Nature Conservancy: Applauds council on forestry vote to retain the forestry mill tax

Contact: Cate Harrington, charrington@tnc.org or 608-316- 6416 MADISON, WI (May 30, 2017)— Foresters, timber producers, elected officials, nonprofits and other members of the Wisconsin Council on Forestry recently voted to ask the Governor to retain the stable funding that the Forestry Mill Tax provides to Wisconsin’s forests. The current budget proposal to eliminate this dedicated funding source and replace it with General Purpose Revenue (GPR) will put one of the most successful forestry programs in the United States at risk. For this reason, The Nature Conservancy is asking members of the Joint Committee on Finance to vote for Alternative 8

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TUE PM Update: Transpo fund expected to have $93.4 million more than anticipated through mid-2019

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The state’s transportation fund is expected to have $93.4 million more through mid-2019, than expected thanks to higher fuel tax collections and lower debt service, according to the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The additional money could provide lawmakers more flexibility as they look to hash out a compromise on trans… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, click here for a WisPolitics free trial and to view the different subscription options. Username or E-mail Password * Remember Me     Forgot Password

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Dept. of Workforce Development: Wisconsin business closing & mass layoff (WARN) notice: Goetz Companies, Inc. & Zalk Josephs Fabricators

Contact: DWD Communications, 608-266-2722 DWD has received the following Wisconsin Business Closing and Mass Layoff (WARN) notices: Goetz Companies, Inc. (Petro of Portage Travel Center) – Goetz Companies, Inc. (Petro of Portage Travel Center), located at N5800 Kinney Road, Portage, WI 53901 is in the process of selling its business. The buyer has agreed to hire substantially all of the company’s non-management employees. This notice was filed out of “an abundance of caution” and to the extent any job losses occur as a result of the sale, approximately 104 employees could be affected. The South Central Workforce Development Board Rapid

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Gov. Walker: Transportation fund expected to end 2017-19 budget with nearly $100 million more than expected

Contact: Tom Evenson, (608) 266-2839 MADISON – Wisconsin’s Transportation Fund is projected to end the 2017-19 biennium with nearly $100 million more than expected, according to a memo released from the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB). The LFB says the nearly $100 million increase is due to projections of higher gas tax revenues and lower debt service costs. “With gas tax collections on the rise and lower borrowing costs, I will repeat what I have said throughout this budget process: now is not the time to raise the gas tax or vehicle registration fee on Wisconsin citizens. “The transportation budget

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Gov. Walker: First Lady Tonette Walker travels to Washington D.C. to promote trauma-informed care and the Fostering Futures Initiative

Contact: Tom Evenson, (608) 266-2839 MADISON – First Lady Tonette Walker is traveling to Washington D.C. this week, where she’ll meet with federal agency leaders and various lawmakers about her initiative, Fostering Futures, which works to transform systems by using trauma-informed care and raise awareness about the importance of better recognizing, understanding, and addressing the effects of trauma and toxic stress on the lives of children and families throughout Wisconsin and the nation. “We want Wisconsin to be a national leader when it comes to promoting and implementing trauma-informed care,” First Lady Tonette Walker said. “Toxic stress, a proxy for

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Sen. Ringhand: Statement regarding the completion of I-39/90

Contact: State Senator Janis Ringhand (608) 266-2253 Sen.Ringhand@legis.wisconsin.gov Statement from State Senator Janis Ringhand regarding the completion of I-39/90 “The I-39/90 corridor through Rock and Dane Counties is an economic driver for southern Wisconsin. Timely completion of this project is critical for commerce, tourism and public safety. I am committed to looking at all options to develop a long-term solution for our transportation needs in Wisconsin.”

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Emerge Wisconsin: Announces first ever fall program

Contact: Erin Forrest Erin@emergewi.org MILWAUKEE, WIS – Emerge Wisconsin, the premier training organization for Democratic women seeking elected or appointed office, has announced it will be accepting applications for a second class of 2017. Online registration will be open through the month of June. Earlier this year Emerge Wisconsin accepted the largest class in their history, but even this wasn’t enough to meet demand. Already seven members of the first class of 2017 have run for office, and five of them won. “Momentum is on the side of Democrats heading into 2018, and we want to make sure women’s voices

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WisGOP: Democrats in disarray: What to expect at this year’s DPW state convention

Contact: Alec Zimmerman (608) 257-4765 A Contested Battle for Party Chair and a Search for a Gubernatorial Candidate Lie Ahead [Madison, WI]—Democrats are in disarray.  This week that disarray will be on full display as a listless Democratic Party of Wisconsin struggles to determine its own leadership for 2018 and remains unable to find a candidate willing to challenge the Wisconsin comeback. Democrats have already demonstrated just how little they learned from the 2016 election by holding their convention in Madison, and have resorted to inviting elected officials from Illinois and Los Angeles to lift the party’s spirits. While their

