Good morning.
Friday in Whitewater will be mostly cloudy with evening rainstorms and a high of 71. Sunrise is 6:38 and sunset is 6:59 for 12 hours 21 minutes of daylight. The moon is a waxing crescent with 47.7 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1948, Margaret Chase Smith of Maine becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate without completing another senator’s term.
Most Wisconsin drivers don’t use diesel fuel, but the trucks that transport goods on Wisconsin highways most certainly do:
Diesel prices in Wisconsin have hit record highs as the war in Iran continues to disrupt the flow of the fuel globally.
In Wisconsin, the average price per gallon of diesel fuel on Wednesday was $6.13. Last year, the average in the state was $3.45 per gallon, according to data from the American Automobile Association.
Mike Semmann, president of the Wisconsin Grocers Association, said the price of diesel will have an impact on many different parts of the grocery supply chain.
“Diesel is to the economy what electricity is to a home,” he said. “For Wisconsin consumers, it’s not just about what diesel costs, but about how businesses across the state are really trying to work to keep those costs from becoming a burden on Wisconsin families.”
He said diesel costs affect every part of the supply chain, and grocery stores pay special attention to diesel prices as part of their overall costs.
“Diesel helps move milk to and from farms, ingredients to processors, products to stores and goods to consumers,” Semmann said.
In Wisconsin, about 85 percent of goods are transported by truck. The President of Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association, Dan Johnson, said about 30 percent of the costs for a trucking company go toward fuel. Trucking companies have to raise their prices for transporting goods when diesel prices get this high.
See Elissa Eaton, Record high diesel prices likely to drive up cost of groceries, other goods, Wisconsin Public Radio, September 17, 2026.
That’s 85% of Wisconsin goods transported by truck while diesel fuel prices have increased by nearly 78% in only one year.
What do those large percentages portend?
Nothing good for consumers.
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Forthcoming topics (in no particular order): A New Ethics Ordinance, Development in Downtown Whitewater (follow-up), and Steps for a Public Interest Campaign.
Thoughtless wars bring unpredictable consequences. This Critical Oil Chokepoint Is Now Under Houthi Control: