News 05.31.17
31 May 2017 News
Police are looking for an individual who fled following a high speed chase in Fond du Lac County. On Saturday May 27th just before 2:00 a.m, a Deputy from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop a vehicle on Interstate 41 near Lost Arrow Road in the Town of Byron. The suspect vehicle did not stop and increased to speeds above 100 mph. Deputies continued to follow the vehicle northbound on 41 where the vehicle exited on Winnebago Drive. The suspect vehicle then re-entered the Interstate and went southbound. Deputies were able to deploy a tire deflation device near the overpass of Highway 23, which slowed the vehicle following a 12.5 mile pursuit. The individual stopped between the Military Road and Hickory Road exits, fled on foot, and is still at large. The individual is described as a black male, 5’10-6’0 tall wearing blue jeans, a light colored shirt and had a shaved head. Police say there is no indication the public is in danger. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office.
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An Appleton man is arrested for his 8th OWI in Outagamie County. On Monday, a Wisconsin State Trooper responded to a call received from a motorist in Brown County that a suspected drunk driver was traveling southbound on Interstate 41. The trooper set up in a crossover of the interstate and was able to locate the vehicle. A traffic stop was conducted along with Field Sobriety Tests. As a result, 52-year-old Thomas J Tomajcik, was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, 8th offense.
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A new study shows that Wisconsin’s poverty rate reaches a nine-year low in 2015. The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty study says the state’s poverty rate was 9.7 percent in 2015, down from 10.8 percent in 2014. Researchers use the Wisconsin Poverty Measure — created nine years ago — to calculate the poverty rate. Timothy Smeeding is a professor at UW-Madison and one of the authors of the report. He says job growth and a decreased reliance on government assistance programs helped reduce poverty. The study found the state added 70,000 jobs between 2014 and 2015. The poverty level in La Crosse County is at 13 percent while Milwaukee County has a poverty rate of 16.3 percent.
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Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal making Wisconsin the first state to require drug tests to receive Medicaid health benefits has won approval from the Legislature’s budget-writing committee. The Joint Finance Committee voted last week to give itself oversight and final approval on Walker’s plans to drug-test able-bodied, childless adult Medicaid applicants. There would also be a drug test requirement for food stamp recipients. Democratic opponents argue the drug testing would be unconstitutional. Walker is also seeking federal approval for the drug testing and new work requirements for Medicaid and food stamp recipients. The committee approved Walker’s plans on a 12-4 vote, with all Republicans in support and Democrats against. It’s now a part of the state budget that the full Legislature will vote on later this summer.
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The Assembly Corrections Committee approves two Republican bills that could send more kids to Wisconsin’s troubled youth prison for longer stints. Currently judges can sentence children 14 and older to the prison for up to three years for certain serious crimes. One bill would expand the list of crimes to include all felonies. The other would eliminate the three-year limit. The committee passed both bills on 6-2 votes Tuesday, setting up votes in the Assembly. The FBI is investigating conditions at the prison. Committee Democrats complained that the prison is flawed and the bills would place more kids there longer for lesser crimes. But Republican Rep. Bob Gannon says his sympathy meter is broken and the only way to control crime is to get it “off the street.”
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