News 04.19.18
19 April 2018 News
Gov. Scott Walker expanded an election year $137 million tax cut Tuesday, using his partial veto powers to lengthen a sales tax holiday from two to five days in August and ensure that a $100 per-child rebate will go to any family with dependent children. The bill Walker signed into law will result in families who apply for the $100 per-child rebate receiving the payment by Sept. 1, timing Democrats have assailed as amounting to an election bribe. Fond du Lac Republican state senator Dan Feyen says he thinks it’s a good thing. Feyen says the sales tax holiday will save parents a lot of money on school supplies.
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A Fond du Lac man accused of using fake credit cards to purchase items at Fond du lac convenience stores is going to prison. Fond du Lac judge Richard Nuss sentenced R.L. Tate to three years in prison followed by three years of extended supervision. According to a criminal complaint during a search of Tate’s Martin Avenue residence investigators found several credit cards embossed with Tate’s name, his girlfriend’s name and un-embossed credit cards along with a notebook with credit card numbers and expiration dates. Invetigators say Tate used the fraudulent credit cards to make purchases at Kwik Trip and Tobacco Outlet in Fond du lac. He faces similar charges in Brown, Ozaukee and Waukesha counties.
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Construction crews are beginning demolition work at the former General Motors plant in southern Wisconsin. Janesville officials say workers finished asbestos abatement and waste removal in the main assembly building last week. Crews will next work on demolishing the exterior walls. The 4.8-million-square-foot (446,000-square-meter) facility once employed thousands of autoworkers. The plant shuttered operations in 2008. St. Louis-based Commercial Development Company purchased the property last year for redevelopment. The company is still creating a site plan. Janesville officials say the public will be able to comment on the land’s future use. Gale Price is Janesville’s economic development director. She says the area will likely be used by a heavier manufacturer because of its connections to multiple rails. The plant’s assets will be auctioned next week.
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New York is making free food pantries a standard fixture on all its public college campuses. It’s part of efforts across the nation to deal with the ripple effect of rising college costs and changing student demographics that make it hard for some students to afford basics such as food. A report published this month by a lab at the University of Wisconsin found 36 percent of 43,000 two- and four-year college students surveyed in 20 states were dealing with hunger issues. Among community college students alone, 42 percent said they struggled to get enough food. Experts say food insecurity takes a toll on college students, making it harder for them to achieve their goals and graduate with a degree that’s key to improving their financial situation.
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