News – June 28, 2015

The Dodge County Dairy Breakfast Is Today

 

6/28/15 – Wisconsin’s Alice in Dairyland will be at the Dodge County Dairy Brunch in Rubicon today. The Dodge County Dairy Promotion Committee announced that the state’s newest Alice, Teyanna Loether of Sauk City will be at the brunch from 10:30am to 12:30pm. The brunch is being held at the Tony Schumacher and Cecelia Dukelow farm. The menu features scrambled eggs with cheese and ham, pancakes, assorted cheeses, milk and “Barnyard Blast” ice-cream.  The event is scheduled for 9am until 12:30pm. There will also be an educational petting zoo, train barrel rides, 4-H and FFA activities and opportunities to learn more about Wisconsin’s dairy industry. Live music will be provided by Carol and the Keynotes. Tickets are $7, kids age five to 11-years-old are $3 while children four and under eat free. Attendees will have to take a shuttle to the farm as there is no on-site parking. Shuttle pick-up is available at the intersection of Highway P and Highway 60 at Gehring Sales and Service, Saylesville School and the Town of Rubicon Building.

 

Fond du Lac County Breakfast on the Farm In Lomira

 

6/28/15 – The Fond du Lac County Breakfast on the Farm is today at the Dan and Brenda Michels Farm in Lomira. There will be a hardy breakfast, tours of the farm, live music, a kiddie pedal tractor pull, antique farm equipment on display and much more. Shuttle bus service will be available from Equity Livestock Sales in Lomira or you can park at the farm at N11805 Butternut Road. The Breakfast on the Farm serves from 8am until noon.

 

BDCH Announces Its New Operation Of Marshland Pharmacy

 

6/28/15 – Beaver Dam Community Hospital announced that it will now own and operate Beaver Dam’s Marshland Pharmacy location.  Marshland is on the first floor of the Vita Park Medical Clinic in BDCH at 705 South University Avenue.  Registered pharmacists John and Sue Sutter will continue to operate the pharmacy’s Horicon location.  The Sutters expect the patients at the Beaver Dam location will still be in good hands.  BDCH President Kim Miller says patients can expect “little-to-no change as the same high-level of pharmacy service will be provided.”  This move is part of BDCH’s effort to provide of a full array of medical services to area residents.

 

Public Shooting Range Coming To Columbia County

 

6/28/15 – Recent state action will allow for a shooting range in Columbia County.  The plan is to construct the ten acre range on the Mud Lake Wildlife Area which is just south of Rio.  That location was selected from seven state-owned sites in the county by an ad hoc citizens committee.  The state Natural Resources Board approved the amendment to the Columbia County Planning Group’s master plan at a meeting in La Crosse this week.  That plan, which identified the need for a public range, was approved by the planning group in 2012.

 

Drought Conditions Linger Up North

 

6/28/15 – After the heavy rains and thunderstorms we’ve had this month, it seems hard to believe that any place in Wisconsin remains in a drought.  But the U-S Drought Monitor says Superior and Douglas County remain abnormally dry — along with at least half of Bayfield, Washburn, and Burnett counties — plus small parts of Sawyer and Ashland counties.  Those conditions have not changed in the last three weeks, even though much of Wisconsin has seen both constant and torrential rains since mid-May.  Dodge County was not free of dry conditions until the beginning of June. Three months ago, all but one-and-a-half percent of Wisconsin’s land area was in some type of drought.

 

Dodge County Highway Dept Announces Oil and Chip Schedule

 

6/28/15 – The Dodge County Highway Department will be applying an oil and chip seal to select highways this week starting Monday, weather permitting. The affected roadways include County Highway G from Reeseville to Lowell; County I from Prospect Road to State Highway 26 in the towns of Oak Grove, Burnett, and Chester; County TW from County WT to State Highway 175 in the towns of Theresa and Lomira; County WT from State Highway 28 to County Highway TW in the Town of Theresa; County AY from State Highway 28 to Knowles in the towns of Theresa and Lomira; County Y from Mayville to County AY in the towns of Williamstown and Theresa; and County E from County M to railroad tracks at County DJ in the Town of Emmet. The Dodge County Highway Department says the maintenance is necessary to protect the road surface from deterioration through oxidation.  As a result of the sealcoating process, there will be loose gravel chips on the road surface.  The highway department will sweep the roads after the sealcoat has been in place for one week to remove excess loose chips. The work should be completed by July 24, weather permitting. Officials says to minimize and prevent damage to windshields, headlights, and paint on vehicles, the motorists should observe the signs that are posted on the affected highways.  And also, drive in a manner considerate of other motorists and the construction crews.  If possible, the public is advised to use an alternate route during sealcoat application.

