A story that began 3 years ago because a political game of chicken with PPP loans and a Biden/Harris sign, has escalated to the point of a potential closure next week.
Minocqua Brewing Company is located in Oneida County, with a population of roughly 8,000, yet has a customer base approaching 40,000 customers during the tourist season. They face a potential closure next week, as a result of an open air dumpster, an permit to host outdoor drinking, and some parking exemptions. Where the story really gets interesting though, is that several examples of similar behavior have been highlighted across the county by the owner of the brewery, Kirk Bangstad, with minimal pushback from the Oneida County Zoning Department.
Now, as a result of what Kirk claims is clearly political bias, his brewery faces closure in 5 days on July 26th, despite having a hearing scheduled on August 2nd to address the parking exemption issue. He believes he is a victim of what is referred to as selective enforcement, which occurs when government officials (such as police officers, prosecutors, or regulators) exercise discretion, which is the power to choose whether or how to punish a person who has violated the law, and by shutting him down before the hearing, the county can avoid a lawsuit.
There will be a protest over this issue on Saturday 7/22 at 2pm outside of the Town Hall (415 Menominee St Minocqua, WI 54548) for anyone looking to show support for the institution prior to the hearing.
I reached out to the chairman of the county board for comment on the issue. His response, “I’m out of the country”.
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[Spreaker: Outside the Box] [Wikipedia]
