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Senate will attempt Kimberly-Clark plan passage in November

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Senator Fitzgerald

The Wisconsin Senate will make an attempt next month to pass a $100 million tax incentive package for Kimberly-Clark. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) has called an extraordinary session of the Senate, scheduled for November 12th, to discuss and vote on a package of deals for the paper making company.

It’s not clear at this time if Senate Republicans have enough votes to pass the package. Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) called the move a ploy, and said that if Fitzgerald were serious, the Senate would be holding the vote now, rather than after the election.

Governor Scott Walker is supportive “My message to Kimberly-Clark employees is simple: we are fighting for you,” Walker said in a tweet.

Kimberly-Clark announced in January that it intended to close two Fox Valley area plants, the Cold Spring manufacturing plant in Fox Crossing, with around 500 jobs, and the Neenah Nonwovens facility, with about 110 workers.

In February, the state Assembly passed an incentive package that would offer the company benefits similar to those used to attract Foxconn to the state in 2017. Proponents said that would help protect those 600 jobs and the others that depend on Kimberly-Clark’s presence in the region.

The plan passed the Assembly with a bipartisan vote of 56-37, but backers in the Senate have thus far been unable to muster needed support among majority Republicans.

 

CEO says WTS Paradigm now focusing on healing

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WTS Paradigm CEO Nathan Herbst says the company is focused on healing one week after an employee opened fire on co-workers, injuring three before being shot and killed by law enforcement.

Two of the injured employees are now recovering at home and the third is still hospitalized, but doing well, Herbst said at a Tuesday morning news conference on the steps of the state Capitol in Madison.

“The focus today is about healing and supporting each other,” Herbst said. Employees are being allowed to come back to work at their own pace, Herbst said.

Herbst said he was in the office the day of the shooting, but did not go into what transpired. He did thank law enforcement for their “quick and brave response.”

Herbst also said the company had not done active-shooter training. Herbst said he ran into the shooter, Anthony Y. Tong, once or twice and said hello, that that was the extent of their interaction. “He was a quiet person,” Herbst said.

Tong passed the company’s standard background check and Herbst said the company did not know about Tong’s previous mental health issues.

Looking forward, Herbst said it will take time for employees to heal. “It’s very tough,” he said. For more this story from WKOW 27 News 

WIBA

UW-Madison and Foxconn announce research partnership

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Foxconn and UW Madison have announced a research partnership. UW Madison Chancelor Rebecca Blank, announced Monday that Foxconn will give $100 million dollars to fund science and technology research. “I’m very excited about this. You don’t get $100 million gifts very often,” Blank said.


The UW plans to raise an additional $100 million in matching funds in this Foxconn deal, as part of a larger $3.2 billion fundraising effort. The Foxconn money will go towards development of an on-campus Foxconn Institute for Research in Science and Technology, or FIRST.

Blank was asked who will own any “intellectual property” generated there. “We have an agreement about exactly how we’re going to work on this,” she said. “The understanding is that we will both have some ownership of the intellectual property.”

Also on Monday, Foxconn exec Louis Woo said the company’s commitment to the massive Racine County project is unchanged. “Our original commitment to the state of Wisconsin, 13,000 meaninggul and creative jobs, that has not changed. Ten billion dollars invested, that has not changed.”

Walker: ‘of course’ I don’t want Harley boycott

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Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker made it clear Monday — he doesn’t want a boycott of Harley-Davidson. President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday that it was “great” that “many” Harley riders planned to boycott the Wisconsin-based company if it moves manufacturing overseas.

While there’s little evidence to support such a boycott actually occurring, Walker released a statement Sunday that he wants Harley to prosper in Wisconsin.

And Monday he tweeted that “of course” he doesn’t want a boycott — and one of the best ways for that to happen is to do what the President has called for — get to no tariffs as soon as possible.

Marcus Theatres not showing ‘Slender Man’ movie at some Wisconsin locations

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Marcus Theatres locations in Madison and Sun Prairie do not plan to show the upcoming “Slender Man” movie, according to movie listings on its website.

Earlier this week a company spokesperson confirmed that the movie would not be shown at Marcus Theatres in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties.

The movie is about girls driven to kill on behalf of the online ghoul and is set to open in select theaters this weekend.

Two girls from Waukesha, Anissa Weir, and Morgan Geyser, said the fictional character was behind their May 2014 attack of classmate Payton Leutner. Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier urged her on, according to investigators. A passing bicyclist found Leutner, who barely survived her wounds.

“Like many people across the United States, Marcus Theatres was deeply concerned and saddened when the Slender Man phenomenon touched Southeastern Wisconsin in such a profound way, changing the lives of many families forever,” a statement said. “After careful consideration, and out of respect for those who were impacted, we have decided not to play the upcoming Slender Man movie in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. We will show the film at select other Marcus Theatres locations.”

