KINGSTON, Ont. â€” The Tragically Hip mixed fan favourites, newer songs and some politics on Saturday night during the final show of their "Man Machine Poem" tour.
Lead singer Gord Downie, who started the show wearing a metallic silver suit and hat with a "Jaws" T-shirt underneath, hugged and kissed his bandmates before they stepped on stage at the K-Rock Centre in the group's hometown of Kingston, Ont.
Minutes earlier, as the raucous sold-out crowd waited for the band to emerge, an impromptu rendition of O Canada broke out and a banner reading "Thank You Prime Minister Downie!" was passed around the arena.
The band immediately gave fans what they wanted to hear, starting their set with four straight hits from the classic album "Fully Completely:" opener "50 Mission Cap," followed by "Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)," "Wheat Kings" and "At the Hundredth Meridian."
The Hip then segued into their latest album "Man Machine Poem," with four tracks including the single "In a World Possessed by the Human Mind."
Before "Machine," Downie launched into one of his trademark onstage rants, calling out to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was in the crowd for the show. Trudeau's official photographer tweeted a photo of the prime minister and Downie embracing before the concert.
"Well, you know, prime minister Trudeau's got me, his work with First Nations. He's got everybody. He's going to take us where we need to go," Downie said from the stage.
"It's going to take us 100 years to figure out what the hell went on up there," he continued, "but it isn't cool and everybody knows that. It's really, really bad, but we're going to figure it out, you're going to figure it out."
Many anticipate this will be the band's final tour, given the recent news that Downie is battling terminal brain cancer.
Before performing the "Road Apples" song "Fiddler's Green," Downie seemed to reference the outpouring of support from fans in the wake of his diagnosis.
"Thank you, people, for keeping me pushing and keeping me pushing," he said, which prompted a "Gordie!" chant from the audience.
After playing 21 songs, Downie and his fellow bandmates â€” guitarists Rob Baker and Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay â€” embraced and prepared to retire for a pre-encore break. Downie was left alone on stage to take in the roaring ovation.
After returning for a few more songs, Downie again spoke about his fondness for Trudeau.
"Thank you to the prime minister for coming to our show, it really means a lot to all of us," he said.
"We're in good hands, folks, real good hands. He cares about the people way up North, that we were trained our entire lives to ignore, trained our entire lives to hear not a word of what's going on up there. And what's going on up there ain't good. It's maybe worse than it's ever been, so it's not on the improve. (But) we're going to get it fixed and we got the guy to do it, to start, to help.
"Thank you everybody. Thanks for listening to that. Thanks for listening, period. Have a nice life."
David Friend, The Canadian Press

Downie calls out to Trudeau during Tragically Hip's final show of tour


Tragically Hip kick off tour's final show with fan favourites


A routine check-up at the hospital has turned into a nightmare for a Prince Rupert woman.
A month-and-a-half after having an endoscopy to inspect her nose and throat, Joan Dudoward received a letter from Northern Health stating that the endoscope used at the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital was not cleaned properly.
From April until the end of June 2016, the endoscope, which is a flexible tube with a light and a camera used in nonsurgical procedures, was being cleaned with the wrong cleaning solution to disinfect the equipment. There were 104 patients affected and Dudoward was one of them.
“I was majorly stressed out,” she said in an exclusive interview with the Northern View. “I'm a cancer survivor. I try to keep my health up for my mom, I'm a caregiver for a 95-year-old woman.”
Dudoward had gone to the Prince Rupert hospital for an endoscopy on June 29 at 3:30 p.m. after complaining to her physician about reoccurring plugged ears and a sore throat. She received the letter from Northern Health on Aug.24, which stated the error did not impact the diagnostic outcome of the tests and the process error has been corrected.
The letter also states that the BC Centre for Disease Control has been consulted and “the risk of a patient being exposed to a virus as a result of this process error is extremely low.” The contact number for the director of acute care services is offered in case she has any other questions or concerns. Dudoward has many.
She called to find out why the instrument wasn't cleaned, what had happened and how many people had gone through the procedure before and after her. “She said she's not permitted to tell me anything about this,” was the response Dudoward said she received.
The vice-president of medicine for the Northern Health authority, Dr. Ronald Chapman, was quick to respond to media inquiries and stressed the importance of transparency. He said, based on previous experience, once they realized the mistake had occurred they consulted the BC Centre for Disease Control as well as the Northern Health infectious disease specialist in Prince George.
“The risk for the patient is extremely low. We're not concerned that it will at all have any negative impact on their health,” Dr. Chapman said. He added that it's Northern Health's policy to make patients aware even if the risk to them is low. “We believe it's important to be open with those patients and to be fairly transparent so at least they are aware of the mistake. In this case, we don't recommend any particular follow up or tests for the patients.”
This type of process error has happened before, Dr. Chapman confirmed. Not with the same scope, but he said there are many different endoscopes used and each are made by different manufacturers that have various recommendations on how to clean the equipment.
“The health sector is run by human beings and it's fairly complex. If mistakes do happen what we encourage our staff to do is to make management aware so they can learn from that experience,” he said. “I'm happy to say where those mistakes have happened in our environment, a process has been put in place and we haven't had any repetitions after some of those learning experiences.”
For the 104 patients that were affected by this incident, Dr. Chapman said their general practitioners have been notified and if they have any questions they can speak to them and the infectious disease specialist. They can also contact Northern Health's Patient Care Quality Officeto register a complaint.
For Dudoward, who had a bone marrow transplant in 2011 to battle leukemia, she is concerned and has already scheduled a meeting with her physician in early September.
“I'm thinking that my body is not going to be able to fight off infection like I was able to before the cancer because chemo takes a lot out of your body so this is like a bomb exploding in my life,” she said.

VIDEO: Prince Rupert woman treated with unclean medical equipment, Northern Health, B.C. Centre for Disease Control confirms more than a hundred affected


Two months after having an endoscopy Joan Dudoward received a letter telling her that the endoscope used was not cleaned properly.


Jordan Bateman, Canadian Taxpayers' Federation
The B.C. government is hearing objections from businesses and individuals faced with increasing Canada Pension Plan contributions in the coming years, and is the last province needed to ratify the increase.
Instead of joining other provinces in meeting the federal government's July deadline to adopt the change, the B.C. government launched a consultation phase expected to run through August. And they are getting push-back on a plan that would increase payroll deductions and employer contributions starting in 2019.
Jordan Bateman, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation, said he's receiving hundreds of responses to his call to supporters to make their views known to the B.C. government. Most concerned are employers who would pay higher contributions for each of their employees.
Employer and employee contributions are to go up from the current 4.95 per cent of earnings to 5.95 per cent by 2023. For each employee earning $54,900, the employer contribution goes up $7 to $8 per month in each of the first five years of the phase-in.
"Obviously, lots of people are concerned about having to pay more," Bateman said. "But the interesting ones are the small business owners who talk about just how close to the edge they are financially."
B.C. Finance Minister Mike de Jong joined other provinces in agreeing in principle to the expansion in June. Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau said he is concerned about the decline in workplace pension plans and wants the CPP to move from replacing one quarter of employment income to one third by 2025.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business surveyed its members nation-wide when the CPP plan was announced, and more than 80 per cent wanted consultation and a delay of implementation. Morneau has indicated he plans to table legislation this fall.
B.C.'s refusal to sign on could derail the federal plan, but it shows little intention of doing so.
"British Columbia is committed to engaging with stakeholders in advance of ratifying the agreement in principle," said the statement from de Jong's office announcing the consultation.
The province's consultation website and feedback address can be found here.


B.C. stands in the way of Justin Trudeau government's plan to hike Canada Pension Plan contributions, but likely not for long


The B.C. government has approved a master development plan for a new year-round ski resort in the Cariboo Mountains west of Valemount.
Valemount Glacier Destination Resort is a $175 million project led by Oberto Oberti, who designed the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden and the controversial Jumbo Glacier Resort proposal west of Invermere.
The Valemount plan includes lifts and gondolas that would carry skiers and sight-seers to the summits of Mount Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Mount Arthur Meighen. Its vertical drop of 2,050 metres would be higher than Whistler-Blackcomb and the largest in North America.
"There are very few places in the world, and none in North America, where you go and ride a lift to the very top and the glacier is below you," said Jill Bodkin, a director of the company.
Valemount is a remote community of about 1,000 residents near the Alberta border east of Prince George. The region is west of Jasper National Park, which attracts visitors from around the world.
On the project's website, Oberti says people will travel to Switzerland for this kind of mountain resort experience, so a three-hour drive from Prince George isn't an obstacle to success.
Valemount Mayor Jeanette Townsend called the master plan approval "exciting news." She said the community attracts visitors who stay there to avoid the expensive accommodation in Jasper and the resort will take it to the next level.
Chief Nathan Matthew of the Simpcw First Nation said his community has been involved since the beginning, and he sees the project as an important economic development for the northern part of Simpcw's traditional territory.

B.C. approves Valemount glacier resort plan


Designer of Kicking Horse and Jumbo resorts gets approval to proceed with $175 million project east of Prince George


Vancouver Giants vice president Dale Saip and general manager Glen Hanlon (photo below) spoke at the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce meeting on Aug. 16 at the Langley Golf Centre.
In Glen Hanlon’s 14-year NHL career, he played for four teams: the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings.
Three of those stops — with St. Louis being the lone exception — were in front of passionate home crowds.
And having that support in the stands makes a big difference for players.
“The environment means everything,” Hanlon said on Tuesday night at the Langley Golf Centre.
Hanlon, the Vancouver Giants general manager, and Dale Saip, the major junior hockey club’s vice president, were the guest speakers at the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce meeting.
The pair were discussing the Western Hockey League club’s move from the Pacific Coliseum — their home for the team’s first 15 years — to the Langley Events Centre for the upcoming season.
“We are going from the St. Louis in my life … where the environment has worn itself out, to a place that is lively,” said Hanlon, the team’s rookie general manager.
And like it was when he was a player, Hanlon said the Giants players will feed off the atmosphere and excitement of the home crowd at the LEC.
“Believe me, the kids will eat this up,” he said.
The Giants played six games at the LEC in 2010, when the team was displaced from the Coliseum during the Vancouver Olympic Games.
“I have spent the past six years convincing my ownership group this is where we need to be,” Saip said, calling the LEC a wonderful facility.
In addition to a great facility, more of the team’s major sponsors — White Spot, Overwaitea Food Group and Tim Horton’s, to name a few — are out this way.
And while the Pacific Coliseum is a historic venue — it was also the original home of the Vancouver Canucks — it is lacking in viable transit options.
“It just made sense for us to be here (Langley),” Saip said.
“We are going to make sure this is a great place to watch hockey and have some fun,” he added.
The LEC is also undergoing some work to get ready for its new tenant.
The lighting system is being upgraded, a Triple O’s is being added to the concession, and more parking is being added.
The Giants have already sold out their platinum club seats and are nearing a sell-out on the club seats and centre ice back locations.
All that remains are centre ice front (the first six rows on one side of the rink and the first three rows on the other) and the end zone tickets on both sides of the rink.

