State Headlines From Wisconsin Public Radio, Jan. 28
Kind: people need accurate information about health care reform
By Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio
U.S. Congressman Ron Kind says people need more reliable information about the health care reform law.
The Wisconsin Democrat took that message to seniors in Eau Claire yesterday. Kind began his listening session by stressing how the reforms are helping seniors, such as the $250 rebate on prescription drugs last year and the 50 percent discount of brand name drugs beginning this year.
But much of the question and answer period was spent on what Kind calls health care reform myths pushed by insurance lobbyists.
“There isn’t going to be any federal bureaucrat sitting in Washington saying that `This is ok and this isn’t ok,’” said Kind. “It’s about empowering patients with the best evidence in the delivery of health care based on what works. But the other side says, ‘No, no, no, that’s all going to lead to rationing and these panels making decisions for everyone else.’”
Mary Mickel of Eau Claire says that misinformation is fueling the Republican Party’s call for repeal of health care reform.
“I think they did such a good job selling 30 percent of the population on that nonsense that they now have to stand up and fight to get rid of this whether they know better or not,” Mickel said.
But Jay Torgerson, also of Eau Claire, says the lengthy reform bill was blindly pushed through Congress and should be revisited.
“I really object to the fact that most of these congressmen voted for a bill that was way over 1,000 pages, 300 of which they have not even read,” says Torgerson. “That really scares me.”
Last week, the Republican dominated House of Representatives voted to repeal the health care law, but the measure is not expected to get past the Senate.
Tax breaks for jobs nears final approval
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio
A plan that would give businesses a tax deduction for every person they hire is one step away from becoming law.
The tax deduction would be open to businesses of all sizes for every full time job they add. It would benefit them by between $92 and $316, depending on the type of business and how big they are.
Chippewa Falls Republican Terry Moulton says it's a way the government can help the private sector.
"The one thing we can do with certainty is to create an environment that allows businesses and entrepreneurs to grow and to add jobs," Moulton said.
The plan is the latest version of what had originally been proposed by Governor Scott Walker on the campaign as a small business tax break. Conover Democratic Senator Jim Holperin said this version was so watered down that Walker had effectively broken his promise.
"For small businesses across the main streets that I represent in the 12th senate district, I think they're feeling a little disillusioned, maybe a little forgotten,” says Holperin. “Because they were promised some income tax relief."
Still, Holperin joined several other Democrats and all Republicans in sending the tax cut to the Governor's desk for his approval. It will deepen the state's deficit by $67-million.
Walker’s plan to rework commerce arm advances
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio
A proposal by the Governor to dismantle Wisconsin's Department of Commerce and replace it with a new, public-private authority has cleared a couple legislative panels.
The plan would spin off the regulatory duties of Commerce to other state agencies and create a semi-private Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
Backers say it would give the state a laser focus on job creation. But beyond a basic skeleton, not much is known about how this agency would work.
Democrats tried to change that by requiring that many of the same economic incentives Commerce uses right now would be moved over, that the new employees would file economic interest statements, and that minority job programs would be preserved.
Stevens Point Democratic Senator Julie Lassa says without those changes this plan is amorphous--a blank check.
"This bill is so vague,” says Lassa. “People are making it into whatever they want to make it into. And that's the trouble."
But Majority Republicans blocked those changes. GOP Senator Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac says simply transferring over all of Commerce's duties to this new corporation would defeat the purpose.
“We're trying something new here. Let's stop putting roadblocks in the way of getting something new. We're moving away from the existing structure. Let's let them do that!" Hopper said.
Republican lawmakers did amend the plan to require that this new agency get audited every couple years, and that it have many of the same reporting duties as the state's existing commerce department. They also required that the board that will run the agency have some appointments made by legislators in addition to the Governor.
Most of the new agency's duties will get hashed out as part of the state budget.
Final barrier erected against invasive fish
By Mike Simonson, Wisconsin Public Radio
The third and final electrical barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal is about to go online, A year ahead of schedule. Final tests should be finished in the next month in this effort to stop the spread of big and heavy flying fish.
The last electrical link in the battle to keep the Asian carp out of the Great Lakes is getting its final operational test this week. The Army Corp of Engineers is overseeing the building and operation of three electrical barriers designed to shock and stun fish swimming toward Lake Michigan in the Chicago waterway.
