Wisconsin News and Sports
The Green Bay Packers (14-1) will step on the field on last time before the playoffs Sunday as they host the Detroit Lions (10-5) at Lambeau Field for a noon kickoff.
With home-field advantage in the NFC locked up, the Packers have little to play for. Detroit, however, can clinch the 5th seed in the NFC with a win which would mean Dallas or the New York Giants in the first round instead of New Orleans or San Francisco.
A full slate of Horizon League Hoops Thursday saw a Men’s/Women’s split by both Milwaukee and Green Bay.
The #14 Green Bay Lady Phoenix (11-0) notched their 27th straight regular season Horizon League win with an 80-63 home win over UIC. Sarah Eichler had a career high 19-points while Julie Wojta added 14-points with 15-boards in the victory.
The #14 Marquette Men got behind early and never recovered as they fell to Vanderbilt 74-57 Thursday night at the Bradley Center. The Golden Eagles trailed 35-8 about 12-minutes into the game and faced a 44-22 deficit at the half.
AUDIO: Marquette Head Coach Buzz Williams says Vandy controlled the game :18
Jae Crowder had 16-points to lead the Golden Eagles who shot a season low 32% from the field. Jeffery Taylor led 4-Commodores in double-figures with 19. Maquette will next be in action Sunday when they open Big East play with a visit from Villanova.
A UW-Stevens Point professor accused of punching a student over the summer is suing to block the university from releasing her disciplinary file.
University officials told Dr. Meghan Buckley this month that the school was planning to release the records to meet requests from the media and her alleged victim. Buckley went to court a week later, asking a judge to block the records from being made public and requesting a restraining order to keep them private until the lawsuit is settled.
Buckley claims the records are inaccurate and releasing them would disparage her reputation.
Wausau-area media organizations have requested the records, which they hope will shed more light on Buckley’s history prior to the alleged incident over the summer.
Meanwhile, the student Buckley is accused of attacking is also seeking a restraining order against the professor. Wesley Shaw says he fears for his safety following the incident.
AUDIO: Wesley Shaw (:10)
Buckley has not been formally charged. She plans to quit at the end of the school year and has been re-assigned to non-classroom duties.
Shaw has not been able to personally serve Buckley with the restraining order. A court commissioner has given him the option of publishing a notice in the newspaper and delayed a hearing on the restraining order until late February.
Matt Lehman-WSAU
A Republican state lawmaker says he was just as surprised as anyone to learn about a letter from federal officials ordering the state to lift a cap on the Family Care program.
State Representative Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah) was at the press conference Wednesday morning, where Governor Walker announced he was ending the cap because of cost savings found in the program.
Kaufert says no mention was about a letter sent by federal officials earlier this month, which informed the state the cap was not allowed and directed officials to reopen the program. Kaufert says the first he found about it was when the letter became public later that day.
The Neenah Republican, who backed efforts to create the Family Care program, says the letter is clearly what “forced the administration’s hand” on lifting the cap.
AUDIO: Rep. Dean Kaufert (:15)
Despite the omission, Kaufert says lifting the cap is still the right thing to do and more people will now be able to take advantage of the program. However, he says the governor will likely need to do mend some fences to win legislative approval for the expansion plan, which will go before the Joint Finance Committee early next year.
AUDIO: Rep. Kaufert (:09)
The Walker administration insists it was the Governor’s decision to lift the cap, saying he always planned to do so by the end of the year.
Rick Schuh, WHBY
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