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Rent on the rise for prime Rock County farmland |
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Written by RIck West/Janesville Messenger
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Thursday, 22 March 2012 00:00 |
JANESVILLE — Farming is big business in Wisconsin, and when it comes to crop farming, that business can be very volatile. With higher prices for corn and soybeans, crop farmers are seeking more land to rent to raise their corn and soybeans.
“But there’s only so much land to go around, so we’ve developed some bidding wars in some places for prime farmland,” said Peg Reedy, agribusiness agent with the University of Wisconsin-Extension in Walworth County.
(Read this story and more from the March 11, 2012 Janesville Messenger HERE.)
That’s due in part to an increase in the value of farmland. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s statistics service, the value of farmland in Wisconsin rose 6.7 percent in 2011, with the south central and southeastern districts seeing the largest increases.
“Owners looking at these increased land values and increased commodity prices are thinking they can — and in a lot of cases, probably should — raise their rent,” Reedy said. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 22 March 2012 13:14 |
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Little Free Libraries bring Janesville neighbors together |
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Written by Carol Paur for the Messenger
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Tuesday, 20 March 2012 15:51 |
 Patrice Groessel helps her 16-month-old granddaughter, Lauren Groessel, choose a book from the Little Free Library box located in her Briar Crest neighborhood on Janesville’s far northeast side. Rick West/staff
JANESVILLE — Libraries have a reputation to maintain: silence, shelves of books and pert librarians, with glasses fixed on the edges of their noses.
But a new library of sorts is moving into neighborhoods, front yards, parks or even the local market. The Little Free Library is the new kid on the block, and it’s taking books off the traditional shelves and moving them into the great outdoors.
(Read this story and more for the March 11, 2012 Janesville Messenger HERE.)
The idea of a Little Free Library is to “take a book, leave a book,” said Richard Brooks of Madison. Brooks co-founded the LFL movement with Todd Bols of Hudson in 2009. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 22 March 2012 13:10 |
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Voters mull upcoming Beloit school referendum |
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Written by Dennis Hines/Stateline News
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Thursday, 15 March 2012 15:40 |
Parents listen to a presentation about the $70 million Beloit school referendum during a meeting March 8 at Converse Elementary School. Dan Plutchak/staff.
BELOIT — Officials from the School District of Beloit feel now is the time to act on a major renovation and reconfiguration in the district.
Others in the community aren’t so sure.
The $70 million referendum on the April 3 ballot would fund renovations and added space at Converse, Gaston, Hackett, Cunningham, Merrill, Robinson and Todd elementary schools, as well as Beloit Memorial High School.
(Analysis: Sorting through the pros and cons) (Read this and more stories from the March 18, 2012 Stateline New HERE.)
“We’re trying to hit the facility needs we have for the majority of the buildings in the district,” said Superintendent Steve McNeal. “In the referendum, we will be able to address all the specific maintenance needs like the roofing, heating and air conditioning and windows at each of our primary buildings, which are pre-K through third grade.” |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 22 March 2012 13:13 |
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Illinois primary preview: Winnebago County Board |
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Written by Dan Plutchak
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Thursday, 15 March 2012 15:04 |
WINNEBAGO COUNTY — The Winnebago County Board will have a new, slimmer look following the Nov. 6 general election. The board voted in 2011 to switch to 20 single-member districts from the 14 districts with two members.
The move will reduce the total number of supervisors by eight.
The makeover begins March 20 with the primary vote. Although the spotlight will be on the Republican presidential primary that also takes place that day, three area county board Republican races in the Stateline News readership area, along with the county board chairmanship, will be up for a vote.
Here are profiles of candidates that responded to requests for information from the Stateline News: |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 15 March 2012 15:07 |
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More than food talk: A night with out Anthony Bourdain |
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Written by Pamela Mohan
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Wednesday, 14 March 2012 14:44 |
 By Pamela MohanWhen you go to Grandma’s house, you eat what Grandma puts in front of you, whether you like it or not. That is Anthony Bourdain’s answer when asked why he sometimes has to choke it down and show gratitude regardless of what he is served. Not easy to do when eating fermented shark or, say, warthog rectum. “Steer clear of that,” Bourdain says.
“It’s all about respect,” Bourdain recently told a sold-out crowd of 3,000 guests who attended an event featuring him and award-winning chef Eric Ripert at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. And this guest had a front-row seat — literally front row.
I took my seat, looked around the ornate historic theater and was pretty sure I was not in Delavan anymore. I left that charming Midwestern town 15 years ago. But I still have to pinch myself whenever I realize I can walk out my front door and be at a major entertainment venue within a matter of minutes. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 March 2012 14:54 |
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Clinton's season comes to an end with loss to familiar foe |
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Written by Dan Plutchak
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Thursday, 08 March 2012 21:19 |
Clinton's Chandler Stevenson, No. 3 and Jalen McMartin guard East Troy's Nate Dodge March 8, 2012 during a 71-56 Clinton loss in the WIAA Division 3 sectional semifinal. Dan Plutchak/staff.
JANESVILLE -- After suffering their only loss of the season to East Troy, the Clinton boys basketball team hoped to even the score in their WIAA Division 3 sectional semifinal.
Instead, the result was the same as Clinton lost to the Trojans 71-56.
Sixth-ranked Clinton (23-1) rushed to an early lead on the neutral Janesville Craig High School court, but the second ranked Trojans (22-2) settled down to end with a comfortable winning margin.
While the Cougars go home after a sectional semi-final loss for the second year in a row, East Troy advances to the sectional final at 1 p.m. Saturday in Milton against Wisconsin Dells or Lodi for a trip to the state tournament. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 08 March 2012 21:56 |
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