the fantastical, the incredible and the sometimes frightening. Joining me to sort the wolf from the pack and pay homage to Linda's legacy is our good friend Chad Lewis! Linda's boooks are here: Her website is here: Chad's website is here: Thank you to Chad for joining me once again. Our Patreon is now live, with bonus content, early release of the  regular show, articles and monthly prizes for everyone who signs up! Join here now for the flat fee of $4 a month which is a bargain! Don't forget, you can now show your support with our Merchandise shop on Redbubble! Check it out here! You can join us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as well. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel! Email us at mysteriesandmonsters@gmail.com with any feedback, guest suggestions or if you'd like to appear.            All artwork by Dean Bestall and the show was produced by Brennan Storr of the Ghost Story Guys.            Our theme music is kindly provided by the amazing Weary Pines, you can find them here: Intro - Zombies Ate My Shotgun Outro - Into The Night  Mysteries and Monsters is a part of the Straight Up Strange Network. #Dogman #LindaGodfrey #ChadLewis #Werewolves #Elkhorn #TheBeastOfBrayRoad #Wisconsin #Cryptids #Cryptozoology #Monsters #Lycanthropy #Loupgarou #Skinwalkers #Bigfoot #HighStrangeness #Portals #Baboon #Bear #ZeliaEdgar #LeeSemple #Portals #Paranormal #PaulSinclair #WolfLands 

In a celebration of agriculture and community, the Walworth County Fair became a hub of creativity and connection this past year, fostering a sense of belonging under the theme "There's No Place Like Home." Eileen Walsh Grzenia, fair secretary explains how their fair theme connected people to agriculture "The fair theme brought attendees back to their roots, fostering a deep appreciation for agriculture. Visitors explored different barns, connected with exhibitors, and delved into the rich agricultural heritage of Walworth County."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this special podcast, Community State Bank (CSB) Media and Communications Director, Ellie Heigl sat down with CSB Market President, Mike Ploch to talk about the Lake Geneva office's donation to Walworth County Food and Diaper Bank. Tammy Dunn, Executive Director of the Food and Diaper Bank also joins us to explain what this unique donation meant to their organization and how other's can hop on board to help! 

In this episode, Hailey embarks on an epic road trip, partnered with the Wisconsin Counties Association. Where to? The four corners of Wisconsin, riding the rustic roads. These rustic roads are a few of the states' most picturesque, untouched country roads for bikers, hikers, and motorists to enjoy. From the Northwest and Northeast to the Southeast and Southwest, get ready to be in awe of Wisconsin's natural wonders.Read the blog here: https://discoverwisconsin.com/blog/the-four-corners-of-wisconsin-rustic-roads/Barron County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/barron-county/; Dunn County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/dunn-county/; Bayfield County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/bayfield-county/; Sawyer County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/sawyer-county/; Marinette County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/marinette-county/; Forest County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/forest-county/; Door County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/door-county/; Green Lake County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/green-lake-county/; Walworth County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/walworth-county/; Winnebago County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/winnebago-county/; Sauk County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/sauk-county/; La Crosse County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/la-crosse-county/; Jackson County: https://www.wicounties.org/counties/jackson-county/The Bobber: https://discoverwisconsin.com/blog/The Cabin Podcast: https://the-cabin.simplecast.com; Follow on social @thecabinpodShop Discover Wisconsin: shop.discoverwisconsin.com; Follow on social @shopdiscoverwisconsinDiscover Wisconsin: https://discoverwisconsin.com/; Follow on social @discoverwisconsinDiscover Mediaworks: https://discovermediaworks.com/; Follow on social @discovermediaworksWisconsin Counties Association: https://www.wicounties.org/

Karen Yancey, Tai Thompson And Kristin Freytag explain how the Geneva Lake Conservancy works to protect And restore the lands and waterways of walworth county And beyond.

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your summer trip! Today, John is joined by Melody Judge, Marketing Director, and Larry Gaffey, General […]

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your summer trip! Today, John is joined by Melody Judge, Marketing Director, and Larry Gaffey, General […]

It's time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your summer trip! Today, John is joined by Melody Judge, Marketing Director, and Larry Gaffey, General […]

While local schools may compete against each other in sports or speaking contests, sometimes it pays to join forces. Local FFA chapters in Walworth County are coming together to raise money for the next generation of leaders in agriculture. These FFA students will be working the Walworth County FFA Truck & Tractor Pull on June 17 at the Walworth County Fairgrounds in Elkhorn. The money is all for a good cause. Elkhorn FFA Alumni Treasurer Derrick Papcke tells Mid-West Farm Report why local FFA chapters are banding together for this event and what show goers can look forward to.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosting the Alice in Dairyland Finals takes a village. And the Walworth County Alice Finals Committee has pulled it off for multiple years. Derrick Papcke is the finance chair on the committee. He says they started planning in 2018 for the 2020 finals. But that event went virtual. So they prepared for 2021. But that event was canceled. Since Dane County was hosting the 2022 event, the Walworth County committee got to work on preparing for 2023 and the announcement of the 76th Alice in Dairyland. Papcke tells Mid-West Farm Report about the financial and manpower obligations to host the ceremony for the state's agriculture ambassador.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the latest increase in interest rates, Wisconsin agriculture's having multiple conversations with ag lenders.  Charitee Seebecker talks about lending trends with Blaine Nelson, senior economist on the strategy, research, and analytics team at Farmer Mac. Weather is going to allow for some great outdoor activity this weekend, and the WI Dept. of Natural Resources wants to encourage that with their OutWIGo campaign.  Charitee Seebecker visits with Missy VanLanduyt, DNR Recreation Partnerships Section Chief, about all the options they're offering.When we think about most dairy research, we think about new products, new flavors - but not necessarily new uses.  Carrie Mess introduces us to Dr Grace Lewis, Assistant Professor of Food Science at UW-River Falls - where she's focused on dairy proteins as a carrier for nutrients, vitamins and pharmaceuticals.Finally Stephanie Hoff introduces us to another finalist for the Alice in Dairyland event happening next weekend in Walworth County. Today we meet finalist, Shannon Lamb.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott and Mickey discuss the very bizarre story of James Jesse Strang, founder of the now-defunct city of Voree, WI in Walworth County.  Strang claimed to be the rightful heir to the leader of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, after its founder, Joseph Smith, was gunned down in 1844.  After claiming he was shown where to find buried ancient texts in Voree by visions of angels, Strang amassed a following of thousands who praised him as a prophet of God and eventually crowned him as their king - in the only royal coronation ever held on American soil. Corrupted by a rule of absolute power, Strang's "royal" reign was strewn with violence, greed, and deciept, as his followers began to conspire against him, and even the then President of the United States schemed to take him down.  Learn about this fascinating personality in American history on episode 21 of Badger Bizarre, "The Reign of King Strang."   Facebook Twitter Website Email us:  badgerbizarre@outlook.com   Opening Trailer: Ed Gein Sound Byte : "Hard Copy" - Paramount Domestic/CBS Televsion Frank Lloyd Wright and Jeffery Dahmer Sound Byte - WISN 12 News - Milwaukee, WI Jeffery Dahmer Quotes: "Inside Edition"  - King World/CBS Television/CBS Media   Attribution for Music: Trailer: Composer: Adam Phillip Zwirchmayr https://www.pond5.com/ Intro: https://pixabay.com/ Outro: Composer: Viacheslav Sarancha  https://www.pond5.com/   Attribution for logo design: Red Claw Scratch Photo   Sources:  Harvey, Miles - King of Confidence American Heritage Strangite.org Mormonbeliefs.com Beaverbeacon.com  

