News 05.26.16
26 May 2016 News
TreeHouse Foods plans to close two of the manufacturing plants it acquired earlier this year when it bought ConAgra Foods’ private label business – including the one in Ripon. Treehouse says it will eliminate 720 jobs when it closes the plants in Ripon and Azusa, California. Most of the job losses will happen in California where the plant employs 660 people making bars and other snack products. The Ripon plant employs 60 people making sugar wafer cookies, but TreeHouse says there isn’t enough demand for those to keep the plant open. TreeHouse says it is working to eliminate excess capacity. The Oak Brook, Illinois, company will offer severance pay. Closing the plants will cost TreeHouse about $17 million, or 19 cents per share, over the next five quarters through the second quarter of next year.
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An area 8-year-old Wisconsin girl has received a life-changing gift from a teacher at her school. Natasha Fuller underwent surgery Tuesday at a Milwaukee-area hospital, along with Oakfield Elementary teacher Jodi Schmidt, who donated a kidney to the first-grader. A statement issued by Children’s Hospital says the transplant went great. It says both Natasha and her teacher are recovering and doing well. Natasha’s smile and attitude in spite of her chronic kidney disease inspired Schmidt to get tested months ago for a possible donation.
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After hearing from the public, Waupun school officials are moving forward with plans for a major building referendum this fall. The board reviewed results of a district survey at their meeting this week. Superintendent Tanya Gubin says the survey is designed to ensure a referendum reflects the wants and needs of the District and its residents. Gubin says they have solid support for the project, with 67 percent of those who participated in the survey saying it makes sense to pursue a referendum. She says survey results also show respondents support deferred maintenance items.
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The state Department of Natural Resources board unanimously approves shrinking the number of counties where hunters can shoot only bucks this fall. The board signed off Wednesday on a fall season framework that makes 10 northern Wisconsin counties buck-only. That’s down from 19 counties in 2014 and 12 last year. Buck-only designations are designed to protect does so they can give birth, leading to a larger herd. DNR Big Game Section Chief Bob Nack told the board that the northern herd appears to be growing again after harsh winters cut their numbers, enabling the agency to reduce the buck-only counties. The framework also includes an antlerless-only, nine-day holiday gun hunt between Christmas and New Year’s in 13 southern and central counties.
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A civil liberties group representing Muslim employees of Wisconsin manufacturer files a religious discrimination complaint against the company for not allowing extra break time for prayer. Ariens Co. fired seven Muslim employees earlier this year for taking unscheduled prayer time. Another 14 employees resigned over the break policy. Ariens moved to enforce an existing rule of two 10-minute breaks per work shift in January. The Brillion company initially allowed the Muslim employees to leave their work stations a third time to accommodate prayers, but said it began disrupting production at the lawn mower and snow blower manufacturer. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, filed the discrimination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Tuesday. An Ariens spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a call and email for comment.
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Wisconsin’s right-to-work law is back in effect, while higher courts decide whether the measure is constitutional. Dane County Circuit Judge William Foust struck down the law in April, and did not keep it in place during the state Justice Department’s appeal. The Third District Appellate Court in Wausau ruled late Tuesday the judge overstepped his bounds by not putting his ruling on hold. Foust says the government was wrong to take away the dues’ revenues without fair compensation — but an appellate judge says unions will not be substantially harmed during the process, and that there’s “sufficient likelihood” right-to-work will end up being legal.
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