Reports received by the police departments in Price County for the month have been condensed and summarized.
PRICE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Note: A sample of reports from 2/1 through 2/14 are missing as My Price County did not receive them from the county. If we get those reports, we will add them.
2/14/22 - A man called to report damage to the passenger rear bumper and tail light area of his vehicle. He believed the damaged occurred in Phillips on February 13, 2022.
2/15/22 - A business owner received some concerning text messages from a customer after he did some work for the customer. The man said the messages kept getting stranger and stranger.
2/15/22 - A man requested extra patrol due to a green Jeep Cherokee SUV that was driving recklessly on the road, spinning its tires, and weaving from one side of the road to the other. The man stated he had seen the vehicle in the past, usually between 3:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.
2/16/22 - A man asked to speak to an investigator about threats he received.
2/16/22 - A man was causing a disturbance at a business in Prentice, and he ended up passing out in the corner of the store.
2/17/22 - A woman called to report that her daughter accidentally hit a fast food restaurant in Phillips with her vehicle. There were no injuries.
2/18/22 - A woman called to report a snowmobile accident on Trail 101 in the Township of Eisenstein. The person was semi-conscious, breathing, lying in the snow, and starting to talk. Once the person became fully conscious, he was adamant he wanted to meet emergency services at a nearby resort. Emergency services did respond, a helicopter was requested, but the weather conditions did not permit the helicopter to fly, and the man refused to be transported to a hospital.
2/18/22 - A woman reported that a man had started a fire in her upstairs. She was advised to exit the building. Ogema Fire Department and other emergency services responded. It was determined there was no fire and something was burning on the stove.
2/18/22 - A woman reported that the mother of a child was selling the child's medication instead of giving it to her while she was at her mother's house. The mother lives in another county.
2/19/22 - A welfare check was requested on a woman who did not show up for work. The previous evening, a co-worker's wife had received a message from the woman stating "I need help; it's an emergency," but no one heard anything from her after that. The boyfriend of the woman texted the same co-worker's wife asking if she knew where the woman was.
2/19/22 - A man arrived in the sheriff's office lobby to visit an inmate. The man had an active warrant and was taken into custody.
2/20/22 - A woman called wanting dispatch to contact her case worker to get her more pills as she believed they had been stolen by a man she took in off the street because he was cold who she later said she has actually known for years. Dispatch told her a deputy would need to be contacted, and the woman stated she did not want a deputy contacted. Ten minutes later the woman called back stating she found her pills.
2/20/22 - A man reported a two tone older 1990s pick-up had swerved into his lane, almost hitting him, and then the truck followed him home, and then turned around and headed north on Hwy. 13.
2/20/22 - An anonymous caller reported that underage people were drinking at a bar in Park Falls.
2/21/22 - A man reported a two vehicle accident with injury in the Township of Prentice.
2/22/22 - A woman reported she hit a UPS truck parked on County Road E, and there was more than $1,000 of damage to the vehicle but there were no injuries. County Road E was not plowed and had one open lane down the middle of the road.
2/24/22 - A man reported property damage at a rental he owns in the Town of Fifield. A neighbor stated he had not seen the tenant in a month. A maintenance worker did a welfare check and found the residence to be empty but there were damages stemming from water in the bathroom.
2/24/22 - A woman reported her husband saw a man pick up and take her dog, a 13-year old Golden Retriever with hearing and vision difficulties, which had been walking down the road. Her husband did not know the make, model, or color of the vehicle.
2/25/22 - A woman received a phone scam that stated her grandson had been hurt, was in a lot of pain, and needed money. The woman hung up and reported the scam to police.
2/25/22 - A woman came to the Price County Sheriff's Office to file a report of recent meetings' violations involving the Price County fairgrounds sale. She reported violations by the Price County Board and Price County Administrator.
2/26/22 - A woman reported a suspicious vehicle near her cabin. The white utility van had green writing on the side of it. The woman believed the person in the vehicle was drunk as he was slurring his words.
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PHILLIPS POLICE DEPARTMENT
1/31/22 - The Phillips Police Department, along with the Price County Sheriff's Department, executed a drug search warrant on Lake Avenue in the City of Phillips. As a result, a 39 year old male was arrested for possession of a schedule II drug, ecstasy, possession of a schedule II narcotic, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, felon in possession of a firearm, and habitual criminality. The adult male was held at the Price County Jail until he can see the judge for the bail/bond hearing.
