The State Building Commission met last week to vote on a number of projects that will help address the planning, improvement, maintenance and renovation of state facilities.
The Higher Education Subcommittee, which I chair, met last Wednesday morning to discuss and approve projects at the following college campuses: UW-Madison, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Stout, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Parkside and UW-Platteville.
Assembly Members of the Building Commission during the Higher Education Subcommittee Meeting
Faculty at UW-Eau Claire discussing the project to construct the New Residence Hall
In the afternoon, the full commission met and approved projects from both the administrative affairs subcommittee and the higher education subcommittee including, but not limited to:
Construction of the Lubar Center for Entrepreneurship on the campus of UW-Milwaukee;
Construction of the New Residence Hall on the campus of UW-Eau Claire;
Renovation projects for North Hall, Price Commons, and Bowman Hall on the campus of UW-Stout;
City of Madison municipal assessment for street and utility improvements;
Fire alarm system replacement on the campus of the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King; and
Various maintenance and repair projects for DNR facilities and university buildings.
Full Building Commission Meeting on Wednesday, June 28
The Building Commission is a bipartisan, eight member body chaired by Governor Walker, along with six legislators and a citizen member. The group's mission is to plan, oversee, and approve building projects around the state.
Speakers Task Force on Foster Care
Last week, the Speaker of the Assembly, Robin Vos, announced the creation of the Speakers Task Force on Foster Care.
The Department of Children and Families reports 7,168 children were in out-of-home care (OHC) in December 2015, which is an increase from the previous year. The group of legislators assigned to this task force will focus on ways to improve the child welfare system that provides out-of-home care for more than seven thousand Wisconsin children. The goal is to help end the multi-generational cycle of government dependence by strengthening community partnerships, and updating programs to meet the changing needs of parents, children and communities.
Members of Speaker’s Task Force on Foster Care
Rep. Pat Snyder – Co-Chair Democratic Nominee – Co-Chair Rep. Joan Ballweg Rep. Jessie Rodriguez Rep. Adam Neylon Rep. Todd Novak Rep. Joel Kitchens Rep. Terry Katsma Rep. Treig Pronschinske Democratic Nominee Democratic Nominee Democratic Nominee Democratic Nominee
Capitol Celebrates 100th Anniversary at Concerts on the Square
This year marks the 100th Anniversary of the Wisconsin State Capitol building in Madison. This past Wednesday, the Legislature celebrated the 100th Anniversary at the popular Concerts on the Square in Madison. Once a week for a couple of months every summer, the Capitol grounds host Concerts on the Square, which features live music and entertainment.
The Capitol continues to be one of the top tourist destinations in the state of Wisconsin. As I walk into the building, I am always reminded of what a special place this is to work. To access the history of the Wisconsin State Capitol, you can click the link below.
If you would like to learn more about this year’s celebration or want to schedule a Capitol Tour, please visit the Capitol 100th Year website. If you haven’t already, I would highly suggest taking a tour of the Capitol the next time you’re in Madison.
Concerts on the Square on Wednesday, July 5
11th Annual Support Our Troops Brat Fry
I had the opportunity to attend the 11th Annual Support Our Troops Brat Fry in Rhinelander this afternoon. All proceeds from the Brat Fry will be used to benefit local military support groups. I would like to thank Coldwell Banker Mulleady Inc. and Rhinelander GM & Toyota for their sponsorship of this important event. I would also like to take a moment to thank all of the brave men and women that have and continue serve our country. If you would like to contribute to this effort, checks can be made payable to:
Military Support Group
C/O LeRoy Eades
134 Spruce St.
Rhinelander, WI 54501
Rep. Swearingen with the organizers of this year's Support our Troops Brat Fry in Rhinelander
Happy 4th of July!
I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday this past week and took advantage of the warm weather in the Northwoods! It was great to see all of the people grilling out, getting out on the lake, and attending the firework shows. I was able to attend the fireworks in Rhinelander and Land O' Lakes and want to give a big shout out to the organizers!
