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Fox Valley Literacy Group Wins Truckload Of Books

February 1, 2013 - 11:21am

Volunteers in the Fox Valley are sorting through thousands of books, getting them ready to distribute to needy kids. A local chapter of "First Book" won a nationwide contest and a semi trailer full of books.

First Book (https://www.firstbook.org/) is a twenty-year-old nonprofit that hooks up publishers with local chapters...

Nonprofits In Wisconsin Struggling Financially

January 31, 2013 - 10:00pm

A survey of nonprofits in Wisconsin indicates 28 percent have chronic financial problems. That's more in trouble than the previous year, yet demand for these groups' services is increasing.

Fund raising goals that fell short are one reason nonprofits found they had more bills than they could pay last year. Most...

8-Alarm Fire At Food Processing Plant Contained

January 31, 2013 - 6:54pm

Firefighters have contained a blaze that caused heavy damage to a food manufacturing plant in Burlington.

Firefighters are now tending to hot spots at Echo Lake Foods, one of the largest employers in Burlington. It's calmer now than it was last night, when fire fighters and rescue personnel from eight...

Arctic System Turns Upper Midwest Into Deep Freeze

January 31, 2013 - 5:46pm

The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory for the entire state of Wisconsin tonight into tomorrow morning.

An arctic high pressure system is building tonight in the upper Midwest, with wind chills of 20-30 below zero and possibly colder in Northern Wisconsin.

Sarah Marquardt is a Meteorologist with the...

State Dems Offer Jobs Bill

January 31, 2013 - 5:44pm

Democratic state lawmakers have unveiled a package of bills that they say would quickly create jobs. It includes a few ideas already endorsed by Governor Scott Walker.

So far the only bill Republicans have introduced this session aimed at job creation would rewrite Wisconsin's mining laws, with the goal of siting...

Wisconsin Prison System Requests Nearly Double Minnesota's Corrections Budget

January 31, 2013 - 5:40pm

The state prison system is asking for $2.3 billion over the next two years to fund both the prisons and the parole and probation programs. Some state legislators are asking why Minnesota spends about half that amount.

Both Wisconsin and Minnesota have similar populations and crime rates, but there's a stark...

Bayfield County Board Votes Down A Mining Resolution

January 31, 2013 - 1:59pm

In a surprising about-face, the Bayfield County Board Tuesday night (1/29) overwhelmingly rejected what many people considered a pro-mining resolution. The problem is, it wasn't.

Even the resolution's author, Ken Jardine of Port Wing, voted against it. He says it was a misunderstanding. His resolution was designed to keep environmental safeguards...

Dow Moseys Up Towards 14K

January 31, 2013 - 1:51pm

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is recovering from recession-era lows. It's flirting with the 14,000 mark.

14,000 is just a number. But for the Dow Jones in recent years, it's a healthy one.

The Dow cratered down to 6,600 back in March of 2009. Since then the Dow and other equity markets...

Walker Hints At More Voucher Schools

January 31, 2013 - 1:23pm

Governor Scott Walker is dropping more hints about expanding school vouchers in Wisconsin. But people familiar with the long-running Milwaukee voucher program have some warnings for Walker.

Governor Walker spoke at a national school choice week rally in Milwaukee and later filled in more blanks for reporters about how his state...

La Crosse Council Pres Keeps Seat

January 31, 2013 - 1:06pm

La Crosse's City Council president has survived a recall attempt Tuesday. (1/29)

Audrey Kader won 74 percent of the vote in the recall primary against two conservative candidates. Since she received more than half of the votes, there will not be a second election.

Kader represents a district close to downtown that...

PSC: No Proof That Wind Turbines Cause Sickness

January 31, 2013 - 12:49pm

State legislators are considering two competing proposals for increasing the amount of compensation the state pays to people who have served time in prison for crimes they didn't commit.

One of the two proposals would increase the compensation from the current $5,000 per year of imprisonment capped at $25,000, to the...

PSC: No Environmental Impact Study Needed For Wind Project

January 31, 2013 - 12:48pm

State regulators say a proposed large-scale wind farm in western Wisconsin will not adversely affect people nearby. That's despite testimony by experts and residents who say low-pitch sounds from turbines make them sick.

