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News 09.30.16

30 September 2016 News


A Fox Valley man and state transportation officials have settled a lawsuit over his attempt to get a driver’s license. Mark Speckman was born without hands and says he was discriminated against as he tried to obtain a license in Wisconsin after moving from California where he had a clean driving record. The Lawrence University football coach says he was given different requirements to get a license at Division of Motor Vehicles offices in Appleton, Green Bay and Oshkosh. Speckman says he was asked to take an extra test, even though his wife didn’t have to in order to get her license. The Speckmans, DMV administrators and their attorneys met Wednesday and settled the case. Details were sealed.

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The new managers of the historic downtown Fond du lac Retlaw Hotel say they hope to begin renovation work before the end of the year and have the Retlaw re-open to the public in time for the busy summer tourism season. Dennis Ducette and Steve Frantz spoke at Wednesday night’s city council meeting and then met with the council in closed session after the meeting to discuss possible financial assistance from the city. Ducette says the 23.6 million dollar renovation project will return the hotel to its historic grandeur when it first opened. Frantz says before any construction begins the hotel needs to finalize a financial package and complete the historic tax credit application process. Doucette says once the financial hurdles are cleared construction work will begin. Doucette says he views the Retlaw as being the social epicenter of the downtown. Frantz describes the hotel as affordable luxury. Frantz Community Investors purchased the hotel this past summer in an online auction. The hotel has been closed since last December.

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Strong production of eggs, pork, beef and dairy have resulted in lower prices at the grocery store. The Wisconsin Farm Bureau Marketbasket survey tracks the average cost at 49 dollars for 16 food items…down more than eight percent from a year ago. Farm Bureau spokesman Casey Langan says the decreasing price of eggs was the single largest factor in the price slide. Langan says the other area that saw a price drop was meat including beef. Three items that saw price increases were potatoes, apples and bagged salad.

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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials have pushed back the release of updates to their chronic wasting disease plan to this spring. The DNR has a 15-year plan that expires in 2025. It calls for reducing local herds in isolated areas of infection that appear far from known disease clusters but centers largely on monitoring. The DNR’s board ordered a review of the plan by this December amid concerns the disease has been spreading. DNR Big Game Section Chief Bob Nack told the board Wednesday in Black River Falls that the agency has changed the project’s scope to look forward into the next five years. The agency plans to create an advisory committee to come up with recommendations. The agency will present the plan to the board in March.

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Wisconsin emergency management officials say the damage to homes, businesses and public infrastructure from flooding that started last week is now approaching $20 million. In an update Wednesday afternoon, the State Emergency Operations Center put the damage to homes and businesses across 12 western Wisconsin counties at around $6.4 million. Damage to public infrastructure including roads, bridges and trails has reached $12.1 million. Two people died and a train derailed last week after torrential rains in several western and central counties. Many roads remain closed as the water continues to recede. Scattered showers are expected to return on Friday and continue through Saturday. Forecasters expect a total of less than half an inch.

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Changes are happening at Lambeau Field and the surrounding area. Thursday the Packers announced finalized plans for the first phase of the Titletown District’s public park. Packers president/CEO Mark Murphy promised the park would be the centerpiece of the Titletown District. It will be 8 to 10 acres, including a 100-yard field with an artificial surface, plaza, activities area, playground and, for winter, a sledding hill and an ice skating pond connected to a skating trail. The sledding hill will have 4 lanes, and sledders will ride on tubes provided by the Packers. The sledding hill will start from a height of 45 feet — atop a warming lodge and snack bar — giving sledders enough momentum to reach the end of the 100-yard course. The playground will be 36,000 square feet, and Murphy promised “unique” experiences kids won’t find on nearby playgrounds, while the activity area will have games like bocce, ping pong and shuffleboard. The Packers say the park features were based on feedback from focus groups, who said they wanted the park to bring the community outside year-round and not just have attention on game days. The Packers say they want to keep costs low for people to enjoy the attractions and there will be some free days. Groundbreaking should happen in November to open before the next football season.

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