It’s a partly sunny day ahead for Whitewater, with a high temperature of eighty-three.

The space shuttle program is drawing to a close, and Wired reviews some of the odd creatures who’ve been for a ride into space, in a story entitled, The Space Shuttle Program’s Oddest Passengers. I’d pick the see-through fish as the strangest, but there are other weird choices awaiting your consideration.

Good morning.

Today’s forecast calls for a partly cloudy day, with a high temperature of eighty-three degrees.

Whitewater’s Landmarks Commission meets tonight, at 5 p.m.  They have a busy agenda, including election of officers.  The agenda is available online.

On this day in 1934, there was a riot at Wisconsin’s Horlick Malted Milk Plant:

1934 – Seven injured in riot at Horlick plant

On this day three policemen and five office employees of the Horlick Malted Milk Corp. were injured when a crowd of strike sympathizers stormed a motorcade of employees entering the plant’s main gate. Emerging from a crowd of 500 striking employees, the rioters overpowered police escorts, shattered windshields and windows, and pelted officers with rocks. Police blamed Communist influence for the incident, and former Communist congressional candidate John Sekat was arrested in the incident. Employees of the plant were demanding wage increases and recognition of the Racine County Workers Committee as their collective bargaining agent. [Source: Capital Times 7/6/1934, p. 1]

Source: Wisconsin Historical Society

Good morning.

Today’s forecast calls for a mostly sunny day, with a high temperature of eighty-eight degrees.

The Wisconsin Historical Society offers more accounts of the Black Hawk War, with a description of the odd terrain General Atkinson encountered in 1832:

1832 – Atkinson enters the Trembling Lands

On this date, General Atkinson and his troops entered the area known by the Native Americans as “trembling lands” in their pursuit of Black Hawk. The area was some 10 square miles and contained a large bog. Although the land appeared safe, it would undulate or tremble for yards when pressure was applied. Many of the militiamen were on horses, which plunged to their bellies in the swamp. The “trembling lands” forced Atkinson to retrace his steps back toward the Rock River, in the process losing days in his pursuit of Black Hawk. [Source: Along the Black Hawk Trail by William G. Stark]

That’s quite a description, of the area as trembling lands — it adds a pall strange, ominous, and memorable.

Good morning.

It’s a particularly hot day ahead for Whitewater, with a forecast of ninety-five for the high, and a chance of showers in the afternoon or evening.

No Comment Forum or poll this weekend, as I will run both along with a series on the decades-long (four, actually) drug war.

For this weekend, it’s all exploration and adventure for Whitewater, with an impressive list of activities from July 1 to July 4.  I’ll have the full calendar up shortly, and readers can visit the July 4th committee’s website at www.ww4th.com.

On this day in 1967, Wisconsin had one less prohibition than previously:

1967 – Sale of Oleo Becomes Legal

On this date it became legal to purchase Oleomargarine in Wisconsin. For decades, margarine was considered a contraband spread. Sale of the butter impostor resulted in fines or possible jail terms. Oleomargarine was sold legally in Illinois and frequently smuggled into Wisconsin.

Source: Wisconsin Historical Society

Good morning.

It’s a day in the mid-eighties, with a chance of afternoon thundershowers, ahead for Whitewater.

Whitewater’s school board is scheduled to meet tonight, at 6:30 p.m., with agenda items including an announcement on the selection of a new district administrator.  The meeting agenda is available online.

Good morning.

For today, a mostly sunny day with a high temperature of seventy-nine.

Over at Walworth County Sunday, there’s a story covering our Independence Day parade, from Todd Mishler, entitled, World War II veteran to be grand marshal of Whitewater July 4th parade. The story describes Jim Underwood’s service aboard the USS Solace during the attack on Pearl Harbor, later service during the war, through to discharge in 1948.

If there’s one story to read today, this would be the one.

Good morning.

It’s a sunny and warm day ahead for Whitewater, hitting about 80 degrees this afternoon.

There’s a school board meeting tonight, beginning at 6 p.m., to interview two candidates for district administrator.  It’s an open session for interviews, followed by a closed session for deliberations, with the possibility of an announcement thereafter.  The meeting agenda is available online, although as of this post it provides less information than has been announced or published previously.  There’s no violation in this, as the district need not rely on its own website to publish written announcements.  Written publication can be through a third party.  See, Wis. Stats. §§ 19.81-19.98.

It would be prudent for the district to use its own website, though, as its primary means of communication,  with agendas, etc., also published elsewhere.  When hiring an administrator or other district-wide employee, the district would do better to publish meeting dates and agendas, and a packet of information with supporting materials,  on its main page, as the most prominent item available.

The process is a rushed business, but even a poor process may produce, every so often, a good result.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has published news from the front — if the front were close by, and this were 1832:

1832 – Atkinson starts up Rock River in Black Hawk War

On this date General Henry Atkinson and the Second Army began its trip into the Wisconsin wilderness in a major effort against Black Hawk. The “Army of the Frontier” was formed of 400 U.S. Army Regulars and 2,100 volunteer militiamen in order to participate in the Black Hawk War. The troops were headed toward the Lake Koshkonong area where the main camp of the British Band was rumored to be located. [Source: Along the Black Hawk Trail by William F. Stark, p. 93-94]