MADISON - Governor Walker hopes to expand trade relationships with Asia when he heads to China this spring.
Walker's office says he'll leave on a trade mission to the country April 12.
Members of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection will go along with him.
Walker's office says the 9-day trip is designed to reinforce and expand trading partnerships in the country, which is already Wisconsin's third largest export market behind Canada and Mexico.
The state moved nearly $1.4 billion in exports to the country in 2011.
Walker's predecessor, Jim Doyle, traveled to China on trade missions five times during his two terms in office.
ANTIGO - Despite having to poke her fingers, and inject insulin throughout the day, 7 year old Meredith smiles all the time. Now YOU can make her smile even brighter.
This is the race car Meredith Meidl designed for Ford's "Real Heroes Contest" benefitting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund. Meredith knows a lot about diabetes. She's had the disease since she was 2.
"I just (clicks) and then I push it on my finger and I squeeze my finger and then I put my blood into the strip and it reads my blood," said Meredith demonstrating how she tests her blood sugar.
RHINELANDER - You don't need to get a library card to check out a book theses days. Boxes that look like bird houses are popping up all over.
They're called Little Free Libraries. Anyone can stop by to take or give a book. It's all based on the honor system. Maureen O'Melia put her's up at home last night across from Pioneer Park.
"I contacted Ed Hughes from the library. He was excited about the idea as well and he, a week later, says I built you one Maureen. But I had to stain it and get it ready for the outdoors," says Maureen O'Melia, who built a Little Free Library.
RHINELANDER - You might remember the name Shannon Wolf. He chased his wife down, stabbed and choked her by the Hodag statue in Rhinelander last February. He'll now spend the next twelve years in prison.
Today Latoya Wolf testified she was partly to blame for what happened. She told the court Shannon Wolf was trying to cut his own wrists. But she got in the way and was cut in the struggle for the knife.
Prosecutors said the violent encounter and the victim's backtracking was a classic example of the domestic abuse cycle.
"I believe that there are significant pressures on Mrs. Wolf," says Assistant District Attorney Scott Moller.
Moller presented Wolf's extensive criminal history. He said there's also a documented history of domestic abuse.
Moller asked Judge Patrick O'Melia to sentence Wolf to 30 years.
Judge O'Melia said he believes this case is one of classic domestic abuse.
He sentenced Wolf to 24 years. He'll spend 12 in prison and 12 years extended supervision.
Wolf is not allowed to have any contact with his wife. He's also not eligible for early release or boot camp.
LAC DU FLAMBEAU - The back-and-forth between state lawmakers and the Lac du Flambeau tribe might be over.
Dean Kaufert is a Republican representing Neenah. He wanted to strip a quarter-million dollars of funding from the tribe. That money would have gone to fund a new cultural center.
His original move was a protest against the Chippewa lowering walleye bag limits. That happened on many lakes in the ceded territory this spring.
"I was kind of having some difficulty with some of my colleagues in the Legislature with convincing them that we needed to play hardball by holding this project back," says Rep. Kaufert.
Walleye spearing season by Chippewa fishermen is almost over. They only took about half as many as they expected. So, the DNR raised limits on 423 lakes in the ceded territory.
Kaufert now will not stand in the way of the cultural center money.
"The Governor asked me if I would consider releasing that project due to their ongoing discussions about trying to create a better environment up north for fish stocking and number of walleyes in our lakes," says Rep. Kaufert.
This week, Governor Scott Walker also proposed a state project to put more walleye in Wisconsin's lakes.
Disclaimer: All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Neither Rockfleet Broadcasting / Northland Television, Inc. nor By Request Web Designs shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, or misprints.
Play Video
