Augut 21, 2016

Name Released Of Man Killed In Oak Grove Car Accident

 

8/21/16 – The name of the man killed in Friday morning’s single vehicle accident in the Town of Oak Grove has been identified.  19-year-old Brady Wagner of Hartford reportedly failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway on Highway A south of Highway W.  His vehicle drove off the road’s shoulder, struck an embankment, vaulted, and struck two trees before coming to rest.  Wagner was reportedly consuming alcohol at the Dodge County Fair on Thursday night.

 

Dodge County Board Approves New ATV/UTV Trails

 

8/21/16 – Eight stretches of highway in the towns of Elba and Portland have been approved for ATV and UTV riding.  The Dodge County Board this week joined the two town boards in green lighting the request from the Quad City Runners, a local enthusiast group who wanted easier terrain-vehicle travel locally.  The eight approved highways are: Highway I from Clarkson Road to Dalman Road, Torpy Road to Highway T, and Yerges Road to Highway BB, Highway T from Stark Road to Burr Oak Road, Highway BB from Hubbleton Road to Port Road and Yerges Road to Austin Road, Highway II from Burr Oak Road to Highway TT, and Highway TT from Highway II to Breyer Road.  The speed limit for ATVs and UTVs on these highways is 35 miles per hour, unless the posted limit is slower.  No riding will be allowed between 11:59 pm and 5 am.  Head lights and tail lights must be used during designated dark hours, which is between one-half hour after sunset and one-half hour before sunrise.  The petitioning group must pay the cost to install the signs and maintain that signage for ten years.

 

State Adds Large Number Of Private Sector Jobs

 

8/21/16 -Wisconsin has added about 37,500 private sector jobs during the year ending in March. State officials say construction made the largest gains, with a growth rate of 6% throughout the year. We’ll find out September 7 how Wisconsin’s total percentage of job growth compares to others, when the Labor Department releases its Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. The report will have a time lag of almost five months — but observers say it’s the most accurate snapshot of the job picture, since virtually all employers are surveyed. The monthly unemployment report only has time to survey 3.5% of employers — and that shows a preliminary one month gain of 5,000 jobs for July. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 4.2% is unchanged since May.

 

Crops Continue To Thrive In Badger State

 

8/21/16 – Wisconsin’s major farm crops continue to mature faster than normal, thanks to the hot summer and frequent rains. The Wisconsin Ag Statistics Service says 87% of the state’s soybeans are in good to excellent shape, along with 88% of the corn crop. However, observers in southeast Wisconsin report stress due to dry conditions — and 8% of the state’s fields are now listed as being short or very short of moisture. 91% of the Wisconsin potato and hay crops are rated good to excellent. 74% of the oats for grain are harvested five days ahead of the norm.

 

Wisconsin Among Nation’s Best Election Systems

 

8/21/16 – A new study says Wisconsin has one of the nation’s four best election systems, even though lawsuits over things like photo I-D may not sound like it. The Pew Charitable Trusts compared not only voter turnouts — but things like registration and ballot problems, completeness of data for voters, and even waiting times at the polls. Pew says Wisconsin had the nation’s fourth highest total performance in the last major November elections in 2014, when Republican Governor Scott Walker won a second term. North Dakota was Number One, followed by Minnesota and Virginia — and Wisconsin had the nation’s second-highest voter turnout in 2014 at 57-percent with the 17th highest voter registration rate, seventh lowest number of registrations rejected, and fifth lowest problems with absentee ballots. The average waiting time at the polls ranked 19th at 2.7 minutes, but that was before the state’s voter I-D requirement took effect in February of this year.

 

Building Permits Fluctuating Throughout State

 

8/21/16 – The building of new homes in Metro Milwaukee held steady in July, despite large increases in the first six months of this year. M-T-D Marketing Services says 116 building permits were issued last month for new one and two family homes in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington, and Ozaukee counties. That’s the same as in June, but the numbers of new home permits in the region still rose 16% for the year as a whole. New home permits rose by 5.5% in the Racine and Kenosha region, and by less than 1% in Madison/Dane County and Green Bay/Door County areas. M-T-D says July building permits fell by almost 3% from June in Appleton and the Fox Valley region.

 

Columbus Receives Rural Education Grant

 

8/21/16 – Columbus Schools have been awarded a $10,000 Monsanto “Farmers Grow Rural Education” grant. The district will use the grant to improve their agriculture program in grades 6 thru 12 through the addition of elective Agri-science courses. The check presentation ceremony will take place during half time at the September 9th Columbus High School football game in Fireman’s Park.

 

Sheboygan Furniture Maker To Be Sold To Minnesota Firm

 

8/21/16 – A maker of office furniture that’s based in Sheboygan will be sold to a Minneapolis firm. Safco Products, which is known for its office chairs and stools, is buying the Mayline Company — and the deal is expected to be finalized next month. Mayline was founded in 1939 as a maker of drafting tables. It’s now owned by Baird Capital, and it employs 220 people at its Sheboygan production facility and a distribution center near Little Rock, Arkansas. Safco is a subsidiary of Liberty Diversified International of Minneapolis — and it expects to continue the Mayline brand. Mayline C-E-O Allan Klotsche says his company will be able to expand the services it offers its customers.

 

Participants Needed For E-Cigarette Study

 

8/21/16 – U-W Madison is still looking for another 100 participants for a study on the health effects of electronic cigarettes. Three hundred people have enrolled in the five year, $3,700,000 study funded by the F-D-A and the National Cancer Institute. For a two year period, scientists monitor the health of those who smoke nothing but tobacco cigarettes — plus those who both smoke tobacco and vape with the “E” cigarettes. Lead investigator Doug Jorenby says the biggest thing researchers don’t know is the effect on a vaper’s lungs over a certain length of time. The U-W Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention is conducting what’s called the “Exhale Study.”

 

Applications Being Taken For Dodge County Conservation Grants

 

8/21/16 – Dodge County’s UW-Extension Office is accepting applications for County Conservation Aid Grants.  To be eligible, projects must improve fish and wildlife habitat in the Dodge County community.  More information on the program is available by searching ‘county conservation’ on the Department of Natural Resources’ website.  Applications and necessary documents should be mailed to the Extension office in Juneau by September 5.

 

Fall Beef Meeting To Be Held In Dodge County Next Month

 

8/21/16 – Livestock owners are invited to attend an upcoming beef meeting focused on directly marketing their product.  Dodge County’s UW-Extension is the event on September 7.  It begins with a tour of Cedar Road Meat Market in Iron Ridge at 10:30 am before the gathering moves to the County Administration Building in Juneau at 11:30 am.  Pre-registration costs $12 and is due by August 31.

 

Antique Show Coming To Watertown

 

8/21/16 – A local historical society is holding an antique show next month.  Over 25 vendors are expected at the Watertown Octagon House Museum on September 10 from 9 am to 4 pm.  A silent auction will run until 3 pm, and tours will be offered at a discounted rate of five dollars.  There is no cost to enter the antique show grounds.