Many small communities and rural areas have designated places where cars and all-terrain vehicles share the road. Safety advocates say that is a bad idea.
Tag: safety
Posted inEconomy, Health & Welfare
Bowing to pressure, fireplace makers step up safety measures
To stave off regulation and lawsuits over severe burns to toddlers, manufacturers will provide protective screens as standard equipment with new gas fireplaces. The industry has revised its voluntary guidelines to call for the addition of mesh screens to be permanently attached to new fireplaces to prevent contact with the scorching glass fronts, which get hot enough to melt skin.
Posted inWisWatch Blog
Wisconsin InfoLink: Fatal car crash stats way down
A recent traffic crash in Fitchburg claimed the lives of four young men, and the driver has been tentatively charged with four counts of homicide by drunken driving. According to a national survey, Wisconsin leads the nation in drunken driving.
Posted inGovernment, Justice & Safety, Money & Politics
A long wait yields expansive new freedoms
Wisconsin’s new law, which allows citizens to carry concealed weapons, has been hailed by the NRA as “one of the nation’s strongest.”
Posted inGovernment, Justice & Safety
Security after 9/11: 10 Years Later — Project Overview
In this collaborative project, the Center and Gannett Wisconsin Media explore the question: A decade after 9/11, are we safer? With a three-part series, regional stories from Gannett’s newspapers, interactive multimedia and more.
Posted inGovernment, Justice & Safety
Fatal blast at Wisconsin ‘model workplace’ raises questions about OSHA program
American Packaging Corp. in Columbus is supposed to be one of the safest places to work. In 2009, the company was recognized as a model of safety when it joined other Wisconsin workplaces, now totaling 49, in a voluntary compliance program run by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. But accidents happen, even in the safest places.
Posted inEconomy, Government
Should raw milk sales be legalized?
For farmer Brian Wickert, the raw milk bill is about having the freedom to live without interference from the government. But for health officials in America’s Dairyland, it’s about potentially exposing unsuspecting citizens to disease-causing bacteria. At the crux of this debate is the age-old question: How much should government protect its citizens from possible hazards?
Posted inEconomy, Health & Welfare
Burn cases turn up the heat on fireplace makers
In September, a family’s vacation in Wisconsin Dells turned tragic when an infant touched the glass front of a fireplace and suffered third-degree burns at a resort hotel. Manufacturers of gas fireplaces are being buffeted by lawsuits and the threat of federal regulation amid heightened concerns about the risk of burns from the appliances, which can get hot enough to melt skin.
Posted inGovernment, Justice & Safety, WisWatch Blog
Aviation database reveals frequent safety problems at airports
A six-month examination of more than 150,000 reports filed by pilots and others in the aviation industry over the past 20 years reveals surprising and sometimes shocking safety breaches and close calls at local, regional and major airports throughout the country.
Posted inEnvironment, Justice & Safety
Deer, coyotes and turkeys, oh my!
Just as Doug Drost was landing at the Shell Lake airport, his wife, Karen Drost, saw something hurtling out of the darkness toward their Cessna 210. Something big. “Deer, deer, deer!” she screamed. That hit on the northwestern Wisconsin runway — which caused $12,000 in damage — is a story that plays out over and over in this increasingly deer-ridden country.
Posted inWisWatch Blog
Wisconsin InfoLink: The joy (and danger) of snowmobiles
Trails, maps, snow reports, safety tips and statistics for snowmobilers, from librarian-blogger Ron Larson.
Posted inEconomy
Russian student’s death highlights lack of public transit in the Dells
Since the area has no public transit besides taxi, many of estimated 2,000 international students who come to work in the Dells each summer ride bicycles to get around. Of the 21 bicycle-vehicle crashes reported in Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton since 2008, police reports indicate 19 involved international student riders.