Many thanks to public employees

In the wake of last spring's budget battles in Madison, many state officials and pundits are proclaiming how the "tools" given to Wisconsin's school districts and local governments have allowed those entities to offset cuts in state funding and avert the kind of massive layoffs and service cuts that have occurred in other states.

Fair enough. Whatever your view on the Budget Repair Bill and the changes to Wisconsin collective bargaining law that were approved by the Legislature, signed by the governor and ultimately affirmed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court — there's no question that these pieces of legislation have allowed school districts, counties and cities across Wisconsin to cut their labor costs.

But let's not forget that those "tools" were used to reach directly into the wallets of tens of thousands of state and local employees. And these employees — good, hard-working folks, most of whom weren't getting rich from their jobs in the first place — within the past month began feeling the impact of those changes.

All state and local employees (with the exception of police and fire — more on that later) are now feeling the pinch of a mandatory 5.8 percent pension contribution that amounts to a 5.8 percent pay cut. For many city of Two Rivers union employees, the pay cut follows two years of pay freezes. For our non-union supervisors, the pay cut follows four years of wage freezes.

Public employees who participate in the state health insurance program also are feeling the impact of a mandatory 15 percent employee co-pay on health premiums. Two Rivers city employees are not impacted by this mandate.

Moreover, it's a shame that we aren't allowed to use the mandatory pension contribution tool to reduce costs in the departments that make up about half of our tax-supported local budgets: police and fire.

Glasto guru warns about sky lanterns

 YEOVIL fire chief Michael Toop has warned people about the dangers of setting off Sky Lanterns – better known as Chinese lanterns - and the risk they pose to farmer’s cattle and crops.

Sky lanterns are usually constructed of paper stretched over a wire frame, rather similar to a spherical paper lampshade. They contain a wax candle that enables the lantern to fly for up to 20 minutes. The lanterns when lit will rise for up to 20 minutes and can ascend to over a mile in the sky - where they will still be visible on a clear night until they disintegrate.

Research has shown that in some cases embers from the fuel cell can continue to glow for several minutes after the flames have gone out. There is also the very real possibility that hot, glowing embers can fall from the lantern as it flies and could land on people or animals.

The Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service’s Yeovil support group crew manager, Michael Toop, said: “There are particular areas of concern among farmers when lanterns are ignited near open fields full of standing dry crops, woodland, moorland, and barns, as well as being a potential hazard for starting a fire in residential areas especially properties with thatched roofs.”

Fire chiefs have joined forces with Glastonbury Festival guru Michael Eavis to highlight the problems caused by the lanterns.

“I would like to see them totally banned, I am surrounded by farmers and when Glastonbury festival takes place it’s Sky Lanterns they get angry about!” he said. “For several years now we have banned them being sold at the festival, but people still bring them on site within all their camping gear.”