Green Bay News

GREEN BAY –  It’s tax time!  Are you getting money back from the government?  Budgeting expert Joni Kearn of Freedom Financial joined us on Good Day Wisconsin with a money-wise guide for spending your refund.  Kearn suggests using 50 percent of the money to pay off or pay down debt.  She says you should start with the credit cards that have the highest interest.  She then suggests putting 25 percent away for emergencies or perhaps a Christmas fund.  She calls the final 25 percent your spending money to be used for things such as new tires for your car, a refrigerator for your home or a vacation for your family.

BUDGET SEMINAR:

February 21st, 2015 from

10 to noon

2201 East Enterprise Avenue, Ste. 101

Appleton.

Register at [email protected] or 920-560-1857.

OSHKOSH- We’re spending the morning at House of Flowers.

The flower shop is sharing some great ideas for Valentine’s Day.

Click on the video to learn more.

DETROIT- People are donating tens of thousands of dollars, to help a Detroit man who walks 21 miles to get to and from work.

56-year-old James Robertson says the Detroit city buses don’t cover the whole route to and from his factory job in suburban Rochester Hills.

He ends up walking about eight miles before his shift starts in the afternoon, and 13 more when it’s over at night.

He says he’s been making the walk since his car stopped working 10 years ago, and bus service was cut back.

But he’s had perfect attendance at work for more than 12 years.

“I can’t imagine not working, I do. I don’t want to end up doing nothing. Do you know how long it took me to find this job?”, says James Robertson.

After a college student heard about the story, he set up an online fundraising page to get Robertson a car.

RIB MOUNTAIN, Wis. (AP) – Four people are recovering from injuries after a stabbing attack at a nail salon in the Wausau area.

Marathon County sheriff’s officials say a male employee of Best Nails Salon & Spa in Rib Mountain stabbed three co-workers Monday and injured himself.

All were taken to area hospitals. Sheriff’s Lt. Bill Millhausen says the man stabbed two other men and a woman. He says the woman was able to go to another nearby business where police were called.

Millhausen says two of the victims have non-life threatening injuries. He didn’t know about the third victim. The suspect and three victims were the only people in the salon when the attack occurred.

GREEN BAY – Valentine’s Day is less than two weeks away.

FOX 11’s Pauleen Le spent the morning exploring ideas on how to spend the holiday with the help of Davister’s Stables & Carriage Rides.

The family-owned business has been offering horse-drawn carriage rides for special holidays like Valentine’s Day since 1985.

For more information on Davister’s Stables & Carriage Rides, click here.

BOSTON (AP) – Forecasters from Philadelphia to Portland, Maine, have warned that “flash freezing” could make roads dangerously slippery a day after snow fell on much of the East Coast.

National Weather Service forecaster Bill Simpson in Massachusetts said Monday night the biggest concern was for areas where rain and slush ponded on roads before temperatures plunged. “They are going to have a pretty difficult time when that slush freezes,” he said.

Arctic temperatures following the storm were expected to bring minus 20 degree wind chills in parts of Pennsylvania, New York and New England, and minus 35 degrees in pockets near the Canadian border.

Here’s the latest on the storm:

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SNOWFALL AND WARNINGS

A winter storm warning remained in effect until 5 a.m. for northeastern Maine, where up to 18 inches was expected by Tuesday morning.

Earlier, the snowstorm, which dumped more than 19 inches of snow on Chicago and more than a foot on southeastern Wisconsin, deepened off the southern New England coast. It brought accumulations approaching 18 inches in the Boston area and around a foot of slushy wintry mix to Hartford, Connecticut, Providence, Rhode Island, southern New Hampshire and Vermont – places still reeling from the up to 3 feet they got last week.

New York City’s snow totals ranged from around 3.6 inches in Central Park to 7 inches in the Bronx while Long Island got 3 inches to 10 inches.

The Philadelphia area received about an inch of snow before the precipitation changed to rain. Forecasters said portions of the Lehigh Valley got up 8 inches, and there was up to a foot in northern Pennsylvania. Much of New Jersey got several inches of snow while parts of northern Ohio received at least a foot.

