Blog archives
Wisconsin stories in our blog
Oak Creek: We Energies coal ash in Lake Michigan
November 2, 2011
Depending on who you ask, the coal ash released into Lake Michigan from the Oak Creek Power Plant is either very dangerous, or a harmless ingredient.
No WI income tax paid by SC Johnson companies, reports Pulitzer winner
August 31, 2011
No state income tax is paid by Wisconsin’s SC Johnson companies, according to veteran journalist David Cay Johnston.
'Public Enemies' (2009 Johnny Depp movie)
August 8, 2011
A couple strong scenes of gun violence, but a weak story and characters make for a mediocre movie which should have been much better.
Stupid Americans get more dumber
March 22, 2011
A Newsweek story finds that an alarming percentage of Americans cannot answer questions from the Citizenship and Immigration test.
The Packers: Green Bay's socialist success story
February 5, 2011
The Green Bay Packers are community-owned, and very strongly supported by the community of Green Bay.
Blizzard of 2011: Snow storm video (Racine, Wisconsin)
February 3, 2011
A YouTube video summary of the Blizzard of 2011, as we experienced the snowstorm here in Racine, Wisconsin.
Advent calendar repurposed: Wisconsin Lottery's Holiday Countdown
November 28, 2010
The Wisconsin Lottery has themed its new instant ticket to take $15 a pop from gamblers during the holiday season.
Obama a Keynesian? Ron Johnson says 'start digging'
November 3, 2010
Meanwhile, Ron Johnson, soon-to-be senator from Wisconsin, knows how to get out of a deep hole.
Where do I vote? Voting locations by street address
November 1, 2010
Voting day info — where to vote, how to register to vote, polling stations — is all available at Vote411.org.
Leaf collection? Mulch leaves into lawn, garden beds
October 11, 2010
Fall leaf collection in Racine is bizarre. Dead leaves feed the worms, amend and inoculate the soil. Mulch them into the yard — not the pavement!
Hang on, little tomato
July 23, 2010
We had a lot of rain in our backyard tomato garden, and more is on the way. This reminds me of a Pink Martini song.
Old farm machinery: Belle City threshing machine from 1915
July 14, 2010
Kenosha County is where we saw this antique farm machinery — a Racine, Wisconsin threshing machine from 1915.
Barack Obama speech, town hall meeting in Racine, Wis.
July 3, 2010
President Barack Obama visits Racine, Wisconsin for a town hall meeting as midterm election season begins to warm up.
BP Gulf oil spill solution: Wool fabric from Janesville, Wisconsin
June 23, 2010
Janesville, Wisconsin textile manufacturer Monterrey Mills says their dense wool fabric could save 20 miles of Gulf Coast beachfront per day.
Firefox spell-check: In-browser help for Wisconsin's poor spellers
November 11, 2009
Improve the credibility of your comments by using Firefox’s built-in spell-checking whenever you write online.
Heart-shaped potato
September 22, 2009
The heart-shaped potato that dazzled David Letterman and President Obama is not the only one in existence.
Time Warner Cable bill payment still questionable
September 11, 2009
I blogged about a significant flaw in Time Warner Cable’s PayXpress bill payment system. Three months later, nothing seems to have been fixed.
Bird watching: Cedar Waxwing circus at Kenosha's Kemper Center
July 13, 2009
Check out this great little spot for watching these striking birds as they perform summer aerobatics.
4th of July video: Racine's Fourth Fest Parade 2009
July 6, 2009
Ten minutes of video to let the world glimpse this outstanding Racine event.
Pet Lions at Summerfest
July 5, 2009
Pet Lions played forty-five minutes of mostly driving, uptempo rock with some good, popular hooks.
EVP Tour: Pro beach volleyball at Racine's North Beach this Saturday
June 24, 2009
North Beach is an inspiring success story, and the Extreme Volleyball Professionals Tour is its showcase event.
Original Culver's restaurant monument: Sauk City, Wisconsin
June 9, 2009
The original building has been replaced, but a stone monument marks the location of the original Culver’s restaurant.
Amazon.com music: June deals on MP3 downloads
June 1, 2009
Eau Claire, Wisconsin’s own Bon Iver is featured this month as one of Amazon.com’s June ‘50 Albums for $5’ picks.
