A huge blossom to MTG! >My family and I also just saw Godspell last night. I had never seen it before and was impressed by the great performances and musical abilities of our local actors. Once again another high-caliber show put on by our local community theatre. - Lisa>
A blossom to Sen. Jon Erpenbach.> Thank you for your tireless work on Malinda's Act. You and Phil have done a wonderful thing! I happened to be on ambulance duty the evening this accident happened and was the crew leader in the second (of many) ambulances to respond that March night. I met many of the families affected by these deaths six months later at the planting of the memorial tree at the I-90 Rest Area 17. Their losses and pain were (and I imagine still are) life-altering. This legislation needs to be happen in other states! - Alice Franks-Gray>
I propose a "barbed blossom" for our Monroe alderpersons. >A blossom for solving the problems associated with spring cleanup. A barb for the creation of a "tax" on the citizenry in the form of a fee schedule for the pickup of those items that would historically be set at curbside for pickup. Who says all the slick politicians are in Washington? - BG, Monroe>
We would like to send out a big blossom to Barrett from Barrett's Brick Café. >If you have not dined in this new restaurant, we highly recommend that you do. The restaurant is located in the old Fitzgibbons building, also known as the Monroe Professional Building, on 18th Avenue. It's a beautifully decorated restaurant that has the excellent food that is very reasonably priced. We eat dinner at Barrett's once, sometimes twice, a week and lunch there a couple times a week. Barrett came out from behind the grill when we were there last week to introduce himself, and asked us some things about the area - he is new to Monroe and Green County. We found him to be interesting and he seems very interested in the clientele in the area. So if you have not had the chance, please give them a try. Everything we have had, from steaks to chicken and fish to the soups and sandwiches, are absolutely scrumptious. Thank you Barrett for opening your restaurant in our little town. We will see you tonight! - Dale and Kerri Howarth>
A big blossom and thank you to all those who helped support the Net n Ten tournament >through volunteering their time and food donations. It was a great success. All proceeds support our soccer program. Thank you again. - Lisa Geyer (volunteer)>
A barb to the City of Monroe officials and to Future Forward. >Do you people ever talk with each other to come up with a common goal? In the Saturday, April 4, edition of the Times, both Jan Lefevre and Dan DeMuth were interviewed regarding issues they would address if they were elected to the council. It's very tell-tale, I believe, that neither of them mentioned, as a serious issue facing the city, youth retention and recruitment. Yet, this is exactly what Future Forward commendably is striving for. Without a group approach, it'll never work. Is everyone on the same page, or does Future Forward stand alone? ... Take a lesson from the City of Dubuque. Get a common goal and make sure everyone is on the same page. Then really put it to work. Main Street's efforts to revitalize downtown are a good start, but that alone will not make the city young again. Too many do's and don'ts in Monroe. You still haven't thrown out the welcome mat to outsiders, and you've grown old, alone and somewhat restrictive. Nature gives you two options, growth or stagnation Think about that the next time you fight against what other municipalities have had and taken for granted for years. - Would like to move to Monroe, but not ready for the nursing home or the poorhouse yet>
A barb to how this whole Menards situation >is going. Just when did Menards put the new store on "hold?" How long has it been since their PUD was approved and just how much contact was there with Menards at that point to get a move on with the project? This is something that should have been dealt with quite some time ago. Who took their eye off the prize? Could this be the reason Monroe can't bring in good-paying manufacturing jobs? The problem is too many cooks in the kitchen. Four organizations chasing their own tail is good folly for the circus but makes for poor results for a city's economic welfare. There should be one focal point for existing business retention, new business acquisition and tourism, and this is where the Chamber of Commerce should take the lead.
A blossom to the Monroe City Council members >who voted in favor of the resolution seeking a way to hire an additional officer for the schools by obtaining grants. Just a quick point, though. With the parking meters being taken away as we speak, can't we shift the parking enforcement officer's duties to monitoring the high and other schools during the day? This way there wouldn't be a need for an extra officer, as it would just be a shift in resources.
A barb to Green County DA Luhman. >Way to come out with a strong deterrent on the recent threats made at the schools and your "press release" about the 15-year-old who confessed. Does Charlie Brown ring a bell, as in "wishy washy?" Because you're giving that phrase a new meaning. - Jethro>
