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Jan 21, 2010

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WEATHER:
River Falls Forecast

HEADLINES:

Sleet advisory out for southwest Wisconsin

Freezing rain is still causing problems this morning in southwest and far southern Wisconsin.

The National Weather Service has an advisory in effect until noon.

Some schools in southwest Wisconsin closed early Wednesday afternoon when freezing rain and sleet arrived in many places.

In the Madison area, authorities said roads got icy about 5 a.m. Dane County officials and the State Patrol reported numerous roll-overs and minor accidents, but there were no serious injuries reported before the rush hour began.

The weather service says the freezing rain will end around midday.

Cloudy skies are predicted statewide for tomorrow. Then a mix of precipitation is in the weekend forecast for central and northwest Wisconsin with rain in the south.

Published 08:37 Jan-21-10    | TOP |



Cell phone users donate $285,000 for Haiti relief; more state briefs

Wisconsin residents have already donated or pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars to help earthquake victims in Haiti.

The Red Cross reported cell phone users with Wisconsin area codes have sent $285,000 in text message donations. Callers can pledge $10 by texting the word "Haiti" to 90999, and it's charged on their next phone bill.

Red Cross spokeswoman Abi Weaver said Wisconsin has pledged about $1.2% of the national total of $24 million. She said her group is surprised by the generosity.

Catholic Relief Services are getting hundreds of thousands from Wisconsin church members. The World Council of Credit Unions in Madison said it raised $170,000 for Haitian relief.

Numerous medical, religious and benevolent groups continue to make trips to the island, and many Wisconsin individuals have joined them.

Even school kids are helping out. In Oregon, south of Madison, a penny drive begins next week. A similar drive in 2005 netted $17,000 for victims of the Stoughton tornado and Hurricane Katrina.

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Boy accused of shooting dad in head

A $500,000 bond was set Wednesday for a 13-year-old boy who was charged as an adult with killing his father at their home near Lake Delton.

Prosecutors said Michael Crisafulli shot his 55-year-old father Angelo in the back of the head as the victim was sitting in a recliner Tuesday night.

Authorities said the boy got in trouble in school that day, he was punished by helping his dad fix a vehicle, and a "balloon of anger" swelled up in Michael's head before he grabbed one of his father's weapons.

Media reports said the boy was autistic, his parents filed for divorce seven years ago, and his father obtained custody after the child ran away from his mother's home several times.

A judge granted a defense request to have Michael Crisafulli undergo a mental competency exam. If he's ordered to stand trial, the defense can ask that the case be heard in juvenile court.

According to the criminal complaint, the boy told police he was expelled from Webb Middle School in Reedsburg, where he was a 7th-grader. The school did not confirm that.

Five shot outside Milwaukee tavern

Five people were sent to the hospital overnight after being shot outside a tavern on Milwaukee's north side.

Police said they arrested a 38-year-old man as he was running from the scene, and investigators found shell casings from three different weapons.

Officers are still trying to figure out what happened and why. They could not give the conditions of the five people who were wounded.

A 20-year-old man was shot in his back. A 38-year-old man was wounded in the hip. A 34-year-old man was shot in the abdomen. Two women, ages 30 and 34, were shot near their feet.

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New jobs plan comes to a vote

A Democratic plan to create jobs is up for a vote in the Wisconsin Senate today (Thursday).

The Joint Finance Committee endorsed the Connecting Opportunity, Research and Entrepreneurship package a week ago. CORE would help small- and medium-sized companies take advantage of university research, expand tax credits for investing in new businesses, encourage renewable energy firms to locate in buildings where other factories have closed and give loans to those opening small businesses in places with high unemployment.

The bill also creates an ombudsman in the state Commerce Department to help firms get state permits.

Gov. Jim Doyle supports the package. Democrats say it would help create new jobs, but Republicans say it does not do enough to keep help existing firms keep the jobs they have.

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White House agrees to carp summit

The White House said yes to Gov. Jim Doyle's request for a summit on fighting the Asian carp in the Great Lakes. The meeting is planned for the first week in February.

Nancy Sutley of the White House Council on Environmental Quality says Great Lakes governors and the Obama cabinet will identify a rapid response to the threat the invasive carp poses.

Sutley said the president wants to assure coordination among all the governments involved so the most effective response can take place.

Doyle and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm asked for the summit after the U.S. Supreme Court said no Tuesday to closing two navigational locks near Chicago where DNA evidence of the Asian carp was found.

Wisconsin says the carp threatens the Great Lakes' multi-million-dollar fishing industry.

Published 09:09 Jan-21-10    | TOP |

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