Wisconsin News and Sports
Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says the decision to offer a $245,000 a year senior vice president position to former DOA Secretary Michael Morgan appears to be in violation of UW hiring policies.
The opinion was part of a letter sent to state Representative Steve Nass (R-Whitewater), who requested an investigation after Morgan was offered the job by UW System President Kevin Reilly. [Read more...]
Overall crime was on the decline last year in Wisconsin. Data collected from almost 400 Wisconsin law enforcement agencies indicates a downward trend in both the number of crimes reported and arrests made in 2009, according to Tami Jackson with the state Office of Justice Assistance. There was a six percent decline in both the violent crime and property crime rate in 2009. The two most noticeable changes occurred in Arson, which saw a three percent increase, and Motor Vehicle Theft, which saw a twenty-three percent decrease. [Read more...]
The Centers for Disease Control is on the case of a blastomycosis outbreak in central Wisconsin. Three field investigators from Atlanta have been helping Marathon County and state health officials study why there’s been an increase in cases this year.
The CDC’s Monika Roy says blasto can be hard to study. The investigation in Marathon County is one of only two or three field studies that Roy’s mycotic diseases branch does each year. What makes the Marathon County cases so interesting is that people who get blasto don’t fit the normal profile. Health officials have found more women and younger people getting the disease and they say blasto cases have been clustered in certain parts of the county.
Wisconsin’s first 12 Agricultural Enterprise Areas will soon be a reality. What’s an agricultural enterprise area? Jane Larson is with the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. “It’s a contiguous land area that’s devoted primarily to agricultural use,” explains Larson. “These blocks of land are targeted for agricultural preservation and agricultural development, by the local communities where they’re located.”
Farmers within designated AEAs will be eligible to enter into voluntary farmland preservation agreements. “We’re not imposing land use restrictions, but I think the most important part is it’s the local communities that come together,” says Larson. “They determine what’s best for them in their area.” [Read more...]
A 10-year-old girl from Beloit is facing charges of child abuse.
Last Friday, a 23-month old girl was taken to a Beloit hospital by her mother, who thought the child was injured from falling out of a crib. But police say the child injuries were sustained from being abused over a period of time. [Read more...]
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