By Kelly Lecker A horrific scene played out in February in an apartment complex in Middleton, a Madison suburb. A woman and her two young children had died. The tight-knit community mourned for this family as its members asked: How could this happen? Kelly Lecker...
Letter to the editor: We give praise and thanksgiving to the memory of Karen Parker
By Gary and Phyllis Winkler | Ontario It is with a heavy heart that we learn of the loss of our dedicated community publisher, Karen Parker. We first started reading her BackTalk years ago when we were only weekend campers here, enjoying them so much that we would...
Letter to the editor: State policies run against monitoring water quality
By J. Farrar | rural Ontario In 1974, the Environmental Protection Agency first began monitoring the quality and quantity of Wisconsin waters. Over the past 50 years, the contamination level has been going up while the groundwater level has been going down. Most...
Letter to the editor: Are you better off?
By Dani Sulik | Kendall Republican candidates are asking, “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” Well, I haven’t had to go on a scavenger hunt for toilet paper. We have effective protocols for Covid. We didn’t experience the projected recession. We’ve...
Letter to the editor: Trump: Man or Beast?
By Kay Ziegahn | Richland Center What would our world be like if it was ready for a heavenly existence? I believe all humanity would be living in peace and equality, without the fear, hate, hunger and wars that plague so many now. Then that would actually be...
Letter to the editor: Political parties and other things
By MIKE ERICKSON | Elroy To start this rant or whatever you want to call it, I will tell you outright that political parties are dangerous to our liberty and money. During my 81 years of life so far, I have seen what these parties do; mostly they are all self...
Letter to the editor: Reproductive rights
By MICHAEL T. GJEFLE | Ontario That sounds good, doesn’t it? In our current world, that pertains to a woman’s right to kill the baby in her womb. My wife and I have been blessed with eight wonderful children; we have been even more blessed with lots of...
Letter to the editor: Is Big Brother already listening?
By DANI SULIK | Kendall When George Orwell’s novel 1984 was published in 1949, it was seen as a fictional cautionary tale about a dystopian future. Among other things, 1984 is about authoritarianism and the manipulation of facts and truth to completely control...
Letter to the editor: Vote no on constitutional amendments
By JOAN KENT | La Farge Some things are not what they appear. Like the two constitutional amendments on Wisconsin’s April 2 election ballot. They sound fine: to not allow private donations and grants in conducting any election, and to allow only election officials...
Letter to the editor: Oath/pledge
By LEE D. VAN LANDUYT | Hillsboro An oath is a solemn promise regarding one’s future action or behavior. Our Pledge of Allegiance commits us to our country and Constitution that unites and protects us. All military recruits pledged “The Oath of Enlistment”: “I, _____,...
