Bill Barth

I fell in love with this city of many challenges and its cast of characters determined to rebuild something big and beautiful from the ashes of the past.

Election and democracy sentiments come to mind as controversy and conflict roll on in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s convincing victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.

Let’s step back a few years, to trace the beginning of high stakes school test-taking in America.

The Ho-Chunk people are investing more than $400 million in a Beloit entertainment complex just north of the state line that will include a large casino, a premier conference center and the tallest building in Rock County — an 18-story hotel.

Autumn brings crisp cool air and a burst of color as Mother Nature stages her big annual show. It also brings the farm harvest season, which is the topic for today.

With Labor Day in the rearview mirror, the sprint is on for the presidential campaign finish line. So I write about a topic that is passionate for me, one I’ve opined on several times over the years. Abolish the Electoral College.

The next sentence even shocks me. I rode my first two-wheeler 61 years ago.

It was a French-made robin’s egg blue moped, branded a “Mobylette,” and sold in America through the Montgomery Ward stores.

Most of the time these columns stick pretty close to home, on topics about the people and places around the region and state.

It’s been about 40 years since a couple of friends dragged me to Beloit’s Krueger Haskell Municipal Golf Course for the silly purpose of whacking a stupid ball and then chasing it.

I joined millions in watching televised coverage of D-Day’s 80th anniversary ceremonies last week. And I wept. Who didn’t?