WI Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) urged state lawmakers in his
State of the State speech last night to act "quickly and
decisively" in approving renovations for the Packers'
Lambeau Field, according to Scott Hildebrand of the GREEN
BAY PRESS-GAZETTE. Thompson said that legislators should
"let the people of Brown County ultimately decide the
stadium's future." Thompson said the team has "come to us
with an exciting and well-thought-out plan for their future
viability." As he addressed the issue, Thompson introduced
Packers President Bob Harlan and WR Bill Schroeder (GREEN
BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 1/27). In Milwaukee, Steven Walters
writes that Thompson asked the legislature to pass "quickly"
a package of aid to raise $160M in bonds that the Brown
County residents would pay off with a 0.5% sales tax
increase, that would raise up to $16M a year. Thompson:
"Stadium issues aren't easy and they're not fun. (But) I
can't imagine the face of the future in Wisconsin without a
strong Packers team" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/27).
CONTACT THE PACK: Packers Senior VP/Administration John
Jones said that the Packers' Web site, www.packers.com, was
"contacted 50,000 times" between Saturday's announcement of
the stadium project and noon yesterday. The site includes
various information on the project (PRESS-GAZETTE, 1/27).
