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1. We have a restored and celebrated Veterans Memorial in the form
of a Steel Bridge, that was gifted to Door County by the State of
Wisconsin, July 4th 1931 and now is saved for another life.
"Dedicated To All who answered their country's call and gave their service in times of Emergency".
It
was also Listed on the esteemed National Register of Historic Places
in January 2008, saving this last one-of-a-kind bridge in Wisconsin, one of two existing today in the USA. It's the 80th birthday of the
historic bridge and the first day of its second life.
Due to the efforts of bridge loving musicians and other generous volunteers, with support from
our friends at the National Trust and those in the Wisconsin DOT (there
are some) who share our passion for preservation and the creative
spark, "Sturgeon Bay's Historic Steel Bridge"
celebrates its 80th birthday this summer with renewed strength and a
fresh coat of paint!
"Okay, so it's party time. But what's the point of Steel Bridge Songfest now that the Bridge is saved?"
Steel
Bridge Songfest by its very existence serves the bridge and will
continue to do so. Its growing body of work, the hundreds of songs
written, recorded, and performed here, ring a resonant testament to the
virtues of our Historic Bridge and its attractive surroundings.
I've been slacking for the past several weeks, probably much to everyone's relief ... A week and a half ago I purchased a mobile home near my mom's home. Between my two jobs and working a bit here and there on my house, I've had very little time to sit and think of silly stuff to write about my favorite subjects, Winnie and Toby.
This morning, while en route to our corner destination and back, it hit me like a ton of bricks and then I had to write it down. I didn't have time before work so it had to wait till after. I had almost forgotten my intention to create another journal entry for the dogs, and then I stood face to face with my computer and it immediately flooded my head. While I still have my email up and running, I thought I'd share. Lucky lucky you.
6
a.m. the alarm goes off. I can feel Toby jump and stir around at the
sound. I reach over and snap the button to the radio side and settle
back into the feathers for a few more cozy moments. Toby gets comfy
along side of me and waits. After the 6:30 news is over, Toby
instinctively jumps up and off the bed and over to the side I am on. He
waits expectantly for what comes next, breakfast. I hit the floor
thankful for carpeting to cushion my "morning feet."
Winnie is still buried deep beneath her lump of covers. Sometimes she
runs along with Toby, sometimes she lingers enjoying the vast expanse of
her own bed for a few moments. Whatever. Eventually
she joins us out in the living room.
I would like to respond to Senator Frank Lasee's letter dated March 15, 2011
in which he offers a response to the more than 20,000 contacts his
office received regarding the pending Repair Bill currently before the
state senate. He tells us that he has had to make this special response
due to the overwhelming level of correspondence to his office. I'm
guessing that the unusually heavy volume of responses has nothing to do
with overwhelming approval of this bill. So much for representative
democracy.
Due to the heavy volume of calls, letters and
emails to my office, we are answering both those for and against the
budget repair bill with the following response.
It
is no secret that I ran for office on a platform of smaller, less
costly government, a more business and job creation friendly government,
with the major task of balancing our state's 3.6 billion dollar budget
deficit without raising taxes. Also, at the same time, working to keep
the most services for the most people with the tax money we have.
Reforms are needed to cure the underlying problems of our government.
The future of our state and our nation are too important to allow the
overspending to continue.
President Franklin Roosevelt was a
supporter of private organized labor. He created the National Labor
Relations Board and signed the original union laws. However, he was
opposed to government workers unionizing. He understood that private and
government unions are fundamentally different because of the employer.
1- There is a budget
shortfall that needs to be addressed. However, it is not a crisis. The
crisis is political with Gov. Walker now stripping teachers and other
public workers of their collective bargaining rights; pushing through
tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy at the expense of education,
health care, seniors and the poor; and deregulating environmental
protections. Door County families are going through hell trying to
figure out what to do!
2- Ending collective bargaining and
negotiated contracts was never the problem. Every working person should
have these rights and benefits. Teachers bargain for smaller class
size. Paper mill workers bargain for safer machinery. Football players
bargain to keep from being cut when they are injured “on the job.”
Door County employees had already agreed to do their part to balance the
budget.
Hi. My name's
Neil Diboll. I'm the owner of a
small business called Prairie Nursery in Westfield, WI. We grow native flowers and grasses to
help people restore habitat and create healthy natural landscapes here in
Wisconsin and the Midwest. I
believe that businesses can and should make a positive contribution to their
communities, their employees, and the environment, while earning a fair profit.
I don't normally get involved in politics, but there have
been some deeply troubling developments in our state government lately. In particular, our new governor, Scott
Walker, has been using tactics that seem both unfair and divisive as he
attempts to advance his Budget Repair Bill through the state legislature, while
allowing little opportunity for discussion among the affected parties.
People make trade-offs everyday ... in their decisions about
what automobile to buy, which physician or dentist to visit, and in their
employment choices.Many who
choose to work for the state do so because it offers an excellent benefits package.
But, in making that choice the people who choose state employment understand
they will probably make less in wages or salaries than their counterparts in
the private sector.Even
considering their total compensation packages, state employees are still
undercompensated by 11% as compared to similar private-sector workers1.
Governor Walker expects these workers to accept an even
greater reduction to their compensation by proposing they pay more toward their
benefit package ... and he refers to the amount as "modest".
Teachers picket outside T.J. Walker Middle School after classes on Friday
Dear Governor Walker,
As a tax-paying resident of the state, and also a small-business
owner, open only a month, I feel compelled to email you today to express
my outrage at the type of leadership you have shown in the short
amount of time since you have come to office.
I voted
for your opponent in this last election, largely because I am a
lifelong Democrat, and as someone who is appalled at the direction the
Republicans have been taking our economy in the last ten years. I
believe, with what may very well be good intentions, the Republicans
have systematically deconstructed regulations and legislation put in
place to protect the common American, the middle-class worker, the
low-income family, and most egregiously, the children of our state and
country.
Updated constantly ... What's going on in Door County
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If you are looking for interesting places to visit and things to do, you're in the right place. This online magazine features articles that help you get the most out of your vacation in Wisconsin's magical Door Peninsula. Get useful visitor information and be sure to check out our Kids Edition to find places that children like to go. The opinions and recommendations herein are solely those of our contributing writers. Event information subject to change without notice.
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