Morning State News Briefs: Members of MIlwaukee County DA office signed recall petition

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MILWAUKEE - Forty-three people who work in the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office signed the Walker recall petitions. But none of them are prosecutors who are working on the John Doe investigation into Scott Walker’s former county government aides.

The conservative research group Media Trackers said one of the 43 recall signers is a deputy DA. Nineteen are assistant DA’s, and the rest are secretaries and clerks. Chief Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern said his office does not have a policy that bars employees from signing recall petitions. But depending on their assignments, he says attorneys might have ethical or conflict-of-interest concerns which prohibit them from taking part in the political process. Lovern and District Attorney John Chisholm are directly involved in John Doe probe of Walker aides – along with assistant DA’s Bruce Landgraf, Kurt Benkley, and David Robles. And none of them signed the Walker recall petitions.

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A Marine from suburban Chicago who was killed in Afghanistan last week used to live in La Crosse. 21-year-old Corporal Alex Martinez spent a year at La Crosse Logan High School before returning to Elgin, Illinois. Relatives said he graduated from high school one semester early, so he could follow the military footsteps of others in his family. Martinez was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan as a member of the First Combat Engineer Battalion. The Pentagon said he was on a foot patrol when he was killed by an improvised explosive device.

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President Obama’s health secretary will be in Wisconsin on Wednesday. Health-and-Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will attend a senior center in Milwaukee to announce parts of the Democratic health care reform law that apply to Medicare. Those benefits include free preventive care, plus a 50-percent discount on brand-name drugs for those in the “doughnut hole” coverage gap under Medicare Part-“D” prescription coverage programs.

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Former Congressman Mark Neumann says he’d push for a 12-year term limit if he’s elected to the U.S. Senate this fall. The Waukesha County Republican held a news conference in Madison yesterday to announce what he calls his “Clean Up Washington” plan. He said his term limit measure would not apply to those who’ve already been in office more than 12 years. Neumann also said he wants to discourage former lawmakers from becoming lobbyists, by stripping congressional pensions and benefits from those who join those ranks. Neumann also said he wants to make sure legislation is legal, by requiring sponsors to cite the part of the Constitution which authorizes their bills. Meanwhile, Republican Tommy Thompson unveiled sweeping changes to the federal tax code which he would seek if he’s elected to the Senate. Thompson called the current tax system “dysfunctional” as the result of quote, “political manipulation and special interest pandering.” The former governor said he would make the Bush tax cuts permanent, limit federal spending to 18-and-a-half percent of the gross domestic product, and move toward a flat income tax. State Democratic Party chairman Mike Tate called the tax plan a gimmick and said it would benefit wealthy people. Thompson and Neumann are in a tight GOP Senate primary with Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald of Horicon and hedge fund manager Eric Hovde. They’ll square off August 14th, with the winner to face Democrat Tammy Baldwin in November for the Senate seat to be given up by Herb Kohl.

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Makers and suppliers of dairy equipment are getting together in Milwaukee. The International Cheese Technology Expo begins today and runs through Thursday. Over 240 exhibitors are showing off the latest in cheese-making and related equipment. It’s the largest show of its kind in the world. Numerous topics will be discussed. They include the technology challenges of whey, molds, and yeast – reforms in dairy policy – the worldwide cheese market – and converting waste to energy.

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It was a year ago today when 15 tornadoes touched down in Wisconsin. They were the first of 38 in the Badger State last year – the fourth-highest in state history. The National Weather Service had almost immediately confirmed a dozen tornadoes from April 10th of 2011, and Wisconsin Emergency Management said three more were added to the final total. The most severe twisters that day were in Kaukauna, where 160 homes were damaged – and in Merrill, where 70 homes and 15 businesses incurred damage. Council Grounds State Park near Merrill was closed for almost two weeks due to fallen trees. And it took three days to restore power to six-thousand Merrill area electric customers. Still, none of last April’s tornadoes were bad enough to qualify for federal disaster aid. Tod Pritchard of Wisconsin Emergency Management said the high tornado numbers from recent years have raised the state’s average to 23 per year. It used to be 21 a decade ago. You’ll certainly hear more about this next week – which is Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week.

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Things are looking up for Wisconsin stores that rent equipment. A rebound in the construction industry and a warm spring have combined for more business. The American Rental Association says revenues in North America will grow by at least seven-percent this year. Colin Shane, who rents equipment in West Bend, says business is not as strong as before the Great Recession – but it’s still up from a year ago. The rental association said a recent trade show in New Orleans attracted 20-percent more people than the year before.

