Myron Levin
FairWarning
To stave off regulation and lawsuits over severe burns to toddlers, manufacturers will provide protective screens as standard equipment with new gas fireplaces.
The industry has revised its voluntary guidelines to call for the addition of mesh screens to be permanently attached to new fireplaces to prevent contact with the scorching glass fronts, which get [...]

Wisconsin InfoLink is an almanac of Wisconsin facts and resources on WisconsinWatch.org compiled by Ron Larson. On the WisconsinWatch blog, Larson introduces us to some of these gems.
A recent traffic crash in Fitchburg claimed the lives of four young men, and the driver has been tentatively charged with four counts of homicide by drunken driving. [...]

Wisconsin’s new law, which allows citizens to carry concealed weapons, has been hailed by the NRA as “one of the nation’s strongest.”

In this collaborative project, the Center and Gannett Wisconsin Media explore the question: A decade after 9/11, are we safer? With a three-part series, regional stories from Gannett’s newspapers, interactive multimedia and more.

By Lauren Hasler
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism
COLUMBUS — American Packaging Corp. in Columbus is supposed to be one of the safest places to work. In 2009, the company was recognized as a model of safety when it joined other Wisconsin workplaces, now totaling 49, in a voluntary compliance program run by the U.S. Occupational Safety [...]

For farmer Brian Wickert, the raw milk bill is about having the freedom to live without interference from the government. But for health officials in America’s Dairyland, it’s about potentially exposing unsuspecting citizens to disease-causing bacteria. At the crux of this debate is the age-old question: How much should government protect its citizens from possible hazards?

In September, a family’s vacation in Wisconsin Dells turned tragic when an infant touched the glass front of a fireplace and suffered third-degree burns at a resort hotel. Manufacturers of gas fireplaces are being buffeted by lawsuits and the threat of federal regulation amid heightened concerns about the risk of burns from the appliances, which can get hot enough to melt skin.

A six-month examination of more than 150,000 reports filed by pilots and others in the aviation industry over the past 20 years reveals surprising and sometimes shocking safety breaches and close calls at local, regional and major airports throughout the country.