1410 WIZM

Old family company. Big property taxpayer. Sometimes contentious relationship with the city of La Crosse. Collins Outdoor Advertising has been all of that. It is also now part of different company. Collins has been sold this week to Olympus Media, an Atlanta-based billboard company and one of the largest in the US. Collins has been a fixture in La Crosse since early in the 19th century and has managed to flourish despite movements to limit billboard signs in communities, including La Crosse. Most recently, Collins has been at loggerheads with the city over a condemnation of a sign on Copeland avenue.

Federal jobless benefits expired yesterday after a failed attempt in the Senate to extend benefits for a year. Representative Scott Brown of Massachusetts blocked the vote on the measure because it wasn't paid for.

So what does that mean for over 44 thousand Wisconsinites? A horrible, terrible Christmas, according to Wisconsin State AFL-CIO President Phil Neuenfeldt.

 

He says that congress should pay for unemployment insurance and not tax cuts for the rich and that unemployment insurance creates jobs and does not add to the deficit.

The La Crosse County Health Department-Public Health Nursing Division will be offering a Seasonal Flu Clinic to the public on Saturday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.; at the Festival Foods in La Crosse.

This year, medical experts are preparing for both the seasonal flu and for the H1N1 flu. A single flu vaccine protects against both seasonal and H1N1 flu; however, some children may need a booster dose and parents should check with their doctor or nurse regarding a booster dose. The CDC is recommending that everyone over 6 months of age get vaccinated, even if you received the H1N1 vaccine last year.
Adult shots are $26.00 and children 6 months thru 18 years-of-age are free.

For those unable to attend the community clinic, appointments can be made Monday-Friday at the La Crosse County Health Department-Public Health Nursing Division.

The court case has closed, but questions remain about a La Crosse area priest who died this week.

Father Patrick Umberger died of cancer, a few months after being charged with possessing child porn on a computer. The La Crosse Diocese issued a statement, saying the Diocese has not received evidence that the priest broke the law. Umberger's attorney, Keith Belzer, agrees that no evidence of porn possession was found.  Belzer cannot confirm a report that the Attorney General's office was prepared to drop the charges against Father Umberger, shortly before his death.