If legislative leaders have their way, 188 people who work in the UW-System will lose their jobs this year as the state seeks to take $32 million from the university system’s budget. The job cuts won’t come because of budget shortfalls and the need to tighten spending and cut back. The state budget has never been healthier. State coffers are currently overflowing with about $8 billion in surplus

“By failing to plan, you are preparing to fail,” Benjamin Franklin A few weeks ago, Taylor County took the first steps in a strategic planning process that will likely take more than a year to complete. If done right, the end result will be a framework for current and future county decision makers, both elected and non-elected, to have a smoother functioning and more efficient county government

Star News Editorials Change happens because people step forward and make it happen. A group of people stood on a sun-blasted piece of sidewalk in downtown Medford Friday afternoon. Some were older, some were younger. Some were there because it was their job. All were there because it is their passion to see communities succeed. The stated reason for them coming together was because

There is little doubt that voters in the Rib Lake School District will be asked to approve a facility referendum during the April 2024 general election. School district leaders are working to address the current and future needs of the district. There have been many exciting ideas presented, from repurposing existing building space to provide community daycare center needs, to building a modern,

County and local government leaders should use technology tools to increase public access and provide additional accountability to citizens. Taylor County has gotten requests from members of the public to move at least some committee meetings to the evening to make them more accessible to people who are working. On the surface this seems like an easy fix to increasing access. The challenge

Despite the lingering hopes of railroad aficionados, the days of freight train traffic on the spur line between Spencer and Medford are all but over. Now is the time for local and regional governments to look to the future and how the rail corridor can be used to bring economic benefit to the communities it connects. The process for officially abandoning the freight rail line takes time and