Democrats continue to call Republicans "racist" every chance they get. I believe we should explore that a little.
The July 7 story, “Schools struggle with how to teach about slavery” (Page 12B), deserves a review. “Teaching about slavery is hard," says the Southern Poverty Law Center. After all these years of rising illiteracy, one would hope schools would finally focus on reading in kindergarten, not s…
The city of Janesville has 2,645 public fire hydrants throughout the city: in yards, along roadways and near street corners. Fire hydrants are installed for the safety of the community and to help reduce insurance rates. They are also used by our water department as a way to keep our water s…
Every citizen is entitled to live in safety. Home ownership is not a prerequisite. Whether you own your home, rent one or live in your vehicle, one should be able to be safe. Providing a safe place for those who are homeless is an obligation, just as is providing safety for homeowners. In ei…
Wisconsin has an opportunity. The Republicans are concerned about the governor having power to create spending in the budget with a veto. While I fully agree with Gov. Tony Evers that education funding should be increased, I agree with the Republicans that it should not have been possible fo…
It is appropriate that the truth about Paul Ryan is being exposed, not only by Donald Trump but by other significant sources. It's absurd for Ryan to call out Trump for knowing nothing about government because Trump is second to none on implementing his policies, and Ryan couldn't even make …
The Janesville city fathers have provided “easy access” to the downtown Rock River.
It's about time Traxler Park is considered as a site to allow homeless people to park overnight! I talked about this location on Feb.10 at the Janesville City Council meeting.
United Way Blackhawk Region is proud to serve as part of the Finding Opportunities to Collaborate and Unite Services (FOCUS) coalition, and we applaud the efforts of this multidisciplinary team, as it works to identify innovative strategies to address homelessness in our community. As we’ve …
Scott Warren regularly left water, canned food, blankets and clothes along migration corridors in Arizona’s border with Mexico. His hope was to prevent more of the 8,000 deaths that have occurred in these borderlands since 1990. Warren was arrested in January 2018 by border patrol agents for…
Concerning the pier at the ARISE Town Square, it looks like the law of unintended consequences strikes again! They put a child magnet, the "Bubbler," a stone's throw from the steps down to the river with a pier, and no one thought, "Uh, could something bad happen?" So now we need a "study" t…
Many major party candidates for president have received voluminous coverage in the media, perhaps due to the bumbling, shouting, gesticulating, name-calling and all those other things we should not be hearing from our political representatives. But there is one major party candidate who radi…
Recently, the last Nuremberg prosecutor, 99-year-old Ben Ferencz, said the U.S’s detention of children is a “crime against humanity.”
This past week has been remarkable in miraculous news. A child was swept away by the Rock River but did not drown. Instead, he was rescued and brought to safety. When I read that story, I thought, 'I told you so!' It is because I have been telling everyone I know that the new ARISE Town Squa…
The recent retirement of Kandu Industries Executive Director Gary Bersell, as reported in The Gazette, caused me to reflect on what a great asset Kandu is to the Janesville community. Kandu provides employment for a segment of the disabled population that generally has been unable to find ot…
The term “overnight parking” the city is using to push a change in ordinance is misleading. This sounds like it would allow tired travelers from the Interstate to park temporarily. This also does not clarify that this change in ordinance would allow homeless people to sleep at Palmer Park 10…
Government is becoming our bully on the block today. We’re fast approaching the point where a person can’t make a decision to do anything without relying upon government subsidies and the inevitable government control that comes with it all.
With the conclusion of the first series of debates by candidates running for the Democratic Party nomination for president, do we have any clarity as to who would make the best candidate?
I would like to thank the impressive Badger Chordhawks and their extremely talented director, Christopher Smith, for their performance July 3 at Courthouse Park in Janesville. They lived up to and beyond expectations, even performing in the rain. It was a beautiful performance.
Free health care as a human right is prominent in discussions leading up to the 2020 election. Our Constitution guarantees the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The government cannot kill you or lock you up without due process. So far as possible, the government is to leav…
To help the homeless, the GIFTS Men’s Shelter concept is our answer, not providing parking lots and restrooms at our parks. You do not want to encourage people to live in their cars, which will then require living in tents when the hot weather arrives here. Cars, tents, food boxes and trash …
Letter writer Alice Hessenauer found The Gazette’s June 24 cartoon about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez portraying her as an airhead appalling. Considering Ocasio-Cortez’s previous comment about climate change destroying the world in 12 years and her more recent hysterical emoting, supposedly whil…
Although I am not a proponent of a totally free educational system, I do believe there is some middle ground between a $30,000 state education and “free.” I’m not sure why people always choose to take these extreme sides in arguments, whether it’s abortion, gun control, health care or educat…
Why are people so against the homeless sleeping in their vehicles parked at Palmer Park? My question to you is, what scares you about the homeless? Have you ever taken the time to talk to a homeless person? Do you know that our homeless shelters are almost always full? Do you know that we ha…
The Fourth of July is the antitheses of military might and demagoguery. The Declaration of Independence is about freedom, ideas, rights and equality. It’s about being free from oppressive force, not flaunting it. It’s about responsible government by its citizens. It’s about farmers with musk…
You don’t have to do much more than pull your car out onto the street or local highway to see the horrible conditions of our roads. Why is it so difficult to find funding for something this important? Taxpayers are absorbing the costs ($637 per Wisconsin driver each year, according to an Ame…
In reference to photo and story in the June 18 edition (Page 3A), The Gazette has once again sensationalized its reporting of this story.
