7-2-14 manure spill update-water testing done

A month after a major liquid manure spill at a Fond du lac county dairy farm the Fond du lac County Department of  Public Health says no additional water testing is necessary.  On May 26^th an estimated 50,000 gallons of liquid manure spilled at Lake Breeze Dairy into nearby Pipe Creek…making its way into Lake Winnebago.  Public health officer Kim Mueller says the surface water of Pipe Creek has been tested three times along with surface water tests at various places along the creek, in the marina and along a beach area.  There has been no evidence of wells being affected by the spill.  Mueller says fluctuating levels of bacteria in Pipe Creek, up and downstream of the spill, is not unusual and no additional testing is needed, as the creek has returned to its usual state. Signage along the creek will remain up for the remainder of the year.

7-2-14 fdl man convicted in heroin overdose case

A Fond du Lac man accused of helping to supply the heroin that led to the death of a Fond du Lac County man has reached a plea deal.   At a hearing Tuesday in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court Jason Van Norman pleaded no contest to charges of first degree reckless homicide and delivery of heroin.  Other drug related counts were dismissed and read into the record.  A pre-sentence investigation was ordered.  Van Norman  was accused of supplying the heroin that led to the death of Devin Perry.

7-2-14 fbi:heroin abuse getting worse in wi

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The FBI says heroin abuse seems to getting worse in Wisconsin as abusers seek a cheaper alternative to prescription pills such as Vicodin and Percocet. Law enforcement officials have seen a spike in heroin usage since about 2008. The FBI says heroin apparently arrives in Wisconsin by way of Minneapolis, Chicago, and Rockford, Illinois. One hit costs $12 to $15 in Milwaukee and about twice that, due to supply and demand, in the Green Bay area.

7-2-14 oakfield man sentenced in owi injury crash

A Dodge County judge has placed an Oakfield man on probation and ordered he spend time in jail for an owi injury crash last summer  Dodge County Circuit Court judge Brian Pfitzinger placed 52 year old Bryan Novak on probation for two years with six months conditional jail time for the June 2^nd crash that injured a Mayville woman.  According to a criminal complaint Novak collided with a vehicle after running a stop sign at a town of Leroy intersection.  His blood alcohol level measured nearly three times over the legal limit.

7-2-14 fetal pain bill

The outgoing director of Wisconsin Right to Life says she is hopeful the group’s No. 1 priority next session will be approved.  Barbara Lyons says the “fetal pain bill” would ban abortion after 20 weeks. "The bbasis for the prohibition would be that science has proven that an unborn child at that age can feel extreme pain from the abortion procedure,"  Barbara Lyons said.  Lyons says the bill will take priority over two other WRTL-backed bills that didn't pass the Senate.   One sought to allow mothers, fathers and grandparents to sue physicians who perform an abortion based on the sex of the fetus. Another sought to ban abortion coverage through insurance plans for public employees along with exempting faith-based groups from a state law requiring policies that cover prescription drugs also cover contraceptives.   Similar bans have been struck down in states like Idaho, Georgia and Arizona. In the Arizona case, the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year declined to review the appeals court decision. 

7-2-14 civil service

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker's administration is looking at ways to streamline hiring for state jobs to help cope with a looming wave of retirements.  Department of Administration spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis says the agency is querying other state agencies to understand why the hiring process can sometimes take as long as four months and find ways to tighten the timeframe.

She insists the administration has no intention of weakening the process for awarding civil service jobs, which are supposed to be based on merit rather than political ties.  But union leaders are still stinging from Walker's law stripping most public workers of nearly all their union rights. They say they don't trust the administration and speeding up the hiring process could lead to more political patrons landing state work.

7-2-14 fourth of july weather outlook

After a stormy start to the week and near record rainfall last month…things are looking up for the 4^th of July weekend.  Back to back storms toppled trees and power lines in southern Wisconsin and flooded streets.  But National Weather Service meteorologist Denny Van Cleve says the forecast looks great

for people planning picnics and watching fireworks shows across the state.  "No chance of precip and a good amount of sunshine,"  Van Cleve told AM 1170 WFDL's Between the Lines program.  Highs in the mid 60s, so come the evening of the 4th we should have temperatures in the mid to upper 60s, nice and cool, maybe even get a blanket for you."