Valentine’s Day in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 25, and snow likely this evening. Sunrise is 6:53 and sunset is 5:25, for 12 hours, 33 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 96 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Kinser leads the field in campaign fundraising thanks to a flurry of contributions in January from big-dollar Republican donors. She had raised $316,000 through Feb. 3, compared with $123,000 for Wright and $121,000 for Underly.
In 2021, Underly narrowly topped the seven-candidate primary field with 27% of the vote. Six candidates were aligned with Democrats, but none emerged as the clear alternative to Underly among Democratic voters. That helped the sole Republican-backed candidate that year, Deborah Kerr, to nab the second spot on the general election ballot with 26% of the vote. Underly went on to win the general election that year with 58% of the vote in a one-on-one contest with Kerr.
This year, three candidates are competing for two spots, and the primary has become several contests stuffed into a single race: one between Underly and Wright among Democratic-leaning voters, another with Kinser trying to consolidate enough support among Republican-leaning voters to outperform one or both of her rivals, and another with all three candidates competing for independent and crossover voters to tip the scales in their favor.
With only two candidates this year to potentially split the support of Democratic-leaning voters, Kinser would likely need to far outperform Kerr’s 26% in the 2021 primary to earn a spot on the April ballot, assuming a competitive contest between Underly and Wright.
If the split between Democratic-leaning voters and Republican-leaning voters in this race is like 2021, then, yes, Kinser would likely need to outperform Kerr’s 2021 vote share.
It would be surprising, however, if the balance between ideologies is like that of 2021. At least, it would be surprising to me. If the conservative1 candidate cannot place comfortably in one of the two spots in this race, then conservatives wasted a campaign on a weak candidate or weak messaging. This environment, Spring 2025, is as much of a high-water level as the conservative populists in Wisconsin may ever have.
I’d guess Kinser will exceed 26 percent easily, and find herself in the Spring General Election against Underly.
We’ll know Tuesday night, and likely early Tuesday night.
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Conservative as an ideology in American is now synonymous with conservative populist. There are still a few different individual conservatives, but there is only one ideological movement: populism. ↩︎
Thursday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 15. Sunrise is 6:54 and sunset is 5:24, for 12 hours, 30 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 99 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Community Involvement and Cable TV Commission meets at 5 PM.
On this day in 1960, with the success of a nuclear test codenamed “Gerboise Bleue,” France becomes the fourth country to possess nuclear weapons.
Wauwatosa education consultant Brittany Kinser has signficantly outraised both of her Democratic opponents, according to the latest campaign finance reports. Her half-million dollar haul ($508,000) so far this year is nearly four times as much as state Superintendent Jill Underly raised ($132,000) and about 13 times as much as Sauk Prairie School District Superintendent Jeff Wright ($38,000).
Kinser calls herself a moderate but is backed by conservatives for her pro-school choice positions. Underly, the incumbent, is backed by the Democratic Party, though Wright has chipped away at some of her base. ….
Both state parties are pumping their preferred candidate’s campaigns with cash at an unprecedented level for a state superintendent election at this stage of the race, shattering any assumption about it being a nonpartisan election.
The Republican Party of Wisconsin contributed $200,000 to Kinser’s campaign so far, nearly 10 times the amount it gave in the entire 2021 race. The state Democratic Party gave Underly about $106,000 this month. The party gave her about $208,000 in the entire 2021 race. Wright has neither party’s financial support.
And there’s still a month and a half to go before the April 1 election.
Kinser has more than doubled the superintendent fundraising record set by then-Superintendent Tony Evers in 2017 for this stage of the race. In Gov. Evers’ entire 2017 superintendent race, he raised about $517,000. Kinser has raised nearly the same amount in just the first month of this race.
Wednesday in Whitewater will be snowy with a high of 26. Sunrise is 6:55 and sunset is 5:23, for 12 hours, 27 minutes of daytime. The moon is full with 99.9 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Liberal candidate Susan Crawford continues to out-raise her conservative opponent Brad Schimel in a race that will decide control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
With roughly 50 days to go until the April 1 election, the race is already on track to smash previous fundraising records for a Wisconsin judicial election.
Crawford, a Dane County judge, has brought in about $7.7 million since announcing her campaign last year, according to the most-recent reports filed by her campaign committee this week.
Meanwhile, Schimel’s campaign has reported about $5 million in donations.
Reports due this week cover donations through early February. Those disclosures were filed by campaign committees and do not reflect outside spending on the race, such as by groups who pay for their own issue-based ads.