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A PARTY POSTPONED

As Boston recovers from its second major winter storm in a week, Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the victory parade for the New England Patriots would be postponed until Wednesday morning.

“We look forward to celebrating with Patriots fans during better weather on Wednesday,” Walsh said in a statement.

School was canceled in Boston and some suburbs for Tuesday and Gov. Charlie Baker ordered a delayed start for nonessential state agency workers to allow more time for clearing roads.

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A DEADLY TOLL

Fifty-seven-year-old Cynthia Levine was struck and killed by a snowplow just before 10 a.m. Monday in the parking lot of a condominium complex in Weymouth, south of Boston, the Norfolk district attorney’s office said.

In New York, state police said they were investigating a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 95 when a third vehicle lost control on the highway and hit the two vehicles from the first crash. The cause was not immediately known, but the crash occurred as snow and freezing rain hindered travel throughout the region.

Doctors in Ohio said Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins was heavily sedated and in critical condition Monday, a day after he went into cardiac arrest and his SUV crashed into a pole on his way home not long after a news conference.

Illinois State Police say ice was responsible for crashes on Interstate 294 in the Chicago suburb of Hickory Hills that involved at least 45 vehicles, one of them a state police squad car. Eight people were taken to area hospitals

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DISORDER IN THE COURT

The storm delayed two of the nation’s biggest court cases – the murder trial of former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez and jury selection in the federal death penalty trial of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Testimony was to resume Tuesday in the Hernandez trial. But federal court officials in Boston, who follow the city’s school closure schedule, said the Tsarnaev proceedings would be delayed a second day.

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COMMUTING PROBLEMS

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority riders were warned to expect delays Tuesday because of the cold. On Monday, Boston’s MBTA was running despite the heavy snowfall, with delays including one train that lost power south of Boston, temporarily stranding about 50 passengers.

Rush-hour commuters in New York City were stranded on a packed subway train that lost power for 2½ hours Monday before it could be towed to a station. Five other trains were stuck behind it.

In Henniker, New Hampshire, crews on Monday were cleaning up snow using plows loaned by the state and surrounding towns. A fire had destroyed the town’s plow fleet three days earlier.

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SOME REALLY DIG IT

Tony Troc looks on the bright side of shoveling snow: Hey, it’s a pretty good workout.

“It doesn’t bother me at all,” the supermarket warehouse worker said after clearing another 8 inches of snow from his driveway in Whitman, 20 miles south of Boston. “If I didn’t like it, I’d be in Florida.”

Todd Penney of Tolland, Connecticut, said digging out is fun.

“I actually get some perverse pleasure in snowblowing, just like I get some perverse pleasure in mowing my lawn on the tractor,” he said. “When you have the tools that make the job easier, it’s kind of like this alone time, this me time. It’s kind of Zen.”

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SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER?

The handlers of Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, said the furry rodent has forecast six more weeks of winter.

Members of the top hat-wearing Inner Circle announced the “prediction” Monday morning.

Legend has it that if Phil sees his shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last another six weeks. If not, spring comes early.

SOUTHERN WISCONSIN- The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating the deaths of three people believed to be connected to this weekend’s winter storm.

A 64-year-old Milwaukee man was declared brain dead Monday afternoon.

A 62-year-old West Allis man died late Sunday night, after he collapsed while snow blowing.

A 69-year-old Shorewood man was found dead on Sunday, after he had been shoveling.

All three had a history of heart disease or high blood pressure.

GREEN BAY- Snow will start this afternoon which could make roads slippery for your drive home from work.

We’ll have increasing clouds with a high of 18.

Snow will push in from the west and start around 4 p.m. in Green Bay and the Fox Cities.

Snow accumulations will be up to an inch in Green Bay and 1 to 2 inches to the south.

This is a fast-moving system and will make roads slippery at peak travel time so drive with care as you head home.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is set to release his plan for solving Wisconsin’s $2 billion budget shortfall amid growing interest in his likely presidential run.

Walker, a Republican who was re-elected to a second term last year and has quickly been taking steps for a White House run, was scheduled to deliver his budget outline Tuesday to the Republican-controlled state Legislature in a prime-time speech being broadcast live statewide.

