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• Assembly passes OWI package; state briefs
• Scout statue dedication set in Lakefront Park Sept. 20
• St. Croix librarians lobby for more rural funding

STATE CAPITOL --The State Assembly voted unanimously Thursday for a package of changes aimed at curbing drunken driving in Wisconsin.

The plan would make a fourth Operating While Intoxicated offense within five years a felony. A first offense would be a misdemeanor if someone younger than 16 is riding in the car.

Right now Wisconsin is the only state that does not criminalize a first OWI offense.

Milwaukee Democrat Josh Zepnick spoke before the vote about the drunken driver who killed his sister 20 years ago and about how many others had died this year.

Zepnick says most legislators would like the power to bring back people killed in drunken driving accidents, but they don't.

So, Zepnick says the legislature has to take some steps that are both reasonable and affordable that it thinks will actually work.

The plan would also require ignition interlocks on the vehicles of all repeat offenders, as well as first-time offenders arrested with a blood alcohol content .15.

The plan would also expand a pilot program to let judges statewide shorten an offender's jail sentence if they successfully complete alcohol and drug treatment.

Another piece of the bill would make sure that when a repeat offender's license is revoked, that revocation does not start until they leave jail. Some rural lawmakers cautioned that would make it hard for their constituents to hold down a job once they leave prison.

But they joined the rest of their colleagues in voting for the bill.

The plan heads now to the Senate, where lawmakers are expected to make some changes.

-- Shawn Johnson, WHA/WERN-Madison

Lawmakers want investigation of DNA program

MILWAUKEE -- There's more criticism today of the state of Wisconsin not having 12,000 DNA samples from convicted felons.

Last week, prosecutors used DNA evidence to charge a Milwaukee man, Walter Ellis with killing seven women in the city between 1986 and 2007. Police said they didn't know why a DNA sample wasn't taken from Ellis when he was in state prison in 2001.

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced this week that another inmate had posed as Ellis during the DNA sampling.

The Justice Department is now stressing that DNA samples for about 12,000 felons convicted over the last nine years were never submitted to the state crime lab by agencies responsible for collecting the samples.

So, Rep. Leon Young, D-Milwaukee, says he wants the legislature to order an audit of the DNA program.

Milwaukee State Sen. Spencer Coggs says he'll draft a bill that would enhance penalties for felons who fail to provide a DNA sample. Coggs also wants a DNA task force to coordinate any probe.

The state Justice and Corrections Departments say they'll work together to make sure they have adequate procedures in place for handling DNA samples.

-- Chuck Quirmbach, WHAD/Delafield-Milwaukee

Change coming for student loans

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On Thursday the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would change how student loans are handled. Several Wisconsin Congressional delegates voted for the legislation, including one that's been pressing the matter for nearly 30 years.

The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 would end what's called the Federal Family Education Loan program, or "FELP." That's where private lenders provide government-backed loans. Instead, college students would resort to a direct lending program with the federal government, basically losing the "middle man."

Republican Congressman Tom Petri was among the 253 House members who voted for the bill. He's championed direct-lending for student loans since 1983. Petri says the reforms will, according to the Congressional Budget Office, produce something like $87 billion of savings that in many cases will be used to increase accessibility to higher education and vocational education for students. Petri says even if the savings are smaller than that, they will be enormous.

Wisconsin Democrats, including Steve Kagen and Tammy Baldwin, also voted for the bill, which now advances to the Senate. Backers say the bill would also increase money for the Pell Grant program and support early childhood education and community colleges.

Amy Kerwin of the Madison-based Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corp., says they have no official stance on the issue. She says staff will adjust to any changes that come out of Washington.

Kerwin says Great Lakes has nearly $51 billion in guaranteed student loans. Kerwin says there will be a continued need to service all of those outstanding guarantees. Since the company doesn't know how the changes will play out, it's too soon to tell what the impact might be.

Critics say the bill would create a government takeover of the college loan industry, and cut thousands of jobs from private lenders.