The Cabin is presented by the Wisconsin Counties Association and this week we're featuring Racine County; https://bit.ly/3nZOask The Cabin is also presented by WCA's Group Health Trust; serving local governments and school districts, the WCA Group Health Trust partners closely with members to fulfill their employee health benefit obligations in a fiscally responsible manner. Learn more here; https://bit.ly/3JMizCX Campfire Conversation: Cari Greving from Real Racine joins Eric and Ana and discuss the cities, towns, notable landmarks, historic sites, and unique features across the “262” area. The inventions, industrial heritage and redevelopments of Kenosha and Racine began the discussion. Topics ranged from Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural marvels in Racine, including Wingspread, to museums and lighthouses along the Lake Michigan shores. Ana got the update on the Peeps Competition at the Racine Art Museum. We moved inland to discuss unique places to visit including the Mars Cheese Castle and the Bong Recreation Area. The conversation continued to cover Burlington – in part for chocolate and their famous “Liar's Club” - and the nearby towns of Waterford and Rochester. From there, we worked clockwise into Walworth County with the draw of Lake Geneva and the incredible beauty and bevy of things to do and see around Geneva Lake, the ski hills at Alpine Valley and Grand Geneva, Elkhorn and the productive farms, orchards, and breweries nearby. The East Troy Railroad, which runs on the original interurban line that extended into Milwaukee, still runs to Mukwonago in Waukesha County and it's a great experience for kids and grown-ups alike. We then proceeded to cover Waukesha County, which combines dynamic cities and suburbs with the natural appeal of Kettle Moraine and numerous glacial lakes. Waukesha itself is vibrant and is getting increasingly known as “Guitar Town” since Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar and multi-track recording, hailed from Waukesha. You can enjoy everything from history at Old World Wisconsin in Eagle to professional baseball with the Lake Country Dock Hounds in Oconomowoc. The 262 also covers areas north into Washington County, including Hartford with its automotive history, museums, and architecture; West Bend with its appliance manufacturing history and popular downtown; and Holy Hill, a national shrine that draws people from around the world. Finally, we head east into Ozaukee County, from Mequon up through Port Washington and Cedarburg. The shoreline of Lake Michigan north of Milwaukee's 414 area is quite different from south of Milwaukee, and we discuss how – and why. The accessible parklands along Lake Michigan in Ozaukee County include Lion's Den Gorge County Park and Harrington Beach State Park. Port Washington itself is a charming town with a New England feel, famous for fishing and its marine, lighthouses, and more. All these areas offer great history, museums, breweries, wineries, and unique spots to enjoy. We list and cover many of them by topic towards the end of the conversation, spreading the love all around “the 262.” Inside SponsorsBest Western: https://bit.ly/3zCCK3fMarshfield Clinic; All of Us Research Program; https://bit.ly/3Wj6pYj

On Monday Morning Monsters join host Barnaby Jones and guest Lee Hampel.  Lee is a former school teacher who owns a property that backs up against the infamous Bray Road in Walworth County, Wisconsin. Since purchasing the property to grow hay for his horses he has had strange occurrence after strange occurrence. So much in fact that his property has been dubbed "Wisconsin's Skinwalker Ranch"!  Join us LIVE on wltkdb.com at 12:00 pm cst to discuss the lore and happenings of the strange occurrences.

Sadly, the paranormal community lost one of its own recently. Linda Godfrey, author of Weird Michigan and The Beast of Bray Road, left us way too soon. So, we decided this show to her contributions to the paranormal community and continue the quest to find out more about Dogman and other paranormal cryptids. Please click Subscribe/Follow Click here to go to our Web Page Click here for Linda's book Click here for joes book Click here to save on high-end clothing The Beast of Bray Road, also known as the Bray Road Beast and the Wisconsin Werewolf, is a purported humanoid wolf-like creature allegedly witnessed in or near the rural community of Elkhorn, Walworth County, Wisconsin. It has since become a part of Wisconsin folklore and has been the subject of multiple books, documentaries, and a 2005 horror film.   Named for the farm road in which it was first purportedly sighted, reports of the creature in the 1980s and 1990s prompted a local newspaper, the Walworth County Week, to assign reporter Linda Godfrey to cover the story. Godfrey was initially skeptical, but later became convinced of the sincerity of the witnesses. Her series of articles later became a book titled The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin's Werewolf. Reports of a similar creature in the neighboring state of Michigan also tell of an alleged wolf-like humanoid, the Michigan Dogman. Lake Winnebago Water Monster – Lake Winnebago Ever taken a good look at a sturgeon before? They are some massive prehistoric fish that can be very intimidating up close and in person. This combination of its size and roots makes for some creative folklore, such as inspiration for the Lake Winnebago Water Monster. Some say it's a sea serpent. Others say it's a colossal sturgeon. If there's one thing we do know it's that there is a lot of mystery shrouded in this beast, many fishermen continue to track the creature in hopes of catching it one day and proving its existence. . Rocky of Rock Lake – Lake Mills Moving just east of Madison lies the community of Lake Mills and Rock Lake. The curious thing about Rock Lake is that if you dive down in certain parts of the lake you can find small pyramid-like structures. These mounds were believed to have been created by the Aztalan natives when the lake's water levels were much lower. Amongst these ruins and the vegetation, one can supposedly discover Rocky, a large serpentine reptile. Rocky is said to dwell amongst the deeper sections of the lake and reappear near the surface occasionally. Many reports occurred during the late 1800s of fishermen who would have violent encounters with the beast. These locals would encounter Rocky by their boats and along the shore where they would be traumatized once sighting the incognito beast hissing at them.  

Darkness Radio presents: Goodbye, Biographer of Bray Road... A Tribute to Linda Godfrey with Researchers/Experiencers Jay Bachochin, Sanjay Singhal, and Lee Hampel! Linda Godfrey gained fame after first writing about the legend of the Beast of Bray Road in 1991 in Walworth County's weekly newspaper.  She died last week at the age of 71 after a career of three decades writing and researching the strange and unusual, most of it focused on the Kettle Moraine area of Wisconsin.  Darkness Radio was fortunate to have Linda on a few times over the years to talk all things cryptid with her, but for today's show, we wanted to pay tribute to her in a more appropriate way. Jay Bachochin,, Sanjay Singhal, and Lee Hampel were all taken under Linda's wing at one time or another under different circumstances because she saw something in all three of them.  All three sat at her learning tree and had adventures with her in all aspects of the paranormal,  On today's show, these gentleman share their experiences with Linda with our Audience and let us get to know her in a way that no one else did. Check out one of the last video projects Linda appeared in, see Finding Jay here: https://bit.ly/3F90ZaT and see Beyond The Kettle: Finding Jay 2 here:  https://bit.ly/3FylvTC #paranormal  #supernatural  #metaphysical  #paranormalpodcasts  #darknessradio  #timdennis  #lindagodfrey #kettlemoraine #wisconsin #jaybachochin #sanjaysinghal #leehampel #willothewisp #Aliens  #UFO #UAP #Extraterrestrials #alienhumanhybrid #alienabduction #alienimplant #Alienspaceships  #disclosure #shadowpeople #AATIP #DIA #Cryptids #Cryptozoology #bigfoot #sasquatch #yeti  #abominablesnowman #beastofbrayroad #mothman  #conspiracytheory

Darkness Radio presents: Goodbye, Biographer of Bray Road... A Tribute to Linda Godfrey with Researchers/Experiencers Jay Bachochin, Sanjay Singhal, and Lee Hampel! Linda Godfrey gained fame after first writing about the legend of the Beast of Bray Road in 1991 in Walworth County's weekly newspaper.  She died last week at the age of 71 after a career of three decades writing and researching the strange and unusual, most of it focused on the Kettle Moraine area of Wisconsin.  Darkness Radio was fortunate to have Linda on a few times over the years to talk all things cryptid with her, but for today's show, we wanted to pay tribute to her in a more appropriate way. Jay Bachochin,, Sanjay Singhal, and Lee Hampel were all taken under Linda's wing at one time or another under different circumstances because she saw something in all three of them.  All three sat at her learning tree and had adventures with her in all aspects of the paranormal,  On today's show, these gentleman share their experiences with Linda with our Audience and let us get to know her in a way that no one else did. Check out one of the last video projects Linda appeared in, see Finding Jay here: https://bit.ly/3F90ZaT and see Beyond The Kettle: Finding Jay 2 here:  https://bit.ly/3FylvTC #paranormal  #supernatural  #metaphysical  #paranormalpodcasts  #darknessradio  #timdennis  #lindagodfrey #kettlemoraine #wisconsin #jaybachochin #sanjaysinghal #leehampel #willothewisp #Aliens  #UFO #UAP #Extraterrestrials #alienhumanhybrid #alienabduction #alienimplant #Alienspaceships  #disclosure #shadowpeople #AATIP #DIA #Cryptids #Cryptozoology #bigfoot #sasquatch #yeti  #abominablesnowman #beastofbrayroad #mothman  #conspiracytheory

The Cabin is presented by the Wisconsin Counties Association and this week we're featuring Walworth County; https://bit.ly/35sRP7yThe Cabin is also presented by WCA's Group Health Trust; serving local governments and school districts, the WCA Group Health Trust partners closely with members to fulfill their employee health benefit obligations in a fiscally responsible manner. Learn more here; https://bit.ly/3JMizCXCampfire Conversation: This is an important week for our nation's heroes. This Friday, November 11th, we celebrate Veterans Day nationally, but with over 325,000+ veterans living in Wisconsin (aka 7.2% of our population) we had to pay it a special tribute in ‘The Cabin'! We cover topics like the history of Fort McCoy, towns with Veterans Day Celebrations, great Veteran Memorials to visit, resources for veterans, non-profit shout-outs, Honor Flights and much more! We hope this episode gives you a little bit to reflect on, and will have you thanking a veteran by the end of the week. This Week's Wisconsin Treasure is sponsored by BetterHelp and you get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/cabinpod! This week we are featuring Operation Not Alone! Learn more about them at operationnotalone.net!Shop Discover Wisconsin; Check out the Cabin Podcast merch and use code “CABIN” for a discount at; https://bit.ly/3PEtnFNMarshfield Clinic; All of Us Research Program; https://bit.ly/3klM56EKnow Your Wisconsin: Lonesome Stone Milling; https://bit.ly/3UkV88D

