Vaping Associated Injuries

It is estimated that 1 in 5 Wisconsin high school students has used an e-cigarette within the past month. Since mid-October the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have had roughly 1,500 lung injuries associated with vaping reported to them, and another 33 deaths across the country reported as well. Staff at Children’s Wisconsin (formerly known as Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin) and Wisconsin Department of Health Services were among the first to discover the link between e-cigarette usage and lung injuries. 

These deaths and injuries have set in motion a broader discussion in policy and research about e-cigarette use in general, particularly as it relates to youth, and potential for long term harm among individuals who use tobacco and THC products with THC currently appearing to be a major risk factor to vaping lung injuries.  

Due to e-cigarettes being a newer way to consume nicotine, far too few conclusions have been reached on the true health effects that they have on people.  There are also lingering beliefs that vaping is a healthier option because there is no smoke.   Fortunately, the State of Wisconsin is a leader in acknowledging how dangerous vaping has become, and currently, there is a push in the legislature to ban vaping for minors and make e-cigarettes far more inaccessible to them. 

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Giving Tuesday Donation Safety Tips

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) are reminding consumers to do their research on charities before making a contribution this holiday season as people are more vulnerable to charity scams. However, there are many simple ways you can protect yourself from scammers and make sure you are donating to a legitimate charity. A little research and a few precautions, you can help ensure your donations go to organizations that are genuinely serving others.

Consumers can protect themselves from charity scams by:

• Reviewing DFI’s webpage on charitable organizations, which includes tips for donors and a database of state-registered organizations.
• Visiting DATCP’s website for more information to protect yourself as you make your charitable donations:
• Researching charities at Charity Navigator or Give.org.
• Avoiding phone calls that ask you to make an immediate donation. Take time to ask the caller for information about the organization, whether the donation is tax-deductible, and if you will get a receipt. Don’t feel pressured by emotional appeals or urgent requests – a reputable charity will appreciate your donation just as much if you take time to do your homework first.
• Checking websites, emails, and texts. Watch for imposter websites by checking the spelling of the charity’s name and web address. Do not click on emails, respond to text messages, or share information with senders you do not know.
• Write a checks out to the organization (not an individual), or using a credit card.

Connect with DATCP on Facebook or on Twitter @wiconsumer.

Connect with DFI on Facebook, Twitter @WIS_DFI, or LinkedIn.

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Season of Lights

Executive Residence Tree Lighting Ceremony & Holiday Tours: The Executive Residence, 99 Cambridge Road in Maple Bluff, is open to the public for the Tree Lighting Ceremony on Sunday, December 1^st from 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM.

Public Tours
of the Executive Residence are available from 11 AM to 2 PM on

Tuesday, December 3             Thursday, December 5
Saturday, December 7            Wednesday, December 11
Saturday, December 14          Thursday, December 19

Capitol Tree
As you know, each year a tree is displayed in the Capitol Rotunda filled with handmade ornaments from elementary schools around the state. This year, the theme is “Celebrate Science” where students’ ornaments will be showing what science means to them, their families, and their communities.  The 2019 State Capitol Tree is a 30-foot Balsam fir from Meyer’s Castle Tree Farm in Medford, Wisconsin. Prochnow Trucking of Medford transported the tree to Madison.

The lighting ceremony will take place on Friday, December 6th from 12 pm to 12:45 pm in the Rotunda on the First Floor. We invite all of you to join the Governor, cabinet members, and students for the lighting of the tree.

After the ceremony, the Kiwanis Club of Madison West will begin set up for their 96th Annual Christmas Pageant in the Capitol Rotunda at 1 PM, then rehearse from 4:30-6 pm and Saturday, December 7, 2019 from noon-4 PM.  The Christmas Pageant performances will be on Sunday, December 8, 2019 at 4:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.

Additional Rotunda Displays

Displays from Madison Baptist Church, Wisconsin Family Action, Freedom from Religion, Stand With Christmas, and a citizen sponsored Festivus Pole will all be available for veiwing in the capitol rotunda on the first floor throughout the month of December. For more information visit the Capitol Events website. 

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Wisconsin Fun Fact

One hundred eighty-one years ago this week, the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature assembled in Madison for the first time after departing from their temporary placement in Burlington, Iowa. When the territorial legislature had met for the first time in Belmont two years prior, many cities had been considered as possibilities for the capitol, such as Cassville, Fond du Lac, Milwaukee, Platteville, Mineral Point, Racine, Belmont, Koshkonong, Wisconsinapolis, and Wisconsin City.

James Doty, who purchased the land that later became Madison for little more than two thousand dollars, encouraged the bill to pass that would deem Madison the capitol of Wisconsin. After Doty’s Madison officially won the vote, funds were authorized to assemble a building where lawmakers could discuss and solve the statewide and local issue of Wisconsinites.

Construction began in 1837 using stone from Maple Bluff that was ferried across Lake Mendota to N. Hamilton St. The oak used in the building was locally harvested from Gilman Street. The total cost of the first capitol in Madison was $60,000.

When the legislature finally met in Madison in November 1838 there was only an outside shell to the new Capitol. The interior was not completed until 1845, more than six years after it was supposed to be finished. Governor Henry Dodge delivered his first speech in the new seat of government on November 26^th, 1838.  This building would be used for twenty years with a replacement needed because of growing needs.

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