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State Wrestling enters final day

February 28, 2009 By

2009 State Wrestling Action It's championship Saturday at the 66th WIAA Individual State Wrestling Tournament in Madison.  Champions will be crowned in 14 different weight classes in each of the three divisions.

Semifinals were held at the Kohl Center in Madison on Friday night.

WRN's wrestling reporter Joe Miller was on hand and give us two reports, recapping Friday and looking ahead to Saturday's championship round.

 

Listen / Download – Joe Miller previews the Championship round 1:03
Listen / Download – Joe Miller with a second version of the final day. :50

Filed Under: Top Story

Sub Zero cuts may come

February 28, 2009 By

There's still a chance for the fancy fridge industry to improve. Sub Zero union spokesman Dave Goodspeed says a possible lay-off for 350 workers at the Madison plant is a worst case scenario if business doesn't turn around by May 1st. As for workers that are laid off, Goodspeed says there's always a chance they'll be brought back. "In order to qualify for unemployment, they've got to engage in job searches," says Goodspeed. "Howevem they've got eighteen months of recall, under the collective bargaining agreement," which puts workers out until December 1st of 2010.

Last spring, Sub Zero-Wolf Appliance announced 235 positions could be cut because of the sluggish economy, but it never did come to that. Last month, 79 workers were laid off. Goodspeed says the timing isn't great, as traditionally February, March, and April are bad months for production.

Filed Under: Business

Seven years later, CWD concerns remain

February 28, 2009 By

DNR photo It's been seven years since Chronic Wasting Disease was first discovered in Wisconsin's deer herd.

It's a problem that continues to haunt the DNR, according to big game manager Keith Warnke. He says the agency is still not confident that the disease is contained to southern Wisconsin. Warnke says they still have a lot to learn in how to manage and prevent it from spreading further into the state.

It was February 28, 2002 that three deer in the Mount Horeb area tested positive for the fatal brain disease. Since then, the state has spent millions of dollars hoping to stop its spread. Special CWD zones have also been set up to get more hunters out there to harvest deer in areas where it's known the disease is present.

Warnke says the battle to contain and eradicate the disease continues to be a top priority for the DNR.

AUDIO: John Colbert reports (MP3 :34)

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation

Freight rail forecast depends on feds

February 28, 2009 By

rrbuck09.jpg A state lawmaker sees a mixed bag for the future of freight rail in Wisconsin. Greendale Republican state Representative Jeff Stone attended the industry-sponsored GO21 event in Washington this week, where recommendations include tax incentives to improve, equipment and infrastructure.

"Create a tax environment that allows railroads to invest even more money," says Stone . "Right now, there's a potential for those tax credits to create probable a billion more in equipment and infrastructure." Stone says railroads struggled in the 1970s because of overregulation from D.C. He worries that could happen again, which wouldn't be good for the economy of southeast Wisconsin. On a positive note, Stone says millions of federal stimulus dollars proposed for passenger rail will probably benefit freight as well.

"One of the things we're finding about freight rail is that it's just more efficient than almost any other way to move goods around the country," says Stone. "It saves on energy and it's much cleaner, and really had provided a tremendous amount of service, much more than it did back in the 1970s, when it was highly regulated industry." 

AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (:60 MP3)

Filed Under: Business, Transportation

Despite recession, vets still get free ed

February 27, 2009 By

Despite budget cuts, officials want veterans to know a free education is still within reach.

Military veterans seeking tuition remission should first apply for federal assistance with the Post-9/11 GI bill . Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Acting Secretary Ken Black says that enables the state to take full advantage of federal funding.

“You know we want our veterans to take that. That brings federal dollars into the state, but there's going to be a delta, if you will, between the Wisconsin GI bill and the Post-9/11. And the way it stands right now the university system will pick up the differences. I would say 80% to 90% of the federal dollars will still come into the state.”

Essentially, federal benefits will help make the state benefits last a little longer. But, Black says, don't misunderstand. Wisconsin is “holding harmless” eligible veterans. He says we don't want veterans to worry about how they are going to pay for their education.

“They've done their part and served our country … we don't want them concerned about where the dollars are going to come from, in terms of their education. We just want to get them through the system – get them into the university system and provide them the education that they deserve.”

County Veterans Service Officers ( CVSO ) are available throughout the state to provide information and assistance in obtaining veterans benefits, programs and services.

AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report (1:23 MP3)

Filed Under: Military, Top Story
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