U.S. Bank Trust National Assoc v. Walworth County, Wisconsin

Looking to take a quick getaway from the Chicago area this summer? Well, John Williams has you covered with our “Best of the Midwest” feature. Today, we head a couple of hours north as John chats with Melody Judge, Marketing Director, and Larry Gaffey, General Manager, Walworth County Fairgrounds, about the upcoming Walworth County Fair! […]

Looking to take a quick getaway from the Chicago area this summer? Well, John Williams has you covered with our “Best of the Midwest” feature. Today, we head a couple of hours north as John chats with Melody Judge, Marketing Director, and Larry Gaffey, General Manager, Walworth County Fairgrounds, about the upcoming Walworth County Fair! […]

Looking to take a quick getaway from the Chicago area this summer? Well, John Williams has you covered with our “Best of the Midwest” feature. Today, we head a couple of hours north as John chats with Melody Judge, Marketing Director, and Larry Gaffey, General Manager, Walworth County Fairgrounds, about the upcoming Walworth County Fair! […]

In 1991, on a slow news week at the end of December, an article was published in small weekly Walworth County paper called “The Week”. The article was titled, “Tracking down “The Beast of Bray Road””. The story by Linda Godfrey detailed the rumors of a creature that stalked Walworth County along with two eyewitness interviews.Nicknamed Wisconsin's Werewolf, The Walworth County Werewolf, the Wisconsin Dogman, the Beast of Bray Road has held the imagination of Elkhorn residents since the article was published. In recent years it's attracted the attention of cryptid enthusiasts, which have resulted in a horror movie, an excellent documentary, at least two metal bands, and countless paranormal TV appearances. From analyzing the influence of the Satanic Panic to introducing previously unreported sightings, Mike and Jeff present a new take on the phenomena. Mike Huberty, hailing from the town of Big Bend, near Milwaukee, is the owner of American Ghost Walks, a haunted history tour company with locations in Maine, California, Illinois, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and started in our very own Badger State of Wisconsin - with tours in Lake Geneva, Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha, Bayfield, and the Wisconsin Dells. Find out more at https://www.AmericanGhostWalks.Com (AmericanGhostWalks.Com). Wisconsin Rapids native, Jeff Finup is the mind behind Badgerland Legends, which explores Wisconsin's mysteries and fascinating history, a post at a time. Legends, lore, history, cryptids ,and more from the Badger State. Find his work on https://www.instagram.com/badgerlandlegends (Instagram) and https://www.facebook.com/badgerlandlegends (Facebook).

Following up on yesterday's conversation about domestic violence, we speak with Suzi Schoenhoft, Executive Director of New Beginnings, an agency in Walworth County that works with victims of domestic abuse (and other victims of crime.)

Michael is the President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County and led the agency on an amazing journey of change – transforming the organization from a local children's charity to a change agent for children and families while driving high standards of excellence in financial transparency, community engagement and governance; all with the goal of making a significant, measurable impact in the lives of children and their families. In his twelve years, the Club made significant accomplishments and under his guidance his team developed several strategic plans that resulted in more than 22k donors contributing more than $50M dollars to the Club. He increased the Club's net assets from $4M to $25M. As of result of these investments, the Club quadrupled the number of children and families being served, quadrupled the number of employees, grew its operating budget by 395% and expanded its operations in cities like Fitchburg, Madison, Verona, Sun Prairie and acquired the Boys & Girls Clubs of Walworth County. The Club also created the largest public/private partnership in the Madison School District while investing more than $18M in direct resources to local high schools. As a result, more than 4,400 young people graduated from HS at an average rate of 97%. The Club also hired more than a dozen career and college specialist who work with colleges and universities across the country and is currently in a capital campaign to raise $35M for a regional workforce center to introduce young people to the trades. Michael's advocacy and work has been featured in the New York Times, Wisconsin State Journal, and dozens of national and local publications. He also received Boys & Girls Clubs of America Heart & Soul Award which is the highest honor among Club executives. He was named “Man of the Year” by Madison 365; was appointed by the Governor of Wisconsin to the Vel Phillip's Taskforce; named the 2022 InBusiness Magazine -Executive of the Year and also received the 2022 MLK Humanitarian Award. Michael earned a BA in Business Education from Chicago State University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He also holds a certification in fundraising management from the Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University, a certification in human resource management from Cornell University, an Advanced Leadership Certificate from the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business and a certificate in non profit strategic management from Harvard Business School. Michael and his wife, Toya, were born and raised in Chicago and have three children ages 17, 11 and 7. Find out more about Michael Johnson via https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-johnson-mba-5025b632/. Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County - Find out the great things they are doing and DONATE TODAY at https://www.bgcdc.org/.

In 1951, a family of immigrants took over the old Wandawega Hotel and converted it into a ‘vacation wonderland' for middle-class Americans, ushering in a wholesome new era for a property that had long welcomed bootleggers, gamblers, mobsters, and prostitutes. But it wasn't all sunshine and wonder in Walworth County. There was tragedy too; an era of sorrow for a family trying to create a wilderness escape for themselves and for others. This episode features music by Philip Bowen, Joseph Bradshaw, and Casey Chambers.

Pioneers and profiteers, the first Americans, a murdered Mormon ‘king,' and the intriguing origins of the name ‘Wandawega' – there's a deep shadow of mystery that surrounds the pre-history of what is today known as Walworth County, Wisconsin. And yet, it is here that our story begins. This episode features music by Philip Bowen and Joseph Bradshaw.

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 4 of the Cryptid Ramblers Podcast. In this episode we take a trip to a small town in Wisconsin, USA. There we dive into a local legend which has put the little town of Elkhorn, Walworth County on the map, attracting tourists and fans from far and wide. Yes, we are going down to Bray Road, in hunt of the infamous beast. For over 80 years, this elusive beast has been terrorising the local community from sightings at the side of the road, to roaming the surrounding farm land and animal mutilations. Drawing comparisons to the Dogman of Michigan we look into whether this is a beast of its own or whether it is one of the same. The first sighting stems from 1936 but it is believed that the beast has existed since the last 1800's. So come and join us as we take another trip over the pond to investigate another local legend.

In 1991 in the small town of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, reports of a large, hairy wolf-like creature started getting the attention of local newspaper writer Linda Godfrey. As Godfrey began investigating these reports, she was led to a local animal control agent with a strange file in his office titled "Werewolf". The reports all centered around a four mile stretch on Bray Road, where a two legged hairy beast would chase cars and people away from the road. Godfrey compiled these stories and put them in an article she tilted "The Beast of Bray Road". After her article was published, more and more stories started coming to the surface. Godfrey would soon find out this creature had been seen as far back as 1936, with sightings beyond Bray Road in the surrounding area. This week we discuss Werewolves, satanic cults, poltergeist activity, ancient evil, Native American folklore and tell the stories of these mysterious sightings and try to figure out just what is happening in Walworth County.

When two missing women are found inside suitcases along a Walworth County, Wisconsin highway, police quickly zero in on one of their own.  Their investigation uncovers a dark, shocking tale of a predator whose own escalating crimes were covered up by the West Allis Police Department.Join us as we discuss the sad, pathetic life of Steven Zelich, the incompetence and cover-up that allowed him to stay free for so long, naked summer bike rides, and hear from a special feline surprise guest.Follow us on our platforms!instagram.com/creepculturepod/twitter.com/creep_culture

Nothing better than the Midwest! For this week’s segment of Best of the Midwest we are joined with some folks over in Walworth County Wisconsin. WGN Radio’s John Williams is joined by Larry Gaffey, General Manager of the Walworth County Fairgrounds, and Tim Malenock, Executive Director of the Walworth County Visitors Bureau. Walworth County is […]

Rural residents are often a longer drive from health care services, whether that be a hospital, clinic or pharmacy. County health departments looking to reach rural residents for various health needs can take Walworth County Health and Human Services as an example. With pandemic grant monies, Walworth County Health and Human Services acquired a health clinic on wheels, explains Deputy Secretary Trista Piccola. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We can learn a lot from the stories small businesses have to share from the last year. What helped some businesses make it through and come out stronger on the other side? What changes will they continue into the future? Robin Walker, small business consultant, talks with Stacey Syverson, a boutique owner in Walworth County, […] The post 60: [Small Business Stories] Stacey Syverson with the Cashmere Compass appeared first on Women's Business Workshop Robin Walker.

