Saturday, November 12, 2011

Dear Michelle

Yours truly, RG

She still loves a good deal — last year she spent a couple of thousand dollars on markdowns that day, the Friday after Thanksgiving — but Ms. Nyberg says that she does not want retailers to ruin the holiday for her or their own employees.  [My emphasis]

11/11/11.  A seriously silly day in the pages of the New York Times.

Silliest Article the New York Times has Published in Quite Some Time



Quote: “I thought it was a pretty everyday experience,’’ Dr. Weissman said. “We’ve all had this happen.’’


Yes, we've all had this happen while running for President.

Wisconsin Department of Revenue "Dear Librarian" Letter





Just out of curiosity, I thought I'd search what's going on in other states.  (I can't vouch that this is a comprehensive list, but you can certainly see the trend that is developing.  A number of states have gone beyond efforts to reduce the number of paper forms ordered by libraries.)

Arizona.  From the Chandler Public Library website. Due to budget constraints, the Arizona Department of Revenue is no longer accepting orders for tax forms.

Iowa.  From  the Urbandale Public Library website.  The library will no longer have paper copies of Iowa tax forms or instruction booklets. With the continued growth of electronic filing, the Iowa Department of Revenue (IDR) is no longer providing paper income tax forms and instruction booklets to libraries beginning with tax year 2011.

Kansas.  From the Arkansas City, Kansas, website.   Kansas and Oklahoma no longer send paper copies of the forms to the Library.

Kentucky.  From the Henderson County Public Library website.  The Kentucky Department of Revenue no longer provides free tax forms to libraries. Patrons must download the forms or call 502-564-3658 for mailed forms.

Missouri.  From the Springfield-Greene County Public Library District website. The Library no longer receives any paper forms from the Missouri Department of Revenue.

New Hampshire State Tax Form Update.  From Manchester City Library website, 3/7/2011. Wondering where the state tax forms are? Here’s the scoop. They will no longer be sent to the library in paper format.

[New Jersey] tax forms no longer available at libraries, post offices. [Newark Star-Ledger, 1/29/2010)

[North Carolina] tax forms will no longer be at libraries, post offices. (Greensboro News-Record, 1/6/2010)

Oklahoma.  From the Arkansas City, Kansas, website.  Kansas and Oklahoma no longer send paper copies of the forms to the Library.

Oregon.  From the Oregon City Public Library website. The Oregon Department of Revenue no longer provides paper copies of tax forms.

Seven states have no state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.

Two states tax dividend and interest income only:  New Hampshire, Tennessee.

Encomiums for Dick Wheeler


The Wheeler Report.  Always a first stop on my morning news review.

Provocative Poster of the Day

Which I stumbled across while searching for a "Guns Allowed" image.


A salacious version is found here.

Marshfield Library/Community Center Project Continues to Move Forward


Plans underway for expanded library.  (Marshfield News Herald, 11/12/2011)

Excerpt: The plans for the expanded library include the integration of a community center that will contain facilities for the city's senior community, such as the Aging and Disabilities Resource Center, said Lori Belongia, library director.

"This will also include a new senior center facility. As for what else will be included in the community center, that's being planned," Belongia said.

The project is slated to break ground in 2014 with an estimated cost of $7.5 million. It will be built on the grounds of the existing library and senior center
.

Related articles:
Design development for new library/community center.  (9/15/2011)
Better to plan for a new library now than when the roof starts to leak.  (11/12/2010)
Design development in progress.  (11/9/2010)
Community input sought for library improvement plans.  (6/9/2010)

Friday, November 11, 2011

Just Published: State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2011-12


Barish’s last Blue Book one to remember. (wispolitics.com, 11/9/2011)

Excerpt: Larry Barish’s first Blue Book was a little unusual. The cover of the 1987-88 edition was essentially glued on inside out.

His final book will be unique as well. The 2011-12 Blue Book is thicker than normal, requiring a curved spine that will stick out on any bookshelf stocked with biennial editions of what's been dubbed the Bible of Wisconsin government.

