Home

News 03.21.17

21 March 2017 News


The Fond du Lac Fire and Rescue Division Chief of Fire Prevention says a computer tablet that caught on fire last week at an elementary school has been sent to the company for examination. Troy Haase says it appears the Acer E-Reader tablet at Roberts Elementary School was destroyed by spontaneous combustion. Haase says a company representative told him there haven’t been any safety problems reported with that particular model. Haase says the concern is if the problem is not isolated…what about the other tablets? But Haase says at this point it seems the incident was isolated.

-30-

The investigation is continuing to try to determine the cause of a massive fire that destroyed a barn and attached pole shed in Eldorado. Ten dairy cows perished in the fire, several more were injured. Firefighters from 15 area departments were called to the Laura and Greg Rickland farm on Lincoln Road in the town of Eldorado at about 3:30am Friday. The 18 thousand square foot structure was destroyed. Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s captain Ryan Waldschmidt says a sheriff’s detective is working with Eldorado firefighters to try to determine a cause. No people were injured in the fire. Damage is estimated at $250,000.

-30-

The state Department of Natural Resources says a little more than 7 percent of deer tested last year were infected with chronic wasting disease. Data on the DNR’s website shows 441 of 6,039 deer analyzed tested positive for the disease, a prevalence rate of 7.3 percent. The prevalence rate in 2015 was 9.4 percent, the highest rate since the disease was discovered in Wisconsin in 2002. Only 3,138 deer were analyzed that year, however. The prevalence rate in 2014 was 6 percent with 5,469 deer tested. Since the disease was discovered in Wisconsin, 199,812 deer have been tested with 3,575 positives, a prevalence rate of 1.7 percent. The DNR is currently revising its long-term CWD plan. The agency doesn’t plan to finish its work until at least December.

-30-

A battle pitting big-box retail giants including Menards and Wal-Mart against Wisconsin towns and cities is headed to the Legislature. Republican-backed proposals are designed to close the so-called dark store loophole and increase how much the mega-retailers pay local communities in property taxes. The bills are in reaction to court rulings in Wisconsin and nearby Midwestern states that have helped the retail giants lower the value placed on their stores for levying property taxes. The retailers have successfully argued they should be assessed at the same rate as a store that is closed and vacant. The Wisconsin League of Municipalities is leading the charge to change the law. The retail stores argue it makes no sense to assess property based on its potential lease value.

-30-

Taxpayer-funded payments to children choosing to attend private schools using a voucher will increase an estimated $217 in each of the next two years. And they will continue to exceed per-student state aid payments for Wisconsin’s public schools. New estimates were prepared by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau and released Monday by Democrats opposed to the voucher program. The Fiscal Bureau numbers show that the average voucher payment for a K-8 student next year will be $7,540 and $8,186 for a high school student. That compares with $6,703 in per-student state aid sent to public schools. Democratic critics of the voucher program said Monday they fear that increases in aid for public schools that Gov. Scott Walker proposed will be in jeopardy during Republican-controlled budget negotiations.

-30-

The La Crosse City Council is considering banning “all you can drink” specials. The proposed ordinance would prohibit selling an unlimited amount of alcohol for a fixed price, selling three or more drinks for the price of one and contests involving alcohol. La Crosse officials say they expect support from business owners and the community. Councilman Bob Seaquist says excessive drinking is not a new problem in La Crosse, but that little has been done to address it. According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Population Health Institute, 26 percent of La Crosse County adults report excess drinking. That’s one of the highest percentages in Wisconsin. Kate Konkle, associate researcher at the institute, said similar restrictions have had positive results in other communities.

-30-


Share