On Is city's "urban forest" adequate?
Posted on November 1 at 12:59 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
As a member of the Janesville Shade Tree Advisory Committee for the last 11 years I have been proud to be part of a strong group of dedicated people who have given of their time and effort to help maintain the urban forest. We are not funded by the city, but rather we survive on grants and donations. On our own time we plant trees and as they grow we maintain them by pruning and mulching. The purpose of the urban forest street tree inventory was not to make suggestions, but to provide the city with data that could be used in decision-making. The emerald ash borer, the insect mentioned in Frank Schultz's article, has no natural enemies, so it's not going to stop. It will continue to move through the ash population, and eventually will reach Janesville. Whether or not it will totally decimate the ash population is a wait-and-see issue. What we do know is when an ash tree is infected, without dramatic treatment it will die. Even with treatment, it may die. By the time an ash tree shows symptoms, it may already be too late. (The larvae eats the cambium layer under the bark, effectively disrupting the tree's ability to take up nourishment, leading to death.)
Disposal is an issue of great importance. EAB infested wood presents unique challenges when it comes to disposal. It can be split into firewood and used locally, but it must not be moved to other locations for danger of spreading the infection. The proscribed method of disposal is that it be chipped to a certain size and dried so the EAB larvae has nothing to feed on so it can't propagate. This has the potential to be a costly procedure for the homeowner on private property, or for the city on public property.
Our goal is to do everything we can to aid the city of Janesville in maintaining the urban forest.
Our mission statement expresses our goals: The Mission of the Janesville Shade Tree Advisory Committee shall be to promote and enhance the beauty and general welfare of Janesville's urban forest.
Visit the Janesville Shade Tree Advisory Committee's website at www.jstac.org and take a look at who we are, what we do, and how you can help.
Mary Thompson
Sec/Treas JSTAC
Posted on October 28 at 6:27 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
to Sannio - you betcha it'll raise your taxes.
to VernO - you're talking about Rotary Botanical Gardens? None of your tax money supports that complex. The city leases the property to RGB, and everything on it is paid for by donations and grants.
The original ice rink has been a money pit for years. Were there studies done to determine whether or not we could rely on increased numbers at the gate? Don't remember seeing anything like that.
This was "a done deal" long before it was put to a vote. I agree with Unidentified that this issue should have gone to a referendum.
To all who are supporting the project, I think the reason this has become so controversial is not just because it's an elitist sport being pushed by a few people and championed by the city manager. I think the reason there is so much outcry is because Janesville is currently is deep financial trouble. This will only serve to increase the financial problems this community will be facing in coming years. This project seems to have been based on what "could" occur, or "might" occur. There are no guarantees that this project will turn the first dime in profit - EVER.
The city council did an end run around the citizens of this community, and pushed through a pet project that will only benefit SOME Janesville residents. Taxpayers already faced with sharply increasing tax levys are now faced with even more.
A referendum would have been a just and fair way to decide this issue but that wouldn't have served the ends of the council members who pushed this through. The council didn't drop the ball on this - they blatantly ignored the wishes of the community at large and passed a "pet" project backed by the city manager. They didn't serve my interests - and if what I'm reading here is any indication they didn't serve the interests of many Janesville residents who wanted this project axed. Members of the council were elected to serve ALL the people of Janesville - not just those that like hockey, but they put that reality aside and used their power to please a small group of hockey buffs.
This isn't an investment in Janesville's future - it's a flagrant abuse of power.
On Student safety trumped Obama speech
Posted on September 11 at 8:42 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
In response to in_my_opinion, thank you so very much for a beautifully written, well reasoned comment. It's good to know there are Republicans out there that maintain the dignity and the values that the old GOP had in the days when my grandparents were party supporters. I'm a Democrat, but I so very much appreciate your honesty, clear thinking, and reasoned approach to this. Much appreciated.
On Student safety trumped Obama speech
Posted on September 11 at 8:27 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Permission slips to watch the President speak on a public channel in a public address in a public school? Parents "threatening" to withdraw their kids from school for purely political reasons? Get real. Obama's speech was just good old "work hard, stay in school" advice. I pay taxes that educate Janesville kids and like other taxpayers I'm appalled that the superintendent caved to this blatantly political manipulation. This has set an abysmal example for the students in her charge. It shows those kids all you have to do is be nasty enough, scream loud enough, cloak bigotry and intolerance in "the better good" and you can get away with all manner of despicable behavior. Shame on the superintendent but more accurately, shame on the parents who used intimidation tactics to shut down the free exchange of information in a public school.
On Janesville workers take GM buyout
Posted on July 26 at 6:58 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
GM workers have long been pampered with high wages, great benefits and good retirement packages. It's unfortunate that they lost their jobs, but it's not like we all didn't see this coming. GM passed on the EV1 in favor of the Hummer when the opposite decision could have kept the plant alive and the workers employed.
And then there's this - the entire package GM workers have received over their worklife is far beyond the average worker's income and benefits. Many Janesville and Rock County area workers have supported their families on sub-standard wages and benefits for years. When they lose their jobs does anyone stand up and yell "unfair"? Nope.
The GMers may be unemployed now, but they were well paid for a good long time. Time to stop complaining and move on.
