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Wisconsinites have a poor view of Speaker Vos according to MU Poll

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This month’s Marquette Law School Poll shows Wisconsinites have a poor opinion of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, if they have one at all.

Poll Director Charles Franklin explains. 

“Despite being such an important government figure and having held that position for a long time 49% say they haven’t heard enough about Speaker Vos to have an opinion. Of those with opinions, 12% are favorable, 29% were unfavorable. Not surprisingly, there’s a pretty sharp party split on that question as well.”

In comparison, Governor Tony Evers has a 49 percent job approval rating.

MU Poll shows tightening primary for Dems in US Senate, steady numbers in GOP primary for Governor

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The possible winner of the Democrat primary for a US Senate seat is still up in the air, according to the Marquette Law School Poll.

Poll director Charles Franklin says two candidates remain in the lead. “We have Mandela Barnes at 19%, Alex Lasry at 16%, Sarah, Godlewski at 7%, and Tom Nelson at 5%. And the other seven candidates we asked about all at 1% or less.”

But 48 percent of Democrats still say they don’t have a candidate or didn’t know enough to make a decision just yet. 

That’s a similar case for the Republican primary for Governor. Franklin says Republicans seem to be leaning towards former Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch for now, at least among people who have made a decision.

“Rebecca Kleefisch continues to lead there at 32%, Kevin Nicholson at 10%, and Tim Ramthun at 4%.”

Forty-eight percent of Republicans still don’t know enough about the candidates to make a choice. The poll was conducted before businessman Tim Michels entered the race this weekend.

Not enough people know about the Republican elections investigation to have an opinion on it.  Despite the divisive nature of the probe among political circles, poll director Charles Franklin says not many people know enough about it. 

“57% this month said they hadn’t heard enough. And another 2% said they didn’t know. 13% had approved of the job [Special Counsel] Gableman is doing, 27% disapproved.”

Taxpayers are paying over 600-thousand dollars for the investigation, plus more for legal fees stemming from several open records lawsuits filed against Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Special Counsel Mike Gableman.

Juvenile arrested in connection with death of Lily Peters

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Chippewa Falls police say a juvenile male has been taken into custody in connection with the death of Lily Peters. That arrest was made Tuesday evening. Police Chief Matthew Kelm couldn’t elaborate much further. 

“The suspect was not a stranger, the suspect was known to the victim.”

WEAU in Eau Claire reports that police were on the scene of a home not far from where Peters went missing on Sunday, and that matches where Kelm says a search warrant was executed.

No charges have been filed at this time, and police have not released any further details.

Speaker Vos extends elections probe after Trump statement

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The Republican elections probe will not be ending after all.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos had previously said that he was closing down Michael Gableman’s investigation into the 2020 presidential election this week, but has now extended the probe.

In his statement, Vos says he wants to “guarantee the legal power of our legislative subpoenas and get through the other lawsuits that have gridlocked this investigation.”

Former President Donald Trump put out a statement on Monday that didn’t name Vos specifically but did say that “anyone calling themselves a Republican” should support the investigation, and that he might support primary opponents in local races.

Tub full of puppies found abandoned on Neenah sidewalk

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Police officers in Neenah are trying to figure out who left a plastic tub full of puppies on a sidewalk Sunday night.

Community officer Joe Benoit says the dogs were located in a residential area. 

“There was no food or water available to the puppies. So the puppies were taken into custody and placed in the local animal shelter provided with food and water there and they continue to be cared for.”

Benoit says they’re already getting a flurry of calls and tips in the case and are investigating. “If in fact, the investigation concludes that the dogs were intentionally abandoned, the owner could be cited with a municipal violation, they could be charged criminally.”

The dogs will be held by the shelter for observation before any choices are made on adoption. 

Missing Chippewa Falls girl found dead, police seek suspect

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A ten-year-old girl is dead, and police in Chippewa Falls are calling the incident a homicide.

Iliana M. Peters, who goes by the name Lily, had taken her bicycle to visit her Aunt on Sunday. Her family was expecting her to be home early in the evening, but when she hadn’t arrived home by 9 PM her father called the police. Searchers found no sign of her in the area between the homes, but after dark, they discovered an abandoned bike near the Leinie Lodge parking lot.

