ST. GERMAIN - Today many of us at Newswatch 12 joined the ranks of brave and chilly souls jumping into Big St. Germain Lake... It was definitely cold, but the cause for the jump, warmed our hearts.
This year was the 13th Annual Northwoods Original Polar Bear Plunge benefiting Angel On My Shoulder- a foundation started in St. Germain that helps families affected by cancer.
"It's hard to put into words until you see the kid’s faces that wouldn't have an opportunity to get away from their problems, get away from the things that are affecting them, forget about life in general for a while, and just have fun being a kid. Until you see that expression on their face, it's almost impossible to put into words," said Matt Reuss, a popular returning plunger, dressed this year as a shark.
The crazy antics bring in big donations for Angel On My Shoulder.
That means dozens of kids can take a break from cancer in their lives, and just be a kid at Camp Angel, and thankfully, Polar Bear plungers are ready to pull out all the stops..
"The higher we set the bar the higher they donate to us,” said Reuss, “This year $750. A couple thousand over the years."
The annual Polar Bear plunge is sponsored by WRJO Oldies. In the past 5 years they've raised over $250,000 for Angel on my Shoulder.
MADISON - Governor Walker hopes greater walleye numbers can help boost state tourism.
Walker announced a nearly 13-million dollar effort to boost walleye production.
The plan would allow the state to borrow millions to expand hatcheries.
It would also give several million in grants for private walleye production plants.
The plan also includes money for aquaculture work, buying fingerlings from private vendors, and expanding a program that gives tribal youth jobs on natural resources-related projects.
RHINELANDER - Rhinelander needs new businesses to fill empty stores downtown.
This past weekend 26 properties had an open house. It was organized by Downtown Rhinelander, Inc. (DRI) and Flanders Reality Group. Finding the right home for a business can be hard. But the event tried to help those on the hunt.
"This way, you know, your here, you look, your able to talk to someone who knows the property. And you can really make a really good decision right now today," said Maggie Steffen, DRI Executive Director.
MILWAUKEE - Ministry Health Care plans to lay off several hundred employees, citing a drop in the number of patients and cuts in federal reimbursement levels.
Ministry operates 15 hospitals and 47 clinics across Wisconsin.
The facilities include Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield and Saint Michael's Hospital in Stevens Point.
Ministry spokesman Geoffrey Huys says about 225 to 250 employees will be cut, mainly through attrition and job eliminations.
RHINELANDER - State budgeting can sound like a dry topic. For many people, and even elected officials, it is.
But when a state budget impacts your child's school directly, people tend to pay attention.
Some people in Rhinelander think Wisconsin is not giving its fair share to districts in northern Wisconsin. They met in town tonight to talk about it.
Staff and parents in the School District of Rhinelander want to make sure state officials know just how much they're hurting. They met tonight to hammer that point home.
"Because there are fewer of us in northern Wisconsin than in the big cities, we're going to have to be louder," says Kelli Jacobi, District Director of Instruction, and future Superintendent.
Rhinelander voters passed a $3 million referendum in February. That meant the district could raise more money from property taxes. But it doesn't fix a bigger problem - how much money the district gets from the state.
"There's a huge discrepancy in terms of the school funding formula because it's based on property values and has nothing to do with income," says Marta Kwiatkowski, District Director of Business Services.
That creates an odd situation. Rhinelander is considered a high property value district. That means it doesn't get a whole lot of financial help from the state government. At the same time, it's a high poverty district too.
"If you look at the income, our income is approximately $35,000 on average, where state average is $52,000," says Kwiatkowski.
The wide difference between property values and actual family incomes in Rhinelander creates a challenge. It's been that way for years - since the state Legislature set up school funding rules.
"It's kind of a situation that wasn't taken into account when the current school funding formula was established," says Jacobi.
Now, the only thing school districts like Rhinelander can do is push hard for their state legislators to help them financially.
"We say, hey, what are you going to do for us? We did it for you because we voted you into office. If we don't like (what you're doing), we're going to find somebody that we will like and vote them in," says Brian Carpenter, a parent and middle school teacher.
A temporary fix could be a plan by Senate Republicans Mike Ellis and Luther Olson. They suggest raising the amount of funding devoted to each student by $200 over Governor Walker's budget proposal. Rhinelander leaders strongly support that plan.
"We let people know what our concerns are, what our problems are, and that we need help," says Jacobi.
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