Mayor says encampment will be removed (MADISON)
Madison leaders plan to remove an encampment at the site where police fatally shot a man last month. In an update on Sunday night, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said vehicles that have been blocking streets at the intersection on the city’s near East Side will be towed as notices have gone out and will be acted upon. The mayor also says they’ll be proactively removing barricades and ending food preparation. No specific timeline was given. As for the artwork and memorial items for the man who was shot, 38-year-old Corey Ruiz, the mayor says they’ll be preserved and that they’ve been working with the Ruiz family on some type of permanent memorial. Rhodes Conway also dispelled rumors that the city has supplied porta-potties, dumpsters, or financial support to the occupation effort.
Judge to rule on allowing evidence in Jesse Vang case (MANITOWOC)
A Manitowoc County Judge will rule on allowing evidence in the case against the man charged in toddler Elijah Vue’s 2024 death. During a motion hearing in Manitowoc County Court Friday, prosecutors questioned FBI Forensic Geographer Jodi Webb on what she does with testing soil, sand and gravel, and other materials at different crime scenes. They then argued her testimony should be allowed at 41-year-old Jesse Vang’s trial. Vang’s defense team asked Judge Anthony Lambrecht not to allow the evidence. Lambrecht says he wants to look over the transcript of the hearing and will make an oral ruling on December 18th. Vang is charged in the death of the toddler after his remains were found in the Town of Two Rivers in September of 2024. He faces charges including physical abuse of a child causing death.
BBB: Wisconsin victims lose millions of dollars to gold coin scam (UNDATED)
Wisconsin residents lost millions of dollars in a scam involving gold coins. The Better Business Bureau says several people were victims of an elaborate set of scams that culminated in buying large amounts of gold coins and handing them to couriers. One Oshkosh woman told Fox 6 Milwaukee she spent 433-thousand dollars of her life savings to appease the scammers, who claimed she was being hacked, that the police were after her for weapons trafficking, and that only they could protect her. BBB spokesperson Lisa Schiller says anytime someone on the phone or internet tells you to buy gold, cryptocurrency or interact with unknown couriers, end contact immediately and report the incident to police.
Sheboygan police say kidnapping report was a prank between kids (SHEBOYGAN)
A weekend kidnapping scare in Sheboygan has police asking parents to talk to their kids. The incident started Sunday afternoon when someone called 911 to report a kidnapping at a park. The caller said they heard a young person scream about being kidnapped while being driven in a vehicle. There was a major police mobilization to locate the child which turned out to be a prank between kids. In a post to the department’s Facebook page, Sheboygan police urge parents to remind children that false reports can lead to serious consequences, even for juveniles.