Welcome everybody to Blog 83. I’ve got a lot of things to go over today and quite frankly my brain is exploding. I’ve got a carton of Winston Gold cigarettes and a bunch of bottle water so let’s go.

I want to start off today with another great article from our friends at Soupnutz.net which was posted Jan. 27th.

Mayor Jim Confuses Mill Rates with Milkshakes!

Residents Left Counting Pennies!

The Mill Rate Sleight of Hand That Costs You Monthly

COMMENTS

As I said before, this is what happens when you have a bunch of lightweights running a city. It starts with Mayor Paine and filters down to City Council. They are directly responsible for this mess and should have known better. And my position is all of them should be removed or voted out of office. I’m not sure there is a functioning brain on this City Council. And at this point having Jim Paine as mayor makes about as much sense as buying a headless condom. More on that later.

And never forget Mayor Paine’s famous statement:

“Because we help citizens. That is our only purpose. When citizens, businesses, or developers need help, we do everything we can”.

727

PUNXSUTAWNEY PAINE IS BACK

Anyway, here is his newest Post:

Jim Paine, Mayor of Superior

January 25 at 5:31 AM 

“The weather is perfect today. Join us at the Lake Superior Ice Festival, our annual argument that Winter is our best season. Kids love this event but I promise the whole thing is all ages In fact I dare you to race your kid down the snow slide. The event runs until the fireworks launch at 6:30. See you down there. “

COMMENTS

728-That’s it? What happened to the tax scandal. He made all these statements about what he was going to do to help ease the burden. At the very least he could have put up a truthful post and admit that there was nothing he could do. But that’s not how he rolls. He never admits he was wrong. The local Fake News pretty much buried the story and life goes on.

But this time it’s not working. Something happened. And that something is call Nov 5th. People aren’t buying into this crap anymore. Word salads went out of style when Kakala McNeepads AKA Kamala Harris and Tampon Tim lost the election. People want to hear the truth and they want accountability. Paine, politicians and journalists of his ilk better wake up because if they don’t they may end up on the TV program “Antique Roadshow”. I believe the days of sweeping things under the rug are coming to an end. Taxpayers are infuriated and they should be.

The Facebook post was a bust. It only got 5 comments. Here they are: 

1-Add an ice fishing contest next year! 

2-Jim Paine, Mayor of Superior any update on the reassessment of commercial properties? You stated the assessor didn’t perform their duties, so does this mean they will work for free?

3- No we will pay them ten times the average for screwing all the city residents. 

4-Do superior a favor and cut a hole in the ice and jump in. 

5-Watch the coronation!

COMMENTS

729-This is an unmitigated disaster. His tax Post on Dec 19th had 577 comments. This one has 5 comments and 3 of them are negative. That would be the second worst response to all of his posts in 2024. And the worst one he had in 2024 was zero. See Blog 80 for all the 2024 responses results. My take is after the tax scandal people have just checked out on this guy. They aren’t having it. And when they saw this post they just shook their head and said WTF? That’s what I did.

AN UPDATE ON PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL

PETA Suggests Replacing Punxsutawney Phil on

Groundhog Day with a 'Weather Reveal' Cake

Published on January 26

PETA is calling for a change to Groundhog Day.

The organization — which stands for "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals" shared a news release on Jan. 21, in which they suggested that Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog who predicts whether winter will go on for six more weeks or spring will arrive early, should be replaced with a "weather reveal" cake.

The vegan treat, PETA said, would mimic that of a sex reveal for a baby. Once cut, the cake would show one of two colors: blue, meaning six more weeks of winter, or pink, indicating an early spring.

The animal rights advocates added that Punxsutawney Phil and his family should "retire to a reputable sanctuary" instead of taking part in the annual tradition, which takes place on Feb. 2.

COMMENTS

I wonder if PETA would consider chiming in on replacing PUNXSUTAWNEY PAINE.

TALK ABOUT TIMING

730-Superior considers higher fee to remove healthy city trees

The convenience fee could double to cover the costs of removal and replacement.

By Shelley Nelson

January 20, 2025 at 10:21 AM

SUPERIOR — Removing a healthy city tree will cost more under a proposal recommended Thursday, Jan. 16, by the Urban Forest Tree Board.



The tree removal convenience fee would double from $50 to $100 per diameter inch.