Crews were back on the search Monday morning and found a body that was confirmed to be Peters shortly after 9 AM near the brewery.

Chippewa Falls Police Chief Matthew Kelm says they are considering this a homicide investigation. 

“We encourage anyone with information to please contact the Chippewa Falls police department and to maintain a state of vigilance as there may be a danger to the public.”

Kelm says numerous agencies are now involved to help find a suspect in the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Chippewa Falls police department at 1-800-263-5906.

AG Kaul provides update with one-year anniversary of clergy abuse investigation

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It’s been a year since the State Department of Justice started an effort to find victims of clergy and faith leader abuse in Wisconsin.

Attorney General Josh Kaul says the state has started charges against one person, but that a lot of cases are outside the statute of limitations.

“Certainly, if we get information that can lead to a prosecution, we’re going to work with local law enforcement to pursue that. But we also want to provide victim services and support to individuals, many of whom, again, had never come forward.”

Kaul says he’s pleased with the progress that’s been made so far, and that his office has been working hard to get services to victims, 51 of whom had never reported their abuse before.

“First and foremost identify as many people as possible, who committed abuse. And then secondly, so we can move the healing process forward and hope and work to prevent this from ever happening again.”

Kaul says that continuing this process and giving victims a chance to come forward will allow the Justice Department to better do its job of protecting young people.

Evers vetoes more than two dozen Republican bills

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Democratic Governor Tony Evers has issued more than two dozen vetoes of Republican bills that made it out of the Legislature before recess.

Evers issued 28 vetoes on Friday. Among those bills were measures that would have made it easier to kick people off of unemployment and medical assistance, a bill that would have dissolved the Milwaukee Public Schools District, as well as massive expansion of the school voucher program.

“It is remarkable to me that many supporters of this bill, who commonly express concerns about property taxes when it comes to supporting more than 800,000 public school children in our state, are apparently unfazed by the fiscal impact this bill could have on families due to the way these programs are funded,” Evers said in veto message of the voucher expansion.

“If the Governor had bothered to read the bills we sent to him, he would see that we were giving him the power to be part of the solution for smaller, more accountable, community school districts for Milwaukee. He’s vetoing this bill because he wants to hide from the problem he helped create,” said state Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), author of the bill to break up MPS.

The governor also vetoed a “Parental Bill of Rights” that would have required schools to tell parents their children wanted to change their gender identities and given parents broader leeway on pulling their children from lessons that they viewed as objectionable.

State Supreme Court hears oral arguments over absentee ballot drop boxes

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There were some pointed questions to the head of the group arguing against absentee ballot drop boxes from members of the State Supreme Court.

During oral arguments on Wednesday, Justice Brian Hagedorn tried to figure out where the preferred limits were from Wisconsin Insitute for Law and Libert president Rick Esenberg. “Imagine a mail slot connected to the clerk’s office, but the staff is not there. So, whenever the buildings open, you can walk in, can you drop a ballot in that slot that goes directly to the clerk’s office is that okay?” Esenberg responded, “At this point, we are now outside the presence of the clerk.”

Justice Rebecca Dallet asked Esenberg about other possible ways to deliver a ballot. “Why can’t I hand it to my municipal clerk as I see them walking down the street in a small town? Oh, I meant to mail my ballot. I see you I’m gonna hand you my ballot.”

Under the current language of the statutes, a ballot must be delivered to the clerk, but it does not state how that must be done. Esenberg and WILL say that other parts of the statutes contradict that and that a person should only be allowed to mail a ballot personally or deliver it to a clerk themselves. 

Voting and disability rights advocates say that restrictions on who can help someone deliver a ballot will disenfranchise disabled and elderly voters.

A decision is expected this summer before the fall election season.

Dane Co. Judge finds Speaker Vos in contempt over records requests

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A Dane County judge has found Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in contempt for continually failing to turn over records.

Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn says that Speaker Vos has deliberately withheld emails and texts from watchdog group American Oversight. That group is looking for records from the ongoing Republican elections probe.

Vos now has 14 days to turn over records, before Bailey-Rihn starts fining him 1000 dollars a day. He will also be on the hook for legal fees for American Oversight.