Free Coldplay, WMYX loses Jane Matenaer, original Twitter, morel mushroom festival
May 15, 2009
Four items spotted this morning on Twitter, including Jane Matenaer’s departure from WMYX.
Pancake Day / Lakefront Artist Fair in Racine
April 28, 2009
This all-you-can-eat event has been kicking off Racine’s warmer season for 55 years now.
Wisconsin has statewide tornado drills today
April 23, 2009
In southeastern Wisconsin, our mock warning runs from 1:20 to 1:25 this afternoon.
Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood: Wandering down Kinnikinnick Ave.
April 20, 2009
Bay View has an old, working class atmosphere, but it’s really being revitalized lately with color and creativity.
Cudahy, Wisconsin yard displays Cadillac, tractor, Hamburglar, Big Boy
April 19, 2009
Rick Serocki says he is trying to make Cudahy fun again.
Mars Cheese Castle moving, Tim & Tom's to close, Bobby Nelson's staying put
April 7, 2009
How construction to widen I-94 will affect three famous Kenosha cheese shops.
Will Wisconsin's Time Warner Cable customers soon see Road Runner caps?
April 6, 2009
In some cites, Time Warner Cable is reportedly going to start charging premiums for Internet bandwidth usage. How does $200 per month sound to you?
'King of Kings' theme: My Easter movie earworm
April 5, 2009
The 1961 film starring Jeffrey Hunter has always been my personal cheesy Jesus movie.
Through today only: Pick 'n Save deal on Eight O'Clock Coffee
April 4, 2009
Our local Pick n’ Save has 36-ounce bags of Eight O’Clock 100% Columbian on sale for just $8.99.
Deli Station: Racine's new Jewish-European delicatessen
March 8, 2009
Delicious, authentic, reasonably priced peppered beef and corned beef sandwiches.
Rachel Maddow ridicules Racine's Rep. Paul Ryan
March 3, 2009
The recession is Rep. Paul Ryan’s chance to become more visible, and he’s taking it.
NPR: Wisconsin car dealer Russ Darrow believes in auto sales, is hiring
February 18, 2009
The company hopes to hire 55 more employees in sales, maintenance and repair and administration by March 1.
How Jerry Taft and TweetDeck found me fresh eggs, dead body
January 25, 2009
During a movie intermission, I try out TweetDeck’s ‘search’ feature and find a dead body and fresh eggs nearby.
Racine, Wisconsin Mayor Gary Becker arrested for child pornography, solicitation (updated)
January 14, 2009
The Racine Post and the Journal Times are both reporting that Mayor Gary Becker has been arrested on child sex charges.
In other news (1/14/2009)
January 14, 2009
Subzero cold kills Hayward, Wisconsin sleepwalker — “You Light Up My Life” songwriter accused of sex assualts
Time Warner Cable to drop Viacom, including Comedy Central?
December 31, 2008
Our cable provider is Time Warner Wisconsin, and we might lose all of our Viacom channels tonight, as the New Year is rung in .
Wisconsin's million-dollar Web designers depict Minneapolis skyline
December 30, 2008
Why is there a picture of the Minneapolis skyline on the Wisconsin Campaign Finance Information System website?
Yes, we got some snow here
December 19, 2008
Documenting the foot of snow that fell here in Racine, Wisconsin overnight and into the day.
Could free TV make a comeback?
December 17, 2008
Our neighbor gets plenty of digital channels — for free — on the same old TVs she has owned for years.
Bring back Indian summer
December 6, 2008
Here in southeastern Wisconsin, December has started off with snow, and more snow is coming.
Early voting in Racine
October 22, 2008
Barack Obama and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. both said early voting was the way to go this time, and so that’s what we did.
Racine's minute in ABC's 'World News' spotlight
October 11, 2008
The Dow drops 679 points and throng of Obama supporters gathers in downtown Racine. ABC World News, here in our city to cover the election, shows none of this.
Apple orchard near Burlington, Wisconsin: Brightonwoods Orchard
September 26, 2008
Brightonwoods Orchard near Burlington, Wisconsin offers a wide variety of unusual heirloom or heritage apples.
Racine-area festivals, 2008
August 3, 2008
Summer 2008 festival roundup: Great Midwest Dragon Boat Festival, Superweek, Racine County Fair, etc.