Giants ready for 'lively' atmosphere at Langley Events Centre


Vancouver Giants players will feed off the home crowd energy predicts general manager


The union representing most workers at Canada Post has issued a 72-hour notice of job action as it tries to bargain a collective agreement with the Crown corporation.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says the notice spells out what actions it is planning, but stops short of a full-blown walkout.
CUPW national president Mike Palecek says Canada Post forced the labour disruption by refusing to accept a request from the federal labour minister to continue negotiations with the help of a special mediator.
But a spokesman for the agency says that's not the case.
The union's strike mandate was set to expire at midnight.
The two sides have been in negotiations for more than nine months but are far apart on key issues including pay equity for rural carriers and proposed changes to the Canada Post pension plan.
The Canadian Press

Postal union issues strike notice after it says Canada Post refused special mediator


Notice means delivery could be cancelled as early as Monday


Modified versions of the 1969 Camaro SS and other popular vehicles will soon be eligible for B.C. collector plates, allowing occasional use for parades and car shows.
The B.C. government is expanding its collector vehicle licence system to include eligible modified cars made between 1958 and 1974, to capture the popular "muscle car" era of the 1960s.
The ICBC collector plate program gives car enthusiasts a lower-cost licence plate that allows occasional use for parades and classic car shows. ICBC plans to take applications starting in 2017 for eligible modified vehicles up to 1974, and replica cars resembling North American production cars from 1942 and earlier.
With strict rules that the cars must be in "collectible condition," changes will take in modified popular cars from the Dodge Duster to the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang, as well as replicas of the popular Ford "deuce coupe" from the 1930s.
Premier Christy Clark announced a break for older cars this spring, allowing vehicles from 1940 or earlier and their replicas to run without fenders or mud flaps when the highway is dry and paved.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone said the collector car industry is significant for B.C., with registered collector vehicles having doubled to 26,000 in the past 10 years.
"We want to see this specialty vehicle program remain viable, preserve vehicle history and evolve with the times," Stone said. "That's why we are opening up the opportunity to owners of specialty cars within the 'muscle car' era."
Currently, the standard collector plate is available to cars 25 years or older, as well as discontinued or limited production vehicles 15 years or older. It requires a stock engine with no performance enhancements, no rust, dents or "significant wear and tear" of the interior.
Modified vehicles from 1958 or older are currently eligible for collector plates, if they retain the shell of the original body but have parts replaced or modified in the chassis, engine, suspension, steering or brakes.
Owners have to apply for a collector or modified collector plate, with purchase and parts bills, photos and inspection reports.
Applications for collector and modified collector programs are available on ICBC's website, www.icbc.com, and can be dropped off at Autoplan brokers.

Collector program expanding to 'muscle cars'


Collector plates will be available next year for modified as well as stock cars made between 1958 and 1974


Cameras were the focus as 70 photographers from across B.C., including Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Kelowna and Nelson, competed in the fourth annual Next Generation BC Amateur Photographer of the Year Contest at the recent Abbotsford International Airshow.
Sponsored by London Drugs and Black Press Media, the contest took place Aug. 12-14, as participants captured their best air, crowd, static, and wildcard shots.
Photographers experienced close-up action at the airshow including Friday's twilight show, and earned the "hot-side" tour at the airshow where they shot exclusive aircraft including the F-35, CF-18, FA-18, Breitling Jet Team, the Snowbirds and more for a chance to win the title of B.C.'s next Amateur Photographer title.
Awarding categories also include The Best in-air photograph ($750 grand prize), The Best ground/static scene photograph ($500 prize),The Best crowd scene photograph ($250 prize ), The Best video submission ($500 prize) all courtesy of London Drugs and honorary acknowledgement for Best Wildcard entry.
For the People's Choice Award Winner, the time has arrived for the public to vote on their favourite photo and be entered for a chance to win BC Lions game tickets.
For voting and contest information, click here.

Voting open for People's Choice Amateur Photography Competition


Photographers from across the province competed in amateur competition


A totally spontaneous expression of gratitude breaks out for Premier Christy Clark and Cariboo North MLA Coralee Oakes at the Quesnel rodeo after a rural school fund was announced in June.
Comedian Steve Smith, better known as Red Green, is touring B.C. in September, reprising his popular TV series in which he fixes every conceivable problem with duct tape.
Green’s “I’m Not Old I’m Ripe” tour hits Chilliwack, Victoria, Nanaimo, Courtenay, Surrey, Vernon, Kelowna and Prince George.
His formula for deploying the handyman’s secret weapon has proven so popular that Premier Christy Clark may have been inspired. She’s had quite a flurry of hasty repairs in the last few months. Here’s a recap.
The B.C. minimum wage was starting to lag behind other provinces, even after the overhaul it received in 2015, where annual increases are tied to inflation.
Like Red’s truck tires, there has been a lack of inflation, and a surge of government spending back east leaving B.C. in the dust. B.C.’s wage rose 20 cents last year and was set to go up by another whole dime this fall.
There was that familiar ripping sound in May as Clark and Jobs Minister Shirley Bond announced the September increase will be patched up to 40 cents, with another 40-cent increase next fall. Two wraps should hold it until after the election.
Remember the episode where Red taped two old Hyundai Ponies side by side to make a handyman’s Hummer? The school system has seen that kind of work in recent months.
The first roll was applied by Education Minister Mike Bernier when he announced in March that the ministry’s “fix-it fund” was going from $35 million to $40 million. Then in mid-May, he announced 80 successful projects. The “fix-it fund” had fattened to $45 million, and Bernier was just getting his sleeves rolled up.
Hey school districts, remember the $25 million in “administrative savings” the ministry demanded for the second year in a row? Now that you’ve squeezed that from your budgets, Bernier’s good news at the end of May was that the government’s giving it back to use for “front line services for students.”
One of those services could be “maintaining schools despite falling enrolment in certain regions,” Bernier announced May 31, foreshadowing the next layer of repairs.
Sure enough, a “rural schools fund” was rolled out on June 15. Clark and Cariboo North MLA Coralee Oakes made the announcement in Quesnel, where Kersley and Parkland elementary schools were going to close.
Also eligible for a special fund was Okanagan-Similkameen, where Osoyoos high school students were going to be bused a half hour to Oliver. This is hardly unusual in rural schooling around B.C., but these are swing ridings, you see.
Kootenay Lake district declined the opportunity to keep Yahk elementary open, with an anticipated fall enrolment of zero students. This all comes during the annual ritual combat between the ministry and Vancouver school board over keeping half-empty schools open.
Bernier had one more roll in his overalls. School bus service, one of those things jettisoned or saddled with hundreds of dollars in fees per student as districts scraped up those “administrative savings,” was selectively saved with another $15 million fund announced last week.
There have been a few other country fixes. They’re not going to ban weddings on farms any more, for instance.
That old jalopy in the back yard you’ve been trying to soup up and get back on the road? Soon you can get a collector plate for that thing, which is perfect if you can only get it running once or twice a year.
To paraphrase Red, if the voters don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc

BC VIEWS: Premier Red Green’s fast fixes


Premier Christy Clark has pulled out the duct tape to fix up rural schools, school buses and the minimum wage


BC Ferries sailings have been busier this year, thanks in part to strong tourist traffic and no net fare increase.
BC Ferries plans to continue its campaign of price promotions this fall and next spring in an effort to maintain increased passenger and vehicle traffic.
First-quarter results for the Crown corporation show passenger traffic up 2.5 per cent and vehicle loads up 5.1 per cent for the three months ended June 30, compared with the same period in 2015.
Buoyed by a strong tourist year for B.C. and no net fare increase, BC Ferries carried 5.3 million passengers and 2.1 million vehicles in April, May and June. The 1.9 per cent average fare hike was erased by a reduced fuel surcharge due to long-term contracts for cheaper diesel fuel.
Helped by reduced operating costs and higher retail sales from terminals and on-board gift shops, net earnings were $27 million for the quarter, up from $18.8 million in the same period last year. Revenues were up 4.9 per cent to $219 million, while costs for the quarter went up 1.5 per cent to $178.6 million.
BC Ferries CEO Mike Corrigan released the first-quarter results at the corporation's annual meeting in Victoria, where he also announced that unspecified pricing promotions will be offered this fall and next spring. This year BC Ferries has been offering discounts on over-length vehicles pulling boats or travel trailers.
Corrigan also announced he will be stepping down as CEO at the end of the fiscal year next March. He was promoted in 2012 to replace former CEO David Hahn, and presided over a controversial service review that saw sailings reduced on money-losing routes.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone praised Corrigan for reducing operating costs and embracing new technology, including three new medium-sized ferries using liquefied natural gas fuel that have been built in Poland.
LNG retrofits are also scheduled for the Spirit of B.C. and the Spirit of Vancouver Island, the workhorses of the main Tswassen-to-Vancouver Island route.
Corrigan's term also saw the first cable ferry in the BC Ferries fleet, the Baynes Sound Connector to Denman Island. Stone said the cable ferry cut fuel costs by half.

