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Category: Columns

  • Editor’s Note: Dads Are Cool, Too

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    Readers may recall our herculean effort to honor moms for Mother’s Day. I call it “herculean” because we put out a call for people to describe their moms in six words, believing maybe a few people would bite. I was wrong about the number of submitters, and we all paid for my huge miscalculation.  Trying […]

  • Pulse of Philanthropy: Celebrating a Decade of the Civility Project

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    by BRET BICOY In our high-tech world dominated by smartphones, artificial intelligence and social media, the concept of civility can easily be dismissed as a quaint but antiquated concept. Yet as our political discourse grows increasingly angry and our policy debates degrade into condescending tweets from both sides of the political aisle, the importance of […]

  • Editor’s Note: It’s Finally Here

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    by DEBRA FITZGERALD, [email protected] It’s that time of year. Every row in our vegetable garden is budding with green promise. Our cover crop of crimson clover paints half the field with soil-building color. The lilacs (as I wrote this) were in full bloom in our yard along with a majestic old apple tree, its blossoms […]

  • Pulse of Philanthropy: The 5 T’s of Charitable Giving

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    by BRET BICOY, President and CEO, Door County Community Foundation  Although I generally try to avoid using pithy catch phrases to oversimplify a concept, I have to admit that the so-called 5 T’s of charitable giving really do provide a good summary of the ways in which people can give to charity and thereby support […]

  • Editor’s Note: It’s Apparently Not a Big Deal to Fill Small Wetlands

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    I’ve been told it’s not a big deal that the proposed Fleet Farm development in Sturgeon Bay has received a permit to fill some wetland. It’s a small amount – 5,550 square feet – a “small and degraded wetland,” as it’s described in a city staff report. The topic didn’t arise at a city public […]

  • Tourism and the Visitor Economy: Conservation, Community and New Sustainability Initiatives

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    by JULIE GILBERT, President and CEO, Destination Door County April is a time of beginnings. We all get excited about the summer fun in the sun and all that comes with it! And April 22 is Earth Day – another big reminder for us to care for Door County, invest in our planet and continue […]

  • Your Right to Know: End Wisconsin’s Secretive ‘Pocket Veto’

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    by DEE J. HALL Editor’s Note: This column describes a problem that the Village of Sister Bay experienced after purchasing Pebble Beach, and the Village of Egg Harbor when purchasing shoreline from the Alpine Resort. The problem stems from the 16-member Joint Finance Committee, made up of state representatives and senators, any one of whom can […]

  • Pulse of Philanthropy: Understanding Moral Hazard

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    by BRET BICOY, President and CEO, Door County Community Foundation If we feed a man who is hungry, we are removing his incentive to work. If we treat a sick patient who is uninsured, we are rewarding those who fail to plan for their future. If we offer free prenatal care to the young and […]

  • Editor’s Note: Be the Hummingbird

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    The ancient story I read recently goes like this: “One day in the forest, a fire broke out. All the animals ran for their lives. They stood at the end of the blaze, looking at the flames in terror and sadness. Up above their heads, a hummingbird was flying back and forth to the fire, […]

  • Editor’s Note: Last Call for Political Letters

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    We do not publish political letters of any variety, including candidate endorsements, in the issue immediately preceding an election. That means the final political letters for the April 4 election will be published in the March 24 issue. The deadline for letters for that issue is Monday, March 20, by noon sharp.

  • Tourism & the Visitor Economy: Callout to Artists for New Creative Campaign

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    by JULIE GILBERT, President and CEO, Destination Door County  As we continue to work to communicate the story of Door County – its history, arts, culture, community and residents – we are thrilled to announce the first Art in the Door contest, which will celebrate the beauty and sentiment that Door County inspires in local […]

  • Pulse of Philanthropy: Understanding Nonprofit Titles

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    by BRET BICOY, President & CEO, Door County Community Foundation In about 80% of nonprofit organizations, the highest-ranking paid staff person is the executive director. For most others, it’s the CEO or the president & CEO. In the charitable world, we often use these titles interchangeably, with little thought to the distinctions among them.   However, […]

  • Editor’s Note: Who Are We When No One Is Looking?

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    It’s probably safe to assume you’re human and a member of the natural world, so it’s probably also safe to assume that you behave differently depending upon where you are and whom you’re with. I know a few individuals who do not alter their behavior and are always and forever themselves, truly never caring what […]

  • Editor’s Note: Unknowingly Stuck in the Rabbit Hole No More

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    If you’re like me, you have tight workweeks that require intense focus. Maybe like me, you’d even say you’re skilled at not wasting time. I experimented recently with this self-appraisal based on a book I’d read, and here’s an example of what happened. The task at hand was doing layout for that week’s newspaper. I […]

  • Guest Column: Lessons from ‘Tobacco Road’

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    by CHRIS WEIDENBACHER, Director, Rogue Theater For 11 years, I have wanted to share the story of Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell, but I was introduced to the play version by Jack Kirkland longer ago – when I was an apprentice and observed my mentor’s production.  It proved to be frustrating for him because there are […]

  • Tourism & the Visitor Economy: Caring Is an Action

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    by JULIE GILBERT, President and CEO, Destination Door County February is referred to as the month of love, and to love is to care about the people and places that are most important to us. Caring for what we love isn’t just a feeling; it’s an action. It includes all of our cultural, quality-of-life and […]

  • Editor’s Note: A Desirably Unusual Election Season

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    We’re on the cusp of a Feb. 21 primary election. If you live in Gardner, Gibraltar, Nasewaupee or Sister Bay, you have candidates on your ballot running for local office. Additionally, every voter in Door County has the statewide Wisconsin Supreme Court justice primary election on their ballot. That race has drawn two right-wing candidates […]

  • Guest Column: Democracy and Journalism, Fueled by Everyday Conversation

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    by G. MICHAEL KILLENBERG and ROB ANDERSON In our often idyllic Door County, much of the partisan anger roiling elsewhere in America can feel distant and nonthreatening. But threats to democracy remain as near as an insulting Twitter post, hate-filled tirades from elected officials, a cable talk show pretending to be news, or even a […]

  • Pulse of Philanthropy: When Free Markets Fail

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    by BRET BICOY, President and CEO, Door County Community Foundation People are often surprised when they hear me say that a market-based solution to a problem is usually the best one, and I suppose I can understand their surprise. From the first recycling drive that I helped to organize in the third grade to my […]

  • Tourism & the Visitor Economy: The Visitor Economy Can Help Us All

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    by JULIE GILBERT, President and CEO, Destination Door County A new initiative called the Community Investment Fund that we launched recently is now a reality.  Earlier this month, we hosted several information sessions that provided details about how local units of government and 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) organizations can apply for funding assistance for projects that […]