Wisconsin crime victims recently got a huge victory thanks to Sen. Steve Nass, Reps. Cody Horlacher and Don Vruwink and other legislators who overwhelmingly supported a bipartisan victims’ rights constitutional amendment known as Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin. The amendment now moves to a statew…
I commend The Gazette for reporter Jim Dayton’s June 18 story on Chief Black Hawk and Tuesday's editorial on the same subject. The downtown mural wouldn’t mean much to a lot of people without your supporting articles providing an historical perspective on the plight of Black Hawk and the Sau…
On a recent trip to New York City, I had an opportunity to visit and tour the childhood home of Theodore Roosevelt, our 26th president. The home was filled with some of his personal belongings along with displays of his lifetime accomplishments, both as a citizen and government employee. We …
For eight years of Scott Walker's administration, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald sat idly by and watched our roads and streets become a Firestone Tire-testing obstacle course. They did nothing!
I was appalled by the depiction of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) in the political cartoon Monday (Page 4A).
I was fortunate to be a part of Bliss Communications for over four decades. I moved through the advertising department and ultimately was appointed general manager in 1988. That is a very brief summary of my business credentials.
Stage One’s debut of “The Great Plan of Happiness” on Friday, including the attendance of its playwright, Mindy Curtis, was a privilege to watch. Every single one of the actors nailed their parts and the set, sound and lighting all synced together to send a real message to us, the audience. …
I live on East Milwaukee Street, and on Saturday, a German shepherd was hit by a white car, whose driver did not stop to help. I went across the street to help. The dog was in a lot of pain from a broken hip. The owner was shaken up to the point of not knowing what to do. I called 911 and as…
Does the City of Janesville ever prorate a person’s income as to raising tax rates? I’ve been around 76 years, mostly working, and now am on a fixed income.
Contrary to the Chicago Tribune editorial The Gazette printed Thursday stating we should stay the course with Iran, we actually need to change course immediately to avoid a needless conflict.
Your Tuesday story, “Who was Black Hawk?”, mentioned Blackhawk Golf Course but not the nearby two-sided historical marker titled “The Black Hawk War” and “Black Hawk’s Grove.” But your Aug. 3, 2001, issue carried an article, “Remember Black Hawk: New marker tells story,” about its unveiling.
After serving as a nurse for 36 years before having to retire due to a physical disability, I'm a bit slow crossing the street. Can't run! This morning before 7 a.m., a young local police officer entered the intersection of South Main and Racine streets after I was given the right of way by …
Seventy-four percent of Wisconsin’s town roads are in need of expensive maintenance. The town of Delavan is no different: Repairs to North Shore Drive are estimated at $2.2 million, South Shore Drive at $2.1 million and Town Hall Road at $800,000.
What has to happen here in the U.S.A. before all of us begin to realize or question our president’s motives when it comes to foreign interference in our democratic elections? Our president said last week that he would listen to foreign interference. Our laws say that an American cannot take …
In response to Roy Anderson's letter Saturday regarding his opinion on the sanctity of life and the death penalty, I agree with Roy that if a person is anti-abortion, they must be anti-death penalty. It is a contradiction to be pro-fetal life and also be pro-death penalty? If killing one of …
I am writing to encourage the Janesville City Council and the alcohol advisory board to not approve a liquor license for Wildwood Theatres Movies 16. I love going to the movie theater, but this movie theater is a disgrace to the city of Janesville. The place is always filthy, unkempt and not…
In Wisconsin, the kidnapping of 13-year-old Jayme Closs and the murder of her parents have again raised the issue of capital punishment. The murderer, Jake Patterson, confessed this horrible crime and has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. Throughou…
I don't know about the rest of Wisconsinites, but I am so tired of partisan politics that I'm losing faith in our system. What is it with the GOP? It's refusing to accept millions of dollars in federal money for Medicaid expansion. This should be a no-brainer.
On Friday, our daughter Lauren graduated from Parker High School. Our daughter Madeline graduated from Rock University three years ago. Both kids are well prepared for college, and we’re happy for them and consider their years of schooling in Janesville a successful venture.
Last November, Wisconsin voters sent a simple message to those holding office or seeking election to state government. The voters were demanding adequate funding for local schools to end the plethora of school referendums that arose over the eight years of Republican rule.
Roads desperately need repair in Wisconsin, and the work is being held up by disagreement over who should pay. The obvious answer is the users should pay. There would be no need for roads otherwise. Those who use and damage it the most should pay the most. As of yet, we don’t pay per mile. S…
What I like best about the new children's picture book "It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity" is that there's no sad child who magically overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to have a happy ending.