More discounts coming as BC Ferries traffic rises


Vehicle traffic up 5% with no net fare increase and discounts offered for vehicles pulling boats and travel trailers


Premier Christy Clark and Environment Minister Mary Polak plug in an electric car at an announcement of the government's latest climate change plan in Richmond Aug. 19.
A B.C. Liberal operative was out with the online spin hours before Premier Christy Clark confirmed the much-leaked news in a Friday afternoon announcement at an obscure location in Richmond.
The, er, freeze is continuing for B.C.’s ground-breaking, world-saving carbon tax, which hasn’t changed since before Clark was elected in 2013.
The spin was Olympic-themed, with a picture labeled to show B.C. as a swimmer far out in the lead in the pool, to symbolize that it’s the other provinces that need to catch up in the race to save the planet.
Clark has been saying that for years, and there is merit to it. Even without a tax on “process emissions” such as from cement kilns, B.C.’s carbon tax encourages imports of non-taxed cement from the U.S. and China.
Alberta business professor Andrew Leach, who advised the Stephen Harper and then Rachel Notley governments on greenhouse gas policies, summed up the problem this way.
“Until the rest of the world has policies that impose similar cost, you’re not actually reducing emissions to the extent you think,” Leach said. “You’re just displacing the emissions and the economic activity to other jurisdictions.”
Alberta is moving to join B.C. with a modest carbon tax, but the NDP government plans to spend the proceeds rather than return them in income tax as B.C. has done. And Washington state and most of the rest of the world have no carbon tax as such, so their businesses benefit from B.C.’s “climate leadership.”
B.C.’s foreign-funded eco-radical community was, needless to say, appalled. The Pembina Institute’s Matt Horne and career protesters Tzeporah Berman and Merran Smith were named to the premier’s advisory committee last year, along with business, academic and aboriginal representatives.
They concluded that increases to B.C.’s broad-based tax on carbon fuels should resume its upward march in 2018.
Other committee members, including the mayors of Surrey, Comox and Burns Lake, were not heard from. Public discussion on this issue is now reduced to a staged conflict between those who demand a holy war on deadly carbon dioxide “pollution,” and those who don’t care if their grandchildren perish in a hell-fire of fossil fuel use.
We’ve just come off another El Nino year, like the hot year of 1998. Regular readers will recall the last time I discussed this topic was this spring, where I questioned the premier’s dire warnings of another horrendous forest fire season.
What followed has been one of the slowest forest fire seasons in the last decade, although dry conditions have finally emerged this month. Climate predictions, like next week’s weather forecast, are less than consistent.
I am regularly sent messages calling me a “climate change denier,” the nonsense term that continues to be used by federal Environment Minister Catharine McKenna among many others. I know of no one who denies that climate is always changing, at times dramatically.
If you wish to believe that paying an extra seven cents a litre for gasoline in B.C. is helping to slow the very gradual increase in temperatures we’re seeing in the northern hemisphere, you are free to do so.
You may even be persuaded to take a government subsidy and buy an expensive, short-range electric car. Me, I’m off to Prince Rupert and Revelstoke pretty soon, so I’ll stick with my little four-cylinder gas sipper for now.
Hydro-powered B.C. represents a small fraction of the less than two per cent Canada contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions. We’re not the problem, and no, the world is not looking to us for guidance.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc


Premier Christy Clark isn't going into next year's election with a promise to jack up Canada's only significant carbon tax


Editor, The News:
Re: No help on school catchments (The News, Aug. 3).
Every time my family has moved to a new town, the first question we ask is where the nearest school is located?
The second question we ask is, what is the reputation of that school?
If we’re not happy with the answer to either question, we start looking for a home in a different neighborhood.
It should be routine for developers, school district planners, and city planners to meet and create a sensible plan for growth – and stick to the plan.
Tom Cmajdalka
Maple Ridge

Letters: Plan for growth, and stick to the plan


If we’re not happy with the answer to either question, we start looking for a home in a different neighborhood.


SURREY, B.C. – Fraser Health has launched a poster ad campaign bolstering its ongoing drive to raise awareness of what it says is the overdose crisis in British Columbia.
The posters will be displayed at transit stops, bars and restaurants, and are aimed at recreational and regular drug users, their families and friends.
One message on the stark, black and white posters says: "If you use drugs: Have a plan. Go slowly. Use with a buddy. Carry naloxone."
The posters also offer instructions for anyone finding an overdose victim, directing them to call 911, start emergency breathing and use naloxone, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Fraser Health says in a news release that it is confident about the effectiveness of the campaign because the posters were tested in focus groups of regular and recreational drug users.
In April, B.C.'s provincial health officer declared a public health emergency linked to the soaring number of opioid overdoses, and the declaration remains in effect.
Dr. Victoria Lee, Fraser Health's chief medical health officer, says the poster campaign is an extension of the health authority's ongoing public awareness campaign, but she says much more has been done to fight overdose deaths.
"We've created new substance-use beds to provide safe and supportive environments for people (who) require additional support on their road to recovery," Lee says in the release.
Over the last 12 to 18 months, Fraser Health has opened 50 new substance-use beds, including a three-bed program for youth and a 12-bed facility for women who are pregnant or have newborns.
A further 97 beds are slated to open by 2017 across the region, which stretches from Burnaby, through Surrey to White Rock and east to Hope.
The announcement of the poster campaign and the update on available substance-use beds comes as Fraser Health prepares to mark International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31.
The Canadian Press

New Fraser Health poster campaign raises awareness of opioid overdoses


Stark posters warn of overdose dangers to be displayed at transit stops, bars and restaurants aimed at recreational drug users


It happens about as often as an eclipse. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration. In this stat-astic video, see how often a college football team has started the preseason number one and finished the season with a ticker tape parade.

VIDEO - AP Poll: The Anomaly Of Starting, Finishing No. 1


The Starkville Daily News sports staff had the volleyball matches at the Bulldog Invitational covered on Saturday.
After MSU defeated Lamar 3-2 earlier in the day, the Bullldogs capped the day with a 3-0 victory over Eastern Washington.
For more on the action, see Sunday's Starkville Daily News.

MSU wins volleyball matches at Bulldog Invitational


NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Fire Department says two bodies have been found in the wreckage of a small plane that crashed into Lake Pontchartrain just north of the New Orleans Lakefront Airport.
Spokesman Gregory Davis said the Cessna was pulled from the water Tuesday morning by a crane and the aircraft was placed on a barge. He said the bodies of the pilot and one passenger were in the plane's cabin.The passenger was identified as Reginald Hillard Jr., 25, by family members. The pilot was identified as Jim Biondo, 58, of Thibodaux.
"They said that he was in the plane. I still didn't believe it," said Reginald Hillard Sr., of Baton Rouge, who was at the lakefront.
Hillard Sr. was told of the official identification minutes after the plane was pulled from the water three days after the crash.
Relatives said Reginald was afraid of flying, but put aside his fears when his girlfriend, Briana Davis, surprised him with an aerial tour of the city.
A family member said Reginald was able to unbuckle Davis from her seat and push her out of the aircraft after it hit the water.
Davis was able to get out of the sinking plane and was rescued by a nearby boater.
"The couple had hired the aircraft to take them on a night time flight around the city of New Orleans," said Lakefront Airport Director Ben Morris.
"They did that, they were coming back in, and again, it appears they hit a little rain shower, a very significant rain shower, a rainstorm. They were making their approach to the airport, and at that point, they disappeared off the radar."
"It's a very sad thing because she did tell us that she and her boyfriend were holding hands when she slipped out of the aircraft," Morris said.
Family members were at the site as the plane was pulled from the water and lifted onto the barge.
Divers located the plane just 1,000 feet short of the Lakefront Airport runway Sunday.
A crane mounted on a barge was brought in Monday evening to lift the plane out of the water.

Thibodaux pilot's body recovered from plane that crashed into Lake Pontchartrain, authorities said


NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Fire Department says two bodies have been found in the wreckage of a small plane that crashed into Lake Pontchartrain just north of the New Orleans Lakefront Airport.


eNews & Updates
Sign up to receive breaking news
as well as receive other updates!


