New legislative maps are only a short-term solution

Politics should not play a part in determining who gets federal disaster relief. 'When it comes to getting things done, I don't care what party somebody's in.” Chris Christie, former Republican governor of New Jersey, made this comment in 2012 in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and faced criticism over meeting with President Obama to secure federal help to recover from the disaster. While...

The equation is a simple one. Higher costs plus no new general aid from the state equals higher taxes to maintain the status quo. That is the formula school boards, such as Rib Lake and Medford, had to deal with this week as they finalized their tax levies. In both schools, last-minute cuts had to be made in order to get the numbers to balance. At the October 22 Rib Lake School Board meet...