Village trustee recall is Tuesday (DEFOREST)
A recall election in a Dane County community. Voters in DeForest outside Madison will decide Tuesday whether or not Trustee Andrew Landgraf will remain in office or be replaced by Alicia Williams or Stacey Peterson on the seven member village board. Trustees including Langraf voted 4-3 in February to stop adding fluoride to the village’s drinking water, but organizers contend the recall isn’t about that. They say Landgraf has a pattern of waging personal attacks against residents who criticize him. Landgraf says he’s being targeted because of his blunt approach and is urging village voters to reject the recall.
Girl found, AMBER Alert cancelled (PORTAGE COUNTY)
A central Wisconsin man accused of abducting his six-year-old niece is in custody. An AMBER Alert was issued for Ruby Lehman at midmorning on Thursday after she went missing from her grandmother’s house in the Portage County Village of Almond. The Wisconsin Crime Alert Network canceled the alert for Ruby shortly before 6:00 Saturday evening. She was found safe and 34-year-old Jordan Coyle is in custody. Officers located Coyle’s pickup truck Saturday afternoon before locating both him and the little girl in a wooded area shortly before 5:00 PM. Charges are pending against Coyle, who is a registered sex offender.
Vos remains confident in Capitol security (MADISON)
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos remains confident in security arrangements at the Capitol in Madison. The Republican leader commented following last week’s assassination of activist Charlie Kirk, and said he’s very confident in the Capitol Police. Vos noted that Kirk was killed in a public place, and Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed in their home. Vos said the reality is that most political violence that has occurred has not been inside a government building. He did not mention the January 6, 2021 attack on and inside the U.S. Capitol. Other than a brief period following the 9/11 attacks, the public has always had unrestricted access to the Wisconsin Capitol.
Republican lawmakers plan to introduce a number of education bills (MADISON)
At the Capitol, Assembly Republicans plan for the fall session includes several education focused bills. Sturgeon Bay Representative Joel Kitchens says his would overhaul the state’s math curriculum, similar to a recent bill that overhauled the state’s reading curriculum. Full implementation of Act 20, which revamped the state’s reading curriculum, was delayed when Governor Evers used his partial veto on a piece of the program. The state Supreme Court overturned that move this summer. Another bill from Greenville Representative Dave Murphy wants to make it easier for high school students to earn dual credit that counts towards a college diploma.
DHS awards grants funded by opioid settlement funds (UNDATED)
A new Wisconsin Department of Health Services grant program is rewarding the work done by local organizations. Four organizations are each receiving one-time grants of $250,000 to provide services in their communities that prevent non-medical use of opioids. Substance abuse prevention organizations in Dunn and Pierce counties, Kenosha County, the Forest County Potawatomi Community and Milwaukee’s Hispanic community are receiving the funding. The DHS grants are funded by Wisconsin’s share of an opioid settlement.
DNR: keep an eye out for reptiles and amphibians crossing the road (UNDATED)
Keep an eye out for reptiles and amphibians on Wisconsin roads this Fall. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is urging you to report when and where you might see frogs, salamanders, lizards or snakes crossing the road during early fall. As temps cool, many of these animals will migrate across roads from summer breeding and foraging locations to a place to spend the winter. By reporting these sightings, you can help scientists better understand where reptiles and amphibians occur and save more of them in the future. You can report a sighting, preferably with a photo, by visiting the DNR website.