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(2008/05/17)
It was no doubt destiny that caused a cute black Labrador puppy to slide a wet, pink tongue across the face of my 10-year-old daughter on an August day in 1995.
(2008/05/17)
I wanted to die. It was that simple. I prayed to God every day that he would take me out of this world, but still provide for my wife and kids. I thought I was a burden to them. I felt I let them down because I wasn’t successful, in my opinion. I wanted my life to be over, but not at my doing. Suicide was not an option for me. That’s why I prayed for God to end my life.
(2008/05/17)
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging. That good advice, usually attributed to humorist Will Rogers, is apparently lost on Wisconsin’s legislative leaders.
(2008/05/17)
Has the Holmen Village Board endorsed a religion? Would the board allow an alternative group, say neo-Nazis or perhaps a satanic organization to display their sacred symbols on public property? If the answer to the second question is “no,” then the answer to the first question is “yes.”
(2008/05/17)
On Saturday, May 17, our nation will celebrate Armed Forces Day. At Fort McCoy, we will observe the day by hosting an Armed Forces Day Open House from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. I welcome you to visit Fort McCoy that day to learn more about Fort McCoy’s vital role as a Power Projection Platform and its role in supporting the training and readiness needs of all branches and components of the military services.
(2008/05/17)
When is it going to end? The men and women dying in the war, the excuses for gas to go up and the amount of drugs that young people are able to get. It is bad enough that gas is close to $4 a gallon, but sending thousands of teens off to war is too much! We need a president who can put a stop to all of this.
(2008/05/14)
In the late 1930s, when I was a middle school student in West Salem, we were subjected to the last vestiges of the totally discredited corporal punishment practices for the management of student behavior.
(2008/05/14)
Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued a strong and important opinion this week favoring the public’s right to know about traffic accidents and crime in local communities.
(2008/05/14)
After a winter like the one we just had, sometimes it feels like spring and summer will never arrive. For me at least, one of the most welcome dates on the calendar finally got here this past weekend: the start of fishing season. Between that and the excitement of turkey hunting season, it’s a wonderful time to be in Wisconsin.
(2008/05/14)
Early in my first year as a teacher at Rhinelander High School, one of my sophomore English students inhaled the cap of his blue Bic pen and quickly turned his own shade of indigo. I remember his name, but I won’t mention it here.
(2008/05/14)
The Holmen cross should stay on public property. Here’s why.
(2008/05/14)
This past week was Cover the Uninsured Week. Cover the Uninsured Week is a national effort that seeks to bring attention to the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance.
(2008/05/14)
Al Gore mystifies me. He works tirelessly to raise environmental awareness, yet he continues to ignore evidence that eating meat is the No. 1 cause of global warming.
(2008/05/14)
I was a little nervous about being a chaperone for my kids’ field trip earlier this week. How would the kids behave? The only way to find out was to pray for the best and go.
(2008/05/07)
In 1967, some friends and I bought a VW in Dusseldorf, Germany, and drove all around western Europe, where we paid about $2.40 a gallon for gas. That was 41 years ago. Today they pay between $5 and $7 a gallon, while we are now at $3.50 and will probably go to $4 before this summer is over.
(2008/05/07)
Last week’s Earth Day celebrations and the onset, finally, of spring weather gave us pause to revel in the beauty around us — and to consider our responsibility to be good stewards of our most precious asset, the environment.
(2008/05/07)
Beginning this week, some of our checking accounts will be a little fatter from getting that long-talked-about, long-awaited economic stimulus rebate from Uncle Sam. While waiting for my rebate, I’ve been pondering how far $300, $600 or $1,200 will go. Since I’m married with two kids, the largest sum of the aforementioned three would apply to my situation.
(2008/05/07)
Cover the Uninsured Week is April 27 to May 3. Covering Kids and Families is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance.
(2008/04/29)
Some of us are doing our best to pinch pennies with our household budgets these days. However, in recent months our generated incomes don’t seem to be keeping up with the demands of the bills that show up in our mailboxes.
