By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
UNITE: Group formed to improve Platteville quality of life
Introduction at Good Morning Platteville Nov. 20
Placeholder Image
Steve Prestegard
Updated: Nov 12, 2014, 7:00 PM
Published: Nov 12, 2014, 5:19 PM

The next phase of a campaign to improve Platteville will be unveiled at the next Good Morning Platteville event Thursday, Nov. 20.

UNITE — Unified Neighbors Improving Their Environment — is a collaborative community effort to improve the Platteville area’s quality of life.

“It’s an ongoing project born from a small group of engaged citizens and community organizers who recognized as great as life in Platteville is for many, there exists important opportunities to improve our community in ways that benefit all of us,” said Jaime Collins of Southwest Health. “Every community can identify issues with poverty, crime, violence, community health, diversity and communication. UNITE is Platteville’s response to helping make real and lasting progress — perhaps in many small ways and with hope in some major ways — to combining efforts and responding to problems to move our community forward.”

UNITE is the next step in an effort begun in 2010, My Community — My Vision, that sought to improve Platteville in six areas — promoting the environment; improving pedestrian access through sidewalks, paths and trails; creating a community center; creating a Main Street retail “idea center”; creating an annual regional festival; and improving communication in Platteville. More information can be found at www.plattevillemcmv.com.

Since then, a steering committee and three subgroups have been formed to focus on three areas — health and wellness; socioeconomic issues; and unity, diversity and communication. UNITE’s three groups are charged with setting a group goal for each area, identifying specific problems and root causes, and prioritizing potential steps forward to make measurable progress on long-term community issues.

“As a collaborative effort, UNITE is neither a private nor a governmental entity,” said Collins. “It’s a community collaboration that relies on the willingness of energized individual citizens to work together to achieve progress.”

Good Morning Platteville will be held at Take 2 Restaurant on East Business 151 Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 a.m.
It was quite an election
On April 1
Election Results_April 1, 2025 Crawford County
GILLIAN POMPLUN
Crawford County Independent & Kickapoo Scout
Published: Apr 2, 2025, 5:05 PM

Politics-weary Wisconsin citizens mustered the verve to once again go to the polls in Wisconsin’s April 1 spring election. With record spending, a barrage of campaign literature in mailboxes, chaos on the federal level, and an endless stream of divisive TV advertising, voters on both sides turned out in record numbers to support the candidates of their choice.

Happy or sad, it’s likely the vast majority is just glad it’s over. While most spring elections draw much lower turnout than a presidential election, voter turnout in this year’s race was on par with last November’s contentious election in which Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris for the office of President of the United States.

Of course, the Wisconsin Supreme Court election took top billing, garnering record amounts of spending. Conservative versus liberal control of the court was on the line with the retirement of liberal justice Ann Walsh Bradley. Contending for the 10-year term were Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel and Dane County Judge Susan Crawford.

The race was called for Crawford around 10 p.m. after Schimel called her to concede. The unofficial results show Crawford winning with 55% of the statewide vote to Schimel’s 45%.

Crawford County voters bucked recent electoral trends, carrying for the liberal candidate. In the county, Crawford took 51% of the vote, defeating Schimel with 49%. Crawford’s candidacy also prevailed in Vernon County with 54% of the vote, Richland County with 52% of the vote, La Crosse County with 63% of the vote, Sauk County with 57% of the vote, Iowa County with 62% of the vote, and Green County with 58% of the vote. Crawford’s victory was propelled by massive turnout and majorities in Dane, Milwaukee, Rock, Eau Claire and Bayfield counties. Voters in Dane County cast 82% of their votes for Crawford, in Milwaukee County 75%, in Rock County 61%, in Eau Claire 63%, and in Bayfield 61%.

Schimel’s campaign prevailed locally in Grant, Lafayette and Monroe counties, earning 52%, 51%, and 55% of votes cast respectively.

Incumbents prevail

It was also a night for incumbent candidates to prevail in races pertaining to public education in the state. Incumbent Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly won her race against charter school advocate Brittany Kinser, taking 53% of the statewide vote to Kinser’s 47%.

Locally, Underly outperformed Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford, winning her contest in counties that carried for Waukesha County judge Brad Schimel. Those counties include Grant and Lafayette counties, where Underly took 52% of votes cast. Kinser held on to votes cast for Schimel in Monroe County, taking 56% of votes cast.

Underly’s candidacy prevailed in Crawford, Vernon, Richland, Iowa, Sauk, and La Crosse counties. In those counties, Underly took 53%, 54%, 56%, 61%, 57%, and 61% respectively.

Mirroring the results in the statewide Superintendent of Public Instruction race, incumbent candidates Jerry Coleman and Charissa Richter prevailed against challengers Jesse Swenson and Melany Jelinek winning two three-year terms on the North Crawford School Board.

Coleman was the top vote-getter, with 660 votes, followed by Richter with 532 votes. Richter and challenger Melany Jelinek ran neck-in-neck for much of the night until results came in for the villages of Gays Mills and Bell Center, which pushed Richter over the finish line ahead. Jelinek finished with 502 votes, and Swenson with 412 votes.

Coleman took the most votes in the towns of Clayton, Haney, Scott, Utica, and in the villages of Bell Center, Gays Mills, and Soldiers Grove. Richter took the second most votes in the towns of Clayton, Haney, Scott, and Utica, and in the villages of Gays Mills and Soldiers Grove. Jelinek took more votes than Richter in the town of Freeman, and in the villages of Bell Center and Mt. Sterling.

Voter ID

Voters across the state voted to amend the Wisconsin Constitution to require photo identification to vote. The measure failed only in Dane and Milwaukee counties. Wisconsin had already required voters to show identification, but passage of the Republican-backed ballot question will make it harder for that requirement to be removed by the courts or the state legislature.

Statewide, the measure passed with 63% of the vote, with 37% of the voters voting against it.