2/1/22 - Police assisted with a man who was experiencing blood loss and was transported to the hospital.
2/1/22 - Police received a report of a man walking west on Flambeau Avenue carrying a shotgun and an open carry pistol on his side. The man reported he was walking to his friend's residence and they were going to the firearms range. The officer explained to the male what steps he should take when carrying firearms to his friend's residence when he is close to a school.
2/1/22 - Police received a complaint from a woman who reported an unknown male walked into her house and said he needed to hide. The woman screamed several times for the male to get out, and the male ran off. The male offender was stopped by a Price County deputy. The officer interviewed the man and arrested him for criminal trespass to dwelling and felony bail jumping. The male was held at the Price County Jail.
2/7/22 - Police assisted the Central Price County Ambulance Service with a male individual who was involved in a snowmobile accident. The officer on scene observed the male suspect was showing signs of impairment, ran the male individual through Standardized Field Sobriety, and determined the male suspect was under the influence.
2/7/22 - Police went to an apartment complex to conduct follow-up on an investigation. The officer was met at the apartment door by two large dogs and the female owner. One of the dogs was acting aggressive. The officer checked with the Price County Dispatch Center and learned neither dog was registered with the county. The officer warned the adult male owner and issued a five day verbal notice to register the dogs or receive a citation.
2/7/22 - Police assisted the Price County Sheriff's Department with a male individual who was involved in a high-speed pursuit with the Price County Sheriff's Department. An officer stood by while the male was ran through Standardized Field Sobriety. The male was transported to the medical center for OWI blood draw and medical clearance.
2/12/22 - Police responded to a report of an adult male yelling and standing in traffic on North Lake Avenue. An officer attempted to make contact with male who fled onto Elk Lake. Price County Sheriff's deputies responded with a tracked ATV and apprehended the adult male who was arrested for misdemeanor bail jumping and disorderly conduct and was held at the Price County Jail on a probation hold.
2/14/22 - At North Lake Avenue and Trinity Drive, police responded to a two vehicle accident where one vehicle had rolled over. No parties were injured. An officer investigated the accident and will be issuing a citation for inattentive driving.
2/15/22 - A registered sex offender was reportedly staying the City of Phillips. An officer met with the adult male and advised him of the City of Phillips ordinance prohibiting sex offenders from living within certain areas in relation to schools and parks. The officer advised the male that if he did not vacate his accommodations within 24 hours, he would receive a citation.
2/21/22 - A caller stated a person was on the ice on Elk Lake in front of the highway department. The caller was concerned for the individual as they would sit down on the ice and then get up and wave their arms. The caller felt the person may be having a possible medical issue.
2/23/22 - A caller reported a male entering a residence without the consent of the homeowner.
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PARK FALLS POLICE DEPARTMENT
2/5/22 - A woman contacted police about a letter and bill for $40 that she received from a local car wash stating she was dumping too much trash in their garbage bins, but the woman said she was only dumping her car trash in the garbage cans when she cleaned her car there.
2/7/22 - A man reported his vehicle missing, but the night prior he had informed police he loaned it to a woman. The woman and another man ran some errands and then were returning the vehicle to the owner of the vehicle when police arrived. While there, the vehicle owner threw a bag of clothing outside, told the woman she stole money from him, and told her to leave his property. Some yelling occurred.
2/7/22 - A traffic stop of a vehicle with no license plates led to a driver being cited for operating while revoked, and the driver will also be referred for bail jumping.
2/11/22 - A City of Park Falls snow plow truck struck a light pole at the intersection of 4th Avenue and 5th Street North. There was no injury but the pole was damaged and knocked to the ground.
2/13/22 - Officers responded to a citizen complaint of abuse. The suspect was arrested for domestic violence, battery, and damage to property.
2/16/22 - Members of the Park Falls school board received text messages that pretended to be another member of the school board. The texts stated the man had changed his number, needed them to buy Goggle Play, and he would reimburse them later. Police figure the scammer got the phone numbers from the school's website.
2/17/22 - There was property damage due to a vehicle crash in the alleyway between 2nd Avenue North and the pool.
