Washington Island Police Department Received Grant

• The Washington Island Police Department received a $4,000 equipment grant for participating in the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s (DOT) “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over program.

“Because drunken drivers are deadly threats not just to themselves but to everyone else on our roads, our stringent enforcement efforts help save lives and prevent serious injuries,” said chief Tyler McGrane. “Using both education and enforcement, we are striving to deter people from getting behind the wheel if they’re impaired. If more people make the responsible decision to not drive if they’re not sober, we will make progress toward the goal of reducing the number of preventable traffic deaths to zero in Wisconsin.”

The DOT reported approximately 27,000 convictions for drunken driving in Wisconsin last year, as well as 223 people killed and nearly 3,000 injured in alcohol-related crashes.

• Wisconsin hunters killed 257 wolves – six above the quota set by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – in the 2013 season that ended on Dec. 23 when Zone 3 in northwestern Wisconsin, the last remaining of the six wolf hunting zones, was closed. Seventy-five wolves were killed in Zone 3, four above the zone’s quota. “This has been a successful second season, and the harvest was well distributed across the state. We are closing the wolf season now to reduce the risk of exceeding our quota,” said Kurt Thiede, DNR Land Division Administrator.