Midwest Airlines To Cut 109 Jobs, Flights

Click on the title of this blog for the story. You can also watch a video here:

http://www.wisn.com/video/15904301/index.html?treets=mil&tid=2654056049813&tml=mil_12pm&tmi=mil_12pm_1_12000204172008&ts=H

Harley To Cut Jobs Following Earnings Tumble

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Fredd Kessler calling upon the Governer to take power away from constinuency, and give it to the state

State Representative Frederick P. Kessler (D-Milwaukee) is asking Governor Jim Doyle to include in any special sessions a vote on a constitutional ammendment that would eliminate the voting process for Justices of the Supreme Court, and hand that power of the voting public over to the Governor as an appointment authority.

Click on the title of this blog for the story.

"Alcohol Abuse Experts" lobbying to increase state's Beer Tax

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Rising flour prices due to ethanol demand puts many small bakers out of business

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Capital Area Regional Planning Commission

The non-elected planning body CARPC is seeking to limit local control, and expand central planning in Dane County.

Tyco Electronics closing Milwaukee plant

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"The attitude in Milwaukee toward business is awful"

Briggs CEO says moving Brigg's headquarters "could happen."

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Atheists Shut Down Wisconsin VA Christian Bookstore

I have to wonder if the FFRF has ever protested the presence Islamic vendors. Ever.

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Milwaukee turns away BuySeasons Inc.,

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Special thanks to Sheboygan Shenanigans for adding Leaving Wisconsin to their Blogroll

http://sheboyganshenanigans.com/

Famous Footwear headquarters relocating from Madison to St. Louis

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Plant Closing and Mass Layoff Notices for 2008

Businesses in Wisconsin that employ 50 or more people must give written notice 60 days before implementing a "business (plant) closing" or "mass layoff" in the state.

Click on the title of this blog to see the list of closing businesses for 2008.

Hosptial Association says Wisconsin taxpayers support .7% hospital tax

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Zurheide Ice Cream closing its doors

Cites the increases in price of core ingredients as the cause.

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Modine Manufacturing Co. closing Logansport Plant

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Wisconsin Biofuels Destiny Conference to focus on driving the price of corn sky high

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PETA wants northwestern Wisconsin school to scrap hunting pictures

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COWS recommends raising taxes and spending more

The Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS), has released a report on Wisconsin's growing income inequality. The report can be viewed in a PDF file in its entirety.

The report states:

At the very top of the income distribution—the richest five percent of the population—the story is more extreme. Income at the very top grew by nearly 60 percent.

From the mid 1980s to the mid 2000s, the average real income of Wisconsin families in the bottom fifth of earnings grew only 7 percent.

Income at the middle of the income distribution in Wisconsin grew somewhat faster but was still rather sluggish, with income up only 14 percent ($6,583) over the 17-year period.

The report then goes on to recommend fixes for this problems and states this in it's conclusion:

Wisconsin’s growth and prosperity are not being equally shared. The rewards of prosperity have been concentrated on the richest 20 percent of families. As a state, this should be of substantial concern, not only because of the slow growth in incomes for the remaining 80 percent of families, but also because increasing disparity comes with substantial social costs.

To prevent a deepening divide between the rich and poor
in our state, Wisconsin should pursue a number of strategies:

• raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation
• building the skills and education of Wisconsin’s workers
• adequately funding the child care subsidy program for low-income working families
• promoting awareness of BadgerCare Plus and expanding it in 2009 to make
• health insurance available to low-income childless adults
• continuing to modernizing the unemployment insurance system
• reforming regressive taxes

Taking these steps would help keep Wisconsin’s economy growing, and ensure that all residents of the state would benefit from that growth.

Wisconsin's State and Local Tax Burden, 1970-2007

Wisconsin has a tax burden higher than the national average, and has been in the top 10 most taxed states for decades.

Click on the title of this blog for the full story.

Thanks to Free Whitewater for reporting on Leaving Wisconsin and directing us to this information.

Doyle appointee working to raise gas tax

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Miller Brewing Company's future in Milwaukee uncertain

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College Graduates flee Wisconsin

Wisconsin college graduates ages 22 to 29 are leaving Wisconsin upon graduation.

Maple Leaf Farms plant in Franksville closing in May

Maple Leaf Farms Inc. will be closing its Franksville plant in Racine County sometime in May. This closing represents the loss of 175 jobs. Rade Dimitrijevic, a representative of the company, cited the rising cost of corn as the cause of the closure.

The New England confectionary Co. in Pewaukee closing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,

For more information, contact:info@savethecandyraisins.com

Candy Fans LaunchSaveTheCandyRaisins.com

Green Bay, WI: Natives of Southeastern Wisconsin have grown up with a unique regional candy called Candy Raisins for decades. These candies are a translucent brown, gum drop-like confectionary that are now endangered.

The New England Confectionary Co. (NECCO) has owned the patent on (and the only production facility of) the candy since the mid-1970s. They recently announced the closure of that Pewaukee, WI plant (Stark Candy Co.) and with it, production of Candy Raisins. They are still undecided if they will move production to their Massachusetts plant, or cease production altogether. The company cites overseas competition as a key factor in the plant closure.

West Allis, WI native (and Green Bay resident) Gary Radke has launched a website to help save these tasty treats from his childhood. The site, www.SaveTheCandyRaisins.com features background on the candies and their current plight. Most importantly, it has an online petition that Candy Raisin lovers can sign in hopes of saving this regional delicacy.

Radke hopes to get the word out to Milwaukee area natives who know and love the candy. “As soon as the article came out I exchanged emails with a friend who is also a big Candy Raisin fan. We decided that we had to do something to try and save this icon of our childhood,” said Radke.

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