2/20/22 - UW-Madison police called about a possible homicide that could have occurred on week prior. The UW-Madison police had just arrested a man who appeared to be under the influence of marijuana and other possible substances, and the man said he father killed his mother in Park Falls a week prior. Upon investigation, the arrested man was referring to a homicide that occurred in 1999, and the man who killed the woman is still in prison for the homicide. The arrested man later stated he has been "time-traveling since 1999."
2/22/22 - A two vehicle crash occurred on County Hwy. E west of Park Falls.
2/23/22 - A man kicked in the apartment door at his residence, causing damage. The man was located by Price County deputies and arrested for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and felony and misdemeanor bail jumping.
2/26/22 - A hit and run accident, which caused damages in excess of $1,000, occurred at a local store.
SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES - SHOP PRICE COUNTY FIRST: Fred Mueller Ford, Phillips, sells a full line of automobiles and offers quality mechanic services performed by factory-trained technicians. Visit Fred Mueller Ford's website., follow their Facebook page, call 715-339-3045, or view their inventory at 175 North Avenopn Avenue in Phillips.
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In partnership with YMCA of the Northwoods, the City of Park Falls was awarded a $5,675,000 grant to build a YMCA in Park Falls.
According to the City of Park Falls, the grant is "part of a nearly $650 million investment allocated by the governor for community building and recovery efforts statewide, the Neighborhood Investment Fund program, which is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) and is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)."
The idea came in the spring of 2021 from Allie Plessner, a local resident, who saw the need for additional day care after seeing the loss of two day cares in Park Falls. Allie's search for needed child services in the area led her to Ryan Zietlow, the CEO of YMCA of the Northwoods, located in Rhinelander. Ryan toured the community, met with the local school district, and determined Park Falls would be a good area for their services.
Michael Bablick, the mayor of Park Falls, and Allie also met with Ryan to determine where the facility would reside. According to the city, "The goal was to find a location within our City that would suit the building and office needs of an operating YMCA community building." Finding a location was proving difficult. Significant donor money was offered to the project, but due partly to high construction costs, there were not enough funds to renovate or construct what was necessary for the YMCA.
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As luck would have it, the DOA announced the Neighborhood Investment Fund program. The deadline for application was December 11, 2021, so the Park Falls Common Council acted quickly. After three months, the funding was approved, and YMCA of the Northwoods will be coming to Park Falls. Services are slated to begin no later than Fall 2023.
Ryan Zietlow, CEO of YMCA of the Northwoods, stated, “It was evident early on that the City of Park Falls could benefit from the transformative programs and services our YMCA would be able to provide. YMCA’s are only successful with strong community support, which we have seen. We developed an early and strong partnership with the Chequamegon School District, looking at ways to impact our youth and the challenges they face. With additional needs in child care, health, and wellness opportunities, family support, as well as impacting our senior population, there is tremendous opportunity to make a difference on the lives of the Park Falls area. We see good things happening in Park Falls and want to be a part of them. As we develop final concepts of what this YMCA will become, we will look forward to engaging with the community to ensure the facility is one that will serve all for generations to come. We anticipate wellness space and classes, youth activities and enrichment, family programming, child care, after school care, and more. We will look to serve from birth on, in a way that is much needed in our important rural communities. We thank Allie Plessner for being a catalyst for the community and for the mayor, city, and community of being supportive of this endeavor. The YMCA of the Northwoods is thankful for this opportunity to serve the Park Falls community and we look forward to being a part of what the bright future will become.”
SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES - SHOP PRICE COUNTY FIRST: With many face cords of maple and red oak on hand and ready, there is plenty of firewood for your needs at Daryl's Firewood. Visit Daryl's Firewood's website or call Daryl at 715-339-6885 or 312-968-9261 for pick-up or delivery in Price County. Follow Daryl's Firewood's Facebook page.
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The Town of Worcester held a special meeting on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. The meeting, attracting over fifty residents, was so large it was moved from the town hall to the adjacent building.
The focus of the meeting was the possible resignation of the entire town board due to their claims of harassment from certain residents. The board emphasized their possible resignations had nothing to do with the current pending lawsuit.
There has been turmoil for some time. The town has had three different clerks since November 2020. The board stated, "New clerks have been trying to learn the position even amongst constant pressure for open records requests and criticism on how to do their job." One clerk reportedly resigned in tears due to fear of her safety from residents. The current town clerk has tried to learn the position but has not been able to get the training needed from the previous town clerks who don't want to help out due to the current climate of the situation. He also feels it is not worth it to continue in the position.