Slender Man is a fictional character created by a then-28-year-old Floridian named Eric Knudsen. Slender Man first appeared on an Internet forum called “Something Awful” in 2009.

WIBA

State aid package could keep Kimberly Clark in Wisconsin

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State lawmakers could be coming back to Madison to try and keep Kimberly Clark in Wisconsin.

The company announced that they’ve reached a new agreement with their Union, and that they’re willing to work with the state to use an aid package to keep 600 jobs in Wisconsin.

The State Assembly had previously passed a package of aid that would provide 100 to 115 million dollars in incentives over the next 15 years.

The State Senate did not pass the bill before they adjourned this year.

Expera gets new owner

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Kaukauna-based Expera Specialty Solutions has a new owner.

The new owner is based in Helsinki, Finland.  The 615-million dollar deal is expected to be complete by the second half of this year.  

Expera has a total of 18-hundred employees working at mills in Kaukauna, De Pere, Rhinelander, and Mosinee.  No changes in operations are anticipated.

The Kaukauna paper mill has been operating for 135 years.

Phony money circulating in southeast Wisconsin

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Sheboygan police are raising a warning about some very realistic phony 100 dollar bills in southeast Wisconsin.

The bills are all 100 dollar bills with the same serial number of B03031062B.

Lieutenant Doug Teunissen says the bills are real enough to fool anti-counterfeit pens. “Some people are reporting that the pens aren’t alerting to the fact that they are fake, which means that they could actually be altered money. We’re unsure of that at this time.”

Teunissen says clerks should always be wary of receiving large bills for small payments,”While there still are people that pay with cash, it’s just not normal for most citizens to be carrying items like 50 or 100 dollar bills.”

He reminds employers to properly train their cashiers and workers and to make sure that they understand it’s okay to turn away sales when it comes to phony money. “That can quite frankly be an uncomfortable situation, especially for maybe an inexperienced cash register worker.”

Clerks should be looking for watermarks and other printing protections in any large bill, and make sure the manager’s informed if you think you’ve got a fake bill.

Wisconsin Farm Technology Days starts next week

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Wisconsin Farm Technology Days is only a week away from opening it’s three-day run just southwest of Marshfield, and Executive Director Scott Larson from the Marshfield Chamber of Commerce and Industry says it’s been in the planning stages for a year!

According to Larson who also sits on the event’s steering committee, “Farm Technology Days is Wisconsin’s largest outdoor agricultural show. We expect attendance to be at least 40,000.  You literally are creating a city out in the country.”

“And this is a community involvement event,” Larson explained.  “All of the people involved in this event at the local level are volunteers.  There is no paid staff at a local level here.  By the time the show is put on it will take up to 3,000 volunteers to actually execute the program.”

If you’re looking for a hotel room in Wood County you just may be out of luck, since Larson says they’ve all been booked for quite some time, and the boost to the local economy is going to be huge.  “What’s our economic impact from having an event like this?  Conservatively we estimate $2.5 million dollars from visitors coming to the show.”

And what’s on tap at the show?  Well, there’s health screenings, educational exhibits, great food, and Larson says the general public should love attending too.  “There’s something for everyone to see to there, and we really do encourage the general public to come.  This isn’t just for agricultural-based individuals to come out and see.  We do want the general public to come out.”

Farm Technology Days will be held at the Sternweis and Heiman Farms just southwest of Marshfield, and will run from July 10th through the 12th.

WSAU

Foxconn to open “innovation center” in Green Bay

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Foxconn Technology Group (Foxconn) today announced that it is expanding its new Wisconn Valley Innovation Network to Green Bay, Wisconsin as part of its initiative to foster and attract talent and connect with supply chain partners throughout the Badger state.

Foxconn has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase a landmark property in Green Bay downtown, with a closing on the property and opening of the innovation center by Foxconn anticipated later this year.

The innovation center in Green Bay will be part of a talent and innovation network for the AI 8K+5G ecosystem that Foxconn is creating in Wisconsin, and in the U.S.

More than 200 Foxconn employees are expected to work at the center, where they will focus on developing applications for AI 8K+5G display technology that Foxconn is creating.

The innovation center in Green Bay will serve a complementary role to Foxconn’s Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park and its innovation center in Milwaukee in cultivating a new class of vertical solution providers for advanced manufacturing processes and technologies, as well as for industries such as education, medical and healthcare, entertainment and sports, security, and smart community.

This move follows Foxconn’s recent purchase of a building in downtown Milwaukee that will serve as both the headquarters of the company’s innovation network in Wisconsin and it’s North American corporate headquarters.

Located at 301 North Washington Street in Green Bay, the iconic building, known as The WaterMark, is a six-story, 75,000 sq. ft. office building located at the heart of Fox River Valley and that was formerly home to H.C. Prange and Younker’s Department Store.

Foxconn broke ground Thursday on its multi-billion dollar electronics factory in Mt. Pleasant.

WTAQ