Wisconsin News and Sports
County highway departments are hoping to reassure motorists about the safety of bridges. They're also asking state lawmakers for sufficient money for maintenance and inspection of bridges in Wisconsin.
Dan Fedderly of the Wisconsin County Highway Association says they want to be diligent about maintaining bridges, but need the proper funding to make sure that happens.
The issue continues to get close scrutiny just two weeks after a deadly bridge collapse in Minneapolis.
Cops in Wisconsin plan on making a lot of arrests for drunk driving over the next couple of weeks.
They'd rather not make motorists suffer through an arrest, but Major Dan Lonsdorf with the Wisconsin State Patrol says they're doing what they have to in hopes of getting people to make better choices, rather than getting behind the wheel after drinking alcohol. Drunks don't intend to harm anyone, but they do. Last year, alcohol-related traffic crashes killed 305 people in Wisconsin and injured nearly 6,000.
Lonsdorf says there are no warnings for drunk driving. No exceptions. They're adding additional officers to the streets. Wisconsin is part of a nationwide effort to crack down on drunk driving to make our highways a little safer.
The nationwide crackdown, called "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit, Under Arrest," is going on now through Labor Day weekend. Lonsdorf says, if you must drink, there are other options besides getting behind the wheel.
The ongoing recall of toys made in China emphasizes one lawmaker's effort to make sure recalled items actually get pulled from the shelves.
When the Consumer Product Safety Commission issues a major national recall, state senator Julie Lassa says state agencies have no enforcement power to make it happen.
Lassa wants the legislature to give the department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection the authority to fine stores that do not pull recalled items. Her bill would also allow Health and Family Services to enforce recalls in childcare centers.
Lassa points to a recent recall of contact lens solution suspected of causing eye infections. She says even months after the recalled was issued stores were still selling the solution and people were still using it.
Lassa's bill would also require DATCP to list all recalled products on a website where the public could easily find them.
As the budget process inches forward, one lawmaker says Wisconsin is only one of three states not to have completed the job. Madison Democrat, Representative Mark Pocan , served on the Joint Finance Committee, and believes it's now time for the budget conferees to kick things up a notch. "When one group is talking about apples and the other group is talking about oranges, you're not going to get a whole lot done," says Pocan. "I think we need to move beyond that." Pocan sat in, as the eight member committee met again Thursday, and again failed to advance any serious compromise. Is that frustrating for lawmakers who spent months in the Joint Finance Committee process? Abbottsford Republican Scott Suder is a JFC member. "No, I wouldn't call it frustrating," says Suder. "I would call very important. We're dealing with nearly $60 billion of peoples' money. It is a long process." Suder says the budget conference committee has made "some progress," while Pocan says Wisconsin is now one of only three states not to have completed work on a budget.
WRN Blog