Plastic cans; no pay for officeholders; senior citizen prom
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Odd and interesting news from the Midwest.
- By JOSH LINTEREUR USA Today Network-Wisconsin
- Updated
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) — A Sheboygan factory has begun producing aluminum-topped plastic cans that plant officials say represent a disruptive and long-sought-after technology in the U.S. beverage industry.
Poland-based Invento began production in March with nine employees working inside a leased portion of the former International Automotive Components plant on Sheboygan's north side.
The highly automated operation will expand to about 40 workers by late April, USA Today Network-Wisconsin (http://shebpr.es/1S7VJIM ) reported.
The plant marks the first U.S. location for Invento, which introduced plastic cans in Europe several years ago and has since attracted strong interest from U.S. beverage companies.
"It was always something that the big brands wanted," said William Brandell, the company's president and managing partner, during a recent plant tour. "People are watching this very closely."
Brandell, who's spent a good chunk of his career in the aluminum can industry, said beverage makers have flirted with the technology since the 1980s, with companies investing significant amounts into plastic cans but ultimately failing to produce an adequate product.
The packaging, which is 100 percent recyclable, presents a variation on plastic bottles and has become increasingly desirable with the recent popularity of sparkling water, energy drinks and other products the industry feels are best marketed using see-through containers.
While production costs are similar to aluminum, plastic cans allow for labels to be changed on the fly, and shapes and sizes are easily adjusted as well and at dramatically lower costs, Brandell said.
"With a clear can, you're either highlighting the clear beverage or the vivid color of the beverage, or you're doing something interesting with the labels that you can't do on a printed aluminum can," Brandell said.
Invento's Sheboygan factory launched with a single production line capable of turning out 50 million cans a year. Capacity will be doubled in the coming weeks as that line is expanded, while a separate production line will be installed by early 2017 that will put the plant's capacity at 200 million cans a year.
That's a drop in the bucket in the U.S. beverage industry, which churns out 100 billion aluminum cans each year. But Brandell said Invento can be successful on a much smaller scale, as major brands are interested in using plastic cans for promotions and limited edition runs.
For example, Invento could accommodate the short lead times needed if a beverage company wants to release a special product just before a major sporting event, which wouldn't be possible with aluminum.
"There's a promotional, time-to-market advantage through this," Brandell said.
Invento initially planned to open in Colorado but pulled out after Brandell became concerned that the region's talent pool wasn't to suited plastics manufacturing.
That led him to the Midwest, which has an established plastics industry and strong manufacturing base.
Brandell found a home for Invento at the former IAC plant, which closed in 2010 but is filled again after being purchased and subdivided several years ago.
The first person they hired was a former IAC employee who'd worked there for 30 years. They've added several other former IAC workers since.
"The talent for people in this area for our industry was very deep," he said.
Invento began leasing 38,000 square feet there in late 2014 and spent all of 2015 lining up production equipment before launching this year.
The bottles are now being produced using a pre-formed plastic cone that's warmed and blow-molded into a can before moving along a conveyor belt to be labeled, inspected, packaged and shipped.
The company's plastic cans should appear on shelves beginning this summer following a national roll-out by one of Invento's biggest customers, which Brandell declined to name.
The cans will initially be used to package soda, sparkling water, energy drinks and alcoholic beverages.
"As a startup business with an innovative, disruptive technology, we just have to do the right things," he said. "It's just all blocking and tackling at this point. We have demand. We just have to execute."
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Information from: Sheboygan Press Media, http://www.sheboygan-press.com
This is an AP Member Exchange shared by USA Today Network-Wisconsin
- By MIKE TIGHE La Crosse Tribune
- Updated
By MIKE TIGHE
La Crosse Tribune
ETTRICK, Wis. (AP) — Judy Byom and Vickie Baer are women of certain ages that they refuse to reveal — but both are beyond childbearing years.
So you can imagine their bewilderment about a message they received during a service at Hardies Creek Lutheran Church a couple of months back.
"They called us up in front," Byom said, "and we didn't know ."
"What was coming," Baer said, in the typical fashion in which the congregation's longtime organists are so in tune with each other — they often finish each other's sentences.
"You're expecting a baby," a note said, Byom recalled. "We looked at each other, because our families are grown."
"Then they told us" to pick the baby of their choice from a catalog, Baer said.
Baby as in baby grand piano, a new instrument with which the church of 300 souls was presenting to celebrate the women's dedicated years of playing organ and piano during services — Byom's 45 and Baer's 40, the La Crosse Tribune (http://bit.ly/1SJQPMi ) reported.
"We are so overwhelmed." Byom said.
"The old one was on its last (leg)," Baer said.
The Kawai baby grand they picked is stationed at the front of the well-kept, stately little brick church nestled in a valley among the pastoral hills of Trempealeau County — just a stone's throw from the Hardies Creek from which it draws its name.
The baby was delivered a few months ago, and Byom and Bayer have been tickled pink tickling its ivories. The final steps in the congregation's honorifics for the women took place on Sunday, April 10, with a special service at 9 a.m., followed by a brunch in their honor.
The accolades are well-deserved for the native daughters of the congregation, according to member Tom Borreson.
"They have worked tirelessly over the years providing music for church services, other church activities, weddings, funerals and many other activities," said Borreson, Hardies Creek's treasurer.
The Rev. John Ashland, who has been pastor here since his ordination, echoes Borreson's assessment, saying, "They do an amazing job. I've been blessed for 25 years to have them. They never turn down a request to try something different. They have made my job easier.
