By Mary Pat O’Connor Contributor Why cover crop? What is it? You may have heard the term and may have some idea of the concept. Agricultural best management practices and procedures are expanding throughout Walworth County by farmers interested in reducing sediment runoff and improve soil health leading to greater […]
Columns
Columns of opinion
Domestic abuse victims need community investors
By Sara Nichols Contributor As Executive Director at Open Arms Free Clinic in Elkhorn, I oversee licensed medical volunteers who provide essential health care to uninsured individuals in Walworth County who are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. I’m proud of the work my colleagues and […]
Bretl: It was a laborious weekend
By Dave Bretl Walworth County Administrator Of all of the holidays, Labor Day has become my least favorite. It is the weekend before I present the annual budget to the County Board and, as a result, usually involves a weekend of labor as I place the finishing touches […]
Walker’s picks recast labor board
By Bill Lueders Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism Most people in Wisconsin don’t know the Labor and Industry Review Commission even exists — unless or until it makes decisions affecting their lives. LIRC, an independent administrative agency, hears appeals of state rulings regarding unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation and equal rights — decisions […]
Bretl column
Pondering the evolution of office technology By David Bretl Walworth County Board of Supervisors The typewriter repairman always gets nervous when he stops by my office. The occasion of his annual visit is to perform preventive maintenance on the single electric typewriter that serves our seven-person office suite. I explain […]
‘Gipper’ speech kicks off 2014 budget process
I was relieved to hear at least a few people snickering when I said that I was about to give this year’s “Gipper” speech. “Gipper,” to readers that weren’t alive during either the Knute Rockne or Ronald Reagan eras, refers to George Gipp, a star of the […]
Waiting with eager anticipation
By Dave Bretl I will try my best to temper my enthusiasm. The last time I wrote about the county’s Journal of Proceedings book I remarked that I looked forward to its annual release as if it were the latest Dan Brown thriller. A few weeks later, during a […]
Feingold cause plays big in state
By Bill Lueders Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism In politics, as in comedy, timing is key, even if it’s accidental. The same week in February 2011 that Russ Feingold announced the formation of the advocacy group Progressives United to “stand up to the exploding corporate influence in our political system,” […]
Between the Lines of Age
Independent to launch ‘Connections’ By Tyler Lamb Editor In my humble opinion, communities such as Elkhorn need newspapers more than ever before. Newspapers create and encourage conversation, touch on issues that may otherwise go unshared, as well as serve their perspective communities. Part of serving the community also means […]
State’s work ethic is mired in manufacturing
By Mike Nichols Badger Diggings We dislike slackers. It’s part of our history. As far back as the Civil War, Wisconsin soldiers fighting in the south derided the lazy southern landowners and observed that the abhorrent use of slave labor had, as it was said, “perverted […]
