News 02.14.17
14 February 2017 News
One person is seriously injured in a one vehicle rollover crash in Dodge County. The crash happened early Sunday morning near the intersection of CTH P and Grant Road in the Township of Rubicon. A preliminary investigation showed that a 33 year old Neosho man was driving north on Highway P when he lost control and entered the ditch. The vehicle rolled, causing the driver to be ejected. Deputies responded and found the driver was able to get to a nearby residence. The driver was transported to Aurora Hospital in Hartford due to serious injuries sustained in the crash. Alcohol and ice covered roads are believed to be factors in the crash.
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Families in the Waupun area are invited to test their well water with Rock River Intermediate School and the UW Fond du Lac extension office. All area residents with private drinking water wells are welcome to participate, regardless of the county or township of residence. Registration details are online at fonddulac.uwex.edu. The public is invited to learn more about the sampling program and well water during Literacy Night at Rock River Intermediate School on Monday, March 20th, 5-7pm. Testing private drinking well water is optional. No one forces testing or treating any contamination that may be found.
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Wisconsin is seeing an increase in babies born dependent on opioids or other addictive drugs. The state Department of Health Services says 598 babies were born addicted, known as neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS, in 2015. That’s up from 142 in 2006. The rate of babies born with NAS more than quadrupled during that time, from two cases per 1,000 births to 8.9 cases per 1,000 births. The data shows the highest rates are in Ashland, Iron and Vilas counties, in northern Wisconsin. The long-term impact on babies isn’t clear, but short-term consequences are significant. Babies struggle with withdrawal and have seizures, diarrhea, rapid breathing, difficulty feeding and other problems.
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Teachers in the state would never have to renew their teaching licenses under a plan from Gov. Scott Walker. In his budget released last week, Walker proposed granting teachers lifetime teaching licenses. School administrators who’ve pushed for streamlined licensing to address a teacher shortage say they could be onboard, with a caveat. They want to require ongoing training to ensure teachers use the latest techniques in their classrooms. Walker’s spokesman Tom Evenson says the state would not require training under Walker’s plan but districts could choose to require it. Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Tony Evers and Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators Executive Director Jon Bales had proposed combining license types and making it easier for out-of-state teachers to get licensed. Bales said their proposal could work with Walker’s.
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Critics say Gov. Scott Walker’s budget doesn’t do enough to improve conditions at Wisconsin’s troubled youth prison. Walker’s budget lays out about $2 million to hire eight more guards, three more mental health specialists and convert nine contract nursing positions to state employment. The governor rejected the Department of Corrections’ request for $3.7 million for serious juvenile offender supervision. Walker also said in December he’d be open to moving inmates back to Milwaukee but made no moves in the budget toward that end. The FBI is investigating allegations of abuse at the prison, and federal lawsuits have been filed. Jessica Feierman, an attorney who brought one of the lawsuits, says Walker’s budget leaves the prison understaffed and underfunded. Walker’s administration says DOC has already made reforms at the facility.
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Republican lawmakers are looking to make the summer sun set earlier. Reps. Samantha Kerkman and Michael Schraa introduced a bill that would eliminate daylight saving time in Wisconsin. The move would mean state residents would no longer have to move their clocks ahead an hour in the spring. That would mean the sun would appear to rise earlier in the morning and set earlier on summer evenings. Kerkman and Schraa say the change would let people get an extra hour of sleep. They also say daylight saving time causes general confusion and forces kids to go to school in the dark. Arizona and Hawaii currently don’t observe daylight saving time. Wisconsin adopted it following a 1957 statewide advisory referendum.
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