First Big Brush With Winter For Northeast Wisconsin

After a mild and near snowless November and December it appears all good things must come to an end.  From the National Weather Service:

URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 301 PM CST WED JAN 11 2012 …SNOW EXPECTED TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT TRAVEL CONDITIONS THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS… .A COMPLEX STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES REGION TONIGHT. SNOW FROM THE STORM WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA FROM WEST TO EAST TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING…AND THEN CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT.THE SNOW WILL SLOWLY DIMINISH FROM WEST TO EAST LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING. WIZ022-038>040-048>050-073-074-120515- /O.UPG.KGRB.WS.A.0001.120112T1200Z-120113T1200Z/ /O.NEW.KGRB.WW.Y.0002.120112T1500Z-120113T1500Z/ DOOR-OUTAGAMIE-BROWN-KEWAUNEE-WINNEBAGO-CALUMET-MANITOWOC- SOUTHERN MARINETTE-SOUTHERN OCONTO- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…STURGEON BAY…APPLETON…GREEN BAY… ALGOMA…OSHKOSH…CHILTON…TWO RIVERS…CRIVITZ 301 PM CST WED JAN 11 2012 …WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THURSDAY TO 9 AM CST FRIDAY… THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREEN BAY HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THURSDAY TO 9 AM CST FRIDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. * SNOW WILL BEGIN THURSDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY MORNING. * 5 TO 7 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. * THE COMBINATION OF SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS WILL LEAD TO POOR ROAD CONDITIONS AND HAZARDOUS TRAVEL.

Rockline to expand

Great news for the Sheboygan area.

Rockline Industries Inc. today announced it plans to invest $10 million in new technology and add up to 60 family-supporting jobs with a 6,000-square-foot expansion of its Sheboygan plant.
Rockline recently announced it signed an agreement with a large multinational company that would expand production and increase job growth at its Sheboygan facility. As a result, the company will introduce new equipment to increase its wet wipe manufacturing capabilities.
Rockline president Randy Rudolph praised the company’s more than 650 employees for the commitment they have shown since the company was founded in 1976.
“This is a proud and special time in our company’s history, and it is due to the dedication, hard work and long-term commitment of our employees,” Rudolph said. “We are a family-owned business, and the lifeblood of the company and the main reason we are successful is because of our people.  Because of their hard work and the company’s ongoing commitment to Sheboygan, we’ve grown from a local, 35-person company to an international business that now employs more than 1,800 worldwide and is still growing – with Sheboygan as our home base.”

Time to add these to the number of jobs created since Governor Scott Walker took office.

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Take away the kids?

Where are the priorities & responsibility?

Two Sheboygan mothers have been charged with child neglect after leaving an 11-year-old babysitter to care for an infant with a 105-degree fever and four other children while they went bar hopping, according to a criminal complaint.

Sylvia Santoya, 27, of 1121 Ontario Ave., and Sheena M. Kroening, 25, of 2715 N. Eighth St., Apt. 1, were charged Thursday. Santoya faces three misdemeanor counts for her three children — including the infant — and Kroening two counts for her children.

According to a criminal complaint:

A neighbor of Kroening’s told police Santoya and Kroening decided to leave their children with Kroening’s 11-year-old sister so they could go to several taverns with another friend late on Dec. 18. The other four children were ages 9, 7, 2 and 2.

The neighbor promised to check in occasionally to make sure things were OK, but said she would not be babysitting.

Leaving five kids with an 11 year old to go bar hopping, when two are toddlers and one an infant??

The mothers left about 11 p.m., and the 11-year-old soon ran into problems when Santoya’s 7-month-old son woke up and wouldn’t stop crying. She called Santoya from the neighbor’s phone, but Santoya refused to come home and told her to tickle the baby or rub his back until he went to sleep.

Say what?? Waiting until 11 pm to go out and then refusing to come home when called by the young babysitter?  Don’t you think if you have kids that young maybe you should be home by that time?

The neighbor’s boyfriend attempted to care for the child after checking on the children, and found the baby was too congested to eat and had a high fever. The neighbor then contacted police.

Thankfully there were adults close-by that were responsible & realized there was a possible medical situation.

Officers arrived about 1:30 a.m. and called paramedics after touching the baby’s forehead. The child was taken to the hospital after paramedics discovered the 105-degree fever.

The mothers eventually returned home after being called by police. (Source: Moms charged with neglect after outing to bars – Sheboygan Press)

Young children, one a sick infant with an extremely high fever and you choose to go bar hopping? And then not return home until after a phone call from police. Ridiculous.  So how long did they take to return home?  “Eventually” sure doesn’t sound like immediate.

Where’s the responsibility?  It’s apparently lacking if you choose to leave your kids with an 11-year old in order to go bar hopping at 11 pm.  Especially when one of those kids is an infant who is sick.  It also shows that maybe you don’t care about your kids if you aren’t putting them first.  And deciding to go bar hopping at 11 pm isn’t putting them first.

Perhaps the kids should be taken away.

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Senator Leibham responds

State Senator Joe Leibham’s (R-Sheboygan) statement on the announcement of Gardner Denver’s decision to close its Thomas Products division in Sheboygan.

“Officially learning of Gardner Denver’s decision to close their Thomas Products division in Sheboygan is both disappointing and frustrating. I am disappointed because of the negative impact that this decision will have on the 370 employees and their families. Many of these employees have dedicated their lives to the success of Thomas Industries. In addition, this decision will have a negative ripple effect to many other area businesses who serve as suppliers to Thomas and to our community and area as a whole. We will all suffer due to the loss of this business, the good paying jobs they provided and the investment they made in our community.

“I was pleased to help lead an effort to put together a competitive local/state government incentive package that offered 100% of the support Thomas requested – and more. The incentive package was unprecedented in the scope of what was offered and the collaborative and timely way in which it was presented. Thomas officials have shared with me that our package was competitive with what was offered by the state of Louisiana and expressed sincere appreciation for the support offered by both the state and local taxpayers. Unfortunately, this was just one part of the overall equation.

“I am frustrated because I have been informed by employees at Thomas that a big part of the decision to move south was the fact that the management and union leadership where unable to resolve a few key contractual differences. Especially frustrating is the fact that there seemed to be little interest in trying to honestly negotiate these issues despite the best efforts of myself and others. I personally attempted to bring the sides together on three different occasions but never received a return phone call from the local union leadership.

“I am also frustrated because I personally believe this decision further demonstrates the fact that the state of Wisconsin is becoming even less competitive the in area of business development, job retention and growth. In the same week in which our state government was made aware of Thomas’ pending decision to potentially eliminate hundreds of good paying jobs, Governor Jim Doyle and the majority of the State Legislature voted to approve over $1.2 billion in new “anti-job” taxes. I argued against and confidently voted “No” on the record tax increase package because it was made clear to me during my visits earlier in the week that Wisconsin was already uncompetitive in regard to tax policy and that making things worse would not help.

“Then, just one week later, Governor Doyle introduced his next state budget plan that proposes to increase taxes and fees by an additional $1.7 billion.

“This is a sad day for the employees and families of Thomas and a troubling time for our area and our state.

“I will work to assist the employees of Thomas with the unemployment services that may be available to them and, more importantly continue my efforts to have our state government become more respectful and supportive of the businesses that call our state home and the jobs that they create.”