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Wisconsin has the nation’s 10th lowest rate for teen births. That’s according to figures released yesterday by the U-S Centers for Disease Control. The Badger State had 26-point-two births to every thousand females age 15-to-19 in 2010. And that’s down by almost three births from 2009. The new report said almost every state had declines in teen births from 2007-to-2010. Arizona had the biggest drop at 29-percent, while rates stayed about the same in North Dakota, Montana, and West Virginia. Nationally, birth rates for teenage moms hit their lowest point since records started being kept in 1940. The CDC said pregnancy prevention efforts are a factor in the decline. The agency cited a recent survey showing that more teens were using contraceptives. The CDC earlier reported that births by mothers of all ages dropped in 2010 for the third year in a row – and experts said a struggling economy appeared to be one of the main reasons.

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Governor Scott Walker and Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen both came out yesterday in favor of taking DNA samples from felony suspects when they’re arrested, and not wait until they’re convicted. Van Hollen opposed the idea when it was first came up in 2009. But he said he’s had time to develop a plan that would be constitutional, and could be run effectively by police. Walker and Van Hollen – both Republicans – said their plan would be more limited than the original one. It would apply only to certain felony suspects and more serious sex offenses. They planned to have details ready for next year’s state budget. Van Hollen said the measure would put more DNA samples of criminal suspects into a state database, thus making it easier for police to solve crimes. But back in 2009, the Republican attorney general expressed concerns about the impact on civil liberties – something the American Civil Liberties Union repeated yesterday. Stacy Harbaugh of Wisconsin’s ACLU said those not convicted of crimes should not have to give police their DNA because of all the personal health information it contains. And she brought up racial concerns, saying minorities have much more contact with law enforcement than whites. A group called DNA Saves says 26 states allow DNA to be taken from at least some criminal suspects before they’re convicted. They say it saves lives because many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders – and having their DNA on file means they can be arrested sooner.

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The Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor is four weeks from today. Former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk will become the first candidate to run her own statewide ad today. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett plans to file his nomination papers in Madison this morning. And he announced a key endorsement yesterday from former Congressman Dave Obey, who had said he would run if Barrett or retiring U.S. Senator Herb Kohl didn’t. GOP state Senate leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau said Republicans might vote for Falk in the May eighth Democratic primary, because she doesn’t do as well as Barrett in head-to-head polls against Governor Scott Walker. Wisconsin has open primaries in which voters don’t have to declare their parties, and Fitzgerald said quote, “There’s nothing to keep the Republicans from messing around.”

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The state GOP also put up Gladys Huber to run as a fake Democrat for governor. Spokesman Ben Sparks says it’s an insurance policy to make sure the Democrats don’t coalesce behind one candidate to try and push the general election up to May 8 – which would happen if there’s not a primary. Republicans also put up fake Democrats for lieutenant governor and all four Senate contests, to make sure the general elections all take place on June fifth. Democratic attorney Jeremy Levinson said last week the fake Democrats violate election laws, because candidates must declare that they’re representing a particular party. But yesterday, state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said there’s no law against putting up fake candidates.

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It’s not just people who’ve been excited about the warm spring in Wisconsin. At least 10 species of birds have made record early appearances from their winter hang-outs as far south as South America. A Savannah sparrow was seen in Kewaunee County on March fourth – two days earlier than the previous record. The Wisconsin Society of Ornithology has kept track of the birds’ early arrivals and late departures for decades. The DNR’s Owen Boyle says some species don’t spend much time here – because they’re on their way to either Canada in the spring or South America in the fall. An El Nina winter created record warmth last month in most of the eastern two-thirds of the nation. As a result, the Franklin’s Gull appeared in La Crosse on March sixth – two days earlier than the state’s record arrival for that species. Other record-setting birds are the Lincoln’s sparrow, Dunlin, pine warbler, Louisiana water-thrush, blue-gray gnat-catcher, yellow rail, ruby-throated hummingbird, and black-necked stilt.

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A teenager will spend six years in prison for driving drunk and hitting three women – and killing one of them – at last year’s Sheboygan Brat Days’ festival. 19-year-old Kayla Bower was sentenced yesterday. She pleaded no contest in January to three felony charges, and six others were dropped in a plea deal. Police said Bower drove into the three women at Kiwanis Park in Sheboygan last August, and left the scene. 60-year-old Barbara Janke of Sheboygan was killed – and a daughter and a pregnant friend, both 19, were hurt. Circuit Judge Timothy Van Akkeren agreed to send Bower to prison for the amount of time agreed upon by prosecutors and the defense. But Bower will only have to spend nine years under extended supervision once she leaves prison – three years less than what the plea deal called for. But the judge ordered certain conditions. Bower will have to refrain from drinking, speak to high school students about the dangers of substance abuse, and pay restitution. If she doesn’t, the judge says she’ll go back to prison for the full length of her supervision time. Bower cried while apologizing in court yesterday. Relatives had said that Janke protected the two teenage victims by taking the blow of the crash herself. She went into a coma before her death.

