Top Stories, October 23rd

Car Deer Collisions Peak In October November

10/23/11 - It’s that time of year to lookout for deer. October and November are peak months for deer-vehicle crashes as deer become more prevalent and their movements more unpredictable. Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper Jim Larson says the best thing motorists can do to avoid a deer crash is slow down, buckle up and stay alert. "If you notice a deer in or near your path, brake firmly. However, if a collision with a deer is unavoidable, try not to swerve suddenly since that can result in a loss of control and a more serious crash with another vehicle or a fixed object can occur. If possible, get your vehicle off the road. Then call your local law enforcement agency and wait in your vehicle until they arrive." Collisions with deer can be especially deadly for motorcyclists. Of the 13 traffic fatalities involving deer last year, 12 were motorcyclists.

Immigration Attorney Questions Recent Sweep

10/23/11 - An immigration attorney is raising questions about two recent law enforcement sweeps in which about 65 illegal immigrants were arrested in Wisconsin for various crimes. Thirty Milwaukee men were arrested in July, and the federal government said they all had gang affiliations. But immigration lawyer Erich Straub said three of the suspects who contacted him were not involved in gang activity, and two had no arrest records. The second sweep occurred late last month, when 34 illegal immigrants were arrested in the state. Straub said none of them called him for help – and it might be because of a new policy which called for more discretion in arresting illegal immigrants who don’t pose a public safety risk. Straub claims the union that represents immigration agents is against the softer policy – and it’s a sign that the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency is quote, “at war with itself.” And Straub called it surprising, since the agency is deporting people at a 10-percent higher rate now than during the former George W. Bush administration.

Chemical Plant Neighbors File Lawsuit

10/23/11 - Neighbors of a chemical plant in Madison are suing the company. Seven families say Madison-Kipp has contaminated the groundwater under their homes – and vapors from the plant have seeped through the soil and into their houses. The families also accuse Madison-Kipp of not adequately investigating and cleaning up the pollutants for over 15 years. The main chemical in question is a human carcinogen called P-C-E, or tetra-chloro-ethylene. The plant makes precision parts for vehicles. The families have asked a federal judge to require a more thorough clean-up of the contaminants, plus compensation for property damage. Madison-Kipp vice president Mark Meunier says the company has posed quote, “no imminent or substantial endangerment to the community.” He said the company has been working on a remediation program for about 17 years – and it’s been 24 years since the plant has used the chemicals at issue. The state has ordered a cleanup plan that includes back-filling with top-soil in at least two yards adjacent to the plant. Residents have said the state-ordered clean-up does not go far enough.

Manpower Nets $80M in Recent Quarter

10/23/11 - Milwaukee’s Manpower Incorporated reports a net profit of just under 80-million dollars in its most recent quarter. Manpower, the world’s third-largest employee staffing firm, said its earnings for July-through-September were 28-million dollars more than in the same period a year ago. C-E-O Jeff Joerres said Manpower had solid growth in all of its regions – and the bottom line was also helped by a weaker U-S dollar. Manpower’s revenues total 16-and-a-half million dollars for the quarter. That’s 21-percent more than the year before. Joerres said Manpower’s temporary staffing unit kept growing despite uncertainty in the economy. And he said the firm’s professional talent sector is quote, “rapidly adding to profitability.” Manpower’s stockholders made 97-cents a share in the last quarter. The firm expects earnings of 85-to-95 cents in the next quarter.

Leaf Pick-Up Underway In Beaver Dam

10/23/11 - Leaf pick-up is underway in Beaver Dam. Director of Facilities David Stoiser says leaves -- along with lawn grass rakings resulting from leaf gathering, garden vines and stalks – can be placed in the terrace areas of the street edge in loose piles for collection by the Department of Public Works. Collection will continue through late November. Stoiser says yard waste cannot be placed in the street or gutter, or in any containers. Leaves, rakings and garden debris cannot be mixed with other forms of waste like brush or shrubbery cuttings. Stoiser says fruits, nuts and vegetables are not acceptable and should be disposed of as garbage. Beaver Dam’s Yard Waste Drop-Off site is located at 640 South Center Street. No waste of any kind will be allowed from outside the city.

