Stories you might have missed from around Wisconsin.
Port Washington: Microchip company no longer buying local farmland.
There are a lot of questions in Port Washington over an unknown company that was making offers on farmland, then abruptly changed its mind. The unknown company was expected to produce semiconductors and the Journal Sentinel reports that the company intended on building a massive factory on thousands of acres of Port Washington farmland. Noe according to city official s and landowners, the company has decided not to follow through with the purchase. The saga began in May when landowners in Port Washington received buying offers from a Milwaukee real estate company who negotiated contracts to purchase the town land for the company. The landowners were then kept in the dark on who was seeking their land, what would happen on the land and how it would affect their community. At the end of August, landowners were informed that the still unknown company was looking elsewhere. The realtor told landowners that they were seeking other buyers for the nearly 2,000 acres of farmland. Due to non-disclosure agreements, the Common Council is unable to give more details on the mystery company. Full Story
Milwaukee: Banned Wagon stops in Milwaukee.
The ongoing national debate over banning books continues at a fever pitch. This week is Banned Book Week which was created by the Banned Books Week Coalition, an international alliance of diverse organizations joined by a commitment to increase awareness of the annual celebration of the freedom to read. The Coalition seeks to engage various communities and inspire participation in Banned Books Week through education, advocacy, and the creation of programming about the problem of book censorship. As part of the celebration of the freedom to read, the Banned Wagon Tour is on the road with a stop tomorrow at the Milwaukee Central Library. This year, the tour, powered by Penguin Random House, is partnering with Unite Against Book Bans (UABB), Little Free Library, and First Book to raise awareness about book censorship. At each stop, the Banned Wagon will distribute free copies of 20 banned or challenged books to attendees, including titles like I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, and The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Books will be distributed while supplies last. Full Story
Monroe: Thousands polka to break world record.
Thousands of people flocked to Monroe Saturday for the Green County Cheese Days festival. They weren’t all there to pay tribute to and celebrate delicious cheese. They were there to help break a world record: the world’s largest polka. Not only did Monroe beat the old record of 802 dancers set in Germany in 2013, Wisconsinites destroyed it. According to WPR, organizers said more that 4,000 people registered for the dance. On an 8o degree day at a little after two o’clock, they started dancing. Madison’s Stacy Harbaugh, also known as DJ Shotski, host of the radio show “Polka Time,” emceed the event. She got the idea for the record-breaking attempt over beers with friends in New Glarus. In April 1994, Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson signed polka into law as the state’s dance at a party in Pulaski. Full Story
