Friday State News Briefs: Gov. Walker says many stand behind Sikh community

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OAK CREEK - Governor Scott Walker told those mourning the Sikh Temple murder victims in Oak Creek that they’re not alone. At a memorial service at Oak Creek High School this morning, the governor recited the words of Martin Luther King, when he said he saw “love driving out hate” in the wake of last Sunday’s tragedy.

Standing by the caskets of the six murdered worshippers, Walker said quote, “As Americans, we are one – and when you attack one of us, you attack all of us.” And the governor praised the Sikh community when he said they’ve “shown us the best way to respond – with love.” U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was also scheduled to speak at the service, where long lines of mourners walked by the caskets of the six people killed by Wade Michael Page last Sunday at the Oak Creek temple.

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A suburban Milwaukee company has filed for Chapter-11 bankruptcy after it was sued for making contaminated alcohol wipes, and was later shut down by the FDA. The Triad Group of Hartland and its H&P subsidiary are both seeking protection from creditors, as they try to stay in business while negotiating some of their debts away. The firms listed combined assets of $11-million dollars, and liabilities of 37-million – most of which appear to be potential penalties in the lawsuits the companies face. Triad’s problems came to light in late 2010. That’s when the family of a two-year-old Houston boy filed suit, after Triad’s wipes were found to have bacteria that killed the toddler. In April of last year, U-S Marshals seized about six-million dollars worth of products, thus effectively shutting down the Hartland operation. At least 10 lawsuits have been filed accusing Triad and H&P of making people sick – and causing at least four deaths. Triad has denied any connection – and it said last year it was moving toward re-opening. But the firm put its plant up for sale earlier this year.

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A Green Bay area woman has died from injuries suffered in a motorcycle crash last month. Brown County authorities said 42-year-old Julie Kane of Howard died yesterday. Investigators said her bike was going north on a county road near Suamico when it veered into a ditch, and she was thrown from the cycle.

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Sun Prairie Police are trying to find out how identity thieves stole personal information from residents on two adjoining streets, and spent over 100-thousand dollars on those people’s credit cards. Police Lieutenant Brian Teasdale said the thieves opened fraudulent accounts at stores like Victoria’s Secret, Macy’s, Best Buy, and Sam’s Club. Most of those stores were in Texas, Georgia, and Arizona. Residents reported the losses to police in late July and early this month. Among other things, police are checking to see if a driver could have come through with a computer, stealing wireless network connections from unsecured systems.

The Sun Prairie identity theft case is similar to what happened last month on Madison’s east side. Police in both cities are working with each other on the cases. Teasdale says they’re also trying to work with federal agencies. Identity theft victims are urged to file reports with the Federal Trade Commission and the Internet Crime Complaint Center as well as their local police.

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The State Supreme Court is being asked to decide whether a surrogate mother should be able to share custody of a child she created for another couple. David and Marcia Rosecky of Menomonee Falls drew up a legal agreement with long-time friends Cory and Monica Schissel of Columbus, in which Monica was artificially-inseminated. Monica was supposed to give up all legal rights to the child, but she changed her mind and David Rosecky filed suit. At a trial last year, a judge let Schissel have the child every other weekend. Rosecky appealed, saying the original surrogate agreement should be enforced. Yesterday, an appeals court refused to rule on the issue. They passed it on to the Supreme Court, calling it a matter of statewide importance. Schissel argues that her surrogacy agreement was in conflict with state laws on payments for adoptions.

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The governor’s livestock sale at the Wisconsin State Fair raised about 10-thousand-dollars more than a year ago. This week’s event brought in about 221-thousand-dollars. For the sixth year in a row, Brock May of Mineral Point sold one of the top steers – in fact, he sold two of them. Kenosha Beef International and Birchwood Foods bought May’s grand champion Chianina for over 27-thousand-dollars. And May’s reserve champion cross-bred steer went to Milwaukee’s Potawatomi Bingo-Casino for 16-thousand. Eighty-percent of the sale’s proceeds go to the animal exhibitors. The rest covers grants, youth scholarships, and expenses. The State Fair is entering its second and final weekend in West Allis. It runs through Sunday.

