As members of this community ourselves, we love serving you, and we are committed to bringing you the news that helps you stay informed and th…
This past Saturday night, the first tornado to hit the city of Janesville in more than three decades activated all the emergency response plan…
For Janesville School Board, The 69ÂÜÀò endorses Greg Ardrey, Elizabeth Paull and Colton Measner.
In the April 2 election for Janesville City Council, The 69ÂÜÀò endorses Paul Williams, Aaron Burdick and Larry Squire.
The November presidential election is already rocketing toward the summer conventions. Legislative and congressional races will ramp up soon. …
You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in Janesville who believes the former General Motors site on the city's south side should remain as-is, a…
In Janesville and communities across the U.S., local businesses and their hometown newspapers have long had a symbiotic relationship. Each ser…
The delayed investigation into Lemke’s death is a stark local reminder of the need to adequately staff state crime labs, so criminal investiga…
This past week at the Rock County 4-H Fair there were pig and duck races, carnival rides, funnel cakes, and the chance for local kids to show …
Here in Janesville, it’s time to allow a COVID-19 city policy change that since 2020 has greatly expedited the approval process for downtown s…
The Rock County Board has devoted a considerable amount of time this spring and early summer to debating and voting on social issue declarations.
Today, we welcome three new community members to The 69ÂÜÀò Editorial Board and thank three community members who recently wrapped up six mon…
Children’s museums have a demonstrated value far beyond play-based cognitive and motor skill development.
The 69ÂÜÀò has a lot of dedicated writers of letters to the editor. In the past calendar year, you’ve sent us more than 550 letters.
City council members represent Janesville at large. And so, in making endorsements in the April 4 election, The 69ÂÜÀò’s Editorial Board gave…
We urge school district residents in Milton, Beloit – and around the state – to vote “yes†on operating referendums this April. And then to ca…
For more than a decade, set alongside other Wisconsin counties, Rock County hasn’t appeared a particularly healthy place to live.
During Black History Month, let’s learn alongside each other. And let’s keep that going when February is through.
TAGOS stands for Tailoring Academics to Guide our Students. It was founded in 2007 as a place where at-risk kids, some formerly expelled or in…
The Janesville City Council needs to hear directly from the public before advancing plans for the Woodman’s Sports and Convention Center, but …
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Children should be protected from checking out material they’re not ready for. But, we’d argue, there are better ways to do that than removing…
There are pressing issues that need attention, and we’re looking to the legislature and executive branch of state government to come to togeth…
As we close out 2022, and look ahead to 2023, there is much to be thankful for here in Janesville.
Looking ahead, 2024 and 2025 could be a changing story. Some things ahead, that we're keeping an eye on, could affect city, county and school …
As the races emerge, this is a good time to appreciate the commitment of local elected officials, both those now seated and those who will be …
As you consider supporting them as part of your holiday giving – recognizing that they appreciate any size gift – it’s a good moment to reflec…
There was a time when Janesville residents counted on small local businesses to provide all they needed to subsist. Businesses, in turn, enjoy…
This week’s first snowfall of the season is a good time to reflect on those who will need help locally this winter finding a warm place to sle…
There have, for a while now, been calls to loosen those state reins, and to reinstate more local control over local budgets. The assumption is…
The 69ÂÜÀò Editorial Board has decided not to endorse candidates in November sheriff, state and national races.
Mark Freitag was hired as Janesville’s city manager in 2013 based on years of demonstrated leadership as an Army colonel. The city council fel…
Given a series of recent instances in which the release of information has had to be forced by The 69ÂÜÀò, the city of Janesville might benef…
People of Latino backgrounds have been settling in Janesville and in the broader Rock County area for decades.