MADISON -- A wrongful death suit has been filed by the family of Jason Simcakoski, the Marine whose death sparked the controversy about the presrcibing of pain medications at the Tomah VA Medical Center.
The lawsuit says the Veterans Administration accepted responsibility for "action or inaction" that led to the death of the 35-year-old Stevens Point Marine -- but the family says the VA has "failed to follow its words with deeds," and it seeks unspecified damages. The suit was filed in federal court in Madison.
An autopsy showed that Simcakoski died from "mixed drug toxicity." The VA facility later responded by reassigning its medical director, firing its chief of staff for prescribing excessive pain medications, and creating a multi-step improvement plan at Tomah.
----
Feingold, Johnson get big help in their U.S. Senate race
Wisconsin's two major U.S. Senate candidates are getting some big time support.
Actor Robert Redford, who played a Democratic Senate hopeful in the 1972 movie "The Candidate," sent a fundraising email to Feingold supporters on Monday. And the national Super PAC "Let America Work" says it will start airing about $500,000 worth of ads for Republican incumbent Ron Johnson that focus on fighting terrorism.
A new Marquette Law School poll is due out Wednesday, and it could tell us whether more voters are tuning into the race -- something that normally happens around Labor Day. In the last Marquette poll Aug. 10, one of every five registered voters did not have an opinion of Feingold -- and one of every three voters still had no opinion of Johnson.
----
Actor Gene Wilder, Milwaukee native, dies at 83
STAMFORD, Conn. -- Wisconsin native Gene Wilder, who starred in an eclectic range of movie roles, has died.
His nephew says the 83-year-old Wilder died late Sunday at his home in Stamford, Conn. from the Alzheimer's disease he first suffered three years ago -- which he kept secret until now.
He was born in Milwaukee as Jerome Silberman in 1933 and graduated from the city's Washington High School -- and he later went to the University of Iowa, served in the Army, and performed on Broadway before his first movie role as a hostage in "Bonnie and Clyde" in 1967. Wilder also starred as a nervous accountant in "The Producers," the candy man in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," and an obsessed scientist in "Young Frankenstein."
The Journal Sentinel says Wilder did want to return to Milwaukee after his father died there in 1973 -- but he came back in 1991 to be inducted into the Wisconsin Performing Arts Hall of Fame.
----
Alleged Dells freeway murderer pleads insanity to reduced charges
BARABOO -- A 21-year-old man has pleaded insanity to reduced charges in the killing of a motorist on the Interstate near Wisconsin Dells.
Sauk County prosecutors have agreed to reduce an intentional homicide charge to reckless homicide against Zachary Hays -- and he entered pleas Monday to that, plus three counts of reckless endangerment. He'll undergo a mental exam, and he still faces charges in Milwaukee and Columbia counties as part of a day-long crime spree on May 1.
Investigators say Hays shot and killed 42-year-old Gabriel Sanchez in their West Allis apartment building -- and he later drove to Wisconsin Dells where he reportedly shot at vehicles and killed passenger Tracy Czackowski while her family was heading home from the Dells to suburban Chicago. His lawyer first mentioned Hays' mental health issues several weeks after the incidents.
----
More criticism for former Wisconsinite Kaepernick
SAN FRANCISCO -- Former Wisconsinite Colin Kaepernick is getting a ton of heat for sitting during the national anthem before three exhibition football games with his San Francisco 49ers.
State Assembly Republican Jeremy Thiesfeldt went to the same church as Kaepernick's parents during the quarterback's early years in Fond du Lac -- and Thiesfeldt tells KFIZ Radio he's especially upset that Kaepernick claims to be standing up for the oppressed, when he appeared to be hardly oppressed himself.
The San Francisco police union has complained to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and 49ers CEO Jed York about what the union calls Kaepernick's "incredible lack of knowledge" about the officer involved shootings he's protesting against. Even Donald Trump has chimed in, saying Kaepernick should "find a country that works better for him" -- and the GOP White House candidate added, "Let him try, it won't happen."
----
Feingold: Clinton is "trustworthy"
MADISON -- Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Russ Feingold says his party's nominee for president is "reliable and trustworthy."
But after a campaign appearance in Madison, Feingold reaffirmed that Hillary Clinton should think about shutting down the controversial Clinton Foundation if she wins.
It's an issue in her campaign, amid reports that numerous people who met with Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state gave money to the foundation. The Clintons have challenged those reports, but Feingold says "the highest level of security" should be applied to things like that for those who serve as president.
Feingold is in his own campaign against Senate Republican Ron Johnson -- and the Democrat leads Johnson by 11 points among likely voters in the latest Marquette poll with a new one coming out Wednesday.
----
Woman pleads insanity to killing her young son
SHEBOYGAN -- A trial date of Nov. 9 is set for a Sheboygan Falls mother who reportedly claimed that "voices" caused her to kill her 2-year-old son.
Twenty-seven-year-old Katlyn Kinateder pleaded insanity Monday to first degree intentional homicide, and hiding a child's corpse. Sheboygan County District Attorney Joe DeCecco says Kinateder will have one or more psychiatric exams.
The defense wants to either move the trial, or bring in an outside jury due to heavy media coverage of the case -- and the court scheduled a hearing for Oct. 24 to give Kinateder a chance to change her plea.
Police say they had to subdue her before they found her toddler in a cardboard box wrapped in a blanket at her home earlier this month -- and reports say she might have been off her mental health medication at the time.
(Raymond Neupert, WHBL, Sheboygan)
----
Wisconsin high schools make Newsweek's top 500
Most Wisconsin public schools start fall classes Thursday, and 22 high schools have a lot to be proud of.
Whitefish Bay is the state's top selection on Newsweek's annual list of the nation's 500 best public high schools. Whitefish Bay is 61st nationally, with 95 percent of its students college bound, 99 percent graduating, and 85 percent ready for college.
The Kettle Moraine global charter school at Wales has the state's second highest listing at 130th naturally, followed by Cedarburg High at 145th. Kohler tops the list of Wisconsin schools ranked 200th through 400th followed by New Berlin Eisenhower, Greendale, Glendale Nicolet, Sussex Hamilton, Wales School for Arts, Appleton's Renaissance School for the Arts, Grafton, Williams Bay and Bay Port.
Eight state high schools are ranked 401st through 500th -- the Appleton Career Academy, De Pere, Muskego, Franklin, Marshfield, Waukesha West, Oshkosh West and Appleton North.
-----
Suspects sought in Green Bay area murder
BELLEVUE -- Sheriff's deputies in the Green Bay area have been looking for suspects in the shooting death of a 52-year-old woman.
Officers found the body of Suzette Langois outside her home in Bellevue early Monday morning. The State Crime Lab is helping deputies sort out the evidence, and rescue divers checked out a nearby stormwater holding pond to see if anything was hidden there.
Sheriff's officials say Langois was targeted by her killer -- and therefore, the neighborhood is not in danger.
At a news conference, Brown County Chief Deputy Todd Delain said his investigators wanted to talk with anyone who knows about the incident, or spoke with the victim within 24 hours of her death.
----
Beloit's ABC Supply agrees to large acquisition
BELOIT -- A large Wisconsin building supply distributor could get a lot bigger in a few months. ABC Supply of Beloit announced an agreement Monday to acquire "L" and "W" Supply, a Chicago-based supplier of steel framing, drywall, ceiling tiles and other building items.
ABC says it will be one of its largest acquisitions, but the terms were not disclosed. The company says the deal is subject to a federal antitrust review, and it's expected to be finalized by the end of ABC's fiscal year.
"L" and "W" would keep running as a separate division. It brought in $1.4 billion last year, giving ABC Supply total annual revenues of $8 billion if the deal goes through.
----
Abortions in Wisconsin drop for sixth straight year
MADISON -- The number of abortions performed in Wisconsin has dropped for the sixth straight year. That's according to the latest annual report on induced abortions released by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Monday.
The report shows that there were just under 5,700 abortions in the state last year compared with 5,800 abortions in 2014. That's a drop of 140 abortions, a 2.4 percent decline. Of the 5,660 abortions last year, 214 were performed on minors. Seventy-nine percent were surgical, while 21 percent were chemically induced.
----
Libertarian White House hopeful to make first state visit
MILWAUKEE -- The Libertarian candidate for president will make his first Wisconsin visit on Thursday night.
Gary Johnson will hold a rally at Serb Hall in Milwaukee. The former two-term governor of New Mexico had 10 percent support among Wisconsin's registered voters in the last Marquette Law School poll on Aug. 10.
----
UW officials not happy with ‘Number 1 party school’ ranking
MADISON -- University of Wisconsin officials aren't happy that the flagship Madison campus is ranked first on a list of the nation's top party schools.
The ranking released Monday comes from the Princeton Review, a New York-based tutoring and test prep company that surveys thousands of students and rates colleges in a number of categories each year.
A statement from the school made no mention of the ranking, instead calling alcohol use on campus a "pressing public health concern" that hurts academic achievement and makes schools less safe. They noted that incoming students go through mandatory programs educating them about the dangers of alcohol.

Wisconsin roundup: Lawsuit filed in death that sparked Tomah VA controversy; alleged Dells freeway murderer pleads insanity to reduced charges; and 10 more state news stories