Colonel Vincent Quarles, the district commander, says as with any new construction project, they want to ensure it’s operating as designed.
“So the work this week, we’re finishing up the operational testing,” Quarles said.
That means making sure this third and last barrier works. After that, Quarles says they’ll take three weeks for safety testing so the new barrier isn’t a shocking experience for commercial vessels.
“We want to make sure if you have a metal rigid body such as a barge coming through, what electrical they feel from the canal. If they’re tied off in certain ways and do certain things, the risk is low,” he said.
Quarles says construction of this last barrier is a year ahead of pace because of stimulus spending from the federal government.
Walker signs off on legislation limiting lawsuits against companies
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio
Governor Scott Walker has signed into law a sweeping plan that will make it harder for victims of injuries or their families to sue the businesses that hurt them.
The plan would cap punitive damages and cap damages against nursing homes among several other restrictions. It would also prevent a hospital's internal investigations from being used in a lawsuit.
Walker says businesses were asking for the changes.
"Time and time again, on survey after survey, employers tell us that one of the most important elements when they consider expanding and investing in a state is what the litigation climate is," he said.
Walker says it still gives people who are harmed access to court. But Mike End, the President of Wisconsin Association of Justice, says the new law does nothing to create jobs. End says it does protect corporate nursing homes that provide substandard care.
Study looks at how well hospices use the language of loss and dying
By Shamane Mills, Wisconsin Public Radio
One of the ways a hospice attempts to help families of dying patients cope is with written materials. A study done at the University of Wisconsin-Madison questions whether that information is helpful.
Karen Kehl is assistant professor at the UW-Madison School of Nursing. She examined 150 documents from hospices around the country, looking for readability and complexity of the written materials.
"There were a few that were terrible, there were a whole bunch in the middle, and there were a few that were pretty good,” says Kehl. “But we did find the ones that had more content were written at a higher grade level. So while there's more there, there's also less that's understandable."
Research indicates that the average adult American reads at an 8th grade reading level. One in five, however, read below that, at the 5th grade level or lower.
Kehl was able to identify words that made materials harder to understand. One of them was "apnea."
"Apnea means `not breathing’ and when someone is getting close to the end of their life they may have periods where they go for 5 seconds or 10 seconds or even sometimes longer than that it appears they're not breathing," she said.
Kehl says medical staff will refer to this condition as apnea, so it's important family understand the term, and not for hospices to just delete difficult words from brochures.
CRI workers have great time making “terrible” towels
By Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio
A Chippewa Falls nonprofit that employs people with disabilities is getting big business from all the Super Bowl hype. The organization is tasked with making hundreds of thousands of towels for both Steelers and Packers fans.
On the factory floor at Chippewa River Industries (CRI) nearly 20 people stand next to waist high industrial irons. With each spurt and spit an image of the “Terrible Towel” design is melted to a patch of terry cloth. But no matter which team is crowned Super Bowl Champion, Chippewa River Industries will benefit.
CEO Dave Lemanski says they’re already making more than 100,000 “Terrible Towels” for the Steelers and they just got word they’ll be making “Title Towels” for the Packers. But Lemanski says the goal at CRI isn’t just to make towels.
“Our mission is all about helping people live as independent lives as they can in their communities. So, part of living independently is employment,” Lemanski said.
There are currently 50 clients working on the towel projects. One of them is T.J. Lane. She’s a Packers fan but still takes pride in making the “Terrible Towels”.
“It’s fun because we get to see the towels on TV and it’s neat to see our product in stores that someone can go buy,” Lane said.
Larry Booth has worked at CRI for seven years and says he still loves every day of it.
“Well, it gives me something to do, it gives me extra money and I’m not sitting around home doing nothing. So, it keeps me busy,” Booth said.
Per its inventor’s wishes, a portion of the proceeds from the Steelers’ “Terrible Towels” will go to the Allegheny School for People with Disabilities in Pennsylvania.
Chippewa River Industries contracts with Macarthur Towel and Sports Designs of Baraboo to produce the Super Bowl memorabilia for both teams.
