Stealing from the rich and famous, 22 years ago

In 1997, La Crosse police searched the home of local probation agent David Burkhart. He was accused of breaking into several homes and stealing expensive belongings. Burkhart had targeted well-known families, with some of the stolen items taken from the homes of one circuit court judge and a future UW-L football coach.

The La Crosse area was not going to get a Home Depot. That word came from the developer of the new Market Place shopping center in Onalaska, near Highway 16. Just two months earlier, Home Depot had announced plans for a 112,000 square foot store. Eventually, Home Depot did build at Market Place, along with Wal-Mart and Toys R Us.

The comic strip “Rubes” made a joke about Wisconsin in 1997, in a gag about Moses. A bearded man tells Moses that they were supposed to go to the land of milk and honey, but only got milk. The characters were standing near a sign saying “Welcome to Wisconsin, America’s Dairyland.” Fun in the funnies, yesterday in La Crosse.