We can learn a lot from the stories small businesses have to share from the last year. What helped some businesses make it through and come out stronger on the other side? What changes will they continue into the future? Robin Walker, small business consultant, talks with Elyse Bullard, a photographer from Walworth County, in […] The post 59: [Small Business Stories] Elyse Bullard Photography – Wisconsin appeared first on Women's Business Workshop Robin Walker.

We get a COVID update from Carlo Nevicosi, Walworth County's Interim director of Public Health, including some interesting information on the vast contrast in vaccination rates throughout the county and what seems to be the primary factor at play.

Amy Hart and Sonia Hill, from the Walworth County Health and Human Services Dept, talk about the new program that funds mental health specialists to go on certain police calls in which their presence and participation is deemed beneficial. There are such liaisons stationed in both Delavan and Whitewater.

It was a dark and stormy night, or so the story goes, when an 18-year old had a terrifying encounter as she was driving home on Bray Road. Her sighting of a fearsome creature was the first of a rash of sightings that terrified the residents of Walworth County, Wisconsin, and lay the foundations of one of the most infamous cryptids in the state that would go on to inspire both documentaries and shlock horror. Join us on Uncanny America, as we go in search of the Beast of Bray Road. ----------------------------- Instagram: @uncannyamerica Twitter: @Uncanny_America Website: uncannyamerica.com ------------------------------ Nervous by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4118-nervous License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Gypsy Shoegazer No Voices by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3840-gypsy-shoegazer-no-voices License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

