WFHR Friday News Roundup

Transcript

WFHR Friday News Roundup

WFHR News · Fri Dec 26, 2025

97.5WFHR and 105.5WIRI. Your Wisconsin Rapids home for locally grown radio. Here's your

Daily News Roundup.

For civic media news, I'm Savannah Tome Ulsinn. As we wrap up the year, we're featuring

stories from our team of reporters all over Wisconsin. Historically, firefighting

phones have spread PFAS, which can have lifelong effects on the body. James Kelly covers a firefighting

phone made from soybeans instead.

An alternative to PFAS-Laden Foam exists. It's called Soy Foam, and it's developed

right here in Wisconsin. Soy Foam is made from soybeans. It's developed by a Georgia-based

company, Crossplane Solutions, where David Garley is managing partner and chief tech officer.

Soy Foam was tested at Chippewa Valley Technical Colleges Fire Safety Center, which Garley

says has state-of-the-art facilities. He says the center's been a critical resource

for addressing two specific challenges, making it as effective as PFAS-based foams and

improving its shelf life.

My team and I would come up with the samples. We'd give it to the professionals here at

CBTC, and they ran through a whole battery of different tests. And then the feedback

that the firefighters would give us, we would take back to the lab, make those changes,

and provide another protocol.

This Turner is the lead technician at the Fire Safety Center. He says they're hoping

to prevent the use of chemicals. We still don't know our bad for us yet, especially for

firefighters.

But the real difference with Soy Foam is they've committed to first and foremost making

a safe foam and used plant-based products in order to do that. So the likelihood of,

you know, another 20 years down the road, one of those other chemicals that might have

been used as a replacement for PFAS, who knows what we can find out later that could actually

be harmful as well.

Some departments are already experimenting with soybean-based fire suppressants, including

the monomony and elk-mount fire districts, according to testimony at the state capital,

where a bill would let fire departments be reimbursed for purchasing the foam under a

state grant program.

That's James Kelly reporting from Chippewa Falls.

Joanne Kulats covered the retirement ceremony for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice and

Walsh Bradley in June.

I say today to all of you gathered here, it has indeed been a long journey from the

old swamp in to serving as Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Originally from Richland Center Chief Justice Ann Walsh Bradley graduated from Richland

Center High School in 1968. She earned her bachelor's degree from Webster University in 1972

and worked as a high school teacher before graduating from the University of Wisconsin

Law School in 1976.

In 1985 she was appointed as a circuit court judge in Marathon County.

Ten years later the justice made history by becoming the first woman to be elected to

the Wisconsin Supreme Court, while it has been a long journey she stated one thing has

remained constant.

We knew then thirty years ago and we know now that to ensure a just legal system, one

that reflects the history and hopes of this state, we must make the courts more accessible

to the people.

No matter if you are richer poor, powerful or powerless, no matter your station and life

regardless of your political or religious beliefs, our courts exist to serve all of the people

of this state.

Walsh Bradley's tenure is the fifth longest in the history of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

She participated in more than twenty-eight thousand cases and wrote almost six hundred

opinions. She was replaced on the bench by Susan Crawford.

One of the state's biggest events each year is EAA and meteorologist Brittany Merlot

was there.

Volunteers arrive from all over the world in Ashkosh and early July offer EAA air venture.

I love it.

This is my 10th year volunteering.

I want to give back because this is my 31st year at Ashkosh.

That's Chuck Holderness who volunteers at the admission gate.

I flew in the bananas at Ashkosh 31 years ago and I've done it every year since.

It's unbelievable.

We set the world record for the world's largest civilian formation flight.

We had 133 of us one year and then we actually had 149 another year but we didn't go through

all the paperwork to break the record.

This year we had 119 of us so we're all on the runway at the same time.

Three abreast five feet from my prop to the tail in front of me is exciting.

And Donna at Security, her daughter is a 148th fighter wing pilot but it's more than that

that brings her here from Port Washington.

Meeting the people you meet them from all over the world basically and mingling with them

and making new friends.

Often described as a family reunion even if you aren't a pilot.

All are welcome.

I've made friends already from Mississippi, from Arizona, from around this area and we camp

with them because I also camp here.

Camp Scholar, a field of friends, volunteers, pilots and more.

No electricity and no problems.

Even in the summer heat of July, 40,000 camp here in this one week.

Anyone can volunteer even if you don't have any background in aviation.

You can drive the tram, which is kind of cool because you get to see the entire grounds

and you get to explain to people what different things are going on in different locations.

For Civic Media News, I'm meteorologist Brittany Marlowe and I'm Savannah Tome Olsen, Civic Media News.

The Packers prepare for Baltimore.

Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with sports NFL.

It's the Packers and the Ravens seven o'clock tomorrow night at Lambo Field.

The Packers lost another tight end last week.

John Fitzpatrick, who had taken over for Tucker Kraft, he suffered a season ending torn

a kill he's tendon in that loss to the Bears.

The Packers have two candidates on the practice squad who could play tight end.

One is Drake Dabney, an undrafted rookie, the other second year man, McCallan Castles,

who has spent time with the Eagles, Chargers and Rams.

They would be the backups to tight end Luke Musgrave.

Yeah, they're both really, really good players, hardworking players.

I think anybody in that tight end room would just going to go out there and play with great

effort, be a good representation of us.

Green Bay has clinched a playoff spot.

Thanks to the Vikings defeating the Lions, 23 to 10 in Minnesota yesterday.

Detroit was six turnovers in the game.

After a day off for Christmas at home, the Bucks back on the road tonight in Memphis to

play the Grizzlies.

We sports on Mike Clemens.

A little drizzle and fog right away this morning than mostly cloudy today with a high

right around 37 this afternoon.

Tonight mostly cloudy.

We're going to drop into the upper 20s to near 30 for a load tomorrow and other cloudy

dreary day with a high of 38.

I'm your neurologist Sean Cable.