Awards highlight importance of weekly papers
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on June 17, 2013
As a free weekly community newspaper, we have a tight-knit connection with the community we serve. Where daily newspapers are struggling in an increasingly fragmented media market, both in print and online, free papers are becoming more important because they reach everyone with important information about their communities. Each Sunday, ...
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Tourism a key to our economic health
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on May 14, 2013
Although today marks the end of National Tourism Week, it’s really the beginning of perhaps the most important season in the Stateline area. A study released a week ago by Tourism Economics shows that the impact of tourism on Wisconsin’s economy was $16.8 billion in 2012, up 5 percent from ...
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60-foot cross ignites soul searching
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on April 30, 2013
The controversy ignited over a proposal by New Life Assembly of God to build a 60-foot cross on its property began to smolder as quickly as the community got wind of the project. Strong feelings aren’t new in Janesville, even for those not directly impacted. Just think of the long-running ...
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Should elected officials go back to school?
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on February 19, 2013
I suspect even the author of this bill isn’t wholly convinced his proposal will ever become law, but it certainly got the attention of politicians in Illinois. But if it does, would the idea catch fire in Wisconsin as well? Illinois state Sen. Dave Syverson, a Republican from Rockford, announced ...
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DDHS class draws outside attention
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on February 11, 2013
I’m always leery when a local story brings national news outlets to town. Take for example the coverage of a class taught for years at Delavan-Darien High School called “American diversity.” Last semester, a parent contacted the school board with concerns about the class, but when a columnist at FoxNews.com ...
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Concealed carry debate comes to Illinois
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on January 17, 2013
In the midst of the national debate sparked by the shooting rampage in Newtown Conn., Illinois now must decide how it wants to deal with the issue of its citizens carrying concealed weapons. (This column appears in the Jan. 13, 2013 Stateline NewsHERE.) Wisconsin passed concealed-carry legislation a little ...
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Not immune to the flu
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on January 14, 2013
It’s not unusual for writers to immerse themselves in a topic to fully understand the story they’re trying to tell. Be careful what you wish for. While working on this week’s cover story on how the influenza outbreak is affecting residents of Walworth County, staff writer Todd Mishler was stricken ...
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Concealed carry debate comes to Illinois
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on January 11, 2013
In the midst of the national debate sparked by the shooting rampage in Newtown Conn., Illinois now must decide how it wants to deal with the issue of its citizens carrying concealed weapons.
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Staff not immune to the flu
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on January 11, 2013
It’s not unusual for writers to immerse themselves in a topic to fully understand the story they’re trying to tell.
Be careful what you wish for.
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New faces in familiar places
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on December 26, 2012
If you think you know who your state legislators are, you might want to double check. Even though we held our most recent election in November (how could we forget?) the new slate of officials won’t begin their terms until Monday, Jan. 7. Following this year’s redistricting, Assembly and Senate ...
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The unique service of U.S. veterans
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on November 12, 2012
With the long presidential campaign finally behind us (and the next long presidential campaign likely to begin shortly), it’s worth turning our attention to one of the reasons we elect our leaders in the first place. Sunday, Nov. 11, is Veterans Day. The date originally marked the end of fighting ...
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Can you convince the undecided?
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on October 18, 2012
If our recent poll on WalworthCountySunday.com is any gauge, a whole lot of presidential campaign money is being spent on a very few undecided voters.
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How to convince the unconvinced
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on October 9, 2012
If our recent poll on WalworthCountySunday.com is any gauge, a whole lot of presidential campaign money is being spent on a very few undecided voters. We asked readers to tell us if they’ve made up their minds about who will get their vote for president or if they remain undecided. ...
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Let's bypass the bypass
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on October 2, 2012
I was on my way to Burlington last week, but never got there. Blame the new bypass.
It had been awhile since my family and I had taken this particular route home from Racine. We were returning from my niece’s 30th birthday party, and I decided to drive through Burlington, where we could stop for gas and get something to eat.
But as we approached the city, we ended up on the sparkling new bypass that whisked us to the other side of the city. On this trip, there would be no stopping for a meal, and gas would have to wait until I got home.
It reminded me of all the places I don’t go anymore because I’m zipping past them at 65 mph.
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Should we bypass some bypasses?
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on September 27, 2012
I was on my way to Burlington last week, but never got there. Blame the new bypass. It had been awhile since my family and I had taken this particular route home from Racine. We were returning from my niece’s 30th birthday party, and I decided to drive through Burlington, ...
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Ryan: Off and running
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on August 22, 2012
After covering Rep. Paul Ryan since his first run for Congress in 1998, I’ve only heard of one occasion where he’s buckled under pressure and changed his mind. Last March, Ryan was back home in Janesville to take his young sons on a Cub Scout outing. It’s the same outing ...
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In his hometown, Ryan pick energizes both supporters and critics
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on August 17, 2012
Ryan remains a man of contradictions in his hometown. Residents were buzzing with pride all week about the possibility that a hometown kid would be vice president -- even if they never would vote for him.
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On the way to Mars, making things still means something
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on August 2, 2012
ROSCOE -- It’s been years since America’s exploration of outer space has captured the national imagination. In many ways, the same can be said about the American manufacturing industry.
But for employees of a small Roscoe manufacturing com-pany, that fascination is back as they wait for the Mars rover Curiosity to touch down on the surface of the red planet in the early morning hours Monday.<
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Can Romney convince Wisconsin?
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on June 25, 2012
Mitt Romney was anxious to come to Wisconsin last Monday, particularly after Gov. Scott Walker’s victory earlier in the month in the recall election. Although the presumptive Republican nominee said that President Obama had put the state in the his own column, Romney told an enthusiastic crowd of more than ...
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Undaunted, Zerban sets sights on seat in Congress
Posted by DAN PLUTCHAK on June 18, 2012
Editor’s note: Last month, we interviewed U.S. Rep Paul Ryan about his work in the House of Representatives. Today, we visit with Democrat Rob Zerban, Ryan’s opponent in the Nov. 6 election. We’ll meet with both men again in the fall for our election preview story. At first glance, you ...
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