MANITOWOC – With the coming of the new year, let’s take a step back and remember some of the notable stories in Manitowoc County from 2021.
From a new beach in Two Rivers to Manitowoc celebrating its first Hmong American Day, this year was filled with memorable moments. Here are the Herald Times Reporter’s top news and business stories from 2021, chosen by the HTR staff:
In July, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a law closing a loophole that allowed foster children to be placed with a convicted child abuser.
The law was named “Ethan’s Law” in honor of Ethan Hauschultz, a 7-year-old child who died in 2018 at the hands of his cousin, Damian Hauschultz, who was carrying out a punishment dictated by Ethan’s uncle, Tim Hauschultz.
READ MORE: Gov. Tony Evers signs 'Ethan's Law,' honoring Manitowoc boy slain after being placed with man who'd admitted child abuse
READ MORE: Manitowoc County foster brother sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing boy, 7, in Ethan's Law case
Coastal municipalities like the cities of Manitowoc and Two Rivers are already feeling the financial burden of climate change.
Results from a survey by the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative show coastal damage from climate change in the Great Lakes region will cost at least $1.94 billion over the next five years, and those same communities have already spent $878 million on coastal damage over the past two years.
READ MORE: A changing climate could cost Great Lakes communities billions. Here’s what's being done about it.
After more than six years of effort, a part of the Lake Michigan coastline was designated the newest national marine sanctuary by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The sanctuary covers 962 square miles of Lake Michigan, which includes 36 shipwrecks and spans four counties — Kewanee, Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Ozaukee.
NOAA has already been busy with a variety of activities in the new sanctuary, including extensively mapping out the known shipwrecks and coastal configurations within the sanctuary’s boundaries.
READ MORE: 'The fun part starts now': Leaders plan next steps for Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast along Lake Michigan
Life almost felt normal when events like the Manitowoc County Fair and Subfest returned after being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The pandemic turned almost every aspect of life upside down in 2020, and, while the pandemic still rages, people have steadily returned to most activities in 2021.
Currently, the county stands at a cumulative count of 14,882 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic started. COVID-19 has also taken 134 lives in Manitowoc County since March 2020.
READ MORE: SubFest, Kites Over Lake Michigan and more popular events will return to Manitowoc in 2021
PHOTOS: Manitowoc County Fair: Animals and the carnival are the stars of the show
In January, shortly after Pfizer and Moderna started production on their COVID-19 vaccines, local health care clinics and the Manitowoc County Health Department began distributing vaccine doses to county residents.
The very first vaccines were given to health care and frontline workers and people whose health placed them at a high risk of contracting COVID-19 or dying from it. The health department set up community vaccine clinics and dozens of workers ensured the vaccines were given in a safe and orderly manner.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, there are 43,842 people, or 55% of the population, who have completed all doses of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Dec. 29.
READ MORE: Half of Manitowoc County residents are now vaccinated against COVID-19
READ MORE: Manitowoc County Health Officer Stephanie Lambert took over amid the pandemic. She says it’s been 'intense.'
Justin Nickels, who has served as mayor for the city of Manitowoc since 2009, was voted in for a fourth term in the April spring election.
He ran against Chris Able, a local teacher and a former city council member. Nickels ended up with 4,897 votes, while Able received 2,247.
READ MORE: Justin Nickels wins fourth term as Manitowoc mayor, topping challenger Christopher Able
READ MORE: Justin Nickels shares priorities as he begins fourth term as Manitowoc mayor
In April, Nickels signed a proclamation declaring May 14 to be Hmong American Day in Manitowoc.
Manitowoc resident Pa Lee was instrumental in creating the citywide celebration of Hmong Americans. Manitowoc is home to a large population of Hmong people, many of whom were political refugees or descendants of refugees who fled Laos in the 1970s.
READ MORE: Manitowoc to mark its first Hmong American Day: What it means to the community
After months of negotiating a new tourism services agreement between the cities of Manitowoc and Two Rivers, and the Manitowoc Area Visitor & Convention Bureau, the Manitowoc Room Tax Commission decided to take matters into its own hands.