Detailed reporting on donors and donation amounts to the candidates is available at the Journal Sentinel. Note that while both major parties can transfer money to their preferred candidates, the candidates themselves cannot solicit more than twenty-thousand per donor. Candidate Schimel, predictably, didn’t seem to care about that limitation:
State campaign finance laws restrict donations to Supreme Court candidates to $20,000. But under a decade-old change by the Republican-controlled Legislature, political parties are allowed to receive unlimited donations, money they can then forward to their preferred candidates.
“Then, if you want to give a lot more, you can give that to either of the state parties, and they can transfer it,” he said. “They can transfer that to candidates. You can’t earmark it and say, ‘I’m giving you this money but you have to give it.’ But they’re going to those donors who are going to wait till after November 5 (2024) to make sure that I’m the last thing that they give the money to. But that money is going to come.”
Scientists from the California Institute of Technology have developed microrobots smaller than the width of a human hair for targeted drug delivery. The minuscule robots can operate in body fluids and deliver the medicine exactly where it is needed in the human body.
Tuesday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 22. Sunrise is 6:57 and sunset is 5:21, for 12 hours, 25 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 98.8 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Public Works Committee meets at 5 PM.
The Schrödinger impact crater sits near to the Moon’s south pole. Sprouting off it are two canyons — called Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck — each comparable in size to the Grand Canyon here on Earth. These were formed when debris, thrown up by a meteor or comet hitting the Moon, crashed back into the surface. Now, analysis suggests that these high-energy streams of rock could have excavated the canyons in under ten minutes. Understanding this area of the Moon is important as the region has been selected for investigation as part of NASA’s Artemis missions.
Monday in Whitewater will be windy with a high of 29. Sunrise is 6:58 and sunset is 5:20, for 12 hours, 22 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 95.6 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Plan & Architectural Review Commission meets at 6 PM.
Ending the fentanyl crisis won’t be easy. The U.S. has an addiction problem that spans decades – long predating the rise of fentanyl – and countless attempts to regulate, legislate and incarcerate have done little to reduce drug consumption. Meanwhile, the opioid crisis alone costs Americans tens of billions of dollars each year.
Over the course of Trump’s first term, the average effective tariff rate on Chinese imports went from 3% to 11%. But while imports from China fell slightly, the overall trade relationship didn’t change much: China remains the second-largest supplier of goods to the U.S.
The tariffs did have some benefit – for Vietnam and other nearby countries with relatively low labor costs. Essentially, the tariffs on China caused production to shift, with global companies investing billions of dollars in competitor nations.
This isn’t the first time Trump has used trade policy to pressure China on fentanyl– he did so in his first term. But while China made some policy changes in response, such as adding fentanyl to its controlled substances list in 2019, fentanyl deaths in the U.S. continued to rise. Currently, China still ranks as the No. 1 producer of fentanyl precursors, or chemicals used to produce illicit fentanyl. And there are others in the business: India, over that same period, has become a major producer of fentanyl.
Drug War or Trade War: prohibition has been and will be futile against addiction. Domestic demand seeks supply, whether that supply is produced on this continent or elsewhere.
US President Donald Trump said he will introduce new 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the US, in a major escalation of his trade policy overhaul. Economist Vicky Pryce of CEBR talks about the impact his announcement will have on trade.
Sunday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 28. Sunrise is 6:59 and sunset is 5:19, for 12 hours, 19 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 90.4 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1870, President Grant signs a joint resolution of Congress establishing the U.S. Weather Bureau.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul are joining Wisconsin to a multi-state lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration and billionaire Elon Musk from accessing restricted government records on millions of federal employees.
In a statement, Evers said the lawsuit is aimed at protecting Wisconsinites’ personal details. “Wisconsinites expect the federal government to treat their Social Security numbers, bank account information, and other sensitive personal details with the highest level of protection and confidentiality — and that obligation doesn’t go out the window just because Elon Musk says it should,” Evers said.“Giving political appointees access to our most personal information like this is illegal. That’s plain as day.”
Agents working for Musk accessed the records maintained by the Office of Personnel Management, the Washington Post reported Thursday, citing four U.S. officials with knowledge of the developments.
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The 19 states are seeking an injunction to block the Trump administration from blocking access to the payment system and a declaration that the Treasury Department’s policy change is unlawful, according to Kaul.
“Donald Trump has put the whims of Elon Musk ahead of Americans’ privacy and security,” Kaul said in a statement. “We’ve gone to court to address this outrageous situation and to protect the American people.”
