UPFRONT: Rep. Fitzgerald says arrest of MKE Judge was valid (MILWAUKEE)
Wisconsin Republican Congressman Scott Fitzgerald says some of his colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee didn’t approve of how a Milwaukee County Judge was arrested last month. Speaking to W I S N’s UPFRONT, Fitzgerald says the emotions ran very high in the case and that the optics of the arrest could have been better. Fitzgerald says Judge Hannah Dugan acted outrageously, and the case is valid. Dugan is accused in federal court of helping a man evade arrest by immigration agents, and has been temporarily suspended by the Wisconsin Supreme Court while the trial takes place.
Trump admin cancels mental health services grant for WI schools (UNDATED)
The Trump administration is terminating a grant program that supports mental health staffing in schools. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction was informed last week that the U.S. Department of Education is terminating the Biden era School-Based Mental Health Professionals Grant. The program provided one billion dollars in federal grants that districts in 22 states across the country have been using to hire mental health professionals, including counselors and social workers. Wisconsin’s grant was for $10 million. According to DPI the initial $2.2 million has already been received, but the remaining $8 million over four years will be canceled.
Warrants executed at massage parlors for alleged sexual services (BELOIT)
Search warrants executed at two southern Wisconsin massage parlors amid sexual service allegations. In a Facebook post, the Beloit Police Department said it executed the warrants following community complaints alleging the businesses were offering sexual services. During the searches, investigators collected additional evidence and conducted several interviews. Beloit PD says the investigation remains ongoing and is part of a broader effort to combat human trafficking and the operation of establishments that promote or maintain prostitution.
We Energies welcome first peregrine falcon chicks (OAK CREEK)
We Energies welcomes the first peregrine falcon chicks of the season. The two chicks at the Oak Creek Power plant hatched late last week. It’s the first year parents Essity and Joel have been nesting together, despite Essity being at the Oak Creek plant for six years. We Energies says two other eggs at the Oak Creek plant could hatch at any time, and eggs at the Port Washington Generating Station, Valley Power Plant, and Weston Power Plant are expected to hatch in the coming weeks. You can vote on the names of the new birds and view a 24/7 nest cam by visiting the We Energies website.
Woman gets jail time for deer poaching spree (WEST BEND)
A woman found guilty of helping her son and two other teens engage in a widespread poaching scheme in eastern Wisconsin is headed to jail. Jessica Kroening was sentenced in Washington County Court on Friday to one month in jail after taking a plea deal in the case. Kroening and the three teens killed over 100 deer in Fond du Lac, Washington and Dodge Counties in 2023 and 2024, often shining the deer at night. The group also routinely left does to rot where they lay and took back buck heads. Kroening’s attorney tried to downplay her involvement at sentencing, but the judge refused to leave jail time out, saying she was responsible and complicit in the poaching. The three teens’ cases are in juvenile court.