In September, the MAVCB board of directors was told there would be no further negotiations and that the organization has until Dec. 31 to vacate the current Visitor Center building. The City of Two Rivers has staunchly defended the tourism services agreement between the municipalities and the MAVCB, and City Manager Greg Buckley said he was disappointed in the city’s decision.
READ MORE:Manitowoc to take tourism into its own hands as it ends contract talks with Visitor Bureau
READ MORE: 'We want to talk about the future of tourism,' says Manitowoc mayor about agreement with Visitor & Convention Bureau
After the death of George Floyd and the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, conservative-leaning nonprofit groups such as No Left Turn in Education were encouraging supporters to attend local school board meetings or contact school board members with concerns about critical race theory. The Manitowoc School Board has heard comments about CRT and fielded accusations about allowing CRT to be taught in the schools for much of the year.
Then, in October, board members Dave Nickels and Meredith Sauer faced a recall attempt that ultimately failed when the citizen group did not file the paperwork to hold a recall election by the deadline.
READ MORE: Manitowoc schools aren't teaching critical race theory, but a 'very vocal minority' say otherwise
READ MORE: The effort to recall Manitowoc school board members Dave Nickels and Meredith Sauer has failed.
A political sign along State Highway 42 between Manitowoc and Two Rivers drew hundreds of complaints to the City of Manitowoc, but the city said the sign was protected by free speech and it couldn’t do anything about it.
The sign, which said “F--- Biden,” could be easily seen by those traveling along Memorial Drive and was placed on property belonging to Bob Lewandowski. It has since been removed and replaced with an alternative anti-Biden sign.
Lewandowski has had political signs dotting his property for several years and continues to place signs, many of which are pro-Trump and express a variety of views common among some conservatives.
READ MORE: Sign along a state highway in Manitowoc shocks travelers, but the city says it's protected free speech
READ MORE: Political sign on Memorial Drive in Manitowoc to be replaced with slightly censored version
After five years as the Manitowoc Public Library executive director, Kristin Stoeger resigned from her position in July. Stoeger did not share her reason for leaving but said she would miss her job and the people she worked with.
Since her resignation, the Library Board has been searching for her replacement but has yet to find one. They will be reposting the job opening in January.
READ MORE: Manitowoc Public Library Director Kristin Stoeger has resigned. Her last day is Aug. 4.
READ MORE: Manitowoc library continues search for next director months after Kristin Stoeger resigned
The unique Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home located on the West Twin River in Two Rivers is featured in the first episode of Season 2 of the Netflix series “The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals.”
The Netflix show features special vacation homes to fit every style and budget. Viewers take a virtual tour of each rental.
READ MORE: Frank Lloyd Wright home in Two Rivers featured in Netflix series 'World's Most Amazing Vacation Rentals'
The big blue Navy crane made by Broadwind Heavy Fabrications in Manitowoc won the 2021 Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin. It was the sixth year of the contest sponsored by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce.
In the final round, the giant crane was up against Caterpillar Global Mining in South Milwaukee for its Cat electric rope shovel, Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac for its V12 600hp Verado outboard engine and Kwik Trip in La Crosse for its glazer donuts.
READ MORE: Manitowoc's big blue crane wins the Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin competition
After a 23-year hiatus, the Two Rivers Snowfest returned in 2021. The three-day July event drew thousands of people to enjoy amusement rides, food vendors, 16 different live musical acts and a large parade.
The original Snow Festival, which was later renamed Snowfest, took place in 1937 after city workers found a pile of snow buried underground in July a year earlier. News of the discovery spread nationwide, and the snow was incorporated into the city’s centennial celebration in 1936 and the first Snow Festival took place a year later. The annual festival was put on hold in 1999 until local organizers began to work on reviving the event in 2018.
READ MORE: Two Rivers' Snowfest returns after 23 years away: How it started and what's planned
In an area found tucked away near the U.S. Coast Guard building off Harbor Road and 16th Street, near the Northern Pierhead Light Tower, residents are making use of a newly created beach.
The beach, which isn’t an official city park, was created when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pumped 67,000 cubic yards of sand from Lake Michigan to the shore through dredging.
READ MORE: Intended as a repository to replace Neshotah's sand, residents are discovering a 'hidden gem' of beach along Lake Michigan
Like many other Wisconsin cities, Manitowoc experienced a shortage of workers that affected dozens of local businesses.
