Wisconsin News and Sports
President Joe Biden will make a visit to Wisconsin this week. The White House announced Friday that Biden will be in the Madison area Wednesday, following his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
The president will “discuss how his economic plan is creating good-paying, union jobs and delivering real results for the American people,” according the White House.
It will be Biden’s first stop in Wisconsin since a Labor Day visit to Milwaukee.
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A new report backs up previous studies on spending in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race. An analysis released by the Wisconsin Democracy
Campaign calculated more than $164 million in spending between the candidates and outside political groups.
That amount blew away the previous Wisconsin record, which was $93 million in 2018.
Among both the campaigns and outside organizations in 2022, Democrats outspent Republicans. Governor Tony Evers and Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez combined to spend nearly $42 million. Michels and his Republican running mate Roger Roth spent about $28.5 million.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty is representing veterans, suing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in a Texas federal court.
The conservative legal firm is challenging new restrictions on stabilizing braces, which can convert pistols into rifles with barrels less than 16 inches.
WILL alleges that imposes potential criminal liability on people’s Second Amendment rights.
The braces, which make firing more accurate and safer, were used in 2019 and 2021 mass shootings. The Biden administration says the National Firearms Act has placed restrictions on short barreled rifles for decades, arguing they’re easier to conceal than long barreled rifles and more destructive than typical handguns.
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People gathered peacefully in downtown Milwaukee to remember the young man fatally beaten by police in Memphis earlier this month. Alan Chavoya with the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist And Political Oppression helped to organize Sunday’s rally.
He said while it might be challenging to find a little bit of hope in the wake if the brutal assault which resulted in Nichols’ death, it’s important to remember his name and all the names of those who have been killed by the police. “By being out here today you’re showing that you want to keep Tyree Nichols’ name and all the names of those who have been killed by the police. You want to keep those names alive.”
Video released Friday shows Nichols being brutally beaten by five Memphis cops. Those officers have been fired and criminally charged. Both Nichols and his assailants are Black.
A Rock County jury reached a verdict in less than two hours Tuesday, in the double homicide case against former Wisconsin Badger football player Marcus Randle El.
The 36-year-old Randle-El was accused of fatally shooting Seairaha sierra Winchester and Brittany McAdory in Janesville in February of 2020, in a dispute over drug money. Jurors returned guilty verdicts on two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and other charges. Judge Barbara McCrory set a sentencing date of May 8.
WCLO
The Wisconsin Department of Justice will offer school safety training to all Wisconsin schools. The training, which will be led by the Office of School Safety, will help school staff to put a plan in place for school crises and get kids back to their parents and guardians following an event, according to a media release.
Attorney General Josh Kaul calls the training part of an ongoing, proactive effort to give schools the tools they need to keep kids safe. The training, which can be used in a range of situations, will reduce stress during a crisis, according to DOJ.
More than $2 million in federal grants and more than $1.8 million from the American Rescue Plan Act has been set aside to fund the training.
Events took place around the nation including in Wisconsin, for Sunday’s 50th anniversary of the now overturned Roe versus Wade ruling. In Madison, protestors took part in a Bigger than Roe march on State Street before making their way to the State Capitol Rotunda. The Madison Area Reproductive Rights Coalition for Healthcare (MARRCH) helped organize the protest.
Speakers in the rotunda focused on the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court election. There are two conservative candidates, Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow and former Justice Daniel Kelly, and two liberal candidates, Dane County Judge Everett Mitchell and Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz.
“The candidate who is elected in April must reflect the wants and the needs of the people of Wisconsin,” said Amadi Ozier of MARRCH. “Over 70% of the people of Wisconsin support abortion.”
The spring primaries take place February 21st, and the general election to decide the next state Supreme Court Justice is on April 4th.
In addition to Madison, Wausau, Elkhorn and Minocqua also had events on Sunday.
Abortion rights events in Wisconsin and around the country follow the annual anti-abortion March for Life demonstration, which took place on Friday in Washington DC, where thousands of anti-abortion activists turned up to celebrate the movement’s success.
WIBA
The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest for last spring’s arson at a Madison pro life office. The FBI says its investigation shows two Molotov cocktails were thrown into the office of Wisconsin Family Action early last May.
Outside the building, investigators found graffiti and a broken window. The fire was quickly put out by the Madison Fire Department and no one was hurt.
Several days after the incident, a group dubbed ‘Jane’s Revenge’ claimed credit. Wisconsin Family Action also has a 15 hundred dollar reward for information.
WIBA
Wisconsin’s Attorney General has announced a new statewide, multi-agency task force to support survivors of human trafficking. Josh Kaul was in Milwaukee Wednesday to introduce the Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, led by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and Project Respect.
“This task force is designed to do is to improve our data collection so we have a clearer picture of the scope of trafficking,” Kaul said.
Today, @WisDOJ announced a new statewide multidisciplinary task force comprised of federal, state, and tribal law enforcement and victim service providers dedicated to supporting survivors of human trafficking and ensuring justice is served by those who commit the crime. pic.twitter.com/6JyhxvIFYi
— Attorney General Josh Kaul (@WisDOJ) January 18, 2023
The AG said the collaboration will bring law enforcement and victim service providers together to investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases at the federal and local levels. The effort is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime.
Harley-Davidson is putting together a big celebration for its 120th anniversary. The American motorcycle manufacturing firm announced Homecoming Festival events to happen July 13th through the 16th to celebrate the company’s anniversary.
Those events will happen at venues across the Milwaukee area, including the Harley-Davidson Museum, and Veterans Park on Milwaukee’s lakefront, with family-friendly activities and music from headliners Foo Fighters and Green Day on the 14th and 15th.
https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/content/event-calendar/homecoming/ticket-options.html
Harley-Davidson Museum Vice-President Bill Davidson tells Fox 6 Milwaukee that the event is going to be spectacular. “I hope that my future relatives will be able to walk through the Harley-Davidson Museum and read about this epic event,” Davidson said