State Headlines From Wisconsin Public Radio, April 22
Judge won’t delay collective bargaining case
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio
The judge in the lawsuit that temporarily put Wisconsin's new collective bargaining plan on hold has denied a request to delay the case. The Dane County District Attorney asked for an extra week to file briefs in the case, citing staff shortages among other reasons. Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi said she'd normally grant the request, but called this “the exceptional case.” She noted the Walker Administration has asked the state Supreme Court to take it up directly.
“The court has not acted on that yet and that could happen at any time, but until that happens, I think my obligation as a judge here is to keep this moving as expeditiously as possible," Sumi said.
Sumi's order means the DA and lawyers for Republican legislators will have to file their briefs and replies by May 23. It's unclear how the case could proceed after that, but unless something changes, the collective bargaining plan remains on hold.
Recall signatures now filed against nearly one-fourth of Wisconsin Senate
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio
Recall signatures for eight state senators have been filed with the state's election agency. Committees challenging three Democrats and one Republican turned in their petitions yesterday. Signatures were filed with the Government Accountability Board against Democratic Senators Bob Wirch of Kenosha, Dave Hansen of Green Bay and Jim Holperin of Eagle River. They were also filed against Republican Alberta Darling of River Hills.
Dan Hunt organized the recall against Senator Wirch. Hunt says the recall has nothing to do with Wirch's stance on the governor's collective bargaining bill and everything to do with his decision to leave the state to hold up a vote on the plan.
Of the three Democrats who could face recall, only Holperin had a close race in 2008. No Republicans have formally declared their candidacy for any of the seats.
Both parties will have a chance to challenge recall signatures. Democratic Party Chair Mike Tate told reporters on Thursday that once party attorneys had a chance to review these petitions, many of the signatures would be thrown out.
“Until we get a chance to look at the sheets, we won't know,” said Tate. “But I will guarantee to the reporters on this call, that there will be fraudulent signatures that are submitted by people who are paid per signature."
Recall petitions have already been filed against four Republican Senators--Dan Kapanke of La Crosse, Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac, Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls and Luther Olsen of Ripon.
GAB resolves complaint against Sen. Kapanke
By Steve Roisum, Wisconsin Public Radio
The Government Accountability Board (GAB) has cleared state Sen. Dan Kapanke of allegations of money laundering. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin (DPW) filed its complaint with GAB officials, accusing Kapanke of using money from a charitable foundation he founded, but left later. The money was used to pay the city of La Crosse back for work on the stadium where Kapanke's collegiate level team, the La Crosse Loggers, plays. The complaint says some groups that donated to the La Crosse Loggers Foundation employed lobbyists.
The Democrats filed their complaint during Kapanke's Congressional bid last fall against incumbent Ron Kind. The complaint maintained Kapanke's use of the foundation's money violated state statutes, because an elected official running for office can't accept anything of monetary value from a lobbyist. But Kapanke says that GAB found it wasn't that simple, and that he can use foundation dollars.
“The bottom line is as long as I'm doing business on a regular basis with lobby principals and non-lobbying principals, and I'm not doing anything special on either side, then I can use this money,” Kapanke said.
An attorney for the DPW says the GAB took a long time to investigate Kapanke's case, so it likely wasn't as “open and shut” as Kapanke would lead people to believe.
Cell phones may be allowed again in Eau Claire schools
By Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio
The Eau Claire School Board is looking into reversing a ban on cell phones in school. And they’re not the only ones, according to the state principals association. Cell phones have been banned in the Eau Claire District’s schools since 2004. Now the administration is revisiting that policy. Superintendent Ron Hielman says some in the district are realizing smart phones’ educational potential.
“Cell phones have become so much more sophisticated today, and they really are learning tools,” says Hielman. “And we wanted to talk about the fact that as a learning tool, there are times when it’s beneficial to have them to be used in school.”
Hielman says there would still be restrictions on the use of cell phones such as in bathrooms, locker rooms, and during tests, but students would be able to use them during lunch, study halls and even classes if teachers so choose. But school board member Bob Janke would like to keep the ban in place. He says the problem is that there isn’t any valid research that shows it enhances the educational process.
