85 results for author: Middle Wisconsin Staff


Wisconsin River Valley Trout Unlimited

Join Wisconsin River Valley Trout Unlimited chapter for a presentation and discussion on protecting clean water from mining in Wisconsin on Monday, September 12 from 6-9 PM. The event will be held at The Bar, 10302 Market Street, Rothschild. After the Trout Unlimited social hour, at 7:00 p.m., River Alliance of Wisconsin Water Advocates Organizer, Johnson Bridgwater, will give a presentation about mining proposals and prospecting in Wisconsin, including the Reef deposit in Marathon County.

The Remarkable Nettie McGee

      Mid-August we lost Nettie McGee, one of the most dedicated and passionate activists in Wisconsin. Nettie's was a longtime OWR (Our Wisconsin Revolution) member and a dedicated volunteer that fought for environmental, social, and economic justice her entire life. When I first met Nettie she was at a rally fighting for increased wages for low wage workers at an event put on by the Poor People’s Campaign. She was someone who was willing to put herself on line to fight for the rights of others. It was that quality that made Nettie a special and caring individual. In her passing we must continue her fight for justice in ...

Remembering Ted

Ted Sperduto passed away on December 3, 2021. Ted was one of the founders and leaders of NAOMI (Northcentral Congregations Organized to Make and Impact). Ted left us doing what he did best, responding to a friend in need, responding to a request for help. On Sunday, August 21, 2022, Ted's friends from NAOMI gathered on the east lawn of the First Presbyterian Church in Wausau where a tree has been planted in Ted's memory. There is also a bench where one can sit and reflect.  It is there where friends gathered for an informal service and a chance to express their feelings. Ted's friend Brian Mach wrote this special poem. It was read by Ron Alexan...

Protect Voting by Mail

Wisconsinites, wherever we live and no matter our physical abilities or disabilities, should have the freedom to vote. But by banning ballot drop boxes, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has made it more difficult for people in rural and urban areas from voting by absentee ballot. And it tried to deny persons with physical disabilities from getting assistance in the delivery of their absentee ballots, but federal law still requires such assistance. What’s more, a Republican-dominated committee of the Legislature said it didn’t want clerks to be able to fix the pettiest of errors that the witness – not the voter – made on the outside ...

2022 Central Wisconsin Indigenous Peoples’ Day


Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson

On the afternoon of July 20, 2022, a celebration of the legacy of Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson was held in the gardens of the Marathon County Historical Society. After two years, the work has been completed. The Reading Room of the Wisconsin Historical Society has been dedicated to her with a portrait of her on display. A traveling exhibit is now on display as well after a month in Madison. In September it will move to UWM and City Hall in Milwaukee and then onto other cities throughout Wisconsin. Justice Ann Walsh Bradley spoke and a scholarship in Justice Abrahamson's name has been established to honor 4 graduating law students each ...

Concerns about exploration drilling at the Wausau-Reef gold deposit in Marathon County

The long known gold deposit 10-miles east of Wausau is being considered for a 450-foot deep open-pit gold mine. Although gold is in abundance and already stored in vast quantities in bank vaults and jewelry collections around the world, advocates for the project are claiming that the world needs more for the new “green economy”. This is an unsupported claim as the manufacturers of smart phones and computers confirm there are only trace amounts of gold in their products and they are moving away from the mineral. However, even the small amount of gold contained in a smart phone is vastly more worthwhile recycling rather than digging a new gold mine. ...

Changing Your Ballot

Early voting is underway in Wisconsin’s Primary as of July 26. There have been several candidates in both parties who are no longer running. Among the candidates who have left in the last few weeks are: Democratic Senate candidates Alex Lasry, Sarah Godlewski and Tom Nelson, as well as  Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Nicholson. If you, or someone you know, already voted for a candidate who is no longer running for office, it's not too late to void your ballot and request a new ballot. A voter can request to void their ballot by either a handwritten or emailed note to their local election clerk or in person at their polling ...

We Are in This Together

Are you going to do anything about toxic open-pit metallic mining coming to this area? Because of the repeal of the “Prove It First” mining law in 2017, foreign-owned mining companies are planning to develop open-pit mining in Northern Wisconsin starting at the Wausau-Reef and Medford-Bend deposits. Plans also call for developing mining in the Headwaters of the Wolf River in Oneida County near Crandon. It was just announced that exploration drilling is to start immediately. The drilling involves the use of toxic drilling fluids that will be emitted into the water aquifer where you get your drinking water from. Are you going to allow this? ...

Brewski’s for Godlewski

Join Sarah July 19, 5:30 PM-7 PM, Mosinee Brewing Company *not an endorsement