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A warning about carbon monoxide

November 28, 2011 By

As the winter chill sets in and furnaces run longer, state health officials are warning Wisconsinites to be wary of carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless and odorless gas that is most dangerous when it’s allowed to build up. State Environmental Health director Chuck Warzecha says the greatest risk is usually at home, which accounts for more than half of the CO poisonings reported each year.

Warzecha says common sources of the gas include malfunctioning furnaces, blocked chimneys, or portable generators used indoors without properly venting the area.

Symptoms of CO poisoning include headache, fatigue, and nausea, which can result in death if you get to the point of passing out.

Warzecha says the easiest way to safeguard against the danger is to have a working CO detector in your home. Warzecha says they are the only way to be alerted to a buildup, other than starting to feel sick.

CO detectors are required by state law in all single and two-family dwellings.

If an alarm sounds, Warzecha says you should get out of the home immediately and call 911.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:11)

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, News

Recall spending difficult to estimate

November 28, 2011 By

If you didn’t like the television ads during the state Senate recalls – you ain’t seen nothing yet. Mike McCabe with the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign notes big money flooded into the state earlier this year, for the recall races targeting members of the state Senate. And, says McCabe, those Senate recalls are really the only thing to compare the prospective recall against Governor Scott Walker with. “We saw about $44 million spent in those recall elections, and millions of it were not spent by the candidates but rather by outside interest groups that sponsored their own advertising,” said McCabe.

AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (1:05) [Read more...]

Filed Under: Elections, News, Politics & Government Tagged With:

Big online shopping day — Cyber Monday

November 28, 2011 By

Scores of consumers are attracted to the 24-hour convenience of the Internet, and that’s not all, says Sandy Chalmers with the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection, “Retailers are constantly coming out with different, new, exciting types of online deals for holiday shoppers.”

Chalmers cautions consumers to be even more wary online than if doing business in the bricks and mortar stores, where you can see the clerk face-to-face. “You never really know who’s on the other end of the transaction when you’re conducting your business online.”

This year more than half of smartphone owners will be using that device to compare prices and make a purchase online, according to the National Retail Federation. Chalmers warns that some holiday shopping apps actually contain malicious software that can spy on every key-stroke and get access to your personal information. She suggests downloading apps only from official app stores.

Also, an online company should be well-known and reputable. And, Chalmers says, look at the URL, starting with HTTP. “Look for the ‘s;’ that means secure. And most browsers will have a padlock that’s locked. That means you’re in the middle of a secure transaction.”

Chalmers offers consumer protection tips: Email is not secure for credit card numbers; use search engines to check for scams and coupons; check shipping, handling and return fees; read the fine print; and keep a paper trail. Also, Chalmers tells holiday shoppers to beware of offers on social networks that promise a free iPad or airline tickets in exchange for personal information.

For more information or to file a complaint, visit the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the toll-free number at 1-800-422-7128 or email at datcphotline@wisconsin.gov.

Filed Under: Economy, News

Dispelling misinformation about sobriety checkpoints

November 27, 2011 By

An advocacy group is calling for sobriety checkpoints in Wisconsin, and clearing up myths about the practice.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Wisconsin Public Policy Liaison John Vose says many concerns about the checkpoints are based on fallacies, like the belief that checkpoints are a lengthy inconvenience to law-abiding citizens. “True sobriety checkpoints take no longer to stop, you know, than it takes for a red light. People are not overly inconvenienced.”

Vose says typically law enforcement would announce the time and location of sobriety checkpoints in advance. “And then generally what law enforcement would do is basically pull over maybe every third car or every fifth car or something like that, ask a couple of very quick questions, and then the large majority of drivers would be on their way.”

Vose says there’s a misconception that law enforcement simply wants to use sobriety checkpoints to arrest lots of people and put them in jail. Instead, he says, people actually stop drinking or find other means of transportation rather than getting behind the wheel. He says the most successful sobriety checkpoints result in no arrests.

Lawmakers must weigh safety on the roads against a citizen’s privacy. Opponents call the random roadblocks a threat to individual civil liberties. They say stopping motorists without probable cause is unconstitutional.

Drunk driving costs the United States more than $132 billion annually.

Filed Under: Legislature, News, Transportation

Packers put Lions in their place

November 25, 2011 By

The Detroit Lions thought they were ready for the BIG TIME.  Thursday’s 27-15 loss to the Green Bay Packers proved otherwise.

The game got off to a slow start, but the Packers once again took control in the third quarter and took the wind out of the sail of the Lions. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Green Bay Packers, Sports Tagged With: ,
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