Walker’s budget was not expected to include any tax increases, even in the face of the shortfall and after his own Department of Transportation secretary called for raising taxes and fees by about $750 million to pay for roads and other projects.

Democrats have criticized Walker and Republicans for using a previous surplus to pay for nearly $2 billion in tax cuts – targeting income, property and manufacturing taxes – over the past four years. Those tax cuts helped fuel the current budget gap.

Walker promised on the campaign trail to continue cutting property and income taxes, but he’s not expected to make dramatic moves over the next two years, given the size of the state’s budget shortfall.

Just to continue spending at its current levels, the state will be about $928 million short by mid-2017. If state agencies get what they request, which they certainly won’t, the shortfall grows to $2 billion.

Walker has already said he’s ignoring the University of Wisconsin System’s request to get $95 million more and instead will call for a $300 million cut, while also freezing tuition and granting more freedom from state oversight and laws.

And to deal with the state’s roads and infrastructure needs, Walker is choosing to borrow $1.3 billion rather than raise the gas tax or vehicle registration fees.

Both the size of the UW cut and opting to increase borrowing for roads by 30 percent has attracted criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike.

Walker is also calling for drug tests for able-bodied adults seeking Medicaid, unemployment, Wisconsin’s version of food stamps and other public benefit programs.

Walker hasn’t said whether aid to K-12 public schools will increase or how he will follow through on a promise to expand the statewide private school voucher program.

Once Walker submits his roughly $70 billion budget, the debate shifts to the Legislature, where lawmakers will spend the next four months working over his proposal before voting on it likely sometime in June.

While that’s happening, Walker will be hitting the campaign trail once again as he seriously considers a run for president. Walker last week created a tax-exempt committee to boost his presidential aspirations, while also traveling to Iowa and Washington, D.C.

Walker rose to national prominence when he proposed in his first budget in 2011 to effectively end collective bargaining for most public workers, while also forcing them to pay more for health care and pension benefits, to help solve a projected $3 billion budget shortfall then.

Walker, when talking about a presidential run, offers that as an example of the type of bold and decisive leadership he says is needed on the national level. Walker has talked about his plans for UW this year in much the same way and compared it with his handling of public workers four years ago.

TOWN OF ROCK, Wis. (AP) – The Rock County Sheriff’s Office says three officers and another driver were injured in a two-car accident in the Town of Rock.

The sheriff’s office says three on-duty police officers with the Town of Beloit were riding in an unmarked vehicle Monday evening when they were hit by a driver who ran a red light. Authorities say a 41-year-old Janesville man was cited for failing to stop at the red light.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the officers and the other driver suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.

The eastbound lanes of state Highway 11 were closed for about an hour.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Guys, if you want to get the girl, try bringing flowers – to her mother.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, it’s something to think about: Winning over mom may sound old-fashioned, but it’s still a smart strategy in today’s fast-changing, app-tapping, hookup-happy world of dating.

In a new poll, 6 in 10 young women say when they’re thinking of getting serious with somebody, their mother’s approval is “extremely” or “very” important.

“She makes the call,” said Jessica Wilhelm, a 19-year-old college student and self-described “mommy’s girl.”

Wilhelm, from Brighton, Michigan, said she learned her lesson in high school when she tried going out with “the guy your parents don’t want.”

“It’s not a good idea,” she said. “It doesn’t go smoothly for anybody.”

A mere 6 percent of women under age 30 say their mother’s opinion matters “not at all” when dating, the Associated Press-WE tv poll found.

Four in 10 young women would consider breaking up with someone mom didn’t like, according to the poll. Indeed, 16 percent say they’ve dumped a guy for that reason.

Sons worry a little less than daughters about what mom thinks, the survey found. Still, half of 18-to-29-year-old men say her approval is extremely or very important when a relationship might get serious.

Andy Lowney, 22, of DeWitt, Michigan, said if he were dating a woman his mother didn’t like, he wouldn’t ditch her immediately.

“I’d see if it’s something you can change over time,” he said. “But long, long term, that’s going to be an issue.”

Dads, the stereotypical gatekeepers for teenage daughters, still have some say, too.

