Monday, August 29, 2022

Cleveland rocks! But then so does Menard's.

 


Photo by Retiring Guy

One of the greatest songs of the 70s.  Sadly, it was never released as a single.


"Cleveland Rocks" Song Facts.

GET ME REWRITE: More evidence that Trump's base is nothing more than a bunch of unschooled, malleable, drooling fascists

 

HeadlineAxios:  8/28/2022
The National Archives and Records Administration has faced a spike in threats and vitriol in the weeks since the FBI's search of former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence. 
Why it matters: The National Archives isn't the only federal agency facing a deluge of threats. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have also seen a surge in threats toward law enforcement after the Mar-a-Lago search. 
What they're saying: “NARA has received messages from the public accusing us of corruption and conspiring against the former President, or congratulating NARA for ‘bringing him down,’” acting archivist Debra Steidel Wall wrote in an email to staff on Wednesday, the Washington Post reported.
Related reading: 

Dollar Store mania at Next Door

 
Gladys Kravitz checks to see if her neighbors have returned from the dollar store.


They must have; there are no cars parked in front of the store.

Photo by Retiring Guy


New York Times, 8/25/2022
Tellingly, both companies said on Thursday that higher-income shoppers were visiting their stores more frequently. The dollar-store business model — to attract consumers in rural areas and neighborhoods with fewer shopping options by offering prices that are lower than at local retailers — is designed to work even when its customers are hurting financially, as many are with inflation running stubbornly high. 
In the past year, the majority of new customers at Dollar Tree had an annual household income of at least $80,000, Mike Witynski, the chain’s chief executive, said on a call with analysts. At its rival Dollar General, there was also growth in higher-income shoppers, which Todd Vasos, its chief executive, described as a push by more consumers to “seek value.” 
Dollar General’s revenue rose 9 percent in the second quarter, versus the same period last year, to $9.4 billion, and its profit grew more than 6 percent. Dollar Tree’s revenue increased nearly 7 percent in the quarter, to $6.8 billion, and its profit jumped 27 percent.

Other dollar store posts here

Trey Gowdy: Man in search of a hairdo

 

Meanwhile....

....Trey is indeed a liar and still in search of a hairdo.




Related post:

Around Town Middleton: "Tactical Urbanism" at the intersection of Elmwood Avenue and Middleton Street

 

Photo by Retiring Guy

Close-up


Tactical
Urbanists Guide defines 'tactical urbanism' as follows:
Tactical Urbanism is all about action. Also known as DIY Urbanism, Planning-by-Doing, Urban Acupuncture, or Urban Prototyping, this approach refers to a city, organizational, and/or citizen-led approach to neighborhood building using short-term, low-cost, and scalable interventions to catalyze long-term change.

Other "Around Town Middleton" posts:
August 2022
"Tactical Urbanism" at the intersection of Elmwood Avenue and Middleton Street.  (8.29/2022)
The G Spot.  (8/11/2022)

July 2022
Turfbot mower.  (7/28)

May2022


January 2022

November 2021


September 2021
February 2021

January 2021

December 2020

November 2020

October 2020

August 2020

December 2019
Roman Candle survives the cut, even without the availability of convenient parking.  (12/12)
The Monona side of town.  (12/6)

November 2019
Bike rack at Sauk Trail Elementary School.  (11/8)
Not everybody's on board in the Meadows neighborhood.  (11/4)
 
October 2019
Matching car and garage door.  (10/11)

September 2019
Around Town Middleton: Bees love ornamental onion plants.   (9/4) 

August 2019
60-year-old resident arrested for armed robbery.  (8/21)
Staff and visitors may now park in the MCPASD Services Center lot .  (8/2)

June 2019
"ROAD WORK AHEAD" trumps "DRIVE LIKE YOUR KIDS LIVE HERE" on Park Street.  (6/27)
Free lunch Friday.  (6/24/2019)
CBD, just like everywhere else in Wisconsin.  (6/24)
 
February 2019
According to chapter 8.07 of the city ordinances....  (2/4)

January 2019
More than a snow fort, but not a standing-room igloo.  (1/2)
 
December 2018
This section of sidewalk was replaced in 1980.  (12/18)
The post office's new and improved self-service kiosk.  (12/18)

