MADELINE ISLAND

NEWS AND INFORMATION

LOCAL NEWS AND OPINION FOR THE PEOPLE OF MADELINE ISLAND

ESTABLISHED JANUARY 2008

For Anyone Who Still Cares: 

We have now officially disbanded for reasons that are our own.  Much of the information that we originally presented can now be found on the Town of La Pointe's official website:  www.townoflapointewi.gov . It is not perfect, but it is a good start.  Support your elected officials by giving them feedback.  Not only when they are making mistakes, but also when they are doing a good job.  This last year we saw the Town of La Pointe approve a budget that did not seek a raise in property taxes.  If you haven't done so, take the time to call these elected officials and let them know what you think. 

Or better yet, send them an email!   We are well into the 21st century and it is time to embraces the electronic age, not resist it, which seems to be the Town of La Pointe's current plan.  Putting together a website for them was a big deal!  However, don't let them slide.  Let them know when something needs updating or you think that something should be added!

There is a growing trend with news websites and I'm sure you have noticed this.  More "commercial advertising" and "subscription access only".  The sad fact is that nothing is free.  The Ashland Daily Press knows this.   To access their content, you must be a subscriber.  Unfortunately it is the only way that the local newspaper business will survive.

One of the reasons for the demise of this website was that the staff got tired of working for free.  It takes time to write stories. It takes a lot of time to research and verify facts.  It takes time to proofread. These are the real costs of journalism.  People who do these tasks may do so for the common good of the community, but also have to put food on their table for their families.  If you like the job they are doing, then support them.  Otherwise, they may not be around next week.

Or they may be bought out by bigger companies and corporations.  Someone has to pay their salaries and that's where advertising comes in.  You can't go to CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, FOX, etc., without seeing some form of advertising.  This is what keeps these companies alive because they've also figured it out that  the computer and internet is slowly replacing television and newspaper and our human desire for instant information.  We are no longer satisfied to read the newspaper on the way to work or wait until we get home to watch it at 5,6,9,10, or 11 o'clock.  We want to know RIGHT NOW!!!  And the internet fulfills this need quite nicely. 

However, it can also lead to negative consequences like the poor woman in the Department of Agriculture who was recently fired by someone from the Obama Administration for making racist comments.  Apparently, the comments were taken out of context, however thanks to the internet, people reacted before the whole story was revealed. The moral of that story is obviously, don't jump to conclusions over something you see on the internet! (Wait a minute; didn't we learn that lesson with TV?)

We tried to present you fair and accurate reporting on town government as well as provide documentation for your inspection to back up our claims.  The internet now makes this possible. 

We would also like to thank those of you who visited our website and supported us with your donations.  It was much appreciated. 

The main reason we have disbanded is that we think the Town of La Pointe is currently in good hands and heading in a better direction. 

However, the next major battle will be over wind power.  One group would like to see the island become self reliant for its electrical needs by building giant windmills on the island.   Another group opposes it on the basis of its environmental impact.  Which group will win?  We are placing our bets with the group that has the most money.  We're just not sure which group that is...yet.

Keep an eye on this development as it could happen faster than you think.

 Well, I think we've had more than our fair share of our 15 minutes of fame.

Goodbye and good luck!

Edward Itor

Madeline Island News

July 30, 2010

PS.  As long as we can afford it, we will keep all of our work available on the internet.  To access the website, click here.