Courier Hub The
Stoughton
Inside Cheesemakers edge Vikings in three overtimes
Thursday, December 19, 2019 • Vol. 138, No. 22 • Stoughton, WI • ConnectStoughton.com • $1.25
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City of Stoughton
Stoughton PD settles excessive force lawsuit Officer involved received remedial training after incident RENEE HICKMAN Unified Newspaper Group
Photo by Mackenzie Krumme
Two water wenches run to serve beverages to guests during the 43rd annual Madrigal Dinner at the Stoughton Area High School on Monday, Dec. 16.
43rd annual Madrigal Dinner The 43rd annual Madrigal Dinner ended on a high note Monday, Dec. 16 at Stoughton High School. Each year more than 150 students and volunteers help cook and serve a meal to audience members.
On the Web To view more photos visit ConnectStoughton.com
As participants enjoy their dinner the SHS Madrigal singers serenade the crowd.
Every year more than 150 volunteers and students work for days to cook and serve food during the Stoughton High School Madrigal Dinner. Contact Mackenzie Krumme at mackenzie. krumme@wcinet.com.
Inside More photos from the 43rd annual Stoughton High Madrigal Dinner Page 2
The City of Stoughton has reached an out of court settlement with a man who claims a Stoughton police officer used excessive force against him in 2015. Stoughton police chief Greg Leck told the Hub the department’s insurance company had not released the amount of the settlement, but it was covered in full by the department’s policy. In court documents, Brian Doyle of Stoughton claimed the officer, Christopher Stachel, took him to the ground during an incident at a Kwik Trip after he declined to present identification to the officer. Further court documents show that while Leck testified that Stachel’s actions were within the department’s policy, Stachel was also ordered to undergo reviews of communication and defensive tactics after the incident.
Leck told the Hub this remedial training was the only disciplinary action taken toward Stachel after the incident. Personnel files obtained by the Hub earlier this year showed Stachel had been warned or disciplined by the department four times prior to the incident with Doyle. The most severe incident resulted in a oneday suspension, for what was termed insubordination. In another incident, he was given what the department called verbal counseling over his use of force. Doyle alleged in his suit that he and Stachel had a long history of personal conflict and that Stachel had been harassing him for years before the incident. It claimed Stachel knew an outstanding warrant he had contacted Doyle about had no effect in Wisconsin. Stachel’s report on the incident claimed that Doyle resisted the officer’s attempt to detain him and ignored warnings that he would be forced to take him to the ground. Renee Hickman can be contacted at renee.hickman@ wcinet.com.
Duty rather than choice for James Sustainability initiative Student takes her local activism to a aimed at climate change national level Unified Newspaper Group
When Daisy James was 15 years old and first came out as a trans woman, she was forced to advocate for herself out of a need for survival, she said. As one of the “few trans folks” in Stoughton schools, she knew no one could advocate for her and her needs the way she could. She pushed past the barriers of being forced to use a bathroom for which
Courier Hub
Plans could set aggressive emissions targets RENEE HICKMAN Unified Newspaper Group
Climate change is a global problem, but officials have begun work on an initiative to help solve the crisis from within Stoughton’s city limits. Ald. Ben Heili (Dist. 4), in the midst of his first term, is spearheading a
sustainability initiative in the city government along with Ald. Regina Hirsch (Dist. 3), Jean Ligocki (Dist. 2) and Brett Schumacher (Dist. 1). Heili said addressing climate change at the local level was one of his top priorities when he joined the council. “Several other cities have been putting forward local “green new deal” plans, and I hope what we’re working on ends up with a similar set of solutions that go as
Turn to Climate/Page 12
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self-advocacy into national advocacy. In November, the Stoughton High School senior was nominated to the National Youth Council for the Gender and Sexuality Alliance Network (GSA). The organization, which wa s f o u n d e d i n 1 9 9 8 , hopes to empower and train “queer, trans and allied youth leaders to advocate, organize and mobilize.” She is one of six people Photo by Mackenzie Krumme in the nation accepted to Stoughton High School senior Daisy James was one of six people in the nation accepted to the GSA Network’s National the role. James will push for equity in the lesbian, Youth Council. she did not identify, past concern that she was using gay, bisexual, transgender and gender nonconforming s t u d e n t s ’ r e m a r k s a n d the female locker room. rumors; and parents calling Today, at the age of (LGBTQ) community on the school and expressing 17, James has turned her Turn to James/Page 12