News Republic editorial: Snowstorm brought out their best

What a wild week.

Snowstorms, school cancellations, a bank robbery, Highway 12 closing, and Baraboo School District's administrator, Lance Alwin, being placed on paid leave.

We'll wait for the verdict of the investigation into Alwin's job performance before sounding off on that issue.

But in the meantime:

Thumbs down: To 70-year-old Richard Piper of Camp Douglas, who police say walked into the Sauk City branch of the Bank of Prairie du Sac, put something on the counter that he wanted tellers to think was a bomb, and demanded money.

Besides scaring the tellers and customers in the bank silly, Piper's actions touched off a chaotic scene on Highway 12 just south of Baraboo, where officers caught Piper only minutes after the alleged robbery.

Officers and a K-9 unit had to inspect Piper's car for this supposed bomb. And during all of this, there was a blizzard in full effect. Highway 12 from Ski Hi Road to Highway 159 had to be closed during the search for the bomb. Numerous cars slid into the ditch along the detour routes. Crews were sent to Ski Hi Road to put down salt and sand for the trucks to get moving, and Highway 12 was reopened — three hours after it was closed.

All this to hold some free cash for less than 15 minutes. Piper's alleged robbery was the move of a desperate man who felt like he had no other options. Police say Piper told them he acted on the spur of the moment, but also that he was thinking about his mentally disabled son who had been asking for money.

There's help available for people who need it in our society, but you've got to ask for it. Robbing a bank isn't going to make any problems go away.

Thumbs up: To the officers, Highway Department personnel, tow truck drivers, volunteers and Good Samaritans who helped things get back under control Wednesday after the fracas on Highway 12. Without a coordinated law enforcement effort, Piper might have gotten away. And without the concerted efforts of many, the scene on Highway 12 and Ski Hi Road could have devolved into the full-blown disaster that was Interstate 39-90 on Wednesday afternoon and night, in which motorists were stranded in their cars for nine hours or more. Gov. Jim Doyle was forced to call out the National Guard to help motorists.

After messes like this, it's easy to second-guess — why were cars routed down an unplowed (or at least not recently plowed) Ski Hi Road, for example. But in crisis situations, leaders are forced to make tough decisions, ones that may not make much sense. And sometimes there's really only one viable option.

If you look at a map of the area, you'll notice that there aren't a lot of great options for diverting Highway 12 traffic. And if you're looking for roads that can safely handle a high volume of traffic during a blizzard, forget it.

So while it's easy to point fingers and ask why traffic wasn't cleared up sooner and why cars were asked to drive down a snowy road away from the scene, the answer seems clear: it was a necessity. We tip our caps to those who were on the front lines on Wednesday, working to prevent a bigger mess, both in Sauk City and on Highway 12.

Thumbs up: To federal lawmakers' efforts to save jobs at the Badger Army Ammunition Plant.

An $18 million shortfall led to the layoff of 62 full-time contracted employees last month, the News Republic reported recently. The shortfall will delay demolition and inspection efforts at the plant and might delay the transfer of Army land to the DNR.

Feingold, along with U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Milwaukee, and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, sent a letter Feb. 1 to Army Secretary Peter Geren asking him to restore funding immediately.

"The Army's decision to cut Badger's funding comes at a tremendous cost to the people of Sauk County," said U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Middleton, in a press release Feb. 1.

He's right; the loss of those jobs certainly will have a ripple effect on the local economy, and there's also at least some level of public health concern.

And on another level, these layoffs will end up costing more in the long run because some spots will need to be reinspected.

So while lawmakers' motives may include an effort to grab headlines, it certainly can't hurt to lend their political clout to this issue. It might seem like small potatoes to folks in Washington, but it's a big deal here, especially to those who lost their jobs. And if the bureaucrats won't buy it, lawmakers can pitch it as a money-saver. It will be, after all.