Uppitywis Blogs

Delight in the Sun! by Senator Kathleen Vinehout   “Don’t you want to sit in the shade?” my sister-in-law asked. “No” I replied. I love the sun. I understand why ancient civilizations worshiped the sun.   Somehow, I think my in-laws, Cindy and Norm, love the sun too.   They just returned from the Midwest Energy Fair in Custer, Wisconsin. The Energy Fair, sponsored by the nonprofit Midwest Renewable Energy Association celebrated its 27th anniversary in June.   With over 200 workshops and roughly 15,000 folks attending, the fair serves as a catalyst for clean energy projects all over Wisconsin.   Norm and

Sightings of the creature were reported in the Rice Lake area over a period of time. Pictures of its tracks were sent to the WI Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR). Numerous people reported seeing it on their early morning walks and each time the DNR said they needed more evidence.

Eventually a group of citizens stood under a tree, along with an employee of the DNR. Some great pictures were taken. That a predator was among us could no longer be denied.  There it was, lurking on a branch ready to pounce.  

Predators stalk. They watch and lurk, seeking the most vulnerable among us. They creep and

Community Conversations in Menomonie held a Candidate Forum on June 18th for legislative candidates in the 29th District. All four of the announced candidates participated - Scottie Ard, Randy Knaack, Rob Stafsholt, and Vince Trudell. These are video recordings of the forum, broken into two parts.

15, 2016 Birth, Life and Death of a Bad Idea By Senator Kathleen Vinehout   “No one had any inkling this was happening,” Michael Blumenfeld told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We are just scratching our heads. Why would you do this?” Mr. Blumenfeld spoke for the Wisconsin Family Care Association in early spring of 2015.   The frail elderly, disabled, and their families learned the governor sought to privatize the successful Family Care and IRIS programs, handing them over to a few large insurance companies.   The birth of this idea happened in secret.   The Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary

  Audit Raises Questions About Clean Water Protection By Senator Kathleen Vinehout   We all drink water. We expect the water to be clean when it comes out of the facet. We also expect that someone is looking over the safety of our water.   Residents in Kewaunee County wonder more than most if the water they drink is really safe. Well water tested in a random sample last November found a third of Kewaunee wells were contaminated with bacteria or unsafe levels of nitrates.   The likely culprits of well contamination are large livestock farms known as concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)

One of the more alarming trends in our society seems to be that we've completely given up on politicians. Not only do they receive very little respect, but we've reached the point where nobody is surprised when they lie. Over and over and over.

One of our current leading presidential candidates seems not to be able to say anything that is not either an outright lie or completely misleading. And when caught on his lies either says the never said it, or he threatens to sue.

But in our own state, we have our own home-grown liar, Scott Walker. Once again Walker has been caught prevaricating

What's on your mind?   Not like there's anything interesting going on, but let us know anyway.

How to Make Heads or Tails of Wisconsin’s Finances By Senator Kathleen Vinehout   “Is there any news on how the state is positioned for revenue growth?” Mr. Olsen inquired in his letter.   “How do our finances compare to other states?” Mrs. Adams asked.   People want to know about the health of Wisconsin’s finances. As I began my research, I spoke with the State Auditor and the chief financial analyst, both of whom work for nonpartisan legislative support agencies.   Wisconsin is midway through its two-year budget. The state’s fiscal year ends June 30th. By mid-August we should know how closely actual

School Funding Hits Home by Senator Kathleen Vinehout   What’s wrong with school funding? Explaining this to voters is difficult. Try explaining it to a ninth grader who is losing a favorite teacher. The teacher is not retiring. At 53 and after teaching for 29 years, he lost his job.   Recently I spent a day teaching high school students about school funding and the state budget. Later that day I presented similar material to staff and school board members. I learned much more than the students did during my day as teacher.   Prescott considers itself a suburb of Saint Paul. Only 20 minutes away

We're in another one of those interesting moments in Wisconsin where some of the more egregious acts of our state legislature are again in court. Despite our governor's assertion that Voter ID is working "fine" in the state, the current lawsuit in Wisconsin Western District court seems to be arguing otherwise. Walker is unwilling to admit that there's a problem here, yet he seems willing to write administrative rules to "fix" it. Well, only a little bit. 