Large wind turbines can emit what is known as 'Infrasound Low Frequency Noise,' or ILFN. It's such a...

Study: Poor Pay More Of Their Income In Taxes

January 31, 2013 - 12:39pm

A new national study says poor people in Wisconsin, as in most states, devote a larger share of their incomes to taxes than do wealthier residents. The study's author says an income tax cut being weighed by Republicans would exacerbate that trend.

The study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic...

Pesticide Registry Deadline Fast Approaches

January 31, 2013 - 12:11pm

Underneath any blanket of snow on your lawn are weeds ready to sprout this spring. If you want to know when lawn care companies will be spraying chemicals in your neighborhood, you have just another two days to sign up for the state's landscape pesticide registry.

For the second year, the...

Milwaukee Mayor, Sheriff Spar Over Guns

January 31, 2013 - 10:04am

The verbal battle over President Obama's gun control plan continues between Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke. The two men appeared on a national cable television program Tuesday night, to discuss Clarke's recent radio ad calling for more citizens to purchase firearms. Barrett says Clarke was...

And Now...Bitter Cold

January 31, 2013 - 8:27am

Yesterday's storm dropped about 5-10" of snow over much of southern Wisconsin. Reedsburg recorded 10". Other totals as of last evening: Westfield, 9"; Platteville, 8.8"; Richland Center, 8"; Green Lake, 8"; Ashwaubenon, 8"; just west of Madison, 7"; Dodgeville, 7", Onalaska, 6"; Wausau, 6", Washington Island, 5.5".The National Weather...

GOP Moves To Weaken Wisc. Secretary of State

January 30, 2013 - 1:20pm

Wisconsin's Secretary of State would be stripped of the power to delay new laws under a plan passed by Republicans in the State Senate. The bill grew out of the fight over Wisconsin's collective bargaining law, now known as Act 10.

In Wisconsin the Secretary of State is given up to...

Reed Hall Sees WEDC Progress

January 30, 2013 - 1:11pm

Governor Scott Walker plans a second day Wednesday (1/30) of touring the state with a new economic development official. That official, newly-selected WEDC head Reed Hall, says his agency's problems are easing.

Walker touched off another controversy Tuesday (1/29) when he chose Reed Hall to be CEO of the Wisconsin Economic...

Archbishop Wants School Vouchers Statewide

January 30, 2013 - 1:08pm

A national tour promoting school voucher expansion arrives in Wisconsin Wednesday (1/30) and arrives as Milwaukee's Catholic Archbishop is calling for vouchers statewide.

Governor Walker and other officials are scheduled to be at a gathering linked to the arrival of a passenger train called the "National School Choice Week Special." The...

Medical Board: Tighten Requirements, Get Better Doctors

January 29, 2013 - 10:29pm

The state board that disciplines physicians wants lawmakers to approve a change in licensing, so that Wisconsin is not a magnet for poorly trained physicians.

Most states in the U.S. require 2 years of hands-on training following medical school before applying for a doctor's license. In Wisconsin, the requirement is...

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Fox Valley Literacy Group Wins Truckload Of Books

Nonprofits In Wisconsin Struggling Financially

8-Alarm Fire At Food Processing Plant Contained

Arctic System Turns Upper Midwest Into Deep Freeze

State Dems Offer Jobs Bill

Wisconsin Prison System Requests Nearly Double Minnesota's Corrections Budget

Bayfield County Board Votes Down A Mining Resolution

Dow Moseys Up Towards 14K

Walker Hints At More Voucher Schools

La Crosse Council Pres Keeps Seat

PSC: No Proof That Wind Turbines Cause Sickness

PSC: No Environmental Impact Study Needed For Wind Project

Study: Poor Pay More Of Their Income In Taxes

Pesticide Registry Deadline Fast Approaches

Milwaukee Mayor, Sheriff Spar Over Guns

And Now...Bitter Cold

GOP Moves To Weaken Wisc. Secretary of State

Reed Hall Sees WEDC Progress

Archbishop Wants School Vouchers Statewide

Medical Board: Tighten Requirements, Get Better Doctors

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