Small Packet Tree Sales Underway In Dodge County

10/23/11 - Trees and shrubs are now available for the annual fall Small Packet Tree sales program in Dodge County. The Land Conservation Department is offering several species of trees for sale for the 2012 planting season, including Red and White Oak, Sugar Maple, White Cedar, White Pine, Colorado Blue Spruce, Norway Spruce, Hazelnut and Fraser Fir. Most trees are sold in bundles of 25 and most are $24 per bundle, tax included. Sugar Maple bundles are $40 per bundle. The deadline to place orders is January 27, but there are limited amounts of some species, so early orders are encouraged. For more information or to get an order form, contact the Dodge County Land Conservation Department. Contact information is on our website.

Contact: 386-3660 http://www.co.dodge.wi.us/conservation/landserv.html#treesales

State Workers Start Voting Thursday On Unions Future

10/23/11 - Members of a half-dozen state employee unions will vote this week on whether to officially stay in existence. The Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission will hold the elections, the first under the new law which virtually ended collective bargaining for most state-and-local public unions. Voting will be done by phone from Thursday until November 16th. The affected groups will then learn within a day-or-two whether they’ll recertify. The certification votes are required every year under the union law. Governor Scott Walker says it forces them to decide whether the groups are valuable enough to their members to stay in existence. To be recertified, unions must be supported by 51-percent of all members – a tougher standard than the previous one, which called for 50-plus-percent of those actually voting. The state Attorney’s Association and the Association-of-State-Prosecutors will be among those voting next week. The others represent health care workers, information professionals, research and statistical employees, and contractors.

A-G To Make Decision on Lt Governor Recall Role

10/23/11 - The state attorney general’s office expects to announce in early November whether the governor and lieutenant governor can be one recall target – or two. State law requires separate recall elections for each official. But the governor and lieutenant governor run as a single ticket after the primaries. Republicans Scott Walker and Rebecca Kleefisch were voted in together – and the Government Accountability Board has asked the attorney general whether they can be voted out together, or whether each would need a separate recall petition and vote. The Board believes they would have to be recalled separately, but it wants a formal legal opinion. United Wisconsin, the group that’s joining Democrats in the Walker recall effort, says it wants both Walker and Kleefisch out. But spokeswoman Meghan Mahaffey says the strategy will depend on what the accountability board eventually decides. The group plans to start circulating recall petitions November 15th. They would have to be filed by January 17th, and at least 540-thousand valid signatures are needed to force a gubernatorial recall contest.

Democrats Say Consumers Hurt By GOP Reforms

10/23/11 - “The little guy” would be locked out of Wisconsin’s consumer protection laws if two of the Republicans’ legal reform bills get passed. That’s what Assembly Democrat Tony Staskunas of West Allis said today at a public hearing by the Assembly’s Judiciary-and-Ethics Committee. The bills would prohibit attorneys from charging more than three times the monetary awards in some consumer cases. Also, those who win personal injury suits would get less interest on damage payments which are spread over time – while banks and credit unions would still get 12-percent a year for judgments they win against their customers. Staskunas and the bill’s other opponents said attorneys would no longer take consumer cases for relatively small amounts of money – and that means businesses are quote, “just not going to be challenged anymore.” But Republican finance chair Robin Vos took issue with that claim. He said those with reasonable losses will find quote, “reasonable attorneys to defend them.” And Vos said the bill would cut down on frivolous suits and create more out-of-court settlements. He said the state needs to do all it can to assist those who create jobs in this time of economic uncertainty. A third legal reform bill would give legal immunity to drug and medical equipment makers for products approved by the F-D-A.

Wisconsin Loses Top-Ten Energy Efficiency Rating

10/23/11 - Wisconsin is no longer one of the 10 most energy-efficient states. And the group that put the rankings together pointed the finger at Republicans, for the spending cuts they made in the Focus-on-Energy program. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy rates the efforts of each state to encourage its residents to go green. Wisconsin is ranked 16th in that department, after being in the Top-10 a number of years ago. The council said the economy “lumbered along” this year, while energy-efficiency was quote, “a growth sector that attracts investment and creates jobs.” But the Council said Wisconsin and New Jersey both “stepped backward in the race to save energy.” The state’s utility regulators had endorsed higher electric bills for an expansion of energy-efficiency programs by Focus-on-Energy. But lawmakers who voted to roll back the funding said it was poor time to raise electric rates for those strapped by the economy – and they raised questions about who really benefits.