By KAREN PARKER | County Line Editor Younger readers may find this astounding, but when we moved to the Kickapoo Valley in 1976, phone service was a tad strange: Our only option was a three-party line. That never proved to be a problem, as one of the parties was a...
Kendall woman has century of experiences
It’s rather nifty to launch a new year with a birthday. But how about your 100th? Few of us will reach that milestone, but if you look on page 1 of this issue of the County Line, you’ll find that Leila Friske of Kendall will do just that later in the...
Have prevailing attitudes toward guns shifted over the generations?
By KAREN PARKER | County Line Editor Holidays, it seems, are always a time to think about those who are no longer with us. This year, perhaps in light of the Newtown, Conn., shootings, I have been thinking about my dad and guns. As a recall, we had a few firearms...
Should news be free?
By KAREN PARKER | County Line Editor Stealing news from a competitor is nothing new. Decades ago, I would grind my teeth while listening to my stories read on the radio. I swear that sometimes you could hear the pages turning. I finally cured the aggravation by not...
Samuelson’s autobiography contains good storytelling
By KAREN PARKER | County Line Editor The “voice of agriculture” is speaking through the written word these days: Famed broadcaster Orion Samuelson recently released an autobiography entitled “You Can’t Dream Big Enough.” Samuelson, an Ontario native, notes in the...
After decades of frugality, Woods spent final years as philanthropist
By KAREN PARKER | County Line Editor Most likely any Ontario resident older than 30 has a Leo Woods story. Here are two of mine. More than 25 years ago, when the Ontario post office was an old frame structure on the corner of Main and Division streets, I pulled up to...
If we can’t fix the military, could we rescue the Twinkie?
By KAREN PARKER | County Line Editor Zounds, what a week for news. On one hand, we have the threatened demise of the Twinkie, and on the other, a four-star general with the raging hormones of a teenage boy. There's nothing like a threat to our sweet tooth and a juicy...
Rifle of yesteryear was made for children
By KAREN PARKER | County Line Editor OK, parents, you know the routine: Wake the kids for school, and make sure they have their homework, lunch money and fresh ammunition for their rifles. Oops, sorry, wrong century. Scratch the ammunition. Oh, the amazing trivia one...
People like Zirk, Schroeder promote survival of small towns
By KAREN PARKER | County Line Editor Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes “booster” as “an enthusiastic supporter,” among other definitions. To our dismay, Kendall lost two of its enthusiastic supporters with the deaths of Carl Schroeder on Sunday and Shirley Zirk the...
ATC may discover Kickapoo Valley is rife with obstacles
By KAREN PARKER | County Line Editor American Transmission Company, the Pewaukee, Wis.-based company proposing to build a high-voltage transmission line, brought its traveling road show to Cashton last Wednesday. Once again, the Cashton Community Hall was gaily...
