The Finance Committee of the Appleton City Council will take up a proposed new six-year lease for golf carts at Reid Golf Course.  The proposed lease cost is $57,175 annually -- just below the city's 2026 budgeted amount of $60,000 -- for a few more carts than had been leased in the past.  The increase in number of carts seems warranted as 62% of the rounds played at Reid last year included cart rental as compared to 54% in earlier years.

What do you call it when a Grand Chute Town Supervisor is targeted for a residency issue, proves his residency and then has his homes and businesses raided, his freedom threatened by multiple-year jail time, and a jury finds him innocent of all wrongdoing? Sound like a Hollywood movie, yet? Would you call the above a conspiracy theory, a mistake, or a personal attack on a man who asked the wrong persons, the wrong questions regarding the amount of money spent on previous town projects and special assessments, which led to the personal attacks?

Last week, in a win for educators, parents, and children across the country, a U.S. district court ruled in Mirabelli v. Olson that California's Parental Exclusion Policies are unconstitutional. The case was brought to the Court by two California teachers who, due to these policies, were forced to affirm their students' social gender transitions without parental knowledge or consent.

On October 21, 2025, several representatives of Appleton Concerned Taxpayers (ACT) met with Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford. We discussed several items of concern with respect to the city budget, including questions about wastewater and stormwater expenses in the 2026 budget and debt service increases. We also discussed the "Stop the Noise" project and other non-budget-related matters.

In the end, we agreed that we had different political views and that they wouldn’t sign my paperwork. We wished each other a Merry Christmas and shook hands. I left the conversation stating that this was why I had a Charlie Kirk sign. We were able to have a frank exchange of ideas, not get upset with each other and still part on good terms.

From May through September 2025, IRG hosted listening sessions across Wisconsin, from Milwaukee’s north side to De Pere, Wausau, Hayward, Brillion, Beloit, and beyond. We followed one simple rule: listen. No policy pitches. No talking points. Just open conversations about kitchen-table issues.