Half of young women and nearly 40 percent of young men put high importance on dad’s opinion when a romance is getting serious. A father’s view outranks what friends or siblings think, according to the poll.

Kelsley Broomfield, 21, said her parents deploy different tactics when sizing up boyfriend material.

Her mother, always friendly and chatty, asks the what-do-you-want-to-do-with-your-life questions. Dad listens and doesn’t say much, but he’ll signal his verdict later with a few subtle comments.

“He’s kind of the test,” said Broomfield, of Englewood, New Jersey.

Of course, dating a guy your parents like isn’t the same as dating a guy who’s like your parents.

And it turns out men aren’t necessarily looking for a girl just like the girl that married dear old dad, either. Among men and women of all ages, a slim majority – 51 percent – think it’s better to go out with someone who’s the opposite of their parents, instead of someone who reminds them of the folks.

And how do the folks feel about all this?

We’re not asking for much, they insist, but couldn’t you just listen to us now and then?

While few parents say they want a lot of sway over their grown children’s love lives, the vast majority of parents of all ages – 7 in 10 – would like to exert at least a little influence.

Alas, fewer than 6 in 10 parents believe they have, or will have, any influence at all.

Some may be underestimating their lifetime impact, however.

L.D. Ross Jr. of Clinton, Maryland, said he made his expectations known early through years of dinner-table conversations about values and how to judge character. By the time his son and three daughters were old enough to date, he said, “they were very good about the people they selected to bring home.” Three of the four are married now, and he has five grandkids.

“I don’t think anybody really wants to bring home somebody they know their parent is going to just totally disapprove of,” said Ross, 59. “It’s not going to be a happy family.”

What about when he was going out as a young man, did he give his own parents cause to worry?

No, Ross says, laughing – but they didn’t know about everything.

“I was a sneaky little sucker,” he said.

The poll of 1,315 adults was conducted ahead of the premier of WE tv’s new show “Match Made in Heaven.” The poll was conducted online Dec. 19-21, 2014, using a sample drawn from GfK’s probability-based KnowledgePanel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Respondents were first selected randomly using phone or mail survey methods, and later interviewed online. People selected for KnowledgePanel who didn’t otherwise have access to the Internet were provided access at no cost to them.

ROSWELL, Ga. (AP) – Her family says Whitney Houston’s daughter is “fighting for her life” in a Georgia hospital after being discovered face-down and unresponsive in a bathtub at her home.

Police have issued a very brief report saying officers were called to 21-year-old Bobbi Kristina Houston’s home in suburban Atlanta on Saturday in response to her “drowning.”

Her husband, Nick Gordon, was at the scene and tried to revive her while a friend called 911.

A Houston family statement issued Monday says Houston “is fighting for her life and is surrounded by immediate family.”

TORONTO (AP) – Khris Middleton scored 25 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks snapped a six-game losing streak against the Toronto Raptors with an 82-75 victory Monday night.

Jared Dudley scored 14 points and John Henson had 12 for the Bucks, who never trailed despite playing the final 28 minutes with only eight players. They held on for their fourth consecutive win while scoring just nine points in the fourth quarter.

Reduced to nine players when guard Brandon Knight was ruled out before the game with a sore right quadriceps muscle, Milwaukee lost another body when guard O.J. Mayo was ejected after picking up a double technical at 4:07 of the second.

Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 13 rebounds, DeMar DeRozan scored 16 and Lou Williams 12 for the Raptors, who had won six straight overall.

Toronto, which won back-to-back overtime games at Brooklyn and Washington on Friday and Saturday, was playing for the fifth time in seven days.

Kenyon Martin scored 9 seconds into the fourth quarter to give the Bucks a 75-60 lead, but they didn’t score again for more than eight minutes.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez brought Toronto to 75-68 at 8:24 of the fourth. Tyler Hansbrough tipped in a missed shot by Williams to tie it at 75 with 3:45 left before Antetokounmpo finally snapped Milwaukee’s scoring drought by making one of two from the line at 3:26.

The Bucks missed 15 straight field goal attempts before Dudley’s 3 at 2:08 gave them a 79-75 edge.

