• Cody M. Valdez, 32, Wausau, pleaded no contest Sept. 4 to possession of methamphetamine, possession of narcotic drugs, felony bail jumping and a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Judge Gregory Strasser levied fines and. court costs and sentenced him to 213 days in county jail. • David L. Heling, 38, New Lisbon, pleaded no contest Sept.

As summer winds down and Wisconsin families, educators and staff head back to school in the coming days, I am reminded of the amazing opportunities our public schools provide. Our public schools are places where every student — regardless of their background, abilities or needs — should have equal access to education and opportunity. Classrooms in Wisconsin are often the most diverse communities in our state.

Last fall, I announced a new identity for Wisconsin’s 13 public universities — the Universities of Wisconsin. The goal was to shift the emphasis from our system to our universities, which create opportunities for students and improve communities all across our state.

For many years, we have seen tension between local governments and farmers caused by the need to haul heavy loads over roads and bridges that weren’t up to the task.

We got the word again from another reader the other day — our opinion page is too slanted and filled with rants from people who hold abhorrent positions. My knee-jerk reaction was: “Well, yes. Of course it’s slanted; that’s why it’s called an opinion page.” After a few days of further thought and reflection, my reaction is: “Well, yes.

I found myself thinking about the late Richie Plass recently as I was browsing for news.