As the Wisconsin DNR prepares to welcome another warden recruitment class, now, more than ever, diversity in the field is essential to make sure the warden service reflects the communities they serve. In this episode, we hear from DNR Conservation Wardens Vong Xiong and Juan Gomez who come from different walks of life and serve the same mission. Both share how they were introduced to the career field, the experiences they've had and why it's important to have people of color in the warden service. Learn more about becoming a Wisconsin conservation warden: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WardenRecruitment--------------------------------------TRANSCRIPTSARAH HOYE: [00:00:00] From the Wisconsin DNR, this is Wild Wisconsin. Bringing you inside voices on Wisconsin's outdoors.KATIE GRANT: [00:00:17] Welcome back to another episode of Wild Wisconsin Off the Record. I'm your host, Katie Grant. It's a new season. Spring has sprung and we're looking for our newest class of Conservation Wardens. At the Wisconsin DNR, we want to make sure our wardens represent our community. So today we're talking with wardens Juan Gomez and Vong Xiong about their experiences on the job and why diversity matters. So sit back and listen in.All right. Thank you guys for joining us today. On this episode, we really want to talk about what it's like to be a Warden, why you wanted to become a Warden, what some of the challenges are that you face as a Warden and what your favorite part of being a Warden is. So to get started, why don't you guys go ahead and, and each introduce yourselves. Tell me your name, where you're based, the region you cover and kind of, you know, what it is that you do here. Vong let's go ahead and start with you. WARDEN VONG XIONG: [00:01:17] Thanks, Katie. Again, I appreciate you having us on the show here and, um... kind of about who I am. My name is Vong Xiong. I'm a Conservation Warden for Jackson County in Wisconsin and I cover all of Jackson County right now.There are two stations, technically one is vacant. So I do cover both sides of the County and, uh, that's... I'm a Field Warden so I spend every day out patrolling, enforcing ATV, boating, snowmobile laws. Uh, whatever the seasons bring is what I enforce. So that's pretty much the sum of what or who I am.KATIE GRANT: [00:01:55] Perfect. And Juan, why don't you go ahead. WARDEN JUAN GOMEZ: [00:01:58] Sure I appreciate it. Um, my name is Juan Gomez. I am a Lieutenant with the Department of Natural Resources. I started in 2008 as a Field Warden, very similar to Vong, uh, down in Kenosha. Um, I spent about a year and a half in the Kenosha station before transferring to Walworth County where I spent a larger bulk of my career.Um, when I was a Field Warden down there, um, I covered the county of Walworth by myself for, uh, a pretty extensive period of time, um, engaging with the public and enforcing recreational vehicle enforcement, environmental enforcement, um, uh, and a number of other areas that the department is responsible for.Uh, in 2017, I promoted and I supervise the Field Wardens in Sheboygan and Fondulac County. I've again, been here since 2017, uh, have enjoyed every minute of it. I've had the opportunity now to, uh, use the skills that I learned while in the field and working with the field members that are now, uh, under my supervision to kind of help, uh, you know, mold them to be the best Field Wardens that they can be.KATIE GRANT: [00:03:08] Absolutely. So DNR Conservation Wardens are credentialed law enforcement officers. You guys work across the state and are responsible for enforcing natural resources and recreation safety laws. You also educate the public on conservation topics and help patrol those state parks, forests and trails. Can you guys walk me through a little bit of what a typical day is? If there even is one. WARDEN VONG XIONG: [00:03:34] You know, with, with a lot of our presentations, that's probably one of the most common questions that we received. You know, what does a typical day look like? And quite honestly, there is no typical day. So for example, right now, the fishing season is starting to become really hot. You know, fish are starting to swim up river and, and people are really starting to catch fish.I might be out there with the intention of working fishermen today, you know, checking licenses, checking bag limits, and, and that kind of enforcement. But my, um, direction might be changed. Like a couple of weeks ago when I had to respond to a vehicle that was on fire in the state park. So it's one of those situations where something like that can happen in a split second and it could change your day.You know, obviously we work closely with our, with our Sheriff's departments and we get dispatched, um, to help them out, you know, or we get dispatched to a traffic stop to help out the deputy with a traffic stop or whatever the case may be. So it changes almost daily.KATIE GRANT: [00:04:41] For sure. So, you know, when you say you might be out there, uh, checking for licenses, checking bag limits during fishing season, are you just kind of randomly doing that to ensure compliance or, you know, what, what is the, the thought process or the reasoning behind doing kind of random checks like that?WARDEN VONG XIONG: [00:05:00] Yeah. So as everybody is aware of, as most people are aware, the Department of Natural Resources is tasked with enforcing laws, making sure that people abide by the regulations set forth by the, by the department to ensure that resources aren't being overused or, or being, um, over-utilized. And that everybody has a fair shake at these opportunities that Wisconsin provides as far as fishing, hunting, um, any of those recreational sports.So by having, or by, by. uh, patrolling and being out there on a daily basis or on a weekly basis, whatever the case may be based on workload. Um, it, it allows the public to see us in a light that is positive because realistically we're, we're checking licenses and, you know, flying the flag, quote-unquote you know, talking to folks from the community and, and showing the community who we are as a person.But the second part of that is to make sure that people do abide by those laws. So that those resources aren't being, um, spent, or aren't being used by somebody that may or may not have already caught their bag limit for the day, or have already caught their bag... uh, I'm sorry. possession limit for the two days that they were fishing.KATIE GRANT: [00:06:19] Right. Yeah. We're... The DNR isn't just some building in Madison or, or wherever. Uh, we're people too. Right? Uh, that's a really great point to make Vong. Both of you took unique paths to becoming Wardens. Juan, you grew up in Chicago in the Humboldt Park neighborhood with little exposure to the outdoors. And I read recently in Latino Outdoors that your family sent you to summer camp in Wisconsin to keep you away from gangs. How did your summer camp experience lead to your interest in the outdoors? WARDEN JUAN GOMEZ: [00:06:52] Sure. So, um at about the age of 11 in my local church, there was an opportunity for, uh, for me to go to a summer camp in Eagle River, Wisconsin and my family jumped on that opportunity, uh, just to get me out of the neighborhood.Uh, the neighborhood that we lived in was at that time, pretty rough, uh, with multiple, uh, gang units in the area and not necessarily gang units that, or, uh, for one another either. There is always gunshots at, at night, there was always rival gang, uh, issues that we had to deal with. Um, you know, I, I was always directed to be home before the lights got, uh, when went on in the street lights.Uh, so I had to make it home in the evening. Uh, just, uh, keep myself safe from getting involved with, uh, any of the crossfire or any of the fights that were happening with the local gangs. Um, so, you know, my family quickly realized that the environment that we lived in, uh, wasn't what they wanted me to be around.Uh, so they sent me away to the summer camp where, uh, it was my first exposure to the natural resources and the outdoors. Um, it was a recreational youth camp, uh, where we did everything from swimming, fishing, uh, kayaking, canoeing, uh, taking trips down the Wisconsin River in canoes and kayaks. Um, and archery and... and you name it. Um, so that, that was my first kick at the can here with the outdoor adventures, uh, that the great state of Wisconsin has to offer. KATIE GRANT: [00:08:25] Yeah. And I also read that you had, you know, an interesting ride home from college your freshman year. What did you see that changed your life path? Can you tell us a little bit about that story?WARDEN JUAN GOMEZ: [00:08:36] Sure. So, uh, obviously with my great experience in Wisconsin, I chose to, uh, go to a college in Wisconsin and, uh, of all colleges I picked UW  Lacrosse, uh, which is on the western side of the state, right along the Mississippi River there. And during my freshman year of college, I was driving home for our Thanksgiving break.And, uh, during that time of year, it's obviously our traditional nine-day gun deer season. And that was really my first exposure to hunting. Uh, I was, I was about 18 or 19 years of age at that time. I'd never seen, uh, you know, the number of dead deer that I had seen that day on my drive home. Uh, it sparked a, uh, you know, uh, a spark... something that caused me to go and ask my advisor at the multicultural office, uh, to learn what was going on. Because again, it just was very odd to me at the time, uh, to see all these dead deer being transported on vehicles. So on my, on my return, back to school that following Monday or Tuesday, uh, having my interactions with the multicultural advisor that I had, I had asked them what was going on.And he says, well, you haven't heard of the traditional nine-day gun season here in Wisconsin. It's huge. And I'm like, no, I've never, I've never, I've never heard of it. I've never seen it. Don't know what you're talking about. Um, so he encouraged me to take the Hunter Safety program and, uh,  I took them up on that.I took Hunter Safety that following spring, and, uh, that following fall, he introduced me to his deer camp, uh, where I have grown to be really good friends with him and his, his group of hunters that he hunts with and have had opportunities to return back to deer camp, to hunt with them, uh, since becoming a Conservation Warden.And then it's just something that has grown on me that, uh, uh, you wouldn't believe. I've taken everything on from deer hunting to trapping, to, uh, upland bird hunting. And those are all things that I would have never participated in had I not had that experience on my drive home from the university, uh, and nor had I had asked my advisor about what was taking place.KATIE GRANT: [00:10:51] For sure. So that made you interested in the hunting side of it. What was it ultimately that made you want to become a Conservation Warden? WARDEN JUAN GOMEZ: [00:10:58] Sure. So, you know, obviously during my Hunter Ed Pro... uh, course that I had to take, uh, as Wardens, we go into these courses and provide generally an hour, an hour and a half presentation.And that was actually my first exposure to a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Warden. Uh, you know, prior to that, I had never engaged with one, uh, here in Wisconsin, nor down in Illinois. Uh, I wasn't really aware of what the position was or what they did. Uh, so after their presentation, it sparked an interest, uh, in me that I actually started doing a little bit of research of what a Warden was and what they, what they're responsible for and what they do on a day-to-day basis.Uh, my, my research led me to want to do ride alongs. Uh, cause as a, as an agency, we do provide ride alongs for those that are 16 years of age and older. And I participated in two ride alongs with Wardens, just to get a perspective on what the job was like. Um, I took the opportunity to take the, uh, ride along in Eagle River, uh, and the Eagle River, Three Lakes area.Because at that time, uh, during my university years, I was, uh, working at the summer camp that I attended when I was a young child. Um, and I also took the opportunity to ride along with a Warden down in the Kenosha, Walworth area. Uh, because my wife, my now wife was from Kenosha and, uh, I just happened to be visiting her down there and made an appointment to do a ride-along with the Warden that was stationed down there at that time. And during my interactions with these Wardens, it really, uh, enhanced my want to be a Warden. Um, and I just started to prepare myself to apply for positions when positions became available. KATIE GRANT: [00:12:45] For sure. Yeah. Vong, you were born in a refugee camp in Thailand and came to the US as a small child before your family settled in Wisconsin. Tell me a little bit about how you became interested in the outdoors. WARDEN VONG XIONG: [00:13:00] Yeah, so Katie, um, basically, you know, right there, I was born in a refugee camp. Um, my family moved multiple times. Uh, every time I asked my mom or, or my dad, the story changes of course, but, um, you know, they list anywhere from five to six times we moved. We landed in Charlotte, North Carolina, and then we moved multiple times ending up in Milwaukee and then moving eventually to Oshkosh, Wisconsin.And that's where a lot of my family resides. So as far as cousins, uncles, and stuff like that. Um, so a lot of the Hmong community, as most Wisconsinites know, are really big into hunting and fishing. I never got into hunting mainly because my mom was concerned about firearms. She was not fond of firearms.So I did not hunt growing up. But I participated in fishing and that comes from, you know, hanging out with my cousins, my uncles, my brothers, we fished all the time growing up. And that was primarily what sparked my interest in the outdoors was, was the fishing aspect. And of course, growing up in the, uh, childhood that I did.Coming from where I came from, we didn't have money. We didn't have money to spend on luxury items. So we obviously didn't have money to spend on snowmobiles, ATVs, boats, any of that stuff, because that's, that's really expensive to begin with. But we also didn't have those connections, even to folks that had access to those kinds of items.You know, obviously, I had friends at school that had access to those items. But being that I felt like I was different than everybody else. It was hard to connect with folks and, and reach out and, and kind of step out of my comfort zone to do some of those kinds of things. So I never got into that stuff until I became a Warden.Um, but prior to me becoming a Warden, um, when I graduated high school, I had wanted to get into law enforcement. And what really got me interested in law enforcement to begin with was a class that I took in high school. It's called Everyday Law. You learn about the constitution. You learn about policing in America.Um, you learn about, you know, laws that pertain to just every day, uh, lives. So, you know, something as simple as parking laws, something as simple as, um, speeding vehicle laws, any of that stuff. So that's, that's primarily what got me interested in the law enforcement realm. And then I attended Fox Valley technical college and obtained my criminal justice degree in law enforcement.And from there, I didn't, I still, uh, at this point, did not know that Conservation Wardens existed.  Much like Juan it wasn't until much later in my life that I learned about what Wardens were or what they even did. I actually remember this day vividly because it got me really interested. I was fishing on the banks of the Fox River in Oshkosh, uh, fishing for catfish at night.I think it was about nine or I think it was about eight or nine o'clock at night. And as I was leaving, I was with my cousin and his girlfriend and we were leaving and two officers came up to us and asked for fishing licenses. And I thought they were police officers and I thought they were, um, you know, city police officers checking fishing licenses.And it, it didn't dawn on me until I looked at the badge and looked at the patches and realized, wait, these aren't police officers, these are, these are Wardens. What, what are Wardens? So I started asking a couple of questions. And from there, it really got me interested now that, you know, now I had, instead of one route where I was going to go into law enforcement, I'll add two routes that I could go.Um, Knowing that Conservation Wardens do enforce laws. Um, and they do protect the public, you know, just like police officers do, um, with the specific direction of protecting the natural resources. So from there I attended, graduated from the Police Academy at Fox Valley technical college. Then I attended UW Oshkosh for my bachelor degree.And in attending UW Oshkosh, I took environmental courses like geology, geography, um, you know, you name it, just any of those, uh, any of those environmental courses. And so through those courses, I learned more about, you know, carbon footprint, the human impact on our natural resources, the importance of why we have natural resource departments to maintain.The integrity of those ecosystems. And that really got me interested because we are at a time right now where we can make a difference in how we use the resource, whether it's the biological side of it or the enforcement side of it. Obviously, the rules don't mean anything if we don't have an enforcement branch to it.So, um, with that being said, that really got me interested in and immediately following taken those courses that Spring, the position is opened up for our Deputy Warden position. And that's basically a LTE or a limited-term employment position as a Conservation Warden with the department. And I am, I applied for that and I was successful and was hired and worked on the Mississippi River in Lacrosse.As a Deputy Warden or a, a, an LTE Conservation Warden part-time and I worked with the full-time guys and I gained the experience with the boating, fishing or the boating, hunting, trapping, snowmobiling, ATV. Um, I learned a lot about that stuff and my, my climb was very steep, but I learned all that, you know, and I'm still learning today, but, um, I, I learned a lot of that stuff through that job, through that part-time LTE position. And then I was successfully hired as a full-time Conservation Warden in 2018. So that's essentially how I became a Conservation Warden. KATIE GRANT: [00:19:04] Yeah. I think it's really interesting to note that, you know, you, you really started here in that part-time... that LTE position, you know, that, that not being a full-time gig didn't scare you away. Do you feel like that has made you a better full-time Conservation Warden now?WARDEN VONG XIONG: [00:19:21] I can tell you if I had gone into applying for a full-time Conservation Warden without ever being in a limited-term or an LTE Conservation Warden I would be 10 steps behind because I wouldn't have had the experiences with boating. I wouldn't have had the experiences with hunting, trapping,  ATV you name it. So that really excelled, I think excelled my application and my resume and not on paper, but in terms of experience and getting into a full-time Conservation