ANTI-METH MONEY ON THE WAY

More than $200,000 in federal money is headed to authorities who partner to
fight the spread of methamphetamine in central and northern Wisconsin.

A multi-jurisdictional meth task force established in 2002 comprises
sheriff's departments in Clark, Lincoln, Langlade, Marathon, Portage,
Price, Oneida, Taylor and Wood counties. U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Milwaukee,
and U.S. Rep. Dave Obey, D-Wausau, secured the money earlier this year and
have announced that it will be released to authorities in the upcoming weeks.

Marathon County Sheriff's Capt. Tom Kujawa said Obey is "a friend of law
enforcement in this area" because the money ensures that the task force can
continue its work and purchase new equipment shared by the counties.

"It's working. We do have meth in this area, but (the number of cases) is
not exploding like in other states," Kujawa said.

The money also will allow the task force to help children who live in a
home in which police find meth. Authorities would work with social service
agencies care for the children after authorities intervene at their homes.

Meth makers mix paint thinner, over-the-counter cold medicine, drain
cleaner and other chemicals to create a white powder smoked by users. The
process is so dangerous that busted labs are treated as hazardous waste sites.

Meth first appeared in Wisconsin in its western rural areas, a region that
accounted for nearly 74 percent of the meth arrests in 2001 and 2002. But
combating its spread is a statewide concern, and the legislators also
announced this week that $989,000 will go to the Wisconsin Methamphetamine
Law Enforcement Initiative for that purpose and to decrease demand for meth.