118 results for author: Nancy Tabaka-Stencil


Knock it Off With the Greenwashing

I must commend the many people who are stepping up to the plate in Marathon County with concerns about their drinking water. Recently Green Light Metals has again tried to put themselves in the forefront saying they are here for the green economy. Marathon County residents are too smart to be “green-washed.” The Inflation Reduction Act itself is not a cure-all for bad mining practices of the past. I only hope the IRA monies will go for education and technology. Let’s try to learn better and less invasive techniques for mining, not hand out subsidies to mining companies. Let’s push those auto manufacturers to be accountable to us, the ...

Happy 10-Year Anniversary Middle Wisconsin

As we move toward the end of another year, I find myself reflecting….. I received the greatest phone call one night. It was my activist buddy Matt. I hadn’t heard from him in a year or so. Times and causes change, people change interests, people move. This was a flood of memories for both of us from Act 10 to the early days of Middle Wisconsin. Matt, his wife, Jen, and I go way back.  There was a trip to the Penokees once with nothing but a bag of honey crisp apples. To this day, those were without a doubt the best apples I ever ate. We talked about everything we learned that day and how we still apply it now to what is going on.  We’ve ...

Building Unity Activist Summit


Say No to 1849

Who may I ask are you, a fifty something year old white male, who walks into a polling place with your MAGA hat on, smiling like you own the world, making decisions that impact women. I find myself studying you. Somehow you don’t ‘look’ particularly intelligent enough to make decisions for me or any other woman. You put our futures and the lives of all women at risk with your ignorance. I am angry at your self-righteousness. I am a mom. I am a mom by choice. I am a mom for choice. I firmly center my belief that women should decide what is best for ourselves, for our families and for our futures. It is no one else’s business. In my life I ...

A Race to the Top

We all know the importance of green energy. We cannot continue to rely on fossil fuels, and it only makes sense to use the sun and the wind. Have we looked at the transition? How will it work if big money controls fossil fuels? The United States is one of the top three oil countries. While natural gas costs surge in our country, we know we could get more money exporting it. What will we do to obtain minerals we need to build a green economy? We talk about supply chain issues and National Defense being in the forefront for our problems. I often contemplate the race to the to and the scare tactics used.  What are sustainable solutions? The United ...

No Need for Gold

I find myself testing the ground a lot more these days. With winter coming, I am afraid of the ground freezing too fast. Why, you wonder? I don’t want a mining company drilling in my county. A letter of intent to drill was submitted for exploratory drilling in the Town of Easton, located in northeastern Marathon County. The mining company wants to drill nine holes over a three-parcel area. The holes are to be 650 feet deep. The drilling will be done in two phases this winter if the application is incompliance with regulations and ordinances. The last company only capped several holes it drilled. They were never filled. What about streams ...

Life is Better With a Union

Life is certainly better when you belong to a union.  We were so fortunate to have Congressman Mark Pocan speak at our AFSCME Convention. His message was loud and clear: get out and vote. There is so much on the line. Union members generally make more money. We fight for fair wages and equal rights for women. Union members believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Our group of retiree’s support Medicare and Medicaid so seniors and the most vulnerable have access to quality care. Anyone who works all their life should be able to retire with financial security. We fight to protect pensions and Social Security. In a union, we stand ...

VOTE EARLY

With the November 2022 election a little over a week away, it’s time to think about your plan for voting. Early voting in Wisconsin started on October 25 and will continue until Friday, November 4th. In large municipalities, voters often have a variety of options for where they can vote early. For example, many public libraries in Madison are early voting sites. In smaller towns and villages, the municipal clerk’s office is usually the place to vote early. Voting early is a great option. Working parents can get it done and not worry that a soccer game or unexpected ear infection might keep you from getting to the polls. People who work odd ...

Hands Off Our Earned Benefits

  Social Security is an incredibly effective and popular program. It provides benefits to over 1.2 million Wisconsinites and keeps over 400,000 out of poverty. There is no reason Social Security should be a partisan issue. It benefits Republicans, Democrats, and independents. But Senator Ron Johnson wants to put these vital earned benefits at risk by turning Social Security and Medicare into “discretionary spending.” That would turn these programs from guaranteed earned benefits into ordinary government spending that Congress has to vote to fund every year. Shame on Senator Johnson. He is incredibly wealthy and will never need to ...

Letter to the Editor

Is anyone aware that there is a Notice of Intent to Drill, a prelude to mining, by Green Light Metals in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest at the Medford-Bend Deposit in Taylor County and the Reef Deposit in Marathon County, just below the Dells of Eau Claire? This is a Canadian Company that has appeared to have spun the company name serval times from Badger Minerals, Aquila, Green Light Metals, and GORO. A week ago, our group chose a supervisor to bring forth our resolution for clean water. We had resolutions from three Wisconsin Tribes as well, including the Ho Chunk, the Menominee, and the Lac du Flambeau. Four environmental groups ...