Top Stories March 27th

Debate Continues on Whether Bill is in Effect


3/27/11 - One side says the law is in effect while the other side says it’s not. The law being debated is the controversial one that takes away nearly all of the collective bargaining rights for public workers. The non-partisan Legislative Reference Bureau published the law on Friday despite a restraining order put in place by a Dane County Judge last week. While Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says every lawyer he’s spoken with says the law is in effect, Democratic leaders say it isn’t. And the director of the bureau that published it, Steve Miller, agrees saying it won’t be an actual law until Secretary of State Doug La Follette orders it to be published in the state’s official newspaper, and that hasn’t happened yet. Most believe a decision on the bill itself will come from the Supreme Court and a former justice said they could make a case for both sides.

Two Vehicle Accident Injures One

3/27/11 - One person was injured in a minor two-vehicle accident last night in the town of Beaver Dam. It happened just after 8:30 p-m on County Trunk B near North Spring Street. The passenger in one of the vehicles was taken to Beaver Dam Community Hospital. The driver of that vehicle had a warrant out for his arrest and was taken to jail. The other driver was not injured.

Birkholz Remembered in Kenosha

3/27/11 - Fond du Lac police officer Craig Birkholz was remembered as a hero who always put others first. Birkholz was memorialized in his home town of Kenosha yesterday. Hundreds of people lined the funeral route as a procession of police cars drove by with their emergency lights flashing. The casket was carried inside the church while mourners saluted. The Kenosha Tremper graduate had served tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. The 28 year old earned a degree in criminal justice from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He had ambitions of being a U.S. Marshal or an FBI agent. Birkholz died after being shot in the chest by James Cruckson early last Sunday morning. Cruckson would later commit suicide during the shootout with police and an investigation into the incident continues. Another officer, Ryan Williamson, survived being shot and is recovering at Theda Clark Medical Center.

Contributions to 401K Plans Down

3/27/11 - A Wisconsin-based company reports the percentage of employers offering health insurance to their workers was steady last year, but those making contributions to 401-K plans was down. The Management Association of Pewaukee released the figures last week. More than 23 hundred companies were surveyed last year. Researchers found 78 percent offered single-coverage health plans and more than 69 percent offered family coverage. The number of companies offering guaranteed 401-K contributions dropped from 58-point-6 percent to a little under 49 percent.

All Campuses Sign On to Wisconsin Idea Partnership Except Madison

3/27/11 - Chancellors of UW extension and all the UW campuses – with the exception of UW Madison’s Biddy Martin -- have signed on to the Wisconsin Idea Partnership, a reaction to Martin’s New Badger Partnership which spins off the Madison campus. UW Parkside chancellor Debbie Ford doesn’t think that’s a good idea. “Creating another system of governance for higher education at a time dwindling resources is going to lead to greater competition,” said Ford. “I believe strongly in a unified system of higher education, and that’s what we’ve had for over 40 years.” The proposal from the system chancellors gives each campus greater flexibility, something Martin seeks for the Madison campus. The difference is, this does not split the flagship Madison campus off from the rest of the system. And while Governor Scott Walker has included the Badger partnership in this two year state budget, UW River Falls chancellor Dean Van Gallen believes Walker may be willing to take a look at their plan. In addition to greater autonomy for each campus, the Wisconsin Idea Partnership would loosen the UW Board of Regents authority to set tuition.

Billionaire Charged with Sexual Assault

3/27/11 - A member of the Johnson family that runs SC Johnson and Son Incorporated faces a sexual assault charge. Billionaire Samuel Curtis Johnson is accused of sexually assaulting a girl for three years. She is now 15 years old. Johnson was charged with repeated sexual assault of a child last week in Racine County Circuit Court. Johnson is the former chairman of Diversey, Incorporated, a cleaning products company associated with SC Johnson.

Marquette to Offer Domestic Partner Benefits

3/27/11 - Starting next school year, Marquette University will offer domestic partner benefits to its employees. The move comes about a year after the Catholic, Jesuit university rescinded a job offer to a lesbian professor from Seattle. At the time, school officials said the decision on Jodi O'Brien had nothing to do with her sexual orientation, but the move brought on a loud debate over the issue. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports the medical, dental and vision benefits offered to married couples and their dependents will be extended to domestic partners who are registered starting in 2012. The get the benefits the same-gender couples have to share a residence and declare their partnership by registering with the clerk in the county where they reside.

Appeals Court Upholds Sick Pay Law

3/27/11 - After two years of legal battles, a court of appeals has upheld the sick pay law in place in Milwaukee. The decision came last week. The city ordinance requires big companies to offer up to nine days of sick leave each year, while smaller companies will have to offer five days. Those fighting against the ordinance say it will restrict economic development in Wisconsin's largest cities, making companies not want to locate there. The court ruling means the Milwaukee sick pay law has been reinstated.

Group Can Resume Feeding Homeless at the Capitol

3/27/11 - A volunteer group that feeds the homeless says it has been told it can resume its weekly program at the state Capitol a week from today. Capitol police barred the Savory Sunday group from the statehouse during the protests over Governor Walker's budget plan, then wouldn't allow them to shelter themselves under the portico of the Capitol last week, despite cold and rainy conditions. Savory Sunday has been serving meals to mostly homeless people at the Capitol for years. Though the group has been cleared to return, it has been told that the agreement is "week-to-week."