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• Doyle has hopes for high-speed rail
• Obama aims to boost confidence; GOP calls plan a joke
• VHS found in Lake Superior fish but DNR plans no changes

Gov. Jim Doyle said during his State of the State address last night that Wisconsin is "poised to become the nation's leader in high-speed rail manufacturing."

But for that to happen, President Obama would have to approve funding for a network of trains that would link numerous cities in the Midwest, and no one is saying that's a done deal yet.

According to national news reports, Obama could make an announcement tomorrow about the $8 billion in stimulus money set aside for high-speed rail projects throughout the country.

The Midwest network would take $3.5 billion of that, and $517 million would build Wisconsin's first link between Milwaukee and Madison.

Doyle spokesman Adam Collins would only say a federal decision is expected soon.

Last year, the state contracted with Talgo of Spain to build two high-speed trains somewhere in Wisconsin. At the time, Doyle said the order could grow to as many as 50 trains if the stimulus funds for the Midwest rail network are approved.

President Obama hopes to restore Americans' confidence in the economy and himself when he delivers his State of the Union address tonight.

But there's already a lot of grumbling about one of the president's major plans - a freeze on domestic spending.

It's designed to address people's concerns about a $1 trillion deficit, powered by a stimulus program that economists said did not create a lot of new jobs. But the freeze would only cover about an eighth of the total federal budget, and Republicans call it a joke.

UW-Madison Prof. Charles Franklin said some Democrats won't be happy about it either, especially House Appropriations Chairman David Obey of Wausau.

Obey's panel controls the congressional purse strings, and Franklin said Obey won't like his hands being tied.

Congressman Tom Petri, R-Fond du Lac, said Republicans are willing to work with the Democrat Obama, especially if he drops the current health care plan and comes up with things both parties can support.

Petri said all lawmakers are elected to solve the nation's problems, and they should be doing a better job of it.

MADISON -- The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday the recent finding by a Cornell University research team of traces of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia virus (VHS) in fish inhabiting Lake Superior would not lead to any immediate regulation changes for anglers or boaters.

Cornell University reported in a press release today that they had found trace amounts of VHS virus in organ samples taken from a small number of healthy fish in four sites in Lake Superior. The news release is available on Cornell University's Web site.

"We appreciate the efforts of Cornell University to help better understand this disease, but we also want to caution anglers and others who enjoy Lake Superior that this does not mean there has been a widespread outbreak of VHS in those waters," said Michigan DNRE Director Rebecca Humphries. "What this study does indicate is that VHS has been observed in four locations in Lake Superior, but it is not everywhere. Based on this limited finding, Michigan is not planning to make any changes in its regulations at this time."

Wisconsin DNR Secretary Matt Frank said that Wisconsin's strong VHS protections were already set with Lake Superior in mind.

"We're disappointed with Cornell's finding, but not surprised. The good news is that our VHS rules for boaters and anglers stay the same and will continue to protect our inland waters. We included Lake Superior when we originally passed regulations in 2007 because it's directly connected to waters that already had the virus present. We appreciate the efforts of Wisconsin boaters and anglers who comply."

Frank said that the result underscores the importance of anglers and boaters taking required and appropriate steps to stop the further spread of VHS within Lake Superior itself, and to inland waters. "VHS has not gone away - whether you are boating or fishing in Wisconsin or Michigan, you should drain all water from your bilge, live well or bait bucket, and never take live fish away from any water," said Frank.

The Cornell University-led research team spent several days in June collecting and sampling healthy fish in Lake Superior. Nearly 900 fish were collected from the lake, and a new screening tool used by the team found a preliminary positive result for VHS in a small number of fish collected from four points in the Lake Superior basin - Paradise/Whitefish Point, Chippewa County, Michigan; Skanee in Huron Bay in Baraga County, Michigan; Superior Bay near Duluth, Minnesota; and St. Louis Bay, also near Duluth. The only location that had a VHS sample confirmed as positive was at Paradise/Whitefish Point where VHS was confirmed in one sample from a yellow perch. Not all of the samples from this site, however, were confirmed to have VHS.

Humphries said the finding is not surprising, adding that finding a VHS-positive fish at the east end of the Lake Superior basin is where biologists have long thought a positive would be found first -- near the St. Mary's River, which connects the basin to Lake Huron, a VHS-affected lake.

"VHS remains a threat to all the Great Lakes, and we will increase our efforts to slow the spread through public awareness of the simple things boaters and anglers can do to help," Humphries said.

Humphries and Frank said their agencies will continue collecting and testing fish for VHS in Lake Superior. Both states have been collecting samples of fish from Lake Superior for the last 3 years, and neither state has yet found any fish positive for VHS using rigorous, confirmatory testing procedures.

Anglers and boaters who recreate on Lake Superior can help both the Michigan DNRE and Wisconsin DNR by reporting any significant fish kills they encounter on Lake Superior to the agencies. Also, anglers and boaters should drain their livewells and bilge as they exit a lake. Boats should regularly be cleaned and disinfected after use, as well as any boating and fishing equipment.

Both states prohibit release of unused minnows back into the water. Unused bait should be disposed of on land or in a trash can. Also, both states prohibit the transfer of live fish from one lake to another without appropriate permits. Wisconsin has additional rules relating to the movement of live fish and the use and possession of live minnows.

For more information on VHS, visit www.michigan.gov/vhs or www.dnr.wi.gov/fish/vhs