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Changes hit lower paid state workers harder

September 26, 2011 By

Democrats point out that changes to collective bargaining have had a bigger impact on lower paid state workers. Madison Assembly Democrat Brett Hulsey says numbers from the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau detail the impacts on state employees of the Budget Repair Bill — which has state workers paying more for health care and retirement benefits.

“I you make $25,000 a year, you took about an eleven percent pay cut,” said Hulsey. “If you make $125,000 a year like the governor does, his pay cut was half of that.” Hulsey said half the state’s employees are making less than $50-thousand dollars a year, and that a state worker making $25,000 a year will see a pay reduction of about four-thousand dollars.

AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (:60)

Filed Under: Politics & Government

Health officials detail Medicaid cuts

September 26, 2011 By

State health officials have begun unveiling plans to cut $500 million from the state’s Medicaid programs over the next two years. Department of Health Services spokeswoman Stephanie Smiley says DHS has to find millions in savings in order to keep those programs viable and accessible. “The Department has released a website which is a transparent way for Wisconsin citizens to view and provide comments on what the department is doing and proposing to keep Medicaid financially stable,” she said. The biggest saving is an enrollment freeze on Family Care, the program which helps older adults out of nursing homes. That’s designed save $106 million. Smiley says more proposals will be unveiled in the coming days.

Filed Under: Children & Families, Health & Medicine, Politics & Government

Cemetery worker accused of stealing guitar

September 26, 2011 By

A worker for the Green Bay Catholic Diocese is facing charges for allegedly stealing a guitar from a casket.  The $2,000 Fender Telecaster was supposed to be placed in a burial chamber last week with the body of a man at the Allouez Catholic Cemetery. However, Lieutenant Scott Semb of the Brown County Sheriff’s Department says a worker discovered it was missing after overhearing another employee comment about the value of the instrument. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Eau Claire library offers iPads

September 26, 2011 By

As electronic devices become a common way to read books and do research, a western Wisconsin public library is keeping up. Eau Claire’s L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library is now lending out iPads. Director John Stoneberg believes it may be the first library in the country to let patrons check the devices out. “Each of the iPads will come preloaded with one-thousand classic e-book titles, ten audio books and dozens of free apps,” Stoneberg says.

A $50,000 grant from the Presto Foundation paid for the iPads, which are available to check out for a week at a time. Stoneberg says the devices are helpful for the vision-impaired. And it’s not the first time the library has been on the cutting edge. Back in 1982, it was the first place in the city you could find a video tape.

Dan Lea, WAYY

Filed Under: Education, Human Interest

Beware late payments to BC Plus Basic

September 26, 2011 By

State Senator Jim Holperin (D-Eagle River) says the state Department of Health Services is adamant about timely payments for BadgerCare Plus Basic. So much that late payments lead to loss of health care coverage.

“It’s a solid policy that if you’re late on your BadgerCare Plus Basic premium payment you’re off the program and you can’t reenroll.”

Holperin learned of the policy when he was asked for help from those kicked out of the program. He was unable to help constituents who claimed to have [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Politics & Government
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