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State gets $62K to stave off food terrorism

November 17, 2009 By

Wisconsin is getting over $62,000 from the USDA to combat agro-terrorism.

The state Ag Department’s high-tech plans to protect the nation’s food system from agro-terrorism earns the agency’s Food Safety Division one of only four Innovative Food Defense grants from the federal government.

“They were grants that were intended to spark some innovative ideas about how to protect our food supply in case of some kind of an agro-terrorism attack on the food supply.”

Donna Gilson with the Ag Department explains TIGER is a high-tech tool to help investigate a terrorist strike to Wisconsin’s vital food industry. Its intent is to minimize the damage to people’s health and the economy, by being able to act very quickly using specialized computer maps to track down potentially contaminated food. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Agriculture

Doyle signs agreement with Israel

November 17, 2009 By
Governor Jim Doyle and Israeli Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Benjamin Ben-Eliezer

Governor Jim Doyle and Israeli Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Benjamin Ben-Eliezer

Wisconsin businesses could soon find new research and business partners in Israel.

As part of a trade mission to Israel this week, Governor Jim Doyle signed a collaborative agreement with the government to work together on research and development. Doyle says the deal will allow Wisconsin businesses to better connect with those in Israel, and develop strategic partnerships. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business, Labor

State does better preventing premature births

November 17, 2009 By

Wisconsin is doing better in preventing premature births. Doctor Jennifer Howse, President of the March of Dimes, says premature births continue to be a problem. “The babies who are born too soon are at risk of neonatal death,” says Howse. “Prematurity is a major cause of childhood disability, and there is $26 billion dollars of costs associated with caring for these pre-term babies.”

Wisconsin actually improved its letter grade from the March of Dimes, up from a D last year, to a C. But the nation overall still rates a D. “The two regions in the world with the highest rates of pre-term birth are Africa and North America,” Howse says. “Our standing is not good in the world, and we really need to address this problem as a nation.”

Wisconsin was able to do better by getting more women insured, decreasing smoking by expectant mothers, and decreasing so called “late pre-term births” between 34 and 36 weeks. Vermont had the highest grade in the nation, a B, while fifteen other states and Puerto Rico received an F.

Filed Under: Children & Families, Health & Medicine

Lawmakers propose alternate MPS reform plan

November 17, 2009 By

Two state lawmakers from Milwaukee have unveiled a bill to reform the Milwaukee Public Schools, and it differs in at least one crucial element from the proposal being pushed by the city’s mayor and the governor.

The proposal, dubbed RACE for Success, the Reforming and Advancing Children’s Education for Success Act, was unveiled Monday by Democrats, state Representative Tamara Grigsby and state Senator Spencer Coggs. Grigsby and Coggs propose the formation of a “partnership for success” composed of members of the school board, the Milwaukee Common Council, mayor and schools superintendent. The school board would maintain control over the MPS budget and school policy, but the mayor would be given the ability to control the property tax levy if the school board’s budget increased the property tax levy more than 8 percent.

The school board would also select the MPS superintendent, although the mayor would be allowed to interview the final three candidates and make a recommendation. The mayor could veto the board’s final selection, subject to override by a two-thirds vote of the board. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, Legislature, Politics & Government

Fewer retailers selling smokes to kids

November 17, 2009 By

Wisconsin retailers are doing a better job of helping to keep tobacco out of the hands of minors. That’s according to the results of a statewide compliance survey, which found only about 5.7-percent of retailers sold tobacco illegally to minors. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Medicine