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Don’t stress out on missing sales over the holiday, says Madison College expert

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If you didn’t get that gift you wanted on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, don’t worry.

Madison College marketing professor Steve Noll says that waiting for sales on something you want may be a lost cause when it comes to hot items. 

“The general rule this year is if you find an item anywhere that you know you want, buy it. Don’t wait for it to go on sale because it may not be available the next day.”

Noll says that you should always, as a rule, shop around when you can, and see if the price being offered on the website you’re on is really a deal it’s advertised to be.

“As we get closer and closer to Christmas we will see products like that starting to dip in price as retailers realize that they may have inventory leftover.”

Noll says people should be careful with who they’re handing out their credit cards to online. If it’s not one of the major retailers, consider using a payment program like Paypal or Apple Pay. 

Sarah Meaney leaving Wisconsin’s top Tourism job

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Secretary-designee Sarah Meaney

Department of Tourism Secretary-designee Sara Meaney is leaving the Evers Administration.

Governor Tony Evers appointed Meaney in December 2018, among the first appointments announced to the Democratic governor’s cabinet. Along with Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm, Department of Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson and Safety and Professional Services Secretary Dawn Crim, Meaney has never received a confirmation vote from the Republican controlled state Senate.

Evers’ office announced Meaney will leave the post later this month to take a career opportunity outside of state government.

Evers described Meaney as “a relentless advocate for the tourism industry even before the pandemic, but especially as it has faced unprecedented challenges this past year.” Deputy Secretary Anne Sayers will serve as interim Tourism secretary.

State tourism gets $8 million in coronavirus stimulus money

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The latest piece of Wisconsin’s coronavirus stimulus money is going to the state’s tourism industry.

Governor Tony Evers and Tourism Secretary-designee Sara Meaney announced that $8-million in grants will be provided to tourism boards and tourism managers across Wisconsin. Tourism promotion and development organizations can apply through September 28.

Evers said the coronavirus has hit Wisconsin’s $22-billion tourism industry particularly hard.

Wisconsin added to Chicago’s mandatory travel quarantine order

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Wisconsinites will be requited to quarantine, if they travel to Chicago for the foreseeable future.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday that Wisconsin will be added to the city’s quarantine list “later this week,” noting concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in other states.

That announcement was confirmed on Tuesday. Beginning Friday, July 31, anyone traveling to Chicago from Wisconsin, Missouri, North Dakota, and Nebraska will have to self-quarantine for 14 days.

The city said it will update the list of affected states every Tuesday – adding or removing states depending on the latest data, and will go in effect the following Friday.

Lighfoot said Chicago is doing well in terms of keeping the number of new COVID-19 cases relatively low, because the city has been “extremely prudent.”

Keep yourself safe from ticks this summer with The Tick App from UW-Madison

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A UW-Madison research team is working to help make it safer to be outside with a program to find and identify ticks.

It’s called The Tick App and researcher Bieneke Bron says they want to prevent the spread of tick borne illnesses like Lyme Disease. 

There are several features to help you figure out what steps you need to take to protect yourself. Bron says you can even get a tick forecast from your phone before you go out. 

“If you have your GPS location on it will find out in what county you are and it pulls from a database what activity level we expect for the deer ticks.”

You can also upload pictures of ticks you find and researchers will identify them for you. Bron reminds people that ticks are excellent at hiding inside of things like clothing and other debris.

It’s also important to make sure you check your pets for ticks after they come back inside. 

“After going outside or after running into leaf litter or out in the backyard if you have the time and opportunity.”

You should also keep a close eye on any bedding your pet uses in order to be sure ticks aren’t hiding in there either.

You can download the app for both Apple and Android at The Tick App.

‘Alice in Dairyland’ selection to be delayed by Safer at Home order

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Wisconsin’s Ag Secretary says the coronavirus has impacted the Alice in Dairyland program. Acting Ag Secretary Randy Romanski says, “We do have to change the process this year.”

Romanski says the Stay Home, Stay Safe orders mean the final selection process that was to take place in Walworth County May 14th through the 16th can’t happen, and Walworth County will likely host the event next year instead.

“We are going to extend the current contract we have, so you’ll see our current Alice in Dairyland virtually for a while, so we’re going to extend her for a little bit of time, and then we are going to postpone this year’s finals, and then we are going to do something more local and lower-key so we’re not bringing a bunch of people together.”

With the later selection, Wisconsin’s 72nd Alice in Dairyland Abigail Martin will likely become the longest-serving Alice in program history.