But Kelly Meyers of Association of Wisconsin School Administrators says her office has had a lot of requests for sample policies on student cell phone use. She says that's because more students are carrying internet enabled smart phones.
“There definitely is a trend out there,” says Meyers. “I think you’re going to see more of it as you see statistics that say 50-percent of learning will be online."
School districts in Superior, La Crosse and Wausau also have updated policies that allow cell phones in school but restrict their use.
Chancellor Martin defends plan to make UW-Madison independent
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin delivered a forceful defense of her plan to give the Madison campus more autonomy this week.
In a week when key state lawmakers have questioned whether the chancellor's plan has the votes to pass the legislature, Martin introduced herself this way to the Madison Rotary Club: "News of my demise and the demise of our proposal are greatly exaggerated."
Martin said Madison needed more freedom than other campuses because it's world-renowned and brings in more than $1 billion in outside money for research each year. By comparison, she said the UW-Milwaukee only brings in $60 million and Oshkosh generates less than $2 million. She says by making the distinction, she simply wants to argue that UW-Madison is unique in the system.
Martin says turning Madison into a public authority would take it off the state's books so it can invest and spend its money better, especially during a time when it's being asked to do more with less. She said a counter-proposal by the UW-System to give all campuses more freedom fell short of what Madison wanted.
"My fear is that we're going to end up with nobody getting anything except a huge budget reduction because it has muddied the waters," Martin said.
Martin said some people did not like the fact that she had worked with Gov. Scott Walker on this plan, but she said chancellors throughout history had worked with governors to get things done. She stressed the plan was too important to give up now.
"I don't care if I lose my job over this to be honest with you because it's the right thing for UW-Madison, and I'm going to fight for it right up until it no longer makes sense for the institution," she said.
Martin said afterward her comment about her job was hyperbolic, and that it was meant to stress that the public authority proposal was bigger than her.
Wisconsin exports to Middle East expected to continue
By Teresa Shipley, Wisconsin Public Radio
Trade experts are saying the recent turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa doesn't have to mean an end to business opportunities there for Wisconsin exporters. Last year, Wisconsin exported $640 million worth of goods to places like Libya, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Though that's just a chunk of the nearly $20 billion in total Wisconsin exports, goods going to that region have doubled over the past decade.
Jon Pevehouse is a professor of international politics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He recently spoke to Wisconsin exporters at an international trade meeting about the Middle East and North Africa. He told exporters not to "freak out," and that this could be an opportunity "if other people are getting skittish about getting into that market."
Pevehouse says that despite protests and violence in the region, he expects more continuity than change for businesses, since both importers and exporters want the same thing.
"A lot of companies in Egypt are owned by people in the military. So the military is not just the major political security force there, they're also one of the key business forces in that country. And they don't want instability from that perspective any more than a Wisconsin company wanting to export there wants instability," he said.
Greg Rodriguez is a sales rep for Grassland Dairy Products in Greenwood Wisconsin. He said the unrest in Egypt -- which is one of their larger export markets -- hasn't affected business.
"Exports in general of ag products out of the U.S. have grown significantly, but especially in 2010 and 2011. The Middle East is one of those growing markets," Rodriguez said.
The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has programs to help Wisconsin exporters do business. A DATCP official says she thought Wisconsin businesses would pull out of the Middle East and North Africa since the unrest, but that's not been the case. Companies have told her that although the risk might be higher, the payoff could be, too.
Education groups continue lobbying about state budget plan
By Shamane Mills, Wisconsin Public Radio
The state legislature's budget writing committee is done holding public hearings on Gov. Walker's spending plan. That hasn't stopped education groups from continuing to speak out against a spending plan they say favors roads and corporations. Gov. Walker's two-year spending plan increases the transportation budget by 250 percent while cutting state aid for K-12 education by nearly $1 billion. It's bad math, say educators, because it balances the budget on the backs of children.
Jasmine Alinder has a child in Milwaukee Public Schools. At a news conference with other parents and educators she objected to the governor's tax breaks for corporations. The governor has said businesses need tax incentives to produce jobs and that school districts pinched by his budget can make employees pay more for pensions and health care. That change in collective bargaining is currently held up in a court challenge. When and if it's implemented, those savings won't make up for less state aid, says state school Superintendent Tony Evers.
