News 11.15.16
15 November 2016 News
A Waupun man charged in connection with a September stabbing incident is bound over for trial. Eighteen year old Nicholas Core waived his preliminary hearing last week in Dodge County Circuit Court. He’s charged with causing injury by negligent handling of a weapon, battery, disorderly conduct and resisting/obstructing an officer. An investigation shows a group fight broke out after a female confronted another female about name-calling on the phone app, Snapchat. During the fight, Core allegedly punched the victim- an 18 year old Randolph man- in the face and stabbed him in the bicep with a knife. The victim was treated at the hospital for non life-threatening injuries. An arraignment hearing has been scheduled for November 30th.
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An Oshkosh City Council member says she decided to sit during the Pledge of Allegiance because she was upset by the results of Tuesday’s election. Councilwoman Caroline Panske stayed quiet when the pledge was recited at the council meeting Wednesday. Panske says some words in the pledge were hard for her to hear “at this moment.” She says it was “just raw honesty,” so she sat down. Oshkosh Mayor Steve Cummings says he didn’t see Panske’s protest during the meeting but was “stunned” when he found out about it later. Cummings says the council is nonpartisan, and that while Panske won’t face discipline, he believes the gesture was inappropriate. Panske says she has stood for the pledge at all other council meetings, and plans to keep doing so.
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Wisconsin has been increasing patrols and checking pumps after credit card skimmers were found at gas stations. Skimmers are devices thieves install on the pumps to capture your credit card information. In September, consumer protection said skimmers had been found at more than a dozen gas stations, including some in our area. The state’s Department of Consumer Protection says three more skimmers were found in the past week in Madison, Mequon, and Juda, a small town in Green County.
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U.S. prisons are experimenting with a high-priced monthly injection that could help addicted inmates stay off opioids after they are released. It’s called Vivitrol. And proponents say it could be effective in the fight against the opioid epidemic affecting 2 million Americans and a portion of the prison population. Vivitrol isn’t habit-forming, unlike older drugs like methadone, which can be abused. But it costs significantly more — about $1,000 a month, compared with methadone which runs about $30 a month. Skeptics question its effectiveness and say the manufacturer has pushed an unproven drug onto corrections officials. Supporters say Vivitrol can save money by keeping people from returning to prison. It costs $25,000 a year to house an inmate at Sheridan Correctional Center in Illinois, which is starting a Vivitrol program.
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The state Department of Safety and Professional Services passes an emergency rule requiring doctors to get biennial training on prescribing opioids. The agency passed the regulations last week. They require that two of the 30 hours of biennial continuing education physicians must receive cover prescribing opioids according to DSPS guidelines. Those guidelines call for prescribing opioids sparingly and avoiding them as a first option to treat pain. The guidelines are designed to prevent heroin addictions. Opioid users often turn to that drug when their prescriptions run out.
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Gov. Scott Walker takes over this week as the new chairman of the Republican Governors Association. Walker says he sees an uncommon opportunity in Washington with unified Republican control of Congress and the White House for GOP governors to push their wish lists. He’s hoping responsibilities for education, transportation and Medicaid can be pushed back to the states. There will be more Republican governors, with 33 states, than at any time since the 1920s. There will be two races for governor during Walker’s 2017 term. But, he will also be laying the groundwork for 38 races for governor in 2018.
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