Variety pack:
Pizza time isn’t a quorum, they say
Quorums in taverns, time and temp lines, world’s largest nut and an “America’s Funniest Home Videos” win share the limelight.
Acertain editor at this newspaper hates when I call columns like this casseroles. So anyway, enjoy today’s mixture of items tossed together in a tasty casserole:
Off the record: Just so you know, Waukesha Town Board supervisors might head over to Michael’s or Tally’s Tap & Eatery after regular meetings. It says so right there at the end of board agendas.
There may even be enough supervisors for a quorum, but they promise not to discuss any town business over the drinks and pizza and whatever.
The party addendum started showing up on the agenda in April. Town Board Chairman John Marek said he’s unaware of any other town or village doing it.
“It’s not a big deal. It was something the attorney suggested so there was no further problems,” he said.
Problems? Yes, somebody complained after seeing town reps out and about together after the meeting.
You’re free to join them, Marek said, if you think it’s going to be interesting hearing conversations about their kids, dogs, gardens and such.
Time and temp: I thought the phone numbers in Milwaukee for the correct time and the weather were long gone, but alert dialer Joanne Huebner pointed out that WE6-1212 is working again.
So I gave it a try. It’s not the full forecast like was once promised.
A recorded voice told me it was Wednesday, May 27th, at 6:04 p.m., and that the temperature was 69 degrees.
I also tried the number, TI41414, that people here used to dial for the time before they could just look at their cellphones. I got the same message as the other number. The two, it would appear, have become one.
If you need a telephonic prayer, you’re out of luck. The local numbers I found listed online all had been disconnected.
A familiar ring: If you search online for “oblivious engagement” you’ll see how the Lavender family’s video went viral and won the Brookfield folks $10,000 this month on “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”
Mom Cheryl Lavender earns the oblivious label when her daughter, Krista, tries in vain to get her to notice the new engagement ring on her finger. Cheryl is too busy commenting on Krista’s earrings, nail polish and clothing to spot the sparkler.
“Finally, she stuck her hand right in my face and I saw the diamond ring. I was flabbergasted,” Cheryl said.
The 2013 video, shot by Dad, Paul Lavender, who already knew about the engagement, shows Cheryl hilariously coming unglued when she finally notices the ring. Everyone urged them to send it to AFV, but Cheryl wasn’t sure she wanted the whole country to witness the oblivion. Finally, she gave in.
The ABC show flew Cheryl, Paul, Krista and her now-husband, Andy Rice, to Los Angeles, where they appeared on air and beat out the other videos for the $10,000 weekly prize. Then they were all flown out there again, all expenses paid, to compete for the $100,000 prize, which alas they did not win.
Refund never expired: Let’s give the City of Milwaukee points for honesty, even if it took more than three years.
George Mallet, who you may remember as a TV reporter here until 2010, recently got a $5 check from Milwaukee’s violations bureau because he had overpaid a parking ticket he received in 2012 during a return visit. He works at a station in Burlington, Vt., now.
The check was mailed to a house in Shorewood that Mallet still owns, and a tenant forwarded it to him.
“I’m going out for a drink!” he posted on Facebook last week.
Sandy Rusch Walton, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Works, said records show Mallet sent in $22 for an expired meter and added a $5 late fee even though he paid on time.
The audit that caught the mistake was done in March of this year and included citations dating back to 2011. Computer changes at the DPW now enable audits every month, so overpayers won’t need to wait as long. If you have questions about a parking ticket or like to dream that you have money coming back, the number to call is (414) 3440840.
What a nut: A Green Bay company has made good on its slogan, “We have the biggest nuts (and bolts) in town.” Packer Fastener now displays what it claims to be the world’s largest nut, a threaded 12-foot, 5,000pound beauty right there on the corner of Ashland and Lombardi avenues, not far from Lambeau Field.
Guinness World Records told Packer Fastener it has no such category but will create one.
The impressive nut, fabricated by Robinson Metal of De Pere, was formally unveiled this month, and the mayor even showed up.
“It’s an attraction we can call our own. It fits who we are,” said Arlyn Rosenow, sales manager for the threaded fastener distributor.
At the moment, there is no plan to create a huge bolt and washer to go with it. Call Jim Stingl at (414) 224-2017 or email at jstingl@jrn.com