Customers warned of scams as moratorium set to expire

With the winter moratorium on disconnections set to expire on April 15, reports of scams on our customers as well as other utilities are surfacing. The scams target primarily the Latino community, asking customers in Spanish to purchase prepaid cards to avoid disconnections. We emphasize that we are not asking customers to purchase prepaid cards to pay their utility bills.

We remind customers to be vigilant and to communicate with us if they suspect anything suspicious. A scam warning notice was included with customer bills recently.

The number of our customers facing disconnection is approximately the same as last year, with 5,000 to 6,000 customers most at risk of being disconnected after the end of the moratorium. By the time the moratorium begins again in November, we estimate we will need to disconnect approximately 50,000 customers.

To prevent disconnection, we offer a minimum payment option or flexible payment plans. In addition, energy assistance funds are available to help qualifying customers. Budget billing also may help customers manage their monthly energy expenses by spreading out their charges more evenly over 12 months.

Customers having problems paying their bills are encouraged to contact us as soon as possible. They can select a payment option and learn more about energy assistance by calling 800-842-4565. Customers also can visit we-energies.com to learn more about online payment options.

Recently, Fox6 News reported the upcoming end of the winter moratorium and our efforts to help customers stay connected.

Know how to recognize us

Our line mechanics, forestry workers, meter readers, service technicians and other employees as well as our contractors may visit your home or neighborhood from time to time.

Unfortunately, criminals sometimes pose as our workers in an attempt to gain access to homes.

To ensure your safety, please check for ID. All of our employees and contractors wear photo identification badges. If the employee does not have an ID or if you have questions, call us at 800-242-9137 before allowing anyone access to your home.

Many of our workers wear a uniform, clothing or hard hat that features our logo. Some do not. Whether they have clothing with a logo or not, always ask for ID.

If you believe you have been victimized by someone posing as a We Energies representative, contact your local police and report it. We will cooperate with their investigation.

Honor Flight to fly Korean War veterans; company sponsors Honor Flight DVD production

Stars and Stripes Honor Flight is transitioning its mission in 2013 to fly Korean War veterans to see their memorial in Washington, D.C.

"These Korean War veterans are often known as the 'forgotten ones from the forgotten war.' Well, they are forgotten no longer," said Joe Dean, chairman of Stars and Stripes Honor Flight.

According to Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, 40,000 Korean War-era veterans live in Wisconsin.

Stars and Stripes Honor Flight continues to fly WWII veterans to Washington, D.C. The wait list for WWII veterans is 150. Flights are scheduled for April 27 and June 8. Korean War veterans could fly as early as the June 8 flight.

Korean War veterans interested in taking an Honor Flight should fill out the application found at the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight website under the ‘Applications’ tab.

Stars and Stripes Honor Flight also announced a limited-edition DVD of the documentary film Honor Flight. We Energies is underwriting the production and packaging. The movie will be sold in limited quantities in advance of its nationwide retail release this May. The DVD is available for purchase online now through March 10 only. Ordering information is available online. The DVD is $19.99 and ships March 15.

“Thanks to the generous support of We Energies for underwriting the production costs of the DVD, the purchase of each DVD goes even further in supporting the mission of Honor Flight to fly as many veterans as possible to Washington, D.C.,” said Dean.

Honor Flight, the film, features four Milwaukee-area World War II veterans and the local volunteers of the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight chapter. Honor Flight hubs across the country are using the film to heighten awareness of the program and raise funds to fly veterans to Washington, D.C., from their communities.

Honor Flight also holds the Guinness World Record for the largest film screening ever when it premiered at Miller Park on Aug. 11, 2012, for a crowd of 28,442. The event was sponsored by the Wisconsin Energy Foundation, a long-time supporter of the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight.

Flashback Friday: Baking cookie samples

The Public Service Building's model kitchen in 1931. Home economists at our predecessor company, The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Co., baked sample cookies in the model kitchen at the Public Service Building in downtown Milwaukee in 1931. The company invited garden clubs, church groups and lodge auxiliaries to spend afternoons watching Home Service Bureau demonstrations in a effort to expand acceptance and use of electric appliances.

Are you hungry for more holiday cookies? So are we!

Although our annual Cookie Book is released around the holidays, planning for the book is a year-round project. It’s mid-January and we’re already looking for recipes for our next book.

Customers of We Energies are again being asked to submit recipes for the company’s 2013 Cookie Book. Original recipes can be submitted online. Recipes will be considered for the 2013 Cookie Book and possibly future editions.

The We Energies Cookie Book dates back to 1928, featuring hundreds of delicious recipes passed down from generation to generation. Past issues featured recipes from former and current employees -- until last year, when customer recipes were included for the first time. The response was great, and the company is again asking customers to submit their family favorites. Customers also are encouraged to share the history behind their recipes.

Submit recipe

The 2013 We Energies Cookie Book will be unveiled in November, with major distribution events at Miller Park in Milwaukee and Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium (Timber Rattlers stadium) in Appleton. Customers who submit recipes will be notified in advance if their recipe is selected for this year’s book.

Fox6 report

Flashback Friday: 1890s electric streetcar

Beginning in the 1860s, horse-drawn streetcars moved people around Milwaukee, but on April 3, 1890, the Wells-Wisconsin line of the West Side Railroad Co. became the city's first line to use electric streetcars.

West Side Railroad later merged into the Milwaukee Street Railway Co., which became The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Co. in 1896. The company was a predecessor of Wisconsin Electric Power Co. -- now doing business as We Energies.

Flashback Friday: Freezing fires

In 1945, we added a mobile carbon dioxide fire extinguisher to our power plant safety equipment.

The extinguisher contained 750 pounds of carbon dioxide that created a smothering effect at very low temperature. When the container was opened, the carbon dioxide expanded to form a gas in the atmosphere. Because the gas was heavier than oxygen, it created a "blanket" around the burning fuel and displaced the oxygen surrounding the fuel to extinguish a fire.

Carbon dioxide fire extinguishers were invented by the Walter Kidde Co. in 1924 and are still used today.