Last week, the Wisconsin Broadband Stakeholder Workgroup, which I am a member of, met to discuss ways to expand broadband access throughout Wisconsin. The Workgoup consists of a consortium of members from the public and private sectors. Broadband expansion remains one of my top legislative priorities, and I was encouraged by the legislature’s recent decision to invest $44 million in the broadband expansion grant program. While we have made a lot of progress in expanding broadband access throughout the Northwoods, there are still underserved areas that need to be addressed. I look forward to the Workgroup continuing its efforts in the months to come.
Rep. Swearingen is one of three State Legislators on the Workgroup.
The Workgroup is coordinated with the WI Public Service Commission.
Meeting with Department of Revenue Secretary
I had the opportunity to meet with Department of Revenue Secretary Peter Barca, Deputy Secretary David Casey and Legislative Liaison Ann DeGarmo last week to discuss Wisconsin’s regulations surrounding beverage alcohol and enforcement. I appreciate the Department’s willingness to meet with members of the legislature to discuss issues affecting the state.
DOR Secretary Peter Barca, Deputy Secretary David Casey, Legislative Liaison Ann DeGarmo, and Representative Swearingen.
Wisconsin Tele-Health Presentation
Last week, the Wisconsin Hospital Association gave a presentation regarding Tele-Health opportunities in Wisconsin. Tele-Health uses telecommunications technology to connect doctors and patients who might otherwise not be able to interact with one another. It has proven to be especially useful in allowing patients in rural areas to be examined by specialists located in a different part of the state. Another exciting opportunity is in-home patient monitoring, where patients can be monitored in the comfort of their own home rather than staying in the hospital. I am excited to see Tele-Health opportunities become more widely available in the coming years.
Hospitals from around Wisconsin briefed legislators and staff in the State Capitol.
WI Water Quality Task Force Meeting in Tomahawk
The Wisconsin Water Quality Task Force will hold a public hearing Tuesday, July 23rd in Tomahawk. The Task Force created by Speaker Robin Vos has traveled throughout the state to receive public input regarding water quality and best practices for safe and sustainable water access.
The hearing will take place at 1:00 PM at the PCA Tomahwak Buedingen Training Center, W6147 State Road 86 Tomahawk, WI 54487.
Governor Evers declared a state of emergency following the sever storms that hit Northern Wisconsin this weekend. My office is working closely with State Senator Tiffany's office in response to these storms. If you are in need of direct assistance please contact your county's Emergency Management Department, whose contact information can be found by clicking the links below. If you are in need of additional assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office by phone at 608-266-7141 or by email at Rep.Swearingen@legis.wisconsin.gov
Here is the latest update from this morning from Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) and We Energies:
"We have restored power to more than 180,000 WPS and We Energies customers since Friday. Over 39,000 WPS and 21,000 We Energies customers remain without power this morning in the areas significantly impacted by this weekend’s storms.
We continue to work around the clock to restore your power. We will have more than 1,000 field and support personnel dedicated to power restoration today and we expect to continue to make significant progress. At this time, we do not have a specific estimate to when all customers will have power restored, however, some customers may be without service for multiple days."
Severe damage to Weavers Resort and Campground in Pelican Lake. Our thoughts are with everyone affected during this difficult time. I am confident our strong communities throughout the Northwoods will pull through and rebuild stronger than ever.
Hot summer weather this week has many people looking for ways to cool down. Some rivers busy with people tubing, kayaking, and canoeing and others are heading out in search of beaches.
River levels continue to be high in northeast Wisconsin. In the last week, southern Oconto and Marinette counties received up to 5 inches of rain, which pushed flows in the Oconto, Peshtigo and Menominee rivers to much higher than normal levels. Because of the high water, many small lakes in Central Wisconsin have slow no wake restrictions in place. Driven by a growing number of calls and complaints about excessive wakes, both Wisconsin and Minnesota have launched an educational effort urging people to "Own Your Wake - for everyone's sake," to spread the word about minimizing wakes that might pose a nuisance or hazard to others.
More than a year after the Father's Day flood event took out a dam and drained Interfalls Lake at Pattison State Park, the lake has refilled and the beach has reopened to the delight of visitors looking cool down with a swim. The Woods Lake beach at Governor Thompson State park with its 150-foot sand beach has been attracting swimmers. Due to high Lake Michigan water levels the beaches at Whitefish Dunes State Park have shrunken some but access is still open at two beaches. To find more locations and the latest beach condition reportssearch the DNR website for "beaches." A reminder most beaches do not allow dogs. To find pet swim areas at state properties search the DNR website for "pets."
Channel catfish are being caught on the Wolf River. Anglers targeting yellow perch on Lake Winnebago have been having success, with some anglers even catching limits. Walleyes are also still being caught throughout the Winnebago system.
There was good fishing for perch and walleye this week along both the east and west shores of Green Bay. Finally the news anglers fishing northern Door County wanted to hear: chinook salmon have started to show up, with boats catching upwards of five fish. Smallmouth bass fishing in and around the Mink River was still producing fish, with even a few 5-pound fish being caught yet. On the bayside, smallmouth bass fishing remained steady throughout the week with boats catching roughly 20 fish per boat.
Fishing activity on southern Lake Michigan picked up quite a bit this week out of Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha with onset of a Salmon-A-Rama tournament. The most targeted fish were kings and coho; however, most of the fish reported were lake trout and steelhead with some salmon also caught.
Turkey broods are being seen and the young seem to have more than doubled in size over a weeks' time. Reports of fawns are still coming in strong with one report this week of a doe with triplets. Loons are serenating into the night on Northwoods lakes.
Bergamot, purple coneflower, blazing star, butterfly weed and black-eyed Susan are adding pops of color on the landscape. Strawberries, blueberries and Juneberries are ripening.
Anyone looking to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing this Saturday, July 20, can attend one several astronomy programs that will be held this weekend at state properties.
Woodruff DNR Service Center area
Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest - The lush green of summer abounds in the state forest. Ferns are waste high and the understory is thick, making it hard to see very far into the woods. Fireweed, yarrow, daisies, black eyed Susan's and hawkweed add their splash of color to the roadsides and fields. Many songbirds can still be heard calling even though many are busy raising their broods. Loons are serenating into the night, if one is lucky to be on or near a lake. Many butterflies are about with the warm humid days, the mosquitos are out in the evening! Strawberries are ripe and birds are picking the ripe Juneberries. It's swimming weather. - Rosalie Richter, visitor services associate
Community Events
Please click the following links for upcoming community events!
