Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for Raymond Neupert

Rep. Hintz says lame duck law about settlements needs to change to break stalemate

By

As the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee and Attorney General Josh Kaul continue to spar over one of the lame duck laws, Democrat Assembly Leader Gordon Hintz says this is just a vision of things to come. 

“We did tell them that this was going to happen, and now we’re at this day of reckoning, and it’s just humiliating reading the headlines that these guys don’t even know what they’re doing.”

Kaul came before the committee this week as required to discuss a possible settlement that the state was involved in, but wouldn’t disclose what the settlement was until lawmakers signed non-disclosure agreements. Republicans on the committee refused.

According to Kaul, the settlement that’s on the table will be significant for the state, and he’s got a deadline of Friday to respond. Hintz says forcing Kaul to come to Joint Finance is just cumbersome.

“It looks like we’re going to need some changes to fix this, otherwise Wisconsin taxpayers are going to be the ones holding the bag.”

JFC co-chairs Senator Alberta Darling and Representative John Nygren did not respond to requests for comment. 

State justice officials warn citizens against vigilante online pedophile stings

By

The state department of justice is warning people against taking part in vigilante online stings for suspected pedophiles.

Internet Crimes Against Children director Matthew Joy says these stings often focus on naming and shaming people, rather than gathering useful information for police. 

“It limits what law enforcement and prosecutors can do with respect to that information and successful prosecution.”

Joy says it can also be dangerous for people taking part. It’s best to let the police handle these things.

“If you see something, it’s so critically important to report that information so that we law enforcement can ensure the safety of folks in our communities.”

 

Several Northwoods legislators float their name as candidates for 7th Congressional race

By

Some Northwoods legislators are saying they might be potential contenders for a soon to be vacant seat in the 7th Congressional District.

Republican State Senator Tom Tiffany from Minocqua has suggested he’ll be in the running. Democrat Senator Janet Bewley and Assemblyman Nick Milroy have also said they’re interested in the race.

That seat will be vacant after Congressman Sean Duffy steps down next month to help take care of his family.

 

Midwest Express announces destinations, warm cookies

By

Midwest Express has announced its first destinations when the airline relaunches flight operations.

Flights will be from Milwaukee’s Mitchell airport to and from Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, and Omaha. Earlier this month, the airline signed an agreement with Elite Airways LLC to begin non-stop flight service by the end of the year.

Midwest Express will establish its own reservations system, customer service operations and in-flight amenities — including cookies. The last flight on the old Midwest Airlines was in 2009.

GOP leaders cry foul after Attorney General Kaul requests confidentiality agreements ahead of settlement briefing

By

The leaders of the legislative Joint Finance Committee are crying foul over a request for confidentiality agreements from Attorney General Josh Kaul.

AG Kaul requested a closed session meeting with the JFC on Tuesday over a private legal matter, which turned out to be a possible settlement the state is involved in. But Kaul wouldn’t tell legislators what it was until they signed a confidentiality agreement.

One of the lame duck laws passed last year requires the Department of Justice to consult with Joint Finance about settlements and funds that may be collected. Republicans recently filed a lawsuit at the State Supreme Court challenging how Kaul was actually conforming to the law.

Co-chairs Alberta Darling and John Nygren say that Kaul is now “actively undermining” state law, and that anything said in closed session would remain confidential.

Nygren grilled Kaul about why he needed to get N D As from the committee. “Had there been any attempt to go back and have conversations regarding that settlement and modify that settlement so that it actually fit the parameters of the law that was legally passed by this body?”

Kaul said that wasn’t the case. “If your question is whether we asked for a Wisconsin specific exemption to the agreement so we could be treated differently from every other state, the answer is no.”

Democrat Representative Chris Taylor says the conflict just shows why the law is cumbersome. 

“If you want to settle cases, go to law school and run for attorney general. That is not our role, it never has been our role.”

Kaul says these sorts of confidentiality agreements are common in lawsuits, and that his office needs to act by Friday.

So far, this appears to be a stalemate.

 

Now’s the time to make sure you’ve got flood insurance for your home or business

By

If you’re not sure if your home or business’s flood insurance is up to date, now’s the time to check.

FEMA flood insurance liaison James Sink says flood insurance is separate from regular insurance, and it works differently as well. 

“There is a thirty day waiting period for flood insurance policies to come into effect. So it’s really important that they do it long before any flood event happens.”

Even a little bit of water in your basement can cost you plenty.

“It takes about one inch of water to cause 25-thousand dollars of damage. So just a little bit of water causes a lot of damage to an individual’s home.”

Sink says most home insurance policies don’t cover floods, and most flood insurance policies don’t automatically renew, so it’s always good to check and make sure you’re covered.

You can find out more online at http://floodsmart.gov

WEDC to offer micro loans to businesses affected by last month’s storms

By

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will be distributing a million dollars in loans to companies and businesses affected by last month’s severe weather.

WEDC vice president Mary Gage says these loans are designed to help get businesses back on their feet until full disaster relief comes. 

“That could be their building, their inventory, their belongings. If there’s flooding in their basement and everything’s floating. If they’re displaced for a little bit of time. We want to help these businesses when something unforeseen impacts them. We want to keep them going and keep the employees employed.”

Governor Tony Evers is in the process of trying to get federal disaster aid. If you want to sign up for the loans, log on to http://wedc.org/disasterrecovery to find out how to apply.

Rep. Gwen Moore calls for Senate to vote on House-passed gun control bills

By

Wisconsin congresswoman Gwen Moore is calling on the Senate and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to take up debate and votes on House-passed gun control measures. 

Moore says that in the wake of mass shootings, it’s time to reflect on who is actually doing the shooting. 

“These murderers have a history of domestic violence, more so than mental illness. So I get nervous about describing this violence as ‘mental illness’.”

She says the House has already passed bills on background checks and ‘red flag laws’ but that doesn’t matter unless the Senate brings them to the floor.

“There was some discussion about the House coming back, but really there’s no point in us coming back until the Senate just takes up the bills we’ve already passed. It’s really low hanging fruit.”

She says those bills might just end up in a pile of other bills passed by the House that Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell refuses to bring up for votes.

Scammers promise free DNA testing kits in new robocalls

By

It’s a new twist on an old phone scam.

A new robocall scam making the rounds promises a free DNA testing kit. “The caller might say the test is a free way to get early diagnoses for diseases like cancer or just that it’s a free test and people are often interested in their DNA.”

State consumer protection administrator Michelle Reinen says all the scammers want is your social security information, because it’s covered by Medicare. That’s a lie. 

“It’s really important to know that Medicare does not market DNA testing kits to the general public. Medicare doesn’t do random unsolicited phone calls to consumers asking for their personally identifiable information.”

Reinen says the scammers are spoofing their phone numbers to look like they’re calling from Washington DC. 

If you get one of these phone calls, it’s best to just hang up or delete the voice mail.

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

By

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.