The fee allows businesses and homeowners to remove trees from city property that are in the way for purposes like construction. One example of when the fee is applied is when a homeowner wants the city to remove a tree that’s in the way of building a garage and driveway, said Councilor Ruth Ludwig, chairperson of the board.

Ryan Wintlend, the city’s parks, recreation and forestry superintendent, said it would improve efficiency if the city increased the per-diameter-inch fee to cover the cost of removing the tree and purchasing and planting a new tree at another location.

“I don’t think the city’s going to lose money or make money based on that number,” Wintlend said. “We need more than $50, that’s for sure,” Ludwig said."I think it's a good idea," said board member Richard Kaufman.

Wintlend said the cost — $3,000 to remove a 30-inch diameter tree, for example — could encourage some to redesign a construction site to avoid the expense, which would save the tree. Under the city ordinance, no person is allowed to plant, remove or perform major alterations on a tree in a public area or a city right of way without obtaining a written permit from the city forester or an authorized representative of the city forester. The City Council will consider the fee change when it meets Feb. 4.

COMMENTS

731-On Friday part one of your property taxes are due. Your utilities rates go up this month. Home and auto insurance rates are going through the roof. Many of you have credit card bills this month from your Christmas purchases. So what does the city do? Raise the fees on chopping down a tree. Now folks, I am no tree expert but I’ll go out on a limb(get it?) and guess this may not affect most of you. Personally, I have never called any city I lived in to come chop down a tree. I just set them on fire and called the fire department and they came down and removed them. No charge. OK, that part is not true. The first thoughts that came to my mind were how many people call every year and how many trees does the city remove and how much money would that generate for the city? But of course, crack reporter Shelly Nelson who always leaves me with more questions than answers did not address any of these concerns. But my best guess is it can’t be that much considering the city has a multi million dollar budget. My beef is why now? The optics and timing of this could not be worse.

I find it quite disgusting how these politicians are so addicted to your money. These people don’t have a clue. How can you be so stupid? They are completely out of touch with their constituents. This so bad I can’t take it seriously.

AND AS ALWAYS DON’T FORGET THE WISE WORDS OF OUR MAYOR:

“As Mayor Paine said, Because we help citizens. That is our only purpose. When citizens, businesses, or developers need help, we do everything we can”.

I’M BRANCHING OUT—I HAVE SOME GOOD “TREE” NEWS

This is from the Las Vegas Review Journal

Jan 22,2025

NLV plans to give away trees Saturday

City set to give away 100 desert-adapted saplings

In an effort to help keep the valley cool, the city of North Las Vegas plans to give away 100 trees to its residents on Saturday in an event it expects to wrap up in less than 30 minutes.

The city, in conjunction with nonprofit Nevada Plants, will set up shop at Valley View Park at 2000 Bennett St. at 11 a.m. to distribute 15-gallon desert-adapted trees that bear fruit and provide shade.

North Las Vegas’ Tree Canopy Coverage initiative is part of a valley-wide effort to address food insecurity and urban heat island effect, where a lack of green spaces and tree cover unequally raises temperatures in neighborhoods that are often low-income and neglected.

Southern Nevada’s summer in 2024 was the hottest and deadliest on record, with nearly 500 deaths that can at least be partially attributed to the desert heat. Local leaders are planning for hotter summers in the future, with initiatives such as North Las Vegas’ tree canopy program and expanded cooling centers where residents can escape the heat.

Trees will be distributed to residents until supplies run out, according to a news release from the city.

The city recommends getting to the park early because of high demand. Clark County’s similar program ran out of 4,500 trees in less than 72 hours last September.

COMMENTS

732-So after you get the city to chop down your tree head down to Vegas and we will give one free. Problem solved. You’re welcome.

BREAKING NEWS

THIS REALLY IS THE DEFINITION OF INSANITY

 THIS ARTICLE WAS IN THE SUPERIOR TELEGRAM TUESDAY JAN 28th.

Douglas County residents get first look at flood maps

Property owners have time to appeal before the maps become final

Staff reports

DOUGLAS COUNTY — Property owners had a chance to preview newly drawn maps that highlight where the risk of flooding is most likely to occur in Douglas County.



The maps take into account changes in soil erosion, land use and natural forces since the maps were last recreated in 2012. With more advanced technology available, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is able to more accurately assess a community’s risk of flooding.

Preliminary maps presented Thursday, Jan. 23 are an early look at the updated flood maps that will affect floodplain development requirements and flood insurance rates in communities once they go into effect.