Summerfest: Lucinda Williams, Drive-By Truckers, Alejandro Esovedo
July 6, 2008
A full day of music, including Drive-By Truckers, Romantica, Alejandro Escovedo, and Lucinda Williams on Milwaukee’s lakefront.
Out with House Sparrows, in with American Goldfinches
May 9, 2008
We had way too many noisy sparrows, so we stopped feeding them and now focus on more desirable birds like the American Goldfinch.
'Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie'
May 6, 2008
If you like food, Gourmet’s ‘Diary of a Foodie’ is an outstanding show — and you can download it to iTunes.
Tapas restaurant in Racine, Wisconsin: 'Olde Madrid'
February 17, 2008
Tapas and paella have come to historic 6th Street at a busy little restaurant serving lunch and dinner.
Gregory Berg's Kenosha tornado photos
January 23, 2008
My former colleague was at Carthage College during the January 7, 2008 tornado, and took a few photos of it.
Fleece jacket by Patagonia is lightweight, warm in winter
January 18, 2008
Review: Men’s fleece jacket from Patagonia is lightweight, warm, available as a women’s fleece jacket, too.
Playing in the dirt
May 30, 2007
A roundup of our spring backyard gardening activities here in Racine, Wisconsin.
Summer festivals and events 2007
May 4, 2007
My own list of parades, festivals, and public events in our area.
The grace of Elizabeth Edwards
March 22, 2007
How friendly could you be to strangers if you just found you had a tumor?
St. Patrick's Day with Irish breakfast, Racine parade, and Irish stew recipe
March 19, 2007
Since it fell on a Saturday this year, we could celebrate all day — from an Irish breakfast to the Racine parade to a homemade Irish stew.
Aloha from Siberia
February 15, 2007
Our Wisconsin winter was making us nearly suicidal, but the music and food of Hawaii and Barack Obama all give us the audacity of hope.
NOAA Weather Radios with SAME technology
February 9, 2007
One of these radios could save your life, or the lives of your loved ones.
Braunschweiger vs. liverwurst: Kemen sausage taste test
January 2, 2007
It’s hard to detect much difference between Kemen Liver Sausage and Kemen Braunschweiger. They’re both delicious.
Hummingbirds in Wisconsin
November 1, 2006
I did some reading, hung a hummingbird feeder, and sure enough — a hummingbird came to our window.
Movie review: 'Step Into Liquid' (2003)
August 11, 2006
This so-so surfing documentary showcases the sport at several unusual locations.
When in Racine
July 6, 2006
Since moving to Racine, we’re beginning to appreciate some of the special things here.
We are gardeners, and it is good
June 2, 2006
We have been reading a few gardening books, and now we’re planting some things in our yard.
Restaurant review: Taqueria Azteca in Milwaukee
April 30, 2006
Overall, while it wasn’t anything amazing, Taqueria Azteca is a restaurant we may return to.
This is for the birds
April 28, 2006
Moving from apartment to house has made it possible for us to attract a much wider variety of birds to our backyard.
Restaurant review: Main Moon 2 in Racine
April 25, 2006
A popular strip mall place serving up typical food court Chinese food.
Honada Sushi & Hibachi
April 10, 2006
Wonderful sushi in Kenosha? Kenosha, Wisconsin, the city of tattoos, taverns and pizza parlors? It doesn’t seem possible, and yet here it is at Honada.
Barney's Memphis Style Ribs
March 28, 2006
These ribs were dry and unspectacular, and the price was rather steep.
Houmann's Fish & Seafood
March 19, 2006
The retail store offers a nice selection at reasonable prices.
Racine Produce
March 4, 2006
This Mexican supermarket offers a huge selection of fresh ingredients at reasonable prices.
SuperWeek: Food Folks & Spokes in Kenosha
July 19, 2005
This daylong festival centered around the International Cycling Classic is the best event Kenosha hosts.
Kenosha's Harbor Marketplace
June 25, 2005
A nice little farmer’s market on Lake Michigan — plus fresh Wisconsin lamb, art, gifts, and entertainment.
Memorial Day weekend up north
May 31, 2005
Travelogue of a Memorial Day road trip to northern Wisconsin.
