WKOW 27: More details needed before north side neighbors support Foxconn move to area
Driving by the vacant former Oscar Mayer plant on the city’s north side, one could see it as an eyesore. But many living in the area see it at an opportunity for businesses. But nobody put much thought into Foxconn moving into the vacant property, except for Mayor Paul Soglin.
At a press conference Thursday, Mayor Soglin said he was contacted by Foxconn about a potential facility in Madison. During the 10-minute conversation with a mediator, Soglin said he suggested three sites. One of them was the old Oscar Mayer plant.
“When you’ve got an industrial site within a stones throw of an airport near a rail-line, an interstate highway,” Soglin said in support of the idea.
The mayor’s suggestion quickly sparked discussion in north and east side neighborhoods. But it seems a lot more details are needed for the idea to gain public support.
“There’s not a whole lot of details out there yet,” said Renee Walk, a resident who lives walking distance from the plant. She is also the co-chair of the OSCAR Group, an organization that tries to keep the everyone on the same page with future plans regarding the plant.
Post-Crescent: Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue tours Wisconsin, talks about immigration, NAFTA
As farmers wrestle with issues as wide-ranging as immigration, foreign trade and distressingly low prices for their products, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue kicked off a multi-state tour in Wisconsin on Thursday so he could hear their concerns firsthand.
Perdue’s visit included a stop at the Hunger Task Force Farm in Franklin, where he picked sweet corn. His RV tour also will include visits to Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.
Named agriculture secretary in April, Perdue is the son of a Georgia farmer and has owned several agricultural businesses. He is not associated with the food company Perdue or the poultry producer Perdue Farms.
One of his main tasks this year is working with Congress on the next five-year farm bill, which will set the direction for agricultural policies and food programs.
WKOW 27: Bill calls for firearms training in Wisconsin schools
A bill that would allow firearms training in Wisconsin public schools brought out some strong emotions at the Wisconsin State Capitol Thursday.
The legislation would task the State Department of Public Instruction to develop a firearms training curriculum, so students could learn about the history of firearms, the physics behind them, how they’re manufactured and shooting with them.
Rep. Gary Hebl of Sun Prairie says, “To encourage the use of guns on school grounds is something that I abhor and oppose, as do my constituents to a person at this point.”
Rep. Joel Kleefisch of Oconomowoc says, “You describe the atmosphere in the schools you represent – and if they decide that that’s an atmosphere that they’d prefer not to have these types of classes, they have every right.”
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