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Daily Bread for 2.9.24: A February Tornado in Wisconsin

 Good morning.

Friday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 47. Sunrise is 6:59 and sunset 5:18 for 10h 19m 39s  of daytime. The moon is new with 0.1% of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1841, the U.S. Supreme Court rules in the United States v. The Amistad case that captive Africans who had seized control of the ship carrying them had been taken into slavery illegally.


  Wisconsin Public Radio reports First-ever February tornado recorded along Dane-Rock County border:

For the first time on record for February, a tornado touched down Thursday night near Edgerton along the Dane-Rock County border.

The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado at 6:00 p.m. and said it was a dangerous storm and to “seek immediate safe shelter if in its path.”

A tornado warning was issued for northeastern Rock, southeastern Dane and southwestern Jefferson counties in effect until 6:30 p.m.

Videos show portions of last night’s storm:


Orcas trapped in sea ice off Japan’s coast have escaped:

Friday Groundhog Blogging

Punxsutawney Phil has emerged from his burrow to forecast there will be an early spring. The spectacle that is Groundhog Day at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania took place as usual. The prognosticator of prognosticators emerged at dawn on Friday. Members of his inner circle revealed he had not seen his shadow, which is rare,…

Daily Bread for 1.4.24: Wisconsin’s Snowfall and Whitewater’s Student Housing

 Good morning.

Thursday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 32. Sunrise is 7:25 and sunset 4:34 for 9h 09m 10s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 46.2% of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Landmarks Commission meets at 6 PM.

On this day in 2004, Spirit, a NASA Mars rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC.


Snowfall was down in December for northern Wisconsin, as Danielle Kaeding reports in Lack of snow threatens to upend business, winter activities in northern Wisconsin (‘Warm weather led to drastically reduced snowfall for the month of December’):

In northern Wisconsin, where outdoor enthusiasts live for snow and ice, warmer than usual weather has skiers and snowmobilers turning to wheels, and race organizers breaking out snowmaking machines.

In December, weather stations in Brule, Ashland and Hayward recorded temperatures more than 12 degrees Fahrenheit above the 30-year average, according to the National Weather Service.

Kevin Huyck, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Duluth, said those areas saw around 11 to 16 inches less snow than average for the month.

“(It’s) definitely been drier than what we’ve seen in the past as far as snowfall for this past month of December,” Huyck said

Understandably, the lack of snow threatens businesses that depend on snow sports. Some enterprises may be able to produce artificial snow, but that creation may not be enough in volume or satisfaction for winter sports enthusiasts. 

For it all, however, Wisconsin’s economy does and should rely on many activities rather than fewer. Seeing Wisconsin only through winter sports would be both erroneous and short-sighted.

One can say the same about Whitewater’s student housing market. It’s been profitable for some (a few landlords) who have benefited privately in a relationship with a publicly-funded university. (These gentlemen talk about private business but their income has depended on a healthy public institution. Not one of these men built their enterprises on purely private relationships.)

The city’s economy, however, is and healthfully must be more than a student-housing market (supportive of higher education though I am). Indeed, normal, thriving economies in America simply aren’t built on rental properties. A hundred other industries would take precedence. 

Worth considering the next time some of these gentlemen expect preferential consideration…


Denmark’s Queen Steps Down:

Daily Bread for 9.26.23: Rain

 Good morning. Tuesday in Whitewater will be rainy with a high of 71. Sunrise is 6:47 AM and sunset 6:44 PM for 11h 57m 13s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 88.5% of its visible disk illuminated. On this day in 1983, Soviet Air Force officer Stanislav Petrov identifies a report of…

Daily Bread for 2.2.23: A Bit More Winter

Good morning. Thursday in Whitewater will be mostly sunny with a high of 26. Sunrise is 7:07 AM and sunset 5:09 PM for 10h 02m 35s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 90.6% of its visible disk illuminated.  Whitewater’s Landmarks Commission meets at 6 PM.   On this day in 1653, New Amsterdam (later…

Friday Catblogging: Cats and Cold

Without doubt, the most important actions to take during a cold spell are ones that protect vulnerable people.  Still, different groups might focus on different needs, and of feral cats, CBS Chicago writes ‘It Takes Just Five Minutes To Save A Cat’s Life’: How To Protect Feral Cats During The Dangerous Cold Spell: -Leave out…