Governor Walker traveled to De Pere, Schofield, and Onalaska on Monday, July 17 to sign 11 Heroin, Opioid Prevention and Education (H.O.P.E) bills into law that will help combat the heroin and opioid epidemic affecting so many families in our state.
These bills are a part of a special session that the Governor called in January to address this issue and will increase specialist and treatment centers, create a charter school for recovery addicts, and create a new program that will provide doctors with expert guidance on treating addiction, among other initiatives. I would like thank everyone for their tireless work on this important issue. I have provided descriptions of the bills below for your reference.
Governor Walker Signing H.O.P.E. Bills into law at D.C. Everest High School alongside Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, Rep. Nygren, Sen. Petrowski, Rep. Kulp and Rep. Edming
January 2017 Special Session Assembly Bill 5: Relating to: prevention and control of, emergency and involuntary commitment for, and treatment programs and services for drug dependence.
January 2017 Special Session Assembly Bill 6: Relating to: authorizing the director of the Office of Educational Opportunity in the University of Wisconsin System to contract for the operation of a recovery charter school, insurance coverage of mental health treatment provided by a recovery charter school, and making appropriations.
On Tuesday, July 18, I attended the Wisconsin Broadband Stakeholder Workgroup meeting, which consists of a consortium of members from the public and private sectors that are working to expand broadband throughout Wisconsin. I, along with Rep. Bob Kulp (R-Stratford) and Sen. Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst), serve as the three legislators for the workgroup. Stakeholders represented in these discussions include the State Broadband Office, Wisconsin’s Chief Information Officer, UW and UW-Extension, AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier Communications, WI State Telecommunications Association, the Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Justice.
During the meeting, a primary point of discussion was the FY 2018 Broadband Expansion Grants. PSC stated that there was a 43% increase in applications compared to the previous grant round. There were 53 applications submitted for a total of $7.4 million with only $1.5 million available for this cycle.
Additionally, we were told that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is going to designate August as Rural Broadband month. This is a big step towards increasing awareness for rural broadband and marks the importance of getting rural areas connected statewide. The group also highlighted topics such as the Broadband Forward Community Program, BadgerNet, FirstNet and NextGen911.
Rep. Swearingen, State Broadband Director Angie Dickison, Wisconsin Chief Information Officer David Cagigal, and various stakeholders during the Broadband Stakeholder Workgroup Meeting
For more information on broadband expansion in Wisconsin, please visit the Wisconsin State Broadband Office website. I would like to thank all parties who have continued to work tirelessly on this issue and remain committed to upgrading broadband capabilities in rural areas of the state like the Northwoods.
Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) Grant Presentations in Eagle River and Land O' Lakes
I had the opportunity to attend two Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) Grant presentations yesterday in Eagle River and Land O’ Lakes.
The Eagle River Chamber of Commerce received a $5,000 JEM Grant for the SepTimber Ride event. This will be the third year for the SepTimber Ride taking place on Saturday, September 9th. Individuals can participate in a 28-mile bike ride on the Three Eagle Trail or the 50k Northwoods Ride loop through Eagle River and Conover. The routes for both events will begin and end at Tribute Brewing Company, where beer and food will be available. The Chamber will use the JEM Grant funds to reach the Milwaukee, Green Bay, Madison, Wausau and Northern Illinois markets. SepTimber Ride is expected to draw 250 participants for an estimated economic impact of $22,350.
Rep. Swearingen with members of the Eagle River Chamber of Commerce during the JEM Grant Presentation for SepTimber Ride
Additionally, the Land O’ Lakes Arts (LOLA) received a $10,000 JEM Grant for the LOLA Zombie Crawl weekend. The Zombie Crawl will be taking place during Halloween weekend on October 27-29 and will feature a new ghost tour at the Gateway Lodge. There will be LOLA artists applying zombie-themed make-up for participants before everyone takes buses to local pubs and restaurants. The JEM Grant funds will go towards online, print and televisions advertising. The event is estimated to attract 600 attendees for a projected $92,900 in visitor spending.
Rep. Swearingen and Land O' Lakes Arts officials during the LOLA Zombie Crawl JEM Grant Presentation
JEM grants, awarded by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, are presented to non-profit organizations. The state can provide up to 75 percent in funding of a project’s first year costs, and provide support for second and third year projects until they become self-sustaining. This is the second year of the Arctic Warrior Races. For more information on the JEM Program and application materials, visit http://industry.travelwisconsin.com/.
2017 Hodag Country Music Festival
Last weekend, Rhinelander hosted the 40th annual Hodag Country Fest. My wife Amy and I were able to attend Saturday to enjoy the music and sample some great Northwoods hospitality. Hodag Country Fest continues to draw concertgoers from all over Wisconsin and surrounding states to the Rhinelander area every July.
