Thursday in Whitewater will see scattered showers with a high of 44. Sunrise is 7:03 AM and sunset 7:02 PM for 11h 59m 15s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 34.6% of its visible disk illuminated.
The Whitewater Unified School District will go into closed session shortly after 5:15 PM, to reconvene thereafter into open session. Whitewater’s CDA meets at 5:30 PM, and there will be a Strategic Planning Session/Retreat for Councilmembers and City of Whitewater Management Staff at 6:30 PM.
On this day in 1935, Hitler orders Germany to rearm herself in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Conscription is reintroduced to form the Wehrmacht.
These are tense times for Whitewater, exacerbated with an upcoming election. It would suit the community well to avoid coming apart at the seams.
Serious issues confront the city, of course, but a sound maxim as always: the hotter the temperature, the cooler the person.
Wednesday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 46. Sunrise is 7:05 AM and sunset 7:01 PM for 11h 56m 19s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 45.7% of its visible disk illuminated.
In the last three weeks, the Protasiewicz campaign has spent $9.1 million on television advertising, and outside groups supporting her have spent $2.03 million, according to AdImpact, a media-tracking firm.
The imbalance on Wisconsin’s television airwaves is even greater than the spending figures suggest.
Because the Protasiewicz campaign is able to buy television advertising at about one-third the rate of independent expenditure groups, she alone has broadcast more than three times as many TV advertisements in Wisconsin as the pro-Kelly groups combined, according to AdImpact’s data.
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The election is already the most expensive judicial race in American history, with at least $27 million spent so far on television alone. A 2004 contest for the Illinois Supreme Court previously had the most spending, at $15 million, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
While Justice Kelly promised that the cavalry was on the way, it’s unclear whether it will be enough to turn the tide of the battle.
Only one national organization has spent anything on television to support the Kelly campaign: the super PAC Fair Courts America, which is backed by Richard Uihlein, the conservative billionaire. So far in the general election, Fair Courts America has spent $2.3 million on TV ads. This week, it began a further $450,000 in statewide radio advertising, but the group has not yet committed to investing more in the race, according to a person familiar with Mr. Uihlein’s decisions who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Wisconsin’s municipal clerks began placing absentee ballots for the Supreme Court election in the mail this week, and in-person ballots can be cast starting next Tuesday. Private polling conducted by officials on both sides of the race shows Judge Protasiewicz with a lead over Justice Kelly in the mid-to-high single digits. Mr. Voelkel [spokesman for the Kelly campaign Ben Voelkel] disputed that Justice Kelly was trailing but declined to reveal the campaign’s figures.
Three weeks is a long time, and it’s possible to come from behind, as then-judge, now justice, Brian Hagedorn knows from his 2019 campaign.
Tuesday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 33. Sunrise is 7:07 AM and sunset 7:00 PM for 11h 53m 24s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 56.8% of its visible disk illuminated.
The Gordon Dining Center voting ward on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus usually draws about 50 voters in spring primary elections.
But this February, 515 voters cast their ballots there, according to turnout data from the city of Madison clerk’s office. Other campus-area voting wards reported similarly high voting rates. A dorm along Lake Mendota reported 39% turnout.
Those are the numbers Democrats are banking on for April 4, when liberal candidate Janet Protasiewicz and conservative candidate Dan Kelly face off in a race that will determine control of the state Supreme Court.
The matchup is already the most expensive state Supreme Court race in U.S. history and carries enormous policy stakes. The race will likely determine the fate of abortion rights, voting rights and legislative maps that have kept Republicans in control of the Legislature for more than a decade.
One replies with an answer and a question: They will turn out, but will this affect down-ballot races? However the Supreme Court race goes, Judge Protasiewicz will carry System campuses decisively. No question there.
The only question is whether that decisive college vote in her favor will influence local, contested races. To achieve a down-ballot result requires industriousness and effective communication. Those traits may be present in some campus communities, but they will not be present in all.
Monday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 29. Sunrise is 7:08 AM and sunset 6:59 PM for 11h 50m 28s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 67.7% of its visible disk illuminated.