The six top candidates for the 73rd Alice in Dairyland are Rachel Gerbitz of Milton, Erica Helmer of Plymouth, Stephanie Hoff of Thorp, Kaitlin Konder of Glenwood City, Julia Nunes of Chippewa Falls and Grace Schroeder of Cashton.

Larry Lee, Brownfield

UW-Stevens Point Trivia Contest put on hold

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The annual UW-Stevens Point Trivia Contest has been put on hold thanks to COVID-19, and it’s just one more ripple that could hurt the local economy.

Stevens Point Mayor Mike Wiza (WE-zah) says this is going to have a significant impact on Portage County businesses. 

“Whether they’re putting up on signs on their billboards, or offering Trivia specials, they’ve come to expect that you’re going to have another 12-thousand people here eating, buying groceries, buying groceries, all of those things.”

“The trickle down effect of that financial loss is going to be felt for months to come.”

Campus officials had banned large gatherings, which would have prevented registration and operation of the event. The Contest will now be held in October, after homecoming. 

Snowmobile safety is a focus this week

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A reminder for safe snowmobiling. Captain April Dombrowski, DNR Recreational Safety Section Chief, says smart, sober operation is the lesson of International Snowmobile Safety Week. “It’s really about practicing that zero alcohol,” she said. “It’s a personal choice to refrain from drinking any alcoholic beverage, until you’re done operating any motorized vehicle for the day.”

Staying sober makes it easier to know what you – and your snowmobile – are safely capable of. “Riding within your capabilities, riding at safe speeds for the users’ capability, and the machine’s capability.” The DNR recorded 16 fatal snowmobile accidents in 2019. Eleven occurred on public trails and roads, four were on frozen waterways.

Year ends with several Evers’ cabinet picks unconfirmed by Senate

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The year is ending with many of Governor Tony Evers’ picks for his administration still not confirmed by the state Senate. All were tapped to serve by the Democratic Governor a year ago, but several have yet to be confirmed. “We have to get these people approved, that’s the bottom line,” Evers said in a year-end interview.

Sen. Scott Fitzgerald (WRN)

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald noted that only one of Evers’ selections to head state agencies was a former legislator. “I think the governor – not on purpose – made a couple of judgement calls that maybe didn’t go his way,” Fitzgerald said.

Peter Barca was quickly confirmed as Revenue Secretary after representing the Kenosha area in the Assembly. Department of Financial Institutions Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld, Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan, Department of Corrections Secretary Kevin Carr and Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Mary Kolar have also been confirmed.

But Fitzgerald said some of his members have “concerns” – not all clearly specified – regarding some of Evers’ remaining picks. “But there are others that have garnered enough support, so I think we’ll definitely have a couple more (confirmation votes) on the calendar in January.

Craig Thompson (WRN)

Appointees yet to be confirmed include Craig Thompson at DOT, Caleb Frostman at Workforce Development, Andrea Palm at the Department of Health Services, and Sara Meaney at Tourism. During a year-end press conference, Fitzgerald was asked if some of those people may not be confirmed by the time the legislative session ends.

“Yeah, I think that is a possibility,” he said. “I do anticipate though, every month that we’re in, very calendar will include some secretaries. I know there’s some great concern with a couple of them still.”

Evers indicated he’d like to see the process prioritized. “I think it’s time to say ‘okay, let’s get these people done'” he said. The governor was in the Senate chamber on November, when Republicans rejected Brad Pfaff to lead the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Consider Something Special From Wisconsin in your holiday shopping this season

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If you’re still looking for holiday gifts this season, why not find Something Special from Wisconsin?

It’s a program sponsored by the state Department of Agriculture that showcases Wisconsin made products.

Alice in Dairyland Abigail Martin says it’s important to shop local in a time when farmers are hurting.

“Your dollars are staying right here in our state. They’re supporting communities and local economies as well as farmers and processors who are working hard.”

Martin says one very important something is getting a natural Christmas Tree from a local grower. 

“They smell wonderful in your house, one of my favorite smells, but also trees that are real are recyclable and will decompose after the holiday season.”

Also noted on this year’s list of products are specialty soaps and lotions made from sheep’s milk that you can get from Maple Hill Farm in Ladysmith, packed cheese spreads and gourmet cheeses from Chalet Cheese Cooperative and Pine River Cheese, and ready made dessert with New York Style cheesecakes from Suzy’s Cream Cheesecakes.

You can find out more online at http://somethingspecialwi.com.