MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker has signed a Republican-authored bill that would ensure scores on the statewide Badger Exam public school children are taking this spring aren't used against teachers or put on report cards measuring school performance. The Badger Exam was beset with a host of problems that generated widespread criticism from parents, school districts, state policymakers and the governor. Since the test is tied to the […]
EMS Strong. That’s the them for Emergency Medical Services Week this week. Fond du Lac Assistant Fire Chief Todd Janquardt says the week focuses on EMS as an indispensable part of the health care continuum. Janquardt says EMS workers experience a rollercoaster of emotions in their daily lives from the elation of saving a life to responding to the most horrific accidents and tragedies. "The amount of psychological load that […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Home-schooled students and those attending private, virtual or charter schools would have to be allowed to play sports and participate in extracurricular activities at their local public school under a proposal backed by Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature. The proposal was added to the state budget by the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee early Wednesday morning. A student attending a charter school or a private school could […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin schools would be able to hire people who don't have a bachelor's degree to teach subjects like math, science, technology and engineering under a proposal approved by the Legislature's budget-writing committee. The Joint Finance Committee approved the proposal to create a new alternative track for people with real-life experience to get licensed to teach early Wednesday morning. The proposal would require anyone with a bachelor's […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Legislature's budget-writing committee has approved a wide-ranging Republican plan to increase public school funding and do away with an enrollment cap in the private school voucher program. The Joint Finance Committee voted 12-4 with all Republicans in support and Democrats against early Wednesday morning to approve the plan after about five hours of debate. It is now added to the two-year state budget, which the […]
Ripon city officials are meeting with the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation Tuesday to discuss the next step following an announcement that ConAgra Foods is closing one of its cookie plants in Ripon. FCEDC president Steve Jenkins says the news came as a complete surprise. "I think its unfortunate that ConAgra did not notify Ripon or the county or us that they were getting ready to make that […]
A Democratic state lawmaker says the minimum wage needs to increase so people can earn a liveable wage and raise a family. State representative Melissa Sargent recently introduced a bill to double the state minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour. Sargent says residents deserve to be paid a fair wage for their work. Sargent tells WFDL news poll after poll shows Wisconsin resident support an increase in […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Legislature's budget committee has approved spending an additional $5 million above previous estimates to pay for housing inmates in the state prison system. The committee's action Tuesday was needed because the prison population growth estimates in Gov. Scott Walker's budget released in February are already outdated for both the state's female and male prison populations. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau says the state will have to […]
Fond du Lac police want to hear from residents about their concerns regarding crime issues in their neighborhood. The final in a series of community forums is being held at 5pm to 6pm Tuesday at the Fond du Lac Police Department on N. Main Street for residents of the central district. Assistant police chief Steve Klein says that covers an area from HWY 45 at the North city limits going […]