Barish is retiring later this year from the Legislature Reference Bureau after 41 years, including the past 24 as the Blue Book editor. And though he modestly calls it “an acceptable book,” the new edition will go down in state publishing history as one to remember.

For one thing, its publication was delayed to include the Senate recall elections this past summer. And, the new edition includes color photos of Capitol protests.

The first noticeable difference is the size. Even though at 971 pages it’s 14 pages shorter than the previous edition -- the books are statutorily limited to 1,000 pages or less -- it’s almost a quarter-inch wider.

Judge Peter Anderson Dismisses Access Wisconsin Lawsuit Against Broadband Grants



Related WiscNet/BCCB/CINC posts:
Community Broadband Networks puts the spotlight on CINC.  (9/26/2011)
BCCB lawsuit update from UW-Extension.  (9/17/2011)
More of the same from telcos in broadband dispute.  (8/21/2011)
Access Wisconsin Lawsuit:  Today's discovery @ Wisconsin Circuit Court Access.  (8/10/2011)
Lester Public Library Director sheds some light on WiscNet.  (8/10/2011)
About the Access Wisconsin lawsuit.  (8/5/2011)
Case summary with names of defendants' attorneys.  (8/4/2011)
An example of how advocacy works.  (7/31/2011)
From Peter C. Anderson's Court Official Calendar for Dane County.  (7/24/2011)
Lawsuit update and summary.  (7/22/2011)
Judge Anderson denies UW broadband restraining order.  (7/21/2011)
Plaintiffs v. Defendants.  (7/20/2011)
Telcos whine while Wisconsin falls behind.  (7/20/2011)
Access Wisconsin news release.  (7/19/2011)
LRB clarifies WiscNet veto. (6/30/2011)
WiscNet:  Moving Forward.  (6/30/2011)
Walker's WiscNet veto:  What does it mean?  (6/27/2011)
Rest assured they'll be more fights in this battle.  (6/24/2011)
Wisconsin Senate passes budget.  (6/17/2011)
Amendment update.    (6/16/2011)
Assembly passes budget at 3:05 a.m.  (6/16/2011)
Wispolitics budget blog.  (6/15/2011)
Wisconsin ranks 43rd for broadband Internet coverage.  (6/15/2011)
Ron Kind news release.  (6/15/2011)
Assembly 8.  (6/15/2011)
Highest level alert.  (6/15/2011)
This is what democracy looks like.  (6/15/2011)
WSTA's day of disappointment.  (6/14/2011)
They can hear us now.  (6/14/2011)
Appleton Post-Crescent editorial.  (6/14/2011)
YouTube video.  (6/14/2011)
Hedberg Public Library promotes WiscNet.  (6/14/2011)
League of Wisconsin Municipalities press release.  (6/14/2011)
UW General Counsel opinion.  (6/13/2011)
Ars Technica WiscNet coverage.  (6/13/2011)
Wausau Daily Herald editorial.  (6/13/2011)
If your representative is Robin Vos...   (9/13/2011)
Baraboo School Board unhappy with JFC WiscNet action.  (6/13/2011)
WiscNet debate from the NE WI prospective.  (6/12/2011)
David Weinhold letter to editor.  (6122010
Rep. Moelpske's statement. (6/11/2011)
COLAND letter to Sen. Fitzgerald.  (6/10/2011)
Rhonda Puntney's op-ed piece.  (6/10/2011)
Nass letter to Fitzgerald and Vos.  (6/9/2011)
CINC response.  (6/9/2011)
UW response.  (6/9/2011)
Manna from heaven.  (6/8/2011)

Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesterday


Partisan Divide Over Alternative Energy Widens. Republicans View Gov't Energy Investments as Unnecessary. (Pew Research Center, 11/10/2011)

Pittsburgh Voters Overwhelmingly Approve 0.25 Mill Special Tax



Libraries were overdue for city's help. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/10/2011)

Excerpt:    Mt. Lebanon annually devotes about $37 in local taxes per resident to its library.