"Overall, I've seen districts that those so-called 'tools' would cover anywhere from 40 to 60-percent, leaving significant cutbacks,” Evers said.
In addition to less state school aid, the governor's budget restricts the revenue districts can raise through taxes.
"Reducing the revenue limit sounds good in theory," says Beth LaBell, a parent in the Paris School District in Kenosha. “After all, it's a tax break, but a harsh reality lies within. It's a direct road to referendum."
Schools wishing to tax more than law allows have to get approval through public referendum.
Environmentalists want hold placed on Point Beach plan
By Chuck Quirmbach, Wisconsin Public Radio
Consumer and environmental groups want the federal government to slow its review of a plan to have a Wisconsin nuclear power plant increase its power. The request is linked to the nuclear disaster in Japan.
Florida-based Next Era Energy wants to increase the amount of power generated at its Point Beach nuclear plant by about 17 percent. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is looking at the proposal, and began doing so before the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. The NRC has since set up a task force to do short and long-term analyses of U.S. nuclear reactors because of the explosions at Fukushima.
Katie Nekola of the Environmental group Clean Wisconsin says the Point Beach application should go on hold, until the short-term national review is done. Nekola says that's even though the nuclear reactors along Lake Michigan at Point Beach are a different type than Fukushima's.
Nekola also says Point Beach also has a pool for spent radioactive fuel that needs to be reassessed after the problems in Japan. The Citizens Utility Board has joined Clean Wisconsin in making the request to the NRC. The federal agency says it will review the letter from Wisconsin, but says it did look at safety issues.
The nuclear management company, which operates the Point Beach plant says the NRC's review of Point Beach is extremely comprehensive, and triggered more than 1,800 pages of documents.
Law library turns 175
By Brian Bull, Wisconsin Public Radio
The state's oldest library celebrated its 175th birthday this week. What's now known as the Wisconsin State Law Library was founded in 1836. Its first collection included congressional records and reports. Today, it has 135,000 volumes, including state and federal statues, and legal journals. At the commemoration, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson read a proclamation issued by Governor Walker, recognizing the day as "Wisconsin State Law Library Day." State law library staff say they've been busy trying to find books in their collection that were part of the original purchase back in 1836.
Representative Nass pitches alternative to New Badger Partnership
By Brian Bull, Wisconsin Public Radio
A state lawmaker says he's got a plan to settle the dispute over whether the University of Wisconsin-Madison should split from the rest of the UW-System, as the governor's budget proposes.
Whitewater Rep. Steve Nass says first, the New Badger Partnership should be handled as a policy item by the legislative committees that deal with higher education, instead of the Joint Finance Committee. Nass has written the committee co-chairs and hopes they'll agree to take the matter out of the governor?s biennial budget.
"As we head into the fall, I would envision that both the Senate and Assembly committees would begin this process as expeditiously as possible, come to agreement where we can, and have it in place in the statutes by spring," Nass said.
Nass' plan would give the UW-Madison more autonomy from the UW-System and Board of Regents, yet keep it within the system. Accountability standards for graduation rates, and controls against "excessive" tuition and fee increases are also included. The plan would also cut the number of regents, and require more of them to come from different parts of the state.
UW-System spokesman David Giroux says campus officials are largely on board with Nass' approach, except they'd want it implemented this year, not 2012.
"On July 1, 2011, we will begin a two-year budget cycle, in which we will take $250-million worth of cuts," says Giroux. "If we're going to absorb those reductions, and preserve the quality of a UW education, we need some relief from the way that we're required to budget our money, purchase our goods, and pay our people."
Meanwhile, Vince Sweeney, Vice Chancellor for University Relations at the UW-Madison, says while Nass' plan looks "well thought out," campus officials still prefer the split from the UW-System as outlined in the governor's budget.
Governor says he won't pursue financial emergency legislation that would affect local governments
By Patty Murray, Wisconsin Public Radio
In response to claims made by a liberal blogger, Gov. Scott Walker says he will not pursue or support "financial emergency" legislation that is being proposed in neighboring Michigan.
Michigan's governor wants authority to take over local governments that are declared financially unstable. That's led to speculation that Wisconsin's governor wants to do the same. Blogger and Madison attorney Ed Garvey made that claim on Wisconsin Public Radio's "Week in Review" program last Friday.
