skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Wisconsin’s New No-Phone Work Zone Law in Effect Oct. 1

play audio
Play

Wednesday, August 31, 2016   

MADISON, Wis. - Every day in the United States, eight people are killed and more than 1,000 are injured by crashes involving distracted drivers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Wisconsin is one of 46 states that have laws against texting while driving, but a new law that goes into effect October first takes another step, designed to protect construction workers in highway work zones in Wisconsin.

"Wisconsin's new law will prohibit any use of a hand-held communications device like a cell phone in a work zone," said Nick Jarmusz, director of public affairs for AAA Wisconsin. "So if you're on the phone, it has to be some sort of a hands-free setup, either with a Bluetooth or an in-vehicle system."

The construction-zone act was signed into law by Gov. Scott Walker on March 30, and enforcement will begin October first. Fines for violating the new law range from $40 for the first offense up to $100 for repeat offenses. According to Jarmusz, there's plenty of research to back this new law.

"There is a difference between talking to someone on the phone and talking to a passenger in the car," he said. "Just the way that your brain has to process the conversation is more taxing on your brain, diverts more attention away from the road when you're simply having a conversation with a passenger."

Democrats in the state Legislature in the just-ended session moved to prohibit use of hand-held cell phones while driving, but the proposal never made it out of the Transportation Committee. Jarmusz said AAA wants to make something very clear.

"What we would caution against is any sort of law that gives the impression that having a hands-free conversation is somehow safe, and is a recommended safety tip, when it really isn't," he said. "It really is also a dangerous distraction in and of itself."

The text of the new law, Wisconsin Act 308, is online at docs.legis.wisconsin.gov.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021