97.5 W F H R and 105.5 W I R I. Your Wisconsin Rapids Home for locally grown radio. Here's
your Daily News Roundup.
4 W F H R and W I R I News. I'm Melissa K. Whether by street or by sky, this is the busiest
travel week of the year. Savannah, Tome Olsen lays out the best times to hit the road.
AAA estimates 1.65 million people in Wisconsin will be traveling more than 50 miles away. That's
about 28% of our whole population. And with a 2% rise in travelers this year, that would
set a new record. A vast majority of people going on a trip for Thanksgiving will be driving,
so as usual for the holiday, be ready for a lot of traffic. Here's when the roads will
be busiest. Wednesday from 11 to 8 and all day Sunday.
Wisconsin law enforcement are urging you to have a designated driver if you'll be drinking.
Holidays can turn tragic when people drive impaired. Data shows on average 173 people die
each year over the Thanksgiving holiday and drunk driving crashes. That's 35% of all traffic
deaths during that time period. To heat the road safer, AAA has activated its
toe-to-go program. Someone who has their car with them and may be imbibed more than they
planned can call and a tow truck will take the person and their car to their destination.
Only within a 10 mile radius, but the program is free and you do not have to be a AAA member.
Meanwhile some Wisconsinites are taking to the skies about 8% of people traveling. On
average, round-trip flights for Thanksgiving cost about $700, which is similar to what
they cost last year. The top destinations for Wisconsinites are mostly in Florida.
As reported yesterday, gowns prices are down more than 4 cents from last week and their
12 cents per gallon lower than last year's Thanksgiving travel week. You can save at the
pump by checking prices before you hit the roads. Wisconsin's average is 273 per gallon.
The national average is 303. Wisconsin's oldest conservation program
is at risk of losing its funding and state legislators are split on how to keep it going.
The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program helps conservation organizations and the state
Department of Natural Resources protect Wisconsin's natural environment.
Historically, Republicans and Democrats of like have constantly supported this program
and re-numerated because there is such a huge value in preserving our conservation here
in the state.
That's Republican State Senator Patrick Teston. He spoke with civic media's Melissa K about
a bill he's co-sponsoring to continue funding the program.
I do think there's a willingness on both sides of the aisle to hopefully address this and
my hope is is that we can come together and create a bipartisan bill that can get support
from both sides of the aisle.
Teston's proposal would secure funding for the program until 2030. The Stewardship Program
used to purchase land through proposals that would be reviewed by the legislature's
powerful budget committee. Individuals on the committee had the power to veto project
proposals anonymously, even if the funding was already appropriated.
A Wisconsin Supreme Court decision last year ruled that power unconstitutional.
Teston says the decision put the program on life support.
I think what we're going to end up proposing is, all right, let's just reauthorize this
program until we can get into the next state budget.
The Republican-led budget committee balked at including the program in this two-year budget.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers have also introduced a bill to continue the program.
It would create an oversight board to advise the DNR on projects and have authority to
approve large land acquisitions.
If the legislature doesn't pass a measure to extend the program, it will lose funding
after June of next year.
Law suits over Wisconsin's legislative maps will move forward through a process that's
never been used before. Two suits have made it to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
And argues the maps are an anti-competition gerrymander.
The other argues the maps violate the state's constitution.
Six of Wisconsin's eight representatives in the House are Republicans.
Princeton's gerrymandering project gives Wisconsin district an F and said there's a, quote,
significant Republican advantage and, quote, to the state's maps.
Now the Supreme Court has ordered that the cases will be heard by separate three judge
panels.
According to a law, Republicans passed in 2011 that's never been used before.
In these cases, Wisconsin's members of the U.S. House pushed for two of the court's
four liberal justices to recuse themselves.
Janet Proto-Sewitz and Susan Crawford, but they said no, and ruled with their colleagues
in sending these cases to those three judge panels.
There's several important committee meetings next week in Wisconsin Rapids.
The Planning Commission meets on Monday at 4 p.m.
This meeting includes the public hearing for the Solar Power Plant Water Works and
Lighting Commission is planning to build on the southeast edge of town.
On Tuesday, the Finance and Property Committee meets at 5 p.m., they'll review and consider
approving the Southwood County Humane Society contract among other agenda items.
The Public Works Committee meets on Thursday, December 4 at 5 p.m., they'll be discussing
lead water lines, removing all two-hour parking restrictions and implementing no overnight
parking, and consider opening corporate limit roadways to ATVs and UTVs among other
agenda items.
Roads in downtown Wisconsin Rapids will be closed from 4 to 8 tonight for the rekindle
the spirit parade and tree lighting show.
Grand Avenue will be closed between West Jackson and Lincoln Street, and Second Avenue
South will be closed between Oak Street and East Grand Avenue.
I'm Alyssa K for WFHR and WIRI News.
On my Clemens with sports, Men's College Basketball, the Wisconsin Badgers spending
Thanksgiving tomorrow in San Diego taking on Providence in a 14 tournament, including Florida
and TCU, Tip Off Time 430, a fundraiser for the Rady Children's Hospital, Badgers Head Coach
Greg Gard.
It is just a great experience and not only for what this game can help us improve upon
and show us, but also going forward.
What's coming in San Diego and what's coming use that as a springboard in back into
the Big Ten season.
The Bucks in Miami against the Heat and an NBA Cup Series game, Milwaukee looking to
snap a 5-game losing streak, a full slate of NFL games for Thursday, a Packers Against
the Lions at noon, I'll have coverage from Detroit, followed by the Chiefs and the Cowboys
in Dallas, and the nightcap the Ravens hosts the Bengals in Baltimore.
The first time the Packers played the Lions on Thanksgiving was 1951, with sports on Mike
Clemens.
It is going to be windy with snow and blowing snow today.
We're talking one to three inches, but wind will be gusting to 40 to 50, and that will
create some big problems on the roads at times, temperatures falling through the 20s
today.
Tonight, more blowing snow, upper teens to low 20s tomorrow, mostly cloudy, near 30.
I'm your neurologist, Sean Cable.
That's your Wisconsin Rapids News Roundup from WIRI and WFHR, locally grown radio.
Find more news anytime at WFHR.com and WIRI.FM.
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