Thursday State News Briefs: Lawmen running torch relay to Special Olympics in Stevens Point

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STEVENS POINT - Law enforcement officers from all corners of Wisconsin are carrying torches to Stevens Point, to help kick off the state Special Olympics’ Summer Games.

Governor Scott Walker joined officers in Waukesha County this morning – and he joked that it’s nice to be running for something other than his job. Hundreds of state-and-local law enforcement officers are walking, running, cycling, and roller-blading while carrying torches to the middle of Wisconsin – and raising funds for Special Olympics along the way. They’ll all meet in Stevens Point in time for the opening of the Summer Games this weekend. It’s the 26th year of the Torch Run. Last year, it raised over a million-dollars for Wisconsin Special Olympics.

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A group that represents Wisconsin-based health insurance plans says all 12 of its members have met the federal requirement that 80-percent of their premiums be used for medical care. And people insured by those plans will not get rebates ordered for companies which didn’t follow the law. The Kaiser Family Foundation said in late April that health plans would have to fork out 17-million-dollars in rebates to 365-thousand state residents. That’s because they spent more on administrative costs than the 20-percent maximum they were allowed. But Nancy Wenzel of the Wisconsin Association of Health Plans said its members are running efficiently, and investing in improvements to give their clients more value for their health care dollar. The group says it no longer represents large national health insurers. Its current health plans and cooperatives include Arise, Dean, Group Health Cooperatives of Eau Claire and South Central Wisconsin, Gundersen, Health Tradition, Mercy, Network Health, Physicians Plus, Security, Trilogy, and Unity.

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Highway 67 was re-opened late this morning in the Waukesha County town of Ottawa, about six hours after a milk tanker overturned and its driver was killed. Sheriff’s deputies said the victim was a 21-year-old man from Addison, but his name was not immediately released. Officials said the man lost control of his truck on a curve and it overturned. It happened just after 4:15 this morning on southbound Highway 67 near County Trunk Double-“Z.” The amount of milk spilled in the crash appeared to be minor.

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A Sheboygan bicyclist killed by a car near that city was identified this morning as 48-year-old Troy Tousey. Sheriff’s deputies said Tousey was hit by a vehicle going into the same direction. It happened around seven last evening in the Sheboygan County town of Mosel. The driver was a 67-year-old Sheboygan man. State-and-local investigators are still looking into the cause of the mishap. Tousey was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.

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A suburban Milwaukee man who died in a fire in his condominium yesterday has been identified as 43-year-old Timothy Alloway. North Shore firefighters were called to a condo complex in Whitefish Bay, where Alloway’s body was found in his third-floor unit. State and local authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze, which started in Alloway’s residence. Officials said there was smoke and water damage on all three floors of the structure. Total damage was estimated at $150,000 dollars.

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Four people were arrested when police and demonstrators clashed at an Occupy Milwaukee rally last evening. They gathered at a downtown Milwaukee park, and marched up a street to Zeidler Union Square. Police Chief Ed Flynn said some protestors ignored orders to stay on the sidewalk and off the street – and one demonstrator poked an officer with a sign. Those signs read “Stop the War-on-Women” and “Public Jobs Now.” About 40 people took part in the protest. Part of a downtown street was blocked off as 30 officers responded. Some Occupy members tried to shout down the chief and yelled obscenities as he was announcing the disorderly conduct arrests to reporters. One organizer said the rally was planned before Tuesday’s recall elections, and was to be held regardless of the results.

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A seven-year-old boy killed in a freak accident in Madison was identified yesterday as Aiden Mueller. Police said his family was eating dinner at a picnic table on Tuesday evening when a car left a nearby street, hit a tree, went airborne, and landed on the dinner table. It happened behind the First Business Bank Center where Aiden’s father Jonathan Mueller works. Police said the 59-year-old female driver might have suffered a medical condition at the time of the incident. That possibility is still being investigated. The 38-year-old Mueller and his four-year-old daughter Elizabeth both had non-life-threatening injuries. Jonathan’s 36-year-old wife Amy Mueller was critically injured, and was hospitalized in stable condition at last word.

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The Powerball jackpot has gone above $200-million for the second time this year. Nobody won the top prize last night. And again, players from Wisconsin did not have much luck. Two-hundred-dollars was the most anybody won in the Badger State, and eight tickets did that by getting the Power Play option and matching four regular numbers or three-plus-the-Powerball. Just over 14-thousand-400 Wisconsin players won something. About 75-hundred won four-bucks by matching the Powerball. Last night’s numbers were 19, 30, 33, 48, and 59. The Powerball was 27. Saturday’s jackpot is the biggest since a 325-million-dollar prize was won on February 11th. The cash option for Saturday is just under $140-million. In Mega Millions, the jackpot is at $22-million for tomorrow night.

Tags: news, wisconsin