ONALASKA, Wis. All three mayoral candidates in the Feb. 19 primary have extensive experience in different areas of city government.Mike Giese knows Onalaska as a newspaperman and a six-year member of the city council.
Calvin King knows Onalaska as a 14-year city employee and building inspector during a time of strong growth.And Bob Muth knows Onalaska from 30 years on its police force and less than a year on the city council.They're vying to replace Mayor Jim Bialecki, who's retiring in April after eight years leading this city of 16,425. The top two vote-getters will face off April 1 for the $50,000-a-year job as the city's chief executive.Giese said he strongly believes in good government, which he defines as one that "serves its citizens well at a high level and at a low tax rate."A self-described fiscal hawk, Giese said it's important that city development contribute to the economic well-being of its residents, neighboring municipalities and county.Muth wants to bring his sense of humor, knowledge of the law and experience of listening to all sides of a situation before making decisions to the mayor's office.

Ticket to ride: We may be knee-deep in snow (and cold) but that doesn ...

Tom Kunicki's goal for himself this year is to bike as much as he can and to drive as little as possible.

Raining all over the WASL

Steve Smith reports three subscription cancellations over Doug Clark's send-up of "My Way" a la Mayor West. Other feedback, particularly from those who listened to the audio version, has been more positive. Does Doug the singer get more latitude than Doug the writer?

A more serious note on the same subject - how do we provide people with information on how to sign the recall petitions without appearing to be promoting the recall itself? We can't get involved in a political campaign, but we also have an obligation to assist citizens with their civic duties. The recall effort differs from other initiative campaigns because it is a grassroots effort exclusive to our city (for instance, we regularly publish contact/location information for the group seeking to disincorporate Spokane Valley).

Police chief explains Children's Theatre probe

If so much money was involved, why did the City never ask for an audit rather than implying the staff was at fault? The City management is to blame if there were accounting questions and never an order to audit the theatre accounts. Also, how does this relate to the equipment the staff reported missing after one or two break ins? Do the police think the Friends stole the equipment???? what is going on??
Posted by Friend, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Feb 8, 2008 at 3:23 pm .

The Di Blasi trike: A different kind of green tech hybrid

Last year about this time, I brought my neglected 15-year-old GT mountain bike down to a local repair shop for some much-needed TLC. After spurning all sales pitches to invest in a new one, I then dropped nearly as much moolah to get my faithful ride street-legal. And there it sits, tires going flat in the garage. Chalk it up to the hills in my New Jersey town, which are a little bit too intense for my desk-job thighs. New Year's Resolution #1 …

So, what to do for quick trips into town? Oh, for the old moped I used to share with my brothers in high school. Actually, scratch that. I don't even want to know how fuel-inefficient it was. Today, there are so many more interesting options available to folks like me who are trying to avoid taking the car out except when necessary for longer treks.

Making it in the global arena

If a buyer needs something that a seller has, I would see very, very few impediments that would prevent them from consummating the transaction." A big world seems small SupplyCore's decision to go global put it on Inc. magazine's list of the 500 fastest-growing companies in the U.S. Not just once, but five years in a row. The Rockford company handles supply-chain management for U.S. military bases in Japan, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and Europe. It has its own facilities in Japan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. "The world is not that big a place," Hahn said. "Our largest customer is the U.S. government, and they do cover the globe. We still have a military presence in Cypress. We're all over." U.S. personnel living and serving abroad have a built-in demand for American products, such as power tools, building materials and equipment parts, Hahn said.