Welcome to KickTime - News of the Kickapoo Valley, WI A Driftless Regional web space for Kickapoo Valley news, events and local commerce (like recycling, ride sharing, eating from local sources, buying and supporting local entrepreneurs.) Visit our Kickapedia site for links to local businesses, farms and services. This is a community wiki (like Wikipedia only smaller) that can be updated by anyone who logs in. The more you join in the better the information and quicker the updates. Don't be shy--if you make a mistake an old version can be restored. Also try the link to the KickTime_Calendar. We try to keep it as complete, up-to-date and accurate as possible. Please forgive any errors and use the contact information provided for events to double check times and dates. KickTime is a community project--you are encouraged to submit material. The first step is to create a login account. After logging in, submit your story and it will be reviewed and pushed to the front page within a day or two. See the FAQ for more details about posting material here. If you are totally flummoxed, email the story to admins[at]kicktime[dot]org. So what do we look for? Events notices are common submissions, but a local view on issues would be a nice change of pace.
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City HallMORE GOOD NEWS: from Wisconsin Democracy CampaignBy Tom Wilson, Section City Hall
In a big win for the public interest, the state Government Accountability Board today voted unanimously to approve new rules supported by the Democracy Campaign requiring full disclosure of election campaigning sponsored by special interest groups and applying existing campaign contribution limits in state law to these so-called "issue ad" campaigns.
Before the vote, a member of the board as well as agency staff mentioned the hundreds of people who contacted the board to urge support for new disclosure rules. Thanks to all who took the time to telephone or e-mail the board. Your voices were heard! (475 words in story) Full Story Election Celebrations...By borges, Section City Hall
A Spontaneous street party broke out just a few minutes after President elect Obama spoke in Chicago. @ 2500 people ended up at Broadway and Pike in the heart of the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. It was still going on when we left at one am."Don't Stop Believing..." they sing. Since when does this happen after an election?
More videos in the full story... (243 words in story) Full Story Election Results from November 4, 2008By borges, Section City Hall
In local races the incumbents have won (some results still not reported in the 32nd.)
State Senate - 32nd District
State Assembly - 96th District Somewhat ironically, a late night check on the Viroqua Health Care Reform referendum indicated that the Yes votes outnumbered the No. No totals were posted on the WKBT website for Viroqua, but the LaX totals were impressive:
La Crosse Co. Health Care Referendum And it looks like the dams will get repaired with the advisory referendum passing. Vernon Co. Dam Repair Referendum
32 precincts of 33 reporting Latest local totals are at the WKBT website UN Day presentation--October 24thBy borges, Section City Hall
Dr. Keith Knutson, Viterbo history professor will speak on "How Can the US Regain its Leadership Role Regarding International Human Rights?"
The PLACE: VITERBO U, Reinhart Center Board Room. The DATE & TIME: Oct. 24, UN DAY at NOON.
"Our American feelings of insecurity following the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001 have had the effect of weakening our commitment to human rights norms as we rejected a prohibition on torture in all situations. In the 20th century the US led in building an international sentiment that at least brought most governments to sign international agreements intended to protect basic human rights. the next Presidential Administration elected to office Nov. 4th,2008 should recommit the US to renewed leadership role. This could begin by signing the US back into the international accords the Bush Administration led us out of."
Concerns about the voteBy borges, Section City Hall
Democracy depends on a legitimate voting process and there are some resources we can use to ensure our registration in Wisconsin is on file and correct. The Voter Public Access website lets you enter your name, city and birth date to access how you are registered. Any mistakes can be taken up with your local clerk before November 4th.
There has also been concern about Attorney General Van Hollen's attempt to purge those who have registered, but have a mismatch with DOT or SSA lists. According to a wrap-up of the issue on UppityWis the Government Accountability Board (GAB) has decided this:
After hearing substantial and undisputed evidence that failed matches were the result of database irregularities and clerical errors, and that no fraud whatsoever has been detected, the GAB voted 5-1 on August 28, 2008 to adopt a rule preserving a voter's basic rights in the event that an attempt to match her registration information against other systems did not succeed. So it seems voters will be given a ballot and allowed to vote if there are perceived problems, and the article suggests that much of the purging of the rolls will happen after the November election and sorted out over time. Good for Wisconsin!
The news from West Virginia is more concerning. Early voters using touch screen machines found their votes being misdirected. Keep your eye on those machines if you use them.
Candidate Forum/Debate--10/14By borges, Section City Hall
Candidate Forum/Debate:
Tuesday, October 14, 2008, 5:30 p.m. at the Western Wisconsin Technical College, 220 S. Main Street, Viroqua. Democratic State Senate candidate, Tara Johnson, will debate Republican incumbent Dan Kapanke, and Democratic State Assembly candidate Dale Klemme will debate Republican Lee Nerison. Encourage your friends and neighbors to attend. The public can submit questions at the door. Meet the candidates informally at 5:30; the forum starts at 6:00.
Sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Vernon Area Business and Professional Women. Absentee Ballot Requests and Voter Caging in WIBy borges, Section City Hall
There is a disturbing_report_out that people are being sent absentee voter requests that divert the form to the wrong clerk. This clearly could mean that the ballot will not be delivered in time for the election. Clerks will need to forward the information to the appropriate place and then that clerk will need to do the process, and in all the run around on the paperwork, the person might get the ballot late.
I was at a group discussion about women/health care and the candidates for president when a fellow from Westby came in and showed one of these mailings to the group. Indeed the request's return envelope was addressed to a place in central Wisconsin, not the appropriate city clerk. Let's let everyone know about this and help those who need an absentee ballot to get one, or help them get to the polls on election day. Financial Crisis and Federal ResponseBy borges, Section City Hall
It seems likely the Feds will settle on a solution to the collapse of the financial institutions in this country before many of us grasp what the problem is, much less can comment on a solution. This all done in our names by a lame duck Treasury Department. But we are riding this 700,000 billion wave into the future and the Sunshine Foundation wants this important legislation open to citizens. They give us access to the details of the Treasury Dept plan and the Dodd plan via PublicMarkup.org
This not only brings the details to your browser, it also allows readers to "markup" the proposals with their comments and views on the situation and proposed solution. More information can only be a good thing when nearly a Trillion dollars is at stake.
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