Oregon Observer The
Thursday, December 19, 2019 • Vol. 135, No. 25 • Oregon, WI • ConnectOregonWI.com • $1.25
Give the gift of Beauty & Relaxation!
Come see us in our new location!
Same Oregon Shopping Plaza, Different Suite.
787 N. Main, Oregon
(Next to Mark’s Barber) www.cuttingedgehairetc.com
835-3666 adno=129449
Oregon School District
Board approves new SRO deal Village, district reps to meet in summer to evaluate program SCOTT DE LARUELLE Unified Newspaper Group
Photo by Mackenzie Krumme
Sharon Stewart teaches six death midwife students during a level one course in the Brooklyn Village Hall on Sunday, Nov. 10. Ashley is pretending to be dead so students can practice washing, dressing and laying a body out in honor.
‘Laid out in honor’
Brooklyn resident volunteers to help patients at end of life Unified Newspaper Group
On a Sunday afternoon at the Brooklyn Village Hall, six students surround a woman lying on a table. Together, they are washing the motionless body of an actor portraying a dead body before they wrap her in colorful sheer, flowers and sentimental blankets. One student whispers in her ear; as the other massages
her foot. Everyone is singing in unison to a body laid out in honor. Sharon Stewart is teaching a class on death midwifery, guiding students through preparing a body for burial. She has been volunteering as a death midwife, to help people at the end stages of their life since she became certified in 2012. She supports the dying and their families through home funerals, insurance, paperwork,
emotional connection and grief. “Lying out in honor is just that – lying them out with all the love and all the beauty and surrounding them with all their favorite things and letting people come and have a personal goodbye,” she said. During the class, Stewart tells the students who have come from Middleton, Oregon, Madison and even North
Turn to Death midwife/Page 16
Armed bank robbery under investigation Man showed firearm and demanded money from BMO teller EMILIE HEIDEMANN Unified Newspaper Group
The Oregon Police Department is searching for a man involved in an armed bank robbery that occurred at Oregon’s BMO Harris branch, 127 Jefferson St., in the afternoon of Friday, Dec. 13. Officials arrived at 1:51 p.m., a department release stated. The
suspect was not captured despite multiple law enforcement units responding, including a K-9 unit and drone. According to the release, the suspect is a man who was dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt, a dark-colored baseball cap with glasses and a wrap to cover his face. Anyone who has a tip about the robbery or details about the suspect can reach out to OPD detective Sgt. Chad Schaub at 835-3111. Email Emilie Heidemann at emilie.heidemann@wcinet.com or follow her on Twitter at @HeidemannEmilie.
Photo courtesy Oregon Police Department
Page 3 officials were “working very diligently” with the village on a new deal after an interim agreement was set to expire Dec. 31. She said a district listening session Nov. 14 was “very positive” and helpful in getting feedback. “Our discussion has been very collaborative,” she said. “We’ve agreed we have prioritized the safety
Turn to SRO/Page 16
Village of Oregon
Bike Trail repair on hold Trustees want to evaluate funding options EMILIE HEIDEMANN Unified Newspaper Group
The Oregon Police Department is searching for the suspect involved in a robbery incident that occurred at BMO Harris bank,
District-wide time change plan questioned Students pick school name Board approves new elementary school attendance boundaries
Despite receiving a $173,536 grant to help fix the partially submerged Rotary Bike Trail, the Village of Oregon is pulling back on reconstruction efforts for now. The village has been working for almost two years to establish alternative Rotary Bike Trail routes for a reconstructed path on the village’s northwest side. Sections have been underwater that entire
time because of record high levels in the Lake Barney area. The trail installation limited the glacial kettle’s ability to drain out through the soil. High precipitation in the area in recent years has also contributed to the flooding of the trail. On Monday, Dec. 16, trustees directed public works staff to place repairing the trail on hold pending future developments and options for path improvements. It also terminated an agreement with the Keller Family, which owns land in that area, and will distribute $10,000 in earnest money back to the
Turn to Bike/Page 14
Black Angus Bone-In Prime Rib ..........$11.99 lb. Black Angus Boneless Prime Rib ........$12.99 lb. Whole Beef Tenderloin (5 lb. avg.) .........$8.99 lb. ORDER YOUR PARTY TRAYS TODAY!
(608) 835-9188
Pork Tenderloin................................................ $3.99 lb. Fresh Ground Chuck (Family Pack) ................ $2.99 lb. Fresh Oysters ................................................. $17.99 lb Fresh Herring in Wine Sauce .......................... $4.99 lb. Pork Crown Roast ........................................... $3.99 lb. Chef Michael’s Bone-In Ham .......................... $2.99 lb. Chef Michael’s Boneless Pit Ham................... $3.99 lb.
adno=125773
MACKENZIE KRUMME
The Oregon School District has a new agreement for having a police officer at Oregon High School for the rest of the school year, putting at least a temporary end to a dustup with village and police officials. The school board unanimously approved a school resource officer (SRO) agreement Monday night, as did the Oregon Village Board. The deal runs through high school graduation in June and states, as the district had requested, that the SRO has a role as an educator and mentor, as well as a law enforcement officer. The two sides will meet April 24 to evaluate how things went before discussing a new agreement. OSD corporate counsel Jina Jonen said district
Inside