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• Ethanol bill passes Assembly along urban vs rural lines
• Man dies in two-vehicle crash near New Richmond

By Brady Bautch, RiverTown Internet Publisher

Instead of the usual party lines, this Assembly vote saw votes align urban versus rural and the east side of the state against the west side.

The vote was on bill (AB 15) which requires all gasoline sold in Wisconsin to have 10 percent ethanol just as Minnesota does now. It is commonly referred to as the "E10" measure.

In the end the rural votes won out and the measure passed last Thursday 54 - 38.

The only area lawmaker to vote against the bill was Hudson Republican Rep. Kitty Rhoades.

She was also one of only three representatives from the west side of the state to vote against the measure.

Rhoades said that she has voted in the past to help develop the ethanol industry in the state, however she believes that is where the government assistance should stop.

"I do not believe it is the role of the government to mandate markets," Rhoades said. "I don't care what the product is, it could be Jell-O. When government starts mandating markets you start down a very slippery slope."

The 30th Assembly District which Rhoades represents used to be a more rural district however after redistricting was completed by the federal courts in 2002 the district was much smaller in size and included less rural areas.

This combined was the heavy outward growth from the Twin Cities has resulted in the district becoming more suburban.

The bill now goes to the Senate which is out of session until Jan. 17.

"Now, we have an opportunity to help consumers pay less at the pump, as seen in Minnesota, by using E10 fuel. In September, wholesale ethanol was $1.20 less per gallon than petroleum while burning cleaner for our environment," said Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, R-River Falls, said.

Harsdorf is also one of the primary authors of the bill.

"For consumers, E10 could mean cheaper gas," Harsdorf said. "But we've got to break the oil company monopoly at the pumps, and E10 is a step in the right direction."

However, the measure will is expected to once again meet stiff resistance and once again pit urban against rural.

"I think that's the way it will break here (the Senate)," said Jack Jablonski, Harsdorf's spokesman. "There are a significant amount of out-state votes that will support the measure."

He added that he expects it to be a very close vote

Jablonski also noted that in the Assembly many urban Democrats voted for the measure because of the environmental aspect of the measure.

If the Senate passes the measure it will get the thumbs up from the governor

"He supports it and he hopes the Legislature passes it," said Melanie Fonder, a spokesperson for Gov. Jim Doyle. "The governor thinks it is good for Wisconsin farmers, our energy independence and helps us build jobs here."

Brady Bautch can be contacted at internet@rivertowns.net

Crosses mark the scene of a deadly two vehicle accident near New Richmond as rescue personnel work at the scene. Staff photo by Karl Puckett
 
One man died and a husband and wife were critically injured in a two-vehicle crash at 1:08 p.m. today (Tuesday) on Highway 64 and County Road T about four miles east of New Richmond.

Names involved in the accident were not immediately available.

St. Croix County Sheriff Dennis Hillstead said a 23-year-old man from Amery, a passenger in one of the vehicles, died from injuries sustained in the crash, which held up traffic and drew emergency personnel to the intersection by air and ground. The sheriff declined to release the man's name because his family had yet to be notified.

Hillstead said the driver of a small GMC sport utility vehicle, in which the man who died was a passenger, ran a stop sign while traveling on County Road T and was struck by a motorist who was driving a Dodge Intrepid west on Highway 64.

A husband and wife in the Intrepid were critically injured, the sheriff said. The husband and wife were taken first by ambulance to Holy Family Hospital in New Richmond; one was later transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

The driver of the SUV that allegedly ran the stop sign suffered minor injuries, Hillstead said.

The front of the SUV looked as if it had been ripped off as it sat on its top in the road. The Intrepid was off the road.

In the bitter cold, rescue personnel worked feverishly to free the accident victims. A Life-Link helicopter was called to the scene. Traffic was briefly backed up as the rescue workers did their jobs.

Louise G. Forrest, 84, and Donovan L. Forrest, 61, New Richmond, died from injuries they sustained in May 2002 after their vehicle was struck at the same intersection. The vehicle that struck the Forrest's vehicle ran a stop sign in that case, too.

The couple was returning to New Richmond after attending a graduation party.

Two crosses mark the site where they died and were visible as rescue workers did their jobs Tuesday in the latest deadly accident at the intersection.

Speaking just hours after the fatal collision, Hillstead said he didn't know whether a ticket would be issued in this case. But it's standard procedure for deputies to draw blood samples from all car crash victims when a fatality is involved, he said.

"The Driver of the GMC basically blew the stop sign on County Road T at 64," Hillstead said.