Rep. Ron Kind announced that the School District of Alma, School District of Westfield, Student Transit – Eau Claire, Inc., and Norwalk Ontario Wilton School District have been selected as awardees for the EPA’s 2021 Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) School Bus Rebates totaling $160,000. This program provides rebates to reduce harmful emissions from older diesel vehicles. The 2021 DERA School Bus Rebates will offer funds to public and private fleet owners for the replacement of aging diesel school buses with new buses certified to EPA’s cleanest emission standards.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers visited Menomonie on Monday to announce a new program to help Wisconsin homeowners who have experienced financial hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wisconsin Help for Homeowners program is available to eligible homeowners and will assist with mortgage payments, local property taxes, utilities, legal services, and/or housing counseling. Qualifications include living in a single-family home, duplex, condo, or factory-built home, and your household income is at or below 100% of the county median. You must also have been financially impacted after January 21, 2020. For more information, call 1-855-246-6394
Gas prices are climbing fast. The website GasBuddy says the average price for a gallon of regular in Wisconsin is now $3.86. That’s a whopping 50 cents higher than just a week ago. Last year on March 7th, GasBuddy says regular gas was $2.77 a gallon. Petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan says the energy sector is seeing unprecedented levels of uncertainty.
The 2022 Youth Tractor and Machinery Safety program is offered by many Extension partners across the state. The program is designed to meet requirements established by the US Department of Labor, pertaining to special provisions made for the employment of youth ages 14-15 on farms not operated by their parents. In addition, Wisconsin Act 455 provides specific provisions for tractor operation by 12-13-year-olds. If you are interested in the program, visit the Extension tractor safety website. Please contact program partners directly to register. If you have questions, please contact Pepin County Ag Educator Mike Travis at 715-672-5214.
Three Minnesota Republicans are part of a group in the U-S House calling for a hearing on legislation that would return the management of gray wolves to the states. A February ruling by a California federal judge put the gray wolf back on the federal endangered species list. G-O-P Representatives Tom Emmer, Michelle Fischbach, and Pete Stauber signed onto a letter Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany sent to the House Natural Resources Committee. It says the Managing Predators Act would restore the authority in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wyoming to state officials to implement their own strategies with regard to the gray wolf.
Minnesota drivers are purchasing more gasoline that contains 15 percent corn-based ethanol. The 86-point-65-million gallons of E-15 sold in all of 2021 was the highest ever on record. The Minnesota Department of Commerce reports seven-point-39 million gallons of E-15 was sold in January. That marked the 12th straight month where sales have exceeded seven million gallons. The volume sold in January was nearly 20 percent higher than in January of 2021.
Wisconsin's state treasurer is calling on the state's retirement fund to divest its 90 million in Russian assets. In a letter to the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, Treasurer Sarah Godlewski called on the board to immediately begin identifying any direct Russian holdings and make a plan to divest. In a statement to Wisconsin Public Radio, a spokesperson for the fund said about 90 million dollars, or less than one percent of the state’s 147 billion dollar fund for public retirees, is linked to Russian assets. The fund does not directly hold any Russian stocks or bonds.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that Brown County’s half-percent sales tax is legal. The tax paid for the new Resch Expo, road and infrastructure improvements, the county jail, museum, libraries, and parks. Fox-11 reports the court issued its ruling Friday. The Brown County Taxpayers Association argued the tax is illegal because state law doesn’t allow counties to impose sales taxes in order to fund new spending. The majority opinion said the ordinance does reduce property taxes by funding projects that normally would have brought on additional financial obligations.
Four lawmakers from northeastern Wisconsin say they want strip searches banned in the state’s schools. They called those actions cases of “government overreach.” W-B-A-Y Television reports an incident last January at Suring Public Schools brought attention to the question. Charges have been filed against the district’s superintendent after six students were forced into a room and told to strip down to their underway. School officials were looking for vaping devices. State Representative David Steffen says the issue will likely have to wait until the next legislative session for consideration.
The U-S Ambassador to Luxembourg calls the invasion of Ukraine a “very dangerous time” for eastern Europe. Former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says he is providing American intelligence to Luxembourg officials as the country increases its aid to Ukraine and begins accepting refugees from there. Barrett says U-S intelligence has accurately predicted what Russia will do next “every single step of the way.” He says he thought his transition to his new position would be smooth and quiet – but it has been anything but that.
The March 15th deadline to forestall business tax increases in Minnesota is fast approaching, with Republicans and Democrats still in a standoff at the legislature over replenishing the COVID-depleted Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. The Senate has already passed its two-point-seven-billion-dollar measure, and Majority Leader Jeremy Miller says, “if the House took it up on the floor, they’d have strong bipartisan support.” D-F-L leaders have signaled the House would approve one billion dollars, but only if there's a like amount to expand an also-stalled measure that would give COVID bonuses to front-line workers. But Miller says his fellow Republicans would “rather see tax relief to all working Minnesotans,” which is an even more contentious issue.
New sunfish possession limits on 52 Minnesota lakes are aimed at producing bigger fish in the future. Grand Rapids area fisheries supervisor Dave Weitzel says there are now about 225 lakes under size quality management. He says their goal is to have a “diversity of opportunities so anglers can go to some lakes and harvest high numbers of bluegill but also go to these select lakes and have the opportunity for some real large ones.” Weitzel says they tried to have the quality bluegill lakes distributed somewhat equally around the state. Most have five- or ten-fish limits.
The chairman of the governor’s Interagency Council on Homelessness is hoping the “Welcoming Wisconsin Home” report will start a discussion. Michael Basford says we need to understand that homelessness isn’t normal and it should be regarded as something that can be ended. The council recommends improving housing access for the homeless and creating a permanent rental assistance program for veterans. Basford says if all 40 policy recommendations in last week's report are implemented it would end homelessness in Wisconsin.
You could soon see more dogs at some retailers in Wisconsin. A bill signed into law Friday says businesses cannot ban dogs from establishments that sell pre-packaged food only, and those items make up less than five percent of overall sales. Think of big-box hardware and outdoor gear stores that have some limited offerings of pre-packaged foods.
No comments:
Post a Comment