Column: Funding Our Priorities While Respecting Taxpayers

The Governor’s budget message, once again, is a wish list of things for Madison and includes several divisive policy items that should be discussed in the regular legislative process. Despite the fact that Wisconsinites have weathered an unprecedented pandemic, economic impacts and ongoing uncertainty, the Governor’s budget does not focus on our most important priorities, nor does it respect taxpayers.

An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Late Season Squirrel Hunt

Follow along each week on the adventures of Mark Walters, a syndicated outdoor adventure columnist who lives in Necedah, Wisconsin. He began writing his column, An Outdoorsman’s Journal, in 1989. It includes hunting, fishing, lots of canoeing and backpacking. He currently writes for around 60 newspapers on a weekly basis. He hopes you enjoy reading about his adventures!

Early this fall I decided that I was going to do a squirrel hunting story. I have been writing this column for almost 32-years and although I was an avid squirrel hunter as a kid growing up in Columbia County, I have not hunted squirrel since the 70’s.

An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Home on the Ice

Follow along each week on the adventures of Mark Walters, a syndicated outdoor adventure columnist who lives in Necedah, Wisconsin. He began writing his column, An Outdoorsman’s Journal, in 1989. It includes hunting, fishing, lots of canoeing and backpacking. He currently writes for around 60 newspapers on a weekly basis. He hopes you enjoy reading about his adventures!

This weekend all of my immediate family and much of my extended family was supposed to be having a great time celebrating our Christmas together for two nights and days of being together while fishing, eating really good food, and laughing. Covid 19 put an end to that and so Michelle Chiaro and I along with my pup Ruby went on a four day winter camping and ice fishing trip on the Mississippi River near Buffalo City.

An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Eleven Christmas Trees

Follow along each week on the adventures of Mark Walters, a syndicated outdoor adventure columnist who lives in Necedah, Wisconsin. He began writing his column, An Outdoorsman’s Journal, in 1989. It includes hunting, fishing, lots of canoeing and backpacking. He currently writes for around 60 newspapers on a weekly basis. He hopes you enjoy reading about his adventures!

This week I am writing to you about an annual trip to Sawyer County, where I ice fish and generally have a blast with six friends.

An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Beaver Trapping with Musky Joe

Follow along each week on the adventures of Mark Walters, a syndicated outdoor adventure columnist who lives in Necedah, Wisconsin. He began writing his column, An Outdoorsman’s Journal, in 1989. It includes hunting, fishing, lots of canoeing and backpacking. He currently writes for around 60 newspapers on a weekly basis. He hopes you enjoy reading about his adventures!

The fur market has been decimated the last five years by low or nonexistent fur prices. My guess is that at least 50-percent of the people that were trapping five years ago are not laying steel anymore. Joe Flater has come up with a simple solution that is not going to get him rich but at least his pelts are being sold and a small profit is being made. In his tavern he is selling hats and gloves from muskrat, beaver and other animals, and this process requires a tanner and a hat maker.

An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Good Times in Sawyer County

Follow along each week on the adventures of Mark Walters, a syndicated outdoor adventure columnist who lives in Necedah, Wisconsin. He began writing his column, An Outdoorsman’s Journal, in 1989. It includes hunting, fishing, lots of canoeing and backpacking. He currently writes for around 60 newspapers on a weekly basis. He hopes you enjoy reading about his adventures!

This week I am writing to you about an annual trip to Sawyer County, where I ice fish and generally have a blast with six friends.

An Outdoorsman’s Journal: 2020, A Year on the Go!

Follow along each week on the adventures of Mark Walters, a syndicated outdoor adventure columnist who lives in Necedah, Wisconsin. He began writing his column, An Outdoorsman’s Journal, in 1989. It includes hunting, fishing, lots of canoeing and backpacking. He currently writes for around 60 newspapers on a weekly basis. He hopes you enjoy reading about his adventures!

Marklein Column, Erpenbach responds to Marklein’s COVID plan

I am glad to hear that Senator Marklein has finally come to the realization that COVID-19 is a significant issue in Wisconsin. In early October, Marklein told constituents in an electronic newsletter that hospitals were not overrun and there was no correlation between a rising number of infections and hospitalizations or deaths; even as the fall surge was, in fact, filling our hospitals to capacity and positive cases soared.

An introduction from us, to you

We wanted to take this opportunity, in our inaugural issue, to conversationally introduce Valley Sentinel to its readers and to our community. It’s been a busy couple of months, and an even busier couple of weeks. The sheer amount of outpouring support and interest from our community has been both welcome and overwhelming.