That number for the city of Pittsburgh this year was 13 cents. Tuesday's landslide vote means the city finally will put serious money where its books are.

Some 72 percent of city voters said "yes" to devoting a thin slice of property taxes to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, and I don't think many thought too long about it. The vote was more like that final scene in "It's a Wonderful Life," where the townspeople just show up at George Bailey's house to drop donations on the table
.  [My emphasis.]

Related post;
Pittsburgh Voters Asked to Approve 0.25 Mill Special Tax. (11/5/2011)
Library's 6-pronged funding strategy.  (1/31/2011)

11/11/1918: The "War to End All Wars" Comes to an End



This title has been on my list of books to re-read for quite a few years now.

True, but why not share a couple of examples with us, Deborah



Debate heats up over voter ID laws.  (USA Today, 11/10/2011)

Excerpt: Supporters of the laws, mostly Republicans, say they help prevent fraudulent practices such as casting ballots under the names of dead people. [My emphasis.]

Alabama Democrat Artur Davis Flips On Voter ID But Won’t Say Who He Saw Committing Fraud. (TPM Muckraker, 10/25/2011)

Libertarian Party of Indiana on voter ID law.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

I Knew You When (Before You Sold Out)

This is disturbing.  Considering the amount of trust I've always placed in Pew's research.




Not a confidence (re)builder.

Pew's move is as bizarre as this video.

There Oughta Be a Law: When "Some" Means "One"



A Hidden Toll as States Turn to Contract Workers.  (The New York Times, 11/7/2011)

Excerpt: Some One residents says the contract workers are vilified unfairly. “Care is predicated on compassion and empathy,” said Harold Sundberg, a World War II Navy veteran, not “a union label.”

Harold is the only resident quoted.

With logic like this, you might as well say that recycling programs limit people's personal choice to litter

After all, banning anything is never the right answer.

Our story opens:  Weary of plastic litter, Grand Canyon National Park officials......

Parks Chief Blocked Plan for Grand Canyon Bottle Ban. (The New York Times, 11/10/2011)

Excerpt: A spokeswoman for Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Susan Stribling, said the company would rather help address the plastic litter problem by increasing the availability of recycling programs. “Banning anything is never the right answer,” she said. “If you do that, you don’t necessarily address the problem.” She also characterized the bottle ban as limiting personal choice. “You’re not allowing people to decide what they want to eat and drink and consume,” she said.

Photos by Retiring Guy (March 1997)

Congratulations, Susan. You're a winner of this Steely Dan album.

Ernie Pyle Slips from Our Collective Memory

Though many public libraries still have his books available.  (1 of 10 in LINKcat.)



Some Artifacts Are Gone, but Not Pride in a War Correspondent Who Mattered. (The New York Times, 11/10/2011)

Excerpt: Dana is learning the familiar lesson that the famous are not forever so; names slip from collective memory, to be replaced by other names also destined for the tip of our tongues, and then gone. Who remembers, say, Wheeler and Woolsey, the wacky comedy team of the 1930s;


or Irvin S. Cobb, a cigar-chomping humorist as well known as Will Rogers in his day;

or the Dionne quintuplets, international sensations.


But Ernie Pyle was not just famous; he mattered.

Pyle was a slight man of uncommon empathy who gained some fame as a roving national columnist for the Scripps Howard news service. His popularity then skyrocketed during World War II, thanks to plainly worded dispatches from overseas that put readers in the mud beside exhausted, homesick G.I.’s, bracing for the next burst of comba
t.

Dear Paul Burka, We Miss Molly Ivins, Thank You

I imagine she might have had a few things to say about your piece. Right now, in particular.


Dear Yankee. Eight things you ought to know before you start writing stories about Rick Perry. You’re welcome. (Texas Monthly, August 2011)

Shall we roast of couple of these ideas over the fire?

Your point #3.  Perry is cannier than you think he is. Perry revels in political plays that are initially misunderstood by the press and his critics.

Perhaps endearing and disarming in Texas, but off-putting and disconcerting on the national stage.

I think Nate Silver has something to say about this, too.  (Is Perry Toast?  The New York Times, 11/9/2011)

Almost immediately after what will probably be remembered as the Bill Buckner moment of primary debates, when Texas Gov. Rick Perry literally forgot which governmental agencies he would cut and concluded his answer with a sheepish “Oops,” Mr. Perry’s stock on the betting market Intrade [see screenshot below] dropped in half. Tabbed as having about a 9 percent chance of winning the Republican nomination before the debate, the market revised his odds downward to 4 percent just moments after the gaffe.

Note the precipitous decline from what looks to be late September.

Your point #8. Don’t discount the luck factor. It is uncanny how often good fortune has been in ­Perry’s corner throughout his political career.

Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson was also blessed with a bounty of good fortune, which he attempted to parlay into a run for the Presidency.  And we all know how that ended up, neighboring Iowans stopping him dead in his tracks..  Some politicians just don't translate well outside of their home state.  Tim Pawlenty and George Pataki join Thompson as members of this club.  Now we can add Rick Perry.

And as for Perry's good fortune, right now he's is about as lucky this Hollywood bomb.

The Library as Poynette's Anchor Store


Library supporters speak. (Poynette Press, 11/8/2011)

Excerpt: Poynette village President Jerry Burke said the library is just part of the larger discussion about Main Street.

"The value (of the library) to the village is to create a magnet on Main Street," he said. "So that if there is a significant cost to us doing this, the value in it is, is what it generates on Main Street because we did it. The value isn't just the building, it's what it engenders, it's what it creates. And that value exceeds what you would spend on it
."

Related post:
Poynette redevelopment project includes space for library.  (9/29/2011)

Just in case you're wondering why the NRA is having its way with the Walker administration

Concealed carry.

Castle doctrine.

Next up:  Stand your ground?



...in 1 basket.

Or perhaps you're feeling more along these lines.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Schreiben Sie Cursive?


Some schools consider wiping the slate clean and dropping the writing form as technology takes over. (Racine Journal-Times, 11/8/2011)

Excerpt:     A number of school systems nationwide are cutting out cursive, according to K-12 handwriting instruction expert Steve Graham. But Racine County schools are not among those dropping the flowing writing form. Taking into account technology and time, local educators have chosen to keep cursive in the classroom.

“Our philosophy is this: Even with the oncoming level of technology that children and adults are using, handwriting still has a basic place in the way humans communicate with one another,”said Diana Lesnjak, principal of Racine’s St. Rita School, 4433 Douglas Ave
.

Still a great song, from a time, 50 years ago, when the above Palmer Method chart was prominently displayed in every grade school classroom.

Madison Central Library Prepares for Move to Temporary Facility


Planned Central Library relocation presents challenges for workers, patrons. (Wisconsin State Journal, 11/9/2011)

Excerpt:   As the closing of the Central Library looms, many library users are prepared to deal with slight inconveniences, knowing that a larger, more vibrant building will soon take its place.

Until then, however, Downtown patrons will have to go a few weeks without any library at all, followed by a year and a half in a temporary facility much smaller than what exists now. Patrons will only be able to browse the main collection online, and seating will be at a premium.

"It will be a challenge in terms of people who like to sit and read," said Carol Froistad, community services manager for the Central Library, which closes its doors at 6 p.m. Friday.


And the beat goes on.  (4/14/2010)

Pew Research: How teens navigate the new world of "digital citizenship"




Teens, Kindness and Cruelty on Social Network Sites. (Pew Research Center, 11/9/2011)

Excerpt: As social media use has become pervasive in the lives of American teens, a new study finds that 69% of the teenagers who use social networking sites say their peers are mostly kind to one another on such sites. Still, 88% of these teens say they have witnessed people being mean and cruel to another person on the sites, and 15% report that they have been the target of mean or cruel behavior on social network sites.

Reimagining the Public Library: The Fayetteville Free Library's Fab Lab

Techshops.  Hackerspaces.  Makerspaces.  (All three words -- no surprise -- are underlined in red as I compose this post.)  All new vocabulary to me.  Definitely need to drill down on this topic.


