Over a week ago, news broke about a potential dog park being planned in Shawano near the Shawano County Humane Society. As a dog owner, I should have found that to be wonderful news. I didn’t, because I’ve seen other efforts to establish a dog park in the area fizzle out for one reason or…

It’s a new year with a new governor, and Tony Evers laid out his agenda for Wisconsin in his State of the State address Tuesday night. It was an interesting speech, albeit incomplete. Evers noted that we were once a state known for innovative technology, but now our ability to even generate start-ups and small…

There’s really no love lost between U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Donald Trump, especially as the federal government shutdown approaches a full month. However, I couldn’t help but chuckle when I read that Pelosi was recommending Trump delay his State of the Union address due to the continuing shutdown. It’s a sure sign…

It’s easy for all of us to gripe about our jobs from time to time, but on the bright side, most of our jobs aren’t put immediately on hold as a result of political bickering. The Great Wall of ‘Murica, a figurative wall that has been the subject of nervous whispers and occasional fist-pounding for…

You can say one thing about Wisconsin — folks take the second item in “Eat, drink and be merry” very seriously. Have a beer or three. Enjoy some wine. Tequila? Sure thing. However, many of those who imbibe in alcohol decide that it doesn’t have the same intoxicating effects on them that it would everyone…

It’s supposed to be a time of goodwill and cheer, but it seems like the folks who need to rattle a saber 24-7 are finding reasons to act like Ebenezer Scrooge and ruin everyone’s holiday season with wave after wave of bitter political correctness. Holiday classics are threatened with extinction. Time-honored phrases are seen as…

I sometimes have to wonder if writers realize the awesome power they possess. When wielded correctly, it can be an amazing force that influences people. When wielded in a reckless and bullying fashion, it makes you look like an idiot. This is magnified even more when writers come together as a group to condemn another….

On Sunday, we pay tribute to our veterans, the people who chose to put their lives on hold to fight for our freedom. They are the ones who went toward the battle as others fled. They are the ones who knew there was the risk they could die in battle, but they moved forward anyway….

In more than 20 years of reporting the news and even more years of reading it, I’ve seen my fair share of weird and disgusting stories. However, I’ve never uncovered a story about teenagers taking human ashes and using them as the secret ingredient for cookies—until now. This is probably not the sort of thing…

Oct. 7-13 is National Newspapers Week, and an encounter this week reminded me of why it’s more important than ever to let people know the role that journalists play in making sure their communities are aware and educated about what’s going around them. I was working on a story, and as part of that work,…

When the creators of the United States Constitution crafted the First Amendment that includes, among other things, freedom of speech, who knew that the debate on that freedom would extend to books? I’m not just talking about the blistering critique of the Trump administration in journalist Bob Woodward’s new book “Fear.” I’m talking about the…

I realize that sometimes we need a break from reality. With all the strife in the world making headline news 24 hours a day, not to mention President Donald Trump’s every tweet becoming a major event, we sometimes need to ponder something else. I think we might be taking things a little too far, though,…