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• Republicans unveil program to boost state economy; includes income tax cut
• Unemployment rates drop in Pierce & St. Croix; other counties see rise
• RF rollover crash victim critical but stable

To help boost Wisconsin's economy state Republicans unveiled a 10-point plan Monday which includes a 1 percent reduction in the state income tax.

"As the 2007-08 session gets under way, Senate Republicans are committed to moving Wisconsin's economy forward," said Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, Senate Republican leader.

The program named "Invest Wisconsin 2.0" also calls for increased appropriations and tax credits to help boost the nanotechnology programs in western Wisconsin.

The extra funding would be used for the "NanoSTEM Initiative" at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, UW-Eau Claire and the Chippewa Valley Technical College.

This initiative would allow the three colleges to work together to help develop nanotechnology in the region and is being pushed by Sen. Shelia Harsdorf, R-River Falls; Rep. Terry Moulton, R-Chippewa Falls; and Rep. John Murtha, R-Baldwin.

"This piece of legislation will aid in the expansion of nanotechnology within UW-Stout, while also strengthening the economy of northwestern Wisconsin by providing more technical training and job opportunities throughout the region," said Murtha.

The three also want to provide $2.5 million in tax credits over the next biennium as an incentive to investment in nanotechnology.

Other elements of the plan include an across-the-board income tax reduction of 1 percent.

This bill is being put forward by Sen. Ted Kanavas, R-Brookfield.

He is also pushing innovation tax credits for companies that invest in research and development, capital gains tax credits for individuals who reinvest their capital gains into Wisconsin companies and for those who provide capital investment.

Another element of the plan calls for tax credits for companies that invest more in worker education.

"New businesses in Wisconsin are having a hard time finding the venture capital they need to get up and running," Fitzgerald said.

He noted that according to a recent report by Ernst & Young, only 0.2 percent of the total amount of venture capital invested in America is invested in Wisconsin.

Republicans also are calling for product liability reform and to reform the way expert witnesses are paid.

Another new element of the plan is called the "Green Data Center Incentive."

This incentive provides a total of $2 million in tax credits over the next biennium to companies that develop environmentally friendly data centers.

The unemployment rate across the region jumped upward in December in all but two counties, according to Department of Workforce Development figures.

St. Croix County saw its unemployment rate drop to 4.7 percent in December, down from 4.9 percent in November.

In Pierce County the rate dropped just .1 percent to 4.5 percent in December.

Pierce and St. Croix counties were two of only four counties in the state to see their unemployment rates drop in December. The other two counties were Kenosha and Milwaukee.

Polk County saw its unemployment rate jump up to 5.5 percent, up from 4.7 percent in November.

In Pepin County the rate jumped a full point in December to 5.2 percent.

The unemployment rate in Dunn County also jumped, but remains relatively low at just 4.3 percent.

The same is true for Eau Claire County which enjoys an unemployment rate of only 3.8 percent in December.

Chippewa County had the highest unemployment rate in the region for December at 5.6 percent, up from 4.4 percent the previous month.

Overall the state's unemployment rate was at 4.5 percent in December with 18,400 jobs being added in the state.

Because of seasonal slowdowns in the construction and agricultural industries unemployment rates typically increase during the winter months, according to DWD officials.

DWD reported that the biggest job gains were in the service industries, but strong job gains were also seen in the professional and business services industry.

River Falls resident Margaret Biskupski, 44, overturned in a ditch while driving along Hwy. 65S about 1:15 p.m. Thursday while traveling south about two miles outside the city. River Falls Ambulance Service took her to the River Falls Area Hospital, and a Life Link helicopter airlifted her to the Regions Hospital trauma center in St. Paul.

As of 4:30 p.m. Thursday, doctors listed her in critical-but-stable condition.

Biskupski was driving alone in her 2002 Chevrolet Blazer when she ran off the road, skidded along in the ditch, struck the embankment at 800th Avenue/Daisy Lane, rolled over the roadway and knocked over the street sign on that corner before coming to rest upright in the ditch. The accident took place in the town of River Falls.

According to Wisconsin State Trooper Bill Traynor, Biskupski wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was at least partly thrown from the vehicle. River Falls Assistant Fire Chief Mike Moody said the first person on scene described her as "hanging out the window."

Moody also said she seemed to have a bad head injury.

Responding to the accident that held up north- and south-bound traffic for about 30 minutes were several Pierce County Sheriff's deputies, State Trooper Traynor, two River Falls fire trucks and firefighters, two River Falls ambulances and paramedics, plus one emergency medical technician in a Quick Response vehicle.

Jerry's Towing came to pull the SUV out of the ditch and haul it away.

Traynor said nobody witnessed the accident and that it was still under investigation.