November 2018
Spell checker.  (11/19)

August 2018
Must be on a tight schedule.  (8/6/)

July 2018
What type of seeds?  (7/6)

June 2018
If it's not one thing, it's another.  (6/23)
Bloom Bake Shop to reopen as Bloom Bindery, a bakery/bookstore.  (6/15)

May 2018
The Tiedeman Pond frog chorus.  (5/15)

March 2018
Tiedeman Pond winter fish kill.  (3/30)
Hear that lonesome whistle blow.  (3/22)
Explosion on Elmwood Avenue.  (3/20)
Googling 'Henry Hubbard'.  (3/18) 
A not-so-faded Flo strikes a new pose.  (3/12)

February 2018

Sunday, August 28, 2022

Wisconsin 2022 elections: Who's running in the 6th Assembly District?


The GOP gerrymandered 6th Assembly stuffs portions of Shawano, Outagamie, and Oconto counties into its voter grab bag.


And there's already a scandal a'brewin'.   Peter Schmidt, who 'won' the GOP priomary with 23.4% of the vote, is in hot water.

Ballotpedia

Class A misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct, a Class B misdemeanor, after an incident in which a worker on Schmidt's farm was choked in 2019. Schmidt pleaded no contest and was found guilty in 2021. A court sentenced him to two years' probation and ordered him to participate in an anger-management program. 
The incident was first reported this week by WisPolitics.com. 
Asked via a voicemail message to respond to the party's decision to censure him, and the incident behind it, Schmidt responded in a text message that Shawano County residents "know I'm a changed man who's devoted to my Christian faith, farming and working to help others." He said residents know his record as a county board member "who fought to save taxpayers money."

The Democrat in the race has a website but, outside of vague generalities, doesn't tell us anything about himself.







Other "Who's Running" posts:
1st Assembly.  (8/10/2022 update)
2nd Assembly.  (8/24/2022)
3rd Assembly.  (9/26/2022)
4th Assembly.  (6/14/2022)
5th Assembly.  (8/11/2022 update)
13th Assembly.  (8/16/2022)
31st Assembly.  (6/15/2022)
32nd Assembly.  (6/16/2022)
45th Assembly.  (6/18/2022)
46th Assembly.  (8/25/2022)
52nd Assembly.  (6/19/2022)
59th Assembly.  (6/19/2022)
60th Assembly.  (6/21/2022)
61st Assembly  (6/21/2022)
68th Assembly.  (8/11/2022 update)
71st Assembly.  (6/23/2022)
73rd Assembly.  (6/28/2022)
74th Assembly.  (6/29/2022)
79th Assembly.  (7/13/2022)
80th Assembly.  (7/14/2022)
81st Assembly.  (7/15/2022)
84th Assembly.  (7/16/2022)
87th Assembly.  (7/18/2022)
92nd Assembly.  (7/19/2022)
96th Assembly.  (7/25/2022)

5th Senate.  (7/26/2022)
7th Senate.  (7/28/2022)
9th Senate.  (7/30/2022)
19th Senate.  (7/31/2022)
29th Senate.  (8/10/2022 update)

Running unopposed.  (8/23/2022)

GOP gerrymandering spotlight on Wisconsin Assembly District 49


If it walks like a duck.

The population of Grant County is 51,570, not quite enough to stand on its own.

A much improved design for the 49th Assembly District would lop off the duck's head, i.e., the Richland County portion (red bex), and add 7,000 to 8,000 residents by pushing the eastern boundary of the district into Lafayette County. (orange box)


This time around, the duck's mouth is open wider.  Wonder how many hours of discussion this design involved.

Source:
  Ballotpedia

Travis Tranel (R- Cuba City) has represented the district since January 2011.


8/27/2022 update starts here

Madison should have a compact east side Assembly District and not this sprawl that the GOP gerrymandering committee created.


Fun with Exact-O knives.

Source:  Ballotpedia

Samba Baldeh (D-Madison)  has represented the district since Janaury 2021.

8/26/2022 update starts here

We have two communities of interest here:  Monona/McFarland (purple boxes) and Fitchburg (orange box).  The former should be part of a district that covers southeastern Dane County.  The latter should be combined with with city and town of Verona (direction of orange arrow).  Fitchburg doesn't have its own school district, and many of its residents live in the Verona School District.