STILLWATER, Minn. -- Officials say there were no real delays after an equipment issue was resolved at the new bridge being built across the St. Croix River between Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Reports indicated that contractors Lunda and Ames brought in a jack that was too big -- and it could not tighten support cables on the Fourth Pier as a result. Kristin Calliguri of Minnesota's DOT says a smaller jack was used, and the cables were being tightened Saturday. Also, she says other parts of the project continued on schedule, so the jack issue did not cause new delays.
The bridge is due to open in the fall of 2017, replacing an 80-year-old lift bridge that will still be used for hiking and bicycling -- while the new structure carries motor vehicle traffic north of Hudson and south of Stillwater.
--
Wisconsin ACT scores fall due to new requirement
MADISON -- Wisconsin is no longer among the nation's highest performing states on the ACT college entrance exam.
That's because the Badger State started making all high school juniors take the test, not just those who are college bound -- and the new law is being reflected for the first time in this year's results. Wisconsin's average score was 20.5 -- lower than the national average of 20.8, and 1.7 points lower than the previous year when 73 percent of graduating seniors took the ACT.
Wisconsin's score ranks fourth among 18 states where all graduates had to take the exam -- and it's 29th overall. Wisconsin was among three best statewide performers on the ACT exam for many years, before the new law increased the numbers of youngsters taking the test by 42-percent to around 66,000.
--
DNR delays much anticipated reorganization
MADISON -- The state Department of Natural Resources has delayed a major reorganization of its controversial agency until late this fall.
In February, officials said they hoped to complete the realignment by July 1 -- but now, DNR spokesman Jim Dick tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the changes will begin in late fall, saying it's more important to "get things right than get there quickly." The agency that regulates the environment, hunting, and fishing in Wisconsin previously said it would consider moving some functions elsewhere in state government and streamline regulations.
The DNR says it wants to be more efficient without hurting environmental protections -- but numerous media reports have said it has reduced its enforcement actions since 2011, amid an 18-percent drop in the agency's workforce since 1995. Gov. Scott Walker previously said the state is working more closely with people earlier in their projects to avoid fines and sanctions.
--
Ken Burns rejects replacing campus lectures with his Civil War videos
MADISON -- Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns rejects U.S. Senator Ron Johnson's idea to show Burns' civil war videos to college students instead of paying professors to lecture about it.
The Wisconsin Republican recently said that showing "The Civil War" series might be a better way for schools to teach students and save money. But Burns tweets that he's here to "support teachers, not replace them."
Johnson accused what he calls the "higher education cartel" of raising tuition and blocking economical ideas like having "one solid lecturer" online to serve numerous colleges. UW-Madison professor Clif Conrad says in-person lecturers are needed to engage students in "spirited dialogue" which cultivates thinking skills -- and in a clarification, Johnson agreed there's a need for both good instructors and more technology that can educate students while cutting costs.
--
'Wisconsin Women for Trump' has ex-lieutenant governor, senators, convicted aide
NEW YORK -- Some of Wisconsin's top Republican female politicians were named Wednesday to a new "Wisconsin Women for Trump" coalition.
Donald Trump's state campaign says it's "thrilled" to have "so many women leaders" support the GOP presidential nominee. The state group includes former Lt. Gov. Margaret Farrow, state Senate finance co-chair Alberta Darling, and outgoing Senate President Mary Lazich.
The group also includes Darlene Wink, a former Milwaukee County aide who was convicted of two criminal misdemeanors for doing campaign work on county time for Scott Walker's 2010 bid for governor. Trump has often highlighted women who've excelled in his business operations, but some of his comments about women have caused trouble during his White House run.
--
Prosecutors: Man lured children into building before burning it
GREEN BAY -- Prosecutors in Green Bay say an 18-year-old man lured four children to a vacant restaurant building, and started a fire so the kids could be sent to a "better place."
At his first court hearing Tuesday, a Brown County judge ordered Jesus Castilloveitia-Quinton to take a mental exam to determine his ability to help with his defense. He's charged with two counts of child abuse, arson, obstructing police, and bail jumping for a Sunday night fire that caused $100,000 worth of damage to the former Ten-O-One Club in downtown Green Bay.
Police say the defendant brought the four youngsters -- all less than 10 years old -- to an abandoned apartment above the vacant business, allegedly calling it his "secret hideout." Court records show that the defendant is homeless, and he's due back in court September sixth to review the result of his competency exam.
--
State ethics commissioners can give money to political candidates
MADISON -- Wisconsin's new ethics commissioners can give campaign money to the political candidates they may have to investigate if wrongdoing is suspected.
On a 4-2 vote Tuesday, the panel tabled a proposal to ban donations to candidates they've supported in the past. Milwaukee attorney David Halbrooks says donations would never affect his analysis of matters before the panel.
But former Oneida County Judge Robert Kinney cites a claim by a former Trump staffer that elections are rigged -- and Kinney does not want people to have less confidence in their government. Kinney and former Assembly Republican Pat Strachota voted against allowing campaign gifts, which are banned by staff members for the new ethics panel but not the members themselves -- whose political affiliations are made public.
--
State won't try to stop early voting
MADISON -- Wisconsin's attorney general will not try to prevent an earlier start to the absentee voting for November's presidential election.
Brad Schimel's office says it did not have many options, after a three judge federal appellate panel refused this week to block a judge's ruling that granted more early voting. The state could have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to restore the Republicans' two week limit on early absentee voting with other restrictions -- but that won't happen, so Wisconsin communities can start setting times and places for their absentee voting.
Madison plans to begin its early voting the week of Sept. 26 at several locations around the Capital City -- and Milwaukee says it has similar plans, but they have not been set. Federal Judge James Peterson threw out the GOP's restrictions as part of a lawsuit which challenged a number of voting laws.
--
Report: State markup lawsuit plaintiff under investigation since 2011
MADISON -- Krist Oil, the gas station chain that filed suit this week to strike down Wisconsin's minimum markup law, has been under a state investigation since 2011 for allegedly violating that law.
The Wisconsin State Journal says Krist agreed to follow the longtime requirement of a 9-percent markup for gasoline unless competitors charge less -- but the consumer protection agency later received dozens more complaints, and after it investigated, it sought Justice Department prosecution against Krist which never occurred.
The State Journal says the consumer protection probe remains open, but officials would not comment while the Justice agency reviews the new lawsuit. Krist Oil -- which has about 70 convenience stores in northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan -- has also complained about competitors breaking the markup law. A report surfaced Tuesday from the Wisconsin Public Research Institute stating that Krist filed 70-percent of the markup law complaints the state received in 2014.
--
Newly required school-bus lights may be left dark in some areas
MADISON -- The Wisconsin automotive group AAA says there's a problem with a new state law requiring more warning lights on school buses built within the last decade.
The law requires newer buses to have amber warning lights, as well as the red lights and flashing arms that warn drivers to stop in both directions when the buses are dropping off or picking up kids. The State Patrol says they'll make kids safer -- but Nick Jarmusz of the state's AAA says a 60-year-old state law prohibits the amber lights in urban areas with curbs and sidewalks on both sides -- unless there's a local ordinance which allows them.
Jarmusz says Milwaukee, Appleton, and Eau Claire are among the places with no local regulations -- while Madison and Green Bay only allow the amber lights when students need to cross streets without controls like stop lights present. AAA plans to ask that amber lights be required in all situations, after lawmakers return to session in January.
--
Farmers adjust to rain, cooler weather
MADISON -- Some Wisconsin farmers are harvesting corn to help feed their animals, while others farms have been hurt by the recent rains.
Some parts of the state have had up to 11 inches of rain the past few weeks. According to the USDA's weekly crop update, soybeans have become diseased in some spots -- and dry weather is needed in most of Wisconsin to complete the hay harvest and get corn in the bin.
In general, the state's corn development remains ahead of schedule, and 88-percent of the crop is rated good to excellent -- and statewide soybeans are generally ahead of the norm, with 87-percent good to excellent. The potato harvest is 17 days behind last year, but 90-percent of the spuds are good to excellent -- and 93-to-95-percent of topsoil and subsoil have adequate or surplus moisture.
--
County: Pokemon Go needs a permit for park play
MILWAUKEE -- Wisconsin's largest county has ordered "Pokemon Go" to stop.
The Milwaukee County Parks Department has told game developer Niantic to remove its smartphone targets from Lake Park until it obtains the required permit for holding events there. Lake Park is in one of Milwaukee's most posh neighborhoods along Lake Michigan on the city's northeast side -- and officials say the rush to pick up virtual "Pokemon Go" characters has caused problems litter, congestion, and the limited parking at the site.
WISN-TV says the crowds have remained steady all summer, and so have complaints from neighbors and park users. County park director John Dargle says he would approve a permit for the game -- if the producers apply.

Wisconsin roundup: Equipment issue does not delay St. Croix River Crossing; state ACT scores drop; 10 more state news stories


EAU CLAIRE -- For the first time, there are more people in the Eau Claire County jail because of methamphetamine than drunk driving.
WQOW- TV says the percentage of the Eau Claire jail's bed days for OWI dropped from 29-percent to 14-percent during the past five years -- while methamphetamine arrests and convictions grew from 2 percent of the jail population to 21-percent.
Eau Claire Police arrested only 10 people for meth possession in 2010, but they expect to arrest 300 this year. Police say they've become more effective in identifying methamphetamine suspects -- and how the drug has become an underlying factor in crime in general.
--
Not guilty pleas in dog-dragging case
CRANDNO -- A judge has entered not guilty pleas for a 75-year-old northeast Wisconsin man accused of dragging his dog with his car.
James Merschdorf of Wabeno stood mute during his first court appearance Wednesday on Forest County misdemeanor charges of animal mistreatment, and leading an animal with a car. He's due back in court Sept. 28 for pretrial matters.
According to prosecutors, Merschdorf claimed he didn't know he was dragging his 6-year-old beagle Josephine until he stopped at a gas station on June 29. Officials say the dog was tied to a mirror on the car's passenger side, and a veterinarian said the pet had "major road rash" on the right half of its body.
--
Key defense court filing in Avery appeal due Monday
Steven Avery's new lawyer has until Monday to file her first legal request in an appeal of Avery's conviction for the 2005 rape, burning, and shooting death of Teresa Halbach.
Kathleen Zellner has told the New York Times she would ask the Wisconsin Appeals Court for DNA evidence gathered at the crime scene, so she can do tests that were not possible during Avery's original trial. Zellner signed on to the appeal in the wake of last year's Netflix series "Making a Murderer," which raised questions about Avery's guilt.
The 54-year-old Avery is serving a life prison sentence for the crime, and Zellner has tweeted for months that she'll produce strong evidence that will free Avery -- who spent 18 years in prison for a rape he never committed before being released more than two years before the Halbach murder. On Aug. 12, a federal court in Milwaukee overturned the conviction of Avery's nephew Brendan Dassey for the same crime.
--
Driver killed in Manitowoc Speedway crash
MANITOWOC -- A 27-year-old man has died in a crash during a heat race at the Manitowoc Speedway.
It happened Wednesday night during the Eastern Wisconsin Stock Car Racing event at the county fair. Police say the driver from Manitowoc County slammed into an infield guardrail. EMTs immediately tended to him and the car's roof was removed to extricate him. He died later at a hospital.
No one else was hurt, although there were track staffers close by in the infield area -- and the race was stopped for about 45 minutes so repairs could be made on the track. An autopsy is scheduled Thursday for the driver, whose name was not immediately released.
--
Prior complaint filed against officer in Milwaukee shooting
MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee police officer who shot and killed an armed suspect this month is also accused of unreasonable force against another man in mid April.
Thirty-year-old Ronnie Martin filed a damage claim for more than $1 million against the city, just two days before Officer Dominique Heaggan shot and killed Sylville Smith on Aug. 13, which spurred two days of violence.
Media reports say Martin was a passenger in a car that pulled up to a gas station April 15 -- and while the driver was using a restroom, Martin says Heaggan and officer Peter Hauser accused him of having drugs. He denied it and said he ran off before the officers caught him, threw him to the ground, and used a Taser stun gun on him. Martin also filed a complaint with the city's Fire and Police Commission, and the city attorney's office says it's reviewing the damage claim.
--
Wisconsin astronaut breaks record for most time in space
An astronaut from northwest Wisconsin set a new U.S. record for the most time spent in space.
Jeffrey Williams of Winter logged his 520th career day in orbit Wednesday, breaking the old mark set by Scott Kelly. Williams and two Russian cosmonauts have been orbiting the earth since mid March in the International Space Station, conducting numerous experiments in a weightless environment.
They're due to return Sept. 5, when the 58-year-old Williams will have logged 534 total days -- mostly in four long journeys on the International Space Station. NASA celebrated Williams' accomplishment by posting photo highlights of his missions on the agency's Tumblr social media page -- but Williams may not hold the record for long, as Peggy Whitson has logged 377 days in orbit, and she plans to begin a six month mission in November.
--
VA secretary, Johnson see tighter security at Milwaukee VA hospital
MILWAUKEE – U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald was among those touring the Zablocki VA Hospital in Milwaukee, where concerns were raised about a patient's death and security lapses.
Hospital officials cited improvements during Wednesday's visit by McDonald, Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, and Milwaukee House Democrat Gwen Moore. Johnson, a Wisconsin Repubican, says he agrees that the issues are being "addressed and taken seriously."
Last fall, VA Administrative Board members responded to whistleblower complaints when they managed to enter a treatment unit without being stopped -- and one month later, 26-year-old Cole Schuler died from excessive drugs in a treatment wing for substance abuse patients. New hospital director Daniel Zomchek says 30 new surveillance cameras have since been added, window handles were removed from some of the patients' rooms, and random security sweeps are now being performed.
--
Time expiring for SBA loans for late 2015 frost
ATLANTA -- Time is running out for agricultural businesses in north central Wisconsin to apply for low interest loans to help recover from a late spring bout with frost and freeze conditions last year.
The Small Business Administration says the deadline is Sept. 6 to seek Economic Injury Disaster loans resulting from sudden cold conditions last May 17 through June 6. The SBA says the loans will help those suffering financial losses to get back on their feet.
Interest rates are 2.6 percent for nonprofit groups and 4 percent for eligible small businesses with payment terms of up to 30 years. The disaster declaration was for Clark, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Menominee, Oconto, Oneida, Portage, Price, Shawano, Taylor, Waupaca, and Wood counties.
--
Unemployment down in all but 1 state metro
MADISON -- Unemployment is down in all but one of Wisconsin's 12 metro areas.
State workforce development officials report Wednesday that nine of the 12 metros have seen their actual unadjusted jobless rates fall below 4 percent in July. They're below the statewide unadjusted rate of 4.1 percent.
Racine is the only metro that did not have a decline, and that place held steady at 5.5 percent from June to July. Madison, the home of state government, had the lowest rate at 3 percent. All but one of the state's 72 counties also had declines in their jobless rates. Racine County held steady at 5.5 percent, with other rates ranging from 3 percent in Dane County to 8.9 in Menominee County.

