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Evers names more state agency heads

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Governor-elect Tony Evers has named five additional people to his cabinet. “We want to make sure that our leaders of the agencies connect the dots, in working with other agency leaders,” Evers said. Picks announced Thursday by Evers and Lieutenant Governor-elect Mandela Barnes include state Representative Peter Barca as Revenue Secretary, and outgoing state Senator Caleb Frostman to lead Workforce Development.

“Governor-elect Evers finally got one right,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in statement praising the Barca pick. Vos said Barca “is a reasonable Democrat who is more than willing to work across the aisle and has the political courage to do what’s right for the people of Wisconsin.”

Evers’ other choices include Emilie Amundson to lead Children and Families, and Dawn Crim to head Safety and Professional Services. He tapped outgoing state Senator Caleb Frostman, of Sturgeon Bay for Workforce Development, and Andrea Palm to lead Health Services. Palm most recently served as senior counselor to the Health and Human Services secretary in the Obama administration.

“All of them together, I believe are going to be so important to collectively solving the problems that are facing us,” Evers said. All of Evers’ selections to head state agencies are subject to approval by the state Senate.

Madison breaks 50 inch precipitation mark

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A rainfall milestone for Madison. For only the second time in history, the city has eclipsed 50 inches of precipitation in a calendar year. In a typical year, southern Wisconsin receives just over 34 inches of rain.

Madison’s all-time wettest year was in 1881 with just under 53 inches of rain. Following Thursday’s rainfall, Madison has received fifty-point-zero-two (50.02) inches of rain in 2018.

PSC could issue fines in Sun Prairie explosion

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A contractor could be fined over an explosion that killed a Sun Prairie firefighter. VC Tech could face up to a half million dollars in fines for this summer’s deadly explosion in downtown Sun Prairie.

The state Public Service Commission is being asked to consider the penalties against the drilling company, which is accused of failing to notify Diggers Hotline before work started on the site on July 10th.

WIBA

Laser aimed at UW Med Flight

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The crew of a UW Med Flight helicopter were targeted during a Tuesday evening run. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Department is trying to find out who aimed a laser pointer at the chopper at about 5:00 P-M.

The flight attempted to circle the area and the laser beam followed their flight path. Med Flight was forced to abort the landing and had to return to its home base. The seriously-injured 17-year-old patient was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

The pilot was checked out at the UW University Hospital emergency department and was deemed OK after the incident.

Jesuits release names of priests facing sexual abuse allegations

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The Roman Catholic Jesuit order has released names of its priests who face “credible or established” accusations of sexual abuse of minors dating to 1950. The Jesuit province serving parts of the eastern and midwestern U.S. released the names Monday. The list includes eight priests in Wisconsin.

A letter from the Jesuits said the list was released in an effort to be transparent. “These lists are not complete,” said Peter Isely, who heads the midwestern chapter of “SNAP,” the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “We have names of offenders who are not on this list.”

Attorneys general are investigating similar accusations in more than a dozen states. “We’re hoping this is going to push the new attorney general in Wisconsin to investigate,” Isely said. The list is available here.

Evers inaugural set for January 7

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Barnes, Evers WRN image

The official inauguration ceremony for incoming Governor Tony Evers and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes has been announced.

The inaugurations will start at 11:00 a.m. on Monday January 7th. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee has been named the inauguration partner.

Spokespersons for Evers and Barnes say a celebratory gala will be held the evening of the 7th. More details will be released from the inaugural committee in the near future.

Injured Chippewa Falls Girl Scout returns home

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An injured Chippewa Falls girl has ended her hospital stay. Madalyn Zwiefelhofer, a ten-year-old who survived being struck by a truck earlier this month in Chippewa County, is home after recovering at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester.

Three other girls and one of their parents were killed November 3rd when they were struck as their Girl Scout troop was picking up roadside trash. That driver, twenty-one year-old Colton Treu, faces multiple counts of homicide.

A Go Fund Me page has been established for Madalyn, and as of Monday it had collected more than $98,000.

Deer season was safest ever in Wisconsin

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This year’s gun deer season is the safest on record for Wisconsin. That’s despite three hunters getting shot. Jon King with the Department of Natural Resources said those three hunters were treated for non-fatal gunshots wounds, but there have been no fatalities.

King said six hunters were shot last year. None of them died. The last time a Wisconsin hunter died in the field was 2015. The DNR doesn’t have a final count of deer permits for this year, but as many as 570,000 hunters in the state could have taken to the field during the 2018 deer season.

GOP lawmakers ask Evers to retain Klett as tourism secretary

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Republicans members of the Wisconsin state Assembly are making an unusual push for Governor-elect Tony Evers to retain the state tourism secretary.

Ten GOP members of the Assembly tourism committee sent Evers a letter urging him to keep Stephanie Klett in charge of the Department of Tourism.

The letter says Klett helped grow tourism from a $14.8 billion industry in 2011 to more than $20.6 billion today. Committee chairman Travis Tranel has started an online petition asking for Klett to keep her job. Nearly 2,000 people had signed it as of last Wednesday.

Republican Governor Scott Walker, who lost his reelection bid to Evers, appointed Klett as tourism secretary at the start of his first term in 2011.

Madison Bishop Morlino dies

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Madison’s Catholic bishop has died. The Diocese of Madison announced this weekend that Bishop Robert Morlino died Saturday night after suffering a “cardiac event” during a series of medical tests.

The Diocese had called for prayers from the faithful over the weekend, hoping for a miracle and recovery. Morlino was 71.