Wisconsin is preparing for an upsurge in the usage of vehicles, whose owners will need to periodically stop and charge along state roadways. L…
If we’re realistic, a Rock County passenger rail stop isn’t something most of us are likely to again see in our lifetime. That doesn’t mean a …
Schools can’t – and shouldn’t be expected – to do everything. But we hope recent strides in SEL and student mental health will continue, amid …
Here in Janesville, the 140,000-square-foot Woodman’s Sports & Convention Center may yet rise at the site of a former Sears store at the U…
Today, we welcome back a part of The 69ÂÜÀò’s Opinion Page that’s been missing for more than a year. We're announcing the seating of a new 8-…
The reasons elected officials leave office before their terms end—illness, family obligations or opportunities to run for higher office—matter…
Janesville’s business community was dealt a terrible blow by the untimely death this week of Michael Osborne from injuries he sustained in a m…
Businesses on North Main Street don’t like it, and Janesville Farmers Market leaders don’t want it, but moving the farmers market 800 feet to …
The 69ÂÜÀò Editorial Board endorses Greg Ardrey and challengers John Hanewall and Elizabeth Paull for Janesville School Board.
With four seats open on the city council, there are not only more than enough candidates to form a race, but all six of the candidates are good.
Even though they aren’t saying the state is making vaccine available to almost every Wisconsin adult, that’s what the governor and his advisor…
Janesville and the city of Milton should press ahead.
Health officials nationwide warned this summer about the potential for a “twindemic†of flu and COVID-19 that would have been catastrophic to …
If we don’t know what gerrymandering looks like, the People’s Maps Commission will do its best to make it clear.
Rock Haven administrators were getting lots of heat for their vaccination policy, but remarkably the county board with its action Jan. 28 mana…
The Janesville City Council did the right thing Monday when it eliminated the city’s quota on class A liquor licenses.
Even if you’re not a fan of the Trump administration, you have to appreciate the small miracle delivered by Operation Warp Speed of helping ma…
The Janesville City Council is considering creating a transportation utility that would collect fees based on the number of vehicle trips take…
The public needs relief — not everyone, just the minority who've experienced the pandemic most acutely.
Believe it or not, it appears the Monterey Hotel soon will be filled with people again.
Like the town folk in the beloved Dr. Seuss book, people here aren’t letting COVID steal Christmas. On the contrary, generosity and the holida…
Both the Janesville School Board and the Janesville City Council will have openings because incumbents are not seeking re-election. The presid…
Where is Eric Trump’s follow-up tweet explaining that he made a mistake, admitting that he was propagating fake news?
Body cameras will provide an additional layer of protection for deputies and the people they deal with.
Despite difficult circumstances, voters agreed to dig deeper into their wallets to support local education.
Hollywood’s rush to relevance could be a serious misjudgment about viewers’ interests during these stressful times.
Community testing for COVID-19 is falling short of demand in Rock County, and it needs to get fixed.
The study concludes: “Findings suggest that participation in sports is not associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 among Wisconsin high …
In case you hadn’t noticed, Rock County just came off its worst COVID-19 week so far.
There’s no more talking about this race. There’s only screaming.
Roger Polack is easily the best candidate the Democrats have fielded in the 1st Congressional District in our memory.
It’s not that we’re particularly excited about Pocan as a candidate or Pocan’s positions on the issues. It’s about our dislike of Republican c…
We believe Amy Loudenbeck is best qualified to help fix the problems plaguing volunteer departments here and statewide.
Beth Drew, Republican challenger for the 43rd Assembly District seat, appeared to be reading from a Republican Party script—and not thinking f…
Blackhawk Tech has been working to consolidate and be more efficient while expanding its offerings to serve the needs of the community.
We believe voters should approve the referendum to help the Milton School District maintain what everybody agrees has been high-quality instruction.
Both of the district’s two questions on the November ballot ask for additional taxing authority, but we can support only one.
In these times of political polarization, we prefer the candidate who appears more willing to think for herself.
The Janesville public art scene is on a roll.
Some of Janesville’s service clubs this weekend are setting an example of community support the rest of us should try to emulate.
The blunt truth is that the volunteer model that served rural areas so well for decades is now broken.
COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to elections like nothing else in our nation’s history.
It’s a bad look for the city to have a quota it’s not enforcing.
It’s hard to imagine why any legislators would have a problem with the measures outlined in the governor’s proposal.
In our minds, it only makes sense to require masking to help fight the spread of the coronavirus, which as of Thursday was being blamed for 91…
The Janesville School District should let parents decide whether students should participate in fall sports.
Consolidating the Janesville and Milton departments would save money and might save lives.