Antetokounmpo added another free throw and, after a turnover by Kyle Lowry, Dudley sealed it with a jumper.

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TIP-INS

Bucks: Milwaukee is 17-0 when holding its opponent below 90 points. … Jorge Gutierrez started for Knight, who had started all 47 previous games this season. … Besides Knight, the Bucks are also without rookie Jabari Parker (left knee), Ersan Ilyasova (right groin), Zaza Pachulia (right calf), Damien Inglis (right ankle) and Kendall Marshall (right knee). C Larry Sanders is serving a 10-game suspension for a drug violation.

Raptors: Forward James Johnson (right hamstring) missed his third straight game. … Toronto matched a season low with 14 points in the first quarter. The Raptors also scored 14 against New Orleans on Jan. 18. … This was the first of five straight home games leading into the All-Star break. Toronto is 18-8 at home. … Valanciunas leads the Raptors with 16 double-doubles.

UP NEXT

Bucks: Host Lakers on Wednesday night.

Raptors: Host Nets on Wednesday night.

HORTONVILLE – Hortonville Area School District leaders have made some changes they say help keep students safer.

A year ago if you went to a Hortonville school, chances are most of the doors would be open. Now they’re all locked, but one.

The visitor sign-in has gone through changes too.

“A regular sign in and we’d give them a badge to put around their neck, not one that actually had their picture on it,” said Andy Kolosso the Security Director for Hortonville High School, explaining the old sign-in.

Now before you can even get into the building you have to stop at the front desk, hand in a photo ID, which is scanned then you’re given a badge with your name a photo on it.

It’s called the Raptor Visitor Management System, and it has one more feature.

“It runs them through the sex offender list to see if they’re a sex offender,” explained Kolosso.

If the name pops up on that list, an email alert goes to administrators and the school liaison officer.

“He goes, or an administrator goes out and explains the situation to them,” said Kolosso, who told us some community members were initially concerned about the system and a possible lack of privacy. According to Kolosso there was a situation where a sex offender got into a district school a few years back. He said when district leaders explain to parents they want to prevent that from happening again, most feel comfortable and have positive things to say about the system.

School officials say the Raptor software costs the district about $2,800 a year.

But it’s a small part of a major security overhaul.

District voters approved a referendum for $350,000 two years ago to pay for new safety measures.

“Equipment to be able to manage the doors, we used it to buy some radios, we used it to buy security cameras,” explained Scott Colantonio the Technology Director for the Hortonville Area School District

Some inside doors can lock with the push of a button to cut off access to certain parts of the building. Two way radios connect directly to 911 dispatch. And cameras monitor the doors and hallways.

The district also puts more time into staff emergency training.

“We’ve got some fantastic educators here and some fantastic administrators, but if an emergency were to hit, we want to make sure that they’re fantastic in how they respond to that crisis situation,” explained Colantonio.

“Because of Sandy Hook, Columbine, Virginia Tech, at any level we have to make sure those kids and the staff that work here during that school day are actually safe,” added Kolosso.

DE PERE – Even though Wisconsin has no confirmed cases yet, health officials still want people to make sure they’re vaccinated for the measles.

Just days after sending out information on the measles, people are starting to call the De Pere Health Department to see if they are protected.

“It’s just an airplane ride away,” said Chrystal Woller, director of the De Pere Health Department.

The CDC recommends children receive two MMR doses, one at 1 year old and another between 4 and 6 years old. Children or adults who weren’t vaccinated at those ages, and have no proof of immunity, are encouraged to receive two MMR doses 28 days apart. People born before 1957 have been deemed immune.

“Vaccines are safe and effective,” said Woller. “So if you and your provider decide there are no actual contraindicators for you or your child to receive the vaccination, it is recommended.”

Not everyone is taking that advice. De Pere’s health director says 19 percent of the community is not covered with all childhood vaccinations.

“Vaccines carry risks,” said Anne Dachel of Chippewa Falls. “We do not hear about that.”

Dachel says two of her children were injured from vaccinations. She says people should know of possible side effects of the MMR vaccine, including brain injury.

When asked if she would recommend people not be vaccinated for measles, Dachel said she would never say that.

