Saturday State News Briefs: Uecker's son dies last night

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MILWAUKEE - The 52-year old son of Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Uecker has died. Steve Uecker passed away yesterday in Milwaukee’s Froedtert Hospital from complications related to San Joaquin Valley fever.

The disease is caused by a fungus which can enter the body through the lungs. Uecker is survived by his mother, a brother and a sister and several nieces. Bob Uecker issued a statement, calling it “a very difficult time” for the family, thanking the Brewers and their fans for their support.

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A fire at a Milwaukee metal recycling company sent a black plume of smoke into the area Friday afternoon. Reports of a series of explosions at Miller Compressing were phoned in at about 5:30 p.m. There were no reports of injuries or damage to any of the company buildings. A company spokesman told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel the smoke came from burning scrap metal and insulation. Baseball fans at Miller Park were able to see the smoke billowing into the sky.

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Pro-Life Wisconsin is praising Governor Scott Walker for signing what it calls “common sense bills that protect children, women and taxpayers.” A bill to ban abortion coverage through policies obtained through a health insurance exchange would include exceptions only in cases of rape, incest or medical necessity. The bills Walker signed Friday numbered more than 50, including one which requires doctors to consult privately with women seeking an abortion and another mandating sex education teachers stress abstinence. Many Democrats call the bills an attack on women, saying Walker signed the legislation behind closed doors last Thursday and Friday. Though he started signing the Republican-sponsored legislation on Thursday, no announcement was made until yesterday.

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A Racine man, accused of signing phony signatures on recall petitions aimed at state Senator Van Wanggard has pleaded not guilty. Mark Demet allegedly signed the names of others onto petitions he circulated. He’s been charged with two counts of election fraud and seven counts of identity theft. The 59-year-old was offered a deal that included dropping the ID theft charges in a return for a plea to election fraud, but he rejected that. He will return to Racine County Circuit Court the middle of next month. Demet is also under investigation in Kenosha County, accused of doing the same thing. One of the names in that case was that of his dead father. No charges have yet been filed there.

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More troubles for former Sheboygan mayor Bob Ryan are coming out of the

same drinking binge last July which eventually cost him his job. This time Ryan faces legal charges of misdemeanor sexual assault from that evening. Ryan was charged Thursday. He has an initial court appearance scheduled for April 23rd. Ryan’s time as Sheboygan’s mayor was sullied by a lawsuit for sexual harassment and several allegations of drunk and unpleasant behavior. The July incident in Elhart Lake included the mayor’s involvement in a scuffle and pictures of him passed out on a bar which were subsequently posted on the Internet. Afterward the mayor admitted he was an alcoholic, but insisted he did nothing illegal that night. It still led to him losing his job in city government last February.

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