Remembering George, a prolific traveler

This article was originally published in the May 1 edition of the Barron News-Shield. By Ryan Urban Last week I came across news of a bicyclist being struck and killed by avehicle in Fairfield County, South Carolina, on Monday, April 22.The victim was a legendary travel cyclist, George Christensen, 73, ofCountryside, Illinois.Since 2001, Christensen has

Should Wisconsin follow Minnesota in getting a new flag?

Minnesota has chosen new state flag. A state commission recently adopted a new official seal, which prominently features a loon, to replace the old seal.  The old seal, which is on the current Minnesota state flag, has become outdated—to say the least—in recent years. The depiction of white settlers plowing land and a Native American

The Nineties lives on

Last week Kodak—the camera company, in case you forgot—announced it washiring 35mm film developers because, “it could not keep up with demand.”Kodak said it had hired 300 people in 18 months and was looking to hire more. This news, which would seem to be ripped from the pages of a pre-1995newspaper, is just the latest in

Newspaper insults, circa 1880

This article originally appeared in the Sept. 14, 2022, issue of the Barron News-Shield. This month marks the 148th year of journalism in Barron County. The BarronCounty Chronotype was first published Sept. 2, 1874 in Barron. Oct. 6, 1876marked Vol. 1, Issue 1 of the Barron County Shield. Since then, these publications have harbored some degree

To be discontinued

One constant in life is minor inconveniences.  I’m referring specifically to the “they don’t make them anymore” variety.  The proverbial supply chain disruptions of the last couple years seems to be exacerbating this old adage.  When I had to replace the handle on our screen door, I learned that the handles made nowadays are smaller

Upstream thinking for downstream success

At the Barron City Council meeting last month, a large chunk of the meeting was dedicated to brainstorming long-term projects and priorities for the city.  This is a common practice—and a good one—for a city council. In Rice Lake, the city council has an annual “goals meeting,” which is typically one of its longest of

Wedge Issue: Should one cheese stand above the rest?

One of the most closely contested pieces of legislation this session may prove to be Wisconsin Senate Bill 371.  The bill has nothing to do with voting rights, criminal justice reform or vaccine mandates, but rather the official state cheese.  Colby should be Wisconsin’s state cheese according to legislation authored by Republicans Rep. Donna Rozar,

The rest of the story

Looking back at the columns I’ve written over the past year, I’ve realized thatmany stories didn’t end when the column was published.Post-publishing, the plot lines took some turns—some good, some bad, somemundane and some were kind of exciting.In January I mused about Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—it’s appeal and how itshould be part of Wisconsin. It is

Skip the supply chain, shop local

Twas a cold winter’s night—blizzarding, in fact, on Christmas Eve 2020. I looked out the living room window and saw red taillights near the road.  “Oh no,” I thought. “Someone’s gone in the ditch.” I quickly put on my boots and winter coat. But by the time I was out the door, the red taillights

Another side of Illinois

A lot of people like to rag on Illinois, myself included.  But in recent years I learned that if I deride Illinois in the presence of my wife, Anna, she will stick up for the state. She told me southern Illinois is really interesting and pretty and insisted we take a trip there. I put