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Evers names James Bond to lead veterans agency

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Governor Tony Evers has picked a new head of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. Current DVA deputy secretary James Bond has been named to take over the position of his former boss Mary Kolar who announced her retirement last week.

Bond is a disabled veteran, having served in the Marines as a clerk before being injured. Governor Evers says Bond will bring a wealth of experience to the position. Bond will also be the state’s first openly LGBT cabinet secretary if he’s confirmed by the state Senate.

Kolar to retire as DVA Secretary

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Wisconsin Veteran’s Secretary Mary Kolar is retiring. Governor Tony Evers announced Thursday that Mary Kolar will retire as of January 2nd. Evers appointed Kolar as Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2019.

The former US Navy captain spent 28 years in the service before moving to the public sector. She was a member of the Dane County board of supervisors and served on the board at the Wisconsin Veteran’s Museum. Kolar’s replacement has not yet been named.

Wisconsin Congressional delegation reacts to Ukraine President Zelenskyy’s address to Congress

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Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation is responding after a heartfelt plea from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday.

Democrat Congressman Mark Pocan says that despite a request, he’s unlikely to back a no-fly zone over Ukraine. 

“Well, it sounds good on the surface, it also has to be enforced. And that would likely fall on us, which would put us directly in the conflict. And I think that has been something that the President and I think many in Congress in both parties have not wanted to directly do.”

Pocan says that above all else, a diplomatic solution should be the outcome. “Unfortunately too many innocent lives get lost and that’s right we want to have diplomacy across the the the world rather than getting involved in direct warfare.”

Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher says we need to keep an eye on China in this conflict.  “China needs to know that we will make public any evidence of their military assistance to Russia.”

Gallagher says that the US needs to harden sanctions against Russia and provide more military support to Ukrainian defense. “There’s much more we can and need to be doing in order to force a peaceful resolution of this crisis and force the Russians to back down.”

US Democrat Senator Tammy Baldwin says the United States needs to more forcefully back Ukraine’s defense against Russia. 

“I believe we need to keep standing strong with Ukraine, our European allies and NATO by continuing to provide them the support they need to defend against Putin’s war against freedom.”

Republican Senator Ron Johnson says President Biden failed Ukraine heading into the conflict by not providing the support they needed to stand up to Russia.

Congress is sending financial support to Ukraine under the recently passed omnibus spending bill, and more could be on the way. 

Democrats confident of refugee vetting process at Fort McCoy

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Wisconsin Democrats who visited Fort McCoy on Tuesday said they’re certain of the vetting process Afghan refugees being housed there have undergone.

“We were hearing, at least anecdotally, that there’s just nobody who’s popped up that has any red flags,” said  U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin

“There are no 100 percent guarantees with any of this, but I am comfortable with the extreme vetting process that we were briefed on today,” said congressman Ron Kind of La Crosse.

Congressman Mark Pocan and several state lawmakers were also part of the delegation. Fort McCoy is one of eight military bases temporarily housing Afghan refugees.

As of Friday, more than 8,700 people had arrived at the base in central Wisconsin, which has a potential capacity of some 13,000. Kind said Tuesday that the number of refugees was no longer being updated by officials at the base.

Wisconsin National Guard deploying to Washington

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The Wisconsin National Guard is sending personnel to Washington, D.C. for Joe Biden’s inauguration.

Governor Tony Evers has ordered 500 troops from both the Army and Air National Guard to deploy to the nation’s capital.

The Wisconsin troops are just part of a massive deployment of National Guard troops from across the country to D.C. ahead of next week’s swearing-in, amid concerns ever possible armed protests at the U.S. Capitol.

Evers activates Wisconsin National Guard for Kenosha duty

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The Wisconsin National Guard may once again be called on in Kenosha. The Guard was last deployed to the city following protests and looting after the August 23 shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man, by a white Kenosha police officer, leaving Blake paralyzed.

Governor Tony Evers has authorized the Guard to support local law enforcement at the request of local officials there, to help ensure public safety. The request comes as the city awaits a charging decision in the case, which the Kenosha County D.A. is expected to announce sometime in the next two weeks.

Air National Guard pilot confirmed killed in U.P. crash

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A Wisconsin Air National Guard pilot has been confirmed killed in a crash this week.

The Madison-based 115th Fighter Wing has announced the death of the F-16 pilot who crashed Wednesday in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In accordance with Department of Defense policy, the pilot will not be identified until 24 hours after notifying next of kin.

The crash occurred within the Hiawatha National Forest during a training mission Tuesday night. A multi-state, interagency search for the pilot and aircraft immediately followed the crash, the cause of which is under investigation.

Wisconsin Air National Guard F-16 down in U.P.

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Emergency crews overnight were searching for the pilot of an F-16 fighter jet that crashed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula while on a military training mission.

The Wisconsin Air National Guard says an F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to its 115th Fighter Wing at Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Madison crashed about 8 p.m. Tuesday night.

The Wisconsin Air National Guard said in a statement released on its Facebook page: “Emergency responders are on scene. The cause of the crash, as well as the status of the pilot, are unknown at this time, and the incident is under investigation.”

The crash occurred north of the Garden Peninsula, near the border of Delta and Schoolcraft counties in the Hiawatha National Forest. The 115th Fighter Wing participated in a coordinated search effort with local emergency responders, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Forest Service and other government agencies overnight.

Governor Evers won’t be issuing a school closure order, still deciding on mask order extension

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Governor Tony Evers won’t be issuing any general school closure orders, after a swathe of districts have had cases of COVID-19.

Evers says that local school districts continue to be the best source for their own decisions on whether or not to reopen. 

“They are the experts on what resources they have locally. The ability to open safely is one that is a local decision.”

Evers says sending out a blanket order at this point would be confusing. 

“If you’re in a very small District where you have already small class sizes it’s much easier to provide social distancing for students than it is than in school districts where you don’t have that ability.”

The state has been providing guidelines to districts since before the start of the school year. 

The governor is also still mulling whether or not he’ll be extending the statewide masking order. Evers says that repeated legal action has hampered the state’s ability to combat COVID-19.

“We’re severely limited as to what we can do and now we’re seeing that even counties are severely limited to what they can do.”

He says he’d like to work with the Republican controlled legislature on the issue.

“The legislature seems reluctant to accomplish anything as it relates to restrictions so to put it bluntly we’re going to continue to do what we can do and masking is one of them and we have that until the 28th of this month.”

Evers first formal efforts to control COVID-19 through a public health order were struck down by the State Supreme Court, which ordered the Governor and the Legislature to work out a plan to handle the virus.

Republicans have not put forward their own plans on the issue.

National Guard from three states deployed to Kenosha

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Wisconsin Adjutant General Paul Knapp says the increased presence of National Guard personnel – including some from other states – will help keep people safe in Kenosha.

“We’re here to preserve public safety, and the ability of individuals to exercise their first amendment rights to lawfully and peacefully demonstrate. That’s really the bottom line for the National Guard,” Knapp said Thursday during a press conference with Governor Tony Evers and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes. “I think we can do better, and I think that we’re here to ensure that there’s an environment where we can do better.”

Additional Guard members with specialized training in handling civil unrest, will bolster the presence of the Wisconsin National Guard. “Alabama, Michigan and Arizona have offered to send their . . . Guard members here to Wisconsin, to assist in keeping the peace and keeping public safety.”

Knapp said the troops are not federalized and will be under his overall command. There are federal agents in Kenosha as well, including from the FBI and U.S. Marshall’s Service.