Wisconsin AG explains legal stance on lawsuit against Affordable Care Act
By Shamane Mills, Wisconsin Public Radio
Wisconsin's attorney general says citizens can't be forced to buy health insurance or pay a penalty if they don't. It's a question that's likely to go to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In the debate organized by the Federalist Society, Republican Attorney General JB Van Hollen says Wisconsin's decision to join a federal multistate lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act was not about the politics of health care. Rather, he says it's about ensuring a balance of powers between the federal and state governments.
"If Congress were able to pass any law they wanted, even if it was by everybody's standards far above and beyond the scope of their authority contained within the constitution -- but nobody were to push back -- that balance of powers would not exist,” says Van Hollen. “I truly believe that Congress has overstepped their bounds."
An attorney and state representative from Milwaukee disagrees. Representative Jon Richards support health reform and believes the commerce clause of the constitution allows it. He points out health care accounts for 17 percent of the nation's economy.
"I really do believe that the economic realities of law that pass Congress should trump legal conceptions or legal jargon when looking at how we should interrupt those laws," he said.
U.S. courts so far are split on the constitutionality of various aspects of health reform.
A law professor from George Mason University participating in the debate says the U.S. Supreme Court could go either way on the mandate question, and it might not be a clear divide because he says conservatives have split on federalist issues in recent years.
GOP legislators fast track latest voter ID bill
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio
After years of being thwarted by a Democratic Governor, Republicans are poised to move fast on bringing a voter ID law to Wisconsin.
The sponsors of this plan have introduced it so many times that they know all the highlights by heart. Greendale Assembly Republican Jeff Stone told a panel of state lawmakers considering the bill yesterday that voter ID is all about making sure people are who they say they are.
"The intent of this legislation is to make sure that everyone who is eligible to vote gets to cast a vote and that everyone who votes is eligible," Stone said.
Sheboygan Republican Senator Joe Leibham says it's needed because people lack confidence in the current system.
"And when citizens lack confidence in the election process in which they are electing the leaders of the state or community or whatever it may be, then they lack confidence in their government," he said.
But while the plan builds on voter ID bills of years past, David Canon, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says this one is different.
"This version…is more restrictive than any bill we've had in the past. Indeed, if this bill passes, it would be the most restrictive in the United States," Canon said.
While much of the proposal is based on an Indiana law the Supreme Court upheld, Canon says there are important differences. For one, there are roughly twice as many DMV centers in Indiana. In other words, it would be harder to get an ID in Wisconsin.
Canon says Indiana also allows other types of photo IDs, like student ID cards. Wisconsin's law would be limited to drivers licenses, state-issued IDs and military IDs.
Critics say what that means practically, is that it will be harder for students to vote. Dane County Supervisor Analiese Eicher represents a student-heavy district. She says she doubts most young people have their current address on their current license.
"We're a very transient population,” says Eicher. “I will be 23 in March and I have had six different addresses in the last five years."
Wisconsin's top election official told lawmakers the bill should allow for student IDs. Government Accountability Board Director Kevin Kennedy says it should also let absentee voters continue to cast ballots without a photo ID. As it is, he says the bill has myriad exceptions to protect specific groups of voters like seniors in nursing homes.
"And the problem is, it creates and administrative nightmare for municipal clerks and pollworkers," Kennedy said.
Some Republicans want this new law in place by April's election, but Kennedy says that won't be possible in its current form. He adds the plan as it's written would be expensive, but sets no money aside to do the extra work.
Beyond some of the new concerns with this bill, yesterday's hearing highlighted an old divide over voter ID. Critics worry it will drive down turnout among inner city minority voters, who are less likely to possess a drivers license.
Mark Musselman disagrees. He testified that photo ID's are required for other commonplace activities.
"Ask yourself this. Does requiring identification for a bank transaction or to fly on a commercial airliner or any of the other reasons cited indicated an act of bigotry? The obvious answer is 'no,'" he said.
But Milwaukee Assembly Democrat Tamara Grigsby says that minimizes the importance of the right to vote.
"This is a right that was guaranteed by the Constitution,” she says. "It's not a constitutional right to go rent a movie at Blockbuster. It's not a constitutional right to get on a plane or to write a check. Voting is," Grigsby said.
While details like the timing, cost and the scope of this plan may yet be in the air, its passage is likely a given. Should it clear the legislature, Republican Governor Scott Walker has said he'll sign it.
