Author Archives: johntorinus
Ukrainians remind us what Memorial Day means
Thoughts after Memorial Day: An estimated 700,000 American men and women gave the infinite gift of their lives to our democracy in the dozen wars and conflicts since the Revolutionary War. That’s such a big number that is hard to … Read the rest
President Baerwald, Please think collaboratively on community college.
Moraine Park Technical College, University of Wisconsin System, UW and Economic Growth, Washington County, West Bend
Bonnie Baerwald, president of Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC), dropped a surprise bombshell on the developing consensus among leaders in Washington County that a consolidation of the county’s two two-year colleges makes pragmatic sense. Baerwald (pictured left) listed “facts” about … Read the rest
The good life: trails network, wild flowers
It was a good week indeed when out on the trails of Washington County I could claim first sightings of 1. A patch of Trilliums, 2. A small swamp full of Marsh Marigolds, and 3. An early bloom of a … Read the rest
Felzkowski leads on health care pricing
How to keep score on how Wisconsin is doing on health care for its citizens? It’s a tough question. And it’s a preeminent question. It deals with all-important family health and with family prosperity, since health and wealth run together. … Read the rest
Ukraine’s Crunch Time
It’s crunch time in Ukraine’s defense of its sovereign lands from a vicious assault by Russia. If ever there were a case for a united defense of an ally, Ukraine’s valiant fight against the criminal Russian aggressors is it. Russian … Read the rest
Will the latest hospital merger help consumers?
Will patients/consumers of Froedtert Health and ThedaCare be better off after the just announced merger of the two Wisconsin health systems? Will Wisconsin Attorney General Joshua Kaul exercise any of his authorized oversight of the merger for the benefit of … Read the rest
Combine MPTC-WB and UWM-WC
Faced with a severe enrollment decline University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee at Washington County over the last ten years and an uncertain future, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann pulled together a citizen task force five months ago to come up … Read the rest
GOP divided, prosecute Putin in absentia
One of several identity crises in the Republican Party jumped to front page last week when Ron DeSantis (pictured below), the leading challenger to Donald Trump, became a mini-Trump with a soft-on-Putin’s stance on Ukraine. The Republican Party has historically … Read the rest
UWM stiffed (again) in governor’s budget
How can it be that Milwaukee and the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (UWM) are chopped liver in Gov. Ever’s massive building budget for 2023-25? In late February Democratic Gov. Tony Evers rolled out his ambitious budget proposal for $3.8 billion … Read the rest
Check out spotty records in local races
How did we come up with some of these people as candidates for local offices in Washington County? There is a loose knit group of candidates with extreme views that fly under the radar of media attention. They come across … Read the rest