Warden already having done the job, um, part-time for two years prior to being hired full time, um, that definitely helped out and it didn't scare me. You know, with a job like this with as much responsibility as Wardens have it didn't scare me, you know, getting into it and saying, holy crap, that's a lot of stuff I have to know. It was man, there's a lot of stuff I have to know and I'm, I'm willing to build on it and, and learn more about all the stuff that I have to enforce.KATIE GRANT: [00:20:28] Yeah, for sure. Juan, you mentioned that, you know, you spent a lot of your career here so far in Walworth County, which, you know, it's a, it's an area that sees a high level of boating traffic. In 2013, you were named the National Boating Law  Enforcement Officer by the National Association of State Boating  Law Administrators.So you've spent a lot of time you know, responding to search and rescue situations, many times involving intoxicated boaters. And you've done a lot of work around educating the public on safe boating. Especially because that boating is so prevalent in the area that you were working in. Why is educating the public on that safety perspective so important? WARDEN JUAN GOMEZ: [00:21:10] Sure. With the amount of presence that we as Field Wardens give, uh, we, we typically try and use that as a deterrent from, uh, people making poor decisions while they're out recreating. Um, you know, a number of the accidents that we respond to generally involve, uh, alcohol and or drugs. And if we can get out there and prevent an accident prior to it happening, uh, the better we are, um, uh, as a whole. You know, a lot of times, uh, the investigations that we are involved with, um, once the accident has taken place, it takes a lot of time and resource and energy from, uh, you know, a variety of, uh, individuals, whether it's the Field Wardens or the local Sheriff's department and, or the dive personnel that we have to utilize to recover a body that's now submerged under, underwater. Um, so if we can be out there, provide the presence, be the deterrent and provide a safety message at every contact that we make, um, the better we are as a whole. KATIE GRANT: [00:22:13] Absolutely. Yeah. Changing gears a little bit. Vong, you have two young nephews that you take everywhere. I can totally relate to that. I...my niece, when she was younger was basically my Mini-Me. So I totally get that. Why is getting them to enjoy the outdoors so important to you?WARDEN VONG XIONG: [00:22:31] Yeah. So a lot of, well, not just for, um, the future of the department. You know, obviously, we are tasked with, as I mentioned before with, with, uh, the management of the resources, but the only way to continue that management, the only way to continue to ensure that we have access to those resources is, uh, funding obviously.And, and without people, without new faces coming into the sport, the funding obviously will decrease. Over the last decade, we've seen decreases at an average of 2% in recreational sports every year. And that's troublesome because that takes away money from the funding that will essentially manage those resources.So, um, not only is it important from that aspect of it, but from the personal aspect of having these kids get into the outdoors and, and taking that step like I did, out of their comfort zone to enjoy something that really is... as a resource that should be cherished. It's a resource that not everybody has access to.You know, some third-world countries don't have it as well as we do as far as the resource goes. And that's super important in my opinion, with, with that and, and introducing kids to, um, something that is a good pastime. Rather you know, uh, then spending time sitting at home, playing video games all day or, or getting into trouble with uh, drugs, alcohol, whatever the case may be. It gets them into, into the outdoors to enjoy something that will keep them out of trouble and put new faces into the sport as well as, as help manage the resource. KATIE GRANT: [00:24:15] And I think the, the pastime aspect you mentioned is really important. Uh, on our last episode we talked to...well, we talked to, uh, Dr. Shilagh Mirgain from UW Madison about the importance of getting outdoors for mental health. And, you know, right now we're spending so much time on Zoom, so much time on our computers, you know, virtual schooling, virtual work... whatever it may be and so giving them that pastime that gets them outdoors, yeah. Super, super important right now. So, this job isn't always easy. How do you guys take care of yourselves? When the work gets to be heavy emotionally? WARDEN VONG XIONG: [00:24:51] Yeah, so I, I can start off. Um, so you see it a lot in the statistics that were published over the last decade, last 20 years with law enforcement and kind of the troubles that law enforcement runs into. And a lot of those involve alcohol. You know, it's a super stressful job. A lot of the decisions you have to make are very difficult and adding alcohol to the mix obviously does not help things. And that's why the suicide rates amongst police officers were so high for such a long time. And they're still really high.Um, the way that I cope with the stress of the job is as I get outside, I get outside and I, I do fish. You know, I participate in fishing. I participate in hunting. I participate in, in boating when I can, um, going for hikes at our state parks, any of that stuff. And then when I get home, say there's not enough time for any of that other stuff.I exercise, you know, I lift weights. I have lifted weights competitively now for, for 10 years, you know, in some fashion. Um, even when I haven't competed, so to speak, I've lifted weights to, to maintain that mental, mental health and mental awareness. WARDEN JUAN GOMEZ: [00:26:05] Yeah, for me, I would say that it starts at home with the family. I have a very supportive spouse. Um, she is the bedrock of the family and kind of can tell when I am, uh, kind of drawing that line where I need to get out and do something. Um, because obviously there is a lot of stress, stresses with the, uh, type of work that we get involved in, um, with our investigations, whether it's a, you know, fatal snowmobile or ATV accident or a hunting-related incident that takes place.And, uh, you know, we're dealing with either a deceased individual or a person that was severely injured and now we're having to deal with, you know, not only the investigation, but the emotional sides of that investigation and the families that are, uh, related to the individual that, uh, uh, was either injured or is now deceased.So my wife is very quick to kind of point those items out to me. Uh, and for me, what I ha, what I enjoy to do is to spend as much time outdoors. And actually, I, I enjoy woodland management. Believe it or not. Um, uh, while I was down in Walworth, I managed a 130 acre tree farm. And for me, it's running behind the chainsaw, uh, cutting, cutting wood.And for us now at home, it's for the fireplace, uh, and, or, uh, taking care of the invasives that are out on the property. Um, I also love to be on a lawnmower. Um, you know, between the, uh, the earmuffs and the hum of the machine there's nothing, no other stressors around. And for me, that's a reliever. Um, and then all the added recreational activities that we enjoy.So the hiking with the family, the biking, uh, the playing or throwing a ball with my three kids, um, and getting them involved outside, um, That's really how I kind of cope with the stresses is just, um, you know, interacting with the family as much as I can. And then doing the things that I enjoy doing, where there's very little thought or stress, stresses involved. KATIE GRANT: [00:28:09] Last summer, this country faced a racial reckoning with the spotlight on law enforcement becoming brighter. Were either of you impacted by the national discussion about race and law enforcement?WARDEN VONG XIONG: [00:28:20] Katie. I think everybody is impacted by the discussion. Whether you're a police officer, whether you're a civilian, it doesn't really matter because realistically all our lives are governed by the government. Um, whether it's traffic laws, fishing, you know, DNR laws, um, ordinances, any of that stuff, it's governed by that.And whether you have positive or negative interactions with the police. So it impacts everybody. And it's super important to be part of that discussion, whether it's from the law enforcement aspect or it's from the civilian aspect, because change starts with every one of us. WARDEN JUAN GOMEZ: [00:29:03] What I would add is that the job has become a little bit more difficult, um, over the, you know, 12 plus years that I've been doing it. And, and as of late, you know, I've had experiences where, uh, individuals are more challenging. Uh, they, they challenge the law enforcement's authority. They challenge, uh, why you're stopping them. They're challenging why you're even having a simple, basic conversation during one of our compliance checks. Um, and that has really, uh, put a dagger into, into the work that we do, um, because the, the joyful conversations that we used to have about, Hey, how's your day going?Oh, how many fish have you caught? Um, you know, how is, how is it today in your world? Um, some of those conversations are no longer taking place and they're much shorter. Um, and they're very more direct and pointed and folks aren't engaged in those types of conversations, because I think that there's this kind of sentiment that they have to be kind of standoffish because now you're the authority.You're here interacting with them and they may be in trouble. Uh, and that's not always the case. You know, you know, 90 plus percent of the people that we deal with on a daily basis are nice people. They're enjoyable to a conversate with, and there's no violations or anything that, uh, we are there to write them a civil forfeiture for. Uh, you know, a lot of times it's just a simple conversation to see how your day's going, see what you have in your basket.Make sure that you're in compliance with the state law. And really just to have a conversation. Um, and I, those days I think are, are, are gone. Um, I, I, like I said, I've noticed a change in our conversations or a context are becoming a little bit more challenging. Um, as we do our work.KATIE GRANT: [00:30:55] You know, if we're being honest, Wisconsin's Conservation Warden service is not super diverse. Right? Why should a person of color want to be a Warden with us here in Wisconsin, if they don't see themselves in that group? If they don't see that diversity there?WARDEN VONG XIONG: [00:31:10] A couple of things here. I think if a person has interest in the outdoors and managing or protecting the resource and they have a want to be a law enforcement officer, I don't think that not seeing yourself in those shoes should stop you for a couple of reasons. Because the saying is, if not me then who? If not now, then when? So if you don't take that step forward, nobody else will take that step forward and nothing will change. So don't look at it as, Hey, I don't see anybody that looks like me.Look at it as, this is an opportunity for me to show the world who I am. And for me to be that first person that other folks can look up to, that I can push for that, that you know, that I can push other folks to be.,Um, in the future.KATIE GRANT: [00:32:06] Bringing in more diversity is something that's really important to the DNR right now. Why do you believe having a diverse team of Wardens is crucial and how does it help the DNR better serve the community? WARDEN JUAN GOMEZ: [00:32:17] Because I'd start off by saying that if we don't have those diverse backgrounds we're viewing things with tunnel vision, Um, you know, when you look at the recreational activities, people recreate for variety of reasons. And if we were to hire the individuals of alike and they only see it one way, that's how that, that mechanism or that, uh, recreational activity is going to be governed.KATIE GRANT: [00:32:42] Yeah. Vong, did you want to add anything to that? WARDEN VONG XIONG: [00:32:45] Yeah, the, um, I guess the only thing I would really add is when we better represent the public, we better represent the trusting relationship that can be there or that is there. KATIE GRANT: [00:32:59] Yeah. Yeah, for sure. For sure. And you know, the Wisconsin DNR serves really everyone who lives works and recreates in Wisconsin. How do you guys connect with people who are different than you while you're doing your jobs? WARDEN VONG XIONG: [00:33:11] I really don't look at it as, Hey, you're different than me. I look at, as this is an opportunity to build another relationship with a person of the public. Whether it's somebody that I've talked to before, once before, twice before, whatever the case may be, it's an opportunity to build that relationship, provide my contact information if they ever need or have questions.Um, because really Wardens are here to help out the public. We're here to investigate obviously environmental, uh, crimes, wildlife crimes, and those sorts of things. But, we're a resource that the department has, um, to help out the public. KATIE GRANT: [00:33:52] We'll lighten it up a little bit here. What gets each of you excited to get out of bed and go to work every morning?WARDEN JUAN GOMEZ: [00:33:57] I said for me, it's, uh, you know, there's no two days alike. Um, I can. I can anticipate having a game plan for my day and having something pop up that completely changes what I thought I was going to do. Uh, I, I love to engage with my team now that I'm in supervision. Um, I have the opportunity to work with young Wardens that are just starting the career, uh, and provide a different perspective than I do. Uh, they have different ways of doing the job than I'm accustomed to and are always teaching me new tricks. Um, especially with like social media and, um, uh, internet-based investigations, the things that these guys think of, uh, to try and, and develop a case.It's just phenomenal. Those are things that I probably would never think of and, you know, rely on these guys to kind of guide me through some of these and kind of educate me. Um, I love the fact that my office is outdoors. You know, uh, as Wardens, we have mobile offices, you know, we live and breathe in our vehicles.The vehicles that we drive have everything that we need for the day and for the weather and for the circumstance. Um, we rarely spend time inside an office. And in the times that we do spend in the office is generally following up on casework or, uh, reports that we have to write. It's more comfortable sitting at a desk to type a report than it is to be sitting sideways in your, uh, vehicle, uh, trying, trying to type a report. Um, I love how the seasons change. Uh, there there's no, no two seasons alike. I just love uh, the opportunity to work outdoors. I love that I never know what my day's going to bring. WARDEN VONG XIONG: [00:35:36] Yeah. I think it aligns a lot with what Juan has is that there's no two days alike. Um, the variety of the job is super fantastic. I mean, it's one where I don't wake up and say, man, it's time to go to my, you know, everyday boring, normal job. It's man. What, what is today going to bring? You know, and that being on your toes constantly is, is really important for not only professional development, but for mental development.Because if you'd never exposed yourself to a new challenge, a new don't learn from the new challenge, you never really change as a person. So that professional development is super important to me. I think we should always strive to be better in any position that we hold. Uh, whether it's coaching, whether it's sports, whether it's your job, you should always strive to be the best person that you can be.Um, not necessarily wanting to promote or anything like that, but just be a better employee. Um, because then people look up to you and. Uh, you know, people look towards you for advice and all that kind of stuff. So the other aspect of it is, is that I wake up and this job is so important because we do enforce and regulate the natural resources.Uh, and we are also coupled with protecting the public. And those two things to me are very important. Obviously, as a person that likes to hunt and fish, I think it's super important that we ensure that we have those natural resources for the future generations. Um, so waking up every day and, and being able to make a difference through every single contact. You know, pulling somebody out of the water that you know, who got overturned and their kayak or the canoe.  Or, um, responding... responding to an ATV crash where somebody breaks a leg and helping transport them out of the trail system so that they can get medical attention and, and start to, to, um, uh, heal. So all of that stuff is super important and that's really what gets me out of bed every day. KATIE GRANT: [00:37:50] What advice do you both have for anyone who's interested in becoming a Warden? WARDEN VONG XIONG: [00:37:55] My advice being that, you know, prior to, uh, being hired part-time in 2016, was don't be afraid to fail. Get into this job. Never be afraid to fail because you only learn from your failures. You'll learn that, hey that didn't work this time. Let me try it again. Next time doing it this way. So you learn from your failures. Um, again, you, you develop that professionalism, you develop that, that resume quote-unquote. And so my advice, my biggest advice is don't be afraid to fail and don't be afraid to take chances. WARDEN JUAN GOMEZ: [00:38:34] And I guess I'll add to that, that, uh, you know, our state has the opportunity to provide individuals with the ride-along opportunities that I spoke with prior.If someone is really interested in knowing what we do or how we do it, or someone is trying to determine if this is the right career path for them, I would encourage them to participate in those ride alongs. Vong had mentioned the LTE program. Uh, I look at the LTE program as a stepping stone to becoming a full-time Conservation Warden.The LTE program allows a person the opportunity to develop the skills that are necessary to be a Conservation Warden. Uh, Vong said it himself that without the LTE position, he would have been a lost soul, uh, coming through the ranks of, uh, as a Warden. Um, so I, I just, always recommend that, uh, you know, if a guy's interested in this position that they utilize the LTE position as that stepping stone to learn the job, uh, try and get, you know, a feel for what Wardens do for a day-to-day basis and apply the skills that they learned during that during their time in that position to better themselves in the interview process.Uh, or promote themselves during that interview process so that they're successful candidates getting offered the full-time position. KATIE GRANT: [00:39:57] The application period to become a Warden is now open through April 25th. Visit dnr.wi.gov and search "Warden Recruitment" for more information and to apply today. SARAH HOYE: [00:40:10] You've been listening to Wild Wisconsin. A podcast brought to you by the Wisconsin DNR. For more great episodes listen and subscribe to Wild Wisconsin wherever you get your podcasts.

