Listening Sessions Scheduled

I, along with State Senator Luther Olson, will be holding a number of listening sessions in the coming weeks.

City of Lodi

April 10th

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Women's Club Public Library

Town of Kingston

April 10th

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

The Wayside at the junction of Hwy 44 and 73.

Village of Poynette

April 11th

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Poynette Village Hall

I would encourage all of you to try to attend one of these sessions to let me and Senator Luther Olson know your opinions.

Flshing yellow arrow sends clear signal

Wisconsin drivers looking to turn left at an intersection may notice a new type of traffic signal featuring a flashing yellow arrow. When the yellow arrow is flashing, it means a left turn is permitted, but drivers must use caution and yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. The four-section traffic signals started showing up in Wisconsin about a year ago in response to new federal rules. The signals are typically installed in conjunction with roadway improvement projects at intersections meeting certain criteria. A decade-long national study by the Federal Highway Administration found the signals help reduce driver confusion and the number of intersection crashes. More information including a video demonstration of the flashing arrow signals is on WisDOT’s web site.

Wisconsin's state highways - the long and short of it

If you wanted to travel the longest, shortest and busiest state highways in Wisconsin, would you know where to go? The longest state highway is WIS 35 which enters the southern part of the state near east Dubuque, Illinois and covers just over 412 miles before ending at I-535 in Superior. The shortest state highway is WIS 243 near Osceola which covers about one-third of a mile in Wisconsin before continuing into Minnesota. The honor for busiest state highway goes to WIS 172 in Green Bay — parts of which can accommodate 80,000 vehicles per day.

 Transportation Commission listening sessions

The Wisconsin Transportation Finance and Policy Commission will hold public listening sessions in Appleton on April 26 and in Eau Claire on May 31 providing the general public an opportunity to offer input on transportation needs and financing. The 10-member Commission has already held listening sessions in Madison and Milwaukee. The April 26 listening session in Appleton runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Fox Valley Technical College’s Bordini Center. Those unable to attend a listening session can email comments to the Commission. More information about the Commission schedule and membership can be found on the WisDOT web site.

Wisconsin DNR Weekly News - March 27, 2012

Warm spring means fish are spawning up to a month early
MADISON -- March's record-breaking high temperatures following an unusually mild winter have fish spawning early across Wisconsin and state fisheries crews racing to finish the annual fish surveys ... Read Full Article

Numbers of migrating steelhead up from previous years
GREEN BAY - Department of Natural Resources fisheries staff collecting eggs for state fish hatcheries from steelhead migrating up Lake Michigan tributaries report they are seeing more fish than ... Read Full Article

Reduction in Lake Michigan salmon stocking topic of public meeting
Anglers can weigh in online or in person April 14 MADISON -- Anglers can weigh in online or in person on April 14 to advise Great Lakes states on future fish stocking reductions in Lake Michigan ... Read Full Article

Annual spring hearings a chance to participate in the rule-making process
For nearly 80 years the Conservation Congress has been reaching out to the citizens of the state, asking people to join the conversation and share ideas on a variety of resource management topics. ... Read Full Article

Warm spring means don't delay in controlling garlic mustard and other invasive plants
MADISON -- With the warm winter and the unseasonably warm spring, plants are emerging and growing several weeks earlier than usual, and this includes invasive plants that threaten to crowd out ... Read Full Article

Family sweeps both adult and youth 2011 Hunter Ethics Award honors
LA CROSSE, Wis. - Brothers David Sander, of Woodville, and James Sander, of Baldwin, are co-winners of the 2011 Hunter Ethics Award, while David's son, Colton, is the recipient of 2011 Youth ... Read Full Article

Trash burning hazardous to air, leading cause of wildfires
Environmental, forestry officials urge alternatives to burning MADISON - People conducting spring cleanups who are thinking about taking a match to a debris pile may want to think twice, ... Read Full Article

Look for the Loon when preparing Wisconsin income tax forms
Donations big and small vital to protect rare wildlife, plants MADISON - Wisconsin residents have roughly three weeks to take a simple step that can assure Wisconsin's rare plants and wildlife ... Read Full Article

Report recognizes Wisconsin's partners in wildlife management
MADISON - Across Wisconsin, hundreds of citizens in more than 100 organizations, agencies and companies devote thousands of hours each year to improve the quality of life for wildlife and ... Read Full Article

Leftover turkey tags a great opportunity to start new hunters
When I was a kid just starting to hunt, I spent a lot of time with a second cousin whose family, although from dairy farm, didn't hunt. My cousin wanted to try hunting and he put himself through ... Read Full Article

Chippewa Flowage conservation project receives Wings Across the Americas award
MADISON - An interagency partnership that collaborated to protect more than 18,000 acres of exceptional forest, wetlands and waterways along the Chippewa Flowage has received a 2012 Habitat ... Read Full Article

Find DNR website only at dnr.wi.gov
Older domain names are being phased out MADISON -- The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website -- once reachable at a variety of web addresses -- will now be found only at one simple ... Read Full Article

Read All DNR News Releases

Upcoming DNR Public Hearings and Meetings

Upcoming Fish and Wildlife Seasons and Permit Deadlines

As in the past I would continue to encourage you to contact my office with ideas for this next legislative session and on individual pieces of legislation.  Now more than ever your ideas and opinions need to be heard, so we can begin to get Wisconsin back to work.  As before I will continue to work across the aisle to find common ground and move legislation forward.  Please do not hesitate to contact my office at (608) 266-3404, or Rep.Ripp@legis.wisconsin.gov. 

Please share this update with your friends and neighbors within the 47th Assembly District. If there is anyone you know who would like to be included please respond to this email with their email address. 

I want to remind everyone that my door is always open and you can always visit me at my Madison office in the Capitol (223 North).   Please do not hesitate to contact me with any issues you maybe facing.  You can call my office at 608-266-3404 or email me at Rep.Ripp@legis.wisconsin.gov.  I look forward to hearing from you.