"They really work hard to make every service special, creative and unique," Ashland said.
"It's not just about them playing music, but they are great at involving as many people as possible," he said, adding that the duo routinely enlists both youths and adults to sing solos and/or in groups.
Those groups include the Creek Chicks, which Byom and Baer said recently performed for an Irish gig, including a violin, banjo and guitars.
"We are very blessed to have had talented musicians over the years," said Baer, an assistant to a vice chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, who played the piano in church for a wedding at the age of 13.
Both play in the Hill and Valley Band, begun in 1999.
"It started out with 28 adults and kids," said Baer, who plays the saxophone. "Some adults dusted off their old instruments, and others bought new ones."
The numbers have dwindled, depending in part on how many collegians happen to be home for the weekend, but the enthusiasm remains, said Byom, a clarinet player who also directs the choir.
Byom and Baer alternate weekends at the keys to give each other a break.
"I like to sit back and relax and listen to the music and be with my family, which is important to me," said Byom, a dairy farmer with her husband, Dan.
They also alternate between the piano and the organ during services.
"Way back, it was entirely organ," Byom said. "In recent years, we've done preludes and postludes on the piano, with hymns on the organ."
Sometimes, they both scoot over a bit on the piano bench to play together.
"We like to do duets, for holidays and special events, and we're going to do one Sunday," said Baer, whose husband is Bob, the day before the event.
"Another unique time was for the 25th anniversary of the pastor," Byom said of the service last fall, when they invited Bette Stern, the musician from South Beaver Creek Lutheran Church, which Ashland also pastors.
In that case, they pulled a chair up next to the piano bench, and the trio played six-handed tunes.
"We had a lot of fun," Byom said.
Both praised the pastor as being very musical, with a strong singing voice to lead the congregation, and his wife, Sarah, plays the guitar.
Ashland returns the compliments, saying Byom and Baer are part of the fabric of the church.
"It's a congregation that really, truly care about each other and the church," he said. "It's close-knit and caring."
The weaving together has been done with care for more than a century.
"Both of us were born and raised here," Byom said, "and married here, and our forefathers started the church," which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2012.
And they've got a new baby.
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Information from: La Crosse Tribune, http://www.lacrossetribune.com
This is an AP Member Exchange shared by the La Crosse Tribune
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DAVISON, Mich. (AP) — A high school student kept his campaign promise — and area senior citizens enjoyed their own prom.
Dozens of people attended a prom for seniors Saturday at Davison High School in Genesee County. The Flint Journal (http://bit.ly/1Tdtrd1 ) says it was organized by Dustin Wood, who promised to hold the event when he successfully ran for class president.
A band played music from the 1950s and 1960s. Wood says he wanted to "bring back the childhood" for a lot of people.
Wood shared a dance with Edith Smith, who celebrated her 83th birthday at the prom.
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Information from: The Flint Journal, http://www.mlive.com/flint
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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A 56-year-old nurse has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a woman he was caring for.
The Des Moines Register reports (http://dmreg.co/23Gh5Cv ) police started investigating the relationship last month after the administrator of a rehabilitation facility reported it.
The facility administrator told police that she didn't think the woman was mentally capable of consenting to sex because of her mental health issues.
Police say the sexual relationship began in December while the woman was staying at the care facility. The relationship continued after the woman was discharged.
The nurse has been arrested on suspicion of abusing a dependent adult. It wasn't immediately clear if he would face additional charges.
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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com
- By ED WHITE Associated Press
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DETROIT (AP) — A jury should decide whether Wayne County jail employees could have prevented the death of a man who was killed after a mentally ill inmate was placed in his cell, an appeals court said.
The court last week affirmed a decision by a Detroit federal judge, who said governmental immunity doesn't apply in a lawsuit by Jeff Horvath's estate. He was in jail for more than a week in 2011 because he couldn't afford to post bond in a misdemeanor case.
Horvath was moved to another cell because of a toilet problem and was eventually joined by Brandon Gillespie. Horvath, 55, was beaten and stabbed to death. Another inmate said he heard someone yelling, "Let me out."
Gillespie told jail staff that he had a history of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and wasn't taking medication at the time, according to a summary of the incident. Gillespie, now 26, pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and is serving at least 30 years in prison.
Horvath's family said the Dearborn man had a right to be protected. The lawsuit names Wayne County, a sheriff's deputy, a nurse and a social worker. Deputy Andre Stinson said he didn't hear Horvath's pleas for help.
"Stinson certainly raises doubts as to what he could hear and see at the time of the attack. ... But such arguments are appropriately reserved for a jury," the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said.
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Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap
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WILDWOOD, Mo. (AP) — A 7-year-old St. Louis County girl on her way to a father-daughter dance died after being hit by a vehicle as she crossed a roadway near a school.
St. Louis County police said in a release that an SUV turning left out of the parking lot of Babler Elementary in Wildwood struck Rachel Bick of Ballwin Saturday evening.
Rachel's mother, Susan Bick, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://j.mp/1r7kJ7k ) Sunday the family's devastated. She says her daughter was so excited to pick out a white lace dress for the dance.
Police said Rachel and her father walked from the parking lot of a nearby school and onto the highway where Rachel was struck. Rachel's grandmother, Barb Nethery, says her father feels he failed her.
Police say the SUV driver is cooperating.
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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A 9-year-old boy celebrated his birthday by eating sushi, decorating cupcakes and riding a mechanical horse — all part of a nine-hour party at a Meijer store in western Michigan.
Fletcher Moore wanted to spend Saturday at the big-box store where customers can buy food, clothes, games and pet fish. He told his mom, "I don't want you to rush me."
Fletcher got a behind-the-scenes tour at a Meijer store in Grand Rapids. He took his time going up and down the aisles, and even met company executive Doug Meijer.
The Grand Rapids Press (http://bit.ly/1VbdMOA ) says a buddy collected $16 in bottle deposits and gave the money to Fletcher.
Kristen Moore says she'd spend the day in a "cardboard box" if that were her son's birthday wish.
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Information from: The Grand Rapids Press, http://www.mlive.com/grand-rapids
- By DON BABWIN Associated Press
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CHICAGO (AP) — Lawmakers from the governor on down will start waiting for their paychecks like others whose payments from the state have been delayed due to the prolonged budget impasse, Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger said Sunday.
At a news conference, Munger said it isn't fair that members of the General Assembly and other statewide office holders — herself included — be paid on time each month when agencies, vendors and others are having to wait months for money they're owed or are having to slash programs or shut down due to the lack of funding.
"It is only appropriate that we all wait in line to receive payment," she said.
Munger said that although the roughly $1.3 million in total pay each month is a tiny fraction of the state's $7.8 billion bill backlog caused by the budget impasse that has stretched into its 10th month, it might help prevent layoffs at a non-profit agency, keep a community program afloat or help a small business get the state money it's owed more quickly.
She said she hopes her announcement will bring lawmakers together to pass a balanced budget.
"I'm hoping this will help everyone understand what it feels like really to be among the group of people who are waiting months for payment," she said.
Munger said that before taking this step, she consulted her legal staff to make sure she could do it. But she said she didn't discuss it with anyone else, including Gov. Bruce Rauner, a fellow Republican who appointed her comptroller last year after the death of Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka.
Rauner's office and Democratic Senate President John Cullerton's office declined to comment. Speaker of the House Michael Madigan's office did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
In a statement, Susana Mendoza, who is Chicago's city clerk and Munger's Democratic challenger in the upcoming election, criticized Munger's announcement as "10 months late and many dollars short" and chastized Munger for failing to demand that Rauner "end his extreme agenda and pass a budget."
The failure to pass a budget that should have taken effect last July 1 is the result of a standoff between Rauner and the Democrats who control the General Assembly. The Democrats what Rauner to sign off on a tax increase, but Rauner wants them to agree to some "structural reforms," such as changes in collective bargaining. The Democrats refuse, saying that such changes would hurt working families.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A newspaper analysis has found that an increase in the speed limit along stretches of rural Ohio interstates has resulted in more accidents and fewer tickets.
The Columbus Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/1p99oSc ) that state troopers wrote 55,000 tickets last year on rural interstates compared with a yearly average of about 63,000 tickets between 2010 and 2013. Ohio raised the speed limit along rural interstates from 65 mph to 70 mph in July 2013.
A state analysis shows crashes have risen. The number of crashes jumped 19 percent from 8,600 in the two years prior to the increase to 10,200 the last two years. Fatal crashes fell from 48 to 43 in those time periods.
An Ohio Department of Transportation official says interstate speeds have risen slightly since the speed limit change.
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com
- By SUMMER BALLENTINE Associated Press
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri cities no longer could ban pit bulls or impose rules on certain dog breeds under legislation that advanced this past week in the Legislature.
Republican Rep. Ron Hicks, who is behind the measure, said those breed-specific ordinances amount to doggy discrimination, and said it's time muzzle municipalities from targeting dogs that he said unfairly receive a bad rap.
"It's not the dog. It's not the breed. It's the owner," said Hicks, a St. Peters resident who owns a boxer named Rosie. "We should hold the owner responsible for the dog's action, not the animal."
The measure, which passed 117-17 out of the House on Thursday, would allow local governments to adopt bans on unleashed dogs or pass other general regulations. But cities couldn't single out specific breeds, such as pit bulls.
Missouri would be the 20th state to pass legislation limiting local restrictions on pit bulls, according to Colleen Lynn, whose organization, DogsBite.org, seeks to reduce serious dog attacks. Sixteen states prohibit pit bull bans.
Lynn said pit bulls are especially dangerous because they inflict more damage during attacks than other breeds.
"Whenever pit bulls show up, they're killing disproportionately," Lynn said. "Cities have taken action in that area."
Brent Toellner, president and co-founder of Kansas City Pet Project, which runs a no-kill Kansas City animal shelter, said pit bull bites aren't physiologically different than those of other dogs.
He said the severity of injuries from dog attacks depends on the size of the person bitten and the size of the dog, meaning it's not just pit bulls that can inflict major damage.
Toellner said ordinances against pit bulls are "fear based." He advocates for more general rules on violent dogs.
"When you target the breed, you end up encompassing a lot of dogs that are really well behaved and really good dogs in good families," Toellner said.
Hicks said it can also be difficult to accurately determine a dog's breed, and that can mean families are unfairly separated from their pets. For example, he said his boxer could be mistaken for a pit bull.
Some critics of Hicks' bill say the state shouldn't be deciding the issue for communities.
"It's really up to the local level," Missouri Municipal League Deputy Director Richard Sheets said. "I don't see how the General Assembly can say what's right for one community, because it's just a varying situation."
Independence, which borders Kansas City, banned pit bulls in 2006 after five attacks by the dogs left three men hospitalized.
Mayor Eileen Weir said dog bite incidents haven't decreased since the ordinance was put in place, but none of the attacks have been as severe as those that led to the policy.
She said the ordinance still is a point of contention between residents who believe it makes the community safer and those who say it's unfair. She said she thinks communities should decide the issue for themselves.
Hicks' bill is pending in the Senate. The deadline to pass bills is May 13, the end of the legislative session.
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Dog discrimination bill is HB 1811.
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Online:
Missouri House: http://house.mo.gov
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Follow Summer Ballentine at https://twitter.com/esballentine
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NORMAL, Ill. (AP) — A time capsule from 1959 has been found at a former Illinois State University residence hall that's being taken down.
The (Bloomington) Pantagraph (http://bit.ly/1S56oyv ) reports the box found at the Hamilton-Whitten hall by a demolition foreman had roughly 50 items with ties to other former dorms. They include a 1959 yearbook, copies of revenue bonds used to finance Hamilton-Whitten's construction, and an imitation cardinal.
University archivist April Anderson says when she and others opened the box, they found "a mushy mess" that "smelled like rotten wine." She estimates that roughly three-fourths of the time capsule's contents can be salvaged.
Anderson says the box's contents are "priceless in university history."
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Information from: The Pantagraph, http://www.pantagraph.com
- By LAUREN DONOVAN Bismarck Tribune
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DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) — Two Dickinson men who opened an auto detailing shop about four months ago have been picked for a team that will preserve the nation's original Air Force One presidential jet as part of the 100th anniversary of Boeing and the opening of the Seattle Museum of Flight's Airpark Pavilion.
Paul Richter and Nevada Crimmins of Xtreme Auto Detail left last weekend to take part in the first week of a two-week mega-detailing event aimed at prepping 17 historic Boeing aircraft for the centennial, the Bismarck Tribune (http://bit.ly/1SdVr34 ) reported.
The two men got interested when they attended an advanced detailing certification training session in February. Their trainer and master detailer, Renny Doyle, was impressed with their abilities.
Doyle joined the official Air Force One Detailing Team when it was created by the Bush Administration in 2003 to restore the badly deteriorating jet, which has been displayed outdoors. With the new hangar, the team will ramp up to preserve the plane with an annual cleaning, polishing and paint sealant application.
Doyle said he picked Richter, 46, and Crimmins, 41, out of hundreds of detailers across the country.
"I have carefully selected my team because there is no room for mistakes in detailing these multi-million dollar airplanes," Doyle said. "I need people who will accept nothing short of perfection, and Crimmins and Richter are two of those people."
Richter, 46, said they were shocked when they received an invitation and thought at first it was sent to the wrong place.
"We went there to learn everything we could, and I guess we impressed him," Richter said. "It might help to be a little obsessive compulsive."
The two will close the shop and pay their own costs to go.
Richter moved to the Dickinson area after 19 years in corrections in Oregon and said the transition from that, to now being part of this historic event, is mindboggling. He said it'll be cool to help preserve the flying Oval Office, used by presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon.
The detailing team also will polish the all-aluminum fuselage of a WWII B-29 Superfortress bomber and preserve paint and bright work on 14 other historic Boeing craft.
Crimmins said it was an honor to be invited and a great way to make a lasting contribution.
"I think of all the vets and what they give; this is just a way to give back a little bit, too," he said.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com
This is an AP Member Exchange shared by the Bismarck Tribune
- By NICK NOLAN The Evening News
- Updated
By NICK NOLAN
The Evening News
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) — Since opening his barbershop on March 16, Derek Canute has been busy creating an environment to help his male clientele take an edge off in a relaxed environment while getting their hair or facial hair styled.
Derek's Barbershop, named after the owner and only employee, is located in the Small Mall in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. After a brief renovation period that started on the first of March, Canute transformed a former insurance office into a retro-styled barbershop blended with a man cave, The Evening News (http://bit.ly/1MppFO7 ) reported.
"It went fast. I had it done in 11 days," said Canute, explaining his blitzkrieg approach to renovating the former office space. "There were a lot of late nights."
The shop is outfitted with two long, sectioned leather couches, a large flat screen TV, free beverages including pop and coffee, and posters of the different hair and beard styles Canute can give to his customers. There are two barber chairs in the room. One of them is in the shape of an airplane for children.
Canute moved back to the Sault in June of 2014 after living in the city for four years between 2005 and 2009 while enlisted in the United States Coast Guard. The Iowa native owned two barbershops before opening his third shop. Canute started cutting hair in the Coast Guard before going to barber school for a year in 2009. He specializes in specialty cuts, fades and facial hair razor work.
It's the only place in town to get a hot shave. The old-styled shave with a straight edge is an attraction for men. For boys there is a popcorn machine, the aforementioned airplane chair and coloring books among other activities. The idea is to make it a comfortable hangout place for men of all ages.
"When a kid comes in, I try to focus on the fun stuff. Let's focus on the toys, the drawing. I've had kids just come in and that's all they do — they sit down have popcorn, play with cars just so they're comfortable in here," said Canute on helping to create an atmosphere where small boys don't fear haircuts or a trip to the barbershop.
"If you come in and don't have an appointment that's fine. You can chill," he said. "I want it to be a relaxing atmosphere."
He plans on rolling out a new marketing campaign soon to reach out to potential customers. Still, he feels his most engaging attraction is to present himself to his customers as approachable. Keeping a one to one relationship with his customers is a priority for Canute.
"You're not a number here," he added. "I wanted a traditional barbershop with a modern twist."
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Information from: The Evening News, http://www.sooeveningnews.com
This is an AP Member Exchange shared by The Evening News
- By JOSH LINTEREUR USA Today Network-Wisconsin
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) — A Sheboygan factory has begun producing aluminum-topped plastic cans that plant officials say represent a disruptive and long-sought-after technology in the U.S. beverage industry.
Poland-based Invento began production in March with nine employees working inside a leased portion of the former International Automotive Components plant on Sheboygan's north side.
The highly automated operation will expand to about 40 workers by late April, USA Today Network-Wisconsin (http://shebpr.es/1S7VJIM ) reported.
The plant marks the first U.S. location for Invento, which introduced plastic cans in Europe several years ago and has since attracted strong interest from U.S. beverage companies.
"It was always something that the big brands wanted," said William Brandell, the company's president and managing partner, during a recent plant tour. "People are watching this very closely."
Brandell, who's spent a good chunk of his career in the aluminum can industry, said beverage makers have flirted with the technology since the 1980s, with companies investing significant amounts into plastic cans but ultimately failing to produce an adequate product.
The packaging, which is 100 percent recyclable, presents a variation on plastic bottles and has become increasingly desirable with the recent popularity of sparkling water, energy drinks and other products the industry feels are best marketed using see-through containers.
While production costs are similar to aluminum, plastic cans allow for labels to be changed on the fly, and shapes and sizes are easily adjusted as well and at dramatically lower costs, Brandell said.
"With a clear can, you're either highlighting the clear beverage or the vivid color of the beverage, or you're doing something interesting with the labels that you can't do on a printed aluminum can," Brandell said.
Invento's Sheboygan factory launched with a single production line capable of turning out 50 million cans a year. Capacity will be doubled in the coming weeks as that line is expanded, while a separate production line will be installed by early 2017 that will put the plant's capacity at 200 million cans a year.
That's a drop in the bucket in the U.S. beverage industry, which churns out 100 billion aluminum cans each year. But Brandell said Invento can be successful on a much smaller scale, as major brands are interested in using plastic cans for promotions and limited edition runs.
For example, Invento could accommodate the short lead times needed if a beverage company wants to release a special product just before a major sporting event, which wouldn't be possible with aluminum.
"There's a promotional, time-to-market advantage through this," Brandell said.
Invento initially planned to open in Colorado but pulled out after Brandell became concerned that the region's talent pool wasn't to suited plastics manufacturing.
That led him to the Midwest, which has an established plastics industry and strong manufacturing base.
Brandell found a home for Invento at the former IAC plant, which closed in 2010 but is filled again after being purchased and subdivided several years ago.
The first person they hired was a former IAC employee who'd worked there for 30 years. They've added several other former IAC workers since.
"The talent for people in this area for our industry was very deep," he said.
Invento began leasing 38,000 square feet there in late 2014 and spent all of 2015 lining up production equipment before launching this year.
The bottles are now being produced using a pre-formed plastic cone that's warmed and blow-molded into a can before moving along a conveyor belt to be labeled, inspected, packaged and shipped.
The company's plastic cans should appear on shelves beginning this summer following a national roll-out by one of Invento's biggest customers, which Brandell declined to name.
The cans will initially be used to package soda, sparkling water, energy drinks and alcoholic beverages.
"As a startup business with an innovative, disruptive technology, we just have to do the right things," he said. "It's just all blocking and tackling at this point. We have demand. We just have to execute."
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Information from: Sheboygan Press Media, http://www.sheboygan-press.com
This is an AP Member Exchange shared by USA Today Network-Wisconsin
- By MIKE TIGHE La Crosse Tribune
By MIKE TIGHE
La Crosse Tribune
ETTRICK, Wis. (AP) — Judy Byom and Vickie Baer are women of certain ages that they refuse to reveal — but both are beyond childbearing years.
So you can imagine their bewilderment about a message they received during a service at Hardies Creek Lutheran Church a couple of months back.
"They called us up in front," Byom said, "and we didn't know ."
"What was coming," Baer said, in the typical fashion in which the congregation's longtime organists are so in tune with each other — they often finish each other's sentences.
"You're expecting a baby," a note said, Byom recalled. "We looked at each other, because our families are grown."
"Then they told us" to pick the baby of their choice from a catalog, Baer said.
Baby as in baby grand piano, a new instrument with which the church of 300 souls was presenting to celebrate the women's dedicated years of playing organ and piano during services — Byom's 45 and Baer's 40, the La Crosse Tribune (http://bit.ly/1SJQPMi ) reported.
"We are so overwhelmed." Byom said.
"The old one was on its last (leg)," Baer said.
The Kawai baby grand they picked is stationed at the front of the well-kept, stately little brick church nestled in a valley among the pastoral hills of Trempealeau County — just a stone's throw from the Hardies Creek from which it draws its name.
The baby was delivered a few months ago, and Byom and Bayer have been tickled pink tickling its ivories. The final steps in the congregation's honorifics for the women took place on Sunday, April 10, with a special service at 9 a.m., followed by a brunch in their honor.
The accolades are well-deserved for the native daughters of the congregation, according to member Tom Borreson.
"They have worked tirelessly over the years providing music for church services, other church activities, weddings, funerals and many other activities," said Borreson, Hardies Creek's treasurer.
The Rev. John Ashland, who has been pastor here since his ordination, echoes Borreson's assessment, saying, "They do an amazing job. I've been blessed for 25 years to have them. They never turn down a request to try something different. They have made my job easier.
"They really work hard to make every service special, creative and unique," Ashland said.
"It's not just about them playing music, but they are great at involving as many people as possible," he said, adding that the duo routinely enlists both youths and adults to sing solos and/or in groups.
Those groups include the Creek Chicks, which Byom and Baer said recently performed for an Irish gig, including a violin, banjo and guitars.
"We are very blessed to have had talented musicians over the years," said Baer, an assistant to a vice chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, who played the piano in church for a wedding at the age of 13.
Both play in the Hill and Valley Band, begun in 1999.
"It started out with 28 adults and kids," said Baer, who plays the saxophone. "Some adults dusted off their old instruments, and others bought new ones."
The numbers have dwindled, depending in part on how many collegians happen to be home for the weekend, but the enthusiasm remains, said Byom, a clarinet player who also directs the choir.
Byom and Baer alternate weekends at the keys to give each other a break.
"I like to sit back and relax and listen to the music and be with my family, which is important to me," said Byom, a dairy farmer with her husband, Dan.
They also alternate between the piano and the organ during services.
"Way back, it was entirely organ," Byom said. "In recent years, we've done preludes and postludes on the piano, with hymns on the organ."
Sometimes, they both scoot over a bit on the piano bench to play together.
"We like to do duets, for holidays and special events, and we're going to do one Sunday," said Baer, whose husband is Bob, the day before the event.
"Another unique time was for the 25th anniversary of the pastor," Byom said of the service last fall, when they invited Bette Stern, the musician from South Beaver Creek Lutheran Church, which Ashland also pastors.
In that case, they pulled a chair up next to the piano bench, and the trio played six-handed tunes.
"We had a lot of fun," Byom said.
Both praised the pastor as being very musical, with a strong singing voice to lead the congregation, and his wife, Sarah, plays the guitar.
Ashland returns the compliments, saying Byom and Baer are part of the fabric of the church.
"It's a congregation that really, truly care about each other and the church," he said. "It's close-knit and caring."
The weaving together has been done with care for more than a century.
"Both of us were born and raised here," Byom said, "and married here, and our forefathers started the church," which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2012.
And they've got a new baby.
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Information from: La Crosse Tribune, http://www.lacrossetribune.com
This is an AP Member Exchange shared by the La Crosse Tribune
DAVISON, Mich. (AP) — A high school student kept his campaign promise — and area senior citizens enjoyed their own prom.
Dozens of people attended a prom for seniors Saturday at Davison High School in Genesee County. The Flint Journal (http://bit.ly/1Tdtrd1 ) says it was organized by Dustin Wood, who promised to hold the event when he successfully ran for class president.
A band played music from the 1950s and 1960s. Wood says he wanted to "bring back the childhood" for a lot of people.
Wood shared a dance with Edith Smith, who celebrated her 83th birthday at the prom.
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Information from: The Flint Journal, http://www.mlive.com/flint
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A 56-year-old nurse has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a woman he was caring for.
The Des Moines Register reports (http://dmreg.co/23Gh5Cv ) police started investigating the relationship last month after the administrator of a rehabilitation facility reported it.
The facility administrator told police that she didn't think the woman was mentally capable of consenting to sex because of her mental health issues.
Police say the sexual relationship began in December while the woman was staying at the care facility. The relationship continued after the woman was discharged.
The nurse has been arrested on suspicion of abusing a dependent adult. It wasn't immediately clear if he would face additional charges.
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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com
- By ED WHITE Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — A jury should decide whether Wayne County jail employees could have prevented the death of a man who was killed after a mentally ill inmate was placed in his cell, an appeals court said.
The court last week affirmed a decision by a Detroit federal judge, who said governmental immunity doesn't apply in a lawsuit by Jeff Horvath's estate. He was in jail for more than a week in 2011 because he couldn't afford to post bond in a misdemeanor case.
Horvath was moved to another cell because of a toilet problem and was eventually joined by Brandon Gillespie. Horvath, 55, was beaten and stabbed to death. Another inmate said he heard someone yelling, "Let me out."
Gillespie told jail staff that he had a history of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and wasn't taking medication at the time, according to a summary of the incident. Gillespie, now 26, pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and is serving at least 30 years in prison.
Horvath's family said the Dearborn man had a right to be protected. The lawsuit names Wayne County, a sheriff's deputy, a nurse and a social worker. Deputy Andre Stinson said he didn't hear Horvath's pleas for help.
"Stinson certainly raises doubts as to what he could hear and see at the time of the attack. ... But such arguments are appropriately reserved for a jury," the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said.
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Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap
WILDWOOD, Mo. (AP) — A 7-year-old St. Louis County girl on her way to a father-daughter dance died after being hit by a vehicle as she crossed a roadway near a school.
St. Louis County police said in a release that an SUV turning left out of the parking lot of Babler Elementary in Wildwood struck Rachel Bick of Ballwin Saturday evening.
Rachel's mother, Susan Bick, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://j.mp/1r7kJ7k ) Sunday the family's devastated. She says her daughter was so excited to pick out a white lace dress for the dance.
Police said Rachel and her father walked from the parking lot of a nearby school and onto the highway where Rachel was struck. Rachel's grandmother, Barb Nethery, says her father feels he failed her.
Police say the SUV driver is cooperating.
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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A 9-year-old boy celebrated his birthday by eating sushi, decorating cupcakes and riding a mechanical horse — all part of a nine-hour party at a Meijer store in western Michigan.
Fletcher Moore wanted to spend Saturday at the big-box store where customers can buy food, clothes, games and pet fish. He told his mom, "I don't want you to rush me."
Fletcher got a behind-the-scenes tour at a Meijer store in Grand Rapids. He took his time going up and down the aisles, and even met company executive Doug Meijer.
The Grand Rapids Press (http://bit.ly/1VbdMOA ) says a buddy collected $16 in bottle deposits and gave the money to Fletcher.
Kristen Moore says she'd spend the day in a "cardboard box" if that were her son's birthday wish.
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Information from: The Grand Rapids Press, http://www.mlive.com/grand-rapids
- By DON BABWIN Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — Lawmakers from the governor on down will start waiting for their paychecks like others whose payments from the state have been delayed due to the prolonged budget impasse, Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger said Sunday.
At a news conference, Munger said it isn't fair that members of the General Assembly and other statewide office holders — herself included — be paid on time each month when agencies, vendors and others are having to wait months for money they're owed or are having to slash programs or shut down due to the lack of funding.
"It is only appropriate that we all wait in line to receive payment," she said.
Munger said that although the roughly $1.3 million in total pay each month is a tiny fraction of the state's $7.8 billion bill backlog caused by the budget impasse that has stretched into its 10th month, it might help prevent layoffs at a non-profit agency, keep a community program afloat or help a small business get the state money it's owed more quickly.
She said she hopes her announcement will bring lawmakers together to pass a balanced budget.
"I'm hoping this will help everyone understand what it feels like really to be among the group of people who are waiting months for payment," she said.
Munger said that before taking this step, she consulted her legal staff to make sure she could do it. But she said she didn't discuss it with anyone else, including Gov. Bruce Rauner, a fellow Republican who appointed her comptroller last year after the death of Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka.
Rauner's office and Democratic Senate President John Cullerton's office declined to comment. Speaker of the House Michael Madigan's office did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
In a statement, Susana Mendoza, who is Chicago's city clerk and Munger's Democratic challenger in the upcoming election, criticized Munger's announcement as "10 months late and many dollars short" and chastized Munger for failing to demand that Rauner "end his extreme agenda and pass a budget."
The failure to pass a budget that should have taken effect last July 1 is the result of a standoff between Rauner and the Democrats who control the General Assembly. The Democrats what Rauner to sign off on a tax increase, but Rauner wants them to agree to some "structural reforms," such as changes in collective bargaining. The Democrats refuse, saying that such changes would hurt working families.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A newspaper analysis has found that an increase in the speed limit along stretches of rural Ohio interstates has resulted in more accidents and fewer tickets.
The Columbus Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/1p99oSc ) that state troopers wrote 55,000 tickets last year on rural interstates compared with a yearly average of about 63,000 tickets between 2010 and 2013. Ohio raised the speed limit along rural interstates from 65 mph to 70 mph in July 2013.
A state analysis shows crashes have risen. The number of crashes jumped 19 percent from 8,600 in the two years prior to the increase to 10,200 the last two years. Fatal crashes fell from 48 to 43 in those time periods.
An Ohio Department of Transportation official says interstate speeds have risen slightly since the speed limit change.
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com
- By SUMMER BALLENTINE Associated Press
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri cities no longer could ban pit bulls or impose rules on certain dog breeds under legislation that advanced this past week in the Legislature.
Republican Rep. Ron Hicks, who is behind the measure, said those breed-specific ordinances amount to doggy discrimination, and said it's time muzzle municipalities from targeting dogs that he said unfairly receive a bad rap.
"It's not the dog. It's not the breed. It's the owner," said Hicks, a St. Peters resident who owns a boxer named Rosie. "We should hold the owner responsible for the dog's action, not the animal."
The measure, which passed 117-17 out of the House on Thursday, would allow local governments to adopt bans on unleashed dogs or pass other general regulations. But cities couldn't single out specific breeds, such as pit bulls.
Missouri would be the 20th state to pass legislation limiting local restrictions on pit bulls, according to Colleen Lynn, whose organization, DogsBite.org, seeks to reduce serious dog attacks. Sixteen states prohibit pit bull bans.
Lynn said pit bulls are especially dangerous because they inflict more damage during attacks than other breeds.
"Whenever pit bulls show up, they're killing disproportionately," Lynn said. "Cities have taken action in that area."
Brent Toellner, president and co-founder of Kansas City Pet Project, which runs a no-kill Kansas City animal shelter, said pit bull bites aren't physiologically different than those of other dogs.
He said the severity of injuries from dog attacks depends on the size of the person bitten and the size of the dog, meaning it's not just pit bulls that can inflict major damage.
Toellner said ordinances against pit bulls are "fear based." He advocates for more general rules on violent dogs.
"When you target the breed, you end up encompassing a lot of dogs that are really well behaved and really good dogs in good families," Toellner said.
Hicks said it can also be difficult to accurately determine a dog's breed, and that can mean families are unfairly separated from their pets. For example, he said his boxer could be mistaken for a pit bull.
Some critics of Hicks' bill say the state shouldn't be deciding the issue for communities.
"It's really up to the local level," Missouri Municipal League Deputy Director Richard Sheets said. "I don't see how the General Assembly can say what's right for one community, because it's just a varying situation."
Independence, which borders Kansas City, banned pit bulls in 2006 after five attacks by the dogs left three men hospitalized.
Mayor Eileen Weir said dog bite incidents haven't decreased since the ordinance was put in place, but none of the attacks have been as severe as those that led to the policy.
