Editorial Columns

Electoral College fights for the American voice

Published by admin on Mon, 12/07/2020 - 12:44pm

Do you know why the founding fathers of this country instituted the Electoral College? The founders did not want a direct popular vote; a concern was that the most populated states would control the vote. Another concern was that individual voters might not have sufficient information to elect a president, so electors are what we are actually voting for on Election Day.

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Fear can be alleviated by hope at this time in lives

Published by admin on Mon, 12/07/2020 - 12:42pm

At this time in our nation’s history, we have much to fear.

Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. It can be real or imagined. This “loss of control” may cause us to panic.

Hope, however, is always possible when we begin to look at the whole picture positively and begin to believe something good could happen.

We need hope right now.

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GUEST COLUMN: Waves or ripples? Too early to tell what’s next for trade

Published by admin on Mon, 12/07/2020 - 12:39pm

Changes are coming to U.S. trade policy, but it is too early to tell if we should expect dramatic waves or subtle ripples during the next four years.

In the past decade, we have seen a significant shift by both Republicans and Democrats against free trade. This is tracked with changes in public opinion on the issue, especially in industrial states that are key to electoral victory like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

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YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW: State must do more to promote openness

Published by admin on Mon, 12/07/2020 - 11:49am

Last January, a person involved in local emergency management asked the Office of Open Government, part of the state Justice Department, whether emergency preparedness coalitions run by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) are subject to the state’s open meetings and open records laws.

The answer to this question, it turns out, is yes. These laws apply to the state’s seven Wisconsin Regional Healthcare Emergency Readiness Coalitions, critical entities in the age of COVID-19, meaning their meetings must be noticed and open to the public.

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A fond farewell and thanks for the memories

Published by admin on Wed, 11/11/2020 - 8:24am

So long, it’s been good to know you — say goodbye to Hollywood — packed my bags it’s time to go. There have been a lot of farewell themed songs running through my head since we agreed to an end date for my time here at the newspaper. Change is good, though sometimes painful, but it always makes for a good topic to sing about.

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Toasting to the good life

Published by admin on Thu, 11/05/2020 - 8:04am

There aren’t a lot of great things that have come with the pandemic, but I find myself happily enjoying the good things.

My gal pals and I are going to have our first fall virtual happy hour next Wednesday. We started having them once a week this past summer, but as the days grew busier with all of our “adjusting” to the pandemic we found it harder to get together even with the help of our electronics.

What does it say when we finally become acclimated to our new life changes and we can once again set aside just one hour per week for such a simple ritual?

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My latest choice was “The Lure” by S.W. Hubbard. It is one of a three-book set in his Frank Bennet Adirondack Mountain Mysteries. A few years ago, Frank Bennett thought his life was over. His beloved wife was dead. He was estranged from his only child, Ca

Published by admin on Thu, 10/29/2020 - 12:49pm

To say it’s been a long year is certainly the biggest understatement of the year. Last year about this time, I hit a little bump in the road but truly thought it would all get better by Christmas. Well, well, well, Christmas came and went last year and things didn’t get better, and I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate “the most wonderful time of the year.” In fact, the only Christmas decorations I managed were putting Christmas cards and pictures on a wire photo stand and putting up a table top tree.

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When force of nature becomes force for change

Published by andynewsengin on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 9:53am

It is not a gentle process, making wood.

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Waiting on the weather in Wisconsin is a full-time commitment

Published by admin on Wed, 10/21/2020 - 9:48am

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, at least it was on Oct. 16 when I was helping a friend celebrate her birthday. We had taken a drive from Eau Claire to Durand, and the sun was shining and all was right with the world.

We went to Jean Accola’s art gallery to take in one last look at her fine art before she closes the gallery and moves with her husband, Yata, to sort-of retire in northern Wisconsin. Retirement has a vague definition for artists and musicians, as there is generally no defining time when they actually quit doing what they’ve spent a lifetime doing.