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Authorities say both alcohol and speed were apparent factors in a one-vehicle crash in Washington County that killed a 44-year-old man from the town of Lisbon. The mishap occurred late yesterday afternoon in Richfield on Highway 175. Sheriff’s deputies said the man was driving up a hill when he lost control on a curve and hit a utility pole. Officials said the highway was slippery at the time due to rain. The victim was not wearing a seat belt. His name was not immediately released.

Wisconsin’s drought kept a lot of mosquitoes away. But other bugs have had a field day with the intense heat and recent rains. Health providers in the Green Bay area say they’ve seen more people than normal with various bug stings. Brown County horticultural agent Vijai Pandian said a number of fruit trees got hit by aphids early in the spring – and spider-mites damaged tomatoes and sap from plants. Pandian also says Japanese beetles have been spreading, because the July rains created ideal conditions for breeding. As for the stingers, pest control specialist Chris Tittle says wasps and hornets showed up earlier than normal, due to the warm spring and hot summer. Doctor Bobby Yun of Prevea Urgent Care in Green Bay says his clinics have been seeing one-or-two sting victims each day – and it’s double what he’s seen in other years. Doctors say bug stings can be lead to infections, and even death in people allergic to venom, or who’ve been stung a number of times.

The Wisconsin State Fair director has been urging folks to try out a new midway. Rick Frenette says the rides have improved, and the games actually give you a fair chance to win. Frenette admitted to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Jim Stingl that lots of games were rigged in the past with oval basketball hoops and over-inflated balls, and ring tosses in which there was no chance that a ring could go around a bottle. And the fair hired carnival veteran Chris Walden to make sure the games are honest. The State Fair is running its own midway this year, after hiring the same company to run it for about the past 30 years. Fair officials chose 35 operators to run the new midway’s 52 rides and 31 games. And to make things fair, Frenette says officials have laid out a number of ground rules for the game personnel – and the workers now have to pass background checks. The goal was to make the midway a bit classier while keeping its fun-and-risky atmosphere. The odds are still against you. Operators are required to give out 25-dollars worth of prizes for every 100-dollars they take in. Business was slow at first, but Frenette said yesterday that it’s picking up. The State Fair runs through Sunday in West Allis.

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Authorities continue to investigate an apparent drowning in far northern Wisconsin. The body of 41-year-old Thomas Soper of Lac du Flambeau was pulled from Gunlock Lake in Vilas County on Wednesday afternoon. Sheriff’s deputies were notified of the possible drowning around noon on Wednesday. The cause of Soper’s death has not been determined.

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President Obama’s Wisconsin team has reportedly worked for weeks on a strategy to discredit Paul Ryan politically, should Mitt Romney name the Janesville congressman as his vice-presidential choice. Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel columnist Dan Bice wrote this afternoon on an e-mail from Obama’s state communications director, Joe Zepecki. It reportedly said that Obama’s team has devised an almost “minute-by-minute” plan to quote, “educate the public about Paul Ryan … to re-define and re-introduce him.” Bice also said a group of prominent and elected Democrats called the “Wisconsin Truth Team” have been told not to discuss Ryan in social media until Romney makes his choice. Then if Ryan’s picked, the president’s campaign will provide quote, “targeted research, top-line messaging, recommended social feed content, and further guidance.” The note stressed that all Democrats must be quote, “on the same page in laying out the clear choice Wisconsin voters will face this November.” Ryan’s camp declined comment on the e-mail. State G-O-P spokesman Ben Sparks says he’s not surprised. Sparks said the president has no record to run on – and it’s clear the Obama camp is worried about winning Wisconsin in November.”

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