News 10.13.17
13 October 2017 News
One person is critically injured in a three vehicle crash on Interstate 41 in Dodge County. Shortly before 5pm Wednesday rescue personnel were called to t he scene on 41 north of state Highway 28 in the town of Theresa. A northbound passenger car merged abruptly to the left lane and braked hard upon approach to a crossover. That vehicle was struck from behind by another northbound pickup. The passenger car was pushed into the southbound lanes from that collision, and subsequently struck by a southbound straight truck. The car driver was flown to a hospital with possible life-threatening injuries. Nobody else was injured. Due to the seriousness of the injury and the blockage of traffic lanes by crashed vehicles, I-41 southbound traffic was closed for almost 3 hours. All lanes were open as of 7:50 pm.
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UW Fond du Lac would merge with UW Oshkosh under a plan unveiled by the UW System president to merge the state’s two year schools with its four year campuses in an effort to boost enrollment. System officials say the plan calls for keeping the two year schools open but making them essentially regional branches of the four year schools. Regional executive officer and Dean for the two year campuses, Martin Rudd, says the merger will make more classes available to two year students. Rudd says it would also make students’ degrees more attractive and ease transfers to the four year schools. Rudd says the move is designed to bolster two year school enrollment which has dropped 32 percent between 2010 and this fall. Under the plan UW extension would be absorbed by UW Madison. System president Ray Cross will present the plan to the Board of Regents next month.
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Wisconsin insurance officials say average premiums will jump 36 percent for people buying health coverage through the federally run exchange. The average increase for small groups buying coverage through the exchange is expected to be nearly 5 percent. About 75,000 people will have to find new providers as three health care companies — Anthem, Molina and Health Tradition — leave the exchange. The figures were released Thursday ahead of the enrollment period that begins Nov. 1. Deputy Commissioner of Insurance J.P. Wieske attributed the rate increases to decreased competition and the assumption that the White House and Congress won’t pay “cost sharing” subsidies that help cover deductibles and copayments for low-income consumers. About 215,000 people are in the individual market. Wieske said those losing coverage have been notified by the insurers.
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Gov. Scott Walker’s administration says it has made “significant progress” in meeting a federal court order to make broad changes in Wisconsin’s youth prisons. But a state attorney said in a court filing Tuesday that “significant unrest” at the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake juvenile prisons since the court order in June made it impossible to immediately comply. The use of pepper spray at the prisons has actually risen since U.S. District Judge James Peterson ordered the state in June to reduce its use. Pepper spray was deployed 10 times in June, but 27 times in July and 36 times in August. The prisons for boys and girls are located in Irma, north of Wausau, and are the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation into prison abuse and child neglect.
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