Voter ID has been a painful issue right down then line, attempting to save us from the dire consequences of impersonation fraud at the polls

Playing Nice in the Sandbox and the River by Senator Kathleen Vinehout   “People are being driven off the river,” Sue told Black River area residents. “My kids can’t dive off the dock with the big boats. … It didn’t used to be this way. We could all get along - kayakers, canoers, and boaters. I wouldn’t dream of letting my kids kayak now.”   Friends of the Black River gathered to talk with boat owners about river use. Some felt big boats had taken over the river.   Playing nice in the sandbox means respecting others play. The six-year-old bully who throws sand and drives other children away does not

Recovery Court Celebrates Ten Years of Changing Lives by Senator Kathleen Vinehout   Addiction may begin in a very private way. But, healing from addiction can take a village and can be very public.   “This is a big challenge,” Taavi McMahon, the Trempealeau County District Attorney told me. “People get up in front of everyone in open court and spill the beans about their whole life.”   Recovery Court in Trempealeau County recently celebrated 10 years of helping addicts return to a healthy life and avoid prison. I was blessed to be a part of the anniversary celebration held in Whitehall.   “All of the

Don't blame me - blame Shakespeare. Or Dick the Butcher if you're character-driven. Some days it seems like a reasonable sentiment.  Let's compare and contrast two news stories that have passed over my desk in the last day or so. They're related both to my little neck of the woods and the state as a whole.

From the Eau Claire Leader Telegram re: the last Menomonie City Council Meeting:

 Approved Knaack’s appointment of the law firm Weld Riley, which has offices in Eau Claire, Menomonie and Black River Falls, for general legal counsel. John Behling will serve primarily as city attorney. Weber Law

Okay, maybe not this bathroom, but -

I note that Rep. Jesse Kremer (R-Kewaskum) is saying that he's going to bring back the transgender bathroom bill that failed to pass in the last legislative session because ""This North Carolina law has taken the blinders off for a lot of people," 

Well yes, it has taken the blinders off for me. It has made it clear that people proposing these ridiculous bills around the country really don't care about "protecting children" so much as they care about ridiculing and persecuting people for the crime of "being different". Which is apparently enough these days.

T

Mississippi River is One of America’s Greatest Treasures By Senator Kathleen Vinehout   “A single drop of water falling into the headwaters of the Mississippi in Minnesota would travel the river for 90 days to reach the Gulf of Mexico.” Gayle Harper, author/photographer, read this detail on the National Park Service website.   “Every cell in my body felt the impact of that and came to full attention. It felt as if someone had hit the ‘pause’ button on the world.”   She was captivated. How would it be to voyage the entire length of America’s Greatest River for 90 days with an imaginary raindrop?   This

John Quinlan has been running a series of interviews on his site Forward Forum - this is his most recent interview, with Robert McChesney.  You may know him from various media-related books and forums - most recently he has written a book with Wisconsin's own John Nichols called  People Get Ready and John interviews him here.

Will Broadband Show Up in Rural Neighborhoods? by Senator Kathleen Vinehout   “I don’t want to promise you fiber where fiber is not going to come,” Kent Disch, AT&T Wisconsin External Affairs Director, told Ellsworth community leaders.   Pierce County business leaders and elected officials gathered with telecommunication company representatives and local cooperatives to push for resolution to Internet problems.   Business leaders asked companies why they would not or could not bring services to businesses that were more than willing to pay. A concrete company owner noted his company is growing but

Referenda Sustain Schools During Time of Decreasing State Support By Senator Kathleen Vinehout   “School districts these days more or less live and die by these referendums in terms of their ability to sustain programs and staff,” Dan Rossmiller of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) recently said as reported by the Isthmus.   So far in 2016, voters approved more than three-quarters of the 85 ballot referenda to raise property taxes to send more local dollars to schools. The nearly 77% pass rate is much higher than a few years ago.   People are voting to raise property taxes to keep

  Like the County Fair? Love 4H? Big Changes Coming to UW Extension by Senator Kathleen Vinehout   “We can’t do more with less,” UW Extension Regional Director Julie Keown-Bomar told people gathered at a recent Menomonie meeting. “We have to do less with less. We cannot be the same cooperative extension service that we used to be.”   The news hit hard. Downcast eyes, people with hands over their mouth, and long pauses after Julie asked the group for questions.   Julie explained how budget cuts forced UW Extension administrators to rethink their commitment to 100-years of county-based services

I am happy and proud to be taking one of the positions on the steering committee for the newly-formed Western Wisconsin Organizing co-op.  Our first meeting as a steering committe and as a group at large is later today -- I'll keep you informed about activities over here in Western Wisconsin.