57 results for author: Middle Wisconsin Editorial Board


The Community of Wausau – Thomas Street Project

In a commendable act of community spirit, the Wausau City Council voted at its July 7th meeting to delay any action on Thomas Street reconstruction to allow time for study of an alternative plan presented by local citizen and architect, Kevin Korpela. It was truly an example of citizens, neighborhoods and officials working together for the good of all. We appear to be witnessing the quiet – and sometimes not so quiet – renewal of citizen involvement in communities throughout Wisconsin. People are working together in the best interests of families, neighbors, and neighborhoods. People are working together to return our villages, towns and cities ...

Wisconsin Leading the Way in State Cuts to Schools?

The following article is a reprint of a recent news release by Senator Kathleen Vinehout to the people of Wisconsin. Middle Wisconsin feels strongly that the citizens need to be aware of the harm being done to our public schools and our children by the transfer of tax dollars to private institutions. Wisconsin Leading the Way in State Cuts to Schools? by Senator Kathleen Vinehout “Hard to believe we are in competition for last place!” said Pepin Superintendent Bruce Quinton. This is hard to believe indeed.A recently released study of state budget cuts to local schools has Wisconsin ranked second only to Alabama in cuts per pupil.The ...

Unnecessary Plan to Decimate Thomas Street Neighborhood

The Wausau City Council will be meeting on July 8, 2014 at 7:00 PM, and Thomas Street is once again on the agenda. On June 12, 2014 the Capital Improvements and Street Maintenance Committee (CISM) voted to move ahead with widening the road.  CISM voted to create a four-lane stretch of road into a two-lane bridge and will be recommending that the City Council vote to acquire about 50 properties along the Street, many of them homes of long time residents. The only apparent need for the acquisition of these properties is the eventual expansion of Thomas Street to four lanes from 17th Avenue to the Thomas Street Bridge. It is difficult to justify ...

Who’s Helped By Raising The Minimum Wage?

The minimum wage struggle is an issue which affects so many individuals and families

Pale Blue Dot

The following quote is from the book  Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space by Carl Sagan. The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by the Voyager 1 space probe from a record distance of about 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles, 40 AU) from Earth. The Voyager 1 spacecraft, which had completed its primary mission and was leaving the Solar System, was commanded by NASA to turn its camera around and to take a photograph of Earth across a great expanse of space, at the request of Carl Sagan. “Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone ...

ON THE BOOKSHELVES… “Wisconsin Bucket List: 100 Ways to Have a Real Wisconsin Experience”

“In my opinion, it is entirely possible that America’s Dairyland was once a shooting star that traveled from the Milky Way and landed in the heartland of our great nation.” — Kelly Jo Stull, author of The Wisconsin Bucket List Looking for a home-grown GRADUATION, RETIREMENT, or FATHER'S DAY GIFT to kick off the summer travel season? Wisconsin Bucket List: 100 Ways to Have a Real Wisconsin Experience is a compendium of 100 iconic Wisconsin attractions that will warm your heart as you laugh and nod in recognition of your own childhood memories and musings. If you were raised in Wisconsin, it’s likely this book will get you ...

The Thomas Street Plan: Four-Lane Road Into Two-Lane Bridge Based On Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Funding, Not Necessary Road or Traffic Improvement

Lost federal funding from breaking federal guidelines drives a costly Thomas Street plan that will impact the Wausau School District, Northcentral Technical College, and Marathon County A careful review of information on the Thomas Street project, including local news coverage, reveals the answer to a question that has been frequently brought up by Wausau residents:  why would the city build a four-lane road on Thomas Street into a two-lane bridge? The City’s own research indicates a four-lane stretch of road on Thomas Street is both unnecessary and costly. The City’s Own Research Indicates a Four-Lane Stretch of Road on Thomas Street is Both ...