After months of uncertainty, the Obama administration has rejected the application by a Canadian company, to build the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada’s tar sands to the U.S. Gulf Coast. A big mistake, says Wisconsin congressman Jim Sensenbrenner. “What it will do is force Canada to build a pipeline to its Pacific coast so that oil would be exported to China and Japan, who are our competitors,” says the Menomonee Falls Republican, “I would hope that Congress would override the decision of the administration, if we can figure out a way to do that and prevent Obama from vetoing it.”
Superior lands aviation jobs
January 17, 2012 By
The city of Superior has landed hundreds of new aviation jobs. Mayor Bruce Hagen says the city and Douglas County worked closely with the state on a package of incentives to attract Kestrel Aircraft Company. “We were able to land this company – no pun intended – in a matter of six months,” Hagen says.
Incentives include more than $3 million in tax incremental financing, $2.4 million in low-interest loans from the city and $500,000 dollars in loans from Douglas County, which also transferred title to land for the Kestrel plant. In addition, the state has provided incentives which include $90 million in New Market Tax Credits. The payoff for Superior should be huge: the builder of advanced general aviation planes is expected to bring 600 jobs by 2016, many of them highly skilled. [Read more...]
Manitowoc Crane workers remain on strike (AUDIO)
January 13, 2012 By
Calling it union busting, 177 striking workers of Local 516 of the International Association of Machinists, Aerospace Workers, overwhelmingly rejected the latest four-year contract offer from Manitowoc Cranes. The vote was 140-to-37, to remain on strike, which they have been since November 15th. Scott Parr is with District 10 of IAMAW, based in Milwaukee, says the financial part of a two percent raise per year isn’t the issue. It’s two requests in the company’s latest offer that are sticking points, one of which was eliminating the union dues check off. “The other three unions (at Manitowoc Crane) have that,” says Parr. “They would not let us continue with that. That tells us it was nothing more than union busting.”
Red kettle donations are up
January 12, 2012 By
Donations to Salvation Army are pretty good. The numbers are in from the bell ringing campaign for the Polk County Salvation Army’s red kettle campaign this holiday season. Despite the struggling economy in Polk and St. Croix Counties, donations were above the goals for each county.
Duanna Bremmer is the director the the salvation army in Polk and St. Croix Counties. “We did reach our goal in Polk County. Our goal was $80,000 and we raised $80,677. We also reached our goal in St. Croix County. The goal there was $100,000 and they reached $106,000.”
To reach the goal the red kettle campaign started earlier this year and ended later this year. They started deer hunting weekend in both counties. “The reason we start in that weekend is we do need those extra two weeks. In Polk County we also rang the week after Christmas and the reason being demand for our services has increased so much. We’ve seen about a 300 percent increase over the last two years.”
All of the money raised in Polk and St. Croix Counties stays in those counties.
Kurt Mayer, WXCE
Plant shuttering will lead to nearly 200 jobless
January 11, 2012 By
A company that makes products used in hospitals and doctors’ offices is closing its manufacturing plant in Stevens Point. Joerns Healthcare says the work will be transferred to plants in Arlington, Texas; Matamoros, Mexico and Dumar, Arkansas over the next six to 12 months.
“Our customers are demanding lower cost solutions and it is essential we respond quickly to support their changing environments,” president and CEO Mark Ludwig said in a statement.
The company notified employees of the move on Tuesday.
“Joerns clearly has simply put profit ahead of the lives of these great employees,” Stevens Point Mayor Andrew Halverson said in a statement. Halverson said the city and state had offered millions in incentives and tax credits to keep Joerns in Point.
It is not clear how many employees would be affected though Halverson estimated the number between 140 and 200 employees.
The company says it will keep several employees in Point to provide customer and technical support and to design and develop products.
Matt Lehman-WSAU
