WXCO 98.9, Wasau's Real News and great conversation.
Here's your daily news
Fifteen brave and bundled volunteers gathered at the North Central Community Action Office at 10.30 p.m.
in Wisconsin Rapids to receive instructions, supplies and resource information before setting out for the point-in-time count.
Katie Schumer is the Outreach Case Manager, Coordinated Entry Specialist for North Central Community Action Program.
I have bags over there that each group can take.
Inside those bags are hygiene products, hats, gloves.
There's information in there for 211.
There's information.
The point in time, or PIT count, is a required count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.
The U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development requires these numbers twice a year to guide resource allocation and strategies.
HAM and amateur radio operators volunteer to coordinate between groups as they canvass their assigned areas.
Mayor Matt Zachar was among the volunteers.
It's my first time out, just understanding that this actually happens as we're diving into some of the issues we're having in the Wisconsin Rapids area.
Recent meetings between city and county officials are bringing to light some of the challenges they face, one of the biggest being that each agency defines homelessness differently.
Thankfully, on this chilly night in Wood County, the pit count was zero.
All right, we've got you, section six.
This is the time of year where we use salt to make streets less slick and sidewalks safer.
According to Wisconsin SaltWise, all it takes is one teaspoon of salt to pollute five gallons of fresh water and make it toxic to some species.
The Department of Natural Resources says just over the last 20 years or so, chloride in our water supply has risen by about 28%.
That can even impact how our water tastes, according to Megan Rippey, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, effort
The
US EPA and the WHO do make recommendations that are intended to be a protective of people on low sodium diets.
So that's a value of about 20 milligrams per liter sodium.
Over the last 20 years, more than a third of Wisconsin community wells have exceeded the lower end of those standards.
Aaron Rodman owns Extra Mile Snow Plowing.
They take care of 70% of all the commercial pavement in West Bend.
He says about 10 years ago he was hesitant to adopt eco-friendly measures, but now pre-wedding salt before dropping it and using more advanced plows have allowed him to drop his salt use.
I was not sold.
The rest of my employees, they drank the Kool-Aid.
And we're like, Aaron, you got to take some of this, too.
And I'm like, no, no, I got to take care of our customers.
This isn't the way to go.
They got me on board.
It's good Kool-Aid.
It really is.
These practices work.
They're incredibly more sustainable for the environment.
And they're incredibly profitable.
Wisconsin SaltWise hosts free training for snow removal pros to teach them some of these more eco-friendly practices.
A grand theater executive has been appointed to a leading national service organization for the performing arts.
Sean Wright is the executive director of the Grand Theater.
And now, he's been named to the board of directors of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals.
According to a press release, the association represents thousands of arts organizations, artists, agents, managers, and presenters worldwide, and their board provides strategic leadership to advance the organization's mission.
Wright said in a statement he's, quote, honored to join the APAP Board of Directors and to contribute to an organization that plays such a vital role in supporting arts professionals across the world.
The Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line is expanding its services thanks to new funding from the Department of Health Services.
According to a press release, the funding will allow the Tobacco Quit Line to provide residents with eight weeks worth of nicotine replacement products compared to the two weeks it can provide now.
Any Wisconsin residents 18 years or older can call the quit line to receive free items like nicotine patches and gum or to seek counseling services.
Agency officials say their services are not a full treatment program but can help people get a jump start on quitting.
If you need a photo ID to show at the polls, you can get an ID card free of charge from the Wisconsin DMV.
There's no separate voter ID, but you need an ID card to vote.
You can check the Wisconsin Elections Commission website for all valid forms of ID to vote.
To get your free photo ID from the DMV, you can start on their website to see what documents you will need at WisconsinDMV.gov.
I'm Isabella Nieto for WXCO News.
The Bucks slump continues high on Mike Clemens with sports NBA The Bucks had to Boston next to play the Celtics after losing to the Wizards 109 to 99 miles Turner had 21 points 14 rebounds But says that miss shots were not the Bucks problem.
The reason we lost tonight is not makes a missus It's the it's the bonehead errors, you know, it's the foul and jump shooters for 20 points Whatever it was this office of rebounds.
It's turnovers like that's been our Achilles heel to pass couple games I think we're playing, you know, the right way to win games, but it's the
I think we're losing right now and only something that we correct ourselves.
In Milwaukee, outgoing team president Peter Fagan, given a farewell ceremony, Fagan asked if he discussed the trade rumors with Yanis, who was in attendance.
I'd like to say how do we knock out the noise?
You know, and Yanis, I always joke about it.
He's focused on rehab.
All he cares about is getting back on the court.
The one thing that's undeniable, this is his home.
It's just like where he raised his family.
This is like what he loves.
That's the Bucks Peter Fagan with sports on Mike Clemens.
It is going to be mostly sunny with a high right around 12 degrees here this afternoon.
The windshell, that's going to stay below zero here most of the day, even though it won't be all that windy.
Tonight, partly cloudy with lows hovering around zero.
Tomorrow, mostly sunny with a high in the low 20s.
I'm meteorologist Sean Cable.
That's your was on news roundup from WXCO.
Find more news anytime at wxco.fm.
Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you find your podcasts.