For decades, the creature described as a man with a dog’s head, or a dog that walks upright has been spotted by many eyewitnesses. Join me as we examine the Dogman phenomenon. The Beast of Bray Road, also known as the Bray Road Beast and the Wisconsin Werewolf, is a purported humanoid wolf-like creature allegedly witnessed in or near the rural community of Elkhorn, Walworth County, Wisconsin. Named for the farm road in which it was first allegedly sighted, Bray Road, reports of the creature in the 1980s and 1990s prompted a local newspaper, the Walworth County Week, to assign reporter Linda Godfrey to cover the story.

Stu Levitan welcomes Miles Harvey for a conversation about his new book, The King of Confidence: A Tale of Utopian Dreamers, Frontier Schemers, True Believers, False Prophets, and the Murder of an American Monarch. Miles gave a very successful talk at the Wisconsin Book Festival last fall. Alas, Stu was not able to schedule him before that appearance, and he's very happy to be able to bring him and his wildly entertaining book to you now. James Jesse Strang was born in rural western New York in 1813. As a man, he was short and balding and entirely unprepossessing except for his eyes. He became a jack-of-many useful trades – most importantly attorney, postmaster, and newspaper editor. He called himself “a perfect atheist, an inveterate unbeliever and opposer of the Mormon faith.” Yet in early 1844, on a happenstance visit to the large Mormon enclave at Nauvoo Illinois, he was baptized by the religion's founder, Joseph Smith himself. A week later, he was ordained an elder of the church by Smith's older brother, Hyrum. And when Joseph Smith was murdered by an anti-Mormon mob five months later, Strang declared that the prophet had chosen him as his successor. And he pressed his case so successfully that he attracted hundreds of followers to the Walworth County community of Voree, then thousands of devotees to Beaver Island in Lake Michigan, where he proclaimed himself King of Earth and Heaven – and also got elected to the Michigan House of Representatives. How James Strang pulled it off – and how he, too, met a violent end – is the business that occupies Miles Harvey in The King of Confidence, which also serves as a portrait of the weird and wild world that was antebellum America, and features cameos by P.T. Barnum, Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Charles Dickens, Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, John Brown, and even the President of the United States, Millard Fillmore. The King of Confidence is Miles Harvey's third book, following the national and international bestseller The Island of Lost Maps and Painter in a Savage Land, which was named a Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year and a Booklist Editors' Choice. He also teaches creative writing at DePaul University in Chicago, where he is a founding editor of Big Shoulders Books. It is a pleasure to finally welcome to Madison BookBeat Miles Harvey.