Over at the Washington Post, there’s an account from a troubled civilization. A reader writes to the Miss Manners etiquette column about a dinner invitation.
Dear Miss Manners: About once a month, we go out to dinner with another couple and always have a good time. We tend to order roughly the same things — one drink each, no desserts unless it’s a special occasion — so we just split the bill.
We were surprised, but fine with it, when they suggested that we should eat at their house next time instead of going out. We’ve all been doing a lot of creative cooking during the pandemic, and I offered to host the following time.
We had a nice meal — but then they told us what our share of the cost would be! I’m in shock that our friends would be so stingy as to charge us for eating at their own home. We thought they were close friends!
There is, indeed, a huge difference between a restaurant and a home. Or rather, there should be. But the habit of eating in commercial establishments has resulted in all but obliterating the meaning of private hospitality.
….
Your friends have carried this to a crude extreme. To anyone who remembers the ancient tradition of hospitality, this is sad. Planning and overseeing entertainment were a pleasure that people enjoyed taking turns doing. The claim that it put all the burden on the hosts was false because reciprocity evened it out.
Miss Manners might have been inclined to make this point by asking your friends whether the price they quoted included the service charge.
It’s a confused expression of friendship to ask private guests for a portion of a meal’s cost, but it is — truly — a great story to tell others. I’ve never had this happen, but it would be worth the experience to be able to say, “you’ll never guess what happened last week when we went to dinner…”
Sunday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 35. Sunrise is 7:10 AM and sunset 6:58 PM for 11h 47m 33s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 76.5% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1933, Franklin Roosevelt addresses the nation for the first time as President of the United States. This is also the first of his “fireside chats.”
Here in Wisconsin, we’ve a dark sky park at Newport State Park in Ellison Bay, at the top of the Door peninsula. Our youngest and I were last out there in the fall, and we will be back again when the galactic center is visible for longer periods in the evening. Devil’s Lake State Park is also a fine spot, and closer to Whitewater.
While Whitewater is visibly brighter at night than Newport, there are opportunities here to stargaze and also to test one’s gear for trips farther afield.
A bobcat lounges on a dog bed in San Manuel home Mon. The homeowner, who found it upon returning from work, suspects it entered through an unlocked doggie door. The bobcat escaped before an officer arrived. Don’t handle entrapped/hurt wildlife yourself. Call 623-236-7201 ASAP. pic.twitter.com/zcQFD4m08h
Saturday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 36. Sunrise is 6:12 AM and sunset 5:56 PM for 11h 44m 44s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 84.6% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declares the COVID-19virus epidemic a pandemic.
Two Volcom executives face a day-long challenge: an attempt to surf, skateboard, and snowboard – all while working and collaborating with their global team. See how the Dell Latitude 9330 laptop, powered by Intel vPro®, keeps them connected and productive. Sponsored by Dell Technologies & Intel®
Friday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 36. Sunrise is 6:13 AM and sunset 5:55 PM for 11h 41m 50s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 91.1% of its visible disk illuminated.
The economy churned out 311,000 jobs in February, reflecting impressive labor market strength more than a year into the Federal Reserve’s fight to cool the economy.
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The resilient labor market comes as a blessing for many workers, affording many the ability to switch into better jobs and negotiate raises over the past year and a half. Average hourly wages rose by 0.2 percent between January and February. Overall pay is up 4.6 percent from a year ago, to an hourly average of $33.09 an hour.
However, the Federal Reserve could use the labor market’s strength to justify raising interest rates at a more aggressive pace than outlined just months ago, which Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell talked about while testifying before Congress earlier this week.
Inflation has fallen since reaching 40-year-highs last summer, but prices remain well above normal. A new inflation report to be released next week will provide more clarity on whether the Fed has made enough progress to continue slowing interest rate hikes.
The strength of the labor market is largely being propped up by booming consumer demand for services and experiences coming out of the pandemic. Some of the largest job gains in February were in leisure and hospitality, retail trade, government, and health care. Employment fell in information, transportation, and warehousing.
