Month: February 2020

University of Wisconsin System regents will consider raising tuition for nonresident and graduate students at six institutions. The regents' business committee is set to vote Thursday on whether to raise the rates between 1.5% and 25% at Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Platteville, River Falls, Stevens Point and Whitewater beginning this fall. The schools say the revenue would cover rising costs of instruction, recruiting, technology and training clinical professionals. Republican lawmakers have kept […]

A new study shows the number of fatal crashes involving drivers in Washington state who test positive for marijuana has increased since that state legalized the drug.  New research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows the percent of drivers, who after a fatal crash, tested positive for THC, has doubled since Washington state legalized marijuana eight years ago.  Wisconsin AAA spokesman Nick Jarmuscz says in the five years before the drug […]

A Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s captain says he’s not surprised at the findings of  a AAA study that shows fatal crashes involving drivers who test positive for marijuana increased after the state of Washington legalized the drug.  Sheriff’s captain Bill Tadych says he expects those numbers to continue to increase. Tadych says research shows the negative effects of marijuana on drivers, and the use of alcohol with marijuana makes drivers more […]

More than two years have passed since the first presidential announcement, and yet the Democrats’ turbulent 2020 primary season officially kicked off Monday with the Iowa caucuses.  Retired Ripon College political scientist Marty Farrell says while it doesn’t ensure the nomination, the Iowa caucuses are important.  "It helps for sure,"  Farrell told WFDL news.  "That was where, for example in 2008, Barack Obama doing well in Iowa, that made him a […]

The Fond du Lac County Dairy and Livestock extension agent says a new trade deal signed last week by president Donald Trump is good news for Wisconsin dairy farmers.   Tina  Kohlman says hopefully the new deal will give some relief to dairy farmers and the ag community in general.  "Opening up some trade restrictions that were there in the past, and giving some more opportunities to export their milk and giving […]

A preliminary hearing for a former Fond du Lac woman charged  in the 2018 death of her infant daughter has been postponed.   Twenty six year old Shauntina Fuller-Panky  is charged with  first degree reckless homicide in the death of  2-month old Rehloari Pankey-Brown.   According to a  criminal complaint an autopsy showed the baby died from a large skull fracture.  The hearing scheduled for Friday was adjourned until Fuller-Panky gets an attorney.  Fuller-Panky  was  arrested […]

A Keshena teenager who led Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s deputies on a high speed chase has been  bound over for trial.   Seventeen year old Halie Fish waived her preliminary hearing Friday on a charge of eluding an officer.  The Sheriff’s Office says Fish was involved in a chase in December on Interstate 41 that reached speeds of nearly 130 miles an hour.   The eight and a half mile long chase ended […]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — It looks like the Wisconsin Assembly is headed toward a fight over how to acknowledge Black History Month. White Republican Scott Allen has introduced a resolution that honors white abolitionists as well as four former slaves. Black legislators have criticized Allen for not consulting them before putting his resolution together and have introduced their own resolution honoring 14 prominent black people, including Kobe Bryant. The dust-up […]

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin has a new leader.  Effective this week, Debra Cronmiller is the new executive director of the organization.   She replaces Erin Grunze who stepped down to spend more time with her family.  Cronmiller says the League will continue to work hard to empower  and inform Wisconsin voters.  "Our work as election observers, our work in getting candidate responses to our Vote 411 questions and other […]