We get a COVID-19 update from Carlo Nevicosi, Deputy Director of the Walworth County Health Department.

Hello Wanderers! Welcome to Episode 34 of Wandering Wisco. Join co-hosts Owen Walcott and Monica Samsin as they adventure county to county in Wisconsin and visit villages, cities, and landmarks and discuss their adventures. This episode covers the second part of Walworth County. Villages and cities covered are: Lake Geneva, Bloomfield, Genoa City, Elkhorn, East Troy, and Whitewater.

Hello Wanderers! Welcome to Episode 33 of Wandering Wisco. Join co-hosts Owen Walcott and Monica Samsin as they adventure county to county in Wisconsin and visit villages, cities, and landmarks and discuss their adventures. This episode covers the first part of Walworth County. Villages and cities covered are: Delavan, Delavan Lake, Darien, Sharon, Walworth, Fontana-on-Geneva Lake, and Williams Bay.

We begin with Margaret Gesner and Jeffrey Langlieb from the Greater Racine County Health Department- and finish up with Carlo Nevicosi from the Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services .... for COVID-19 updates.

Remember the MacIver News story back in March reporting that 43 Wisconsinites had been referred by the Wisconsin Elections Commission to local law enforcement for investigation into possible double voting in the 2018 general election? Of course you don't. Anything that happened in this world pre Covid-19 seems like it was eons ago. We are finally starting to find out more about the circumstances surrounding this alleged voter fraud. While the Elections Commission denied MacIver's rrequest for the actual names, we now know that of the 43 separate incidents of potential voter fraud, 29 voted in person at the polls in Wisconsin and 14 voted by absentee ballot. Dane County led the way with 8 incidents, Walworth County 7 and Milwaukee and Kenosha Counties had 5 each. 26 of these individuals supposedly voted in both Wisconsin and Illinois. Now the important question is will the local District Attorneys actually investigate these 43 individuals and prosecute the fraud or will they ignore the problem? For more visit: https://www.maciverinstitute.com/2020/05/state-suspects-voter-fraud-committed-in-19-wisconsin-counties/

KatieBeth & Allison talk about religion, how hard it is coming out if your family is religious, social media trolling dealing with peoples hateful opinions, being a helper and how Katie fights the hate. If you would like more information on all thing’s LGBT, check out The LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin. The LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin is an open affirming environment for people of all sexual orientations and gender identity expressions. Providing support, education, resources and advocacy to achieve a stronger and healthier world for all LGBTQ+ people and allies. With collaborative networking in Racine, Kenosha, Walworth County and Northern Illinois, they are empowering the community to provide a safe space to support and celebrate LGBTQ+ diversity, equity, visibility and community building.

Marc Solheim is a low-key Milwaukee music legend. Though he rarely takes the stage himself these days (except when he fronts his Morrissey and The Smiths cover band, Salford Lads Club), Solheim has been a noted figure in Wisconsin music for close to 30 years. The Pabst Theater Group booker has been instrumental in bringing some notable — and once-unthinkable — acts to Milwaukee and, along the way, he's also helped Turner Hall Ballroom delve into wrestling events. Well before he was making shows happen at a cluster of downtown venues, Solheim was living in Walworth County and fronting a high school band. After moving an hour north after graduation, he saw potential in many Milwaukee bands and found his way into management. From there, he also booked shows at The Globe, The Unicorn and Mad Planet, where he brought bands like No Doubt, Alkaline Trio and Arcade Fire to the city for the first time. He has a treasure trove of great stories, and he was gracious enough to talk about his lengthy and incredibly interesting career in music, artist management, concert booking and much more when he met up with My First Band host Tyler Maas at Milwaukee Record headquarters. My First Band is sponsored by Mystery Room Mastering. The show is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever else you get podcasts. Music used in this show comes courtesy of Devils Teeth (“The Junction Street Eight Tigers”) and Subside ("Strike Three").

KatieBeth has a big summer of shows ahead, we get the scoop and then KatieBeth & Allison talk to the LGBT Center of SE WI. The LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin is an open affirming environment for people of all sexual orientations and gender identity expressions. Providing support, education, resources and advocacy to achieve a stronger and healthier world for all LGBTQ+ people and allies.  With collaborative networking in Racine, Kenosha, Walworth County and Northern Illinois, they are empowering the community to provide a safe space to support and celebrate LGBTQ+ diversity, equity, visibility and community building.

Now that we’ve reached the end of summer, it’s time for a market update. I was looking at some statistics from our MLS recently and discovered five things I think you should all be aware of: 1. The number of listings is down. This is true for all the various counties in our local market. Milwaukee County is down about 8%, Waukesha County is down about 7%, Ozaukee County is down 8.6%, Washington County is down 11.1%, Walworth County is down 11.5%, and Racine County is down 8.3%. So, as you can see, there are fewer options available these days for buyers. 2. Sales are still up. Despite the lack of listings, sales are up across our market with the exception of Waukesha and Walworth County. “Whether you’re thinking of buying or selling, now is a great time to do so.” 3. The average days on market are down. The average days on market is approximately 39 for the entire area. A year ago, the average days on market was around 10 to 15 days higher than this. 4. Median sale prices are up. In Milwaukee County, prices have risen about 5%, for a median sales price of $162,500. In Waukesha County, prices are up over 5%. There, the median sales price is $295,000. Ozaukee County’s median sales price is up to $300,000, having risen 7% over last year. In Washington County, the median sales price is nearly $249,500, which represents a whopping 17% increase over last year. Walworth County’s median sales price rose 12% to $213,000, and Racine County is up an astounding 26%, for a current median sales price of $178,000. 5. Interest rates are on the rise. This is something you’ve probably already heard. Yet, you should note that it’s still affordable to purchase a home. Right now, you can still get a 30-year fixed mortgage for about 4.5% or 4.75%. With that in mind, though, the Feds are set to raise rates a few more times by the end of the year. Whether you’re thinking of buying or selling, now is a great time to do so. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Should you leave room for negotiation in your list price? Many people think that they need to take thousands or tens of thousands less than their asking price. That’s not true. I looked up some statistics for Greater Milwaukee and checked the average list-to-sale price ratio. Here’s what I found for each county in the Greater Milwaukee area: Milwaukee County- 98% Waukesha County- 98.3% Ozaukee County- 98% Washington County- 98.6% Racine County- 98.7% Walworth County- 96.7% “The market won’t let you underprice your home, but you can overprice it.” Based on these figures, you can see that you’re better off pricing your home at a price that is going to cause it to sell and bring in the most buyers. If you ask too much for your home, you won’t get showings, therefore you won’t bring in buyers. Another thing you need to understand is that the market won’t let you underprice your home. A buyer who was working with our team who made an offer on a house that was $20,000 above its asking price and didn’t get it. The market wouldn’t let that seller underprice their home. If you have any questions about what’s happening in the market or with your individual home, don’t hesitate to reach out and give us a call or send us an email. We would love to help out.

More snow in God's country.A new Pope in the coming week.News 24/7.Mail Bag:Three from Mike:1) Geography of a woman.2) Adult Scrabble.3) Letter from an Airline Pilot.One from Earl: Chavez bites the dust.Three from Ray:1) Wow...woman stops Grizzly bear attack with .25 cal pistol!2) Senior drivers.3) Senior health and safety course.Three from Peter: 1) Toddler dies after pit bull attack in Walworth County.2) Middleton foster care agency under investigation.3) Georgia city looks to make gun ownership mandatory.The Rest of the Show:All email this week.