“I would tell parents that they need to appreciate that there are risks involved,” said Dachel. “They need to educate themselves.”

The CDC does warn of side effects — including fever, seizures or in the most severe cases, long-term coma or permanent brain damage. However, the agency, says serious problems are so rare that it is hard to tell whether they are caused by the vaccine.

“Not only are you protecting yourself or your child, but also the community as a whole,” said Woller.

Wisconsin is among 20 states that let parents opt out of school-required vaccinations by obtaining a waiver. State law says personal beliefs can be a reason.

If you want to find out if you’re vaccinated, you can call your local health department or check the state’s online immunization registry.

For parents all around the area, looking for a school for their children outside the area where they live, now’s the time to explore their options.

Open enrollment for Wisconsin public schools started Monday.

“They can apply to attend a school district other than their home school district,” said Nicole Noonan with the Kimberly Area School District. “Over the years, Kimberly has seen an increase in their open enrollment.”

This school year, 302 students who don’t live in the district chose to attend school in Kimberly. That’s roughly 16 percent of all students.

Some school districts in our area lost students to open enrollment. We called many of them, but no one was available for an interview today. For example, the largest school district in our area, Green Bay, lost more than 100 students. The district is made up of 20 thousand students.

Many school districts gained students through open enrollment this school year, including the second largest district in our area: Appleton. The district gained more than 1100 students.

However, almost half of those students were due to the Wisconsin Connections Academy, an online school option.

“We probably right now have 535 students,” said Michelle Mueller.

Mueller is the principal of the Wisconsin Connections Academy.

The school is part of the Appleton Area School District, though students attend class online at home and teachers teach from cubicles instead of classrooms.

Mueller doesn’t expect a big increase in open enrollment numbers this year.

“Our numbers have fluctuated. We added high school four years ago so we had an increase then. But then they tend to stabilize,” said Mueller.

More students don’t necessarily mean more funding.

Schools receive 10,000 dollars in state funding for each student living within district boundaries. But for open enrollment students, that amount drops to 6,700 dollars.

Regardless of funding, schools say their doors are open to any student who wants to switch districts.

Open enrollment runs through the end of April.

SEATTLE (AP) – Washington state legalized marijuana more than two years ago, but in much of the state, there’s still no place to get the sanctioned stuff: More than 100 cities and counties have banned pot businesses, making it tough to undermine the black market.

Lawmakers think they have at least a partial solution: paying the locals to let licensed weed come to town.

Under bills introduced in both houses in Olympia, the state would share a chunk of its marijuana tax revenue with cities and counties – but only if they allow approved marijuana businesses in their jurisdictions. It’s an approach that has worked to some degree in Colorado, said Kevin Bommer, deputy director of the Colorado Municipal League.

“It definitely made a difference,” he said Monday. “Without it, you would not have as many municipalities in Colorado approving retail marijuana sales.”

Washington’s legal pot law, Initiative 502, passed with 56 percent of the vote in 2012. But in many parts of the state – especially in central and eastern Washington – voters opposed it. Officials in many cities have imposed bans on the pot businesses, seeing little reason to let them operate, and courts have upheld their authority to do so.

In Poulsbo, a city west of Seattle, a slim majority of voters approved the legal pot law, but the city adopted an outright ban on marijuana businesses. Councilman Ed Sterns said the ban was motivated entirely by the lack of revenue sharing. Sterns serves on the board of the Association of Washington Cities – an organization that was formed to press the state to share liquor revenue after alcohol prohibition ended in 1933.

Local governments continue to get a cut of liquor revenue, and if the state does the same with marijuana, Sterns said he’d urge Poulsbo to reconsider its ban.

“The impacts are entirely local – planning, permitting, inspection and most importantly good community policing,” Sterns said. “Those impacts are partly mitigated by revenue sharing.”

Since legal marijuana stores opened in Washington last summer, the state has collected $20 million in pot taxes. In Colorado, sales and excises taxes on pot hit $50 million in the first year of legal sales, with about $6 million sent back to local governments.

But even in Colorado, three-quarters of the state’s 271 cities ban marijuana businesses.

