Badger Bizarre
In July of 2021, Bart and Krista Halderson, of suburban Dane County, were said to have gone up north to their cabin in Langlade County to celebrate the July 4th Holiday with friends. After days of no contact with their family back home in Windsor, WI, they were reported missing by their 23-year-old son, Chandler. When they were finally found by police, the shock and awe of what happened to Bart and Krista still has not worn off the small, tight-knit community north of Madison, as the story horrified the state and left a nation in disbelief. Scott and Mickey discuss the...
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The Fox Valley has a rich history of paper barons and lumber kings who ushered in an era of opulence shining with steamboat excursions along the river, palatial mansions in plush neighborhoods and lavish hotels and movie houses. But before this, native tribes reigned supreme in the region, leaving behind signs of their long -time dominance as well in our landscape and culture. Could it be that those of these bygone eras never really left? What is the barrier between the present and the past? The living and the dead? Is there really even a barrier at all? Mickey and Scott discuss...
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In June of 1988, the abducton of a 13-year-old girl in Massachussettes sent shockwaves through several communities in Wisconsin. The perpetrator of that crime, 30-year-old James Duquette Jr, was a native of Appleton, WI and had only just moved to Massachussettes months prior. A bombshell confession, not by Duquette himself, but by a friend, led police in Wisconsin to investigate Duquette for several cold cases, including the murders of 18-year-old Anne Preimesberger of Appleton and 14-year-old Tara Kassens of Cedarburg. A stunning life of crime was uncovered, the scope of which...
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Wisconsin was home to many towns throughout its history that, for various reasons, simply don't exist anymore. Whether bypassed by the railroad, faded away after a loss of industry, or disbanded by its own residents, the towns have been wiped from the modern-day landscape, some with visible ruins as reminders, and others have literally nothing existing other than stories. Those stories are largely unknown to most people today, but they are no less fascinating because of it. The unique history of Wisconsin is only further enriched when these stories are brought to light, including connections...
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From the early 1970's through 1990, Racine was the site of several brutal homicides, shocking the community and creating fear and panic in its residents. Helen Sebastian, Eric Hansen, and John Michael Madden were all found murdered within only a few miles of each other, several years apart. Although the murders were similar, as all were dismembered, were they committed by the same offender? Or was something even more nefarious going on? Does the 1973 murder of Tina Davidson, in the same city, leave any clues to who may have committed such horrible crimes. Scott and Mickey discuss...
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On November 9th, 1975, the ore freighter, Edmund Fitzgerald, once known as the "Queen of the Great Lakes" left the Burlington Railroad Loading Dock No 1, in Superior, WI. Loaded with over 26,000 tons of iron ore, "Big Fitz" was to arrive at Zug Island, MI 46 hours later, as it had done many times over. As recalled in Gordon Lighfoot's famous song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," the ship never completed the journey, ending up on the bottom of Lake Superior, taking her crew of 29 men with her. Scott and Mickey discuss the Fitzgerald, the ship's beginnings all the way to her...
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Although not usually thought of as a state steeped in UFO history, Wisconsin lays claim to some of the most influential and important names in the field, dating back to the beginnings of the study itself. From the founding of the oldest and largest civilian research organizations in the world, to 3 different towns claiming to be the "UFO Capitol of the World," to some of the strangest reported sightings in our nation's history, Wisconsin certainly has left, and continues to leave, an indelible mark in UFO lore. Scott and Mickey discuss Wisconsin's place in UFOlogy, and review some of the...
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On August 11th, 2009, 15-year-old Kayla Berg, after a fairly unremarkable day of hanging out with friends, went out with a trusted family friend, named Kevin Kielcheski. Although Kevin was 9 years older, Kayla had known Kevin virtually her entire life, was somewhat of a 'protective older brother-type,' and there was nothing unusual about them spending time together, according to her friends and family. Kayla has never returned home. After 16 years of investigations and searches, authorities have been unable to find her. Kevin, who is the last person known to be with her, reports he...
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Scott and Mickey talk with Jeff Finup, of Badgerland Legends and the Wisconsin Legends Podcast, about his newly published children's book, "Wisconsin Legends for Kids." The book is a wonderful piece to stir your child's ever-inquisitive mind and sense of wonder, as well as learn about the rich cultural heritage of our state. 10 tales of Wisconsin history are featured, some fact, some maybe up for debate, but all with a flair of enchantment. "Beneath the farm fields and rolling hills lies a darker side of Wisconsin. Mysterious creatures including werewolves, ghostly phantoms, and...
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From 1997-2010, a rash of drownings in the Mississippi River in La Crosse were mostly blamed by police on the culture of alcohol in Wisconsin. The deaths being attributed to people becoming inebriated, wondering down by the river, and ultimately falling in, unable to find their way out of the rushing or icy waters before succumbing. However, a pattern soon began to appear, as all of the victims were college-aged young men, athletic, popular, good-looking, good students, were drinking, and ended up in the river. All of these deaths were the result of a culture of marriage between alcohol...
info_outlineIn October of 1978, Adams County was rocked by the brutal murder of 20-year-old Nancy Potts, a nurse practitioner at Adams County Memorial Hospital, who was supposed to be married on the very day her body was found.
The killing of this seemingly innocent would-be bride opened up unhealed wounds around past violent crimes in the area, including an unsolved double murder with ties to Nancy's fiancee, Kenny Ray Reichhoff. Reichhoff was actually associated with several other deaths over previous years, which impacted his reputation in the community, shocking locals when the truth of Potts's murder was finaly realized.
Scott and Mickey discuss this story, which takes place over several years. Many details remain unsolved still today, accentuating the dark secrets many small towns in Wisconsin still hold.
In the opening banter, we discuss some upcoming appearances, an earthquake in WI (what?) and some of the most famous UFO sightings in our state.
All here, on episode 44 of Badger Bizarre: "Kenny Ray & Nancy."
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Opening Trailer:
Ed Gein Sound Byte : "Hard Copy" - Paramount Domestic/CBS Televsion
Frank Lloyd Wright and Jeffery Dahmer Sound Byte - WISN 12 News - Milwaukee, WI
Jeffery Dahmer Quotes: "Inside Edition" - King World/CBS Television/CBS Media
Attribution for Music:
Trailer: Composer: Adam Phillip Zwirchmayr https://www.pond5.com/
Intro: https://pixabay.com/
Outro: Composer: Viacheslav Sarancha https://www.pond5.com/
Attribution for logo design:
<a href="https://www.freeiconspng.com/img/47851">Red Claw Scratch Photo</a>
Sources:
Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune - Archives
Wisconsin State Journal - Archives
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