 

DMV Online Resources Highlighted

 

6/28/15 – People who purchase a vehicle privately can get their vehicle titled and registered without ever leaving home. That’s according to Amber Graf with the Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles. “Well eMV Public is an increasingly-popular online service that allows people to title and register a vehicle that’s been purchased from a private seller. And we’ve enhanced this eMV Public web site so that people can now pay the title and registration fees online using your credit or debit card or through their checking or savings account.” People using eMV Public can even print off a temporary license plate using their home printer. The online service can be used to title and register a privately-purchased automobile, light truck, motorcycle or SUV. Just be sure to use the official DMV web site that has “gov” in the web address.

 

Fish Sticks A Growing Trend In Wisconsin

 

6/28/15 – When you hear the words “fish sticks,” don’t assume it’s what you’ll have for dinner.  “Fish sticks” is also a term that represents a growing trend in Wisconsin waters.  Larger numbers of fallen trees are being placed in lakes and streams, so fish can use them for habitat.  State D-N-R fisheries’ biologist Scott Toshner says a tree can live for a century, and then spend at least another 100 years helping fish populations in a variety of ways.  Toshner says some species lay their eggs on wood, while others use the trees to protect themselves from larger fish.  He says every species of fish uses wood at some point in their lives.  Up to 15 species have been observed living in-and-around a single submerged tree. Tadpoles, minnows, and other small fish quickly hover in the branches — while shredders and filter-feeders start nibbling on the wood, or the algae which soon accumulates.  The state approved general permits a couple years ago, which made it easier to develop tree projects in Wisconsin lakes.  There are 29 so far — all but four in the north.  Toshner, who’s based in Brule, says lake associations have been helpful in developing many projects.  The state provides up to 75-percent funding.

 

Thanksgiving Dinner Likely Spared From Bird Flu Price Hike

 

6/28/15 – If you’re starting to save now for your Thanksgiving turkey, you probably don’t have to.  The bird flu outbreak has killed millions of turkeys in the Upper Midwest — but U-S-D-A ag economist Shayle Shagam says it won’t affect this fall’s supermarket prices as badly as some have feared.  Nationally, Shagam said turkey production was seven-percent higher in the first quarter of this year — and the output is only expected to drop by about that much in the second half of 2015.  In addition, Shagam says frozen turkey stocks in April were much higher than the previous year.  Also, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation normally tells us that stores cut their turkey prices right before Thanksgiving.  Shagam says it gets shoppers in the door to buy the rest of their holiday dinner trimmings.

 

New Study Shows Fourth Amendment Waning With Justices

 

6/28/15 – The U-S Constitution gives Americans the right to be protected from unreasonable government searches and seizures.  However, a new study shows that the current Wisconsin Supreme Court justices are less likely than their predecessors to favor of those who claimed their Fourth Amendment rights were violated. Marquette history professor Alan Ball reviewed cases over the past 19 years and reported his findings on a blog of Supreme Court numbers called “SCOWstats.” He said the court agreed that searches were unreasonable 10-percent of the time over the last two decades — but that dropped to seven-percent in the most recent terms with the court’s current membership.  That’s almost half the 13-percent of decisions in which the court ruled in favor of criminal defendants.  Ball said that liberal Justice Shirley Abrahamson supported Fourth Amendment violation arguments 72-percent of time — while her successor as chief justice, conservative Pat Roggensack, only ruled the same way twice in 44 cases.  Ball wrote that he’s never seen a more stark difference in voting rates among liberal-and-conservative justices in his previous reviews for the blog.