Top Stories December 11th

GAB Planning Voter ID Campaign

12/11/11 - The Government Accountability Board says it is preparing a major statewide public information campaign on the voter photo ID question.  The campaign is required by law and is aimed at reducing confusion by taking people through the process.  The commercials will start airing next month and will be seen, clustered around the four major elections.  A board spokesman says most people have the IDs they will need in order to cast a ballot.  They are a Wisconsin drivers license, a state-issued ID card, some student IDs, military IDs and tribal IDs.  The law was passed last May.  The commercials will cost an estimated half-million dollars.

WI Middle of the Road for Entrepreneurs

12/11/11 - A new report says Wisconsin is about average in encouraging entrepreneurship. The Badger State ranked 24th in this year's Small Business Survival Index from the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council. The group uses figures from 2008-and-'09, before Republican Governor Scott Walker was elected and made business-and-job growth a top priority. But many of the group's tax observations still apply. It said Wisconsin had high property-and-gas taxes, plus high income and corporate capital gains taxes. The group also said Wisconsin stood out for having an individual alternative minimum tax, while having a low alternative tax on business. On the plus side for business, the report said Wisconsin has no death tax. It also has fairly low individual taxes on capital gains, plus low rates of increases in state-and-local government spending since 2004. South Dakota ranks first in the Small Business Survival Index. New York state is last.

Gypsy Moth More Prevalent in Central and Northern WI

12/11/11 - The leaf-killing gypsy moth had more of a presence in northern and central Wisconsin this year, and less of a presence in the south. That's according to a new report from the state Agriculture Department. About 25-thousand traps were placed in central and western Wisconsin this summer to check the locations, volumes, and the spread of the moths. The gypsy moth has been spreading from the Eastern U-S for a number of years. It can cause heavy defoliations as it feeds on a host of trees and shrubs. Melody Walker of the state Ag Department said her agency was successful in controlling the westward spread of the gypsy moth. Wisconsin was among 11 states in a national program to slow that expansion.

$5B in Transmission Lines Approved

12/11/11 - The group that runs the Midwest wholesale market for electricity has approved over five-billion-dollars in transmission lines. Sixteen projects will spread renewable energy from the windy Great Plains into Wisconsin and other parts of the nation's mid-section. Three of the projects are in the Badger State -- power lines between La Crosse and Madison, Madison and northeast Iowa, and Kenosha County into Illinois. The Wisconsin Public Service Commission must still act on those three projects. But if they're approved, electric customers from throughout the Midwest would help pay for the Wisconsin work -- and electric users in the Badger State would do the same for projects elsewhere. Clair Moeller of the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator group says the project will spread low-cost power throughout the Midwest. But citizen groups say the lines are not needed -- especially because electric use had dropped for much of the recession. Wisconsinites would cover about 15-percent of the total cost.

Children’s Hospital Gets Grant

12/11/11 - Children’s Hospital and Health Systems will reportedly use a 418 thousand dollar federal grant to pay for equipment at 13 school clinics.  The grant from the Department of Health and Human Services was part of 14 million dollars awarded to 45 school based health centers.  The money was part of the federal health care reform law passed last year.  Children’s staffs those 13 clinics through its Community Health School Nurse Program.

GB Looking to Control Rodents

12/11/11 - Green Bay has come up with a natural approach to control rodents -- encourage birds of prey to eat them. The City Council has approved a plan to set 10 nesting platforms next spring for American kestrels, falcons, hawks, and other aggressive birds. Besides controlling rodents, Green Bay officials hope they'll revive bird populations that are struggling, by leading the birds to steady food sources. Green Bay animal control officer Sharon Hensen says it will help keep the balance of nature. Officials say they'll try to attract American kestrels first, to go after the mice at Bay Beach Amusement Park along the Bay of Green Bay. The next goal is use the kestrels downtown, with the goal of attracting larger birds-of-prey over time.

Auditor: County Saved Money But Morale is Down

12/11/11 - An audit of Milwaukee County shows a picture of workers polarized by all the furloughs they have to take.  While the move to send those workers home last year saved the county more than five million dollars, its auditor found the unpaid time off has had an ugly effect on employee morale.  The auditor says the approach demoralized county workers.  And even worse, the auditor says if a pending court case over the use of furloughs goes against Milwaukee County, it could wind up eliminating any money-saving realized by the government.

Single-Sex Charter School Being Blocked by Teachers Union

12/11/11 - Supporters of a single-sex charter school in Madison say the teachers union is getting in the way of student education.  The district won’t support the proposed Madison Preparatory Academy because it would violate the district’s labor contract by hiring non-union teachers.  That would exempt the charter school from district authority.  The Urban League of Madison says the academy addresses the achievement gap between low-income students and their mostly-white peers by targeting the disadvantaged.

Body Found at Construction Site Had Been Moved

12/11/11 - Bones found last month at a construction site were apparently buried at another location first.  Investigators say they are trying to determine where the original location was.  The remains were found about six to seven feet below ground level as a site was being cleared for a near Harley-Davidson dealership in Brown County.  The former landowners say fill dirt from several sources were brought there to raise the ground level.  The site had been a farm, but the farmstead was leveled in 1993, staying vacant until a restaurant was built in 2005.

Longtime Mosinee Employer Closing Factory

12/11/11 - Schield Family Brands says it plans to close its factory and office in Mosinee by the end of next year.  About 550 workers would be affected, their positions moved to factories in Ladysmith, Medford and Park Falls.  It hasn’t been made clear whether those workers will have the opportunity to transfer to the other three plants or not.  Employees have received a letter saying layoffs will start next February, continuing through the end of August.  Vinyl windows and doors are made in Mosinee.  The company blames the decision on a weak housing market and the refusal of union workers to extend their current contract.

Find Out When Pesticides are Being Applied

12/11/11 - Residents wanting to know about it when professionals are applying pesticides can sign up to a registry now.  The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection offers online registration.  The deadline to join is February 1st.  Notices about pesticide applications can be sent by phone calls or snail mail starting March 15th.  There are about 950 people on the registry currently.
(NOTE:  The website is http://datcpservices.wisconsin.gov/landreg/index.jsp.)