by jboullion | Oct 29, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by the Government Accountability Board:
MADISON, WI – The Government Accountability Board today released its list of the top 10 things a Wisconsin voter should know for Election Day, Tuesday, November 2.
The number one thing voters should know is that they can register at the polling place on Election Day.
“Election Day registration ensures that everyone who is qualified to vote will get to vote,” said Kevin Kennedy, director and general counsel of the G.A.B. “Unlike many other states, Wisconsin has registration at the polls, so very few voters will likely be forced to vote on a provisional ballot.”
To register on Election Day, Wisconsin voters must provide proof of residence, which includes a current utility bill, lease, university ID card or other official document showing the voter’s name and current address. Voters who have a valid Wisconsin driver’s license or state ID card will be required to use their license number to complete the registration form. Otherwise, they may use the last four digits of their Social Security number.
Number two on the list is that voters can check their registration status with their municipal clerk, or on the state’s Voter Public Access website: https://vpa.wi.gov.
by jboullion | Oct 25, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Nate Enwald in The Pointer, Stevens Point, WI:
Students at the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point are in for a few changes in their dining routines at DeBot Dining Center; some may have noticed a change in the Oct. 11 Monday menu and what it served, or lack thereof.
The University Dining Services department has taken to the “Meatless Monday” movement that has been a spreading trend in other schools across the country. The new meatless menu that began on Oct. 11 is scheduled to take effect for the Mondays of Nov. 8, Feb. 7, and April 11.
The Monday Campaigns originally started the “Meatless Monday” movement in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health, with the goal of reducing the consumption of meat by 15 percent. This movement hopes to ultimately better public health and reduce the carbon footprint left by the production, transportation and cooking of meats.
“We are doing this [Meatless Monday] to raise awareness about the program and the benefits of lowering meat consumption,” said Kathleen Gould, the Public Relations representative and Marketing Coordinator of University Dining Services.
At meatlessmonday.com, the organization promotes going meatless at least once a week to aid in efforts of reducing the public health issues of cancer, diabetes and obesity along with the inevitable ecological benefits that go with a meatless diet.
by jboullion | Oct 20, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Nathaniel Shuda in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune:
A Wisconsin Rapids-based manufacturer recently revised its plan for a wind-turbine blade manufacturing plant, making it a three-phase project, instead of a one-phase project, the company’s top executive said.
At one time, Energy Composites officials hoped to break ground on a 535,000-square-foot facility about a year ago, but a difficult bond market led to project downsizing, President Jamie Mancl said.
“Now we’re talking about … a smaller portion of that plan to get the shovel in the ground and started with something,” Mancl said Tuesday evening during a presentation to the Wisconsin Rapids Common Council. “We’re taking a more prudent approach to get this thing off the ground.”
The company, which includes the former Advanced Fiberglass Technologies, already retained Stern Brothers & Co., a private financing firm, to help secure $25 million from investors for the first phase, Mancl said.
“With the financing issues we’re experiencing in the country, it’s hard to put a timeline on it, but … within six months or less, they’re hopeful they’ll be able to secure (investors),” he said, declining to say how much money the company has raised.
by jboullion | Oct 19, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Jake Miller in the Wausau Daily Herald:
The operator of a Tomahawk paper mill said Wednesday that a proposed Rothschild plant’s insatiable demand for fuel would endanger other plants that rely upon wood products.
In a motion sent to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, Packaging Corp. of America said a planned biomass plant by Domtar Paper and We Energies would lead to a shortage in biomass fuel — waste wood left behind when timber is harvested.
The Tomahawk mill currently operates two biomass boilers as part of a pilot program it entered in 2002 with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to reduce fossil fuel use, according to the motion.
Company officials initially believed that the proposed plant would not create a shortage in fuel, but at an Oct. 1 meeting with Domtar they “came to the realization that the project would in fact seriously redistribute local biomass resources,” the motion said.
Therefore, Packaging Corp. requested a motion to intervene, which — if allowed by the PSC — means company officials could speak about the impact the new plant would have on the Tomahawk operation at a Dec. 2 meeting in Madison. The company missed the Sept. 8 filing deadline.
by jboullion | Oct 18, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Larry Bivins in the Wausau Daily Herald:
WASHINGTON — In the absence of a national policy that puts a cap on carbon emissions, some environmental activists see an opportunity to place more emphasis on efficiency as part of the solution to climate change.
Advocates say the potential benefits to the environment, the economy and individual pocketbooks cannot be ignored.
One 2007 study estimates the U.S. could reap $1.2 trillion in electricity savings by investing $520 billion in energy efficiency measures by 2020.
In Wisconsin, a 2009 report by the Energy Center of Wisconsin said the state could create 7,000 to 9,000 jobs by 2012 and generate $900 million in savings by tripling its investment in energy efficiency.
President Barack Obama’s administration set aside $16.8 billion in economic recovery act money for research and development, building retrofits, renewable energy projects and weatherization, among other things.
Wisconsin was awarded a $20 million grant in April for its Wisconsin Energy Efficiency (WE2) program to retrofit commerical, industrial and residential buildings.
“Wisconsin has made big steps forward in recent years through energy conservation, energy efficiency and by investing in a clean energy economy,” Gov. Jim Doyle said in a statement declaring October to be Energy Awareness Month. “Through greater awareness we can continue to increase our energy independence, save money for families and businesses and create thousands of new clean-energy jobs in Wisconsin.”
