Last summer and fall Baldwin-Woodville junior Aaron Kusilek suffered a number of ailments in his neck and left jaw. After a series of doctor visits he was finally diagnosed with a rare disorder mandible myxoma.
The benign tumor from the disorder left Aaron with part of his left jaw and some of the roots of his teeth destroyed. On November 3 Aaron underwent surgery to benign the process of reconstructing his jaw.
The process of reconstructing his jaw involves taking bone from elsewhere from his body and grafting it in place. In the first surgery, said Aaron, the bone did not match up well so the next surgery may involve grafting more bone to the jaw or maybe stretching the bone that already has been placed in his jaw.
A further surgery, hopefully later this year, will be for teeth implants.
The surgeries have been at Fairview University Medical Center in Minneapolis.
At school, prior to his illness, Aaron was an involved individual. But because of his illness and surgery that has already taken place and more to come, he had to quit football last fall. This winter he is not able to participate in wrestling. “I can’t wrestle this season,” Aaron said last week. “But I’m hoping to next year.”
He also hopes to participate in football next season and already he’s back in the weight room in preparation.
Jake Cimino, Aaron’s wrestling coach, praised him. “He’s one of the hardest working kids I know,” said Coach Cimino. “If he could be out there this season he would be and he’s already in the weight room. He is a team captain and shows up for all the meets and practices if he can. He’s a pretty darn good kid.”
Other activities in which Aaron participates include Lone Pine 4-H Club, FFA and Junior Class activities.
Two fundraisers have been set for Aaron to help offset the expenses that have been incurred during his treatments. First, on Sunday, January 24 at B-W High School is a roast beef dinner, silent auction, bake sale. It will be held from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Thrivent Financial will match donated funds.
A dance and raffle will be held on Friday, February 19 from 7:00 p.m until midnight at the Coachman Supper Club. Music will be by Round 2 and Boondoggle.
Lee Milligan died Sunday
St. Croix County Agricultural Agent Lee Milligan died Sunday, January 10 as a result of complications following an appendectomy.
Milligan, 55, started work as St. Croix County’s Agricultural Agent in January of 1988. He had formerly been employed in the same capacity in Pepin County.
Milligan was a Centuria native and attended UW-River Falls. He graduated in 1976 with a bachelor of science degree in Animal Science and Farm Management.
After working for a few years, Milligan went back to school and received his masters degree in Agricultural Economics. He then accepted the Pepin County job.
Milligan was most recently featured in this newspaper in November for receiving a national award for St. Croix County’s Farm-City Day, although characteristically he gave credit to others.
Milligan is survived by his wife Debbie and two daughters.
A Celebration of Life for Lee Milligan will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 15 at Faith Community Church in Hudson. Visitation will be Thursday at O’Connell Family Funeral Home in Baldwin from 4:00 until 8:00 p.m. and one hour prior to the Friday Celebration of Life.
New administrator for Baldwin
Baldwin has a new village administrator/Clerk-Treasurer.Patti Glockzin, a native of Grantsburg has been hired to take the place of Cindi Deringer, who has retired. The appointment is subject to approval by the full village board at their January 13 meeting.
Glockzin said she has eight years experience in local government administration, including financial administration. She has worked in communities from 1,200 population to 6,500 population. That experience was in the state of Oregon. So far, she said, the only differences she’s noticed between Wisconsin law and Oregon law is in terminology.
Glockzin is a UW-Stout graduate. She has been on the job less than a week, she said, during which she has spent most of her time reading and learning her duties. Included thus far is training for the February primary election.
She said she has recently purchase a fixer-upper house in Grantsburg. Working on that on weekends she listed among her interests.
PIERCE COUNTY HERALD (ELLSWORTH): Three buildings were either destroyed or badly damaged in a fire overnight Sunday and Monday in Durand. The fire reportedly began in the Main Street Café and Grill at 11 p.m. Sunday and spread via the roof to Cottage Hill Floral and Frame and to the Toni’s Interiors building, which completely burned to the ground. The café and floral buildings were badly damaged. The totally destroyed building was being used as a storage area for Toni’s Interiors’ main building which is just across the street. The storage building had been for sale for a couple of years. The old, historic Pepin County Courthouse is just in back of the damaged buildings. The fire was reportedly put out at 5 a.m. Monday. Crews were removing debris all morning and afternoon, as Main Street was blocked off to traffic. All three buildings are reportedly to be total losses.
THE SUN (OSCEOLA): A Polk County Sheriff’s deputy who has been suspended multiple times for causing serious damage while behind the wheel of county squad cars may face sanctions from the department yet again. Polk County Sheriff Tim Moore acknowledged Tuesday that Deputy Eric D. Swan has been indefinitely placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation. “We’re still just looking into a situation,” Moore said. Citing personnel data privacy laws and policy, Moore declined to comment further on the nature of the ongoing investigation. According to multiple law enforcement sources, Swan is accused of using excessive force when he assisted an Amery police officer in arresting an uncooperative suspect last fall. The incident, captured on Swan’s squad car dashboard camera is currently being investigated for criminal charges as well. Swan is no stranger to formal reprimanded. In October 2008, Swan was given a 90-day unpaid suspension and ordered to re-complete an Emergency Vehicle Operating Course after he was found to be at fault in a near-collision with a motorcyclist near Loveless Lake. Prior to 2008 Swan was reprimanded three other times, according to personnel records, and he was suspended twice for damaging county squad cars while on duty. He collided with other drivers twice and in 2006, and he spun a squad car into a ditch while traveling at a high rate of speed.
AMERY FREE PRESS: John B. McDonald, 53, Cumberland, was found dead on Wednesday, December 30, pinned under the back blade of his tractor. Barron County Sheriff, Chris Fitzgerald said his department received a call from a friend of McDonald’s saying he hadn’t talked to the man in two days. Normally they talk every day. A deputy responded and found a snow packed driveway and no lights on in the house. A garage door was open with a Ford truck parked inside. He also saw a tractor down a small hill where it had run over some saplings and a body pinned under the back blade. The city of Cumberland cleared the driveway and the fire department removed the tractor.
HUDSON STAR OBSERVER: A former inmate in the St. Croix County jail has filed lawsuit against the county and its sheriff, alleging she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a jailer who later killed himself. In the lawsuit filed December 23, Jackie L. Peterson, 32, currently an inmate in the Robert E. Ellsworth Correctional Center, Union Grove, claims that on November 4, 2008, Darren Hyland moved her around the jail assaulting her three times. Sheriff Dennis Hillstead said Monday that his department began an investigation when a female jailer reported there was apparently something going on between Hyland and Peterson. As soon as jail administrators heard the allegations, Peterson was moved from the regular cellblock and questioned, said Hillstead. “We did a series of interviews with her,” the sheriff said. Based on her statements, Hyland was suspended and Polk County authorities were asked to investigate. A few days later, Hyland, 28, who had been a St. Croix jailer for about 18 months shot himself. “We have only one side of it,” said Hillstead because it was too late to interview Hyland. Hillstead said administrators later heard that a relationship had developed between Hyland and Peterson when she was in jail earlier and the two had “dated a couple of times” between her incarceration but had broken up.