Many town residents spoke supporting the clerk and town board. Many were not pleased with Anthony Sleck, a resident who has a civil suit against the Town of Worcester. His suit alleges the town is violating the Open Records Law. He states that the board members are civil servants who represent the town and its residents, and he feels they are not doing their jobs appropriately. He feels they are not effectively listening to the residents they represent and are not transparent enough about how they run the township.
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Karen Smart, a resident in the Town of Worcester, was one of many to disagree. She stated it was sad that certain residents feel they have a right to intimidate, threaten, and cause undue stress to the board. She added that she appreciates the job the town board is doing.
Since it was possible the entire board might resign at the meeting, Robert Kopisch, the chair of the Price County Board; Nick Trimner, the county administrator; and Jean Gottwald, the county clerk, also attended the meeting. They were there to determine if the town may need emergency services from the county. However, those services won't be needed just yet. In the end, Jeremy Pesko and Paul Precour said they would stay in their positions until the next election. Scott Revak, the town clerk, chose to resign. Jim Heizler, town board chair, was uncertain of his decision, but two supervisors have stated their intent to resign at the March 15th regular meeting at 7 p.m.
Only three board members are needed to get a vacancy filled. Should too many people resign, the Price County clerk would call a special election for the vacancies.
Paul Precour addressed the people in attendance. “We need someone from the public that would be willing to fill at least the one spot to begin with, so all of you that are here today, we really appreciate your support, this means a lot, but we do need one of you, or possibly two of you, to be willing to step forward.” The board asked residents to spread the word to help fill the positions. Anyone interested can contact the Worcester Town Hall.
SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES - SHOP PRICE COUNTY FIRST: Fred Mueller Ford, Phillips, sells a full line of automobiles and offers quality mechanic services performed by factory-trained technicians. Visit Fred Mueller Ford's website., follow their Facebook page, call 715-339-3045, or view their inventory at 175 North Avon Avenue in Phillips.
Butternut is located in both Price and Ashland Counties. Just over the Price County border, a family lost their home in Butternut and needs donations. Learn how you can help.
NOTE: If you have a benefit, fund-raiser, or donation need for you or a loved one, please contact us. We will write an article and/or post it on our community calendar to assist with spreading the word in hope of getting the help you or your loved ones need.
Dan and Barb Koch raised their family on Bear Lake Road in Butternut. Dan is a pulp truck driver. Barb works part-time at a gas station and is a full-time student. The couple has six children, including Terri, Danielle, Josh, Kevin, Kimberly, and Tyler. Three of their children reside at home.
On Tuesday, March 1, 2022, while Terri and a friend were home, a fire broke out. There is not yet a confirmation for the start of the fire at this time, but the home and its contents are a complete loss. The family also lost their two family cats. No person was harmed in the fire.
Donations are appreciated. Clothing sizes needed include boys' large shirts, ladies' size medium shirts, ladies' size 7-8 jeans, ladies' size 8 shoes, men's size large shirts, and men's size 12 shoes. This list will be updated if more sizes get reported by the family.
If you would rather not donate on-line, you can drop off a monetary donation at these local businesses: Village Pitstop, Signature Sign, Schienebeck Shanty, Butternut Feed Store, Jen’s Butternut Cafe, Double D’s, Northern State Bank, and Smart Plumbing & Heating or at the village hall.
Food and clothing donations can be dropped off with Cindy Yeske Pritzl at 301 West Michigan Street in Butternut.
If you are from out of the area, you can private message Cindy Koch on Facebook to make other arrangements. Cindy, the brother of Dan, added, "God bless all your prayers, support, and love!"
A fund-raising event is being planned for Saturday, March 26th. Once it is planned, details will be included in this article and on our community calendar, which you can view by clicking on Events in the navigation bar.
Danny and Barb Koch are pictured with four of their six children. Photos Submitted By: Cindy Koch
NOTE: If you have a benefit, fund-raiser, or donation need for you or a loved one, please contact us. We will write an article and/or post it on our community calendar to assist with spreading the word in hope of getting the help you or your loved ones need.
A crypto mining operation has likely come to the former Park Falls paper mill leaving many residents wondering what exactly a crypto mining operation is and how it will impact the area.