The two portion of the City of Madison (green and red boxes) should be in a Madison Assembly district.


Dane County accounted for 32% of Wisconsin's population growth from 2010 to 2020.  That's why the 47th district shrank in size.

Source:  Ballotpedia

Jimmy Anderson (D-Fitchburg) has represented the district since January 2017.


8/25/2022 update starts here

What a concept!  Having Sun Prairie and Cottage Grove in the same Assembly district.  Welcome to sanity in the 46th.
 
For whatever reasons, the GOP took a sensible approach to redrawing the 46th during the 2020 redistricting cycle.

Source:
  Ballotpedia

Gary Hebl (D-Sun Prairie) has represented the district since January 2005.  He is not running for re-election.  Dane County Supervisor Melissa Ratcliff (Cottage Grove) won a 4-way Democratic primary with 36.3% of the vote.  In this very blue district, she will certainly be the next elected representative of the 46th.


8/24/2022 update starts here

Suggestions to make this district a community of interest:

1.  Keep the City of Beloit (population 36,800; purple box) in a single district and add the two townships to the east. (purple arrows)

2.  No need to divide the Town of Plymouth (green box).

3.  Eliminate Green County (orange box).  With a population o 37,100, the entire county should be in a single district, combining it with Lafayette County (population 16,670) to the west and perhaps the 3 Grant County townships in the southwestern corner of the state.


During the 2022 redistricting cycle, the Wisconsin GOP made the district even less compact than it was before.

Source:
  Ballotpedia

Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) has represented the district since January 2015.  This fall he is running for an open seat in the 15th State Senate District.


8/23/2022 update starts here

All Janesville.  It's population is 64,415 -- about 5,000 residentes higher than the average Assembly district. 

Janesville remains in its own district.  The zigs and zags reflect show the city has annexed land at its edges.

Source:
  Ballotpedia

Sue Conley (D-Janesville) has represented the district since January 2021.

8/22/2022 update starts here

Another example of Dane County dilution, GOP gerrymandering style.  The area of Rock County surrounding Janesville should be in its own district to preserve a community of interest.
 

Map:
  Wisconsin State Legislature (boxes added)

As a result of this drastic redistricting plan, Don Vruwink (D-Milton) wss left without a district to represent.  He had represented the 43rd District since January 2017.  He is now running in the 33rd.

Source:
  Ballotpedia

8/21/2022 update starts here

Columbia County population:  57,331.   Just about right for being its own State Assembly district.  Add Lake Delton in neighboring Sauk County to the mix if more population is needed.  Lake Delton and Wisconsin Dells are most certainly within a mutual community of interest.

Columbia County is outlined with orange arrows.   The Marquette, Green Lake, and Dodge counties portion of the district are boxed in black, ready for shipment elsewhere.

Map:  Wisconsin State Legislature (boxes added)

The GOP used the same Exact-O knife approach to carving out district lines in the latest redistricting cycle.

Source:
  Ballotpedia

Jon Plumer (R-Lodi) has represented the district since January 2019.


8/20/2022 update starts here

What a mess!

The 41st Assembly District rambles from northeastern Sauk County (green box) to southeastern Waushara County (red box).  

The City of Portage (orange box) is treated like a pimple.

With a total population of 34,600, Marquette and Green Lake counties should be located wholly within the same district.  Add Adams County and you almost have a full deck.

Headline
:  ABC News
Map:  Wisconsin State Legislature (boxes added)

Even worse in this redistricting cycle.

Source:  Ballotpedia

Alex Dallman (R-Green Lake) has represented the district since January 2021.


8/19/2022 update starts here

Two suggestions to eliminate GOP gerrymandering:

1.  Let all of the 24,256 residents of Waushara County be in the same district.

2.  Include the Town of Matteson, the only Waupaca County township not in the district and, if necessary for population purposes, add the towns of Deer Creek, Liberty, Hortonia, and Dale in Outagamie County.

Headline
:  ABC News
Map:  Wisconsin State Legislature (boxes added)

The 2010 gerrymandered remains pretty much in place.

Source:
  Ballotpedia


Kevin Peterson (R-Waupaca) has represented the district since January 2007.

Related posts: