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State Senator Tim Carpenter assaulted during overnight unrest in Madison

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A Wisconsin state Senator said he was attacked by protesters overnight as he was heading to the State Capitol Building.  A  WKOW 27 News crew came across Senator Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) around midnight.  Carpenter said he was assaulted for taking a photo of the protest, an incident he apparently captured in a cell phone video which he posted to Twitter.

A few moments later Carpenter collapsed and an ambulance was called. He was able to get into the emergency vehicle on his own.

Also overnight, two statues on the grounds of the Capitol were taken down, during demonstrations over the Tuesday arrest of an activist. Protesters were demanding the release from jail of 28-year-old Devonere Johnson

Police took Johnson into custody outside a downtown restaurant at around 12:30 p.m. He was tentatively charged with disorderly conduct while armed, resisting arrest and attempted escape.

The Madison Police Department shared video of Johnson inside Coopers Tavern, and of his arrest. The footage inside the Tavern shows Johnson emphasizing that he is disturbing the restaurant and holding a baseball bat while speaking through a bullhorn.  Johnson followed a man into the restaurant that he called a racist.

The two statues that protesters pulled down were of Forward, which normally stands outside the State Capitol at the top of State Street. and left it lying in the middle of the road.

The same group also tore down the Colonel Hans Christian Heg statue on the opposite side of the Capitol a short time later. That statue was then thrown into Lake Monona. Heg was Norwegian immigrant who was killed in action while fighting in the Union Army during the Civil War.

Tommy Thompson will serve as UW System Interim President

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Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy G. Thompson has agreed to serve as University of Wisconsin System Interim President.

The Board of Regents announced Friday that Thompson, the state’s only governor to serve four terms, will assume the new leadership role effective July 1.

UW System President Ray Cross is retiring, and the only finalist for the position withdrew his name from consideration last week.

“The University of Wisconsin System is the state’s most valuable asset, and I will be its biggest advocate and its toughest evaluator,” Thompson said in the news release. “No other institution in the state can do more to improve lives, communities, and Wisconsin’s economy.”

University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents President Andrew S. Petersen said he asked Thompson to serve as interim president because of his legacy of bringing people together and finding common ground.

“Governor Thompson is a statesman who offers the kind of leadership the UW System needs right now,” Petersen said. “I have witnessed his collaborative yet direct leadership style. He is perfectly suited to serve as Interim President.”

The move was greeted enthusiastically by Republican leaders in the Wisconsin Legislature, which has budget oversight for the UW System.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos tweeted that Thompson is “a great selection” for the interim post.  “I want to thank Governor Thompson for stepping up to serve our state again in this capacity.”

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald released the following statement:

“I could not be happier with the Board of Regents’ pick. Governor Thompson has always been one of the University of Wisconsin System’s strongest advocates. As we face unprecedented times, there is nobody better to step in and make sure Wisconsin’s prized universities continue to thrive.”

Juneteenth flag will fly over Wisconsin Capitol

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The Evers administration is making more flag news. Governor Tony Evers announced Wednesday that the Juneteenth flag will fly at the State Capitol Friday.

Juneteenth is marked annually on June 19 and commemorates the end of slavery in America on that date in 1865.

This will be the first time the Juneteenth flag has flown at the Capitol. It will temporarily replace the Pride flag, which Evers last year ordered to be flown over the East Wing, below the U.S. flag and Wisconsin flags.

‘It doesn’t have to be brutality to feel abusive’ – cops meet people at Marshfield rally (AUDIO)

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WDLB photo

Reactions to the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police continue to spread across Wisconsin. Marshfield police officers met with people at a downtown cookout and rally Thursday, including Police Chief Rick Gramza.

“We solve problems better together than apart. The goal was just to have some tough conversations, be vulnerable. And we weren’t here as much to talk as we are to listen and learn.”

LISTEN RickGramza :40

Echo Means of Marshfield shared some of her concerns and past experiences with law enforcement in the city, after moving there from Milwaukee

“It doesn’t have to be brutality to feel abusive. Probably the first five years we lived up here was very abusive.”

LISTEN Echo Means :54

Local businesses donated food to feed the rally. Several hundred people attended, many carrying signs in support for George Floyd. Local businesses donated food to feed the rally.

WDLB

Coronavirus pandemic forces cancellation of World Dairy Expo

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Another major Wisconsin event is cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic — World Dairy Expo in Madison. Dairy Expo General Manager Scott Bentley, in an announcement posted to YouTube Thursday afternoon

“We had every intention of adhering to our initial communication timeline of July 1st. But an abundance of clarity has been obtained through the public health order Forward Dane, released on May 22, and we have been left with no viable options.”

The announcement said World Dairy Expo “remains committed to issuing full refunds for all payments made for the 2020 show.”