"If the governor decides it?s in economic distress, he could go ahead and take power away from the school board or the city council and could cancel any labor contracts and implement new ones," said Garvey.
Garvey points to an online petition drive on the site, MakeityourMilwaukee.com, which advocates a "fiscal stress test" for local governments.
But Gov. Walker says he has no plans to support any such legislation, even though--as county executive--he favored phasing out aspects of Milwaukee County government.
"But to me taking over control of an entity without having an elected body, to me, runs counter to the Democratic process," adds Walker.
Walker is proposing more money for voucher schools in Milwaukee. The school board is meeting Wednesday night to discuss closing and merging some schools because of cuts in state aid.
DNR's new chief of water regulation backs delay on phosphorous controls
By Chuck Quirmbach, Wisconsin Public Radio
The new leader of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources water division says he also backs a two-year delay for a state crackdown on phosphorus pollution. DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp has chosen a longtime department employee, Ken Johnson, to be water division administrator. Johnson replaces Bruce Baker, who retired amid the Walker Administration's plans to roll back new rules on phosphorus pollution from farms and cities. Johnson says he buys into the governor's latest plan to delay the rules by two years.
Property owners and businesses along algae-fouled lakes may try to convince Johnson the time for the new rules is now. Johnson will also have a slew of other issues on his plate soon, including clean-up of the Fox River, possible diversion of Lake Michigan water to Waukesha, and Gov, Walker's demand that the DNR work faster on water pollution permits with fewer or perhaps less experienced people to do the job. Johnson says the DNR is looking at the way it reviews permits, to see what can be changed.
Smokeless cigarettes draw complaints
By Shamane Mills, Wisconsin Public Radio
The Better Business Bureau is getting complaints from 44 states-- including Wisconsin --about a company selling so-called "smokeless cigarettes." Bureau director, Randall Hoth says they've contacted a company called Direct E-Cig, but the company has failed to address customer complaints about unfair charges after a free trial offer. He says the company maintains there's a 15-day cancellation process to avoid being billed, but consumers report that they are either not seeing the cancellation policy, or else even though they are not signing up for additional products they're still receiving charges on their credit card account for $100. The Better Business Bureau has given the Direct E-Cig company a grade of "F." The company has offices in Naples, Fla. and London, England.
Dems hold budget hearing in Wausau
By Glen Moberg, Wisconsin Public Radio
Democratic lawmakers say four Joint Finance Committee hearings on Gov. Walker's proposed budget aren't enough, so they've scheduled more unofficial hearings around the state. One of the parts of the budget that came in for criticism is a proposal to take the administration of Medicaid, FoodShare and other services for low income people away from county governments, centralize it at the state level, and then give it to a private vendor. Marathon County Chairman Keith Langenhahn questioned whether the privatization plan could do as good a job dealing with the county's poor as the people on his staff.
"We deliver a very quality product to people who need these services," says Langenhahn. "We have 26 people in the department who deliver that service. We naturally would have to lay those off."
Langenhahn said layoffs could cost Marathon County $400,000 in unemployment payments.
Lori Garber, who works for the county's Department of Social Services, told the panel that many of the poor people she deals with need personal interaction.
"We talk to these people. We know where they're coming from. We know what they need," Garber said.
Democratic State Sen. Julie Lassa asked Garber of reported delays in claim processing elsewhere by Hewlett Packard, who she said was the likely vendor that would be hired to administer the Medicaid and FoodShare programs. Garber said such delays could be devastating to her clients.
"If we had to wait so long to get their application processed, they might not be able to go to the doctor," says Lassa. "They may not be able to get their prescriptions. Also with the Foodshare, they might have not food on the table for themselves or for their children."
Marathon County administers low income programs for 40,000 of its residents.
Restaurants deal with rising food costs
By Shamane Mills, Wisconsin Public Radio
Menu substitutions and different sized portions are a just a few of the ways Wisconsin restaurants are trying to cope with rising food prices. Susan Quam from the Wisconsin Restaurant Association says some establishments are buying in bulk to head off future higher costs for food.
"Usually the larger restaurants are able to do that to try and mitigate any pricing problems they see down the road, consolidating order to avoid fuel surcharges," Quam said.
