Afternoon News Brief - Man injured on Madison I39-90 from falling concrete

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A 50 year old man was hospitalized in serious condition at last word, after a softball sized piece of concrete fell through his windshield while driving on a Madison Interstate. Dane County sheriff’s deputies said Kevin Droz of Fall River was hit in the head by large falling rock. And deputies say they don’t believe it came from an overhead bridge. Deputies said Droz was going north on I39-90 somewhere between the Highway 12 and 151 Madison exits yesterday, when the concrete broke into his auto. Investigators were not able to talk to the driver, who was taken to UW Hospital in Madison. Deputies are looking for witnesses.

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Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Dennis Cimpl says he will not withdraw from a criminal case against one of Governor Scott Walker’s former county appointees. Cimpl signed the petitions to hold a recall election for the governor but he says it does not mean that he holds any animosity toward Walker. And the judge said signing a recall petition does not show evidence of bias. Cimpl is presiding over the case of former Walker appointee Kevin Kavanaugh, who’s charged with embezzling over $40,000 dollars, most of it from an annual county event that benefits Wisconsin veterans. Kavanaugh’s lawyer asked the judge to withdraw. But speaking from the bench today, Judge Cimpl said quote, “This case is not about Governor Walker. It’s about somebody using his position to steal stuff.” Kavanaugh was among five former Walker aides and associates charged as the result of a John Doe investigation into activities of Milwaukee County government when Walker was the county executive. Kavanaugh is due back in court May fourth to review the status of his case and a new judge might be assigned at that time, because Cimpl will moved to another court division as part of a scheduled rotation of judges in late July. Nine Milwaukee County circuit court judges signed the Walker recall petitions.

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Two Obama Cabinet members made separate stops in Madison this morning before they headed to Platteville for an education summit this afternoon. US Education Secretary Arne Duncan went to Madison East High School, where he said that college needs to be more affordable if America’s going to do a better job of competing globally. Duncan also urged students and their parents to ask their congressmen to keep the interest rate for federal student loans at 3.4%. If Congress doesn’t act by June, the rate will double automatically. Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack went to Virent Incorporated, to praise the company’s recent contract with Coca-Cola to make a key ingredient in plastic soda bottles from renewable plant sugars. Virent is one of three US firms making the natural substance paraxylene for Coca-Cola under a three year contract. This afternoon’s Platteville summit was designed to look at ways to elevate the teaching profession. Duncan and Vilsack planned to speak with educators throughout Wisconsin on UW Platteville’s Web site.

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