-- Brian Bull, WHA/WERN-Madison

Effort to reform judicial elections

STEVENS POINT -- A group of lawyers, judges and journalists are looking for ways to improve judicial elections in Wisconsin. At a meeting in Stevens Point this week they debated the pros and cons of appointing rather than electing Supreme Court justices.

Concern about Wisconsin current judicial election system has been growing for the past four years as the campaigns have become more expensive and the political ads nastier. Some would like to see the state move to appointment system.

At this week's forum Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson says that won't necessarily lead to selecting better judges. And elections she says force judges to go out and speak with the people their rulings will affect.

Abrahamson says elected judges are more apt to ride with law enforcement and learn what the streets look like from a squad car, it's a good educational experience for a judge.

But Abrahamson says she does believe there's room for improving the way judicial elections are run. She favors public financing of judicial campaigns. That's something Bill Krause of Wisconsin Common Cause also favors.

Krause says a bill now moving through the state legislature will help make judicial elections cleaner and cheaper. Krause says it's not a good idea for lawyers to give money to judges.

Krause says with public financing of judicial campaigns there are disincentives for the millionaires and the issue people will get out of elections and it will be better.

Krause and many others at the forum are convinced that improving judicial elections is a better approach than trying to replace them with an appointment system. Making that change would require a constitutional amendment.

-- Gil Halsted, WHA/WERN-Madison

Progress toward Great Lakes protection

The Obama Administration says it's making progress on a national policy for the Great Lakes and the oceans.

An interagency task force has released an interim report on its work. Though many of the recommendations focus on oceans, the panel also wants better ecosystem-based protection and restoration of the Great Lakes.

The task force also recommends strengthening and integrating the work of systems that monitor the lakes. Jane Lubchenco of the national oceanic and atmospheric administration says the federal government wants to partner, with states, cities and others.

The task force has been criticized for limiting public input about its work. So the panel has added five more public meetings around the U.S. before it makes final recommendations later this year.

-- Chuck Quirmbach, WHAD-Delafield/Milwaukee

Raw milk causes health problems

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says that tests have confirmed that raw milk was the culprit in a recent outbreak that sickened 35 people.

Division of Food Safety administrator Steve Ingham says that this is the third outbreak in Wisconsin since 2001 that has been linked to raw milk consumption.

And he says that despite many people continue to drink unpasteurized milk and some Wisconsin dairy producers continue to sell it. Ingham says there's a public health problem with raw milk in general, but particularly with the sale of it.

Ingham says it's not legal and the agency has a duty to people to do something about this and take appropriate action.

The most recent outbreak affected mostly children and teens, who contracted the bacterial infection Campylobacter Jujuni.

The bacteria can cause flu like stomach symptoms. One person was hospitalized.

-- Kristen Durst, WHA/WERN-Madison

Swine flu usage hurting pork producers

Wisconsin pork producers are hoping people will stop referring to the H1N1 virus as the swine flu. An effort is underway in the state legislature to discourage the term.

Dickeyville Assembly Democrat Phil Garthwaite is sponsoring a resolution asking state agencies and the news media to stop calling the H1N1 virus the swine flu.

Tammy Vaassen of the Wisconsin Pork Producers Association says the term is hurting her members. She says hog farmers haven't seen a profit on their animals since September 2007.

Mike Gilster raises sows in the town of Bangor. He says several factors have driven down market prices for his pigs, including fear and misunderstanding caused by the term swine flu. Gilster says prices for his sows dropped more than half from 40 cents to less than 20 cents a pound.

Tammy Vaassen says it's possible for pigs to get the swine flu, but the disease doesn't develop in meat or blood. She adds Wisconsin pork producers won't sell pigs they feel are sick.

-- Steve Roisum, WLSU/WHLA-La Crosse

HUDSON -- The public is invited to participate in the dedication of the Scout Statue in Lakefront Park on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 2 p.m.

The six-foot bronze statue of an idealized Scout, looking downriver, commemorates the 100th anniversary of one of the very first Scout encampments that took place just south of Hudson.

It is one of six similar statues being placed throughout the Northern Star Council's service area in celebration of Scouting's Centennial both nationally and locally.