The rising cost of gas is pushing up prices, but there are other factors at work, says Casey Langan of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau.
"We saw some frigid temperatures across the deep South and Mexico (affecting) prices of vegetables and fruit," Langan said.
Quam said Wisconsin is pretty price sensitive.
"But I'd expect you'd see overall restaurants are going to have to raise prices and 2 percent sounds like a pretty modest increase for the kinds of operations we have here in Wisconsin," Quam said.
The U.S. Consumer Price Index rose a half percent in March because of higher food and gas prices.
State budget plan could help St. Croix River bridge project
By Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio
A provision in Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposal could make it easier for Wisconsin to fund a bridge project across the federally-protected St. Croix River. Proponents of the project want to build a new four-lane bridge linking Holton, Wis. and Stillwater, Minn. It would replace a deteriorating, two-lane lift bridge built in 1931.
But the bridge project has faced many obstacles over the past decades. In 1972, the St. Croix was designated as a Wild and Scenic River meaning no new construction.
Now a bill co-sponsored by U.S. Congressman Ron Kind is seeking an exemption from the federal protections.
Then there's the issue of funding. The new bridge is expected to run in the $600 million range, but Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Mark Gotlieb says Wisconsin's half of that is in the bank.
"We have bonding authority already for $225 million and we're confident that if the regulatory obstacles can be overcome, that we can certainly fund the Wisconsin share of the project," Gotlieb said.
Gotlieb says Governor Scott Walker's biennial budget proposal would end one of those obstacles.
"We had a statutory provision that had been put in a previous budget that would have required us to get a $75 million federal earmark in order to release the bonding that we have already authorized for the project and the governor has proposed to remove that provision," Gotlieb said.
But the St. Croix River Crossing project has also faced two lawsuits from environmental groups including the Sierra Club. State Senator Sheila Harsdorf says it's time for the stalling to stop.
"The reality is this bridge is an essential component of our infrastructure system for the region on both sides of the river," says Harsdorf. "It's important for commerce for safety."
Harsdorf is hopeful that Congress will grant the exemption for the bridge project by September because of time limits on Minnesota's bonding for the crossing.
Muslim group asks for Congressional intervention
By Patty Murray, Wisconsin Public Radio
Muslims in Oshkosh say their people are being persecuted in Pakistan and Indonesia. The small sect says they're being targeted by more mainstream Muslim groups, and they want Congress to take a stand. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has two small mosques in Wisconsin, one in Milwaukee and one in Oshkosh.
The Oshkosh community is led by Khurran Ahmad. He invited U.S. Representative Tom Petri to an informational seminar on the moderate Muslim sect. Khurran says more than 70 Ahmadis were killed last year in Lahore, Pakistan when other Muslims opened fire during a prayer service. He says the violence is state-sponsored.
"The police didn't show up for a long time and there were banners all around put up, sponsored by the provincial government actually saying, statements written over there, `If you kill an Ahmadi you will go to heaven,'” Khurran said.
There was more violence this year in Indonesia.
Wisconsin Ahmadis are asking Tom Petri to sign a letter to the presidents of both nations condemning the violence. Petri says he'll consider it, and that he also supports a move to institute a religious persecution expert in the State Department. Khurran Ahmad says it's an urgent situation that doesn't just involve his sect, but any religion outside what is considered "mainstream Islam." He likens the situation to Germany in the 1930s and 40s when Jewish people were persecuted.
"You start out persecuting a small minority, but pretty soon you've exhausted that and you just start to find the next victim and the next victim. That's what these guys are doing," Khurran said.
Khurran says the U.S. should be particularly concerned about both Islamic states because Pakistan has nuclear weapons and Indonesia has a powerful economy.
Tea Party speakers criticize unions, call for election reform
By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio
Sarah Palin gave a fiery speech in Madison this past Saturday as Tea Party supporters cheered and union supporters booed. She was preceded by speakers who made some controversial comments of their own. Conservative commentator and columnist Andrew Brietbart started his remarks with a sarcastic nod to the pro-union crowd that flanked three sides of the Tea Party rally.
"Good to see you guys, good to see you," chided Brietbart. "Do you know what you're seeing on the periphery of here and what you're hearing? The death of community organizing."
