State News: Hunters Urged to Submit Deer Samples for CWD Testing

By Door County Pulse, Peninsula Pulse – November 27th, 2019

Gun deer season in Wisconsin started Nov. 23, and the state Department of Natural Resources is asking hunters for their help again this year to track chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the state’s deer herd. CWD is a fatal, infectious nervous-system disease that affects deer, moose and elk, and it’s now present in 56 of the state’s 72 counties.

The DNR tracks CWD in part by analyzing samples from deer that are taken during hunting season. Amanda Kamps, a DNR wildlife health conservation specialist, said, “This year we are focusing on about 18 counties in the northern part of the state. And we have a lot more sampling options available to hunters. They could drop off samples at a self-service kiosk, or a business like a processor or taxidermist, or even at a DNR office location. … We do ask that anybody that does see a sick deer report it to our staff. But with the deer-hunting season right now, we want to have those deer definitely submitted for sampling.”

Marquette Poll: Wisconsin Voters’ Support for Impeachment Declining

Support for the impeachment of President Donald Trump is slipping among Wisconsin voters, according to the latest Marquette University Law School poll, which was conducted Nov. 13-17, included 801 Wisconsin voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percent.

The poll found that 40 percent of voters believe Trump should be impeached and removed from office, while 53 percent oppose impeachment and removal. In Marquette’s October survey, 44 percent supported impeachment, while 51 percent were opposed.

Longtime Marquette pollster Charles Franklin said the poll and the impeachment hearings’ public testimony began on the same day.

“Everyone was interviewed after that first day of testimony, but they certainly haven’t heard the bulk of the testimony,” Franklin said. “As testimony goes on, does the public move in one direction or another as they hear and have a chance to absorb what that testimony is?”

Wisconsin Home Sales Continue Climbing in October

Wisconsin home sales grew for the second straight month in October, and the figure is now trailing last year’s sales only slightly.

The latest report from the Wisconsin Realtors Association found more than 7,411 sales of existing homes last month. That’s up 0.7 percent from October 2018. This year’s sales have trailed those of 2018 for most of the year, but the gap has been narrowing this fall. The 2019 figures are now 1.5 percent behind last year.

David Clark, a Marquette University economist and a consultant on the report, said demand for homes has stayed strong all year, even though the number of homes for sale has continued to decline.

“Realtors have fewer homes to work with, yet they’re able to move those homes a bit more quickly,” he said.

The median home price in October for Wisconsin rose 7.3 percent from last year to $195,900.

“When you have prices going up at well above the rate of inflation, that’s indicative of an overheated market,” Clark said. “And it’s driven by the fact that supply is so weak.”