38 results for author: Middle Wisconsin Staff
Happy Constitution Day!
September 17 is Constitution Day, commemorating the signing of our Constitution in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787.
It’s especially important to celebrate Constitution Day this year because our system of government is being threatened as never before by Donald Trump and his cult-like followers and his enablers in the Republican Party, as Pres. Biden warned us so wisely in his speech on Sept. 2 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
For the first time in our history, we had a President who refused to abide by a peaceful transfer of power.
For the first time in our history, we had a President who plotted a coup to keep himself in power, ...
Northern Environmental Advocates: PFAS in Drilling Fluids
Wisconsin DNR has a new research project to determine if PFAS are in DNR approved
drilling fluids used for mineral exploration drilling and drinking water well
construction.
Contrary to what the DNR has admitted during recent meetings, DNR staff is still making
unfounded public statements that products on their approved list do not contain PFAS. Since
there has never been any testing to confirm these products lack PFAS, any statement
claiming that products are PFAS free is not backed up by factual evidence.
The DNR continues to absorb full liability for allowing use of the 210 chemicals on their
approved list. If any of these products are ...
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 ...
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. ...