When it comes down to it, behind just about every small business is an entrepreneur hoping to turn their passion into a paycheck. But, as many wise business advisers have noted: Hope is not a strategy. Business owners need support to turn dreams into reality. That's why Patch is pleased to announce a new partnership with SCORE, a nonprofit organization with 12,000 business experts nationwide who provide free mentoring to small business owners. The partnership makes sense because we believe that when local commerce grows, the whole community gets stronger. Patch already provides free listings …
Raise your hand if you see your grocery bill rising but the amount of food in the fridge doesn't seem to match. Anyone who shops for groceries notices prices are going up. Even if the number of items in your cart hasn't really changed, the amount you pay certainly has. According to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau's quarterly MarketBasket Survey, as of June 2011, prices have gone up 3.1 percent since March 2011 and up 8.5 percent since December 2010. The measurement they use is the average cost of 16 staples that can be used to make one or more meals. Prices at the end of the second quarter for 2011…
Diane Sawyer on ABC News just told me that Bank of America, the largest bank in the country, is going to start charging its customers $5 a month to use their debit card. Let that sink in just for a moment. Think about all the ways you use your debit card. Now add $60 a year to all the other fees you pay. That's $60 a year to use your own money. “The economics of offering a debit card have changed with recent regulations,” a spokesperson is quoted as saying. So regulations put in place to help protect consumers are now creating a situation where the banks can stick it to the consumers anyway? …
After a Waukesha woman was attacked by her two-year-old pit bull, I realized there might be some misconceptions about both the human owner and the dog involved in this horrible incident. To be sure, being the victim of an unprovoked attack by either your dog or someone else's is never acceptable. Unfortunately, though, there are people out there who love the idea of having a dog, but don't realize how much responsibility and work goes into bringing a dog into a family. Here's a reminder of what it means to be a responsible dog owner and the general rules in both Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant…
Editor's Note: This column was recently posted in May, but some new readers just discovered it so I thought I'd post it again. So much has happened this week in Madison that it's nearly impossible to pick an issue and focus just on that one thing. But now we have this: Governor Scott Walker will have veto power over rules established by the Government Accountability Board, the Department of Public Instruction, and - get this - the state Department of Justice. In a story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Assembly Democrats are quoted as saying Republicans will regret this move when a …
Happy Mother's Day, Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch! Enjoy!
Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch, along with the nationwide network of Patches, started our Local Voices platform this week for community members who have something to say about ... anything. The Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant village presidents Carolyn Milkie and Steve Jansen signed up. So did the Sturtevant Chrises - Larsen and Wright. Thank you! I know you're busy with life, jobs and serving your villages, and I very much appreciate you contributing your voices to your Patch website. But there are more of you out there who are not signed up just yet. How come? You read and you comment - both…
Congressman Paul Ryan made his last two stops for his 19-city tour of the First District today in Sturtevant and Racine. In Sturtevant, a woman stood up and thanked Ryan for his service and then asked him if his plan would provide consumers a way to comparison shop. This resident explained that as an employee in the healthcare system, she sees the inequities of pricing structure, but as a consumer who comparison shops for other goods and services her family needs, she's frustrated by not being able to do the same for healthcare. Ryan agreed that the pricing structures are flawed, and …
Village board meetings in Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch can be a wealth of information for residents. Board members vote on new ordinances, or laws, approve certain expenditures like new snow plows, and make staffing decisions. Moreover, residents can participate in the board meetings and thereby be part of the governing process. But the kicker is that citizens actually have to attend and they have to follow the rules that oversee how meetings are conducted. Robert's Rules of Order, first published in 1876 and written by U.S. Army Brigadier General Henry Martyn Robert, is, literally, the …