Dairy Expo Board President Bill Hageman said the decision was not what they had hoped to announce.

“However, unwaveringly we recognize our responsibility is to maintain the health of our community, and the safety of all of you as exhibitors, attendees, volunteers and staff, and to adhere to the orders dictated by Dane County through the Forward Dane public health plan, and Emergency Order Number Three.”

World Dairy Expo was scheduled for September 30 through October 3, at Madison’s Alliant Energy Center. The expo annually brings upwards of 50,000 people to the Madison metro area, with an economic impact for the region in the tens of millions of dollars.

Evers pushes for bill on police use of force procedures in wake of George Floyd protests

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Governor Tony Evers wants to take action to help Black Wisconsinites in the wake of a weekend’s worth of protests. 

Evers says that while these particular protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd, Wisconsin has its own cases to consider. 

“We hear the echo of the words of Eric Garner. We relive the pain of the death of Black Wisconsinites like Dontre Hamilton, Sylville Smith, Ernest Lacy, and Tony Robinson.”

Evers is backing a bill that would require police departments to be trained on de-escalation tactics and to prioritize saving lives in critical situations instead of resorting to force. He says efforts must be made to start undoing generations of oppression. 

“We must be willing to face it, with clear eyes and open hearts, recognizing that folks who look like me have been part of creating, exacerbating, and benefiting from the systems that we must now turn to dismantle.”

“We must condemn all those who encourage violence against Black lives. We must offer our compassion, we must offer our support, but most of all, we must offer our action.”

The bill has already stalled once in the Republican controlled legislature, and it’s unclear if leadership will meet to discuss the issue while already on recess. 

No cream puffs: 2020 Wisconsin State Fair cancelled

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Cream puff (PHOTO: Wisconsin State Fair)

The Wisconsin State Fair has been officially called off due to COVID-19.  This is the first time in 75 years that the fair will not be happening.

The decision was made on Thursday by Fair Board chairman John Yingling. In a statement, Yingling says the decision was not made lightly, and that he’s got everyone’s safety in mind.

The Fair attracts over a million visitors every year and organizers said it would be impossible to enforce social distancing on the grounds. The other issue would be putting on the fair only for no one to show up due to fears over COVID-19.

Tourism officials say this will be another $200 million loss to Milwaukee and the suburbs, but that they’re hoping more summer events will be happening to help ease the financial impact.

Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down Tony Evers’ Safer at Home order

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court has struck down Governor Tony Evers’ Safer at Home order. The Republican controlled state legislature had sued over the order, contending it was a constitutional overreach by the Democratic governor’s administration.

Four of the court’s conservative justices sided with Republican legislators against the order. That will require Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm and Evers to instead use the rulemaking process to manage the state’s pandemic response going forward.

That means the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee with its Republican majority will have input – as well as authority for a potential veto – over any plan Evers’ DHS puts forward.

It’s unclear what immediate impact this ruling will have.  The court provided little guidance on the matter. The state is already on track to reopen under Evers’ Badger Bounce Back plan, and Safer at Home expires in less than two weeks, on May 26.

READ: Wisconsin Supreme Court decision

Packers unveil 2020 NFL Schedule

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The Green Bay Packers will open the regular season on Sunday, Sept. 13 with a noon kickoff against the NFC North Division rival Minnesota Vikings.  The Packers will close the season with a January 3rd noon kick at Chicago and play five times in prime time in between.

The Packers home opener comes in week two of the regular season, Sunday, Sept. 20 (noon) against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field.

They’ll play their first prime time match-up the following Sunday night (Sept. 27) against the Saints in New Orleans.

The Packers return home in week four, facing the Atlanta Falcons in a Monday night game on October 5th at Lambeau Field. [Read more…]

Brett Favre goes off on Packers over 2020 draft (AUDIO)

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Aaron Rodgers & Brett Favre. (Photo Courtesy of Mike Clemens)

Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre thinks Aaron Rodgers will end up finishing his career elsewhere, just like he did.

Favre appeared as a guest on the Rich Eisen Show on the NBC Sports Network on Wednesday.

Favre said he talked with Rodgers since the Packers traded up four spots to pick Jordan Love with the 26th overall pick in the draft last Thursday.  Favre said he was surprised the Packers went in the direction that they did.

The Packers have been criticized for not only taking a quarterback in the first round, but not doing more offensively to help the Packers out offensively.

Rodgers has four years left on the $134 million extension that he signed in 2018.  From a salary cap standpoint, it would be next to impossible for the Packers to part with Rodgers for at least the first two years.  But after that, who knows.

“I think he’ll play somewhere else,” Favre told Rich Eisen.  “My gut tells me now.  I don’t know this for certain, but I guarantee you, it’s got the wheels turning in Aaron’s mind.  If that’s the case, then that means there’s a chip on his [Read more…]