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WED., MARCH 6, 2013 • VOL. 80 • NO. 29 • 2 SECTIONS •

Dressed up and ready CURRENTS FEATURE

Improv talent Currents, page 11

Leader INTER-COUNTY

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Polk County receives a gift of property - taxforfeit land placed on the market PAGE 4

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High speed chase ends with arrest

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Chase goes six miles at speeds reaching 110 mph PAGE 3

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UP FRONT STATEWIDE - The DNR is reporting that it was another deadly weekend for snowmobilers in Wisconsin. Two deaths were reported Saturday, March 2, one in Iron County and the other in Rock County, pushing the number of snowmobile fatalities statewide this winter to 18. One of the fatalities occurred near Mercer when a snowmobiler crested a hill and landed on top of an oncoming snowmobiler. The DNR said the two people involved in the accident were apparently companions. Speed may have played a factor. The other accident occurred when a snowmobiler went into open water on Lake KoshKonong in Rock County. The body of the victim was recovered by authorities, approximately 300 yards from shore. - with information from DNR ••• WEBSTER - Webster High School’s newspaper, The Bridge, received a Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation Award at WNAF’s 2012 Better Newspaper Contest awards program held Friday, March 1, in Madison. The Bridge was one of three high school student newspapers to receive the William E. Branen Scholarship which honors excellence in high school journalism. - from the WNA ••• FREDERIC - The third-annual Frederic’s Got Talent show will be held Tuesday, March 12, at 7 p.m. on the elementary school stage. - submitted ••• STATEWIDE — Remember to turn your clocks ahead one hour on Sunday, March 10, as daylight saving time will begin at 2 a.m.

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Edna Lawson celebrated her 97th birthday with family and friends ... and a snowmobile ride. Bob Nelson rode up to the Luck Senior Center on his snowmobile to take Lawson for a birthday ride. She climbed on and hung on tight for a ride around the grounds. The day was filled with laughter, old friends telling stories and family celebrating what her family members described as “a beautiful life.” - Photo submitted

Just the facts ... about bats

Recent discovery of rabid bat in a Burnett County home prompts health department to educate the public

by Carl Heidel Leader staff writer SIREN - For the second time since 2005, a bat has tested positive for rabies in Burnett County. The bat was found inside a house in the southern part of the county Jan. 26. Michelle Bailey, public health nurse with the county’s Department of Health and Human Services, made a precautionary statement about the implications of the discovery. She said that while the presence of a rabid animal does not pose an immediate major threat to the public at large, pet owners should see to it that rabies vaccinations are current for their animals. In this case, it was family pets that discovered the bat. Family members found their pet cat and dog with the bat inside the house, and it appeared they had been playing with it. The family managed to catch the bat, and took it to their veterinarian who then sent it to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene where it tested positive for rabies. In the United States, wild animals are the primary sources for the rabies virus, and typically it is carried by bats, skunks, raccoons and sometimes foxes. The virus is only transmitted through a bite, from animal to animal or animal to human. It is unclear

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LIVES LIVED Myrtle H. Johnson Jacqueline L. Lunde Florence A. Anderson George Louis Emerson Ilene Elizabeth Annett Obituaries 15B

INSIDE

Homeowners should consider bat proofing their home with the help of a professional pest control company, say health officials. - WPR/iStockpoto.com whether there have ever been any cases in which the disease has been passed from human to human. When the test indicated that the bat in Burnett County was rabid, the family and its pets were deemed at risk of developing rabies, according to Bailey. It was possible that the bat had been flying around the home at night, and possibly in the bedrooms of sleeping family members. People who are sleeping, handicapped people or young children can be bitten without realizing that they have been, especially since the bites are usually small and subtle, Bailey said. The automatic recommendation for the family members was for rabies postexposure prophylaxis, a medical treatment that would protect them in case the bat had bitten them. In the case of the cat, it had been a long time since the last rabies vaccination, so the cat was euthanized. The dog had had several rabies vaccinations, but the most recent one had lapsed by a few months. So the dog was immediately vaccinated and quarantined at home for six

See Bats, page 2

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