News 02.03.17
3 February 2017 News
A Riponite will now head the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. Gov. Scott Walker has appointed Daniel Zimmerman to the position and wants him to immediately review operations of the state’s veterans homes. Walker announced the appointment Thursday. Zimmerman is a retired lieutenant colonel and military intelligence officer. He replaces John Scocos, who resigned amid allegations of mismanagement at the Wisconsin veterans home at King. Walker says in a statement that he is directing Zimmerman to immediately conduct thorough assessments of state veteran homes and improve communication between the agency and veteran service organizations. The release says Zimmerman has worked for the U.S. National Guard and the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs since retiring from the Army in 2008. The appointment is effective immediately.
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A 25 year old Lomira man is killed in a one vehicle crash in Dodge County. The crash happened shortly after 2am Thursday on Richard St near Maple St in the Village of Lomira. A preliminary investigation showed that a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer was southbound on Richard St and left the roadway striking a snow bank causing the SUV to strike a fence and overturn ejecting the operator from the vehicle. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Speed and alcohol are believed to be contributing factors in the crash.
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A co-manager/owner of the historic downtown Fond du Lac Retlaw Hotel says he hopes renovation work can start this spring. Dennis Doucette says before any construction can begin the hotel still needs to finalize a financial package and complete the historic tax credit application process. Doucette says the hotel is hoping to receive assistance from the city through a tax incremental district and a possible low interest loan from the county. Doucette says the 23.6 million dollar project will return the hotel to its historic grandeur when it first opened. He believes the renovated hotel will have a major positive impact on Fond du Lac’s downtown. Doucette says the goal is start construction in March with the hotel reopening in the fall.
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Gov. Scott Walker says he remains opposed to increasing the gas tax despite an audit last week that showed major highway projects in Wisconsin have cost more than initially estimated over the past decade. The Republican governor said Wednesday that now is “not the time to raise any tax” because the state is seeing a big increase in tax collections. The state audit released last week found the Wisconsin Department of Transportation underestimated the cost of completed or ongoing projects by more than $3 billion. The department faces a nearly $1 billion shortfall and Republicans who control the Legislature and Walker are at odds over how to fix it. Walker says he wants to know whether the underestimate of costs was due to staff miscalculations or market forces.
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Republican Gov. Scott Walker says he doesn’t know why President Donald Trump canceled a visit to Milwaukee that had been scheduled for Thursday. Walker says he expects Trump will reschedule but the governor did not provide a date. He says the White House did not give him a reason for the cancellation. Trump was going to meet with business leaders in Wisconsin and deliver a speech on the economy. A group called the Milwaukee Coalition Against Trump planned to protest Trump’s visit, but White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham says that didn’t prompt the cancellation. Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate to win Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan in 1984.
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A Wisconsin state Senate committee unanimously approves a bill that would allow possession of a marijuana extract be used to treat seizures. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to send Republican Sen. Van Wanggaard’s proposal to the full Senate for a vote as soon as Wednesday. Republican Sen. Duey Stroebel, who opposed similar legislation last session, excused himself from the vote. The proposal would allow parents of children who suffer from seizures to possess cannabidiol oil with a doctor’s certification. Parents who testified at a hearing for the bill earlier this week said they were heartbroken when similar legislation passed the Assembly last session but stalled in the Senate. The measure must pass the Senate and Assembly and be signed by Gov. Scott Walker before becoming law.
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