News 11.29.17
29 November 2017 News
Hunters killed slightly fewer deer during this year’s nine-day gun season than last year. The state Department of Natural Resources released preliminary figures Tuesday that show hunters killed 195,738 deer this year, down 0.8 percent from 197,262 deer in 2016. Hunters killed 198,049 deer during the nine-day in 2015 and 192,111 deer during the nine-day in 2014. Fewer hunters took to the woods this year. The DNR sold 588,387 licenses authorizing hunting with a firearm during the nine-day season, down 1.7 percent from the previous year.
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Some Wisconsin lawmakers are pushing to change state law and allow first responders to treat pets when responding to an emergency. Wisconsin’s veterinarian practice act only allows for veterinarians to give animals aid. Two bills are in committee in the state Legislature and would give first responders immunity for treating animals during an emergency call. It would also protect responders who don’t aid animals. While first responders giving animals aid is technically illegal in Wisconsin, fire departments across the state have specialized equipment to aid animals. But the departments don’t receive special training for handling animals nor do they have a written protocol for saving animals. All the departments prioritize saving human life first. Twenty-two other states allow first responders to provide animals with care.
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The Mount Pleasant village board has unanimously approved a historic agreement with Foxconn, the Taiwanese company building a huge flat screen manufacturing campus in the community. The agreement provides $764 million in local incentives for Foxconn which is building a complex that could eventually employ 13,000 people. The factory campus is expected to have at least $1.4 billion in taxable value by 2023. The Journal Sentinel reports local officials say that will generate enough money to pay off the village and county expenses related to the project. Foxconn will provide Mount Pleasant with $60 million up front to begin buying land at the factory site. Construction of the 25 million-square-foot manufacturing complex on 1,200 acres in Racine County is expected to begin next year.
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The state Department of Natural Resources says seven hunters were shot during the nine-day gun deer season. According to the DNR’s website Monday, five hunters accidentally shot themselves during the season. The sixth was shot by someone in his own party during a deer drive in Ozaukee County on Wednesday. The seventh hunter was hunting ducks from a kayak in Waukesha County on Friday when a stray bullet hit him in both legs. Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill on Nov. 13 eliminating the minimum age for participating in a mentored hunt. All five of the hunters who shot themselves were at least 24. It’s unknown who fired the shots in Waukesha and Ozaukee counties. Those incidents remain under investigation.
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