Local News Stories

	NEWS FOR THURSDAY, JULY 3RD, 2008 A MAN HAS DIED WHILE SCUBA DIVING IN A VILAS COUNTY LAKE. LAKE. AT ABOUT 3 O’CLOCK YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, THE VILAS COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT GOT A 9-1-1 CALL ABOUT A SCUBA DIVER IN DISTRESS ON JOYCE LAKE IN THE TOWN OF LAND O’ LAKES. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL FOUND A 61-YEAR-OLD MAN FROM LITTLE CHUTE WAS NON-RESPONSIVE AND NOT BREATHING. HE WAS TAKEN TO EAGLE RIVER MEMORIAL HOSPITAL WHERE HE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD. THE VILAS COUNTY CORONER'S OFFICE AND SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT CONTINUE THEIR INVESTIGATION.
	THE NEW WESTON FOUR POWER PLANT NEAR WAUSAU HAS BEEN PLUGGED IN. WISCONSIN PUBLIC SERVICE PRESIDENT CHARLIE SCHROCK SAYS THE 525 MEGAWATT PLANT HAS BEEN DECLARED COMMERCIALLY OPERABLE. SCHROCK SAYS THE COAL FIRED PLANT HAS STATE OF THE ART TECHNOLOGY TO CONTROL EMISSIONS, AND HE BELIEVES IT IS ONE OF THE CLEANEST PLANTS IN THE COUNTRY. WORK ON THE 774 MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT BEGAN IN OCTOBER OF 2004. A FORMAL DEDICATION CEREMONY WILL BE HELD IN AUGUST. WISCONSIN PUBLIC SERVICE HOLDS 70 PERCENT OWNERSHIP IN WESTON FOUR, WITH THE REMAINING 30 PERCENT HELD BY DAIRYLAND POWER COOPERATIVE.
	AN EMERGENCY ROOM DOCTOR SAYS FIREWORKS RELATED INJURIES ARE ALWAYS A CONCERN THIS TIME OF YEAR. DR. RICK BROADHEAD, DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY SERVICES FOR HOWARD YOUNG HEALTH CARE, SAYS A VARIETY OF INJURIES ARE SEEN. EYE INJURIES AND SEVERE HAND INJURIES ARE AMONG THOSE CAUSED BY FIREWORKS, AND BROADHEAD SAYS THEY CAN SOMETIMES CAUSE PERMANENT DISABILITY. HE RECOMMENDED THAT ONLY ADULTS HANDLE FIREWORKS. HE SAYS LARGER FIREWORKS THAT SHOOT INTO THE AIR OR EXPLODE PRESENT A HIGHER RISK OF SEVERE INJURY. HE RECOMMENDED ATTENDING A LOCAL FIREWORKS DISPLAY INSTEAD. YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE EVEN WITH SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A SPARKLER, WHICH CAN CAUSE A SEVERE BURN.
	INSPECTIONS HAVE FOUND ABOUT THE SAME NUMBER OF ONEIDA COUNTY VENDORS SELLING TOBACCO ILLEGALLY TO MINORS AS ONE YEAR AGO. DEREK ANDERSON, A UW-MADISON INTERN WORKING WITH THE ONEIDA COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT THIS SUMMER, SAYS THEY HAVE CHECKED 80 RETAILERS SO FAR. ILLEGAL SALES ARE RUNNING AT ABOUT LAST YEAR'S PACE OF FIVE PERCENT. WISCONSIN WINS IS A STATE-FEDERAL INITIATIVE TO EDUCATED RETAILERS TO STOP TOBACCO SALES TO MINORS. ANDERSON SAYS THE WEBSITE IS ESPECIALLY HELPFUL TO SMALLER BUSINESSES WHICH DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO HIGHER-BUDGET TRAINING PROGRAMS. ANDERSON SAYS MOST WORKERS FOUND SELLING TO MINORS GET VERY BUSY AND DO NOT TAKE THE TIME TO DO THE AGE CHECK. FINES UP TO 249 DOLLARS ARE POSSIBLE.