When word got out last month that Curt Johnson, the billionaire son of Sam Johnson and one of the heirs to the SC Johnson fortune, was accused of repeated sexual assault of a child, there seemed to be a collective gasp in Racine County. Not only is the nature of his alleged crime heinous, but I, too, wondered how a man with seemingly everything could risk so much of it by committing such an act. We can, of course, shake our heads and talk to each other about how billions can't buy happiness, but doesn't it go deeper than that? Isn't there something wrong with someone who could allegedly have …
With all the talk about how every American should have access to quality, affordable healthcare, you'd think that keeping open one of the largest providers of health services for uninsured or underinsured citizens wouldn't be much of an issue. You would be wrong because the provider in question is Planned Parenthood, and the residents they treat are women. Part of the hold up in getting a federal budget completed is the issue of whether or not to cut off funding through what's called a rider. According to a story that ran on The Huffington Post, a rider is a tool Congress can use to push …
Jeff Vlieger said he started painting when he was a kid, and he feels lucky that he's still doing it and has been able to make a living doing what he loves. "It's either do this or be dead," he chuckled. "I just can't imagine not being able to paint." Vlieger paints out of his garage or at Rod's Auto Body in Sturtevant as Jeff's Custom Painting. He has never taken an art class, and he has no formal training. He freely admits that he's never sat down to watch someone do a pinstripe application. "Jeff is an artist in the true sense of the work," said Doug Morgan, shop foreman at Hribar Trucking…
When Scott Sorenson opened Lil Scott's Customs in Sturtevant in 2002, his brother, Rusty, thought it was about time. "He'd been talking about it for so long that I never really thought he'd do it," Rusty said. "But then one day I called him and he said he was packing up his tool box and told me where to meet him." Lil Scotts is located on Wisconsin Street in Sturtevant. Scott, a former lead mechanic at a local Harley Davidson motorcycle dealership, builds custom motorcycles from scratch as well as does what is termed a "Harley Transformation." That means Harley owners bring in a completely …
When I heard that Joanne Kloppenburg, candidate for state Supreme Court justice, was coming to Racine, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch (MP/S) residents on the record and on camera either supporting the Racine Unified referendum or willing to state their opposition. I was half right. Two people were willing to go on video to say they support the referendum and one more was willing to have his picture taken after stating he actually voted last week already in favor of the referendum. I asked a few more people where they stood, but as soon as …
Today is the first day of the week-long Patch Spring Tour and I'm kicking it off at The Grind Cafe, 7300 Washington Avenue, in Mount Pleasant. Steve Novak, who owns The Grind with his wife, Lisa, makes one of the best cups of mocha in Racine County. He also makes amazing desserts like rich, creamy cheesecake and big, tasty cookies. Next stop ... Kloppenburg at Monument Square in Downtown Racine. I know it's not a location in MP/S Patch, but there will probably be MP/S Patchers there and the state Supreme Court affects us all so ... it totally counts!
It's time we got to know one another a little bit better, Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch! So, next week I'll be out and out for the 2011 Patch Spring Tour. No rockin' guitars or slammin' guitar solos with this tour. Instead, I'll make two stops each day so you can get to know your Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch, and, of course, so I can meet as many of you as possible. I need suggestions, though. Where should I go each day? Some of the tour is planned out but there are plenty of open spaces as well. Are you part of an organization and want to get the word out about your activities? A …
Hello, Mount Pleasant-Sturevant Patch! We've been live for almost a week and the feedback and participation from readers is really great. We're working hard to bring you stories from the villages, neighboring communities, and the region so you have news you can use at your fingertips. Of course we want to do more, and that's where you come in. What stories are important to you? What stories would you like to see us cover here? Drop me a note at heather.asiyanbi@patch.com or feel free to leave a comment. You're always welcome to write a letter to the editor as well for it to post here. Thanks…
Being the Editor for your Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch feels a lot like coming home, and it should. For almost nine years I covered the villages and got to know many of you by writing about board and committee meetings, the Amtrak depot, the railroad club and more. I've missed being part of your communities so it is with a big smile that I introduce your new Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch. We want to be your number one source of information for all things related to Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant. From businesses growing to new businesses, from village sports programs to great deals to …