As the union supporters shouted and booed, Brietbart shouted back, "Go to hell. No serious, go to hell. Go to hell. You've been so rude, you're trying to divide America."
Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund used his brief remarks to talk about the need to prevent election fraud, which he said was on its way to Milwaukee.
"Chicago-style voter fraud, I have seen it creeping north. It's time to keep it, send it south," Fund said.
Fund suggested ending same day registration in Wisconsin, an idea supported by many Republicans. But at an otherwise partisan rally where other speakers were bragging about the April 5 election results, Fund said the contest between Justice David Prosser and Joanne Kloppenburg showed the need for bi-partisan election reform. He criticized Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus for failing to initially report 14,000 votes from the Tuesday election.
"What happened in Waukesha County was a disgrace," said Fund. "That clerk did not have transparency on her website, we didn't know what cities were reported on election night. That should never have happened. It undermines confidence in the election."
While Fund did not refer to Nickolaus by name on Saturday, in a recent column he said she should resign her position out of a sense of shame.
Committee to review whether proximity to nuclear power plants boosts cancer risk
By Chuck Quirmbach, Wisconsin Public Radio
A national committee looking at cancer risks near nuclear power plants will hold a public meeting in the Midwest today. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently asked the National Academy of Sciences to look at the possibility that living near a nuclear power plant boosts the risk of getting cancer. The University of Wisconsin-Madison Provost and Medical Physicist Paul DeLuca is on the study committee. He says cancer rates vary across the U.S. and the scientists are looking into whether having a nuclear power plant close by might raise local cancer rates or lower them.
DeLuca says if there's a local nuclear power plant, it's less likely a big polluter like a coal-fired power plant will be nearby. The study committee will hear testimony in suburban Chicago from scientific experts, including on the NRC's mission to keep radiation doses near nuke plants as low as reasonably achievable. The panel started its work before the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan. Professor DeLuca says he expects those problems to affect the federal study.
The panel will first try to complete a scoping study to identify scientifically sound approaches for carrying out an epidemiological study of cancer risks near nuclear plants. Then phase two will be an actual assessment of those risks.
Congressman calls on White House to ease up on deportations
By Chuck Quirmbach, Wisconsin Public Radio
Hundreds of Latinos came to a church basement in Milwaukee this week to hear a Congressman ask President Obama to pull back on deporting undocumented people. Illinois Democrat Luis Gutierrez has been traveling the U.S. urging the president to order more discretion in who is deported. Rep. Gutierrez says he particularly wants to protect non-violent undocumented resident from being sent out of the country, because that can split families if they have children born in the U.S. Gutierrez told the Milwaukee audience that he's not worried about fracturing the Democrat Party over the deportation issue. Gutierrez says he wants to support President Obama's re-election bid. But Saturday in Chicago, he claimed the president's backing from Latinos may depend on how the immigration issue is handled. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said broad immigration reform is needed but says the president won't exempt whole categories of people from the current law.
Wisconsin village is latest to add fluoride to its water
By Maureen McCollum, Wisconsin Public Radio
The western Wisconsin village of Holmen is adding fluoride to its water today. But, not everyone is happy about it. Just over half of Holmen voters passed a referendum in 2008 to add fluoride to the village's water. Supporters say it helps prevent tooth decay. But critics say fluoridation is forced medicine.
Holmen Resident Tony Horvath has been vocal about his opposition. He says he feels like the issue is being forced on his family.
"Each individual should be able to decide for themselves and monitor," says Horvath. "When it's put into a community's water supply, that ability is taken away."
Horvath has bought a reverse osmosis filter to remove the fluoride from his water. He says he'd like it if people who wanted the additional fluoride bought it themselves. Small traces of fluoride are naturally found in Holmen's groundwater source, and more fluoride will be added.
Holmen Public Works Director Robert Haines says they're adding the Wisconsin Division of Public Health's recommended minimum concentration.
"There's also proposals floating around out there at the Environmental Protection Agency, proposals to reduce the recommended dosage. Because we know those proposals are floating around out there and they're expected to pass, we're going to start putting fluoride in at the lowest recommended dose, which is one part per million," Haines said.
Haines says if the EPA lowers the minimum fluoride recommendation, they would lower Holmen's levels over time.