Officials with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the Department of Natural Resources on Monday announced the first confirmed occurrence of emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive, destructive insect pest of ash trees, in Wisconsin.  The discovery was made by forest health specialists investigating a citizen report of dying ash trees in a private woodlot in Ozaukee County, near the Village of Newburg.

"We expected to find EAB in Wisconsin sooner or later, but this is still disappointing," said DATCP Secretary Rod Nilsestuen.  However, we now have a revised plan that outlines several management alternatives.  Our focus now is to find out exactly what we're up against."

Officials announcing the find emphasized that the first steps in responding to the infestation will be to quarantine movement of hardwood firewood, ash nursery stock, timber or any other article that could spread EAB out of the infested area. Following placement of the quarantine there will be a thorough survey of the area around the find to determine the size of the infestation, its boundaries, and the possible source. Finding EAB at this location does not mean it is the origin of the infestation in Wisconsin.

Since the infestation site is near Washington County, it's likely that both counties will be quarantined.  Additional counties may also be included.

If you are a county official attending either the Democratic or Republican conventions, please let NACo know.  Please contact Bob Fogel at 202.942.4217 or email him here.

For the first time in five years, a majority, 52 percent, of the nation's elected county leaders say economic conditions in their counties are getting worse, not better. And for the second year in a row, confidence that the nation is "heading in the right direction" is at an all-time low.

While substance abuse programs typically gauge effectiveness through a myriad of formulas - recidivism rates, budgetary savings and crime reductions - a new Rock County program can also count two new-born children as its evidence of success.  The Rock County's Community Education and Criminal Addictions Program - or Community RECAP - has helped over 80 offenders overcome their addictions, two of whom recently gave birth to healthy, drug-free babies.

"This program helps you stay clean and it helped me with my anger and how I talk to people," said one offender who gave birth to a child in May.  "It helped me get on the right track and helped me have a drug-free baby."

The Rock County Community RECAP program works with non-violent offenders whose substance abuse addictions are a fundamental cause of their criminality.  In place of incarceration, offenders in the program participate in rigorous substance abuse treatment and regularly report their progress to a local judge.  The program is credited with saving nearly $250,000 in county corrections costs, and offenders believe that it has changed their lives - and the lives of their children.