However, the maps available at hazards.fema.gov/femaportal/prelimdownload are not final.

The public has a 90-day window to appeal or comment on the new maps before they become final. Proposed changes to the maps must include data that shows the map is scientifically or technically incorrect. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will review comments and appeals to determine if changes are warranted.

Residents are eligible to file an appeal for a map amendment if the lowest adjacent grade — the lowest point where the building touches the ground — is above the base flood elevation. To find out if your property is in a floodplain, visit msc.fema.gov/portal to search by address.

To appeal, people will need a copy of the plat map showing their property, a copy of their property deed, a parcel or tax map that identifies their property, elevation information and a community acknowledgment form signed by a local official. There is no cost to submit an appeal, which can be filed online at hazards.fema.gov/femaportal/onlinelomc.

COMMENTS

733-Don’t panic, at least not yet. After everything this city, county and school district has done to you, now this. I don’t know anything about trees but I lived in Florida for 15 years before I moved to Superior and I do know about flood maps and flood insurance. So let me guide you through this.

1-If you are currently on the flood map and have flood insurance then nothing should really change for you unless the current yearly rate goes up.

2-If you are not currently on the flood map and have flood insurance then nothing should really change for you unless the current yearly rate goes up.

3-If you are not currently on the flood map and don’t have flood insurance then nothing changes for you. 



4-If you are not currently on the flood map but they have expanded the area and now you are, you have a couple of options. If you don’t have a mortgage, you don’t have to buy flood insurance. If you do your financial institution will likely make you buy it. You can also file an appeal.

So what is the coverage and how does it work? Here are the rates and coverage for Wisconsin for 2024.

The average annual cost of flood insurance in Wisconsin is around $804, according to SmartFinancial and Kin Insurance. However, the cost can vary depending on several factors.

What is the maximum coverage for flood insurance?

For residential properties, you can secure coverage up to $250,000 for the building and $100,000 for the building contents.

What exactly does flood insurance cover?

Generally, physical damage to your building or personal property “directly” caused by a flood is covered by your flood insurance policy. For example, damages caused by a sewer backup are covered if the backup is a direct result of flooding.

734-That’s the way it worked in Florida and I assume it’s the same here. I hope this helps and like I said about the trees, the timing of all of this is borderline criminal. It feels like every time I read the paper there is article about raising fees, raising taxes, giving various city employees raises or making new rules or laws to make our lives miserable. In a city with stagnant revenues and growth I would like to have leaders who are invested in ways to cut and control costs but with his current administration that’s not going to happen.

R.I.P.

THE FAKE NEWS IS DEAD

735- By every metric the property tax story was the biggest story in 2024 in Superior. On Jim Paine’s Facebook post the tax story had the most comments of the year by a country mile. Social media blew up and here at the Blog our views have gone up about 50% since I started covering this story in December. Today is our 6th consecutive Blog on this subject.

But apparently two sources didn’t feel it was much of a story. The Superior Telegram and the Duluth News Tribune. For those of you who are news addicts like myself maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised. These two papers have been operating like an activist arm for the Democrat party for as long as I lived in Superior. But I have to say that even I was surprised at their lack of coverage to this story. It’s almost demonic. The Tribune didn’t cover it at all and the Telegram ran one puff piece about two weeks after the story broke. That story can be seen on Blog 81. If it was any puffier it would be floating somewhere in the atmosphere like a Chinese Spy Balloon. It’s nothing short of journalism malpractice.

736-They are trying to mute your voices and bury this story to protect this Mayor and their own ideology. It’s absolutely sickening. I don’t think they have shown their bias this bad in quite a while.

You have no voice. Both these newspapers have let you down. But times have changed, and unfortunately they haven’t. Now you do have other sources that you didn’t have before. Like our blog, The Duluth Monitor, Souptnutz, Facebook pages by Craig Sutherland, Angie Sapik, Dan Hanger and hopefully more to come.

TOP 2024 STORIES—SUPERIOR TELEGRAM?

737-Can you believe that the property tax story did not make the Superior Telegram’s top 2024 list at all? The list was published Dec 30th. Here are some of the stories that did make the list.