Wetlands advocates work against new legislation
By Gil Halsted, Wisconsin Public Radio
Environmental groups are trying to block a bill they say would weaken state wetland protections.
The bill would allow a Bass Pro shop to be built on a wetland in Green Bay just down the street from Lambeau field. The High End Anglers Supply store is part of a business development project known as “Titletown” backed by the Green Bay Packers. But the Wisconsin Wetlands Association says the proposed bill exempting the project from a wetlands permit could open the flood gates for other businesses to get similar legislation passed to avoid state regulations.
Attorney Carl Sinderbrand represents the Wetlands Association.
"The effect of this legislation sends the message that if you are influential enough you can circumvent the law,” says Attorney Carl Sinderbrand, who represents the Wetlands Association. “I embrace Governor' Walkers call that Wisconsin is `open for business’. Government should not be open for sale to those of influence."
Supporters of the bill say the man who wants to fill the one-and-a-half acre wetland, Green Bay Packers executive committee member John Bergstrom, has agreed to restore wetlands elsewhere and maintain other wetlands on property in perpetuity.
Bergstrom's attorney Paul Kent says the environmental group’s efforts to move the project elsewhere is putting a damper on economic growth.
"Retailers and the jobs associated with such a development are going elsewhere if we can't get through the permitting process in a more certain and expedited process and given those challenges this bill is a way to move forward," Kent said.
Democratic legislators hope to amend the bill to add requirements for a flood damage analysis. The bill could be voted on as soon as next week.
Debate continues over level of governor’s involvement in new laws, rules
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio
Governor Scott Walker's top aide told a panel of state lawmakers yesterday that a plan to change how state agencies carry out new laws will make them more accountable to the public.
Walker's proposal would have the Governor sign off on every administrative rule that's developed by a state agency. Administrative rules are the fine details of laws that pass the legislature, and can anything from some kinds of building standards to a landlord-tenant agreement.
Walker has said giving the Governor more say in that process will lead to more business-friendly rules. Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch says it also makes state government more accountable.
"You know exactly who to take up your issue with,” says Huebsch. “It's not the agency, it's not the bureaucracy who wrote it. It's the governor."
Walker's plan would also agencies to develop an economic analysis of their rules to show any hidden costs.
But Sun Prairie Democrat Gary Hebl says adding those extra steps amounts to extra bureaucratic red tape. Hebl also says it's also a power grab, comparing it to a dictatorship where the Governor has the final say “on everything that's promulgated out of the rules."
The plan would also let people sue to overturn rules in any county. Right now, they have to sue in Dane County, where all the rules are written.
Bob Anderson is an attorney with the group Madison Legal Action, which represents people in court cases dealing with rules on everything from public assistance to child support. He favors keeping the current system, and says there are downsides to changing it.
"You allow for the opportunity of mischievous plaintiffs to forum shop throughout the state to try to find a friendly judge," Anderson said.
Anderson says the plan would also increase the likelihood that people and businesses would sue to overturn existing administrative rules. For example, he says landlord-tenant laws have long had their critics, and could end up in court.
Tax incentives now ready for Governor’s pen
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio
The State Senate has sent a couple business tax incentives to Governor Scott Walker's desk.
One of the plans would give businesses from other states or countries a two-year break on Wisconsin taxes if they move more than half of their workforce here. The other would increase the amount set aside in Wisconsin's economic development tax credit by $25 million.
Republican Senate President Mike Ellis says by themselves, they won't create thousands of jobs overnight.
"But I can tell you this. As we move forward in the course of the next two years, we will right the ship. We will change the landscape of Wisconsin. This state will be a harbinger for young people to come to and get a good paying job," Ellis said.
But Madison Democratic Senator Fred Risser pointed out that a non-partisan estimate shows there's already more than enough money set aside for the economic development tax credit, and this extra funding won't be used until 2013.
"So this is a meaningless, totally meaningless, ineffective, useless bill,” says Risser. “We're certainly wasting time trying to pass bills telling the next legislature how they're going to spend their money."
Still, all Republicans and about half of all Democrats in the Senate approved the plans. They received bipartisan votes in the State Assembly last week.
Democrats raise concerns over new DHS head
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio
Democratic State Senators say they're worried Governor Scott Walker's cabinet secretary in charge of Wisconsin's health care programs will end up dismantling them.
