Archaeologist finds 3,000-year-old canoe in Lake Mendota
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Monday will be another quintessential fall day: sunny and breezy with highs in the upper 50s.
'Canoe' believe it's 3,000 years old?
Last November, moments after maritime archaeologist Tamara Thomsen unearthed a 1,200-year-old canoe from Lake Mendota, she said this:
“I’ve never seen this underwater (before) and I don’t think I’ll ever get to again in my career.”
She'd soon prove herself wrong. An avid scuba diver, Thomsen was teaching a diving class in May when she spotted another canoe at the bottom of Lake Mendota.
Carbon dating puts it at a staggering 3,000 years old. It's from 1000 B.C., the Late Archaic period, before farming, pottery and effigy mounds.
And here's a fun fact: We're closer in time today to the canoe from A.D. 800 than it is to the canoe from 1000 B.C.
Archaeologists have assumed, but not known for sure, that Native Americans used canoes for thousands of years. They have artifacts of tools that they guessed could be used to carve canoes out of wood.
"Now, we've actually got a canoe," terrestrial archaeologist Amy Rosebrough said.
On Thursday, a team of divers carefully raised it to the surface and a boat towed it to shore.
Having covered both canoe-raisings, I found my conversations this time around with members of the Ho-Chunk Nation most powerful. The people who lived along Lake Mendota are ancestors of the Ho-Chunk.
Many members who were able to reach out and touch the canoe, resting at the water's edge on a raft, said they felt a strong connection to their ancestors.
"To be able to be in its presence and think about all the people that came before us is very humbling," casino cage manager Kyla Beard said.
Is school choice the solution to crime?
Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson had made combating crime a major focus of his re-election campaign.
He recently convened a round table discussion on the issue at God Touch Milwaukee, a nonprofit group on the city's south side.
Here are two quotes from the event.
"My macro solution: renewed faith, stronger families, more supportive communities," Johnson said.
Later, he added: "The blunt public policy prescription for me is school choice."
His challenger, Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, is pushing back. And Johnson is defending his record. Read more here.
Nursing home complaints surge
Wisconsin has seen a surge in complaints against nursing homes during the pandemic.
And it's on track to surpass an all-time high set last year, reporter Sarah Volpenhein found.
The state is receiving about 190 complaints per month on average this year. That's compared to 165 per month last year and 140 per month in 2020.
There are shortages of nurses and nursing aides, which can affect the care of residents. Then there are shortages of qualified nursing home inspectors.
Wisconsin officials have contracted with two private companies to try to complete all the inspections — which are required when complaints are filed.
Other top stories
A Cedarburg woman who submitted her dead partner's ballot in the 2020 election has been sentenced to 90 nights in jail.
Enrollment at more than half of the University of Wisconsin System campuses is down by 3% or more. But at UW-Madison, it's up 5%. The UW System president thinks campuses 'have turned a corner' on COVID-19.
Get outdoors this fall: The Mammoth Hike Challenge challenges people to hike, walk or backpack 42 miles of the Ice Age Trail in October, plus visit three official trail communities.
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, began at sundown on Sunday. Joan Elovitz Kazan has some recipes to upgrade your celebration.
After a strong start, the Packers offense stalled, but the defense held on for a win against the Buccaneers 14-12.
Jukebox musical
In the mood for some ABBA music?
You could check out Skylight Music Theatre's new production of "Mamma Mia!" It runs through Oct. 16 at the Broadway Theatre Center.
The jukebox musical follows the character Sophie, 20, who invites three men who might be her father to her wedding on a Greek Island.
Sure, it's a bit of a goofy premise. But us Sophies have to stick together, so I'm a fan.
Contact Sophie Carson at (414) 223-5512 or scarson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @SCarson_News.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 3,000-year-old canoe found in Lake Mendota, Ron Johnson on crime
