How the Mental Health Sales Tax has helped residents of Winnebago County
Rockford Promise continues to grow
“Rockford Promise helps City of Rockford Government increase property values, decrease crime and strengthen our economy.” That’s from a recent Facebook post by Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara. There’s a lot to like about the scholarship program and I encourage you to read about it in the Rockford Register Star this weekend. I wrote a column […]
A first for the Haas family
Kevin and I are honored to emcee Brooke Road United Methodist Church’s 100th anniversary celebration beginning at 11:30 a.m. May 16 at the Tebala Event Center. Kevin and I worked together for almost 20 years at the Rockford Register Star. He was still there when I retired in 2020, but moved on to be the […]
Key takeaways from the sales tax forum
It was cold. It was rainy. It was about taxes. That sums up what was a disappointing attendance for Thursday’s sales tax forum at the Nordlof Center hosted by Transform Rockford. There were about 22-30 people there and 776 people tried to view it on Facebook live at one point or another. More on that […]
Transform Rockford to host sales tax forum April 4
Sales taxes will be the focus of a forum hosted by Transform Rockford at 5:30 p.m. April 4 at the Nordlof Center. Admission is free. Transform Rockford understands taxing bodies need money to pay for the things that residents want and need. However, how can the general public see how its money is being spent […]
Plenty of bright students at RPS
Thank you to Tina Lamb, College & Career Academy coach, for inviting me to participate in mock interviews Wednesday with Jefferson High School students. It was a rewarding experience. I met eight students and I enjoyed my conversations with all of them. The purpose of the session was to prepare students for real-world interviews. “This […]
Condolences to the family of Harlan Johnson
Harlan Johnson died Feb. 25. Visitation was March 5. He was 82. Harlan and I had known each other for years. He frequently submitted letters and guest columns when I was opinion editor of the Rockford Register Star. He and I would invariably show up at the same community events. Harlan was passionate about striving […]
Rockford has good stuff – old and new – believe it
Jeff Gauger was the Rockford Register Star’s managing editor from 2005-2007. He worked at the Omaha World Herald before he came here. He was impressed by Rockford and when it came to developing the Editorial Agenda for 2007 he was passionate about including this item: We’ve got good stuff — believe it. Even though he […]
Are we there yet?
When Transform Rockford began it’s quest for community improvement the stated goal was top 25 by 2025. That was a great slogan, but community improvement is a continuing process. What good is it to be top 25 by 2025 if in 2026 you’re No. 300? There are many ways to measure a community’s success. In […]
Positive news about Rockford
A new library is just one of the positive developments in Rockford.