(2008/04/29)
April is financial literacy month and across the United States, schools and communities offer programs highlighting and supporting financial literacy education, bringing to light the importance of financial education.
(2008/04/29)
It’s rarely a good idea to feed a wild animal, but it’s an especially bad idea to feed a wild deer.
(2008/04/29)
With all the reminders to recycle, shrink our carbon footprint and reduce our consumption of goods, just about everyone feels guilty on Earth Day.
(2008/04/23)
Is our economic glass half-full or half-empty? That’s the question people who are a heck of a lot smarter than yours truly have studied with great fervor lately as wave after wave of economic gloom and doom news continues to wash over us on nearly a daily basis.
(2008/04/23)
I once knew a scrawny, acne-faced 16-year-old boy who was intent on finding a date for his high school prom. He got rejection after rejection, and decided he was done wasting time asking girls singly. He put up a sign in the staircase for all to see asking for a date to the prom.
(2008/04/23)
Why are the schools promoting a political view? The schools starting in first grade promote a political view that the world is experiencing global warming. They teach that this warming is caused by the U.S.A. and the West and that the United States of America is the world’s largest polluter even though the facts prove differently.
(2008/04/23)
April 16 marked the first anniversary of the Virginia Tech tragedy, in which 32 students and professors were killed by a 23-year-old student. The tragedy continues to have a deep emotional resonance with all Americans who imagined the faces of their own family members or friends in the faces of those who died.
(2008/04/23)
There is quite a bit of discussion regarding saving “our” farm land for farms. I have not figured out who owns “our” farm land. Does the title holder or farmer? Then they should decide what they want to do with their farm land.
(2008/04/23)
If your child’s school observes the homosexual sponsored Day of Silence on April 25, parents should consider keeping their children at home.
(2008/04/15)
With the 2008 presidential elections fast approaching, we should not forget the unique and important role voters have in choosing our next president. After all is said and done, a democracy is only as strong as the participation in it.
(2008/04/15)
These are exciting times for arts education. Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton and I announced the formation of an arts task force that will strengthen arts education and ensure Wisconsin’s leadership in the emerging creative economy.
(2008/04/15)
Go green. That slogan is all the buzz these days. You’ve heard and read the eco-friendly mantras of recycling, re-using and reducing your carbon footprint. Somehow “going green” manages to find its way into many forms of media everyday. Going green and being ecologically friendly seems to be on the minds of many people in a time of economic downturn.
(2008/04/15)
The stock market, which has been defined as a poker game, is in deep trouble. How do you jump-start an economy that is out of gas?
(2008/04/15)
I wish to thank everyone in the town of Onalaska for voting on Tuesday. Lives have been lost to provide us with the right to vote and participate in our government and getting out of the house to make the most of the right is important.
(2008/04/15)
The TV station in Wausau has a segment called “Our Hometown Heroes” that honors people in the service. I would like to honor my local heroes.
(2008/04/15)
Thank you to the voters of District 26 for returning me to the La Crosse County Board with such overwhelming numbers. I will continue to do what is best for you and for La Crosse County by making this a safe place to live and by working to build an economically thriving community. You will find my phone number and e-mail address on the La Crosse County Web site.
(2008/04/09)
Since the beginning of the year, government has operated at the state Capitol with a black cloud looming over every meeting, every committee hearing and every bill working its way toward becoming law. That cloud is the looming specter of a budget shortfall, and unfortunately, it’s an all too familiar one to families and businesses throughout Wisconsin.
(2008/04/09)
REV. BILLY GRAHAM: This (Jewish) stranglehold (on the media) has got to be broken or the country’s going down the drain.
(2008/04/09)
What fun would it be for parents, if they knew everything about child rearing? If they knew how to handle every step of their child’s development with grace and ease? There are some self-proclaimed child rearing gurus out there, but I don’t claim to know it all when it comes to child rearing.