Under I-502, the tax money was dedicated largely to health care: After the state paid off a few items, including the cost of administering the new law, half of the remaining tax collections were directed to a program that provided health insurance for low-income workers.

Under the national health insurance overhaul known as the Affordable Care Act, that program vanished. Some lawmakers, led by La Center Republican Sen. Ann Rivers, want to split the money that would have gone to it: One-third of it would go to cities and counties based partly on how much pot-related revenue they generate for the state. The rest would go into the state’s general fund.

Sen. Karen Keiser, a Democrat from the Seattle suburb of Kent, said at a committee hearing on the measure Monday that she was concerned about the turn away from health care, noting that local health departments are chronically underfunded.

The issue is one of many facing lawmakers on the marijuana front – the most pressing of which is reconciling Washington’s unregulated, largely untaxed medical marijuana system with taxed and regulated recreational sales. Other measures under consideration include requiring a vote of the public for communities to ban pot businesses, and allowing communities greater flexibility in where the businesses can be located.

PESHTIGO – A lot of products – especially paper – are made right here in Wisconsin.

But there are some that you might know about.

And for BPM, Inc. in Peshtigo, right now is the specialty paper manufacturer ramps us to keep a favorite summer candy under wrap.

Salt water taffy.

The multi-colored, chewy, wax-paper-wrapped candy is one many have grown up with. While it is often made in far-flung factories or small mom-and-pop shops around the country and state, millions of the special wrappers are made right in the small Northeast Wisconsin town.

“You go to the Wisconsin Dells, the east coast, in the summer time, all you see is taffy wrap,” said BPM’s converting manager Rod Wiltzius.

“There’s a large candy show in Chicago and we went there and saw all the taffy wrap,” Wiltzius said, “and it was like, ‘wow, we’re missing out on something here.'”

Under new ownership , the former Badger Paper Mill expanded its product line. The 110-employee company makes and converts specialty confectionary paper packaging – from suckers to cough drops, hamburger patties, and of course taffy.

“To have fresh taffy, (confectioners) start making it in the summer time, so that’s why we start ramping up now so they have their wrappers and they’ll start making it and producing it for June – or May, actually.”

Wiltzius says at this time of year, production roughly doubles. So how many pieces of candy is that? Well one roll of waxed paper can wrap roughly 16,300 pieces. There are 144 rolls per pallet, and at least 20 pallets per semi-truckload, which is more than 46 million pieces of salt water taffy.

Last year, for taffy alone, the company says it sold enough wrap for 1.2 billion pieces.

BPM general manager Jim Koronkiewicz says the company is wanting to grow, and run operations 24/7. But a not-so-sweet part of the gig is finding a skilled workforce, as the baby-boomer generation retires.

“I already have – in my workforce – I know that five are retiring this year,” Koronkiewicz said. “So it’s replacing them. And that’s tough.”

A far more difficult task than choosing which flavor of taffy you prefer to pop in your mouth, or pocket.

OCONTO – With an estimated $30 million price tag, Oconto County is making room for its new law enforcement center.

But it’s trying to save what it can before tearing down 14 empty homes and businesses.

To get the project underway, Oconto County asked the River Cities Habitat for Humanity ReStore for help.

“This house, we’re almost all finished up with pulling out the stuff that we can use. We pulled out some doors, some windows, the trim, a hot water heater,” said Michelle Drees, ReStore manager.

Every Monday, for the next few weeks, volunteers will empty out 14 properties sitting behind the sheriff’s office.

Drees says helping the county with this project has its benefits.

“In the winter time, donations are slow and we don’t get enough materials in. This is a great opportunity to cover us for the winter months because a lot of people aren’t doing construction,” Drees said.

FOX 11 spoke to Oconto’s mayor over the phone. Victoria Bostedt says she feels bad the city is losing the block, and said she felt the residents did not have a voice in the planning.

However, Bostedt said she is supportive of the facility, because it’s a reality.

The county’s administrative coordinator says the building is needed, because the current facility is outdated and can’t house all of its inmates.

