http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/wi-news/ en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:25:36 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418579/posts MADISON, Wis. — The leader of the state's largest police union was cited for drunken driving last week after he left his apartment to help another union employee who had crashed her car into a shed, according to police reports obtained Monday. James L. Palmer II, executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, faces one count of first offense driving while under the influence, a traffic violation akin to speeding. He issued a statement Monday saying he regrets his actions. "I am ashamed at this deplorable exercise of poor judgment, and I accept total responsibility," he said. "I offer... AP via Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418579/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:25:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417312/posts In a nod to the growing Hmong populations in Minnesota and Wisconsin, the states’ four U.S. senators teamed up in a joint statement Tuesday opposing the Thai government’s plans to forcibly repatriate more than 4,000 Hmong refugees back to Laos. The four Democrats, Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken of Minnesota and Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, say they “strongly condemn” the Thais’ decision, which they say ignores the objections of the United Nations, the U.S. Government, and international human rights groups. The statement reads in part: “We share the concern of many of our Hmong-American constituents whose loved... StarTribune.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417312/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:49:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417250/posts Just got a text from my son in Madison that there was a bomb scare at the capitol. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417250/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:23:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416896/posts A former TV weatherman accused of sexually assaulting a young girl will avoid a felony conviction and pay at least $288 in fines if he successfully completes the terms of an agreement reached with prosecutors. During a hearing Monday in Sauk County Circuit Court, Jeffrey F. Smith, 45, Merrimac, pleaded to reduced charges, but maintained his innocence. In an emotional statement, the alleged victim’s mother confronted Smith, saying he destroyed her daughter’s chance of having a normal life. "Jeff, I’m sorry it’s taken you this long to realize you have a problem," said the mother, whose name is being withheld... Wisconsin State Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416896/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:04:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416139/posts Feingold, McCain, Lieberman Introduce Resolution to Reverse FEC’s Action to Gut Corporate Jets Provision. WASHINGTON, DC – A bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation to reject a Federal Election Commission regulation that would effectively gut Congress’ work to crack down on Senators accepting rides on corporate jets. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI), John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) introduced a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to overturn the FEC’s decision and require it to redraft the regulation. In the regulation published in the Federal Register on December 7, the FEC undermined Congress’ decision in 2007 to... U.S. Sen. John McCain, RINO-Ariz. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416139/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 08:54:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411437/posts A northern Idaho pharmacist who tackled a gun-toting robber and received a special award from the city of Coeur d'Alene has been fired for violating company policy. Jerry Gunderson says he was dismissed from the Shopko pharmacy ... A Shopko spokeswoman at the company's corporate office in Green Bay, Wis., declined to comment. Police arrested the man and Gunderson later received a Citizen Appreciation Award from city leaders. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411437/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:23:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411252/posts 18 states allow for recall votes on US Senators. The 18 states allowing for recall are as follows: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin. The Senate oath of office is: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well... Vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411252/posts#comment Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:02:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411406/posts If you want to know what really goes on behind the closed doors of Planned Parenthood, Google "Live Action" and click on the Planned Parenthood Appleton clinic. It's clear nothing has changed in the 35 years since I visited Planned Parenthood. An unintended, undesired pregnancy clearly constitutes a significant life crisis for many women and demands responsible crisis counseling. Lila Rose, president of Live Action, confirmed that the young woman in the undercover video received no counseling except that of the nurse and abortionist. The nurse was adamant that a fetus is not a baby "until birth," while the abortionist... Milwaukee Journal Sentinel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411406/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:21:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410377/posts Without discussion, the Milwaukee School Board voted 7-0 Thursday night to make condoms available at many of the city's high schools, paving the way to make Milwaukee Public Schools one of the relatively few districts in the nation to provide contraception to students. The communicable disease prevention program, as the district calls it, could be in place as soon as the 2010-'11 school year. The proposal sparked some opposition after being made public Dec. 2, but the board approved the condom distribution without much dissent. Comments from the public are not allowed at board meetings and a board committee had... The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel On Line http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2410377/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:46:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409674/posts The Wisconsin Democratic Party is taking an highly unconventional approach in attacking GOP gubernatorial hopeful Scott Walker by posting graphic images of an unclean courthouse bathroom. The repulsive state of the bathrooms in the Milwaukee County Courthouse — whose janitorial services Walker privatized recently as part of his role as county executive — first became a campaign issue last Friday when a local television station ran a story demonstrating in detail the bathrooms’ conditions. As part of Walker’s decision to outsource some government services, 25 members of the courthouse’s janitorial staff were laid off. In protest, only four of the... Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409674/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:04:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409036/posts Dave Obey challenger Sean Duffy is running a campaign today to raise money in honor of the original Boston Tea Party. Red State http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409036/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:28:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408995/posts Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle has just signed a bill into law that forces schools to teach the glories of organized labor and collective bargaining. Doyle has received significant campaign contributions from labor unions over the years prior to forcing their special interest agenda into the classroom. Ever since unions have been involved in teaching, our system has spiraled into laughable mediocrity. It is what happens when you abandon actual education to turn children into racially-sensitive little environmentalists. Teachers' unions even tried to have the fact that 9/11 was committed by Muslim extremists scrubbed from the history books. Their effect on... The Macon County Conservative Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408995/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:38:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408065/posts MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee teacher was charged with disorderly conduct after cutting off a 7-year-old's braid in front of her classmates, WISN-TV in Milwaukee reported. Lamya Cammon was angry, confused and scared by the incident last week in which the apparently frustrated teacher cut one of her braids off after she wouldn't stop playing with them in class. Cammon, 7, sports a few dozen braids, but one is conspicuously absent. "She told me to stop playing with it, then cut it off and sent me back to my desk," Cammon said. Cammon, a first-grader at Congress Elementary, said her teacher... theindychannel.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408065/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:17:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407794/posts RE: Louis Butler's nomination to be a U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Wisconsin. On December 3 the Judiciary Committee voted out this controversial nomination on a party-line vote of 12-7, and floor action is expected in the near future. Louis Butler is unfit for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench because his record demonstrates a far-left agenda of personal beliefs and political ideology that he imposes from the bench, and the people of Wisconsin have twice rejected him as undeserving to serve on their highest court. ACTION: The nomination of Louis Butler is one of those... spectator.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407794/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:42:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406275/posts In 1979, Robert Bartley's editorial writing at the Wall Street Journal not only garnered a Pulitzer Prize, but also exposed a pernicious threat to free enterprise. In a piece titled "Down With Big Business," which focused on how General Motors was using its muscle and government connections to squeeze out competitors, Bartley concludes we ought not rely on big business to defend free markets. It's up to the American people--innovators and entrepreneurs, small business owners, Bartley's "XYZ Bumperlight Lens Company"--to take a stand. Thirty years later, this crony capitalism is back with a vengeance, accelerated by an aggressive program by... Forbes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406275/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:32:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406198/posts Appleton, WI (LifeNews.com) -- Two physicians are responding to a new sting operation video produced showing staff at a Wisconsin Planned Parenthood center lying to women about fetal development and abortion. The undercover footage from Live Action shows abortion center staff, including the abortion practitioner, misleading women. The Planned Parenthood staffers encourage pregnant women posting as potential abortion customers to obtain an abortion because "women die having babies." In the undercover video, two women posing as potential abortion customers ask a Planned Parenthood counselor if the pregnant woman's 10-week-old unborn child has a heartbeat. The counselor emphasizes "heart tones," and... LifeNews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406198/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:05:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405906/posts Milwaukee, WI - Area home sales soared 75% in November compared with the same month last year, an increase attributed mostly to efforts to close purchases before a tax credit for first-time homebuyers was set to expire.The federal tax credit of up to $8,000 - part of Congress' economic stimulus plan - has been extended to home deals that close by June 30 instead of Dec. 1 of this year. But uncertainty about whether it would be extended helped Realtors post sales numbers that the Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors called staggering."The majority of that was the homebuyer tax credit,... JS Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405906/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:55:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405725/posts