Quad Makes Another Acquisition
11/5/10 - Quad Graphics has announced the acquisition of HGI Company of Burlington, a smaller commercial printer and specialty graphic arts company. H-G-I employs almost 250 full-time people at several plants in southeast Wisconsin. It makes a wide variety of books, catalogs, and marketing materials. Quad CEO Joel Quadracci says the purchase brings together “HGI’s expertise in the commercial and specialty products segments with Quad Graphics’ industry-leading technology and innovation to provide customized and value-added solutions on a global scale.” HGI majority owner Craig Faust will stay on as the division’s president. Quad Graphics first entered into a partnership agreement with HGI in February, purchasing a minority interest. Quad-Graphics acquired one of its biggest competitors earlier this year – World Color of Canada. Last week, Quad said it would add 13-hundred jobs in Wisconsin by consolidating current operations in Asia, Canada, and elsewhere in the U-S. Quad Graphics is one of Dodge County’s biggest employers and has plants in Lomira and Hartford.
Transportation Group Pleased With Referendum Outcome
11/5/10 - A road-builders group says it’s pleased that voters in Dodge County and 52 counties approved advisory referendums to ban future governors from raiding the state’s gas tax fund. The Transportation Development Association said the referendum passed in every county where it was on the ballot Tuesday. Dodge County had the highest margin of passage, at 85-percent. Trempealeau County had the smallest support, at 62-percent. The group arranged the referendums to try and convince the Legislature to pass a constitutional amendment to prohibit the transportation fund from being used for other things. That was after Governor Jim Doyle raided the gas tax fund to help balance each of his state budgets. Association director Craig Thompson called on lawmakers to pass the amendment early in the next session, saying it would demonstrate that the new Legislature is there to do the people’s business.
DOT Halts Work on High Speed Train
11/5/10 - If Wisconsin’s high-speed train is scrapped, nobody seems to know what will happen with the 810-million dollars allocated to the project. The Obama White House doled out the federal stimulus money almost a year ago. But Governor-Elect Scott Walker says the state should never have taken it, because it will cost up to 10-million-dollars a year to operate the train. The D-O-T told contractors this week to stop working on the train project for a few days, so officials could determine all the consequences if Walker scraps the project. Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz hopes Walker will re-consider, saying the train would put thousands of people to work. Governor Jim Doyle and other Democrats have said for months that if the Milwaukee-to-Madison line is halted, the state would have to give all the money back to Washington – and it would go to some other state’s rail project. But Walker has long contended that the state could keep the money for roads-and-bridges. Former Governor Tommy Thompson has said a Republican Congress might allow that to happen. Federal transportation spokesman Ray Adams refused to say yesterday if Wisconsin would have to give anything back, or how much.
Fitzgerald Named Majority Leader in Senate
11/5/10 - As expected, state Senate Republicans elected Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau yesterday as the new majority leader. Fitzgerald was the minority leader in the last session, and no other candidates had been discussed publicly. Voters gave Republicans control of both houses of the Legislature on Tuesday. And the outgoing Senate leader, Weston Democrat Russ Decker, was among those who lost their re-election bids. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats met in private yesterday and chose Mike Miller of Monona is the new minority leader.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Sickens 18
11/5/10 - Four forklifts being used inside a business in Washington County sickened 18 employees with carbon monoxide poisoning yesterday afternoon. The Arrow Carton Company workers were taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in West Bend where they were treated for symptoms that weren’t considered life threatening. Safety officials took a reading at the company in the Village of Richfield and found that the carbon monoxide levels were 7.5 times higher than what is considered safe. (KFIZ, Fond du Lac)
DOT Halts Work on High Speed Train
11/5/10 - If Wisconsin’s high-speed train is scrapped, nobody seems to know what will happen with the 810-million dollars allocated to the project. The Obama White House doled out the federal stimulus money almost a year ago. But Governor-Elect Scott Walker says the state should never have taken it, because it will cost up to 10-million-dollars a year to operate the train. The D-O-T told contractors this week to stop working on the train project for a few days, so officials could determine all the consequences if Walker scraps the project. Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz hopes Walker will re-consider, saying the train would put thousands of people to work. Governor Jim Doyle and other Democrats have said for months that if the Milwaukee-to-Madison line is halted, the state would have to give all the money back to Washington – and it would go to some other state’s rail project. But Walker has long contended that the state could keep the money for roads-and-bridges. Former Governor Tommy Thompson has said a Republican Congress might allow that to happen. Federal transportation spokesman Ray Adams refused to say yesterday if Wisconsin would have to give anything back, or how much.