Wisconsin roundup: Meth-related inmates outpace OWI in Eau Claire; man in court on dog-dragging charges; seven more state news stories


A Hudson woman was arrested after being injured in a crash Thursday in Hudson.
St. Croix County sheriff’s deputies responded to the crash at 7:22 p.m. at 797 Old Highway 35.
Chief Deputy Scott Knudson said the driver, a 26-year-old Hudson woman, was extricated and was taken by ambulance to Hudson Hospital with non life-threatening injuries. He said deputies smelled “an odor of intoxicants” and suspected alcohol was involved in the crash.
The driver’s name was not immediately released; Knudson said she will be appearing in court Friday on possible charges.
According to reports, witnesses saw the vehicle traveling north on Highway 35 when it entered a ditch, then went airborne. It rolled as it landed, eventually coming to rest on Old Highway 35.

Vehicle crashes, vaults out of ditch; Hudson driver later arrested


MADISON-- The Republican lawmaker who represents the state Veterans' Home at King in Waupaca County joins Democrats who want a state audit of the facility. Luther Olsen says he also wants to know if another agency should take over the home from state Veterans' Affairs department -- and that's after the Madison Capital Times said employees and residents were among those who say staffing shortages and cost cutting have hurt some of the home's most vulnerable veterans.
The Walker administration and the vets' agency deny it, pointing to high federal rankings for being a model for top quality care -- but the employees and others say the government does not check the data for accuracy. The Capital Times cites Legislative Fiscal Bureau numbers showing a $39 million surplus in federal revenues for King, after deficits in the previous decade -- and the report says some of the money is reinvested at the home, while some goes to other veterans' programs. Olsen wants to know if enough is invested at King to maintain a high caliber of care.
Catholic mass planned to recognize nuns killed in Mississippi
LEXINGTON, Miss. -- A Catholic Mass is planned Monday in Jackson, Miss.,to honor the two nuns stabbed to death last week.
More than 300 people attended a church vigil in Lexington Sunday for Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill. Held was from Slinger in southeast Wisconsin -- and both she and Merrill led Bible studies at the church.
The Reverend Gregory Plata said the work of both nuns was far reaching, and both would be missed. Held and Merrill were both 68, and were found dead at their home in Durant, Miss., about 10 miles from where they worked at a Lexington clinic.
On Friday night, 46-year-old Rodney Sanders was arrested for the killings -- but it's not known when he'll appear in court as the case remains under investigation.
----
No ruling by Appeals Court means Wisconsin Voter ID Law is likely set for November
CHICAGO -- The refusal by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider two rulings on Wisconsin's voter ID law means it's likely no changes will be made before the election in November.
The federal appeals court decided unanimously Friday not to have the full panel of judges hear the appeals. The only way any changes will be made to the Wisconsin law is if the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to intervene.
The way it stands now, Wisconsin voters will have to show an acceptable ID to cast a ballot, but they will be able to get a temporary ID at a DMV office before the election.
----
Increase in participation means decrease in Wisconsin ACT scores
MADISON -- Wisconsin students taking the ACT earned an average score of 20.5, slightly below the national average.
A state law which went into effect last year requires all 11th graders to take the test. That resulted in a drop in the average score from last year's 22.2. The ACT includes English, Reading, Science Reasoning and Math sections, with an optional writing exam.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has said requiring all high school juniors to take it will lead more students to consider higher education.
----
Insanity plea possible in toddler's death
SHEBOYGAN -- A Sheboygan Falls woman might plead insanity Monday afternoon, when she's arraigned for allegedly killing her 2-year-old son and hiding his body.
Police say they used a Taser stun gun to subdue 27-year-old Katlyn Kinateder when they first arrived at her home earlier this month -- and they later found her toddler without a pulse in a cardboard box wrapped in a blanket.
At her preliminary hearing, a police detective said Kinateder admitted that she "lost her mind," and voices told her that her toddler could not be alive anymore. Police say she used a plastic shopping bag to suffocate the youngster. Prosecutors expect Kinateder to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease.
(Raymond Neupert, WHBL, Sheboygan)
----
Two teens killed in Milwaukee crash identified
MILWAUKEE -- Two teens killed in a car that split in half in Milwaukee have been identified as Demetrius Batchelor, Jr. and Latrey Hale. Both were 15, and both were said to be in the back seat of a car that slammed into a tree at high speeds Friday night.
The county medical examiner says a 17-year-old driver and another passenger in the front seat are both expected to survive, but they're hospitalized for now. The medical examiner said all four people in the car were thrown out as it hit the tree -- and the driver apparently tried avoiding the crash, as investigators say there were 60 feet of skid marks.
----
Case continues to stall in alleged Milwaukee terrorist plot
MILWAUKEE -- A man accused of plotting a terrorist attack at Milwaukee's downtown Masonic center is still in jail while his case keeps stalling.
Twenty-four-year-old Samy Hamzeh is charged with five counts of possessing machine guns and a silencer he allegedly bought from undercover FBI agents. The charges were filed in January, but the case has gone nowhere as the defense receives and translates numerous government recordings made in Arabic.
At a federal court hearing on Friday, prosecutor Paul Kanter said he gave 116 compact discs to the defense -- and lawyer Craig Albee will get eight more weeks to prepare various pretrial requests including one to release Hamzeh on bond, and the next hearing is set for Oct. 28. His case does not include terrorism charges, but prosecutors say Hamzeh tried protecting Islam by hoping to kill 30 Masonic members.
----
Report: State employees get $9.7 million in bonuses, payments
MADISON -- About one of every seven state government employees received a merit pay increase or catch up payment during the fiscal year ending in July.
The Wisconsin State Journal says the payments went to 4,600 agency workers, or about 15 percent of that workforce. The payments totaled $9.7 million. That's about 2.5 times what was paid out the previous year, when a number of payments were held up due to budget issues.
Most of this year's payments went to workers in the departments of Natural Resources, Corrections, and Transportation.
----
New Jersey woman sues Brewers for batting practice injuries
MILWAUKEE -- A New Jersey woman has sued the Milwaukee Brewers, claiming she might suffer permanent eye injuries after being hit by a foul ball at batting practice.
Dana Morelli says it happened while sitting down at her seat near third base before a game in 2014. The 47-year-old Morelli and her lawyer Michael Sperling accuse the Brewers of violating Wisconsin's "safe place law" that requires property owners to do what's reasonably necessary to protect visitors and employees.
Major League teams extended their protective netting this year after a number of fan injuries at Milwaukee and other parks -- and throughout the Majors, judges have sided with teams that include fine print warnings on tickets about the risk of injuries.
But Sperling says the warnings are not enough to meet Wisconsin law, and baseball should do more to protect fans at batting practice when players hit from cages and fans think they're safer. The suit seeks unspecified damages and the Brewers did not comment since the case is in litigation.
----
Two killed in 13 Hours in Brown County traffic crashes
LAWRENCE -- Investigators in northeast Wisconsin are still looking into a pair of highway crashes that killed two people in Brown County 13 hours apart.
Hobart Lawrence Police say alcohol was an apparent factor when a 36-year-old Oneida man drove the wrong way on Interstate 41 and hit two vehicles about 2:30 Sunday morning. The wrong way motorist was killed, and the other two drivers had non-life threatening injuries.
Thirteen hours later, Brown County deputies said a 19-year-old passenger died when a vehicle left County Trunk Double N in the town of Glenmore and rolled -- and the 23-year-old driver had non-life threatening injuries.
Officials say alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the second death, and victims' names from both crashes were not immediately released.
----
Delayed UW-Whitewater dorm is finally approved
WHITEWATER -- UW-Whitewater was hoping to open a new dormitory this fall to help boost its enrollment. But a contract for the 400-bed structure slowly moved through the state administration's approval process up until earlier this month, when Gov. Scott Walker approved it. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on the delay this past week after it was mentioned at a recent UW Board of Regents' meeting -- but the administration says the regents' comments had nothing to do with the timing of the contract approval.
Whitewater now plans to build four new dorms, each with 400 beds, which will eventually replace an aging Wells Hall which has twin towers and rooms for 1,200 students. Design work is about to start on the first structure, and it's now due to open in the fall of 2019.
-----
Elderly woman charged in highway worker's death
MERRILL -- An 85-year-old Antigo woman is free on a signature bond, after being charged in the death of a highway worker in north central Wisconsin.
Mary Robinson faces one felony count of homicide by negligent driving in the death of 50-year-old Marcus Wydeven.
At her initial court appearance Friday in Lincoln County, Robinson waived the state's time limit for a preliminary hearing. She's due back in court Sept. 15 to determine how and when the case will proceed.
Officials say Wydeven was directing traffic through a construction zone on Highway 17 near Merrill when he was struck and killed in July of last year.