Tuesday, March 14th at 1:00 PM, there will be a showing of The Fablemans @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building:
Drama
Rated PG13; 2 hours, 31 minutes (2022)
Loosely based on Steven Spielberg’s childhood growing up in post-World War 2 Arizona, from age 7 to 18. A young, impressionable Sammy Fableman explores how the power of movies helps us see the truth about ourselves and others. Starring Michelle Williams, Judd Hirsch, Paul Dano and Seth Rogan. Nominated for 7 Oscars, including Best Film, Screenplay, Music, Actress and Actor.
Thursday in Whitewater will be cloudy, with a probability of snow in the evening, and a high of 38. Sunrise is 6:15 AM and sunset 5:54 PM for 11h 38m 54s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 96.3% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1776, The Wealth of Nations by Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith is published.
Whitewater is a small town. Larger than nearby places, but still small as against other Wisconsin cities, Midwestern cities, or cities farther afield. Small, but larger than two, so to speak: it’s an error to think that Whitewater is merely us and them, those for us and those agin us. Any analysis that rests on two factions within Whitewater (whether political or social) is deficient.
See the FREE WHITEWATERseries on local politics for the number of political factions alone; there are many other apolitical groups of all sorts.
Where an Old Whitewater outlook once falsely contended the city was one way, the city is now evidently (and from my point of view felicitously) many ways.
It’s characteristic of populism, for example, to define conditions dichotomously. (A second characteristic is falsely to claim majoritarian support. Populists mix lies with the truth to inflate their own significance. Their most essential trait, however, is to claim contrary positions as intrinsically illegitimate.)
Populism is emotional, often intensely so. In its conduct, populism, at least, vindicates Hobbes’s view that that reason is a spy for the passions, so that “the Thoughts, are to the Desires, as Scouts, and Spies, to range abroad, and find the way to the things Desired.”
Churchill, quoting a saying of others, once remarked to the U.S. Congress that
The proud German army has by its sudden collapse, sudden crumbling and breaking up, unexpected to all of us, the proud German army once again proves the truth of the saying “The Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet.”
So it is with populism: split in both outlook and in demeanor.
From my reply, this morning, to a comment: Sorting out the right ongoing response requires careful thought for those of us not disposed to cultural conflicts of this kind in Whitewater. One adjusts and fortifies when it is necessary to adjust and fortify.
Wednesday in Whitewater will be mostly cloudy with a high of 44. Sunrise is 6:17 AM and sunset 5:53 PM for 11h 35m 59s of daytime. The moon is a waning gibbous with 99.1% of its visible disk illuminated.
There will be a City of Whitewater Strategic Planning Session/Retreat at 6:30 PM, and the Police and Fire Commission meets at 7 PM.
On this day in 1775, an anonymous writer, thought by some to be Thomas Paine, publishes “African Slavery in America,” the first article in the American colonies calling for the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery
Last night, Whitewater’s public library screened a movie for 13 to 18 year old LGBTQ+ teens and their allies. Unfortunate criticism of the screening ignored the rights of association and assembly that attendees should and must have.
As longtime readers know, this libertarian blogger has, for some considerable time, expressed concerns that a faction would seek to impose on all this community book-banning and closet-confining. These are not new concerns; they have weighed on my mind for years. (To see the national scene clearly is to ponder whether its worst aspects will one day becloud Whitewater. See1, 2, 3.)
And yet, I have been reserved and cautious on the subject. There are two reason for this. First, I am not a member of the LGBTQ+. That community should, first and foremost, have the right and opportunity to speak for itself. In some respects, I am their demographic opposite (straight, white, male). And so, an ally, but one who knows that allies support rather than direct. (This is, after all, one definition of Christian love: to will the good of the other as the other. One wants and hopes the best for others as they conceive that best condition.)
The second reason that I have been cautious is that this film showing was for teens, not adults. I’m hesitant to write in a way that might incite others toward greater hostility toward a teen community. (Almost all my writing involves disputes between adults, not toward teens or children. In that writing, it’s fair to say, I have, well, less hesitancy. It’s rare that I am reticent.)
