Leader | Feb. 27 | 2010

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WED., FEBRUARY 27, 2013 • VOL. 80 • NO. 28 • 2 SECTIONS •

Take your pet on a date to the Siren Pet Store Currents, pg. 11

Leader

Fish house explodes Page 2

INTER-COUNTY

Regional champions crowned SPORTS

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UPDATES

Longtime Webster residents Del and Bonnie Raymond were dedicated snowmobile riders. Jim Raymond entered the vintage snowmobile, with mannequins wearing his aprents garb, in the sixth-annual Whitetail Wilderness / Wonderland Sno-Trials show on Saturday, Feb. 23. More photos in Currents section – Photo by Sherill Summer

Roundabout plans unveiled

Final design of project to revamp Hwys. 35/70 intersection revealed at Siren hearing PAGE 4 UP FRONT MADISON - Three state senators, two Democrats and a Republican, revealed a series of amendments they plan to introduce during debate on a controversial mining bill today (Feb. 27). Republican Senate leaders have the votes to pass the bill in the Senate, where a similar measure died last year. They plan to call a vote after floor debate. Sens. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, Tim Cullen, D-Janesville, and Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, said their amendments would increase environmental protections and ensure a mining company pay taxes on the iron ore it extracts. The three senators said they were concerned that companies, such as Florida-based Gogebic Taconite, which wants to build a mine in northern Wisconsin, could get around paying taxes by manipulating their net revenue. Instead, the senators said Gogebic and any other mining company should pay taxes on their gross receipts. The state Department of Natural Resources’ rulemaking process could take two years, he said. Jauch said his northern Wisconsin constituents have been “10 to 1” in their opposition to the mine. He said the Bad River Band of Chippewa could sue over the legislation, meaning no jobs would be created for years. If the bill passes in the Senate, it would move to the Assembly. Republican leaders have said they will bring the measure to a vote in the Assembly next week. - with information from channel3000.com

“A good return on investment” Judge GaleWyrick explains Polk County’s drug court program by Gregg Westigard Leader staff writer BALSAM LAKE – Drug court is an alternative to prison, it is successful in getting many people back into society, and it is a better option financially than prison. Polk County Circuit Judge Molly GaleWyrick presented the basic information on the county’s program at the monthly meeting of the Polk County Human Services Board Tuesday, Feb. 26. She was responding to questions about the cost of the drugcourt program and its success rate, questions that had been raised at county meetings in recent months. GaleWyrick gave some basic numbers. She said the cost of the drug court has averaged $18,624 per year over five years. There have been 15 graduates from the program. The average cost of putting someone in prison in Wisconsin is $32,000 a year. It would have cost $480,000 a year to keep those 15 in prison. GaleWyrick said that $18,000 versus $480,000 is a good return on one’s investment by anyone’s math. But the success of the drug court can not be measured that simply, GaleWyrick said. Two of the program participants, both methamphetamine addicts who later failed to graduate, gave birth to healthy, nonaddicted babies while in the program and drug free at the time. GaleWyrick said that while both moms continue to struggle with their addictions, the health of those children represents a savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars each in health-care costs. “How can you put a value on that?” GaleWyrick asked. “I argue that the primary purpose of the courts is to change behavior, because that is the only way to stop the revolving door of recidivism,” GaleWyrick said. “The alternative is to punish and send every convicted felon to prison. Under that scenario, we will all write very large checks to the state for more prisons.” The Polk County drug court has had 40 participants since it started in 2008. Of those, 15 have graduated, 13 are currently in the program, and 12 were terminated. Of the 15 graduates, three have been

Judge Molly GaleWyrick explained the Polk County drug court to the Human Services board. Photo by Gregg Westigard

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LIVES LIVED

later charged with new drug offenses, a 20-percent recidivism rate. Of the 12 terminated, 11 later faced charges, a 92-percent recidivism rate. GaleWyrick said one can argue that successful completion of the drug-court program dramatically reduces the likelihood of new crimes. While graduation is one measurement of the drug court, GaleWyrick said the effect of the program on all the participants must be looked at. She said the program is an intensive, long-term, outpatient treatment program that requires the participants to abstain from drugs, attend five AA or NA meetings a week, participate in group treatment, attend weekly drug-court sessions, submit to random drug screening, and meet regularly with a probation agent and a drug-court coordinator. In addition, they need to find full-time employment, perform community service, and pay their own treatment fees and a $750 drug-court fee. This means, GaleWyrick said, that all the participants are living drug-free lives, working, paying taxes and taking part in their community when they could have been in prison. That is because all the drug-court participants are convicted felons who were about to start prison terms. They have all served time in jails and prisons, GaleWyrick said, they have had a punishment part of their lives. “This is redemption,” GaleWyrick said.

Tom Johnson Arlene Sund Erickson Kakac Thomas L. Dinkel Charles (Chub) Herbert Peterson Jr. Clarence Lee Kenneth C. Long Ruth Marie Berglin Mildred N. Hillman Tyler John Hole Roy E. Semo Sr. Charlotte Lorraine McCormack Obituaries 18-19B

Prison population has increased by over 700 percent since 1970. Over 75 percent of inmates are sentenced for nonviolent offenses. Over 80 percent of inmates are drug involved, and 50 percent are clinically addicted to alcohol or other drugs. And half of offenders return to prison within three years of release. The state of Wisconsin now spends more on prisons each year than it spends on education.

Inter-County Cooperative Publishing Association Frederic, Wisconsin

Some factual information from GaleWyrick

The Inter-County Leader is a cooperative-owned newspaper

INSIDE Letters to the editor 8-9A Sports 15-24A Outdoors 25A Town Talk 6-8B Coming events Back of B Letters from home 3B Cold turkey 3B Just for laughs 3B Assorted chocolates 4B Copyright © 2013


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