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News 12.06.16

6 December 2016 News


A year after the town of Eldorado successfully fought against the placement of a violent sex offender from Milwaukee in the township, the state is again trying to place another out of county sex offender at the same residence. A Washington County Circuit judge last month ordered child sex offender Terry Olson, be placed at N8578 Nitschke Road in the town of Eldorado. The township filed a motion this week asking the judge to rescind the placement. Sheriff Mick Fink says he thinks the Department of Health Services was trying to push the placement through with little or any input from his office or the township. The sheriff says concerned residents can contact the judge at (262) 335-4351. Olson is scheduled to be placed at the residence on December 8th, the same day as a motion hearing asking the judge to reconsider the order. The state Department of Corrections says Olson has sexually assaulted more than 30 children, and continues to verbalize a sexual arousal to children. The 61 year old Olson has been at the Sandridge Secure Treatment Center in Mauston since 2003. Last year the township successfully fought the placement of violent sex offender Clint Rhymes, of Milwaukee, at the Nitschke Road residence.

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An Oshkosh man escapes injury after crashing his vehicle into a retention pond in the Town of Vinland. The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office responded to the accident scene Friday afternoon around 1:30pm on Dixie Road, just south of County Highway G. Authorities says the driver was able to get out of the vehicle and was transported to ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Neenah to be checked out. No one else was in the vehicle at the time of the accident. It remains under investigation.

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Gov. Scott Walker says voters will be surprised if Republicans who control the state Assembly propose raising taxes for Wisconsin roads. Walker on Monday said Republicans were put into power in 2010 on the promise to lower taxes and “we cannot now, after six years in charge, turn our backs on the people who placed their trust in us.” Walker is reiterating that he plans to keep his promise not to raise taxes without a corresponding decrease someplace else. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and other Assembly GOP leaders have said tax increases should be considered to help plug a nearly $1 billion transportation budget shortfall. They are working on their own plan. Walker says they should make that plan public “so the people understand exactly how much it would cost them.”

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The Michigan Republican Party is appealing a judge’s order that forced an immediate recount in the presidential race. Lawyers for the GOP filed a brief notice Monday, hours after a federal judge in Detroit told state officials to get the recount moving to meet a Dec. 13 deadline. Two counties started by early afternoon and more will follow. The recount is being driven by Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who has no chance of winning Michigan. She also requested recounts in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Republican Donald Trump narrowly defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in all three states. In Wisconsin, six counties have completed their work and Trump’s margin hasn’t changed. Meanwhile, Michigan’s appeals court will hear arguments today on Trump’s request to halt the recount for different legal reasons.

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A new peer-to-peer support program for combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder in Wisconsin applies the 12-step framework of Alcoholic Anonymous to help heal military trauma. PTSD Anonymous was launched more than a month ago and has grown from three or four veterans to 12 to 15 people who gather Wednesday nights at Kronenwetter town hall. Ron Worthey is a veteran and one of the organizers. He says he’s found the fastest way to heal PTSD is to work with other veterans. He says the meetings don’t replace professional counseling, but offer a sympathetic ear from someone who understands the effects of military and combat-related trauma. PTSD Anonymous was established in Washington state in 2008, but fell by the wayside. Worthey and others are reviving the concept in Wisconsin.

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Dairy farmers continue to struggle with declining business as the popularity of milk alternatives is continuing to rise. Alternatives to dairy milk, which include almond milk, soy milk and rice milk, are becoming more popular for various reasons. Madison’s Willy Street Co-op grocery category manager Dean Kallas attributes the growing popularity to dairy allergies, vegetarians, vegans and people who generally don’t want to drink dairy. Jordan Rost with the global marketing research firm Nielsen says dairy milk sales still dominate the milk market but that almond milk has an 8 percent growth rate. Another market research firm, BCC Research, says global market milk alternatives in 2014 reached $5.8 billion. Deerfield dairy farmer Tina Hinchley says the competition isn’t helping an already-suffering industry.

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