On Who pays when parents are behaving badly?
Posted on May 9 at 8:03 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Parents behaving badly is nothing new. We've all see family, friends, neighbors bend over backwards to shield kids from the consequences of their own actions.
It's a sign of the times. Nobody is responsible for anything anymore. It's always somebody else's fault. They didn't do it - or if they did do it they didn't mean to - or if they meant to they couldn't help it.... blah blah blah....
Parents like those at the party are teaching their kids to be liars - to avoid the consequences of the law and their own actions.
I agree - the police should have locked up every one of those parents that refused to let their kids be tested - and every one of the kids but that was 4 years ago. In future the whole shootin' match (kids and adults) should be made to do community service - something appropriate like cleaning goose poop off the sidewalks in the parks.
We are a society of laws and it's our responsibility to teach our kids to live by the laws of the land. That responsibility extends to encompass the entire community. If parents shield their kids at the expense of the community they should be punished. And the kids should be punished. Period. There's nothing complicated going on here. It's actually very simple. You screw up - you pay the price.
Posted on April 23 at 11:59 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Title's a little misleading. Doesn't sound like there's much hope at all.
If GM had given Janesville the EV1 instead of the Hummer there might have been hope for this plant and for GM overall.
We need to accept the reality here. Even in the middle of the worst downturn in the history of American automotive manufacturing GM still doesn't get it. Sure, they've come up with some "green" vehicles, but they're an obvious ploy to bring consumers back into the fold.
GM has long since lost touch with the American consumer. During the Clinton administration California's Air Resources Board (CARB)passed the ZEV amendment in 1990 GM came up with the EV1. GM designed and test marketed (all by lease) this perfect eco-friendly vehicle - an all-electric car that was attractive, traveled at highway speeds with ease and went 80 to 100 miles on a charge. CARB enthusiastically supported the EV1. It is important to note that Dick Cheney, Condaleeza Rice and Andrew Card all served on the boards of oil companies and automobile manufacturers at that time. Soon BIG OIL and BIG CAR brought lawsuits against CARB. CARB caved and as sure as God made little green apple, GM discontinued the EV1.
In point of fact, GM crushed the EV1 in favor of the Hummer. There is no pun at all here - they literally crushed the entire fleet of EV1s except for a few saved for museums so that no energetic entrepreneur could reverse engineer them.
Without a significant shift if their approach to satisfying consumer need and substantive change to the product lines American automobile manufacturers are sunk. Making high-priced muscle car hybrids or huge trucks run on hydrogen cells or ethanol doesn't make them any more affordable or truly "green". We should be able to expect real environmental responsibility from automobile manufacturers - coupled with affordability. The EV1 had it all and GM chose big oil over environmental responsibility.
It's a fact of life. What goes around .....
On Once-neglected dog gets new lease on life after a little tender, loving care
Posted on April 23 at 11:17 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
The staff at Lakeland should be commended for their persistence in getting this little dog the care she needed instead of giving up and having her put down. Dr. Korosec should be commended for donating his services to return her to health. It's nice to see this kind of story in the Gazette. The way we treat animals is a reflection of our worth as people. This kind of story isn't just about the animals - it's about people. The people who saved her deserve our respect for their refusal to accept death as the only option.
On Deputies, officers kept their cool during chase
Posted on April 23 at 10:58 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Makes me sleep better at night knowing we have this wonderful group of police officers at our back. Good job, officers.
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On Random gunfire strikes two Janesville homes
Posted on November 11 at 6:23 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Seems everyone here has gotten sidetracked from the reality of this situation. This situation had nothing to do with drunk driving. There were no cars. Reckless use of a firearm WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS cannot be compared to drunk driving. It's a red herring that has you all snapping at one another for no good reason.
There is plenty of reason to be upset here. As a resident of Janesville I'm appalled that anyone would try to justify their behavior.
Two men, one whom someone here asserts has a mental issue, took THREE handguns, loaded them and shot 47 times live rounds across the river from a second story apartment, striking two HOMES and a storage shed. Had any one of those bullets taken a different trajectory a person could be dead.
Don't you get it?
This isn't about whether anyone was killed or not. It isn't about whether this incident is worse than drunk driving or not.
It's about absolutely unacceptable behavior by two grown men who should have known better. There should be red hot outrage at their behavior. Instead we've got the drunk driving comparison conversation, the "you don't know him, he's really a nice guy" conversation, the "why don't you shut up, I don't like your opinion" conversation when in reality there should be only one conversation.
Could they have killed someone?
Absolutely. Only God knows why they didn't.
Should they be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law? You betcha.
Are they still in jail where they can't do any more harm? They damn well better be.
I absolutely do not care how nice either of them are - or were.
Don't care what personal problems they have or had.
Don't care if they had military backgrounds or not.
Don't care if they're sad, mentally ill, unhappy, unemployed or rich, sane, working regularly and happy.
Only care about how narrowly the City of Janesville dodged this bullet - literally.
They hit TWO HOUSES for crying out loud. How much worse does it have to get before it sinks in? These guys put the lives of every single human being within range of those pistols in danger. There is absolutely NO excuse for what they did. NONE.
Come on people. Focus...