Category Archives: West Bend

50 years of projects transform downtown

Let no one say that leaders in West Bend aren’t bold and forward looking. The complete rebuild of Main Street, its sidewalks and the Riverwalk are the latest projects in a long series of projects that have put downtown West … Read the rest

The District reshapes West Bend skyline, history

All of a sudden, West Bend has a very visible skyline. Except for church steeples, the Old Courthouse, and the long-gone grain elevator, there have not been many structures with more than three stories. Now, we have “The District,” a … Read the rest

After 30 years, “City of Sculptures.”

Back when West Bend Friends of Sculpture (WBFS) started three decades ago, its goal was to add one, maybe two, pieces of three-dimensional art each year in our community. The concept of the group was to create a non-profit corporation … Read the rest

President Baerwald, Please think collaboratively on community college.

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

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

School election rhetoric: supportive vs. disrespectful

My first cut in a recent column on the defining differences between the three extreme critics running for the West Bend School District school board and the three centrists also running for the three open seats was that the former … Read the rest

School critics aim for West Bend majority

Note to voters/taxpayers in the West Bend School District: the pending election for three seats on the school board April 4 will be of epic proportions for its impact on the school district for the next three years. Three extreme … Read the rest

Two local audits defy election conspiracies

You could imagine the clothes falling off emperor Donald Trump and his loyal courtesans as the results came in from two audits of the Nov. 8 elections in Washington County. A county-executed hand count of the 74,525 ballots revealed only … Read the rest

Historic West Bend lights up, builds chops

The momentum is building for making downtown West Bend a very special place where people go for good memories and good times. The Christmas tree lighting Thursday at Old Settlers Park in the heart of downtown drew more than 1000 … Read the rest