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Wanted pair arrested on stroll past police department

October 23, 2009 By

The long arm of the law didn’t need to be very long in one Wisconsin community this week, where a couple of men made it almost too easy for police to take them into custody.

According to police reports, Russell Bittner and Cody Ladd, both 23, had active warrants for their arrest. They walked right by the Neillsville Police Department Thursday, even looking in the windows from across the street.

The on duty officer recognized them, and arrested them a block down the street.

WCCN’s Paul Knoff submitted this report

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Global focus on 350

October 23, 2009 By

Climate change activists hope for a worldwide focus on the number 350 on Saturday, the International Day of Climate Action.

What’s the significance of the number? Steve Bazan is a UW faculty member who’s organized an event in Madison. “Three fifty is the level of parts per million of carbon dioxide, which most scientists believe is a sustainable level of CO2 in the atmosphere,” explains Bazan. Global carbon dioxide levels are already above 350 parts per billion – the number represents an achievable target for reductions.

Bazan says the timing of the Saturday’s worldwide events is not a coincidence: it’s designed to send a clear message to leaders meeting at the global climate conference in Copenhagen. Around the globe, more than 4800 actions have been planned in 179 countries.

AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (1:10 MP3)

Filed Under: Environment & Conservation

Five time OWIer won’t seek reelection

October 23, 2009 By

State Representative Jeff Wood (I-Chippewa Falls) apologizes for his behavior and says he will not seek re-election in the state Assembly next year. In a statement, the Chippewa Falls Independent says that he plans “to focus on recovery.”

Wood explains, he’s been in an inpatient treatment facility for the past three weeks when his roommate unexpectedly left the program and Wood went to find him, but had taken more medication than was prescribed.

Wood was arrested that afternoon on suspicion of OWI. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With:

Cooking up a plan for healthier school lunches

October 23, 2009 By

Wisconsin schools may be ahead of the curve when it comes to suggested school meal nutrition guidelines. Mary Jo Tuckwell, senior consultant with inTEAM Associates, helped with research that was completed for the USDA. Tuckwell also served nearly two decades as the Director of Food and Nutrition for the Eau Claire Area School District.  She says badger state schools may find they’ve already been implementing many of the report’s dietary guidelines such as Eau Claire schools switching to 1-percent milk in 1991.

Other suggestions include students consuming more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, as well as progressively decreasing sodium meaning high schoolers consume less than their younger counterparts.

These standards may find their way into policy, as Congress will soon begin debating childhood nutrition issues. The National School Lunch program is up for reauthorization.

AUDIO: Brian Moon reports (MP3 :66)

Filed Under: Education, Health & Medicine

Job loss building right in front of our eyes

October 23, 2009 By

Twenty-thousand jobs were lost in Wisconsin from August to September according to a new report by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy. This followed a period of some leveling off in employment. Manufacturing and construction were hardest hit among sectors. COWS Associate Director Laura Dresser says unlike private sector construction gigs, some of their public sector counterparts were saved by federal stimulus.

We often hear the news of factories laying people off but construction is a trade that somewhat goes unnoticed, to a certain extent.

The labor economist adds people are forgoing rehab work on their homes.

Dresser says with winter approaching there will be additional construction job loss which will vary depending on how the fall weather is.

Filed Under: Economy, Labor
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