The 73^rd annual Brat Days will take place this Friday (July 31^st) and Saturday (August 1^st) at Kiwanis Park, offering two days of free music and Sheboygan’s famous bratwurst.

Brat Days, presented by the Sheboygan Jaycees, will kick off at 5:00 p.m. on Friday with the Lonely Sidekick taking to the main stage ahead of Pat McCurdy and Too Hype Crew, while battle of the bands contestants will perform on the variety stage until 9:00 p.m.

Music will then pick back up on Saturday with a performance from the Ryan Kautzer Band before the cornhole tournament begins at noon.

Possibly the most anticipated event each year, the brat eating contest, will kick off at 1:00 p.m.

To round out the event, Too Fighters, a Foo Fighters tribute band, will hit the stage as headliners at 9:45 p.m.

Started in 1953, as Bratwurst Day in honor of the City of Sheboygan’s 100th anniversary, the annual celebration of one of the City’s claims to worldwide fame has grown to be a tradition many locally and abroad look forward to every summer.

There is no admission fee to attend, and more information on the 73^rd annual Brat Days can be found at brat-days.com. 

The club awarded seven recent high school graduates with $500 scholarships, which were selected from a pool of 19 applicants.

Among the scholarship awardees were Roncalli’s John Vadney and Dominic Thiele, who will both be attending St. Norbert College.

The other five awardees graduated from Manitowoc Lincoln, including Ella Zutz, who will be attending Bellin College, UW La Crosse-bound Lila Redwine, Emett Brodtke, who is headed for UW Platteville, Olivia Rabitz who plans to attend Northern Michigan University, and Alex Perez, who will stay closer to home and attend UW Green Bay.

Manitowoc Golden K Kiwanis Scholarship Committee Chairman Dave Estes told the recipients, “We recognize $500 is a very modest amount considering current college costs, but we do want to recognize past academic achievements and community service and anticipate future achievements and civic involvement.”

Golden K Kiwanis raises and gives away about $10,000 annually thanks to community support of their brat fry fundraisers, and M&M and Lily Drives among others.

Last week, the United Way of Sheboygan County held its 2025-2026 Campaign Celebration, an annual event aiming to highlight those companies that stepped up during the campaign year.

At the celebration, Sargento Cheese was awarded as the number one Most Generous Workplace in the county, with the United Way noting, “Your employees’ generosity is helping create financial security for our neighbors, opportunity for our youth, and building brighter futures all across Sheboygan County.”

Other organizations named as Most Generous Workplaces included Kohler Co., Johnsonville, Masters Gallery, PLENCO, Bemis, BMO, Rockline, Froedtert, Acuity, Sheboygan County, Kohler Credit Union, United One Credit Union, and Vesta.

Meanwhile, SACO AEI Polymer received the Mission Maker Award for its part in the introduction of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Sheboygan, while Rockline also received the Sustained Excellence Award for its “years of exceptional generosity, leadership, and unwavering commitment to our community.”

More information on the award winners can be found on the United Way of Sheboygan County Facebook page.

City staff explained that to complete the project at the Columbus Street sanitary lift station, the concrete access cover has to be raised.

Crews also planned to modify the adjacent valve pit with a new cover and raise it to the proposed sidewalk elevation.

When the lift station’s concrete cover was removed, it broke into multiple pieces, fell into the wet well, and damaged pumps, control floats, and transducers.

No one was injured.

The cover broke because it lacked the concrete reinforcement required by current-day standards.

Two Rivers officials say while the damage is unfortunate, the event serves as a reminder that much of their critical infrastructure is hidden underground and often goes unnoticed until something fails.

They also say “many of the facilities in Two Rivers are decades old and require ongoing inspection, maintenance, and periodic upgrades or replacement to make sure they operate properly.”

Dr. Yevette Marshall brings with her 25 years of experience in education, including 16 as a teacher and nine years as Superintendent and Director of Pupil Services for the Tigerton School District.

Throughout her career, Marshall has led work involving special education programming, student support services, staff development, and more.

She says she’s honored to get the position and looks forward to “partnering with our students, families, staff, and community to provide a high-quality, student-centered education that empowers every learner to reach their full potential while ensuring all students are supported, challenged, and prepared for future success.”

Marshall earned a doctorate in Education in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and has a master’s degree in communication from Auburn.

Dr. Marshall takes over for Katie Eichmann.

Senator Tammy Baldwin has introduced the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative (MRRRI) Act.

This measure would create a “collaborative initiative to coordinate efforts and invest in building resilience to flooding and storms, improving water quality, restoring wildlife habitat, and stopping the spread of aquatic invasive species.”

