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Make sure your pet’s microchip information is up to date

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If you’ve moved recently, one thing you might have forgotten to do is update the contact information for your pet’s microchip.

Wausau/Weston Humane Officer Ashlee Bishop says that far too often, when she’s looking up a pet’s owner in a database, the information is out of date.

“I find them on completely opposite sides of town, the phone numbers don’t work. It’s extremely frustrating because all we want to do is be able to get the pet home.”

Bishop says those chips can also fail, something she saw recently. “We know the cat was microchipped, the Humane Society had the microchip number, we could not find the microchip anywhere in that cat’s body.”

That’s why it’s important make sure your pet has a collar with tags on it, even if it’s an indoor pet. “If your pet has their tags on, I can look it up in my computer and bring them right home. I don’t have to take them out to the shelter or anything, I can just bring them right to your doorstep.”

If you’ve forgotten which service you got your chip from, just get the number from your vet or humane society. They’ll be able to direct you to the right service. 

Farmers need to work together during Chinese embargo, says head of soybean association

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State agricultural leaders are looking to help farmers after China announced a full stoppage of agricultural imports.

Wisconsin Soybean Association director Bob Karls says he and his colleagues are already hard at work in the halls of Congress. 

“Our legislators, our elected congresspersons and senators know the issues this causes us, they have talked to the administration.”

They aren’t hopeful right now. “There’s just many angles, and we don’t see it improving. We see things more or less going the opposite direction.”

Karls says they’re also keeping in contact with their farmers in Wisconsin and keeping an eye on them. He reminds farmers to check up on each other and find ways to help keep their stress down.

“We are concerned for some farmers that are having some stresses, and encourage them to talk to people. Mental health is far more important. 

He says one bright side this season is that there’s expected to be a strong harvest, which means plenty of product coming this fall. 

 

Republicans unveil package of mental health bills

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Legislative Republicans unveiled a package of bills on Tuesday aimed at improving mental health in Wisconsin.

One of the bills will increase the funding available to non profits for youth mental health services. Boys and Girls Club of Wisconsin executive director Andy Gussert says helping kids as they go through childhood is a vital and needed task. 

“There are some people who may want to debate whether we should spend money on addressing youth mental health or trauma informed care. But it’s not really debate. We will spend money on these youths at one time or another.”

Another bill will overhaul how the state licenses psychologists, something that Dr. Bruce Erdmann says is sorely needed. 

“The current licensing law was drafted in the early 1990s, when the internet was in its infancy, email was only used by a select few and nerds, cell phones were unheard of, and no one knew anything about texting.”

Other bills will encourage psychiatrists to move to Wisconsin though the use of tax deductions, and also provide funding for the Clubhouse organization to improve mental heath facilities. 

Elections Commission scales back program to buy new computers for clerks

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The Wisconsin Elections Commission is scaling back its proposal for newer, more secure computers.

Staff had proposed spending around 300-thousand dollars on 250 new systems to send out to clerks offices who can’t afford to upgrade their own equipment. But that’s been scaled back to just 25 computers at a cost of 30-thousand dollars.

The commission says they only identified a handful of offices in the state using severely outdated equipment. Some clerks were still using computers running outdated clients and old, insecure programs like Windows XP.

Keep a close eye on your money for back-to-school shopping

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It’s back to school season, and that means shopping to get your student ready for the year. But be sure you’re getting exactly what you need.

State consumer protection administrator Michelle Reinen says it’s important to always check out exactly what you’re getting in a deal, especially on things like electronics.

“Reading the fine print or the details, if you will, to understand what it is you would be purchasing to see if you need all the bells and whistles that one product might include.”

You also want to be careful with buying the full list of school supplies from a school. You might have a number of those items left over from last year, or even from another child in your home.

“So being sure it doesn’t already exist in your household, or maybe some other family member has it from an older cousin or something.”

Reinen says many parents will turn to outlet stores to help buy clothes during school sales, but you need to keep a close eye on just what you’re getting. 

“You might think you’re getting a great deal on a jacket, but if you look at the outlet version of that jacket it may not have a full lining in it. It might only be in the body area, not in the arms.”

You can find more tips on back to school shopping online at http://datcp.wi.gov.

Make sure you know your renter’s rights before move in day

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August is one of the busiest moving months of the year, between new jobs and college students, and it’s important that first time renters know their rights.

State consumer protection administrator Michelle Reinen says one vital thing to do before you sign that lease is to go over it very carefully.

“You want to read it, understand it, and then keep a copy of it should you encounter any problems or discrepancies down the road.”

One vital thing that a landlord needs to provide is the contact information for your maintenance person. 

“When it comes to the toilet backing up and the plunger isn’t enough to solve the problem, you should be calling maintenance, and that’s what you also need documented: who you contact when there is a problem.”

Reinen says you should also be taking pictures of your rental before you move everything in for future reference on the security deposit.

“If there’s a hole in the wall behind the door, be sure that that’s on your check-in sheet. And what can often accompany a check-in sheet is you going the extra step by taking photographs of the property.”

The state has a handy booklet on your rights as a tenant and renter in Wisconsin. You can find that online at DATCP’s website.

Another year of high security costs for Summerfest

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Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett says changes may be coming for Summerfest after another six-figure security tab. 

Milwaukee Police say it cost the city 800-thousand dollars to provide security for this year’s Big Gig. Summerfest organizers paid about 125 thousand-dollars of that, taxpayers are on the hook for the rest.

It’s the fourth year in a row that Summerfest costs have been so high.

Steven Avery again denied an appeal in the murder of Teresa Halbach

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A Sheboygan County judge has ruled convicted killer Steven Avery hasn’t met the legal burden to get a new trial.

Avery is serving life in prison for killing photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005.

His attorney had focused on bones turned over to the Halbach family without giving the defense proper notice.  Since the bones were found outside the Avery property, the attorney argued that undercut the state’s theory of the case — that the victim was killed there and her body was disposed of there.

Judge Angela Sutkiewicz disagreed and said that the handling of the bones did not violate Avery’s rights nor did that meet the burden needed to get a new trial.

 

Lieutenant Gov. Barnes says he never finished his college degree

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Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes said Thursday he has not completed his college degree.

Barnes’ biography on Governor Tony Evers’ website doesn’t claim that he graduated from  Alabama A&M University, but describes him as an ‘alumnus,” which may be someone who only attended a school.

The Democrat revealed to Madison’s Isthmus newspaper that he completed coursework to resolve an incomplete class but never turned it in. Barnes called it “a small technical thing.”

In response to a Wisconsin State Journal candidate questionnaire last year, Barnes’ campaign stated he had a “BA in Broadcast Journalism.”

 

Former Badgers football player wants to re-enter UW-Madison following not guilty verdict

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Former Badgers football player Quintez Cephus says he wants to get back to school following a not guilty verdict.

A jury found Cephus not guilty of sexual assault last week. Cephus was expelled from the school and dismissed from the football team last year when the allegations surfaced and charges were filed. 

He’s filed for readmission, and an attorney for Cephus says he wants an answer from UW-Madison officials by Thursday.