Nothing comes easy. I’m sure you’ve heard that before from a parent or teacher when you encountered unexpected obstacles while trying to get something done. I have to remind myself of that with almost every project I take on. Patience and persistence can become your greatest asset when facing challenges like these.

  Over 50 people attended the Fair Maps Rally in Eau Claire, which was one of many such rallies across the state. The rallies were in support of developing fair maps and ending the gerrymandering in the maps which currently makes it nearly impossible for a Democrat to win in most of the districts in the state. The maps are currently being considered by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which should return a decision on the maps soon.

Over the last ten to fifteen years, we’ve seen an amazing resurgence of entrepreneurs and small home-grown businesses. Something seems to have occurred to make us realize that fun and quality shopping isn’t necessarily in malls. Sure, it’s still pretty fascinating that so many stores can be under one roof, but something was always missing. It was the personal identity of a small business—going into a shop that you won’t find in every city and every mall.

It’s going to be a very good year for the top dogs and shareholders at Deere & Co. The Iowa-based equipment manufacturer says it earned more in the first nine months of its fiscal year than during its best year in 2013. The corporation’s third-quarter results are nearly $4.7 billion.