Fitzgerald Named Majority Leader in Senate
11/5/10 - As expected, state Senate Republicans elected Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau yesterday as the new majority leader. Fitzgerald was the minority leader in the last session, and no other candidates had been discussed publicly. Voters gave Republicans control of both houses of the Legislature on Tuesday. And the outgoing Senate leader, Weston Democrat Russ Decker, was among those who lost their re-election bids. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats met in private yesterday and chose Mike Miller of Monona is the new minority leader.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Sickens 18
11/5/10 - Four forklifts being used inside a business in Washington County sickened 18 employees with carbon monoxide poisoning yesterday afternoon. The Arrow Carton Company workers were taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in West Bend where they were treated for symptoms that weren’t considered life threatening. Safety officials took a reading at the company in the Village of Richfield and found that the carbon monoxide levels were 7.5 times higher than what is considered safe. (KFIZ, Fond du Lac)
Fox Lake to Purchase Properties for City Garage
11/5/10 - Fox Lake’s Public Works Department is getting an upgrade. That’s after the city council unanimously approved buying two parcels of land that will be the new home for the city garage. The properties are currently owned by Jerr-Linn Enterprises, Inc., who offered them to the city in August after being bought out. The three buildings, located on Warehouse Street, make up a total of 6900 square feet and won’t need any remodeling to make them usable by the city. Officials hope to close on the property by the end of the year. The price tag is $264,000.
Christian Bound Over In Bomb Threat, Chase
11/5/10 - A Sullivan man waived his right to a preliminary hearing yesterday (Th) on charges related to a multi-county high speed chase and – in a separate incident – a bomb threat. Seth Christian is accused of leading three law enforcement agencies on a chase in July that reached speeds in excess of 100-miles-per-hour. The 28-year-old is said to have went through two stoplights in Columbus before deputies lost sight of him. A short time later, Dane County authorities located the vehicle and found Christian in a nearby tavern, where he was taken into custody. In August, the Dane County Bomb Squad was called to a residence in the Town of Elba after the homeowners reported suspicious activity. Authorities say the suspect was acting odd and then fled the area but not before placing what appeared to be an improvised explosive device in the back of a van. It was soda bottle wrapped in tape and was determined not to be a danger. A couple hours later, deputies responded to reports of a naked man running around the Astico Park campground. Deputies took Christian into custody and say he was the same man suspected in the bomb scare earlier in the evening. An arraignment hearing for both incidents is set for next week.
Citations Issued Following Hit and Run
11/5/10 - A 47-year-old woman was issued several citations after allegedly leaving the scene of an accident just before midnight yesterday (Th). It happened at the intersection of Highway 151 and Oakwood Road around 11:30pm. The Sheriff’s Department says the woman apparently believed that Oakwood Road was an exit ramp, took the turn too fast, and crashed into the ditch. A passerby reported to authorities that they saw the woman leave the scene injured and bleeding. She was later found in Waupun and issued a citation for Hit and Run and for failing to fasten her seat belt.
Walker To Announce Transition Team
11/5/10 - Governor-elect Scott Walker says he’s receiving plenty of offers for help in setting up the transition for his administration into the Governor’s office. Walker says he plans to announce his transition team in the coming days, while members of his Cabinet will be chosen before the end of the year. As for the transition from life in Milwaukee County to Madison, Walker says he is planning a move to the Executive Residence. With two kids in high school right now, he admits it could take some time to sort things out. However, he says the Capitol is in Madison and he understands that he needs to be here to serve as governor for all the people of the state.
Republicans To Target Education
11/5/10 - Now that Republicans are in charge of the state legislature, public schools around the state will likely have to brace for some changes. “It definitely opens up some possibilities for us to bring school costs in-line with available revenues for schools,” reasons Dan Rossmiller, Director of Government Relations for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards. Basically, Rossmiller says Republicans will likely be much more “school board-friendly,” as opposed to “union-friendly.” In fact, the budget approved by the Democrat-controlled legislature in 2009 both repealed the Qualified Economic Offer for teachers AND prevented arbitrators from considering local economic conditions when deciding teachers’ contracts.
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