By KAREN PARKER County Line Publisher Emerita I would imagine if Eric Hovde has secured any demographic in his campaign for Wisconsin Senate, it would be lonely ladies over 40 swooning over his rugged, Marlboro-man-lookalike appearance. You may have noticed that a...
A vibrant press is essential to democracy
By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher Emerita Sadly, there was no obituary in the paper for the Vernon Focus. You likely did not know Vernon, but in his past life, you might have known him as Foxxy Shopper. In my salad days, the Foxxy Shopper was the 800-pound...
America’s bent toward fascism
Imagine living in a country where the simple act of gathering together to lay flowers after the death of a … Read the rest
In 2024, remember that politics were ugly 100 years ago, too
Good grief! We are barely into the new year, and I am ready to go back to 2023 or leap … Read the rest
Looking back on our 40th year, 1983–2023 (part two)
By KAREN PARKER County Line Publisher Emerita Forty years is a long time. Sadly, it’s long enough for most of our area business to have gone away. It’s hard to believe now, but in 1983 Ontario had two bars, two grocery stores, three gas stations, a variety store, and...
Looking back on our 40th year, 1983–2023
By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher Emerita Certainly one of the things that has changed a lot over 40 years is deer season. On the plus side, I no longer have to sit in a bar all day, waiting for a deer to photograph that was shot by a local hunter. Alas, when...
Private insurers insert profit-over-patient mentality into Medicare
By KAREN PARKER | County Line Publisher Emerita I met Dave Zweifel many years ago, at a Wisconsin Newspaper Association Convention. He had just stepped down as publisher of The Capital Times. We bonded immediately. We were both Swiss and from Green County, he from New...
Does the Parents’ Rights Act ensure any new rights?
By KAREN PARKER County Line Publisher Emerita It has been a curious sight last week watching the House of Representatives boot out its speaker for the first time in American history. It was reminiscent of when the kids were ordered to clean their rooms, and then spent...
Medicare Advantage reflects power insurance companies have over Congress
By KAREN PARKER County Line Publisher Emerita If you ever had any doubt about the power insurance companies have over Congress, look no further than the Medicare Advantage plan. Yes, here we are again, open-enrollment period. It’s worse than election years. We will...
Celebrating Wildcat’s 75th: The Lord brothers are two intriguing figures from Ontario’s history
Of all the colorful and eccentric characters in local history few are as intriguing as two brothers, Ed and Charles … Read the rest