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Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger: Efforts lead to better testing at Badger

Contact: Laura Olah, Executive Director Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger (CSWAB) 608/643-3124 The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is requiring the Army to analyze drinking water and groundwater at the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant for contaminants resulting from the breakdown of explosives in the environment. Toxicologists with the Department of Health Services recently issued Health Advisory Levels (HALs) that are the first federal or state drinking water guidelines in the U.S. for four (4) currently unregulated breakdown products of the explosive DNT. The new HALs, requested by CSWAB in a formal petition in 2015, may now be

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David Yankovich: Announces his candidacy for Congress, will challenge Paul Ryan

Contact: Lauren Young, lauren@davidyankovich.com KENOSHA, WI – Today, Democrat David Yankovich announced his candidacy for Congress in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, the seat currently held by House Speaker Paul Ryan. Yankovich, a political activist and consultant, decided to run for Congress because he believes the people of Wisconsin deserve better that what they have gotten from Paul Ryan. “I am running because every American deserves the same health care that saved my mother’s life,” Yankovich said. “I am running because Paul Ryan and Donald Trump are a threat to Wisconsin’s middle-class families. I am running because the people of Wisconsin’s

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Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection: Comments open on Spartan 4F® use on strawberries

Contact: Donna Gilson, 608-224-5130, donna.gilson@wi.gov Bill Cosh, Communications Director, 608-224-5020, William2.Cosh@wi.gov MADISON – Public comments are open through June 6 on a proposed pesticide registration for a special local need in Wisconsin, allowing strawberry growers to use Spartan 4F® to control weeds. The registration would help growers control weeds including common groundsel and ladysthumb in strawberries after harvest, when commercial growers mow their fields to rejuvenate the leaf canopy to help control insect and disease problems. After mowing, weeds can grow in the open space left from mowing. There are no registered herbicides to control these weeds in strawberries. The active ingredient

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Dept. of Workforce Development: Wisconsin business closing & mass layoff (WARN) notice: Goetz Companies, Inc. & Zalk Josephs Fabricators

Contact: DWD Communications, 608-266-2722 DWD has received the following Wisconsin Business Closing and Mass Layoff (WARN) notices: Goetz Companies, Inc. (Petro of Portage Travel Center) – Goetz Companies, Inc. (Petro of Portage Travel Center), located at N5800 Kinney Road, Portage, WI 53901 is in the process of selling its business.

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Gov. Walker: First Lady Tonette Walker travels to Washington D.C. to promote trauma-informed care and the Fostering Futures Initiative

Contact: Tom Evenson, (608) 266-2839 MADISON – First Lady Tonette Walker is traveling to Washington D.C. this week, where she’ll meet with federal agency leaders and various lawmakers about her initiative, Fostering Futures, which works to transform systems by using trauma-informed care and raise awareness about the importance of better

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Sen. Ringhand: Statement regarding the completion of I-39/90

Contact: State Senator Janis Ringhand (608) 266-2253 Sen.Ringhand@legis.wisconsin.gov Statement from State Senator Janis Ringhand regarding the completion of I-39/90 “The I-39/90 corridor through Rock and Dane Counties is an economic driver for southern Wisconsin. Timely completion of this project is critical for commerce, tourism and public safety. I am committed

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Emerge Wisconsin: Announces first ever fall program

Contact: Erin Forrest Erin@emergewi.org MILWAUKEE, WIS – Emerge Wisconsin, the premier training organization for Democratic women seeking elected or appointed office, has announced it will be accepting applications for a second class of 2017. Online registration will be open through the month of June. Earlier this year Emerge Wisconsin accepted

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David Yankovich: Announces his candidacy for Congress, will challenge Paul Ryan

Contact: Lauren Young, lauren@davidyankovich.com KENOSHA, WI – Today, Democrat David Yankovich announced his candidacy for Congress in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, the seat currently held by House Speaker Paul Ryan. Yankovich, a political activist and consultant, decided to run for Congress because he believes the people of Wisconsin deserve better

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Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection: Comments open on Spartan 4F® use on strawberries

Contact: Donna Gilson, 608-224-5130, donna.gilson@wi.gov Bill Cosh, Communications Director, 608-224-5020, William2.Cosh@wi.gov MADISON – Public comments are open through June 6 on a proposed pesticide registration for a special local need in Wisconsin, allowing strawberry growers to use Spartan 4F® to control weeds. The registration would help growers control weeds including common groundsel

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