Eight Democrats voted against the confirmation of Dennis Smith to head the Department of Health Services. Cabinet nominees traditionally receive unanimous, or nearly unanimous votes.
Middleton Democratic State Senator Jon Erpenbach was one of those opposing votes.
"That's not a reflection on Mr. Smith because we all know where Mr. Smith stands on these issues,” says Erpenbach. “It's a reflection on Governor Walker 'cause perhaps we don't know where Governor Walker stands on BadgerCare and BadgerCare Plus."
Smith was in charge of Medicaid programs under former President George W. Bush. He offered few specifics about BadgerCare at his confirmation hearing, but he did say he the federal Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit is a better deal for low-income seniors than Wisconsin's SeniorCare program.
Smith's nomination was still approved on a bipartisan, 25-8 vote.
Lawmakers scrutinize, praise new head of DOC
By Gil Halsted, Wisconsin Public Radio
The new director of the state Department of Corrections has begun the confirmation process. Gary Hamblin has already received praise -- and some not-so-subtle criticism --- from state Senators on the Public Safety committee.
Gary Hamblin left his job as the director of Criminal Investigations at the Department of Justice last month to take the helm of the state prison system. He told the committee he’s ready to look for ways to shrink the prison population and trim the department’s billion dollar budget. He also says he's committed to finding a better way of managing with the 30 percent of inmates who suffer from mental illness. He cited a recent initiative at the Waupun prison.
"Without additional resources they were able to focus on mental health issues within the prison with some very positive results and our hope is to replicate that at other institutions," he said.
That commitment won him praise from Democratic Senator Bob Wirch. But another promise Hamblin made to address racial disparity prompted some criticism.
"I am also committed to examining ways we can reduce disparity in our institutions and at the same time expand the ethnic and cultural diversity of our workforce," he said.
Hamblin's commitment to diversity among correctional officers prompted Republican Senator Glen Grothman to warn him against adopting an employment policy that might discriminate against any ethnic group. Most of the state's prisons guards are white, while 45 percent of the inmates are black.
Wetlands advocate takes wait and see approach to DNR’s paperwork initiative
By Chuck Quirmbach, Wisconsin Public Radio
New Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Cathy Stepp says she wants to decrease paperwork for people who need permits from her agency. She says one her main topics at work right now is coming up with a way to streamline the state environmental permitting process.
Developers seeking projects that disturb wetlands are some of the people who often have to fill out both state and federal permits. Erin O'Brien of the Wisconsin Wetlands Association says that's because wetlands are regulated under both state and federal laws. But O'Brien says the state and federal review processes are fairly similar. Still, she says any DNR talk about streamlining permits bears watching and that her protecting wetlands remains a priority in Wisconsin.
The more comprehensive talk about wetlands permits comes as state lawmakers prepare to hold a hearing on Governor Walker's plan to help a developer who wants to build in a wetland in Brown County.
“Supermajority” rule for tax increases moves along
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio
The State Assembly has passed a plan that would make it harder for future legislatures to increase taxes.
The plan would require a two-thirds vote by the Assembly and the Senate to raise the income or sales taxes. It's one of the proposals Governor Scott Walker talked about on the campaign.
Walworth Republican Sponsor Tyler August says it will make it harder to raise taxes, and used an old adage about government to make his point.
What you need to understand, and what we need to understand, is it's time to stop feeding the beast. And taxes feed it."
But Trempeleau Democrat Chris Danou says a so-called "supermajority" requirement will end up tying a future legislature's hands if it needs to help schools or wants to change the tax code so it's fairer to working people.
"These kinds of supermajorities lead to an inability to govern in the long-term,” says Danou. “When you set that up as the way this state will be run, we are on the road to California and places like it."
Danou also says the plan is a gimmick, since it would be easy for a future legislature to bypass the law. Although sponsors say they also want to write the same requirement into the state's constitution.
Stevens Point landmark to make comeback
By Glen Moberg, Wisconsin Public Radio
Plans have been announced to renovate and reopen an historic 117-year-old opera house in Stevens Point. But voters first have to approve a referendum.
The announcement came yesterday before a large crowd in front of the old Fox Theater on Main Street. Co-owner Ada Sanders’ great grandfather built the opera house back in 1894.
