MADISON - Is an income tax cut coming soon in Wisconsin? We'll find out tonight. Gov. Scott Walker will deliver his highly anticipated two-year budget plan during a speech to the full Legislature tonight.
The plan will be debated by the Legislature's budget committee over the next four months, then voted on by both the Senate and Assembly sometime before it takes effect in July.
Walker has revealed many of the major parts of his proposal over the past couple weeks, including rejecting a federally funded Medicaid expansion.
While he's promised the budget will include a middle class income tax cut, Walker has yet to give the details of how that will work.
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.
'Wellness Court' Offers Alternate Sentence for Alcohol & Drug Offenders
Submitted: 05/22/2013
LAC DU FLAMBEAU - In Vilas County the courts have a new option for treating drug and alcohol offenders, instead of putting them behind bars.
Today the new Wellness Court was named in Lac du Flambeau. Circuit court judge Neal Neilsen and Tribal Court Judge Gary Smith will work together to help those involved with drugs and alcohol get the treatment they need.
"A traditional court would, more than likely sentence the person to jail or prison, and we've seen studies where that just doesn't work anymore. We need to get creative," said Lac du Flambeau Tribal Chief Judge, Gary Smith.
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.
WAUSAU - If you drink and drive, don't expect to get away with it. Especially when you've already been caught seven other times. A Weston man is facing his eighth drunken driving charge.
Twenty-nine year-old Cole Knapp appeared in Marathon County Court today. Prosecutors say an officer tried to pull Knapp over for a traffic violation May 11 when Knapp took off.
Knapp eventually stopped and got out of his vehicle with his hands in the air.
During a background check, Knapp fled on foot and was arrested a short time. He has seven previous OWI convictions dating back to 2002 in Bayfield, Ashland, Lincoln and Marathon counties.
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