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Final countdown to Christmas winding down

The buildup to Christmas has seemed a bit longer this year than it has in the past. Going all the way back to Thanksgiving as usual, and even before as commercials and Christmas songs tried to drown out our yearly day of thanks. The final countdown to Christmas is finally here. There is only today and Wednesday left before we can officially celebrate many people’s favorite holiday. Children all over the world will impatiently look to the night sky starting at dusk Wednesday to spy Santa Claus making his famous journey to deliver millions upon millions of toys. As he is every year, ...

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign starts

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of State Patrol is joining law enforcement agencies across the nation in a unified effort to get impaired drivers off the roads this holiday season. The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign kicked off this week, boosting efforts to educate and enforce Wisconsin’s impaired driving laws through New Year’s Day, according to a Wisconsin State Patrol news release. The last holiday season — Dec. 15, 2024, through Jan. 1, 2025 — saw 403 crashes involving impaired drivers in Wisconsin. Those incidents killed nine people and injured ...

Still time to donate to 2025 Christmas Cheer Club

There's still time, albeit not much, to help kids and families through the 2025 Mining Journal Christmas Cheer Club. The annual Cheer Club campaign, in which toys and other items are given to local needy children and families, is obviously starting to wind down. Christmas is less than week away. The Mining Journal is only one partner in the annual Cheer Club. The Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul also take part in the club. Their participation is a huge benefit to the Cheer Club. Those organizations already are well versed in helping people in need in the community. Unwrapped toys ...

The Washington Post on Donald Trump’s incoherent trade policy

Consider two statements of fact. First, the United States has a lead on artificial intelligence, but allowing the sale of advanced semiconductors could allow China, its biggest adversary, to catch up. Second, the U.S. has imported more goods than it has exported every year since 1976. According to President Donald Trump, one of these items is no big deal and the other constitutes “ an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and economy of the United States.” If English words meant what the dictionary says they mean, that would be Item No. 1. But this is politics, ...

Not too late to spend money locally

The Mining Journal Editorial Board typically uses this space on several occasions during the holiday season to remind local shoppers to strongly consider local businesses when plgying the role of Santa Claus. That's because for a lot of retailers, the holiday buying season represents a significant portion of their annual sales. And this is much more than simply profits into someone’s pocket. The Associated Press reports the holidays can account for more than half their annual sales. Holiday retail sales are expected to increase between 3% and 4%, according to trade group the National ...

Use caution when going out on early ice cover

Those eager to take advantage of winter’s snow need to keep safety at the forefront of their preparations, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources advises. Be extra careful on all waterbodies and remember that no ice is safe ice, that state’s DNR warns in a news release. Stay alert to the rapidly changing ice conditions commonly found in the early parts of winter. “Early in the season especially, ice conditions are unpredictable and can change quickly on Wisconsin’s rivers and lakes,” said Lt. Jacob Holsclaw, DNR Off-Highway Vehicle administrator. “The ice covers ...