(2008/04/09)
Think our record-setting winter pokes holes in the case for climate change? On the contrary: In a warming world, scientists tell us Wisconsin can expect a future of more weather extremes and variability, including heavy snow. And these effects won’t be caused by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases we generate now; they’re the after-effects of our lack of understanding going back at least a generation. Now that we know better, we must act.
(2008/04/09)
Last week’s edition includes a story written by staff writer Michael Martin that requires comment and further information. The story is about John and Joan Dolbier and the work they have done to bring worthy historic designation to the Mindoro Cut.
(2008/04/02)
EDITOR’S NOTE: During the mayoral campaign there have been some rumblings from supporters of Bob Muth that the Community Life has been biased in favor of Mike Giese because he used to be part owner of the newspaper, which was purchased five years ago by Lee Enterprises, parent company of the La Crosse Tribune. This perception is distressing.
(2008/04/02)
Few votes are as obvious and easy as this one. A constitutional amendment on statewide ballots April 1 will read: “QUESTION 1: Partial veto. Shall section 10 (1) (c) of article V of the constitution be amended to prohibit the governor, in exercising his or her partial veto authority, from creating a new sentence by combining parts of two or more sentences of the enrolled bill?”
(2008/04/02)
I am writing to the voters of the city of Onalaska today as a past employee of the city and as someone who knows Mike Giese and Bob Muth. I have worked with both candidates, and know both men to be kind, honest, great listeners.
(2008/04/02)
I recently attended the jazz concert at Onalaska High School Performing Arts Center. I have been helping out over there, and was asked to give the singer a couple of tips.
(2008/04/02)
The problem many people seem to be having with taking down the “Star Hill cross” is the perceived object that’s under dispute. Many people are getting very upset because they see this as an attack on Christianity. This could not be further from the truth.
(2008/04/02)
I feel that Howard Kelly would be the best addition to the Onalaska Town Board. Communication with residents and willingness to research information is key to making decisions that affect all residents in the town of Onalaska. It is clear that Howard Kelly has a considerable advantage in both areas.
(2008/04/02)
I was greatly disappointed at the quick solution to the controversy regarding the display of the religious symbol on property in the village of Holmen. The First Amendment was written to protect both the church and the state.
(2008/04/02)
How far will “freedom from religion” go? What do they expect from everyone else? When will everyone else stand up and quit letting this mob rule everyone else’s life?
(2008/04/02)
We have lived in Onalaska for more than 30 years and have often been in contact with the mayor and council members regarding city planning, development and zoning issues over this period of time. Mike Giese is one of the council members that we have talked to regarding such issues.
(2008/04/02)
To the citizens of Onalaska: My dad has been a huge impact in my life since I can remember. He had me on the golf course and softball diamond before I could crawl. He has coached not only me, but so many teams through St. Patrick’s Elementary and parks and recreation programs. He referees many basketball games in the area just for fun.
(2008/04/02)
On election day, the citizens of Onalaska will have the opportunity to select an outstanding civic leader for mayor — Mike Giese. Mike has dedicated his tenure on the Onalaska Common Council to the betterment of our community.
(2008/04/02)
The Onalaska Middle School seventh- and eighth-grade girls basketball season wrapped up its schedule recently, and players and coaches can be proud of their successful seasons. All players can be proud of the teamwork, sportsmanship and hard work displayed throughout the season.
(2008/04/02)
In a country of violence, profanity, deceit and immoral behavior, a symbol of a person’s faith or spirituality can give comfort.
(2008/04/02)
Mike Giese has given his time and donated serious effort into making the local government of the city of Onalaska more efficient and economical for all of us who intend to live and retire here.
(2008/04/02)
We are encouraging people to vote for Mike Giese for mayor of Onalaska.
(2008/04/02)
Please re-elect Judge Louis Butler to the Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 1. Justice Butler has a record of upholding the Constitution and the state statutes in his work on the Supreme Court, being impartial and fair and holding anyone who breaks the law accountable to the law, not his personal whims.