The Public Library, Completely Reimagined.  (Mind/Shift, 11/9/2011)

Excerpt: Earlier this year, MAKE Magazine’s Phillip Torrone wrote a provocative article asking “Is it time to rebuild and retool libraries and make ‘techshops’?” In other words, should libraries join some of the other new community centers that are being created (such as General Assembly which we covered yesterday) and become “hackerspaces” or “makerspaces”?

“Yes!”, says librarian Lauren Smedley, who is in the process of creating what might just be the first maker-space within a U.S. public library. The Fayetteville Free Library where Smedley works is building a Fab Lab — short for fabrication laboratory — that will provide free public access to machines and software for manufacturing and making things.

So far, the Fab Lab is equipped with a MakerBot, a 3D printer that lets you “print” plastic pieces of your own design. The potential for 3D printers to revolutionize manufacturing as we know it is huge: imagine being able to design and then manufacture — or “print” — whatever you want. Moreoever, imagine the tools of manufacturing being in the hands of everyone, not just giant factories (and remember, since this is a public library, this is really putting the technology in the hands of everyone, not just those that can afford a membership at a traditional hackerspace).

Iowans Clearly See Through Cindy Golding's Nonsense



Democrats hold their majority, 26-24, in the Iowa State Senate.


Fear and intolerance go down to defeat, though unfortunately we haven't heard the last from them.

Manitowoc Reorganization Proposal Requires Managers to Work

What was once and will never be again
(Photo by Retiring Guy)

City reorganization plan proposed. Manitowoc alderman touts potential savings of $3 million to $5 million. (Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter, 11/8/2011)

Excerpt: The reorganization plan Olson introduced to his colleagues would result in a similar staff reduction and has several key assumptions including:

» The removal of deputy department head positions;

» Creation of "working manager" positions;

» Reassignment of job duties;

» Grass cutting, as well as janitorial and maintenance tasks contracted to outside service providers;

» Several departments restructured or consolidated into two primary functions: infrastructure and administration.

» Creation of several clerk positions that would report to various department heads and have the training and flexibility to help wherever needed.

"Police and Fire are off the table because of current contractual obligations," said Olson, a financial analyst with Access Investment Advisors
.

Marathon County's 2012 "No, No, No Budget"


Marathon County presents 2012 budget. (Wausau Daily Herald, 11/9/2011)

Excerpt: Marathon County Administrator Brad Karger described the county's proposed 2012 budget as the "no, no, no budget" -- no tax increase, no service cuts and no employee layoffs -- at a Tuesday night public hearing on the plan.



Despite state budget cuts of more than $1.1 million, the three "no's" were only possible because of a controversial state law passed this year, which sharply limits public employee unions' collective bargaining abilities.

But several members of the County Board argued that balancing the budget by increasing employee contributions toward insurance premiums and other savings connected to employee benefits was unfair
.