This year's Hodag featured Frankie Ballard, Leroy Van Dyke, Marty’s Party, Brandy Clark and LOCASH.
Hodag Country Fest once again drew a large crowd for the entertainment packed weekend. Luckily the weather was perfect last weekend for all the country music enthusiasts! Congratulations Hodag Country Music Festival on 40 years of music, food and fun. Thank you for making Rhinelander a country music destination. Cheers! See everyone next year!
2017 Hodag Country Music Festival on Saturday, July 15
WPS Buries Northwoods Area Power Lines
This week, members of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission continued their work to bury miles of power lines in Newbold, Minocqua and Eagle River. With an abundance of trees, the Northwoods has seen the most storm related power outages of any WPS service area (includes more than 400,000 customers).
Per WJFW Channel 12 News, the work in these areas is part of WPS's massive five-year plan to bury about 1,100 miles of power lines at a cost of $222 million, which WPS estimates that the buried lines are 98 percent reliable. The project has been so successful that the company approved extending it through 2021, adding on another $211 million in work. WPS stated that when all of the work is done, it will boost the system's reliability by 42 percent.
If you would like to read WJFW Channel 12 News coverage regarding this topic, please click here.
The strong rainfall of the last few weeks was compounded this week with more rain accompanied by high winds, thunder and lightning, as well as several tornado watches across the state. Downed trees and branches and flooding was reported at numerous state properties throughout south western and south central Wisconsin. State park crews were actively clearing roads and trails, and we're expected to have additional updates before the weekend. Anyone planning on visiting a property in these areas is urged to contact the property directly for the latest conditions.
Water levels across the state are still elevated and this week's rains means sand bars will likely be in short supply again on the lower Wisconsin River. With the high fast moving water many kayakers and tubers are taking advantage of the situation. A group of kayakers on the Peshtigo River said with the fast water they shaved an hour off the time it normally would take them for a river trip.
Wild weather has put a damper on fishing pressure across the state and there are isolated reports of partially submerged fishing piers. Anglers have reported some success for catfish on the St. Croix River and anglers have been having success fishing the Flambeau River for musky, walleye, northern pike and bass. Largemouth bass fishing has picked up with high waters in Dane County rivers and there were reports of an uptick in walleye and perch are coming in from Lake Winnebago.
In Door County, shore fishing continues to be good just to the north of Sturgeon Bay, particularly at the Stone Quarry Landing, which has received the most attention from anglers with good numbers of smallmouth caught over the past week. Perch anglers in the Sturgeon Bay shipping canal have had success over the past week. In Little Sturgeon Bay and Sawyer Harbor, yellow perch anglers were once again finding the numbers of fish but not much of the right size.
Lake Michigan fishing has been a roller coaster over the past week. Out of Kewaunee, chinook and rainbow dominated the catch. Anglers out of Sheboygan and Port Washington had a tough time with the weather, but still managed some chinook, coho and trout. Farther south brown trout and chinook salmon made up most of the catch, but lake trout, coho salmon, and steelhead were also caught out of Racine and Kenosha.
Milkweed, water lilies, black-eyed Susans and many more have started to bloom. Monarch caterpillars were spotted feeding on milkweed this week. Wild strawberries can still be found intermingled with crops of blueberries and black raspberries on the way.
The mosquito population remains large and in-charge near water bodies and forests, so come prepared. Sightings of does with fawns continue and there have been increasing sightings of some good sized bucks in the fields with almost fully developed velvet antlers.
Also spotted are the returning shorebirds, back from their Arctic stint, expect to spot them in flooded agricultural fields and low-lying areas. Turkey broods are inhabiting cut hayfields digging for insects along with their poults. There have been numerous reports of people finding fox snakes in their yards and gardens. These snakes are often reducing the population of voles and mice that are a potential detriment to the garden and landscaping.
Woodruff DNR Service Center area
Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest - Mid-summer in the forest is full of the sounds of summer: boats, campers, mosquitos, bees, crows, robins, hermit thrushes and the summer breeze blowing through your favorite place. Fewer birds are singing since they are busy gathering food for their broods, and the fawns are getting bigger and taking more chances crossing the roadways. Black-eyed Susan's have started popping up with the yellows of tansy, bird's foot trefoil and St. Johnswort, and the pink of the fireweed is starting to show up here and there! The big showy flowers of cow parsnip are beautiful to look at, but don't touch! They can cause skin irritations. Ripe wild strawberries are still lurking amongst the short grasses if one knows where to look, and the birds are eating the Juneberries as fast as they are ripening. - Rosalie Richter, visitor services associate
Community Events
Please click the following links for upcoming community events!