"Our aim is to transform this wonderful old theater into a state of the art cultural center," she said.
Sanders and her sister and brother have maintained and insured the Fox ever since it closed in 1985. It was a casualty of the Stevens Point mall, whose construction resulted in the demolition of the theater's stage. The announcement was welcomed by the city's performing arts community, including local bluesman Otis McLennon.
"It will bring live performance back to a great old building that was originally built as an opera house. This is a moment of history for Stevens Point,” Sanders said.
But the plan hinges on voter approval of a referendum question on February 15th, to have the city acquire the nearly vacant mall, demolish part of it, move Midstate Technical College into what's left, and rebuild the opera house stage. The referendum is being pushed by Stevens Point Mayor Andrew Halverson.
"This community has waited for 30 years for this day, honestly, and when you look at a cultural bedrock that has so many memories associated with it, so many first dates, so many movies that people remember," Halverson said.
79-year-old Ann Schierl remembers many of those movies. "This is where we went!” she says. “This is the place where we came to the movies. I married my high school sweetheart, but I have to find our spot up in the balcony. And here we go! But first we have to pass the referendum."
The referendum has become an issue in the race for mayor.
Walker signs HSA tax break into law
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio
Governor Scott Walker has signed into law a plan that will give Wisconsin residents a tax break on contributions to health savings accounts.
The plan essentially brings Wisconsin in line with the federal tax code when it comes to money people set aside in health savings accounts. Proponents say the accounts can be a helpful took for people with high-deductible insurance plans.
Until now, Wisconsin had been one of only six states that don't offer this kind of tax break. Governor Scott Walker says changing that sends a message.
"Long after the federal government said 'you don't have to be taxed on it.' Now for Wisconsin to join the rest of America in saying we're not going to have an additional tax from the state on top of that, I think opens the door when we talk about the state being open for business, this is one of the many ways we're proving it's more than just a sign, it's more than just symbolism, it is substance," Walker said.
This proposal has long been a priority of Republicans, but it also picked up a handful of Democratic votes when it passed the legislature last week. Critics say it won't do anything to create jobs, but will have a very real effect on the state budget. A nonpartisan estimate suggests it will increase the budget deficit by about $50 million.
The Governor has brushed off those concerns. But he did mention at the signing ceremony for this law that he would introduce a plan in the next couple weeks to repair the state budget for the current fiscal year that runs through the end of June.
Walker plans to reveal budget fix
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio
Governor Scott Walker says he'll soon introduce a plan to plug a hole in the current state budget.
Walker says that in the next couple weeks, he'll unveil a budget repair bill for the current fiscal year. What that means is that the state's revenue from taxes and fees is falling short of what's needed to pay the bills between now and the end of June. Walker says he'll know more when numbers are finalized later this week or early next. Speaking to reporters yesterday, he wouldn't elaborate more than that except to say he has “ongoing concerns” about the way things were left in the previous administration.
Republican Joint Finance Committee Co-Chair Alberta Darling says whether to open up the current budget will be the Governor's call. If that happens, she says it would mean more cuts to state government.
"I think we're going to have to look at labor costs because basically that's some of the biggest part of our budget,” says Darling. “Labor costs and anything that's not been spent to date we are going to have to look at where those moneys are and recommend that they just be put on hold in many cases."
While Governor Walker inherited most of the state's budget troubles, the proposals he's introduced in his special session on jobs will actually deepen the deficit, at least over the next two year budget.
In a statement, La Crosse Assembly Democrat Jennifer Shilling said Walker's proposals flew in the face of his "rhetoric" on fiscal responsibility.
Study shows smoking ban has had little economic impact on eateries, bars
By Shamane Mills, Wisconsin Public Radio
Wisconsin's statewide ban on smoking is relatively new, but a look at communities having the prohibition in place longer shows little effect on the bottom line of bars and restaurants.
The study done by the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center examined a handful of communities that had smoking bans on their books prior to the state law taking effect last July. The center wanted to see if those ordinances affected the number of establishments, liquor licenses, or employment between the years 2005 and 2009.
Although there was a small dip in total taverns, the number of bar and restaurant employees increased, says study researcher David Ahrens.
"And when you consider the period that we were looking at was mostly in 2008 and 2009, the fact that there was almost no change in employment was amazing when we consider that the rest of the economy suffered a 10 percent loss of employment," Ahrens said.
