Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for News

Madison budget includes minder for police department

By

The City of Madison will hire someone to keep tabs on its police department. The common council passed a $340-million operating budget and a $174-million-dollar capital budget Wednesday.

City leaders helped closed an $11-million gap by enacting a new $40 local vehicle registration fee. The taxing-and-spending plan for 2020 also includes a new independent police auditor, three new police officers, affordable housing projects, and an ambulance for the under-served south-east side. Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway says she plans to sign the budget without any vetoes.

Shorewood schools open after ‘hit list’ scare

By

Schools are open Thursday in the Shorewood district, after the arrest of a 14 year-old high school student found in possession of a “hit list” and a loaded magazine in his backpack. “As the superintendent and father of two daughters in the district, I understand that this is a very difficult situation for all of us,” Superintendent Bryan Davis said during a Wednesday press conference.

Police said another student saw the “hit list” in a notebook and reported it to school staff. Officers found the gun the magazine went with off campus. Davis said the district will be doing whatever is necessary to support students. “Certainly safety is a priority. We also want to make that the student who is in trouble in this situation, we can also offer some guidance and support.”

A student who saw the “hit list” confided in an adult. Police found the list and a loaded magazine in the boy’s backpack, and the gun was located off campus.

Pence visit to Marinette rescheduled for next week

By

Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to stop in northeast Wisconsin during a campaign swing next week. The vice president will tour Marinette Marine and deliver remarks at the shipbuilding plant in northeastern Wisconsin Wednesday. Later the same day he will move on to his home state of Indiana.

The vice president’s visit was originally scheduled for October 23rd, but he canceled at the last minute for a Washington event, then made a stop in Pleasant Prairie later in the day.

Arrest made in Dunn County abandoned dog case

By

An arrest has been made in the case of severely malnourished dog that was found in Dunn County. Boyceville Police Chief Greg Lamkin said 29-year-old Anne Iehl surrendered a male dog to the Dunn County Humane Society on November 1st, claiming she found the dog as a stray. Iehl later admitted to lying about finding him, and had actually abandoned the dog as she was dealing with personal hardships.

A police report the dog, named Gabriel, has gained back weight while in the care of the Humane Society.

Evers on GOP leaders: ‘I don’t think they’re bastards’

By

He doesn’t really think they’re bastards. Governor Tony Evers was asked in the Dells Wednesday about a report that he used that pejorative last week, in referring to Republican leaders in the legislature. “I don’t think they’re bastards, obviously,” Evers said. “‘Don’t let the bastards keep you down’ is a term of art, it’s not a term of necessarily insult.”

The Journal Sentinel reported Wednesday that Evers was so angry when Republican state senators fired Brad Pfaff as state agriculture secretary, that he told state workers the move was “amoral and stupid” and urged them not to let the “bastards” impede their work.
–

Conservative group’s lawsuit seeks purge of state voter rolls

By

A conservative group wants to purge thousands of people from the state’s voter rolls. Last month, the state Elections Commission mailed notices to some 234,00 voters, telling them to update their registrations with their new addresses if they’ve moved, or to notify the commission if they have not. Voters who fail to act will have their registrations suspended after April 2021.

But the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty contends state law requires the commission to remove people from the voter rolls much sooner. Three men it represents filed a lawsuit Wednesday asking an Ozaukee County judge to force the commission to remove people from the voter rolls if they did not respond to the commission’s letter.

Analiese Eicher, Executive Director of the liberal One Wisconsin Now Institute, said the suit is a tactic utilized around the country by conservatives seeking to manipulate the rules on voting to give themselves an advantage

Eicher noted that WILL board members donated thousands of dollars to the campaign of state Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly, who is up for reelection next spring.

DPI releases report card for Wisconsin schools

By

The latest “report card” is out on the performance of Wisconsin schools. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction says 87-percent of schools met or exceeded expectations in the 2018-2019 school year. That number was even higher for public schools, at 96-percent.

Schools were measured on student achievement, student growth, closing gaps between student groups, and college-readiness.

Shorewood schools closed amid concerns over ‘hit list’

By

All schools in a Milwaukee-area district are closed Wednesday. In an announcement on the district website, Shorewood Schools officials said that’s “due to ongoing safety concerns.”

“Because the safety of everyone in the Shorewood Schools is our top priority, the decision was made to close all of our schools until the police have completed their investigation into the tip provided to the FBI,” says Shorewood Schools Superintendent Bryan Davis. “From our communication with the Shorewood Police, we do not have any reason to believe that a threat exists at SIS, Lake Bluff or Atwater. However, we feel strongly that we need to have a resolution to this matter prior to bringing students and staff back into any of the schools.”

A Shorewood High School student allegedly wrote a hit list, and was found in possession of a loaded magazine. The student was not in possession of a gun, and a gun was not found anywhere on the high school campus.

Speaker Vos, Minority Leader Hintz spar over slow legislative session

By

Democrats in the state Legislature are criticizing majority Republicans over what they say is a lack of action this year.

Assembly minority leader Gordon Hintz says Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald are slow-rolling legislation. 

“It’s a do-nothing legislature that’s not moving on legislation, that’s not addressing issues, and that is giving very few opportunities for the Governor to sign things.” 

Hintz says it’s a calculated effort to downplay the effectiveness of Governor Tony Evers. “No one but the Speaker should be blamed for how anemic this legislative session is, and I think the public deserves better.”

“There’s no reason why we can’t take meaningful action on a number of the most important issues facing our state.”

Speaker Vos says Democrats aren’t playing ball with Republicans. 

“Most of the proposals they would like to bring up are ones that are only supported by their party. Most of the ones we’re bringing up, the Speaker’s Task Force on Clean Water, Suicide Prevention, they are strong bipartisan efforts.”

Speaker Vos says last session Democrats complained about the speed of legislative proceedings.

“We have done a lot an awful lot of good things, we have a successful state budget that none of them voted for or really participated in.”

The Assembly will likely meet one more time before the end of the year. 

Dairy company Dean Foods files for bankruptcy

By

One of the country’s largest dairy companies is filing for bankruptcy.

Dean Foods will be working with Dairy Farmers of America to restructure. State ag spokesman Rick Hummel says for now, it’s business as usual for consumers and farmers. 

“Under Chapter 11, that allows the company to continue its operations while they’re restructuring, as opposed to a Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy.”

Hummel says they haven’t gotten any reports of checks not being paid to farmers. 

“Our department will be following up with Dean to make sure that payments to producers will continue to be made on time.”

Dean lost its biggest customer last year after Walmart took over its own milk production.