(2008/04/02)
This judicial campaign is between the people of Wisconsin and Michael Gableman, it is not a race between two candidates. On one side, there are voters who expect the justices of the Wisconsin Supreme court to be unbought and untainted by out-of-state money.
(2008/04/02)
To the citizens of Onalaska: You have been hearing and reading about the great decision maker a candidate for mayor is. He has been with many great companies and educational establishment in a decision-making position.
(2008/04/02)
I have known Mike for 20 years. Mike is the right man, with the right heart, intellect and experience to lead our city. He is the man for our rapidly changing new world (whatever it may be).
(2008/04/02)
Mike Giese is an excellent choice for the next mayor of Onalaska.
(2008/04/02)
Barack Obama’s critics have spent the past year trying to find a scandal in his life, and they finally came up with one: Obama goes to church.
(2008/04/02)
Starting in May, economic stimulus payments of up to $600 for individuals ($1,200 for married couples) will be issued by the IRS based on 2007 tax returns. Parents also get $300 for each eligible child.
(2008/03/25)
One item in the news that’s really sticking in my craw has to do with mixing religion and politics. I won’t flog the horse of what’s happening in Holmen. There’s been plenty of coverage on that issue. I want to focus on a larger scale -- the scale of the presidential election.
(2008/03/25)
For all the discussion over the on-going mortgage meltdown, here’s something that’s gone virtually unnoticed: A family earning the median income can’t afford the median-priced home. It’s a structural problem rooted deep in the economy, and it can’t be fixed by tinkering with lending rules.
(2008/03/25)
As “newcomers” to Onalaska (15 years), we have had opportunities to learn to know Mike Giese outside of the political arena. We have found him to be intelligent with a visionary approach to future challenges, such as the waterfront project in the city and issues related to sustainability and the environment.
(2008/03/25)
Very simply, a mayor is the head of a city. There are responsibilities with such an important job. Reflecting on growing up with Mike as head of our household, I think back to his responsibilities and jobs that affected my life so profoundly.
(2008/03/25)
I live in the town of Holland, but the leadership of the neighboring municipalities effects us all. I don’t get to vote for Mike Giese for mayor of the City of Onalaska. I do know that he is one of the smartest and most ethical people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.
(2008/03/25)
The issue of the cross atop Star Hill needs to be discussed with civility and respect. If asked what that cross stands for, I would hope most Holmen residents — at least the religious community — would somehow see it as a symbol of God’s love for the world, meaning all people, including Eric Barnes.
(2008/03/25)
Since the primary I have learned a lot about our candidates for mayor. Bob Muth is a man of his word, taking the time to talk to me about the issues of my campaign and truly wanting to understand them.
(2008/03/18)
Spring might be still around the corner, but I heard her call Sunday and sampled a sweet taste of the beauty to come.
(2008/03/18)
Town of Onalaska residents should know what has been happening in the town. There have been requests to amend our comprehensive plan to allow for the development of more than 900 acres.
(2008/03/18)
I am running for the Riverland Energy Cooperative Board of Directors in District 7, which serves portions of La Crosse County, including Holmen and Onalaska. As you know, this area continues its tremendous growth, and soon a new school will be built north of Holmen.
(2008/03/18)
I am writing this letter to set the record straight as to why I feel so strongly about Bob Muth for mayor of Onalaska. The newspaper terribly misrepresented my views in a recent article.
(2008/03/18)
On Jan. 12, 1993, I went to the Racine City Hall to hold my very first listening session. When I ran for the Senate in 1992, I made a promise to the people of Wisconsin: to hold a listening session in every one of Wisconsin’s 72 counties each year. Fifteen years after my first listening session, I’m more convinced than ever of the value of these town hall meetings.
(2008/03/18)
Communicating with another person from another generation can sometimes be difficult, yet humorous in hindsight. Cross-generational communication can be especially confusing when it comes to advances and trends in technology.
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