Saturday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 33. Sunrise is 7:01 and sunset is 5:17, for 12 hours, 17 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 83.4 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
This British animal rehabilitation center rescues endangered Eurasian otters in the wild by giving them shelter and care in a safer habitat. Watch this animal loving couple protect the ecosystem by giving these cute creatures a second chance.
Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 jet soared to at an altitude of around 35,000 feet (10,668 meters) and exceeded Mach 1, the speed of sound. It marked the first time a civil aircraft has gone supersonic over the continental United States. The chief test pilot was Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg.
Friday in Whitewater will be windy with a high of 31. Sunrise is 7:02 and sunset is 5:16, for 12 hours, 14 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 74.7 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1964, The Beatles land in the United States for the first time, at the newly renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport.
This morning, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s Administrator, Meagan Wolfe, can remain in her post. The ruling was probable based on a prior court decision (under a different court majority) from 2022, as Scott Bauer reports:
A unanimous Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Friday that the swing state’s nonpartisan top elections official, who has been targeted for removal by Republican lawmakers over the 2020 presidential election, can remain in her post despite not being reappointed and confirmed by the state Senate.
Republicans who control the state Senate tried to fire Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe in 2023, leading the commission to sue in an effort to keep Wolfe on the job.
The state Supreme Court on Friday upheld a lower court’s ruling in Wolfe’s favor. The 7-0 ruling means that Wolfe can remain in her position and not face a confirmation vote by the Republican-controlled Senate.
The court said that no vacancy exists and, because of that, the elections commission “does not have a duty to appoint a new administrator to replace Wolfe simply because her term has ended.”
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The court relied on the precedent set in its 2022 ruling that allowed Republican-appointee Fred Prehn to remain on the state Natural Resources Board after his term had ended. That ruling came when the court was controlled by conservatives. The court now has a 4-3 liberal majority.
I felt that Prehn should have resigned at the end of his term (and been removed for failing to resign), but the Prehn ruling in 2022 made today’s decision as certain as a legal outcome could be.
Tuesday, February 11th at 1:00 PM, there will be a showing of Conclave@ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building:
Drama/Mystery/Thriller
Rated PG
2 hours (2024)
After the unexpected death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with managing the covert and ancient ritual of electing a new one. Sequestered in the Vatican with the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders until the process is complete, he learns of a conspiracy that could lead to the fall of the Church. Also featuring John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini. Nominated for six Golden Globes; it’s also on the Oscars Short List.
Thursday in Whitewater will be windy with a high of 37. Sunrise is 7:03 and sunset is 5:15, for 12 hours, 9 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 64.4 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Lakes Advisory Committee meets at 8:30, and the Public Arts Commission meets at 5 PM.
On this day in 1778, in Paris the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce are signed by the United States and France signaling official recognition of the new republic.
Private citizen Elon Musk never tires of using his control of the federal government to threaten others. Two Wisconsin Lutheran groups were among his latest targets:
Over the weekend, former national security advisor Michael Flynn posted on X, the social media platform Musk owns, accusing Lutheran organizations who receive federal grants of committing “money laundering.”
Musk responded that his team at the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, is “rapidly shutting down these illegal payments.”
Federal grants totaling billions of dollars each year go to nonprofits to provide a range of community services that states don’t provide themselves, such as housing or food assistance.
Flynn’s post included screenshots of some Lutheran groups that receive federal funds. But it’s unclear how Flynn identified which Lutheran groups to name in his post, or how Musk determined those payments to be illegal.
The two Wisconsin groups included by name in Flynn’s post are Wisconsin Lutheran Child and Family Services (WLCFS), a Christian mental health care provider in Germantown, and the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation in La Crosse, a nonprofit health clinic that no longer has any affiliation with the Lutheran Church.
Holly Hill-Putnam transforms her Windsor home into a wildlife sanctuary, providing round-the-clock care for up to 36 injured and orphaned animals. The Wisconsin WildCare volunteer specializes in rehabilitating squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks, preparing them for release back into nature.
Wednesday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 31. Sunrise is 7:04 and sunset is 5:13, for 10 hours, 9 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 53.1 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater’s Starin Park Water Tower Community Committee meets at 6 PM, and the Landmarks Commission meets at 7 PM.