Another variable looked at was the number of alcohol licenses. They were stable before and after smoking bans in Madison, Marshfield, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Shorewood and Verona.
Ahrens says the study findings showing little economic fallout from smoking bans is consistent with what's happened in other states. As more data from Wisconsin's six-month-old statewide smoking ban becomes available, Ahrens says researchers will track it in the next three to five years.
Programs work to help children of incarcerated parents
By Gil Halsted, Wisconsin Public Radio
A new study on children whose parents are in prison finds many of them have a hard time overcoming the stigma of being a convict's kid.
There are about 1.7 million children in the country with at least one parent in prison. The study by the New York-based group, Justice Strategies, documents the disintegration in a child's life after a parent is incarcerated. Some are lucky and end up being cared for by loving and supportive relatives, but many end up in foster care and too many end up in prison themselves once they become adults.
Linda Ketcham of Madison Urban Ministry helps run a family connections program to help keep parents in prison in touch with their children. She says groups like hers are doing the work that law enforcement and prison officials should be doing more of.
"If we really cared about the well being of all children then we would make sure when we arrest a parent and send them to jail or prison, we would make sure there is a solid plan in place for the kids and we don't do that," says Ketcham.
Wisconsin prisons do have parenting programs inmates can opt into after they arrive in prison. Taycheehdah Warden Cathy Jess says mothers at her prison can spend up to five hours with their children at what’s known as the “Homestead House.”
"They actually have a meal and prepare it with the children and we have a social worker and a teacher who supervise that once a month every Saturday," explains Jess.
But that program is limited to children who can find a relative or community organization to drive or bus them to the prison.
The authors of the study, Children on the Outside, say one way to reduce the scope of the problem is to reform the nation's drug laws and offer more offenders treatment instead of prison. They say that would allow the large majority of drug offender parents to keep their family together while they recover.
Milwaukee takes on high rate of infant deaths
By Chuck Quirmbach, Wisconsin Public Radio
Milwaukee health officials and the mayor promise to take on the persistent problem of infant mortality, as a new report shows the city with one of the worst rates in the nation among big cities.
The infant mortality rate for the city's African-American community is much higher than for whites or Latinos. City health commissioner Bevan Baker says one of the biggest problems remains premature births and getting pregnant women in for check-ups with their doctors. Baker also says adults sleeping in the same beds as infants remains a health threat to the children, and he says high poverty in the city may be holding back who seeks medical help.
Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett says the infant mortality problem may become worse if the state trims its Badger Care program. There were 800 fetal and infant deaths in Milwaukee from 2005 through 2008.
Stepp defends Stevens’ role within Department of Natural Resources
By Chuck Quirmbach, Wisconsin Public Radio
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Cathy Stepp says a former business lawyer is the right choice to head a key division at the agency.
Last week, Stepp announced that Patrick Stevens will head the DNR division overseeing air pollution, solid waste, land clean-up and other topics. Stevens has worked for the Wisconsin Builders Association and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, so there was criticism of Stevens being in a major post at the DNR.
Secretary Stepp says Stevens is a good person to join the agency, and isn’t predicting an adversarial relationship with the EPA. She says in many cases, the EPA gives the DNR rules and the DNR has to implement them. But she says she and Pat Stevens will inform the EPA if they see challenges in doing what federal regulators want.
UW-Stout sees unrivaled amount of returning soldiers on campus
By Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio
More veterans are enrolling at the University of Wisconsin-Stout than at any other UW-System School.
Within the last three years enrollment of veterans at Stout increased by more than 60 percent. During the fall of 2007, there were 139 vets, but last spring there were 224. Enrollment Services Director Pamela Holsinger-Fuchs says many of the vets come because their military experience can often translate into a degree.
“If you were a supply officer in the military, we have a very unique major called supply chain management,” says Holsinger-Fuchs. “One thing about Stout too is that almost half of our undergraduate majors are unique only to Stout.”
Holsinger-Fuchs says the campus’s Veterans Homepage offers a list of more than 80 types of military jobs matched to majors at UW-Stout.
Clint Vincent served four years in the Air Force spending five months at Ballad Air Base in Iraq. He is now a junior at Stout majoring in property management with a business minor.