MRRRI is modeled around the successful and broadly supported Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that coordinates across states and sectors to clean up toxic contaminants, control harmful and invasive aquatic species, restore habitats, and leverage investments for economic activity.

Senator Baldwin said of the measure, “As communities along the river face more frequent flooding and worsening pollution, we must confront these challenges head-on while also making the long-term investments needed to prepare for those ahead. Investing in the Mighty Mississippi is an investment in our economy, the great outdoors and the next generation of Wisconsinites.”

Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum is leading the companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

City Manager Kyle Kordell says the city has been putting the chemical in the water for over 70 years and spends about $12,000 a year for it.

But Kordell says scientists have raised concerns about fluoride in the water.

A video from the media company Vox showed how fluoridation of water started back in the 1940s. Communities did see tooth decay decrease with the chemical in the tap water.

But fluoride is readily available now in toothpaste and other teeth-cleaning products.

The video also says it is important for some people, like pregnant women, to watch how much fluoride they are taking in.

After hearing from Two Rivers Public Utilities about the process of putting the chemical in the water, they noted that it does not break down once it’s in there.

Two Rivers Councilmember Katherine Dahlke said back in the 1950s when it started, it was a different world.

“It was a different world, different medical practices,” she stated. “We ate differently. We drank differently. There were not the same additives in our food. There were not the same pesticides that were being put on our food, so the world has changed. And I think it’s very interesting that now it’s 2026. It’s a whole new world out there. And it’s cause for us to kind of maybe take another look.”

She says she doesn’t have a clear opinion yet, but she’s glad the city is having a discussion.

Councilmember Adam Wachowski says he didn’t know residents with thyroid issues were calling about the fluoride because they are having issues.

He sees having the chemical as more of a negative than a positive.

“There’s other ways that people with fluoride can get fluoride,” he noted. “They (the people in the video) talked about foods and they talked about fluoride in toothpaste. I mean I would say most people brush their teeth every day. I would imagine the fluoride toothpaste is just as cheap as the non-fluoride toothpaste, but I don’t know. I haven’t really looked into this before. But, it only makes sense that we shouldn’t be jamming it down people’s bodies that its not particularly good for.”

Councilwoman Shannon Derby says she’s researched how having fluoride in poorer communities has helped, since it helps prevent cavities.

While people can go to a dentist for help:

“If you’re on state insurance and food stamps, private dentists do not have to take state insurance,” she explained. “You would have to find a community dentist such as in Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Green Bay. And then you’d have to figure out how you’re going to get there, how you are going to get your kids there. It’ s a whole thing to be poor in America and it’s very complicated.”

The city council did not take a vote but could be talking about fluoride in their water in the future.

Fourteen communities in Wisconsin have recently approved taking the chemical out of their water.

Volunteer Fox Cities is currently coordinating these volunteer efforts and has created a standby sign-up for those who would like to help in the response and recovery operations.

The Winnebago County Government has echoed these efforts, stating, “At this time, volunteers are being asked to sign up for standby only while response agencies determine where assistance is needed. If you’re willing to lend a hand, registering now will help ensure volunteers can be mobilized quickly when opportunities become available.”

Meanwhile, Volunteer Fox Cities added, “We know how difficult it is to see neighbors hurting and want to jump in immediately.”

Those interested in offering their time to help their neighbors in need can sign up for the standby list by visiting the Winnebago County, Wisconsin Government Facebook page, while more information on how to help in this time of need is available on volunteerfoxcities.org.

Over the past week, Manitowoc County’s average price per gallon of regular unleaded fuel rose 16 cents to $3.91, according to the AAA Gas Prices website.

This is ten cents less expensive than the highest average in the state, reported in Bayfield County, and 14 cents higher than Waukesha County’s average of $3.77, which is the lowest in the state.

Meanwhile, Sheboygan County saw a 17-cent per gallon jump to $3.87, and Calumet County’s average jumped ten cents to $3.83.

Outagamie and Brown County’s averages both sit at $3.91, increases of twelve and seven cents respectively, while Kewaunee County motorists are paying 13 cents more per gallon with an average of $3.94, and Door County’s average is up 14 cents to $3.96 per gallon.

The state average is up seven cents to $3.87, which is good for the 18^th least expensive state in the union, while the national average bumped up three cents to $4.09.

Nadia Horn was an educator at North High School and was arrested earlier this year on accusations that she sexually assaulted a child.

She had been free on bond, but was taken back into custody with the recent filing of charges related to the discovery of another victim.

A $100,000 signature bond was set on Tuesday.