New technology in flu fight

info@wrn.com - Fri, 09 May 2008 16:00:00 -0000

A Wisconsin biotech firm is using home grown technology to produce flu vaccine faster and better. Paul Radspinner, president and CEO of Madison based FluGen, says flu vaccines today are manufactured in embryonated chicken eggs. "It can be time consuming, it can be messy, it's ripe for contamination, there's all kinds of issues than can and have arisen," with that procedure, says Radspinner.

All major influenza vaccine manufacturers are in the process of developing vaccines that will be produced within cells rather than the embryonated eggs. "What's we're doing is working to make those cells really produce at a much higher level," says Radspinner.

FluGen is built on technology, licensed through the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation , and created UW Madison's Yoshi Kawaoka and Gabrielle Neumann. "This . . . shows why Wisconsin is a hotbed for biotech right now," says Radspinner.

La Crosse Diocese planning for future

info@wrn.com - Fri, 09 May 2008 15:51:00 -0000

A new pastoral plan charts the future for Catholics in the Diocese of La Crosse . Spokesman Ben Nguyen says the plan does not call for the closing of any of the 165 churches in the 19 diocese. "This plan allows for several entities which would formerly be parishes, to come together to form a new parish entity, while still utilizing those church buildings and those church sites," says Nguyen. "That way, you avoid closures of buildings." And while that may sound like more work for parish priests, Nguyen says that's not the case. "This plan would actually lighten the burden for them," says Nguyen, noting that currently, individual priests are sometimes serving two, three or even four parishes.

Ngyen says the pastoral plan, the product ot two years of work, is an effort to be proactive to changing demographics and needs in the diocese, which is home to some 200,000 Roman Catholics. Bishop Jerome Listecki officially accepted the plan during a ceremony Thursday in La Crosse.

Schneider's slow down

info@wrn.com - Fri, 09 May 2008 15:35:00 -0000

Green Bay based Schneider National has announced plans to expand its fuel conservation efforts by slowing down its fleet to 60 mph. A company news release claims the voluntary effort will reduce the fleet's consumption of diesel fuel by more than 3.75 million gallons a year and reduce truck CO2 emissions by 83.25 million pounds a year -- the equivalent of taking 7,259 cars off the nation's highways. The slowdown was announced during a news conference Thursday in Washington, D.C., as the American Trucking Associations unveiled its strategies for minimizing the carbon footprint of the trucking industry. Schneider is the nation's largest truckload carrier, with more than 21,000 employees worldwide.

911 boss apologizes for statements

info@wrn.com - Fri, 09 May 2008 13:56:00 -0000

Dane County 911 Director Joe Norwick fielded questions from members of the county board Thursday, following the mishandling of that call for help from the phone of Madison murder victim Brittany Zimmermann. Norwick conceded that mistakes happen in his operation but not very often.

"I would hope that no mistakes ever occur any day within the 911 center ever. Can I guarantee you that? No. Can I work at limiting the opportunity to make mistakes? Yes."

Norwick has concluded that the mistakes made by the dispatcher who handled the Zimmermann 911 call were not intentional. He also apologized for the first time, to Zimmerman's family and the media for what he called misleading statements last week. The meeting focused more on staffing, policy, and technology at the 911 center, rather than the botched call.

Zimmerman was a UW student killed in her own home.

(Contributed by Jason Fischer - WIBA)

Closing tax loophole could fix state budget

info@wrn.com - Fri, 09 May 2008 05:24:00 -0000

A state lawmaker says there's a simple solution to Wisconsin's budget crisis.

State Representative Spencer Black (D-Madison) says closing the so-called "Las Vegas loophole" could help Wisconsin solve its budget problems. The Department of Revenue estimates that such a change could net the state $260 million a year more in tax collections, which Black says could easily address the projected $527 million hole in the current two year state budget.

The loophole is in reference to current state law, which allows out of state businesses to avoid corporate income taxes in Wisconsin by shifting their earnings to states that don't collect them, such as Nevada.

Black says closing the loophole is an easy fix that could help the state avoid more painful cuts or fund raids, which could damage budgets for years to come.

The Madison Democrat also disagrees with those who say the change could drive employers out of Wisconsin. He says it forces those companies to just keep their profits in Wisconsin, which could actually result in the creation of more jobs.

Black says he's only asking that major corporations pay their fair share of taxes.

Stimulus check is in the mail, so to speak

info@wrn.com - Fri, 09 May 2008 05:12:00 -0000

Millions of people looking for extra money are calling the IRS inquiring about that stimulus payment.  

In response to phone calls, emails and website searches regarding the so-called economic stimulus check, the Internal Revenue Service compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions , and included the answers.  

"The number one question people have is ' when will I get my payment or check ?' And the answer generally depends on the option you chose when you filed your 2007 tax return." 

Christopher Miller with the IRS says, direct deposit payments started going out last week, and paper payments are starting now; payments will continue through mid-July. Miller says the exact date of receipt depends on the last two digits of your social security number. ( Payment schedule )

"If you've already filed your 2007 tax return, just sit tight; the payment will be on its way." 

Miller says last week, 7.7 million payments were directly deposited, totaling more than $7 billion, with an average payment of $920. 

"In the end, approximately 130 million economic stimulus payments will go out and it should total about $110-billion." 

The IRS call center and website have been inundated, Miller says, with inquiries about the payment schedule, direct deposit concerns, eligibility requirements and payment amounts. 

The IRS reminds Americans that the agency will not call or email about the stimulus payments. If you get an email, it's likely a scam. Forward such messages to the IRS email scam department.