Drug Take Back Day is October 26th – News Roundup 10/24/24

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. (WFHR, WIRI) – Drug Take Back Day is October 26th this year. Last year, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) collected nearly 600-thousand pounds of unneeded medications from almost 5-thousand locations nationwide. We know it’s not always safe to just throw away or flush medications. Kylie Hunter is an Aspirus Pharmacy Resident. She explains how to check. “The best way to find out what medications that you can flush down the toilet will be in the package insert. Or, they will be told to you by your pharmacist. However, if it doesn’t say and it’s unclear, you can always go to the CDC website and look at their do not flush list.”

Drug Take Back Day provides an opportunity for you to safely dispose of unused or expired medications at designated drop-box locations. Kylie stated, “The best way to participate is by going through your old medications in your storage cabinets, and checking expiration dates or whether or not you take them…” You can find information on what is accepted and how to prepare medications at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website.

Disposing of medications properly helps prevent accidental poisoning, reduces the risk of medication misuse, and protects the environment. This Saturday is the official drug take back event, but you can do it at any time of the year at permanent locations in hospitals and police departments. Kylie advises, “You don’t have to wait for drug take back day to dispose your medications, in fact, you can do it any day of the year, however we use drug take back day to create awareness and making sure that we’re disposing our medications safely.”
Wood County is holding several drug take back events on Saturday. From 10 to 2 you can drop off at Marshfield City Hall, Town of Rome Police Department, and Wisconsin Rapids Pick n’ Save. The Pittsville Police Department is collecting from 9 to noon. And at the Port Edwards Fire Department you can drop off from 11 to 1 and get some chili at their fundraiser.

Rafters hire Assistant General Manager for 2025

The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters have a new Assistant General Manager. Jake Adams has accepted the position for the 2025 season. Adams has been with the Northwoods League for two seasons, working as Hospitality Intern for the Willmar Stingers in 2021 and Head of Marketing and Promotions in 2022 again for the Stingers. In the interim, Jake spent time in Minor League Baseball as the Promotions Manager of the Charleston RiverDogs in 2023 and in ‘24, he spent the season with the Minnesota United of the MLS as a member of their Game Presentation Team. Jake said he’s excited to join the Rafters Organization and be a part of the community of Wisconsin Rapids and the surrounding area. Quote “This team, fanbase, and community has a lot of potential and I can’t wait to bring an exciting show to our fans.”You can follow the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters on Facebook.

More Funding for Student Mental Health

Across the country, kids are facing more mental health challenges than ever before. Now, the state superintendent wants to give schools more resources. The state superintendent is asking for millions of dollars to go toward students’ mental health. Jill Underly announced she’s requesting more than $300 million in the next biennial budget… to support kids. Six in ten Wisconsin kids reported having some sort of mental health challenge over the last year. Under her plan, each district would get an extra hundred dollars per student to spend on mental health programs and infrastructure. That’s just one part of the budget request for the Department of Public Instruction. The rest of the proposal will be released next month.

Historic Point Basse – Spirit Walk

Saturday is your last chance to take a lantern-lit tour around the grounds and buildings of Historic Point Basse. Their spirit walk happens on October 26th from 6 to 8:30 PM. As you walk around the site, the Spirits will emerge from their surroundings to tell you about themselves and the time in which they lived.

Crashes Increase In Our Area Causing Death and Injury

There’s been a troubling rise in fatal crashes and serious injury crashes across our area in recent weeks. These tragedies are preventable. The Marathon County Sheriff’s Office reminds us to make traffic safety a priority. They suggest the following key ways to stay safe. Obey the rules of the road. Don’t speed. Stay focused. Buckle up. And don’t drive impaired. We each have a responsibility to protect lives and we can do it by driving safely.

Eczema Is Uncomfortable – Relief Is Possible

Itchy, dry, skin can get worse as temperatures start to dip and the air dries out. If your dry skin causes persistent discomfort and is a disruption to your daily life, you could be dealing with eczema. People with eczema tend to have more inflammation at the skin layer, so it presents with dry itchy scaly rashy skin. 

Abigail Taub is an MD and dermatologist with Aspirus Health. She said people with eczema experience weakened skin barriers making skin more susceptible.

Dr. Taub explains, “…fragrance, the yeast on the skin, the bacteria on the skin. The dryer it is outside, so the colder, the more those skin cells are breaking apart, the more those things are going to get inflamed.”

Dr Taub said you should take lukewarm baths or showers, pat dry afterwards, and apply a good moisturizer. She states, “My favorite thing is just plain petroleum jelly, vaseline. If that’s too greasy, something you’re scooping out of a tub, a cream is better than a lotion out of a pump bottle or squeezy bottle.”

She also said if you have to have eczema, now is the time. “It’s actually a pretty exciting time to have eczema though because there’s a lot more treatment options than there were a few years ago.” 

Nothing beats good dry skin care and topical steroids, but it’s best to talk with a dermatologist if your eczema symptoms persist or worsen.

Two NonProfits Will Combine in 2025

Sanford Health and Marshfield Clinic Health System have taken the next step to combine their assets and capabilities to create an integrated health system. They signed an affiliation agreement this month bringing them one step closer to combining. The letter of intent was signed in July. The two entities will remain separate until the deal closes. The joining of the two nonprofits is expected by the end of the year.

Long Lines for In-Person Early Voting

Computer glitches and early voters lead to long lines outside of some city clerks offices and polling places throughout Wisconsin Wednesday. Over 97 thousand people in Wisconsin cast their early in-person absentee ballots the first day they could, resulting in long lines at many polling sites. According to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, the influx of voters caused a slowdown of the WisVote computer system that clerks use to print labels placed on the outside of an in-person absentee ballot. As of Wednesday, over 475 thousand absentee ballots have been mailed or cast in person. Find your early in-person voting location here.

The Green Bay Packers Negotiating Lease Extension

The Green Bay City Council makes a united stand of support for the Mayor’s stance on negotiating a lease extension to the Packers for Lambeau Field. 

Council President Brian Johnson said, “It’s not in the best interest of the city taxpayers to accept a lease offer from the Packers that pays us less than what both parties have previously agreed to.”

Originally, the Packers asked for no rent increases over the course of the 20 to 30 year extension, a provision that the Mayor says will cost taxpayers $30 million. Just hours after the press conference the Packers extended another lease offer with rent increases.