Good morning. Wednesday will bring a high of forty-three, and a one-third chance of light rain or snow showers in the afternoon. The low tonight will be around twenty-six. In the city today, there will be three public meetings: Downtown Whitewater’s board at 8 AM, the CDA at 5 PM, and the Cable Commission at…
112 search results for "ACT scores"
School District
Truths that the Whitewater Schools’ Composite Stats Don’t Show
by JOHN ADAMS • • 6 Comments
Wisconsin, like too much of America, now pushes at each turn for measurement, quantification, and numerical assessment of student performance. There should be measures – I merely have my doubts that displaying a top-line score describes meaningfully Wisconsin’s or Whitewater’s academic performance. (Truly, the craze for measurement strikes me as half-clever person’s attempt to sound…
CDA, City, Corporate Welfare, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Law, Official Misconduct, Open Government, State Government, Taxes/Taxation, Wisconsin
The Truth about the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
A person should be able to make simple distinctions, as between the sensible and foolish, or practical and impractical. Sometimes those distinctions should be clear, and as stark as the difference between the contents of a sample cup and a glass of Chardonnay. You’ll hear a lot locally over the next few days about a…
Daily Bread
Daily Bread for 12.31.12
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Good morning. Whitewater’s last day of 2012 will be partly sunny with a high of twenty-seven, with temperatures falling in the afternoon. On this day in 1946, long after actual fighting had ended, as a formality Pres. Truman proclaimed an end to the Second World War: The state of hostilities, a term covering the period…
CDA, City
Common Council’s 8.7.12 Session
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Common Council held its first session of the month last night. Discussion of some highlights from that session appears below: Library Expansion Plans. More space for people, less space for books (as new media require less space): that’s a sensible modification. Adjustment in the total space required, and a survey of community wishes for a…
City, New Whitewater
New Whitewater’s Inevitability
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
I’ve written before about the transition — one that I believe is certain, as much as anything human can be — from Old Whitewater to New Whitewater. A summary of my thinking: There’s a transition taking place, slowly but ineluctably, from a stodgy, stagnant Whitewater to a more hip & prosperous one. We’ve probably about…
City, Crime, Police
Meet the New Press Release, Same as the Old Press Release
by JOHN ADAMS •
Just about a year ago, Whitewater’s former police chief authorized a raid on a drinking party; this year, almost to the day, the city’s new police chief did the same. Scores were cited a year ago; scores were cited this year. Needless to say, last year’s raid did nothing to stop the underage drinking in…
Daily Bread
Daily Bread for 2.17.11
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning, Today’s forecast calls for a rainy but mild day, with a high temperature of fifty-one degrees. In Whitewater today, the Common Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. The session agenda is available online. Over at Daily Wisconsin, I’ve been posting on Gov. Walker’s over-reaching sincere proposal for union busting settling scores punishing perceived enemies…
Daily Bread
Daily Bread for Whitewater, Wisconsin: 8-13-10
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning, Whitewater’s forecast calls for a sunny day with a high temperature of ninety-one degrees. On this day in 1899, Alfred Hitchcock was born. Eighty years later, the New York Times recalled his life upon his passing: In a characteristically incisive remark, Mr. Hitchcock once summed up his approach to moviemaking: “Some films are…
Daily Bread
Daily Bread for Whitewater, Wisconsin: 7-12-10
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning, Whitewater’s forecast calls for a chance of thunderstorms with a high of eighty degrees. The City of Whitewater has a busy municipal calendar today. At 4 p.m., there were be a meeting of the Parks & Recreation Board. The meeting agenda is available online. At 6 p.m., there will be a meeting of…
Development, Free Markets, Planning
The Wall Street Journal on Private Campaigns Against Walmart
by JOHN ADAMS •
In prior posts, I’ve made clear the difference between competition between private merchants and local government’s endorsement of a campaign that expressly favors one kind of merchant over another. That’s not the place for government, either on principle (government should be limited) or prudently (government has a poor record of picking winners in the marketplace).…
Uncategorized
The Free Speech Victory in Citizens United
by JOHN ADAMS •
On January 21st, the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in Citizens United, following oral argument in March, and re-argument in September. The decision is controversial (sometimes unfairly through misunderstanding), but is a welcome recognition of First Amendment principles. I have mentioned the case at least once before, after the original oral…
Uncategorized
Inbox: Reader Mail — The Mysterious Miss X Writes about Efforts to Silence Government Critics
by JOHN ADAMS •
I received an email recently from a defender of free expression and longtime reader of FREE WHITEWATER, The Mysterious Miss X. Very much my pleasure to hear from her again, and so very pleased that she’s doing so well. Here’s what Miss X had to say, with my reply thereafter: Hi John Adams, It’s been…
Libertarians
The Libertarian Party Writes
by JOHN ADAMS •
In December, I received and posted a cheery dour Christmas email from Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr. (See, from December 22nd, a post entitled, Libertarian Bob Barr Says Hello.) Well, I saw that the LP’s Director of Communications, Andrew Davis, must really care about me, too, because yesterday I received his email (and he’s…