Marathon County fulltime equivalent employees

Other Wisconsin county and municipal budget news.
Let the aphorisms fly @ the Beloit City Council meeting.  (11/9/2011)
2012 Marshfield Public Library budget cut by 2.4%.  (11/8/2011)
Part time staff @ Beloit Public Library lose health-care benefits.  (11/7/2011)
Privatizing trash pickup would more than plug Sheboygan's $800,000 budget gap. (11/5/2011)
Portage County approves budget.  (11/4/2011)
Manitowoc's bond rating woes.  (11/4/2011)
Menasha mayor asks library board to cut $45,000 from 2012 budget.  (11/2/2011)
Fond du Lac councilman Ruedinger calls $91,000 cut to library "huge"  (11/1/2011)
Dimming the streetlights in Clintonvlile.  (10/27/2011)
Two Rivers' Lester Public Library looking at a 7% cut in 2012.  (10/26/2011)
Boost in taxes for Neenah residents.  (10/25/2011)
Apparently, Sheboygan alderman David Van Akkeren doesn't love and value libraries. (10/25/2011)
Crabby Appleton trumps League of Women Voters president in coverage of Outagamie County budget hearing.  (10/25/2011)
Black River Falls looks to cut $62,000 from 2012 budget.  (10/24/2011)
Shawano does the garbage fee math.  (10/19/2011)
Wisconsin Rapids:  Proposed McMillan Library 2012 budget cut $63,221.  (10/19/2011)
Racine mayor uses Packers analogy in budget address.  (10/19/2011)
Manitowoc mayor cuts budget 10%.  (10/18/2011)
Mayor proposes 5.1% cut to Fond du Lac Public Library funding.  (10/17/2011)
Racine County executive explains the various tax levies.  (10/16/2011)
Lake Geneva's 2012 budget dilemma.  (10/15/2011)
Rhinelander has a bigger hold to fill due to budget error.  (10/15/2011)
City of Ripon 2012 budget update.  (10/15/2011)
Shawano city administrator:  "Bleeding has stopped for the most part".  (10/14/2011)
Retirements?  Not worry, sez Sheboygan officials.  (10/14/2011)
FEE-fi-fo-fum in Ashland.  (10/14/2011)
Waupaca proposes no retiree access to city's health plan.  (10/13/2011)
Mayville retains wheel tax.  (10/13/2011)
Wheel tax proposed in Janesville.  (10/12/2011)
City of Marshfield 2012 budget update.  (10/12/2011)
City of Oshkosh 2012 budget update.  (10/12/2011)
City of Fond du Lac to eliminate assessor's office.  (10/12/2011)
Sheboygan officials no longer have the "headache" of maintenance of effort.  (10/11/2011)
City of Waukesha considers annual garbage fee.  (10/9/2011)
Brown County proposes cuts to employee benefits.  (10/9/2011)
Library salaries focus of debate at Sussex-Lisbon budget discussion.  (10/8/2011)
City of  Delavan administrator requests all department reduce operating budgets by 8%.  (10/8/2011)
Village of Waterford looks at across-the-board cuts.  (10/8/2011)
Ripon city administrator on 2012 municipal budget.  (10/8/2011)
4% cut to library funding in Appleton mayor's 2012 proposed budget.  (10/8/2011)
McMillan library staff reorganization saves Wisconsin Rapids $45,075. (10/5/2011)
Budget reduction forces cuts in hours, positions @ the La Crosse Public Library. (10/3/2011)
Marathon County cuts employee benefits to balance 2012 budget.  (10/3/2011)
City of Sheboygan 2012 proposed budget.  (10/3/2011)
2012 Brown County Public Library proposed budget.  (10/1/2011)
1.2% of Janesville residents get to wag the dog.  (9/30/2011)
Beloit Public Library proposed 2012 budget.  (9/30/2011)
Shawano City-County Library receives $13,000 cut (3%) in county funding.  (9/28/2011)
City of Rhinelander looking at a $200,000 decrease in revenue for 2012.  (9/27/2011)
Mayor Barrett's proposed 2012 budget increases hours, expands 3 educational initiatives @ the Milwaukee Public Library.  (9/26/2011)
Janesville:  Slight decrease in 2012 Hedberg Public Library budget.  (9/25/2011)
Fond du Lac faces $1.7 million deficit.  (9/23/2011)
McFarland wrestles with 2012 budget..  (9/22/2011)
Beloit to make deep cuts to police, fire departments.  (9/22/2011)
Wisconsin Rapids 2012 budget process underway.  (9/22/2011)
Oshkosh 2012 budget deficit projected to balloon to as much as $2.3 million.  (9/20/2011)
Facing $2.5 million shortfall, La Crosse considers a variety of fees.  (9/14/2011)
100 show up at Dodgeville budget hearing.  (9/12/2011)
Zero percent increase for Prairie du Sac department budgets.  (9/7/2011)
City of Ashland looks at projected shortfall of $329,000 in 2012 budget.  (8/26/2011)
Dodgeville city council to hold listening session on 2012 budget.  (8/26/2011)
Shawano budget deficit at $504,800.  (8/25/2011)
City of Ripon facing $110,000 budget deficit for 2012.  (8/25/2011)
Long list of cuts on table for Racine city services.  (8/25/2011)
Dodge County Administrator:  "Governor Walker does not speak for Dodge County".  (8/25/2011)
Longevity bonuses in Portage might become a thing of the past.  (8/24/2011)
Declining property values pose a challenge to Columbus budget development.  (8/24/2011)
Whitewater council looks at 0% tax levy increase.  (8/24/2011)
Janesville residents asked to make tough choices in online budget scorecard.  (8/24/2011)
Village of Darien officials ask for input on 2012 budget.  (8/24/2011)
City of Marshfield has some wiggle room in its 2012 budget development.  (8/24/2011)
Soglin on 2012 Madison budget:  "Every service we rely on is vulnerable".  (8/23/2011)
With a ballooning budget deficit, Marathon County considers a tax increase.  (8/23/2011)
Sheboygan's Strategic Fiscal Planning Committee to determine what city will look like.  (8/19/2011)
Brown County Exec looks at same tax levy, impact on services to be determined.  (8/18/2011)
City of Shawano wrestles with $128,000 deficit.  (8/16/2011)
Possible double whammy for Shawano City-County Library.  (8/15/2011)
Portage County Executive looks to "create a bridge to a new design, a way of functioning on less".. (8/15/2011)
Antigo cuts fire, police positions.  (8/15/2011)
Adding up the budget numbers in the Fox Valley.  (8/14/2011)
Sauk County officials ask for input.  (8/12/2011)
Marathon County ranks services to address $500,000 budget shortfall.  (8/12/2011)
City of Beloit faces a challenging budget process.  (8/8/2011)
Fond du Lac city manager sez Governor's tools not enough to offset cuts.  (8/2/2011)
Manitowoc mayor asks department heads for 10% budget cuts.  (8/2/2011)