Gary Sherman….Gary Sherman….Gary Sherman. I should know that name. Now I remember Gary Sherman was the critical vote needed desperately by Governor Doyle to preserve open carry in Wisconsin five years ago. He is the Assembly Representative who voted for SB214 and then switched his vote against it to sustain the Governor’s veto of SB214. This legislation was the concealed carry law that passed the legislature with a bi-partisan two thirds super majority. By convincing Representative Sherman to switch his vote, the Governor was able to guarantee that his veto of SB214 would be sustained by just one critical vote,... Wisconsin Gun Rights Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405725/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:08:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405503/posts <p>GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Some Wisconsin communities that have installed high efficiency traffic lights are discovering the energy-saving bulbs are a hazard in a snow storm.</p> <p>City officials say the LED lights use less electricity and don't give off enough heat to melt ice or snow. So when the snow falls and the wind blows, the traffic lights are obscured.</p> Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405503/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:18:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404855/posts It might go against the adage "oil and water don't mix," but a University of Wisconsin professor and the City of Beloit's fleet manager are experimenting with technology that allows motor scooters, cars and trucks to use a combination of gasoline and water as fuel. They're testing a system that uses voltage from a vehicle's battery and alternator to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Those molecules are then burned as supplemental fuel -- reducing the amount of gasoline needed and resulting in a cleaner-running engine. The system has been used to power a Vespa scooter with distilled water. A... www.istockanalyst.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404855/posts#comment Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:05:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404046/posts Back door gun registration is being proposed for Wisconsin by Senators Coggs, Taylor and Lassa; Representatives Richards, Staskunas, Turner, Young, Sinicki, Berceau, Colon, Grigsby, Fields, Pasch, Kessler, Zepnick and Toles. SB 367 is yet another attempt to infringe upon lawful gun owners in Wisconsin by making it a crime not to report a lost or stolen gun within 48 hours of discovering the loss or theft. I am not clear how anyone will know if a stolen gun that shows up at a crime scene just 5 hours after it was stolen is your gun or to whom it belongs.... Wisconsin Gun Rights Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404046/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 22:11:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404126/posts Republican lawmakers critical of efforts to battle climate change vowed to fly next week to the Copenhagen summit to undercut President Barack Obama's promises of strong U.S. action. Members of the minority party in Congress said they would highlight a scandal over leaked e-mails from leading climate scientists which they said backed their suspicions that the global warming threat was overblown and too costly to act on. "I will not be one of the sycophants that says climate change is the biggest problem facing the world, and we need to do all these Draconian things that cost jobs," Rep. Joe... Mother Nature Network http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404126/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 23:41:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403821/posts MADISON, WI - A combination of heavy snow, strong wind and freezing rain continued to pound Wisconsin early Wednesday as many residents attempt to dig out. Heavy snow and strong winds pummeled Wisconsin overnight as a major snowstorm crept across southern Wisconsin on Tuesday night. The storm has caused widespread power outages, hundreds of school closings and treacherous travel for those braving the roadways. State offices and the University of Wisconsin campuses are closed as well. The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for the southwest corner of the state through Wednesday evening. The Wisconsin State Patrol said as... Channel3000.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403821/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 17:20:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402248/posts Mary Spicuzza | 608-252-6122 | mspicuzza@madison.com In a nutshell Wisconsin would require new semiautomatic handguns sold or manufactured in the state to produce identifying codes on every shell they expend under a bill currently in the Legislature. The bill would require that semiautomatic handguns manufactured on or after Jan. 1, 2011 produce codes, known as a "microstamps," on their expended cartridges. The bill would also require gun manufacturers and dealers who sell handguns that produce microstamps to disclose guns' makes, models and serial numbers to law enforcement agencies when microstamped expended shell casings are collected during criminal investigations. It would... The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, Wis.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402248/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 19:47:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400684/posts The suspect in a quadruple homicide was charged Friday afternoon with killing his girlfriend and their 23-month-old daughter after telling the girlfriend's older children that the victims had been involved in a bad car crash in Middleton and wouldn't be coming home. According to the criminal complaint filed in Dane County Circuit Court, Tyrone Adair called the daughters of Tracy Judd around 7:20 p.m. Thursday to tell them that Judd, 33, and their daughter, Deja, had been in a crash near the Branch Street Retreat bar and restaurant and wouldn't be coming back to their town of Middleton home, which... Wisconsin State Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400684/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 02:00:36 GMT