Around Town
WATERCOLOR PAINTING: Watercolor artist Carolyn Rosenberger will instruct students on painting a winter scene on Tuesday, Feb. 10, starting at noon at Lessons from the Art. Cost is $25, and all materials are included. To register, email Carolyn at carolynrosenberger@gmail.com.
HELVETIA TOWN CLERK: Doug Hines has served the township for over 30 years as clerk. He announced he will step down after the April town meeting. The board will appoint a new clerk to fill out his two-year term. Thank you, Doug, for your decades of service!
SAVE THE DATE: Scandinavia Vikings 9-Pin Bowling Tournament will be held on Saturday, Feb. 28, starting at noon at Silver Lake Lanes. There will be five-person teams; each team’s fee is $100. It will be 9-pin bowling. To register, contact Jeremy Moe at 715-697-0090.
Around the County
NEW COUNTY JUDGE: Gov. Tony Evers has appointed Diane Meulemans as Waupaca County’s new circuit court judge, following Judge Raymond Huber’s death in December. Meulemans, county corporation counsel for 12 years, will serve until July 31, 2027. She must win the election to remain on the bench after her term ends. She was Corporation Counsel for Waupaca County for the last 12 years, and a child support agency administrator. Read the WBAY story here.
Around the State
TEACHER RETENTION: State legislators have proposed bills to boost teacher retention, including paid prep time, longevity bonuses, a $60,924 minimum salary, compensation for non-classroom duties, a teacher representative on school boards, and dedicated hourly wages for student teachers. If passed, these measures could soon change teachers’ roles statewide. Read the WKOW story here. The Badger Institute did a study on the subject. You can read it here.
Interesting Facts
While browsing the internet, some interesting facts emerge that are worth sharing. These are a few recently seen.
PRESIDENTIAL PET NAMED SATAN: Various Presidents have had their pets in the White House. But one had a dog named Satan. John Adams also had another named Juno. Some sources postulate he had a third named Mark. George Washington had a dog named Drunkard.
LETTERS STARTING WITH “DEAR”: Where did “Dear” come from? What does it mean? “Dear” was used, starting around the 14th century, as a salutation for only the most intimate letters. Around the 17th century, the term became the standard opening for most polite communication and a way to start any letter as a show of respect.
WHO WAS SADIE HAWKINS?: She wasn’t a real person, rather a comic-strip creation dreamed up in the late 1930s by cartoonist Al Capp. Sadie Hawkins first appeared in Li’l Abner on November 15, 1937. Sadie had reached the age of 35 without a husband. To solve the problem, her father, Hekzebiah Hawkins, invented Sadie Hawkins Day, a new local holiday with a peculiar edict. All eligible bachelors were required to run through Dogpatch while Sadie — who was an excellent runner — chased them. According to the rules, any man Sadie managed to catch before sundown was obligated to marry her.
HOW LONG IS A ‘JIFFY’?: To physicists, a jiffy is how long it takes for light to travel one femtometer (a millionth of a millionth of a millimeter). In electrical contexts, one jiffy equals17 milliseconds. In computer science, “jiffy” is a variable term, equaling anywhere from one to 10 milliseconds.
Because
PESTICIDE LIABILITY SHIELD: If the Supreme Court hands pesticide makers this sweeping liability shield, it would crush American farmers, cement corporate control of the food system, and leave Americans poisoned by pesticides with no legal recourse. Read the Farm Action story here.
FARM BILL PRIORITIES: This year, many of the biggest funding decisions were made through other legislation. But the farm bill still matters: It will focus less on new spending and more on the rules that determine who benefits and who gets left out. It’s an opportunity to ensure farm policy serves the public, not special interests, and to support independent farmers, healthy food, and U.S. food security. Read Farm Action’s even policy priorities here.
