News 09.29.16
29 September 2016 News
Three teenagers have been charged with stealing a baby goat from a Mount Calvary farm. Eighteen year old Hunter Anderson of Fond du lac, 18 year old Justin Daily of Cascade and 17 year old Connor Wehmeyer of Glenbuelah are charged with party to the crime of theft and burglary, and obstructing. The trio is accused of stealing the three month old goat from the Cristo Rey Ranch in Mount Calvary. According to a criminal complaint Wehmeyer had a goat that died and Anderson said he knew where he could get one because had a previously worked at the ranch. In addition to goats, the ranch cares for several animals including llamas, donkeys and pot bellied pigs. The animals visit nursing homes and are used in a Fond du Lac County Social Services respite care program for at-risk children.
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Disability rights advocates say the death of a Wisconsin teenager who was allowed to end treatment of her incurable disease was an injustice. 14-year-old Jerika Bolen died last week after drawing national attention for her decision to end a lifelong fight against a progressive disease that left her mostly immobile and with severe, chronic pain. Not Dead Yet, a New York-based anti-euthanasia organization, issued a statement after Jerika’s death, criticizing the news coverage as “one-sided applause for her suicide.” The group says it’s concerned the press would inspire others with disabilities and their parents to make a similar choice. Jerika’s mother, Jen Bolen, says no one in their right mind would let someone suffer the way Jerika was.
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A 20-year-old Neenah man is injured following a one vehicle accident in Bear Creek. The incident happened late Tuesday night on County Highway O. Deputies say the driver was traveling south on the highway when he failed to make a curve in the road. The vehicle went into a ditch, hit a driveway, and flipped over before hitting a tree. The man was flown to ThedaCare Regional Medical Center – Neenah with non-life threatening injuries, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The crash remains under investigation.
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Wisconsin emergency management officials say the damage to homes, businesses and public infrastructure from flooding that started last week is approaching $10 million. In an update, the State Emergency Operations Center put the damage to homes and businesses at over $1.6 million, with some counties still not reporting. And it says damage to public infrastructure including roads, bridges and trails has reached over $8 million. Two people died in Wisconsin and a train derailed last week after torrential rains in several western and central counties. Many county and town roads remain closed as the water continues to recede. Flood warnings remain in place along streams in several southwestern Wisconsin counties.
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Tuition and debt have jumped at Wisconsin’s technical colleges, which are supposed to provide a more affordable option for career training than four-year universities or for-profit schools. U.S. Department of Education figures show many tech school students are facing bigger financial challenges than a few years ago. At Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay, tuition and fees increased by about 25 percent in the past ten years. The average amount borrowed by graduates of the school jumped by about $5,300 from 2007 to 2015. Experts say the rising price tag isn’t necessarily what leads to financial struggles for community college and technical students. Of the students who take out loans, most borrow less than $10,000, and those who don’t repay loans often owe less than $5,000.
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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials say reallocating positions to help regulate large farms will mean more workers handling fewer permits. The DNR’s 2017-19 budget request calls for shifting four positions to regulating large farms, saying the industry has grown dramatically over the last decade. The DNR’s budget director, Joe Polasek, told the agency’s board Wednesday in Black River Falls that currently each farm regulator handles 27 permits. Adding the new positions will drop that ratio to 20 to one. Polasek says the positions, which include a customer service position and a grant assistant position, are currently vacant. The board unanimously approved the budget request, which cuts DNR spending by $23.4 million from the last biennium. Gov. Scott Walker will consider the request as he crafts his executive budget.
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