Wisconsin roundup: GOP lawmaker joins request for audit of veterans home's surplus; Catholic mass planned to recognize nuns killed in Mississippi; and 10 more state news stories


EAU CLAIRE -- Two new members of the Chippewa Valley Technical College Board of Trustees come from the western side of the CVTC district.
Paul Bauer is an employer member from Ellsworth and Cheryl Maplethorpe is an additional member from River Falls. They were welcomed to the board last month at the reorganizational meeting that also involved election of board officers for the new fiscal year.
Maplethorpe is a retired higher education professional with a doctorate in Higher Education Policy and Administration from the University of Minnesota. A former teacher and counselor, Maplethorpe has worked for the University of Iowa, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and Globe Education Network.
“My entire career has been in the service of students as they pursue higher education,” Maplethorpe said. “Now that I have retired I want to continue to serve students. I feel particular affinity for low-income and academically challenged students and when I was with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, I established task forces for immigrants and foster and homeless students.”
Bauer has been CEO of the Ellsworth Co-op Creamery since 2008. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in Agriculture Business, Bauer also worked as controller for Burnett Cheese Cooperative and vice president of the Antigo Cheese Company. Bauer served as a member of the Antigo School Board, and in director positions with the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association and the American Dairy Products Institute. He also serves as a member of the CVTC Foundation Board of Directors. Bauer is vice president of the Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce board and is co-chairman of the community’s Cheese Curd Festival.
Bauer and Maplethorpe were appointed to three-year terms on the board. By law, the board consists of two employers, two employees, three additional members, one school district administrator and one elected official who holds a state or local office.
At the organizational meeting, the board elected Colleen Bates of Eau Claire as chair, Paul Schley of Cornell as vice chair, Gwen Southard of Eau Claire as secretary and Russell Ratsch of Neillsville as treasurer.

Bauer, Maplethorpe appointed to CVTC Board


A River Falls driver clocked at more than 120 mph was arrested Wednesday after allegedly attempting to flee officers while driving drunk.
Nicholas D. Carlson, 35, was arrested at about 11 p.m. after a high-speed pursuit that began on Interstate 94 and continued on to Highway 35 in River Falls.
St. Croix County prosecutors charged Carlson on Thursday with two felonies: fleeing or eluding an officer and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. He’s also charged with OWI-third offense, THC possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and bail jumping -- all misdemeanors.
St. Croix County Circuit Court Judge Michael Waterman ordered Carlson to post a $1,000 cash bond at his initial appearance Thursday.
According to a criminal complaint:
The incident began while a St. Croix County sheriff’s deputy was running radar on eastbound I-94 drivers and spotted a silver sports car allegedly passing traffic in the middle lane. The car was first clocked at 89 mph, then 93 mph and, lastly, 98 mph.
The deputy gave chase and tried pulling the car over as it headed south on Highway 35 toward River Falls. The car didn’t stop, prompting the deputy to alert River Falls police.
A River Falls officer staged along Highway 35 clocked the car -- a 2007 Mercedes Benz -- at 122 mph. It was also witnessed nearly striking another vehicle in traffic.
The driver, later identified as Carlson, pulled over at the overpass for Highway 65 in River Falls, where he was ordered out of the vehicle at gunpoint and arrested without further incident. Officers suspected him to be impaired and conducted field sobriety tests, which he failed.
Suspected marijuana was found in the car, along with a Korstog assault rifle in the trunk.
Carlson submitted to a breath test, which revealed a 0.18 blood-alcohol content -- more than twice Wisconsin’s legal limit of 0.08.
Pierce County officers who assisted in the stop noted that they had been involved in two pursuits in the past month with a silver Mercedes. In both instances, that vehicle evaded capture.

River Falls man charged with third OWI after being clocked at 122 mph


MADISON – A new report says many of Wisconsin's small towns still feel the effects of the Great Recession.
With an older population and more people moving to bigger cities, the state Taxpayers Alliance says half the places with fewer than 1,000 residents have yet to see any major job growth or new construction since the recession. The report says local governments have had a nearly 13 percent cut in state funds in the four years ending in 2014, while total revenues grew by just two-percent not accounting for inflation.
The tax alliance says cities have maintained their police and fire response times despite the funding cuts -- and while local debt has grown and things like snow plowing are slower, residents are still generally satisfied with their local services. The report was prepared for the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, whose director Jerry Deschane also sounded an alarm for civic engagement as fewer people run for local offices.
--
Seven presidential candidates could appear on Wisconsin ballot
MADISON -- It appears that seven candidates will be on the Wisconsin ballot for president in November.
The state Elections Commission says the seven have met the qualifications necessary to make the ballot -- and the panel will take a vote on including them next Tuesday. Besides Democrat Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the ballot is expected to include Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, Green Party hopeful Jill Stein, Darrell Castle of the Constitution Party, Rocky Roque De La Fuente of the American Delta Party, and Monica Moorehead of the Workers World Party.
--
Wisconsin native 1 of 2 nuns killed in Mississippi
DURANT, Miss. -- One of two nuns found stabbed to death in Mississippi was a native of southeast Wisconsin.
The bodies of Sister Margaret Held, who grew up in Slinger, and Sister Paula Merrill were found Thursday at their home in Durant, Mississippi. Both were nurse practitioners at the Lexington Medical Clinic -- and police say they were the apparent targets of a robbery that escalated to murder. No arrests have been reported.
The 68-year-old Held represented the School Sisters of Saint Francis in Milwaukee -- and she taught at Kenosha Saint Joseph High School in the 1970s before earning her nursing degree at Creighton University in Omaha, where she served as a community health nurse before moving to Mississippi as a social worker.
--
State could tell unregistered residents how to sign up to vote
MADISON -- The state Elections Commission is scheduled to act Tuesday on a plan to tell up to 1.5 million unregistered voters how to sign up in time for the November presidential contest.
Commission staffers plan to send postcards by late September to Wisconsin adults who are not registered to vote -- and give them information on how to do it. It's part of a state law passed earlier this year in which Wisconsin joined a multi state effort to identify people who are eligible to vote but have not registered. The Electronic Registration Information Center requires states to conduct the outreach every two years before the start of October.
--
Milwaukee to get more state funds in response to violence
MILWAUKEE – Gov. Scott Walker will give Milwaukee at least $4.5 million in state funds to focus on urban problems after the Sherman Park violence almost two weeks ago.
The Republican Walker, his cabinet, and Milwaukee's mayor and county executive will announce the funding Friday at an inner city job center. The Journal Sentinel says the money will provide more job training, hiring efforts, and renovations and removals of foreclosed houses -- and state agencies will send mobile job centers to the Sherman Park area and will try to help businesses damaged by the burning and looting.
The violence was spurred by the police shooting of armed suspect Sylville Smith, and the state's help is being announced just hours before Smith's church service and burial. The aid did not have to be approved by the state Legislature, and Senate Democrat Lena Taylor of Milwaukee says minority communities badly need the help -- but she says there's still a need to improve police relations with African Americans.
--
Man dies driving in to water
STURGEON BAY -- A 65-year-old man has died after his car plunged into a shipping channel in downtown Sturgeon Bay.
A female friend and a dog escaped unharmed before the vehicle submerged into a waterway that links Lake Michigan and the Bay of Green Bay. According to police, the 55-year-old woman saw that the man was slumped at the wheel early Thursday afternoon -- and his foot was not on the gas pedal as the car went off a dock, close to where one of them had a yacht.
Rescuers searched for the man, and he was pulled out about one hour after the incident and died later at a hospital. The fatal victim was from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and his name was not immediately released.
--
Former Packers player Sharper gets 20 year sentence
NEW ORLEANS -- Darren Sharper, who helped the Green Bay Packers make it to their second straight Super Bowl in 1997, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for drugging women and having sex with them while they were unconscious.
The 41-year-old Sharper was sentenced Thursday in Louisiana state court in cases involving three of his 16 total victims in four states. His prison term will be served at the same time as an 18 year federal sentence handed down last week, and it's also simultaneous to a nine-year term levied in Arizona while similar sentencings are still pending in Nevada and California.
Two of his victims gave statements to the judge in New Orleans Thursday, and one called Sharper a "sick individual" whom she must forgive so she can move on. Sharper was a six time NFL All Pro safety and played eight years with Green Bay, four with Minnesota, and two in New Orleans where he led the Saints to a Super Bowl title in the 2009 season.
--
Convict in fire deaths can't withdraw guilty pleas
MADISON -- A state appeals court will not give a southwest Wisconsin man a chance to withdraw his guilty pleas for helping set a fire that killed four youngsters.
Twenty-two-year-old Jeremy Wand was sentenced to life in prison with a chance for a supervised release after 35 years, for helping his older brother Armin Wand burn down a house in Argyle in 2012 where Armin's three boys and an unborn daughter died. But Jeremy Wand later said his lawyers coerced him into admitting all but one of his seven Lafayette County criminal charges.
He wanted a hearing to see if he could reverse his pleas, but Judge Thomas Vale would not call that hearing. Wand appealed the decision, and the Fourth District Appellate Court in Madison ruled Thursday that the defendant did provide enough evidence to warrant a new plea hearing.
--
Expansion could net Direct Supply $22.5M in state tax breaks
MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee company that provides equipment and services to senior living facilities will get up to $22.5 million in state tax breaks for a large expansion project.
Gov. Scott Walker said Thursday that Direct Supply would get income tax credits based on the numbers of jobs they create and preserve. The company plans to add 800 employees at its corporate headquarters during the next seven years, adding to a total workforce of more than 1,200.
The firm initially announced in March it would build a five story office structure with 280,000 square feet -- but it has not decided when construction would begin. It will replace an older, one story building that will be torn down.
--
Penalties levied against ITT Technical Institute
A national profit making college cannot enroll new students at its two Wisconsin campuses until it can prove it's financially stable.
The state Educational Approval Board took the action Thursday against ITT Technical Institute, on the same day the U.S. Education Department said it would keep a closer eye on the school's accounting and recruiting. T
he state's order also affects online enrollment at ITT, which has about 550 Wisconsin students online and at campuses in Greenfield and Madison. The federal government told ITT not to enroll students who need financial aid, and it has to pay $152 million within 30 days to cover its obligations if the school shuts down. State board director David Dies says it was already considering a enrollment cutoff, but the school appealed -- and a September hearing was called off once the federal action took place.