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A 20-member panel will look for ways to reduce the numbers of repeat offenders who go to prison – plus reducing the need for future growth in the state’s prisons. Governor Scott Walker signed an executive order in Eau Claire yesterday which creates the Wisconsin Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. Walker said the panel would get a clear picture of criminal justice issues – to set priorities – and to improve cooperation between state agencies and local governments on crime concerns. State Corrections Secretary Gary Hamblin and Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen will chair the new panel. There will also be members from local law enforcement. And Walker said one member would be from a race-or-ethnicity that’s over-represented in the justice system. The council will meet at least four times a year, and give annual reports to the governor, Supreme Court, and other relevant agencies.

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Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan says the nation is headed for a debt crisis, telling an audience at the Milwaukee Athletic Club we are at a financial and cultural “tipping point.” The Republican from Janesville says, quoting here, “We have more takers than makers in America.” Ryan spoke earlier today to members of the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. He accused President Obama of leading the country toward greater debt, encouraging what he called crony capitalism, and villainizing his political opponents who propose solutions to the problems.

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A teenager will receive a $265,000 dollar settlement from the City of Beloit. The boy claimed Beloit police violated his rights when he says they illegally strip-searched him in the streets, while slamming his head into a car window. The settlement comes at the same time other authorities are investigating allegations of illegal strip searches and cavity searches in Milwaukee. Federal officials say they are carefully watching the progress of that investigation.

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A Racine man was killed on Easter Sunday after being in a car that rolled over several times near Frankfort, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The driver, a 17-year-old Racine girl, had a learner’s permit and was driving a car owned by a relative. Authorities in Will County said they were not immediately sure if the two were related. Their names were not released. The girl was in stable condition at last word at a hospital in New Lenox, Illinois with head-and-arm injuries. Investigators said the vehicle was going at a high rate of speed when the teen lost control around 4:15 yesterday afternoon, and the vehicle overturned several times. Authorities said no citations were issued, but the crash remained under investigation.

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Milwaukee Democrat Gwen Moore spent the most among the eight Wisconsin U.S. House members on her office expenses last year. She also has the largest number of assistants in the state’s delegation. And Republican Reid Ribble of Sherwood spent the most on publications and printing services. That’s according to the annual House Statement of Disbursements, which shows what each House member spent on nine internal spending items in 2011. It was reported earlier that Ashland Republican Sean Duffy spent the most on mass mailings to his constituents – about $225,000 dollars, most of it in the final quarter of the year. Duffy also outspent his seven other Wisconsin House colleagues on travel at $93,000 dollars, and equipment at almost $28,000. Spokesman John Gentzel said Duffy has the state’s largest House district by geographic area – and if he didn’t travel to see his constituents, he wouldn’t be doing his job. Ribble led the Wisconsin delegation with $135,000 dollars last year on publications and printing services. But he spokeswoman Ashley Olson said Ribble’s expenses for his office rent were 40-percent less than his predecessor, Democrat Steve Kagen. Moore paid over a million-dollars to 22 assistants. Her spokeswoman, Nicole Williams, said Moore appreciates her staff and puts a premium on taking care of them.

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Portage was holding a canvass yesterday to confirm its election results from last week – including a Common Council seat in which a woman won with two write-in votes. Nobody ran in the Seventh District, so Carolyn Hamre and her husband both wrote her name in. And she won, after 11 other people got one write-on vote each. Hamre said she did it mainly as a joke. And she planned to talk to people before deciding whether to accept the post – or to defer to another write-in hopeful.

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Green Bay Packers’ star Donald Driver got the top score last night on “Dancing With the Stars.” The three judges gave Driver and Peta Murgatroyd 27-of-a-possible-30 for their paso doble to the 1967 Jimi Hendrix hit “Purple Haze.” Driver ditched his shiny shirt and bared his chest for Rock Week. He showed his muscles in a more serious look that did not include his trademark smile. Judge Len Goodman said he never thought he’d get excited seeing a man with his shirt off and quote, “After the show, we’ll compare tattoos.” The third of 14 couples will be voted off tonight on ABC.

Tags: news, wisconsin