Some beautiful weather over the Fourth of July holiday had many people out enjoying parks and forests. State park and forest campgrounds were very busy with people enjoying the great outdoors. While some rain fell over the weekend it was considerably less than the state has received in previous weeks.
Water levels have started to recede but are generally still well above the long term average for this time of year on most river systems. A few sandbars are starting to reappear on the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway. Water levels remain high on the Rock and Crawfish rivers and slow no wake rules are in effect on the Rock from the Dodge County line to Lake Koshkonong.
Fishing has still been relatively slow over the past week on lower Green Bay, but there were signs of hope with some anglers catching walleyes out of Bayshore and Chaudoir's Dock. But anglers were having a very easy time catching freshwater drum, white bass, and catfish.
Along Door County smallmouth bass fishing has been hit or miss, with some anglers only catching a fish or two, and some catching upwards of 30. Some anglers were able to catch perch in the shipping canal and at Sawyer Harbor. The best salmon action continued to be out of Baileys Harbor where anglers were finding a few kings.
On Lake Michigan, weather made fishing quite difficult, in part because of storms and also because of cold water temperatures that followed. Some anglers out of Kewaunee, Algoma, Manitowoc and Two Rivers did manage to find fish mostly a mixed bag of rainbows and chinook with some coho thrown in. Fishing pressure picked up toward the end of the week when a salmon derby started.
Boats fishing out of the Sheboygan reported success over the weekend, mainly for coho salmon and rainbow trout, along with a couple chinook salmon and lake trout. In Milwaukee a long string of days with westerly winds pushed warm surface water along the shoreline offshore and pulled cold water in from the lower layers. The cold water drew large numbers of alewives, trout, and salmon into shallow water and anglers landed coho and rainbow and brown. Fishing improved for boat anglers out of Racine and Kenosha this past week, mostly for coho salmon and steelhead with a few king salmon and brown trout mixed in as well.
Early morning calls of loons are being heard in the Northwoods while evening have been filled with calls of the hermit thrush, veery and winter wren. Eaglets are fledging and goslings and ducklings are getting pretty big. Grouse coveys have been seen by lots of visitors to the Flambeau River State Forest, a good indicator of the grouse population. Deer antlers are growing big enough now to start showing branching.
Blue flag iris are still blooming in some Northwoods swamps, where the dainty partridge berry is also in bloom. Wild bergamot is about to bloom in open grassy areas.
These warm July nights, especially after a rain, are an excellent time to get outside after dark to watch the fire flies. This weekend also brings July's full moon--the full "Buck" moon and a number of full moon events are scheduled around the state.
Ripe wild strawberries are a treat for walkers; hopefully, blueberries are not far behind.
Blackberry plants are setting their fruits, and it looks like the upcoming blackberry crop will be tremendous. Copious moisture sure helps with fruit development. Blackberries are of great importance to a wide range of wildlife for food and cover. In excess of 100 bird species eat blackberries, as well as raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels, and black bears
Woodruff DNR Service Center area
Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest - Ah, summer in the Northwood's! Early morning calls of the loon and robin. Evening calls of the hermit thrush, veery and winter wren. Doesn't get much better than this! Oh and don't forget the hum of the mosquitos! Parents are busy feeding babies, be it song birds, deer or bear. Goslings and ducklings are getting pretty big and turtles can be seen here and there still crossing roadways looking for egg laying spots. Ripe wild strawberries are a treat for the walker with; hopefully, blueberries are not far behind. Municipalities have started mowing the roadsides, so the daisies, yarrow and bird's foot trefoil are not as abundant as earlier. Blue flag iris are still blooming in some swamps, and the dainty partridge berry is in bloom. Moisture is still very abundant, so come prepared for soggy trails and high water! - Rosalie Richter, visitor services associate
Community Events
Please click the following links for upcoming community events!