Mulholland Books Learns What's Coming Around the Curve


Get me rewrite.

Little, Brown pulls book, cites plagiarism. (The New York Times, 11/8/2011)


5-Star reviews notwithstanding, "Assassin of Secrets" gets the hook

Harriet Klausner on Wikipedia. According to her self-reported online profiles, Harriet grew up in the Bronx and her father was an employee of McGraw-Hill. [2] She reports being a former librarian with a master's degree in library science[2] who is proficient in speed-reading.

Then there's this head-scratcher she shares on Books & Bytes. Ultimately we moved to Georgia where we currently live. There I have worked with the library and found an acquisition job in a bookstore.

The library?   You mean there's just 1 in Georgia.  I guess the lights have gone out for good down there.

A partial cataloging of Markham's misdeeds.

Three Dane County Supervisors Propose a Wheel Tax



'Wheel tax' proposed by three county board members. (Wisconsin State Journal, (11/9/2011)

Excerpt: Three Dane County Board members on Tuesday proposed a $20 annual registration fee on motor vehicles as a way to stop proposed cuts to human services and to beef up the county's reserve fund.

The proposal faces an uphill battle because many board members don't want to add a taxes or fees when so many of their constituents are being hurt by the recession, but proposed cuts to social services for the county's most vulnerable residents are a worse alternative, said Sup. Kyle Richmond, 27th District, a leading proponent of the fee.

"It's less than half the cost of a tank of gas," Richmond said. "We are the fastest-growing county in the state. If we're going to have acceptable quality of life here we have to find a way to fund basic services.
"

Related posts:
Hudson lawmaker puts his finger on Janesville's pulse.  (10/20/2011)
Mayville retains its wheel tax.  (10/13/2011)
Wheel tax proposed in Janesville.  (10/12/2011)

Results of Yesterday's Ohio Library Levy Votes

Three of five library levies win. Westerville, London, Plain City pass; two others look at cuts. (Columbus Dispatch, 11/9/2011)








In Mount Sterling, however, lack of careful proofreading may have tanked its levy campaign.