Letter to the Editor

Dear editor, A group of your Iowa County neighbors is working quietly and tirelessly to ensure that your vote in every election counts. Just like you, they babysit their grandchildren, take care of an elderly parent, commute to work…but then they carve out time to volunteer to protect your vote. This group, called the Iowa County Fair Maps Team, just wants legislative maps drawn fairly so the true voice of the people can be heard at the polls.  The Fair Maps Team worked hard to prove that voters of Iowa County want fair maps by helping to get the referendum passed in 2020 with over 70 percent overwhelmingly voting for fair maps. But Republican legislators in our statehouse—think foxes guarding the henhouse—continue to have the power to draw the maps merely because they won their seats using the current rigged maps that they drew in 2011. And then they get to continue to draw more rigged maps and continue to win rigged elections, even though a whopping 73 percent of Wisconsin voters want to prohibit redistricting from benefitting one party over another. Fair map supporters want district maps to be drawn by a nonpartisan entity to ensure a fair fight and not the rigged elections we currently have. This is not democracy. How can we continue to let the foxes guard the henhouse? Join us at the Iowa County Courthouse in Dodgeville on Friday, January 21, at 12 noon to learn more and meet your neighbors who just want you to be able to participate in fair elections. Claudia Looze Highland   Dear editor,  Phoenix Dance Company recently held a calendar raffle to support our mission of providing dance competition opportunities, education, and dance enrichment to the River Valley area youth. Daily winners were drawn during the month of December. A complete winners list is located below and on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PhoenixDanceRV/  We want to thank everyone who supported this fundraiser. We are so grateful for our dancers, our families, our instructors and our community. We currently serve 30 plus dancers across multiple genres of dance and they compete four times each year. Without continued support we wouldn’t be able to provide this opportunity. Congratulations to our winners: December 1st $50 -  Lori Mahoney, December 2nd $25 -  Rhonda Baryenbruch, December 3rd $100 -  Peg Ring, December 4th $25 -  Dan and Janet Nachreiner, December 5th $50 -  Linda Post, December 6th $25 - Sarah Campbell, December 7th $25 -  Lisa Wiedenfeld, December 8th $25 -  Mary Lien, December 9th $25 -  Joel Kruse, December 10th $100 -  Vicki Schoonover, December 11th $25 -  Chris Robson, December 12th $25 -  Laurie Lewis, December 13th $25 -  Jess Hisel, December 14th $25 -  Mary Jo Schoonover, December 15th $25 -  Izzy Roth, December 16th $25 -  Travis Killoy, December 17th $100 -  Rita DuVall, December 18th $25 -  Curt Mellem, December 19th $50 -  Tanya Neumaier, December 20th $25 -  Tara Mahoney, December 21st $25 -  Mark Baenen, December 22nd $25 -  Mark Fuchs, December 23rd $25 -  Megan Nachreiner, December 24th $100 -  Mindy Carter, December 25th $100 -  Dana Willey, December 26th $25 -  Richard and Melissa Bandell, December 27th $25 -  Jolene Coy, December 28th $25 -  Ben Knoble, December 29th $25 -  Deric Moser, December 30th $25 -  Shirley McCluskey and December 31st $100 - Tammy O’Donnell. Thank you,  Phoenix Dance Company of River Valley   Dear editor, What better time of year than January for us to bring some special attention and recognition to those dedicated crossing guards in our community? Consider the job they have and the often less-than-ideal elements in which they work.  The winter can be very unforgiving, yet crossing guards faithfully attend their area to better ensure the safe crossing of our school children each day.  In addition our crossing guards play an important role in facilitating a safe route to and from the schools that our children attend.   Please take and extra minute out of your busy schedules to let our crossing guards know how much we appreciate them watching over our children during Crossing Guard Appreciation Week next week, January 17 through 21. Spring Green Police Department