Friday State News Briefs: Waukesha School district looks at changing teacher salary structure

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WAUKESHA - The Waukesha Public School District could vote next month to hire a consultant to help it determine changes in its salary structure to reward better teachers.

District teachers would be paid based on the quality of their performance, rather than their seniority and education levels. If the Board of Education approves the $77,000 contract in December, the consultant could come back with ideas for the transition within six months. Making those changes was made possible by legislation passed last session at the Capitol in Madison limiting collective bargaining and opening the door for rethinking how teachers are paid. Parts of the law were struck down and are headed for an appeals court.

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A Racine man says he is a libertarian who is upset with politicians in both parties, broken promises and rising taxes. Many neighbors are calling the silent protest of Dennis Montey unpatriotic or un-American. He is flying the American flag upside down in front of his house. Montey says this is a case of freedom of speech, guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Flying the flag upside is a universal signal of distress. Montey says he has always flown a flag in front of his house in Racine, but this is the first time he has flown it upside down.

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A Mosinee family is safe after a volunteer fire fighter took action when he saw smoke in the air. A family's garage was on fire while they were inside having Thanksgiving dinner. Firefighter Lieutenant Scott Klinger got everyone to safety and called for backup. The fire's cause is under investigation.

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Milwaukee police report they are working on a series of four apparently unrelated deaths and five non-fatal shootings which happened in a nine-hour period Wednesday night into Thursday. A juvenile suspect is being held in custody for stabbing and killing a 25 year old relative Wednesday night. Then, just before midnight Wednesday, an 18 year old man in a barber shop was shot to death and a 21 year old man was wounded. A 26 year old suspect is held in connection with that case. An hour later, in the early hours of Thursday, a 34 year old man was shot to death and no suspects have been arrested. Then, soon after that, two shootings left four people injured. Police say they are also investigating the death of a three month old infant.

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The Milwaukee man charged with gunning down his 13 year old neighbor says he’s still angry about the way police investigated his claim the boy had stolen his guns. John H. Spooner agreed to speak with a reporter recently, giving his first public comments since the fatal shooting in May. He also said he was fed up with his lawyers, was hoping gun rights supporters would back him and was refusing to take medication. The 76 year old Spooner faces first-degree intentional homicide charges in the death of Darius Simmons. A December 21st hearing is scheduled for a motion which has been filed asking for a change of venue. Two psychiatrists have examined Spooner, but their reports are sealed. He told the reporter he had lived in his south-side neighborhood for nearly 40 years because he couldn’t afford to move. He didn’t express any remorse or sympathy for the victim’s family.

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A student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison reports she was robbed while she was studying in Memorial Library earlier this week. Campus police say a man approached the student at about 10 a.m. Tuesday and demanded her cell phone, along with other items. The student cooperated and was not injured during the strong-arm robbery. Police say their suspect is a black man in his early 30s, about five feet eight inches tall and 180 pounds. Video footage in the area is being reviewed to see if the robber can be identified more specifically.

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A Sheboygan man wins the Lambeau Leap Sweepstakes. Cory Uttech has earned the right to become the first non-player to perform the legendary leap during an NFL game. He was one of 10 randomly selected finalists who came to the Packers’ home earlier this week to show off their leaping ability. Uttech’s victory means he will make his leap at halftime of the game between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions December 9th. Uttech also gets four club seats to the game, four VIP sideline passes, a game ball, a Packers jersey with his name on the back and a one-night stay in Green Bay.

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A Madison College Business and Marketing instructor says retailers don’t really make much profit on their Black Friday sale items. Sometimes they lose money. Betty Hurd says the object is to get the customers to come in the door. Popular items for the Christmas buying season this year are expected to be televisions, DVDs and the large selection of digital tablets. Clothing, accessories and jewelry are expected to see a substantial increase in sales this season. Madison-based retail consultant Doug Johnson is predicting a six and a half percent increase in sales during the Wisconsin holiday shopping season.

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Milwaukee police are investigating the death of a three-month-old baby boy. An emergency call was made from the boy's home around one in the morning. The baby was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

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The Shawano Area Community Foundation has announce the approval of more than 25-thousand dollars in grants to local charities that will do everything from stocking food pantries to landscaping streets. The foundation receives donations throughout the year and then distributes funds to a variety of projects throughout the community through a competitive application process.

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A Kimberly woman is receiving a kidney thanks to an unusual plan to bring attention to her need for one. Family members of Stephanie Henderson purchased space on a billboard to find the young mother a donor. The billboard along Highway 41 got the attention of a stranger who went through testing and was determined to be a match. The two will undergo surgery next week.

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Two cows in Green County have been killed after they were struck by a milk truck. Authorities say the crash happened near the town of Clarno last evening. The 26-year-old driver and a passenger were unhurt.

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A group of protesters gathered in Milwaukee last night to protest Wal-Mart opening on Thanksgiving to begin Black Friday deals. The protestors traveled on busses to multiple locations. Many were carrying signs that read "respect the workers."

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