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Concealed carry debate reloaded

October 16, 2009 By

A proposal by Milwaukee’s police chief and district attorney has reloaded the debate on carrying concealed guns in Wisconsin. Police Chief Ed Flynn and the DA John Chisholm told a Common Council panel they’d support concealed carry as compromise for tougher gun control laws. Currently carrying a concealed firearm is a misdemeanor but they’ve proposed making it a mandatory felony for anyone who carries without a permit.

Jim Fendry-Director of the Wisconsin Pro-Gun Movement, supports a change in law allowing concealed carry but would only favor felonies for those unlicensed carriers if they use their weapon to commit a crime.

AUDIO: Jim Fendry (MP3 :49)

Fendry is skeptical of the proposals saying what ends up “in writing” may differ from what is initially discussed.

The gun rights advocate believes if Governor were on board with conceal carry it would pass as all Republicans and many Democrats support such licensing.

However the director of the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Educational Fund hopes that isn’t the case. WAVE’s Jeri Bonavia She says Wisconsinites are not in support of the conceal carry either as a Public Policy Forum poll a few years ago indicated more than 70 percent of Wisconsinites were opposed to the idea.

She says one need only look to other states that have implemented “shall issue” licensing, a policy that requires anyone who has passed a background check and safety course to be issued a conceal carry permit if requested.

AUDIO: Jeri Bonavia (MP3 :30)

Wisconsin is one of two states that does not allow concealed carry.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Legislature

Cold case killer enters not guility pleas

October 16, 2009 By

Not guilty pleas Friday, from an elderly man charged with murdering a teenage couple nearly 30 years ago. Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ says the pleas, from 76 year-old Edward Edwards were not unexpected

AUDIO: D.A. Susan Happ (:11 MP3)

Edwards faces two counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the August 1980 deaths of Kelly Drew and Tim Hack. D.A. Happ says she spoke with the victims’ families, who have been “on a roller coaster ride”

AUDIO: D.A. Susan Happ (:22 MP3)

Edwards, who’s in poor health, appeared via videoconference. Happ says that was primarily to save the costs of transporting Edwards to the courthouse: he’ll be there when his trial begins.

AUDIO: D.A. Susan Happ (:21 MP3)

Edwards, of Louisville, Kentucky, is charged in the deaths of Drew and Hack, whose bodies were found about two months after they disappeared from a wedding reception in August of 1980. Edwards was extradited to Wisconsin in August, after DNA evidence was found linking him to the killings.

Audio courtesy WFAW

Filed Under: Crime & Courts

Beloit child care provider suspected of fraud

October 16, 2009 By

The state investigation into Child Care provider fraud in the Wisconsin Shares program includes a child care provider in Rock County.

The Department of Children and Families lists Ketrina’s Kiddie Care of Beloit among the nearly 100 child care providers, mostly in Milwaukee, that have had their state funding suspended.

Communications Specialist for DCF, Stephanie Hayden, says the license of Ketrina’s Kiddie Care was revoked on July 25th as the result of suspected violations of the Wisconsin Shares program. She says the Rock County Human Services Department determined the provider received an overpayment of $1,940.17. According to the reports, Ketrina’s Kiddie Care allegedly submitted hours of attendance for two children for 15 days in which they were not in care as well as for two weeks after a parent’s employment had ended.

Hayden says if after the investigation it’s determined that Ketrina’s didn’t violate the law, their license will be returned and payments in the Wisconsin Shares program will be reestablished.

WCLO

Filed Under: Children & Families, Crime & Courts, Human Interest

Doyle: stimulus helped save private sector jobs

October 16, 2009 By

There’s been criticism that the majority of Wisconsin jobs retained with federal stimulus dollars have been in the public sector, something Governor Jim Doyle responded to on Thursday

Did stimulus really save more than eight thousand jobs in Wisconsin? And why were the majority in the public service sector? The governor said federal stimulus dollars helped retain jobs in the private sector.

The state is reporting to the federal government that it used nearly $680 million in stimulus funds to save or create 8200 full-time jobs. Doyle concedes most are public sector jobs, but insists plenty of private sector jobs have be saved as well. Doyle said those public jobs are important, too, and wouldn’t be here if not for the federal stimulus dollars.

AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (:55 MP3)

Filed Under: Business, Politics & Government

Election reform lessons from Minnesota

October 16, 2009 By

Do Wisconsin elections need to look more like those in Minnesota? Cleaner elections are the goal of a series of public hearings which were held by the Assembly Committee on Elections and Campaign Reform. And, suggests Jay Heck of Common Cause in Wisconsin, doing it right might result in a system of publicly financed elections similar to what exists in Minnesota.

Heck says it’s ironic, that Minnesota originally modeled its public finance system on Wisconsin’s. He testified at a public hearing in Franklin on Wednesday. Committee chair, Eau Claire Democrat Jeff Smith, has scheduled another hearing for today, in Eau Claire.

Public skepticism over cleaning up elections in Wisconsin is understandable, according to Heck, who testified at a public hearing held Wednesday in Franklin. The final hearing was Thursday in Eau Claire.

AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (:60 MP3)

Filed Under: Politics & Government
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