She said the ordinance still is a point of contention between residents who believe it makes the community safer and those who say it's unfair. She said she thinks communities should decide the issue for themselves.
Hicks' bill is pending in the Senate. The deadline to pass bills is May 13, the end of the legislative session.
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Dog discrimination bill is HB 1811.
___
Online:
Missouri House: http://house.mo.gov
____
Follow Summer Ballentine at https://twitter.com/esballentine
NORMAL, Ill. (AP) — A time capsule from 1959 has been found at a former Illinois State University residence hall that's being taken down.
The (Bloomington) Pantagraph (http://bit.ly/1S56oyv ) reports the box found at the Hamilton-Whitten hall by a demolition foreman had roughly 50 items with ties to other former dorms. They include a 1959 yearbook, copies of revenue bonds used to finance Hamilton-Whitten's construction, and an imitation cardinal.
University archivist April Anderson says when she and others opened the box, they found "a mushy mess" that "smelled like rotten wine." She estimates that roughly three-fourths of the time capsule's contents can be salvaged.
Anderson says the box's contents are "priceless in university history."
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Information from: The Pantagraph, http://www.pantagraph.com
- By LAUREN DONOVAN Bismarck Tribune
DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) — Two Dickinson men who opened an auto detailing shop about four months ago have been picked for a team that will preserve the nation's original Air Force One presidential jet as part of the 100th anniversary of Boeing and the opening of the Seattle Museum of Flight's Airpark Pavilion.
Paul Richter and Nevada Crimmins of Xtreme Auto Detail left last weekend to take part in the first week of a two-week mega-detailing event aimed at prepping 17 historic Boeing aircraft for the centennial, the Bismarck Tribune (http://bit.ly/1SdVr34 ) reported.
The two men got interested when they attended an advanced detailing certification training session in February. Their trainer and master detailer, Renny Doyle, was impressed with their abilities.
Doyle joined the official Air Force One Detailing Team when it was created by the Bush Administration in 2003 to restore the badly deteriorating jet, which has been displayed outdoors. With the new hangar, the team will ramp up to preserve the plane with an annual cleaning, polishing and paint sealant application.
Doyle said he picked Richter, 46, and Crimmins, 41, out of hundreds of detailers across the country.
"I have carefully selected my team because there is no room for mistakes in detailing these multi-million dollar airplanes," Doyle said. "I need people who will accept nothing short of perfection, and Crimmins and Richter are two of those people."
Richter, 46, said they were shocked when they received an invitation and thought at first it was sent to the wrong place.
"We went there to learn everything we could, and I guess we impressed him," Richter said. "It might help to be a little obsessive compulsive."
The two will close the shop and pay their own costs to go.
Richter moved to the Dickinson area after 19 years in corrections in Oregon and said the transition from that, to now being part of this historic event, is mindboggling. He said it'll be cool to help preserve the flying Oval Office, used by presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon.
The detailing team also will polish the all-aluminum fuselage of a WWII B-29 Superfortress bomber and preserve paint and bright work on 14 other historic Boeing craft.
Crimmins said it was an honor to be invited and a great way to make a lasting contribution.
"I think of all the vets and what they give; this is just a way to give back a little bit, too," he said.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com
This is an AP Member Exchange shared by the Bismarck Tribune
- By NICK NOLAN The Evening News
By NICK NOLAN
The Evening News
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) — Since opening his barbershop on March 16, Derek Canute has been busy creating an environment to help his male clientele take an edge off in a relaxed environment while getting their hair or facial hair styled.
Derek's Barbershop, named after the owner and only employee, is located in the Small Mall in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. After a brief renovation period that started on the first of March, Canute transformed a former insurance office into a retro-styled barbershop blended with a man cave, The Evening News (http://bit.ly/1MppFO7 ) reported.
"It went fast. I had it done in 11 days," said Canute, explaining his blitzkrieg approach to renovating the former office space. "There were a lot of late nights."
The shop is outfitted with two long, sectioned leather couches, a large flat screen TV, free beverages including pop and coffee, and posters of the different hair and beard styles Canute can give to his customers. There are two barber chairs in the room. One of them is in the shape of an airplane for children.
Canute moved back to the Sault in June of 2014 after living in the city for four years between 2005 and 2009 while enlisted in the United States Coast Guard. The Iowa native owned two barbershops before opening his third shop. Canute started cutting hair in the Coast Guard before going to barber school for a year in 2009. He specializes in specialty cuts, fades and facial hair razor work.
It's the only place in town to get a hot shave. The old-styled shave with a straight edge is an attraction for men. For boys there is a popcorn machine, the aforementioned airplane chair and coloring books among other activities. The idea is to make it a comfortable hangout place for men of all ages.
"When a kid comes in, I try to focus on the fun stuff. Let's focus on the toys, the drawing. I've had kids just come in and that's all they do — they sit down have popcorn, play with cars just so they're comfortable in here," said Canute on helping to create an atmosphere where small boys don't fear haircuts or a trip to the barbershop.
"If you come in and don't have an appointment that's fine. You can chill," he said. "I want it to be a relaxing atmosphere."
He plans on rolling out a new marketing campaign soon to reach out to potential customers. Still, he feels his most engaging attraction is to present himself to his customers as approachable. Keeping a one to one relationship with his customers is a priority for Canute.
"You're not a number here," he added. "I wanted a traditional barbershop with a modern twist."
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Information from: The Evening News, http://www.sooeveningnews.com
This is an AP Member Exchange shared by The Evening News
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