“We pay between $41 and $45 a day for each inmate and then plus all the transportation costs. When we could transport them to Marinette of Florence, which is nearby, it wasn’t that bad. But now we’re starting to do Shawano and Langlade and they’re getting full,” said Kevin Hamann, Oconto Co. Administrative Coordinator.

The county’s administrative coordinator says around $250,000 is spent every year to transport inmates.

The more than 90,000 square foot building will include a jail, sheriff’s department offices, emergency management offices and a 911 call center.

The new law enforcement center will be paid for by taxpayers, the county, and a portion of they county’s sales tax revenue.

The new law enforcement center is expected to be finished by the end of next year.

The River Cities Habitat for Humanity ReStore is looking for volunteers to help remove items from the houses and businesses. If you’re interested in helping call 715-732-6290 or 715-732-6280.

Fifteen down, seven to go. That’s where the Kaukauna boys basketball team is in its pursuit of a perfect season.

The Galloping Ghosts went 2-0 last week to improve to 15-0 on the season and this week remains in the No. 1 position in the FOX 11 Top 11 rankings.

The rest of the top five in the boys rankings remains the same, actually the top eight didn’t move. Rounding out the top five this week are Kimberly, Freedom, Seymour and Ripon.

Two new teams to the rankings are West De Pere at No. 9 and Ashwaubenon at No. 11.

On the girls’ side, De Pere remains in the top spot after a 2-0 week but there was movement near the top of the rankings after No. 3 Freedom lost last week.

After De Pere, FVA leader Hortonville follows, Eastern Valley leader Little Chute, St. Mary’s Springs and Bay co-leader West De Pere.

No teams left the rankings this week, despite some of them losing.

Here are this week’s rankings:

BOYS
1. Kaukauna (15-0): Ghosts seven wins away from perfect regular season. Last week: No. 1.
2. Kimberly (13-1): Makers have impressive week with wins over Oshkosh North and Neenah. Last week: No. 2.
3. Freedom (14-1): Irish’s next seven games on the road. Last week: No. 3.
4. Seymour (14-2): Thunder holding tough on top of the Bay. Last week: No. 4.
5. Ripon (13-2): Last two wins have been by more than 30 points. Last week: No. 5.
6. Luxemburg-Casco (13-3): Spartans lost a couple lately but still in running for Bay. Last week: No. 6.
7. De Pere (14-3): Redbirds in control of FRCC after win at Bay Port. Last week: No. 7.
8. Shawano (13-3): Big week for Hawks as they play Lux-Casco and West De Pere. Last week: No. 8.
9. West De Pere (12-5): With Connor Konshak back Phantoms eyeing Bay Conference lead. Last week: unranked.
10. Brillion (13-2): Lions have won eight of their last nine games. Last week: No. 10.
11. Ashwaubenon (12-4): Jaguars quietly in chase for FRCC title. Last week: unranked.
Dropped out: No. 10 Southern Door (14-3); No. 9 Neenah (11-4).

GIRLS
1. De Pere (16-1): Redbirds’ last four wins have each come by fewer than 10 points. Last week: No. 1.
2. Hortonville (15-2): Polar Bears have showdown Friday at home against Kimberly. Last week: No. 2.
3. Little Chute (14-3): Mustangs riding a seven-game winning streak. Last week: No. 4.
4. St. Mary’s Springs (16-1): Only one team has scored in the 50s against the Ledgers. Last week: No. 5.
5. West De Pere (14-3): Phantoms keeping pace with Seymour in race for the Bay title. Last week: No. 6.
6. Seymour (15-3): Thunder’s averaging scoring margin four-game winning streak is 24.5 ppg. Last week: No. 7.
7. Xavier (13-4): Last three games Hawks have won by at least 15 points. Last week: unranked.
8. Algoma (13-3): With three-game lead, Wolves closing in on another Packerland title. Last week: No. 10.
9. Fox Valley Lutheran (12-4): Foxes are 2-2 in last four games. Last week: No. 9.
10. Freedom (13-4): Irish suffer surprising loss to Clintonville. Last week: No. 3.
11. Green Bay Southwest (12-5): Hiedeman sets program scoring record for Trojans. Last week No. 11.

Follow Doug Ritchay on Twitter @dougritchay