Crypto currency is a digital form of money. There are not any tangible bills or coins. To earn this digital form of currency, also known as mining it, massive, high-performance computers are required. The computers verify crypto currency transactions that occur on the Internet. The first computer to verify the transaction as legitimate, through a series of complex math equations, earns the reward of digital currency. Basically, the company who owns the computers, which do the mathematical equations, earns their money through the resources of computers rather than people. A crypto mining operation in Park Falls will not create a large number of jobs and will quite possibly not create any jobs.
According to their website, BBZ Technology Co., Ltd. is one of these crypto mining companies. The company was founded in October 2012 and is a financial service company committed to diversified investment. In 2017, BBZ started to explore the block chain mining industry, such as block chain games and mobile phone mining. In May 2021, BBZ Technology Co., Ltd. and SOS Limited entered into a strategic partnership to begin construction of a block chain mining site. The Wisconsin mining site, located in Park Falls, Wisconsin, opened in February 2022 and the Texas mining site is expected to open in March 2022. BBZ Technology Co., Ltd. is listed as being based out of China. Actual ownership of the mill is listed as Northwoods Group Realty, LLC as of January 2022.
(Article continues after promotional image) SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES IN PRICE COUNTY: Park Village offers affordable, active living in a park-like setting for those 55+ and disabled persons in Park Falls. Rent is based on 30% Adjusted Gross Income. Small pets under 30 pounds are welcome. Contact Park Village at 715-762-4747.
The company states that the Park Falls site is a good location because "the mild summer and cold winter season enable Wisconsin [to be] a better crypto mining site for the heat loss of miner machines. The factory in Park Falls crypto mining site can also accommodate about twenty 40-foot crypto mining containers, and each 40-foot container has 336 slots, which perfectly avoids the precipitation and moisture problems that may be encountered when the containers are placed in [an] open area." There is a giant transformer in the paper mill and a new batch of transformers arrived the beginning of February. The company states the total capacity of the site is 20 megawatts (MW).
Some American conservation groups state crypto mining companies are looking for places that have relatively inexpensive power in a rather cool climate. These groups feel the energy used can pollute the area. For example, rivers may increase in temperature, which would promote the growth of algae and possibly kill fish. Carbon dioxide emissions may increase, as well, which has been documented by some conservation groups in other cities in America when a former plant is turned into a crypto mining operation. However, crypto mining companies dispute these viewpoints. Many of them state they are carbon neutral because they buy carbon credits that offset the plant's emissions. Government agencies at other sites have reported there is not a significant change to the environment.
Michael Bablick, the mayor of Park Falls commented, "To my understanding, no more electricity will be used than what the mill used when it was a paper mill, which was about 20-25 MW. I have no evidence that there will be an impact on the river, either. Obviously this is a fluid situation, and I will be monitoring it closely." Mayor Bablick also commented that there are not any specific permits required for crypto mining operations and there do not appear to be any obvious ordinance or zoning violations. He added, "We will be monitoring it closely to ensure all local laws are followed."
Further, the City of Park Falls issued a press release and stated, "The city does not believe this use is the best use of the property in terms of jobs for our area; however, that is a matter solely for the owner of the mill to decide. The mayor has facilitated site visits with local businesses in order to foster expansion of local businesses and hopefully they will prove fruitful. We do know there has been a lot of interest in the property for various expansion plans and will continue to work with those parties to facilitate and encourage reuse which is beneficial to the whole area."
Aside from the crypto mining aspect, but in related news, the current owners of the mill received all necessary permits from the city and DNR to demolish a large boiler on site, known as Number 6 Boiler. The large structure with a smokestack is located south of Hwy. 182. The demolition company plans to have the structure down in the Spring 2022. The owners of the mill will continue to liquidate the rest of the mill, which is still expected to take two to three years.
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On Friday, February 18, 2022, many residents saw a high police presence in the area. Specifically, there were reports of a number of police cars in downtown Park Falls. The Price County Sheriff's Office executed three search warrants that day due to a long-term investigation into the manufacturing of methamphetamine. Those warrants were issued in the Towns of Lake and Fifield and in the City of Park Falls.