The University of Wisconsin began with 20 students led by Professor John W. Sterling. The first class was organized as a preparatory school in the first department of the University: a department of science, literature, and the arts. The university was initially housed at the Madison Female Academy building, which had been provided free of charge by the city. The course of study was English grammar; arithmetic; ancient and modern geography; elements of history; algebra; Caesar’s Commentaries; the Aeneid of Virgil (six books); Sallust; select orations of Cicero; Greek; the Anabasis of Xenophon; antiquities of Greece and Rome; penmanship, reading, composition and declamation. Also offered were book-keeping, geometry, and surveying. Tuition was “twenty dollars per scholar, per annum.” For a detailed recollection of early UW-Madison life, see the memoirs of Mrs. W.F. Allen [Source: History of the University of Wisconsin, Reuben Gold Thwaites, 1900]
In early January, the Whitewater Common Council met to consider two development projects. In its deliberations, the Council heard objections that the placement of one of the development projects on vacant land (Tax Parcel No. /A4444200001) would interfere with the merepossibility of a future railroad spur at that location. The Council voted against that project of the east side of town, on a 4-2 vote. SeeQuick Update on Development Projects.
The concerns about a possible rail spur being an obstacle to a development at this location seemed speculative and unrealistic1. Turns out, those concerns were speculative and unrealistic. A study the city commissioned shows that the location of the proposed development was not a good location for a rail spur (“marginal rail-served value”) with two better locations available (“good rail service potential” and “excellent rail service potential,” respectively).
Embedded below is that segment of the January rail spur discussion:
Here are the material parts of that January discussion, from councilmember, city manager, and incumbent landlord:
Councilmember Singer:And then I know in the past, this particular parcel, you know, the CDA had been working with a potential light industrial, to do some electronics recycling. And one of the attractive parts of that was the rail spur potentially access. It’s one of the only parcels that would allow us to, now there’s no spur now, but it’s set for, you know, if we had a need and the funding to be able to get one installed, it was an attractive parcel. So that’s where I’m having a little bit of trouble reconciling like, okay, you know, that was a prime piece for an industrial, light industrial development that would bring in jobs versus a residential use.
And so that’s just, I mean, it is a complete 180 from what kind of the CDA and the city in the past has been trying to do on that. And I think Mr. Knight mentioned it earlier. It is one of our only spots if we did need to attract a business that required rail access that we would be then offloaded.
City ManagerWeidl: I’m with you. But then when you do the research on how much linear feet you need to actually do a rail siding, you need three quarters to a mile for it. And so from a viability standpoint, the other intersections make that a site where rail siding is not likely to occur.
I mean, I understand, I get it. Like you don’t give up rail if someone’s gonna build something there and have a distribution facility. The, and Taylor, correct me if I’m wrong, the requests we’ve gotten from JCEDC and Walworth County have all been looking at the rail spur on the other side of the municipality. And that’s, those are the ones we’ve been responding to because the length of the rail available is long enough for an actual siding. That’s what it comes down to is speed of train equals length of siding. And the siding is the side track, S-I-D-I-N-G.
And so that’s the technical issue we’re running into. Notwithstanding, I totally hear where you’re coming from. Making sure we’re protecting the viability of parcels, notwithstanding the offers.
Incumbent Landlord Kachel:I would recommend, too, before you try to do anything on it, as it being either the only one or one of the only ones that have rail access, you have Don Vruwink as the railroad commissioner, former assembly person from this district. Reach out to him and he would love to help Whitewater bring in a railroad spur. But in order to do that, you have to bring in some businesses, some jobs.
A few remarks:
1 . The recycling opportunity was a years-long exercise that came to nothing. It was one false start after another. I’m surprised that anyone would hold it up as an example of a realistic prospect or example for future development. It wasn’t and it isn’t.
2. I’m sure that a 180-degree turn in Community Development Authority policy upsets a few aged men in this town, but it matters more that 15,000 people have a better CDA. If a 180-degree turn is hard, it’s because moving from bad to better is hard.
3. Whitewater’s old guard steps on its own arguments all the time. If incumbent landlord Kachel should be right that we need more businesses than we have in the industrial park for a railroad spur, then concerns from Knight and Singer about an obstacle at this given location are immaterial. These three couldn’t decide among their arguments: was the need for a spur at this location a realistic concern or not a concern? The study answers that question (it wasn’t a realistic concern at this location).
4. Be clear: the arguments of these gentlemen (who didn’t bring a bounty of businesses to the industrial park when they were at the CDA) effectively work by doubt and delay to satisfy an incumbent’s landlord’s opposition to new apartments.