Infrastructure—Blatnik Bridge

Preservation of the 1904-era Davidson windmill along Highway 13 

Lake Superior Elementary School closed for good June 5

Door Dash driver being shocked with a Taser on Feb. 28 

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office launched a new position, jail re-entry specialist 

The University of Wisconsin-Superior unveiled its new esports room March 28

COMMENTS

738-There are many more stories on the list but nothing about property taxes. How can you take them seriously? This just proves that burying this story was a calculated move by the higher ups at the Telegram and the Tribune because if it wasn’t they would be the worst run newspapers in America. And they belong on the 2024 list of MOST FAKE NEWSPAPERS in the country. So congrats for that. I’m sure your buddies at the DNC will reward you handsomely for that. Disgusting isn’t it?

CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE

739-The loss of newspapers has left many communities without a reliable source of local information. In 2023, 204 counties in the United States had no local newspaper, and over half of all counties had only one newspaper.

Since 2000, the United States has lost thousands of newspapers, and the rate of closures has increased in recent years:

• 2004–2024: 3,200 weekly newspapers closed or merged with other papers.
  
• 2005–2021: About 2,200 local print newspapers closed. 
  
• 2023: The average number of newspapers closing per week increased to 2.5, up from 2 in 2022. 
  
• The number of newspapers in the United States has declined due to a number of factors, including:
  
• Economic stressors: The pandemic caused economic stressors that contributed to the decline. 
  
• Declining revenue: Newspapers have been struggling with declining revenue. 
  
• Large debt burdens: Newspapers have been burdened with large debts.
• Changes in technology: Changes in technology have contributed to the crisis in journalism.
  

MY TAKE

740-While I agree with all of this, they left out one thing. When you don’t report the news accurately or in some cases like this tax story, you don’t report at all or you are two weeks late reporting it people tune out. People aren’t as stupid as they think you are. Actually they are the stupid ones.

AND THEN THERE IS THIS STORY

CNN And MSNBC Ratings Plunge By Half, Reaching 30-Year Lows – And Billionaires Are Paying Attention

December 15, 2024

CNN And MSNBC Ratings Slashed In Half, Collapse To Their Lowest Levels In Nearly 30 Years With Billionaires Circling

The political media landscape is undergoing a dramatic shake-up. CNN and MSNBC, two of the biggest cable news networks, are facing historic ratings declines, with their viewership slashed nearly in half since the recent presidential election. Both networks struggle to retain their audiences, collapsing to levels not seen in nearly 30 years. Meanwhile, Fox News has held steady, dominating the cable news space.

Viewership in Freefall

MSNBC’s prime-time audience has taken a staggering 53% hit, dropping from 1.34 million viewers before the election to just 632,000. CNN hasn't fared much better, losing 47% of its prime-time viewers, down to 398,000. On some nights, these networks aren't just losing to Fox News – they're losing to lifestyle channels like the Food Network, where more viewers are tuning into shows like Chopped than CNN's Anderson Cooper or MSNBC's Jen Psaki.

While it's normal for political news viewership to dip after a major event like an election, Forbes reports that this drop is unusually severe. Fox News, by contrast, has barely felt the effects, with only a minor decline in its prime-time audience, holding strong at around 2.63 million viewers.

What Went Wrong?

The collapse of CNN and MSNBC isn't just about a postelection lull. Analysts and critics say it's about trust – or a lack of it. Many viewers feel these networks failed to prepare them for what was coming and didn't offer a compelling vision for the future. MSNBC spent months criticizing Trump but lacked urgency in its coverage of the election's aftermath. And the network faced backlash when Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, despite years of calling him a “fascist.”

CNN, on the other hand, has struggled with its identity. It attempts to appear neutral while airing segments that many find inconsistent or disingenuous, like undecided voter panels that later turn out to feature obvious Trump supporters. The result? A growing number of viewers no longer trust the network.

MY COMMENTS

741-The mainstream liberal media is falling apart at the seams and with good reason. So my message to the Telegram and Tribune is keep doing what your doing and join the failure parade because that’s where your heading although I would argue you’re actually already there. And like Mayor Paine who always blames everybody but himself, you can blame the internet etc. on declining readership but you have made a great contribution by your sub par reporting and lack of reporting. So take a bow on you’re way out. You earned it.

SO WHAT DO WE DO NOW?

742-Well folks, it’s not all gloom and doom. Sometimes it just feels that way. But there is an election coming up soon and maybe that’s the start of changes and good things to come. So we will dive into that on the next Blog. I’ll see you all soon.



Brian