Five people have been arrested and booked into the Price County Jail as a result of the investigation. The offenses include conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, manufacturing methamphetamine, possessing material for manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of waste from manufacturing methamphetamine, keeping a drug trafficking house, delivery of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine drug paraphernalia, purchase of more then 7.5 grams of pseudoephedrine in 30 days, purchase pseudoephedrine products on behalf of another, possession of THC, possession of controlled substances, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
There are three other people who will have criminal charges referred to the Price County District Attorney's Offices due to this investigation.
Additional arrests and criminal referrals are expected as the investigation is ongoing.
The Price County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Price County K9 Unit, Price County District Attorney's Office, Phillips Police Department, Park Falls Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigators, Wisconsin Department of Justice CLEAR Team, Oneida County Sheriff's Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, Park Falls Fire and Rescue, Park Falls EMS, and Central Price County Ambulance.
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Per today's primary, Britt Bilgrien and Bryan Weisrock will be on the spring ballot for the school board. About 17% of eligible voters cast a ballot. The unofficial totals are as follows:
SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES IN PRICE COUNTY: Lake Village offers affordable, active living in a park-like setting for those 55+ and disabled persons. Rent is based on 30% Adjusted Gross Income. Small pets under 30 pounds are welcome. Contact Lake Village at 715-339-4148.
Ken Haines grew up on the southwest side of Eau Claire. He said he never knew what he wanted to be when he grew up, but he certainly figured it out along the way. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed at Park Air Force Base in California. He completed training in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and then he spent three years stationed in Hawaii. He worked in Milwaukee for five years while he was single. He met Mary, who became his wife, and they had two children, Brenda and Jenny. The family moved from Eau Claire to Phillips in 1979 while Ken was working for Northwestern Loan. He then worked at Phillips Plastics as a supervisor for nine years. During that time, he set his sights on being an entrepreneur.
He remarked that he noticed some of the most influential business people when he moved to the area. "There were people I liked around here when I got to Phillips. I looked at guys like Bob Cervenka who grew up in a very common type of family and look at what he's done. And Carl Marschke and people like that, like the Baratkas. You look at them and see what they did and really were making something of themselves." Ken said those men proved you can build something from nothing if you put in the time and effort. Ken decided to focus his time and effort on a carpet and furniture store. He started his business in downtown Phillips. About twenty years ago the business moved to its current location on the south end of town, located at 722 South Lake Avenue in Phillips.
Ken's Carpet and Consignment Store sells a wide array of products, including appliances, bedding, and flooring. He also offers a consignment business for used furniture. If you have furniture you would like to sell, or if you are looking for a quality used item to buy, stop by Ken's Carpet to see what he can offer you. (Follow Ken's Carpet & The Consignment Store's Facebook page.) He recently has gotten involved with the sale of solar systems, as well. "We will be at the Home and Sport Show in March," Ken noted, so make sure to visit him at the booth or stop into Ken's Carpet and Consignment Store before then to get a brochure and talk with Ken. "Talking to people from all walks of life is one of the things I enjoy most about my job," Ken shared.
Along with having a genuine interest in his customers, his work ethic has made him a successful business owner, and he feels that is the most important thing to be successful. "Young people need to get an attitude that you are going to work for a living. If you want to be a little bit more successful in your life, go on out and take advantage of our schools. Not everybody needs a college degree. Everybody isn't fit to go to college, but the State of Wisconsin has a very good rated tech school, so learn a trade and you can be more successful if that is what you are looking to do. Take advantage of the education systems that are out there. You don't need to be a genius, but you need to have a work ethic."
Ken shared that he notices a lack of carpet layers in the area as the ones that have been successful in the business are now getting older and retiring, and he isn't seeing many young people pursue that path. Like many trades, Ken said young people need to realize that is where the money is. "I think there are people who would like to get into it, but they don't know anything about that career. If a kid doesn't want to go to a college or a tech school, that is an option they might want to get interested in. Carpet layers make good money. You take a carpet layer around here working 5 days a week, and they can knock out a 100 grand a year like a shot, and they don't need a big investment or anything. If they want to go to a bigger city, they can make a lot more money than that. In the Twin Cities area, I know guys who are very aggressive and work more than forty hours per week, and they are making $200,000 a year laying flooring. The young kids don't know that because nobody tells them." However, Ken admitted that money isn't everything, either. "I did a lot of different things, but the thing I have really liked is working for myself. I could go out to some factory and make a lot more money than I make out of this store, but I do like coming in here. I like doing what I'm doing. I think if you are fairly happy doing what you are doing, then you are doing okay. You can look at somebody making a lot more money, but is that person always the happiest person on the block? Not necessarily. Money ain't everything."
