Thursday, March 21, 2019 • Vol. 134, No. 38 • Oregon, WI • ConnectOregonWI.com • $1.25
Pastor reaffirms church’s inclusivity People’s UMC won’t follow global same-sex plan EMILIE HEIDEMANN Unified Newspaper Group
From Feb. 23-26, more than 800 global United Methodist Church delegates gathered at the 2019 Special Session of General Conference to vote on either the “One Church P l a n ” o r “ Tr a d i t i o n a l Plan,” according to the UMC website.
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The Traditional Plan, in its current state, maintains language in the church’s Book of Discipline about same-sex marriage and homosexual clergy bans and boosts punishments for violating those bans, the church’s website states. It defeated the One Church Plan by a vote of 438-384, despite receiving nearly two-thirds support from U.S. delegations, according to multiple news outlets that covered the vote. It would have
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Photo by Emilie Heidemann
Optavia Kamin plugs her nose at the sight of a human lung. To her right, Ellla Amlong shares a similar expression of disgust.
Changes to ‘Kids Get Fit’ traffic come for OMS Barber named new fire chief
With the winter months soon to come to a close, local Get Fit’ event March 16. youngsters were looking for ways to be more active. There were also healthy snacks and opportunities to Children ages 5-11 were invited to participate in a tug- learn about nutrition. o-war and other “boot camp” activities geared toward fitness for an Oregon Area Wellness Coalition-hosted ‘Kids - Emilie Heidemann
Inside Oregon community experiences flooding, roads underwater Page 2
Bowers resigned in January after 30-year career ALEXANDER CRAMER Unified Newspaper Group
Mason Barber started with Brooklyn Fire/EMS in 2004 “kind of cautiously … (with) the mindset ‘Why would they want me?’ Fifteen years later, here I am.” Now, the third-generation firefighter has been elected Brooklyn’s new fire chief. He takes over for chief Tom Bowers, who retired effective Jan. 1. He’s the district’s third chief in 45 years, with Bowers having taken over in 2012 for longtime chief Phil Mortensen. Bowers resigned after 30 years in fire service, and at the
Brooklyn’s annual awards banquet in March, he was presented with a ceremonial axe to commemorate his lengthy career. Barber lives in the Town of Union with his wife and two kids, and describes himself as a rural sort, “not a big “city guy.” He’s a fire technician with the Stoughton Fire Department – with a job similar to being a public education officer – but “Brooklyn is where I started.” The department is staffed mostly by volunteers, who make up a force of 25-30 people. Dealing with personnel issues is new for Barber, and he said he’s been leaning on Stoughton fire chief Scott Wegner’s experience, which has been “an excellent resource.” Barber said like any leader, he’ll put his own twist on things, and he is looking to streamline some of the
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district’s organizational operations and to embark on the long, costly process of ordering a new fire truck. For now, Barber said, the job has come with “a lot of learning curves” but things are “going well.” “It’s pretty humbling to be chosen by a group of members to be their chosen leader,” the new chief said.
Becoming chief Barber’s grandfather and father were both firefighters. His dad was also the EMS director in the small town where Barber grew up, he said. He’s setting a similar example to his two children, a daughter who is 12 and son who is 6, both of whom attend Evansville schools. Barber progressively moved up the ranks in Brooklyn, he said, serving
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School, the county appears to be in favor. In a letter to the board, Dane County deputy commissioner Pam Dunphy agreed to the village’s ALEXANDER CRAMER request to lower the speed limit on Wolfe Street to 25 Unified Newspaper Group mph on the stretch near the Three weeks after the turnoff to OMS and 35 farVillage of Oregon dis- ther south. The Village Board also cussed the police chief ’s request to lower a speed Turn to Traffic/Page 10 limit near Oregon Middle
Speed change and crosswalk lights planned