Some businesses, like Casa di Amici on Washington Street in Manitowoc, closed their doors for good when they were unable to find enough servers. Others, like Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry, had to keep running and filling orders even with nearly 40 positions unfilled.
READ MORE: 'Manufacturing is at a crisis point': Manitowoc business leaders say a variety of factors led to a huge deficit of workers
In total, more than 1,120 Manitowoc County businesses received loans from the federal Paycheck Protection Program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a database released by the Small Business Administration, 11 businesses in Manitowoc and Two Rivers accepted loans of more than $2 million. One local economic expert said the loans likely kept some businesses from closing in the past year.
READ MORE: These Manitowoc-area businesses received at least $2 million in COVID-19 relief loans
In May, AMMO Inc., an Arizona-based ammunition company, broke ground on the construction of a new plant in Manitowoc. The company is expected to bring 300 good-paying jobs over the next five years.
The 160,000-square-foot building is being built on 35 acres on the northeast corner of Custer and 63rd streets in the Manitowoc Industrial Park. It is expected to be completed in 2022.
READ MORE: AMMO ammunition company and Dramm break ground in Manitowoc, bringing hundreds of new jobs
Holy Family Memorial Hospital in Manitowoc merged with Froedtert Health in January when the national health organization purchased a majority interest in HFM.
The agreement included HFM keeping its Catholic identity but receiving long-term clinical and financial stability.
READ MORE: Manitowoc's Holy Family Memorial acquired by Froedtert
Manitowoc city crews have been busy implementing a $3 million plan for infrastructure construction and improvements for the new River Point District, the former CN Peninsula.
Work is expected to continue to build river walk pathways, green space, and kayak and boat launches in the area, as well as the new River North apartment complex.
Other improvements in the downtown area include PetSkull Brewing Company moving to a larger location on Buffalo Street, and Manitowoc Coffee moving to York Street.
READ MORE: PetSkull Brewing opens, kicking off development in Manitowoc's new River Point District
READ MORE: Manitowoc first half of 2021 business growth includes new places to eat, listen to music
In December, the City of Two Rivers signed a purchase agreement with Trivers LLC for a $1.2 million sale of the former Paragon Partners property on Parkway Boulevard.
The city bought the Paragon site more than two years ago at a sheriff’s sale. The property had been foreclosed on after Paragon Partners LLC fell behind on payments and the site has been vacant since 1999.
READ MORE: Two Rivers signs $1.2M purchase agreement with developer for former Paragon property
READ MORE: Two Rivers Paragon site: City seeks developer to take over long-vacant property
Bank First, based in Manitowoc, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at its new site, the corner of Dufek and West drives, in October.
The future operations center will house some of the bank’s support personnel and will not function as a customer-facing branch. The building will be 13,100 square feet and environmentally friendly. Construction is expected to be completed this spring.
READ MORE: Bank First plans to build a 13,000-square-foot operations center in Manitowoc
READ MORE: Plenty of business growth in Manitowoc in the final months of 2021
Lakeside Foods Inc., a frozen and canned foods manufacturer in Manitowoc, purchased Cher-Make Sausage Co. in September.
The deal included retaining all employees and the management team at Cher-Make throughout the transition.
READ MORE: Lakeside Foods will acquire Cher-Make Sausage Co. All employees will be retained.
The merger of Investors Community Bank, based in Manitowoc, and Nicolet National Bank was announced in the beginning of December.
As it was completed, Investors Community Bank opened three branches as Nicolet National Bank in Grand Chute, Stevens Point and Manitowoc.
The new Lakeside Campus for BayCare Clinic opened in October. The campus was built on 9.3 acres just north of the roundabout at Waldo Boulevard and Maritime Drive.
The clinic’s specialty services are included at its new campus, including orthopedics and sports medicine, pain and rehab medicine, neurological surgery and urological surgeons. Eye specialists will be added in 2022, and Aurora Health Care Rehabilitation Services is also expected to move into the building.
READ MORE: Manitowoc's new BayCare Clinic Lakeside Campus will hold a grand opening later this month
Contact Alisa Schafer at aschafer@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AlisaMSchafer.