Hudson was selected in recognition of its history as a strong Scouting community, which continues to today. Last year more than 450 young people in 12 Scouting packs/troops were involved in Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts, supported by over 140 volunteer adult leaders.

Last year 13 local Scouts achieved the Eagle Scout Award, Scouting's highest rank.

The statue is one of the most iconic images of Scouting throughout its first century. First created by sculptor Dr. R. Tait McKenzie in 1914 at the request of the Philadelphia Council, it was originally cast as an 18 inch-high statuette. The founders of Scouting subscribed the first 10 at $100 each.

Beginning in 1916, plaster, bronze and later epoxy reproductions were sold, including smaller desk ornaments that became highly popular.

McKenzie created a life-size updated version that was unveiled in 1937. Today, these life-size statues are exhibited throughout the United Sates and in other countries around the Scouting world.

The statue will stand on a boulder base with two lines of text: Scouting Good for Life An American Tradition Since 1910

Landscaping and site preparation in Lakefront Park has been underway by area Scouts and leaders. They will also assist in the dedication ceremony, joined by John Andrews, Scout Executive (CEO) of the Northern Star Council BSA, who will formally present the statue to the City of Hudson.

This dedication is a key component of the Council's 18-month long Centennial celebration that will include a Centennial Patch Program, recognizing participants for making a difference in their communities, local Scouting birthday parties, a council-wide encampment, and the production of a 248 page local Scouting history book - "Honor Bright A Century of Scouting in Northern Star Council."

Northern Star Council BSA serves young people in 21 central Minnesota counties and Burnett, Polk, St Croix and Pierce counties of western Wisconsin.

For more information on Scouting and the Centennial, visit www.NorthernStarBSA.org or call 763-231-7271 or toll free: 877-231-7276.

By Judy Wiff

Arguing for fairness and that more money would mean more resources for people looking for jobs or inexpensive entertainment, librarians are asking St. Croix County to raise its library tax.

The county's Finance Committee listened to discussion last week but took no action and will instead forward the matter to the full County Board during a preliminary 2010 budget presentation Sept. 22.

While property owners living in cities or villages with a library support the service through taxes they pay to their municipality, state law requires counties to levy a separate tax on rural property. That tax must cover at least 70 percent of the cost of rural circulation. In St. Croix County it currently covers 71 percent.

At the current tax rate, the owner of a $200,000 home in a rural area pays a library tax of $37 per year. If the county raised the tax to cover 100 percent of operating costs, the tax would be $52 a year.

"We're not looking to make any money on this," said New Richmond Alderman Jim Zajkowski. "We just want everybody to pay their fair share."

New Richmond Library Director Scott Vrieze said residents of his city pay nearly 72 percent of the cost of operating the city's public library, but use of the library is divided almost equally between city residents and non-city residents.

Other libraries in the county see similar patterns, said Vrieze.

"It's our belief that we are paying our fair share," responded Richard Berquist, a member of the Richmond Town Board.

There's a reason the 70/30 split is written into state law, said Berquist. He said a former state legislator explained that in the late 1990s lawmakers felt rural areas didn't have the same tax base as cities and villages, which have businesses and industries.

In most cities, 40 percent of the real estate tax bill is paid by businesses, said Berquist.

"We don't see that anything has changed (since the legislation was adopted)," he said. "We don't have a Main Street. We don't have an industrial park."

But the town of Richmond has a higher per capita equalized valuation than the city of New Richmond, responded New Richmond Alderman Fred Horne, who is also a County Board member.

"Per capita, they have more money," he said.

Libraries draw people to cities to do other business, and city residents have a say in library operations while rural residents don't, said Berquist.

"We don't own the library," he said. "We just participate."

State law allows cities to appoint up to two non-residents to their library boards, and many libraries already do that, responded Horne.

"Our library is booming, especially with the economy," said Roberts Library Director Brenda Hackman. She said people tend to borrow more books, videos and computer materials from libraries during tough economic times.

With more money, the libraries could provide more services, she said.

Unemployed or underemployed people especially need library computer resources to search for jobs and learn new skills, added Horne.

"All we are asking is pay for the services you are using," he said.