Last night, I had the pleasure of meeting some parents and community members who stood outside our library in support of Whitewater teens’ attendance at the movie. Quite the friendly and welcoming group. (My presence was not long, and in no way notable. Those who organized this event deserve the credit for it, as do those who stood steadfast far longer last night.) It is attendees, and their families and allies, who should set the pace which others supportively match.
One imagines this event took time and careful planning: a film, a venue, an activity, snacks, and advertising. (I’d guess many weeks.) The advertisement for the movie shows care — welcoming, encouraging, positive. Those who have lawfully organized a nice evening for members of our community, and certainly those who attended, should not have to feel tension or hostility for having done so. Note well: a culture war in Whitewater is the surest path to individual injury and community decline.
Whitewater is better for the efforts of those who made this LGBTQ+ movie night possible. They were right to hold fast, and we will be right to support their ongoing presence and efforts in our community.
Tuesday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 45. Sunrise is 6:19 AM and sunset 5:52 PM for 11h 33m 05s of daytime. The moon is full with 100% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1900, the German liner SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse becomes the first ship to send wireless signals to shore.
Whitewater having come through the February primary in one piece, we’ve now a general election in April, for contested positions on the Whitewater Unified School District’s board and for Whitewater’s municipal court.
There will be community forums for both contests:
For the six school board candidates (Thayer Coburn, Stephanie Hicks, Lisa Huempfner, Joe Kromholz, Christy Linse, and Chuck Mills) vying for three seats, on Saturday, March 11, at Whitewater’s Municipal Building, 312 W. Whitewater St., at 10 AM.
For the municipal court, with two candidates (Patrick Taylor, Art Coleman) vying for one seat, on Sunday, March 19, at the Whitewater Municipal Building, at 1 PM.
Having come through the February primary ‘in one piece’: that description only bears mentioning because these last years have left some rattled, ridiculous, and retrograde. The serious and sensible have an obligation to themselves and to this community to remain practical. SeeDemand High at Food Pantries.
(For this libertarian blogger’s own assessment of local priorities, seeWhat Ails, What Heals.)
Monday in Whitewater will be cloudy with scattered showers and a high of 45. Sunrise is 6:20 AM and sunset 5:50 PM for 11h 30m 10s of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 99% of its visible disk illuminated.
Whitewater will hold a Strategic Planning Session at 6 PM.
On this day in 1967, Joseph Stalin’s daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva defects to the United States.
A lawyer who advised Wisconsin Republicans on using fake electors after the 2020 election has been reappointed to a state panel that renders advisory opinions and advice for judges.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered the reappointment of attorney Jim Troupis to the Judicial Conduct Advisory Committee for a term that runs until March 7, 2026. The court’s four conservative justices supported his reappointment while three liberal justices dissented.
Troupis was the lead Wisconsin attorney for former President Donald Trump‘s campaign following Trump’s loss to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Troupis oversaw Trump’s partial recount in Dane and Milwaukee Counties, filing a lawsuit that asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to overturn Biden’s victory in the state. The court rejected the lawsuit on the day Wisconsin’s actual electors met at the Capitol.
Troupis’ name resurfaced last year when the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol turned its attention to Trump’s use of false electors in Wisconsin and other swing states. The New York Times published a memo Troupis received from Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro laying out the electors’ strategy. Chesebro later joined Troupis in an unsuccessful last-ditch appeal asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Wisconsin’s election results.
Troupis’ involvement in Wisconsin politics predates Trump. For years, he was a go-to expert for Republicans on redistricting, helping them draw the legislative map in 2011 that cemented GOP power for a decade. In 2015, former Republican Gov. Scott Walker appointed Troupis to a judgeship on the Dane County Circuit Court, and in 2016, Troupis applied to Walker for a vacancy on the state Supreme Court.
Troupis went from pushing gerrymandering to pushing fake presidential electors, living out the adage that bad goes to worse. In a well-ordered judicial system, Troupis would be facing disciplinary action for the fake electors scheme, not receiving re-appointment to a committee that advises judges.
