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Use Of 'Bath Salts' Reaches Epidemic Levels In Parts Of Wisconsin

October 3, 2013 - 1:00am

The use of a synthetic hallucinogenic drug known as “bath salts” has reached an epidemic level in parts of central Wisconsin. The drugs are manufactured in China and southeast Asia, and then labeled as "bath salts" to avoid detection in the United States. In the past year, their use has...

Experts Offer Advice On Signing Up For New Health Care Exchanges

October 2, 2013 - 4:00pm

This week marks the kick-off of the health care exchanges under the Affordable Care Act, and many Wisconsinites are looking for individual coverage are searching for coverage plans.

Bobby Peterson, founder and executive director of ABC for Health Inc., said there have been some opening-week problems for the new health care exchange website as it was flooded with people checking out health care options -- and with reporters seeing how it worked. He said the initial problems shouldn't deter people from seeking coverage. His advice?

"Take your time," he said. "It's not something you have to jump on right now."

He said that people...

Addressing The Problem Of Food Waste

October 8, 2013 - 5:06pm

Food waste continues to be a major problem, despite the fact that over billion people in the world go hungry. A writer finds out who's on the cutting edge of dealing with this issue.

Heavy Web Traffic Still An Issue On Day 2 Of Health Exchange Signups

October 2, 2013 - 1:08pm

The second day of signup for health coverage on the new federal exchange was a lot like the first . At one location in Dane County, there was heavy web traffic but less face-to-face contact. Elissa Sprecher works with Access Community Health Centers as a certified application counselor, meaning that...

Walker: 250,000 New Jobs Still An Attainable Goal

October 2, 2013 - 12:43pm

Gov. Scott Walker said he hasn't given up on his campaign promise to create 250,000 jobs by the end of next year.

Fox Valley Police Agencies Propose 'Mutual Aid Agreement'

October 2, 2013 - 12:13pm

Nine police departments in the Fox Valley have proposed a plan that would make it easier for them to help each other in emergencies. In the Fox Cities, sometimes it's hard to tell where one city or town ends and another begins. Nine police departments often interact, but to do...

Democrats Introduce Bill In Response To Contentious DNR Grant

October 2, 2013 - 11:41am

Democratic lawmakers are sponsoring a bill to give the public a say in how tax dollars are spent to promote hunting and fishing. Recently, a half-million dollar grant that was included in the state budget was awarded to the United Sportsmen of Wisconsin Foundation. Gov. Scott Walker stopped the grant...

Ex-Nixon Aide John Dean To Speak On Watergate, Ethics During Madison Visit

October 2, 2013 - 1:00pm

John Dean, the former White House counsel to President Richard Nixon, will be Madison on Friday to deliver the University of Wisconsin Law School's 2013 Kastenmeier Lecture.

Dean's lecture is expected to draw on his days in Washington, D.C., as a young attorney -- having only been 31 when he was appointed -- to his ideas on the influence of power and ethics in government.

Dean served as counsel from July 1970 until April 1973 when Nixon fired him for refusing to complete a report on the Watergate cover-up. Soon after, Dean became the first White House official to accuse the president of direct involvement in...

In Madison, Health Insurance Website Glitches Foil In-Person Exchange Signups

October 2, 2013 - 6:00am

After Web glitches snarled traffic on the newly opened federal health care exchange website on Tuesday, healthcare.gov, local advocates said that they were unable to give in-person assistance to would-be enrollees.

Walker Considering Self-Insurance Plan For State Employees

October 2, 2013 - 8:33am

Gov. Scott Walker said the state is looking into creating a self-insured health benefits plan for state employees to avoid taxes and fees levied through the Affordable Care Act.