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5/22/2013
Opponents of the national education standards that Wisconsin adopted packed an informational hearing today, where lawmakers were told how the Badger State is faring. All but five states have adopted the national voluntary standards, which call for basic requirements in math and English – plus a greater emphasis on analytical reading and writing skills. Wisconsin adopted the standards in 2011. And while there’s been no major push to repeal them here, other states are getting more complaints about the standards. Some states are working to eliminate them, as critics say the standards are too easy. But no state has taken such a big move yet. Almost 40 Wisconsin Tea Party groups have called for an investigation, saying the standards provide lower expectations and less local control for districts. Minnesota teacher Karen Schroeder of the Advocates for Academic Freedom said the federal government should have never interfered in local schools. On the other side was Kathleen Porter-Magee of the Fordham Institute. She said the standards are a big improvement over what Wisconsin used to have.
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5/22/2013
Unemployment rates went down last month in all 12 Wisconsin metro areas. State labor officials released the local data this afternoon. Seasonally-adjusted jobless rates for April ranged from five-point-two percent in Madison to nine-point-one percent in Racine. Actual unadjusted rates had similar variances. Despite the lower rates, 10 of the 12 metros reported lower job totals than a month ago. State officials blamed inaccurate employer surveys that only in which only three-and-a-half percent of firms provided data. Fond du Lac and Racine were the only two metros reporting an increase in employment, each with 100 additional jobs. The report said Metro Milwaukee lost 47-hundred jobs last month. All but five of Wisconsin’s 72 counties reported lower unadjusted unemployment rates than March. The local rates went up in Menominee, Price, and Calumet counties – and they held steady in Iron and Langlade counties. County rates ranged from four-point-nine percent in Dane, to 15-point-six in Menominee.
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5/22/2013
Flood warnings continue in far western Wisconsin. That area has been hit the hardest by a series of rainstorms over the past few days. The National Weather Service said 2-to-4 inches of rain have fallen in the region since last Sunday. Light rains are also predicted for today. The Chippewa River in Eau Claire rose by six-feet yesterday. Officials said it would get above its flood stage today and drop on Sunday. At Durand, the Chippewa River was expected to reach its flood stage around midnight tonight, and recede below its banks by Sunday. In Trempealeau County, a flood warning continues for the Trempealeau River at Dodge. It was almost a half-foot above its flood stage this morning. Forecasters say it will go back below its banks tomorrow. Forecasters say the rain will clear out overnight, and then it will get drier and cooler into the Memorial Day Weekend. Patchy frost is possible on Friday morning.
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5/22/2013
Wisconsin’s newest U-S senator said today that her state’s businesses and middle class residents are “stuck in neutral” while the national economy recovers. Democrat Tammy Baldwin followed a Senate tradition, and waited a few months before giving her first floor speech to her colleagues. Baldwin – who spent 14 years in the House before moving to the Senate in January – said there’s a disconnect between the concerns of Wisconsinites and the rhetoric of Washington. She said Capitol Hill bounces from quote, “one manufactured crisis to the next, never addressing the real and ongoing crisis of our disappearing middle class.” Baldwin said her goal was to create a quote, “Made in Wisconsin” economy that revitalizes the state’s manufacturing sector and rebuilds prosperity. She said labor must be respected, and there needs to be regional research-and-development hubs plus more support for technical colleges. Baldwin was among 12 senators who were newly-elected last fall. Because of her time in the House, she has the highest rank among the new members.
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5/22/2013
Governor Scott Walker unveiled the “Wisconsin Walleye Initiative” today. It seeks to increase the number of walleye in the state’s fishing spots, by expanding production at state, tribal, and privately-owned fish hatcheries. The Republican governor calls it an “historic investment” which will make long-term improvements to Wisconsin lakes – as well as the state’s fishing and tourist industries. The goal is to expand large walleye fingerlings from a minimum of 60-thousand to over a half-million by 2016. The package would use over eight-million-dollars in available bonding authority to expand the capacities of fish hatcheries. Among other things, it will also create a competitive grant program for private groups to expand walleye production – contract with groups to acquire more walleye fingerlings – expand the state’s Tribal Youth program, in which school-aged tribal youngsters work on natural resource projects – and have the U-W Extension continue its work with private aqua-culture for at least the next year. The Wisconsin Conservation Congress praised the new initiative, calling it a “substantial investment” to improve the walleye fishery in the north.
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5/22/2013
Extra law enforcement patrols will be out this holiday weekend, hoping to keep the roadways safe. The Department of Transportation says an average of 9 people are killed on Wisconsin roadways over Memorial Day weekend. That's higher than the national average, and our seatbelt use is lower. State Patrol Lieutenant Jeff Lorentz (lor-ENTZ) says the main goal of the "Click It or Ticket" campaign is to get people to buckle up, not to issue tickets. Eau Claire County Sheriff's Captain Dan Bresina says some of the victims of recent traffic crashes in the area could have survived if they had been wearing seatbelts. The extra patrols are in part paid for with federal grants. Officers will also be on the lookout for drunk driving, speeding, and driving while texting.
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5/22/2013
Highway workers will spend Memorial Day Weekend off the job, as the Wisconsin D-O-T is suspending most major highway projects during the three-day-holiday. Most workers will be calling it quits Friday at noon, and will not resume until 6am Tuesday the 28th. WisDOT says while most lanes through work zones will be open to handle heavy holiday traffic, drivers may still encounter narrow lanes, lane shifts and rough pavement. Highway projects that could potentially impact Chippewa Valley travelers include a stretch of I-94 in St. Croix County near Hudson, and a stretch of the interstate in Eau Claire and Trempealeau Counties; although the D-O-T says all four lanes should be open by this weekend between Eau Claire and Osseo. That area has seen major traffic backups on recent weekends. Travelers can always check real-time traffic information by calling 5-1-1.
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5/22/2013
As frac-sand mining grew in Wisconsin, so did the money the industry gave to state political candidates. The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign found that the sand mining and natural gas industries gave $758,000 since 2007. That’s way up from just $19,000 in 2007 when only a handful of frac-sand mines were operating in the Badger State. Republican Governor Scott Walker got the most, with $520,000. Last year, about 100 mines were operating – and the frac-sand and natural gas industries donated $413,000 to state candidates. The D-N-R has struggled to keep up with the growth in frac-sand mines, which provide ultra-smooth sand used in drilling for oil-and-gas. Governor Scott Walker proposed two additional frac-sand mining inspectors in the new state budget. The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee endorsed that request yesterday.
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5/22/2013
An Eau Claire man has been arrested in Minnesota, for allegedly forcing his eight-year-old daughter to carry illegal drugs he apparently planned to sell. Ramsey County authorities say 27-year-old Cheng Lor faces two possible charges of possessing methamphetamines and one count of child endangerment. That was after gas station employees in the Saint Paul suburb of Vadnais Heights called police to report a suspicious man with a child in tow. Witnesses said Lor appeared to be hallucinating, and cellophane baggies were sticking out of the child’s pockets. Police said they contained meth and Ecstasy. The man was taken to jail, and the youngster was turned over to relatives.
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