News 07.14.16
14 July 2016 News
Ripon College receives a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to help support a new core curriculum. The four-year, $800,000 grant will go towards the Catalyst curriculum – which will start with the class entering in Fall 2016. Vice President and Dean of Faculty, Ed Wingenbach says Catalyst will consist of five seminars – two in the first year, two in the sophomore year, and the applied innovation seminar in the junior year. The first four seminars help to develop skills the students need to work in the junior seminar, in which they work in teams mentored by faculty members. Graduates who complete the Catalyst curriculum earn a “Concentration in Applied Innovation.” The Mellon funds will support the creation of up to 140 new Catalyst Seminars.
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A federal grand jury indictes a former bank executive from Neshkoro, accusing him of embezzlement from 2003 to 2014. The indictment alleges 62-year-old Geffrey Sawtelle, as president and CEO of Farmers Exchange Bank, repeatedly gave himself bonuses without the board of directors’ approval. It also says Sawtelle manipulated the bank’s ledgers to conceal his purchase of a Corvette, motorhome, SUVs and car racing equipment. Sawtelle is also accused of taking out loans in the names of other people for his own use and obstructing examinations of Farmers Exchange Bank by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The indictment includes 25 counts.
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For generations, Wisconsin’s family dairy farmers have milked their cows twice a day on a strict schedule. But it appears when cows can give milk when they want to instead of when farmers decide to, they’re happier and healthier. Voluntary robotic milking systems are popping up at farms in Wisconsin. Fond du Lac County dairy extension agent Tina Coleman says there are at least a couple of farms with robotic milkers in Fond du Lac County. Coleman says the cows can walk right in and be milked by a robot when they feel the need. She says smaller dairy farms are ideal for voluntary robotic systems. Coleman says the systems also are convenient for farmers because they require far less labor, and their cows are happier.
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Wisconsin is losing its reputation of having one of the lowest percentages of children without health insurance in the country. That’s according to a report from the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, which shows the state dropped from having the sixth-lowest percentage in 2008 to 16th in 2014. Research director Jon Peacock blamed the slip on changes in the state’s Medicaid program. Peacock says about 15-thousand kids, lost their insurance in 2014, under the changes that moved adults above the poverty-level out of the program.
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Authorities have released the name of the tractor-trailer driver who died when his rig crashed off Interstate 86 on New York’s Southern Tier earlier this week. State police say 47-year-old Keith Edwards of Peoria, Illinois, was driving west on I-86 Monday morning when his truck left the highway and crashed into a stand of trees near Newtown Battlefield State Park in the town of Elmira. The truck’s cab burst into flames. Troopers say Edwards was found dead inside. No one else was injured. Police say Edwards worked for Roehl Transport, which is based in Marshfield, Wisconsin. Troopers say his truck was empty at the time of the crash. Investigators believe Edwards may have had a medical issue, but the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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The state Supreme Court says judges can rely on a risk assessment test that considers gender when sentencing offenders. The case centers on Eric Loomis, who was charged with multiple counts in a drive-by shooting in La Crosse County. A pre-sentence report included a COMPAS assessment, a test designed by a private company to assess the likelihood of recidivism. The test takes gender into account. Loomis argued using COMPAS violated his right to due process and improperly considers gender. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that if COMPAS is used properly it doesn’t violate due process rights and considering gender promotes accuracy, noting that both Loomis and the state appear to agree that men reoffend more often than women. Loomis’ attorney didn’t comment.
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