	CURRENTLY, MOST LAKE PROPERTY OWNERS LIKE TO HAVE WHAT IS CALLED A "VIEWING CORRIDOR" DOWN TO THE WATER. ONEIDA COUNTY HAS RESTRICTIONS ON THAT CORRIDOR TO THE LAKE. THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMITTEE WILL SOON LOOK AT WHETHER A LOOSER DEFINITION IS ACCEPTABLE. STATE AND COUNTY REGULATIONS TRY TO LIMIT HARD SURFACES CLOSE TO THE WATER TO AVOID RUNOFF POLLUTION. JIM REIN JR. OF WILDERNESS SURVEYING ASKED THE COMMITTEE TO DECIDE WHETHER A WALKWAY IS DEFINED AS A 'STRUCTURE' AND HOW MUCH REGULATION SHOULD BE PLACED ON THEM CLOSE TO THE WATER. ASSISTANT ZONING DIRECTOR PETE WEGNER SAID WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS, CURRENT RULES ALLOW ONE PATHWAY, A VIEWING CORRIDOR, DOWN TO THE LAKE. WEGNER ASKED THE COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER WHAT LOOSENING THE RULES MIGHT DO, WORRIED ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACE THAT MIGHT RESULT. THE COMMITTEE ASKED STAFF TO PUT TOGETHER MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT THE IMPACTS OF ALLOWING MORE CORRIDORS TO THE WATER WOULD BE.
	FORMAL DEDICATION CEREMONIES HAVE BEEN HELD FOR THE NEW MARSHFIELD CLINIC PARK FALLS DENTAL CENTER. TERRI KLEUTSCH, ADMINISTRATOR OF THE CLINIC, SAYS IT’S EXCITING TO MOVE FORWARD, AND THE COMMUNITY HAS DONE A LOT OF WORK TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. DENTIST JEFFREY LUKE SAYS THE MAJORITY OF THEIR PATIENTS ARE ON BADGER CARE OR HAVE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE, AND THERE HAS BEEN A SHORTAGE OF DENTAL FACILITIES WILLING TO TAKE THEM. LUKE SAYS THEY HAVE BEEN SEEING PATIENTS SINCE MARCH THIRD. LUKE SAYS GOOD DENTAL HEALTH IS IMPORTANT FOR A PERSON’S OVERALL HEALTH.
	WISCONSIN’S LARGEST NEWSPAPER SAYS IT WILL CUT 10-PERCENT OF ITS FULL-TIME WORKFORCE, AMID A NATIONAL TREND OF FALLING ADVERTISING REVENUES. THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL WILL CUT ABOUT 130 OF ITS 13-HUNDRED EMPLOYEES BY THE END OF THE YEAR. THAT’S AFTER 50 LONG-TIME EMPLOYEES TOOK SEVERANCE PACKAGES LAST FALL. C-E-O ELIZABETH BRENNER SAYS THE JOURNAL SENTINEL HAS HAD A 12-PERCENT DROP IN AD REVENUES IN THE YEAR ENDING IN MAY. THAT’S BECAUSE ITS ADVERTISERS HAVE FACED CUTBACKS DUE TO SLOWER HOME SALES, HIGH GAS PRICES, AND OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THE ECONOMY. ALSO, THE COMPANY HAS PAID A LOT MORE FOR THE PAPER TO PRINT THE NEWS – AND THE FUEL TO DELIVER THOSE PAPERS. ALSO, THERE’S A NATIONAL TREND OF FEWER CLASSIFIED AD SALES, AS MORE FOLKS FIND FREE-OR-CHEAPER ALTERNATIVES ON THE INTERNET. THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE WORD OF HOW MANY REPORTING JOBS WOULD BE AFFECTED AT THE JOURNAL SENTINEL. THE CUTS COME JUST WEEKS AFTER THE PAPER WON ITS FIRST PULITZER PRIZE FOR LOCAL REPORTING. IT’S JOURNALISM’S BIGGEST HONOR, AND IT WAS MILWAUKEE’S FIRST SINCE THE FORMER MORNING SENTINEL AND AFTERNOON JOURNAL WERE MERGED INTO ONE MORNING PAPER IN 1995.