“I’m more of a tech school kind of guy, a hands on kind of guy but I had all this funding to go to school and I thought why am I going to go to tech school when I can go for my bachelors degree if it’s going to be paid for,” Vincent said.
But UW-Stout’s Holsinger-Fuchs says having a growing population of veterans fresh out of combat is a learning experience for faculty, staff and students.
“Things we’ve heard from veterans are, if a student leaves a backpack sitting somewhere, which can kind of do almost like a flashback or like a post traumatic stress disorder thing with them,” Holsinger-Fuchs said.
Overall, she says vets and active duty soldiers are excellent students and she expects more enrollments after the full withdrawal of US troops from Iraq later this year.
Packers franchise firing up profits as well as excitement
By Chuck Quirmbach, Wisconsin Public Radio
When defensive back Sam Shields clinched the Packers’ win over the Chicago Bears with a late interception, the play triggered a huge roar from the thousands of Packer fans at Soldier Field.
Among those chanting “Super Bowl” was Jim Murray of Hustisford, Wisconsin. Muray says he and his family spent a good bit on money attending yesterday’s game, and he’s thinking about attending the Super Bowl in Dallas.
Green Bay resident Terry Charnetski says he saw the Packers lose in their last Super Bowl appearance in 1997, but says he’s considering going to the Feb. 6 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Joseph Russell and his wife, Heather Downs-Russell, say they spent about $1,200 apiece on tickets for the Bears game. The Milwaukee residents say they expect to talk to their ticket broker about going to the Super Bowl.
And it isn’t just ticket brokers making a dollar off of happy Packers fans. Yesterday, Amtrak’s Hiawatha service from Milwaukee carried hundreds of fans to and from Chicago. The Packers themselves say on-field success helps boost sales of team memorabilia, and could convince more corporations and individuals to sign up for luxury suites at Lambeau Field.
State colleges and universities hold own when it comes to retention
By Brian Bull, Wisconsin Public Radio
A new report says nationwide, retention at two-year public colleges is improving, but declining at four-year private schools.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin colleges and universities overall are bucking the trend.
The latest data from academic testing company ACT says nationally, two-year public colleges saw 56 percent of students return for their second year. That’s up from 53 percent in 2005, and an all-time high.
Greg Lampe, provost and vice-chancellor for academic affairs at Univeristy of Wisconsin Colleges, says retention at its two-year campuses exceeds the national findings.
“Our average retention rate is around 58 percent,” says Lampe. “And having (students) retained at a 66 percent rate when they leave us, to go on to the comprehensive campuses or UW Madison and UW-Milwaukee, is really a point of pride for us.”
The ACT report says nationally, fewer students were sticking around at four-year private schools. The overall retention rate for those institutions is at 72 percent, down from 75 percent in 2005.
But again, private four-year colleges in Wisconsin are faring better than the national average.
“Our retention rate – for a number of years – has held steady at 76-percent,” says Rolf Wegenke, president of the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU). He says the tough economy may be compelling their students to stay in school and better their job prospects. He adds private colleges can provide more individual support, which is helping retain WAICU’s 60,000 students.
“We are still relatively small, but we do put an emphasis on the individual student. Our average class size is just 17 students.”
A UW-System spokesman says the state's public four-year colleges have a retention rate of 74 percent. Overall, the national rate is about 66 percent.
River Falls goes for green machine
By Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio
The City of River Falls has replaced an aging fleet vehicle with an all electric model. City officials hope to lead by example and encourage other Wisconsin cities to do the same.
River Falls Municipal Utilities needed to replace its John Deere all-terrain utility vehicle, commonly known as a “Gator.” But rather than getting another gas-powered model, they took a greener route by buying a neighborhood electric vehicle.
Mike Noreen, River Falls Conservation and Efficiency Coordinator, says it’s basically the same as the gator except it’s allowed on city streets, and won’t use any fossil fuels under the right circumstances.
“We can choose where we purchase energy from. So, if we choose, and we do, to purchase renewable energy we can power it with renewable energy and that’s pretty exciting,” Noreen said.
Noreen says their new electric utility vehicle came with a $10,000 price tag but a grant through Wisconsin Public Power Incorporated cut that in half. He says the city is also thinking about replacing an aging Ford Taurus with the all electric Chevy Volt.