Ken shared that young people should consider living in the area. He said Phillips is certainly not a big city but that is the charm of it. "It's the lifestyle here." He stated that many people are moving to the area for the lifestyle because more jobs have moved to a work from home environment. Ken feels the new school should attract younger families, and he appreciates the people who are doing things to make the area better, including those considering fixing up the fairgrounds, the campground put in place by the city, the development happening in Elk Lake Park, and everything that keeps making the area better and more inviting. "I look at it from a business standpoint. How do you know if a guy is pulling a motor home through town on vacation with his family, and he pulls up to Philips and notices they have a city campground, so he says 'We'll spend the night at the campground.' Maybe this guy is from Illinois or Milwaukee and he's an owner of some kind of a factory. Maybe he goes downtown for breakfast the next morning at a restaurant and decides they have an airport here and other good things, and we have been looking to expand our factory, so maybe this is a good place to bring a factory. You don't know what could happen from this positive growth; it could happen."
As for Ken's family life, both as a child and adult, he has always had a large family. He is one of twelve siblings. Adding to that already large family, he and Mary had two daughters who gave them six grandchildren, and he now has seven great grandchildren, all sprinkled across the country. "In general, I like the life that I have. I have a good family. I had very good parents and a lot of good brothers and sisters and their families and my daughters and grandchildren," Ken said, reminiscing over his life.
In his childhood, he remembers he, his siblings, and many of the neighborhood children would spend much of their time outside. "It's a completely different world," he shared. "Now most kids are inside on their devices, but we spent our time outside building a shack or swimming." They also liked to ice skate and play ball. "Everybody around there had kids. There were families of four, five, or six kids. There were hundreds of kids all around. In the summertime, we'd go out there and play ball. I was okay but wasn't going to be a big baseball star. In the early '50s, when I was about 13 years old or so, Eau Claire had a Class C major league baseball team that was part of the Milwaukee Braves. And we saw several ball players that came through there one summer. The two that I really remember were Hank Aaron and Billy Bruton. Both of them made it into the majors, and I got to see them. They were big baseball players, and I remember that from my childhood."
Ken remembers other things he enjoyed as a child. "With all the ice skating I did, I never learned hockey. I don't know why, because they had hockey leagues in Eau Claire, but I never did. I was a pretty good ice skater," Ken shared. He mostly enjoyed playing ball sports. As for watching them now, Ken shared, "I've lost a lot of interest in the major league sports due to the tremendous amount of money that these guys make for playing a kids' game and they lost the allegiance to their fans. Back years ago, I had an interest, but in the early '60s when I was working in Milwaukee, those major league football players like Jerry Kramer were making about $8,500 a year. They weren't making 25 million, so that's all changed and there are millions of fans paying several hundred dollars to watch those games."
Ken never had major league sports money, then or now, in his vision, but he did know it was important to work for a living. "In my large family, if you wanted a dollar in your pocket, you didn't go play football; you went to work. And I liked going to work better than I liked playing football, because I couldn't make any money playing football," Ken chuckled. So, he worked at a restaurant in 7th and 8th grade and then worked at a grocery store during high school. This helped instill a work ethic in him that carried him throughout his life.
If he could go back in time to when he was eighteen and give himself one piece of advice, Ken said, with a chuckle, he would have told himself to invest any money he drank up into the stock market. Joking aside, Ken said one's outlook in life changes at different stages, and it is best not to live with regrets. "As each segment of your life goes on, you get a different outlook on what is going on. When you're young, well, when I was 18, I went into the service because back in my day you either enlisted or you got drafted. Today, you don't have that. It was an interesting part of my life to get out and see places and meet people. Then you are single and you are out having a lot of fun. Eventually, a person gets married and has kids. Things change. That doesn't mean you cannot go out and have fun, but it's different. You are doing stuff with the family, going on trips. You don't need to sit down in your living room and live the rest of your life. You can still have fun but it's different fun. Then the grand kids come. These are all different segments of life. They are not the same. It might be easy to say 'When I was young, I should have done this,' but you didn't. It's too late to change that, and I don't have regrets like that."
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