The Milwaukee Post

4 • Milwaukee Post • July 12, 2013 WEEK IN REVIEW Lifeway closes on sale of Golden Guernsey STATE AND LOCAL STORIES OF INTEREST 1 The shuttered Golden Guernsey plant was officially sold to Lifeway Foods Inc., July 2 with the official closing of the sale, said bankruptcy trustee counsel Jeff Testa. Last month, a Delaware bankruptcy judge approved the sale, and Illinoisbased Lifeway Foods Chief Financial Officer Edward Smolyansky said he hoped to get the lights on and the factory 2 running again by mid-August. In May, Lifeway acquired the bankrupt Delafield Street plant at a New Jersey auction, with a winning bid of $7.4 million. Smolyansky said last month that the company's main priority now is to get the lights on at the plant and start processing bulk milk, but it will likely eventually begin producing Lifeway kefir, a probiot- Federal sequester prompts Guard furloughs Hundreds of Wisconsin National Guard members are facing furloughs as the result of the automatic federal budget cuts that took effect earlier this year. Most of Wisconsin's 10,000 guard members won't be affected by the budget cuts because they are state employees or considered active-duty military personnel. But about 700 guard members who are considered U.S. Department of Defense technicians must take 11 furlough days before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. Guard members will be furloughed for one day a week, so helicopter pilots and mechanics, pay and finance clerks and others who keep the guard operating will have eight hours less each week to do their jobs. The furloughs were only supposed to involve civilians, but large numbers of National Guard members who wear Army and Air Force uniforms full-time will experience them as well. The National Guard added military technicians to the furlough list in May, after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel gave official notice to begin furloughs for civilians. It's not immediately clear how many uniformed personnel will be affected nationwide. 3 State warns of lottery scams The Wisconsin Lottery and the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection are warning people of lottery scams. The state Lottery has heard from several players who reported being contacted about supposedly winning a special drawing associated with the Mega Millions jackpot game. The caller has sought money and personal information in order to "process" prize claims. The special drawing does not exist. The caller is a thief, the state agencies said in a news release. Lottery, prize notice and sweepstakes scams are a significant issue for Wisconsin consumers. The "Contest / Sweepstakes / Prize Notices" category received the tenth most complaints to the DATCP last year. The DATCP urges people to be wary of anyone who says you've won a prize in a game or drawing you never entered, to understand that legitimate lotteries and contests will never ask you to pay a fee to collect a prize, and think twice before providing bank account numbers, credit card numbers or Social Security numbers over the phone, especially to someone you don't know or on an unsolicited call. People should also be suspicious of "urgent" solicitations that suggest you will lose a prize if you don't act immediately . For more information, call the Lottery office at 608-261-4916 or send an email to info@wilottery .com. For additional consumer information or to file a complaint, visit the Consumer Protection Bureau at http://datcp.wisconsin.gov, send an email to datcphotline@wisconsin.gov or call 800-422-7128. 4 Bartolotta Fireworks employee hurt The Hales Corners fireworks show was cut short after a firework technician from the Bartolotta Fireworks Company was injured. In a news release July 5, police said the firework exploded on the ground inside the launch tube early in the show. Police said the Milwaukee County man suffered a fractured left leg and other injuries to the left side of his body and face. The man was taken to Froedtert Hospital, and company spokesman Rocco Bartolotta said he was "doing OK." The rest of the show was canceled and has been rescheduled for Aug. 6. ic dairy beverage. The plant closed suddenly Jan. 5, leaving more than 100 employees scrambling to search for new employment, health insurance and more. The plant's former owner, a California-based capital firm called OpenGate, announced shortly thereafter that the plant was filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Delaware. OpenGate CEO Andrew Nikou issued a statement that blamed operating expenses, the union and pressure to lower prices for the decision. Both the Department of Workforce Development and Bankruptcy Trustee Charles Stanziale are further investigating what happened leading up to the closure and afterward. – Sarah Pryor, Conley News Service 5 MS walks raise nearly $1.3 million 6 BMO Harris Bradley Center purchases property near building Walk MS events held in 18 communities around the state this spring raised nearly $1.3 million but fell short of a $1.5 million goal, the state chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society reported. The funds will be used for research into multiple sclerosis, as well as programs and services for the more than 10,000 people diagnosed with MS in the state, a press release said. More than 11,500 people walked in the events and 550 volunteers worked them. The walks have been held in Wisconsin every spring since 1984; the largest this year were held in Milwaukee, Madison and De Pere. Funds come from participant fundraising and donations. Donations are still being accepted. For details, call 262-369-4400 or visit www.wisms.org. The BMO Harris Bradley Center will purchase a half-acre property north of the arena from the Milwaukee Area Technical College. It will be used for parking and staging for some shows. The property is southwest of North Fourth Street and West Juneau Avenue. The Bradley Center Sports and Entertaiment Corp. now controls the block between Fourth and Fifth streets and Juneau Avenue and State Street. Bradley Center officials plan to demolish the building that stands on the property . There currently are parking spaces for up to 30 cars on the property . The MATC District Board approved the sale recently, but it requires a final signoff from Morna Foy, president of the Wisconsin Technical College System, before the deal can close. 7 Walker signs unemployment payout bill 8 First Stage to be in national Shakespeare tour Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill recently that would increase the maximum weekly unemployment insurance payout but install new limits on who can collect the benefits. It increases the highest monthly benefit by $7 to $370. The bill also makes it easier for the state to recover overpayments made to the unemployed by allowing audits of beneficiaries, repeals a program that allows claimants to receive an additional 26 weeks of benefits if they're enrolled in vocational training and bars inmates in work-release programs from collecting unemployment. First Stage is one of 40 professional theater companies selected to participate in Shakespeare in American Communities: Shakespeare for a New Generation. It is the 10th year of Shakespeare for a New Generation, and the first time that First Stage will participate in the largest national tour of Shakespeare in American history . To participate in the tour, First Stage will receive a $25,000 grant award from Arts Midwest, on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts. First Stage is the state's largest children's theater and the nation's second-largest theater academy .

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