Wisconsin roundup: No post-recession relief in many small towns, report says; ballots could see 7 White House candidates; eight more state news stories


MINNEAPOLIS—As recently as six years ago, Target Center was a local house of horrors in downtown Minneapolis.
But the tide started to turn in 2011, when Cheryl Reeve led a talented roster featuring Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen to the franchise's first WNBA championship, starting a stretch of three titles in five years. A fourth championship could come later this fall.
Flip Saunders was brought back to lead the Timberwolves front office in 2014, and all he did was acquire Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng.
The Wolves enter this season with a promising, young roster, a proven coach in Tom Thibodeau and a legitimate shot to end an NBA playoff drought that dates to 2004.
The only issue is that Target Center is still ugly.
But it shouldn't be for much longer.
A new Target Center scoreboard, the first visual sign of progress amid a $97 million renovation project that is set to be completed in time for the start of the Wolves' 2017-18 season, was unveiled Friday morning and will be on display Sunday night when the Lynx take on Seattle.
Featuring 4,300 square feet of display space—four times the size of its predecessor—the new scoreboard is massive. It is so big there are scoreboards inside the scoreboard, which are easily seen by those sitting in the first few rows. So big that even if you're sitting in one of the top rows at Target Center — the seats that make you fear for you life and gasp for oxygen as you approach your chair — you still have a pretty good view of the action.
When you combine the big board — advertised as the "largest center hung arena scoreboard in the Upper Midwest" — with separate video boards in each of the arena's four corners, Target Center has seven times more digital board space than it did before.
It's big, and it's beautiful.
"You walk in here and it's 'Wow,'" Wolves general manager Scott Layden said. "This is a big-time addition."
It catches your eye the moment you walk into the arena. For a moment you forget that you're in a severely outdated facility, designed in the 1980s, and instead consider the possibilities for the future.
"The feeling folks are going to get when they see something of this size creating this much energy—the light shows, the digital shows, the player introductions, the way in which we can prompt things to happen late in the game when the score is close to pull the crowd back in," Wolves CEO Ethan Casson said, "it's a great tool."
The scoreboard alone makes Target Center feel 10 years younger, and this is only Phase One of the renovation. Also included in this phase are suite-level construction and acoustic improvements.
"It's a great first step," Casson said. "This is just the tip of the iceberg."
Exterior work will be done during the Wolves' season, and a bevy of interior improvements — such as restrooms, locker rooms, dressing rooms, the concourse, a new lobby, additional club spaces, and food and beverage upgrades — will happen in the third and final phase next summer, when the Lynx will play their home games at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
When that's all completed, Target Center should again be a facility worthy of housing its on-court product.
Combine the upgraded digs with the WNBA's premier franchise and one of the NBA's best young cores, and there's a chance Target Center could be a must-visit destination.
"I know the players are going to love the sort of energy that these things bring," Layden said. "I think that's the bottom line — it enhances the experience."

Finally, the Wolves might give the Target Center two good te...


Aug 12, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Minnesota Vikings center Joe Berger (61) against the Cincinnati Bengals in a preseason NFL football game at Paul Brown Stadium. The Vikings won 17-16. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
MINNEAPOLIS—The battle at center is winding down for the Vikings, and a decision is expected soon.
Joe Berger started and played the first half in Sunday's 23-10 preseason win over San Diego at U.S. Bank Stadium. But Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said not too much should be read into that as Berger battles John Sullivan for the job.
Sullivan had started the first two preseason games and didn't play Sunday. Berger had started the first two at right guard in place of injured Brandon Fusco, and saw his first action of the preseason at center with Fusco back.
"It was really more of a thing, we've seen Sullivan in two preseason games (and) Berger hasn't played center in any of the two preseason games,'' Zimmer said. "We talked to (Berger on Saturday) and we hadn't seen that combination with him and Fusco together.''
Sullivan was Minnesota's starter for six straight years before missing all of last season with a back problem. Berger filled in and was rated the NFL's second-best center by Pro Football Focus.
"I don't know that it means that or it doesn't mean that,'' Berger said of Sunday being an indication he has the lead for the job. "Obviously, there's been talk during the (training) camp about (the competition) and we've not thought too much about that because you don't know what they're thinking.''
Offensive line coach Tony Sparano said last week that he expected a decision to be made not long after Sunday's game. The exhibition season concludes Thursday at home against Los Angeles, and starters often don't play in the finale.
"I think the opportunity is there, but we'll see,'' Berger said about again having a chance to start. "That's their decision and we'll let them sort that out. I want to play good football.''
Sendejo tightens grip on strong safety job
Andrew Sendejo has had a solid preseason, but he also might end up being the last Vikings strong safety candidate standing.
Sendejo was the starter last season and entered training camp No. 1 on the depth chart. His chances to start again seem even better after two competitors for the job were both limping around the locker room after Sunday's game.
Michael Griffin was on crutches, and wouldn't comment on his injury. Zimmer said Griffin's back locked up.
Antone Exum, who has been a long shot to win the job, was carted off the field in the second quarter and had his left knee in a brace after the game. Zimmer said Exum had an MRI but results weren't available yet.
Exum said he "just fell.'' Asked about the severity of his injury, he said, "I don't know.''
Meanwhile, Sendejo had a typical game. He was credited with three tackles and had a pass defended while being one of the few starters to play into the second half.
"I think I have an idea,'' Zimmer said after the game on his starter at strong safety. "I know (the media has) to ask me, but it's important I tell the players where I think they are before I tell you guys.''
Sendejo is in line to be the starter for a second straight year. Last season, he started 13 games while missing three because of injury.
"It really not up to me (who starts),'' Sendejo said. "I think that's up to them to figure out. I just go out and play ball. I just try to improve every day and try to get better.''
Injury updates
Also sidelined during Sunday's game was tight end MyCole Pruitt, who suffered a leg injury in the third quarter and did not return. Zimmer said Pruitt had an MRI, with the results not yet known.
Among those not playing for health-related reasons were defensive end Everson Griffen, offensive tackle Matt Kalil, cornerback Xavier Rhodes, linebacker Eric Kendricks, safety Anthony Harris, defensive tackle Scott Crichton and tight end Rhett Ellison.
Zimmer said it is nothing serious with Griffen, who was replaced by Danielle Hunter, and has said Kalil should be fine. Rhodes has a hamstring issue that is not considered serious and Ellison isn't quite ready after coming off the physically unable to perform list last week.
Kendricks practiced throughout the week, and there was some belief he would play. However, Kendricks, who suffered an apparent hamstring injury Aug. 6, missed his third straight preseason game.
"Obviously, I want to be out there, but I'm just listening to my trainers and coaches and working hard,'' Kendricks said.


Finding Your Story: Family History Research Workshop


Logo in the Apple store in Regents Street, London, as the company is facing a multibillion-euro tax bill after a European Union investigation into state aid it received in Ireland
The European Commission has ordered Ireland to recoup 13 billion euro (£11.1 billion) from tech giant Apple over a sweetheart tax deal.
A three-year investigation by Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager found the arrangements dating back to the early 1990s were illegal under state aid rules.
She said it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses - 1% on its European profits in 2003 and 0.0005% in 2014.
The Republic's tax inspectors have been told to recover the unpaid billions.
"Member states cannot give tax benefits to selected companies - this is illegal under EU state aid rules," the commissioner said.
"The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years."
Ms Vestager found two tax rulings issued by Ireland to Apple which she said substantially and artificially lowered the tax paid by the multinational maker of iPhones and iPads.
She said the arrangements to establish the taxable profits for two Irish incorporated companies of the Apple group - Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe - did not correspond to economic reality.
The commissioner said almost all sales profits recorded by the two companies were internally attributed to a "head office" which only existed on paper and could not have generated such profits.
Her inquiry found the profits were not subject to tax anywhere.
Ireland's Finance Minister Michael Noonan said he profoundly disagreed with the verdict.
His office said the Republic does not do "deals" with taxpayers.
"Our tax system is founded on the strict application of the law ... without exception," Mr Noonan said.
The minister said he would seek Government support to challenge the commissioner's findings in the European courts.
"This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system, to provide tax certainty to business, and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation," he said.
"It is important that we send a strong message that Ireland remains an attractive and stable location of choice for long-term substantive investment."

Apple ordered to pay Ireland 13 billion euros after EU ruling on tax deal


Three-year investigation found tech giant paid substantially less tax than other businesses


Please refresh this page in your browser to reload this live event video
The Live Event you are trying to watch is either unavailable or has not started Please refresh this page in your browser to reload this live event video
A Transit police officer is being hailed as a hero after he pulled a man from railway tracks ahead of an oncoming train in New Jersey.
The officer, Victor Ortiz, followed the man who he saw getting off a train at Secaucus Junction as the man jumped on to the tracks.
Mr Ortiz said the man knelt down on to the tracks as a train was about half a mile away and kept saying "I just want to die".
He grabbed the man and was eventually able to pull him off the tracks just as the train was coming into the station.
NJ Transit officials say they could not be more proud of Mr Ortiz and hoped the incident reminds people what police officers do every day.

Man pulled from train tracks with seconds to spare captured on CCTV


A Transit police officer is being hailed as a hero after he pulled a man from railway tracks ahead of an oncoming train in New Jersey.