Top Stories June 14th

Collective Bargaining Limits Likely to be in Budget

Republicans will add the governor’s collective bargaining limits to the new state budget if the Supreme Court doesn’t restore them by the end of today. That’s what Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald told reporters yesterday. The clampdown on public union negotiating power has been held up in the courts, after a judge ruled that lawmakers did not pass them properly in March. Fitzgerald said Republicans are “more solid than they’ve ever been” on passing the union limits a second time if need be. And they would not apply to transit workers, so the state would not risk losing 47-million dollars in federal money to help keep public buses running. The Assembly begins its debate today on the new budget. And it’s possible that some last-minute measures could be cut out – including a requirement that private contractors do most work that costs at least 100-thousand-dollars. That measure was debated privately by Assembly Republicans yesterday, after Door County’s highway commissioner said he would stop maintenance work on state highways if the item passes.

Officials Say Budget Would Leave Surplus

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau says the current version of the state budget – as adopted by the Joint Finance Committee – would leave a 306-million-dollar surplus. It would be the first truly balanced two-year state budget in over a decade. The package would freeze state-and-local taxes, but fees would go up by around 100-million dollars. The Assembly will start debating the 66-billion-dollar budget today. Republican Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald expects the Assembly to debate it for a day-or-two. The speaker and his brother, Senate leader Scott Fitzgerald, have called an extraordinary session. Among other things, it would prevent Assembly Democrats from blocking passage of the budget for a couple days – and it would go right to the Senate after the Assembly finishes it. Scott Fitzgerald says the goal is to get the budget to Governor Scott Walker by the end of the week, so it can take effect on July first.

Appellate Court Upholds Dismissal of BD Lawsuit

6/14/11 - Former Beaver Dam Department of Public Works Supervisor Dan Wackett has lost an appeal of his federal lawsuit filed against the city that claims he was unjustly passed over for a promotion. The Seventh US Circuit Court of Appeals Monday upheld a district court decision to dismiss the case. The matter dates back to 2003, when Wackett spoke against a Board of Public Works recommendation to purchase a front-end loader that was the highest of three bids. The board ignored Wackett's recommendation to go with John Deere, and instead voted to buy a Caterpillar that cost $10,000 more. Wackett accused the board of accepting an all-expense paid, overnight trip to Chicago from Caterpillar, influencing the decision. The city council ultimately opted to go with the John Deere but Wackett contends he paid the price. He was passed over for a promotion to Public Works Director and filed the federal lawsuit in February of 2008, claiming the city retaliated against him for exercising his First Amendment rights. The appellate court cited a 2006 Supreme Court case that held (quote) “when public employees make statements pursuant to their official duties, the employees are not speaking as citizens for First Amendment purposes, and the Constitution does not insulate their communications from employer discipline.” The city also presented evidence that officials simply did not care for Wackett's management style. The appellate court determined that the city’s treatment of Wackett was unrelated to his First Amendment rights.

http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/tmp/8P0J8H00.pdf


Homeless Man Charged In Bar Break-Ins

6/14/11 - A homeless man has been charged with burglarizing a Beaver Dam tavern twice in one week. Jeremy Parmer is charged with two counts of felony burglary, along with misdemeanor Theft and Criminal Damage To Property for allegedly breaking into the Cellar on Christmas Eve and then again four days later. According to the criminal complaint, the 39-year-old removed an air conditioner the first time and broke a window the second time to gain entrance. Parmer stole surveillance equipment, tools, liquor and gaming pull tabs. He was connected to the crime after trying to cash in the pull tabs in at a different bar. An anonymous source also came forward, leading authorities to the shuttered hospital on La Crosse street, where Parmer has been residing. Authorities say most of the stolen items were found there, along with a municipal citation issued to Parmer. If convicted, the charges carry a maximum prison sentence of nearly 30 years but because Parmer was previously convicted of burglary on five separate occasions, he could have another 20 years added. He had a signature bond set at $1000 yesterday and will be back in court for a preliminary hearing next month. The former manager of the Cellar was placed on probation last month for pulling a gun on a patron he wrongfully accused of breaking into the business.

Man Sentenced in Overdose Death

A Washington County man will spend seven years in prison for providing the heroin that killed a West Bend woman. 26-year-old Michael Cacchione must also spend eight years under extended supervision when he gets out. He pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless homicide in the death of 28-year-old Courtney Broeckel 15 months ago. Prosecutors said she died in her home from acute heroin intoxication, and Cacchione supplied the drugs.

Chamber Seeks To Take Ownership of Depot

6/14/11 - Officials with the Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce plan to take ownership of the city-owned building where their offices are located by the end of the month. The Chamber has been leasing the depot for 25 years but the Chamber Board and its membership have recently begun the process of purchasing the century-old building from the city. The Chamber’s Executive Director Phil Fritsche says the city will sell the building to the Chamber for $1 but retain the option to re-purchase the property if it ever goes back on the market. The Chamber will also pay the expenses of the sale, including closing costs and land surveys. He says that will allow the Chamber to focus its budget on needed repairs, including tuck-pointing, heating and cooling system upgrades, the addition of energy-efficient windows, refinishing the floors and installing a handicap accessible restroom. The Chamber is located in the former train depot on South Spring Street. Once a stop on the rail line between Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, it was closed in the years following World War and was acquired by the city about ten years later. For years it served as the Dodge County Historical Society Museum before they moved next door to the former Williams Free Library and the Chamber set up shop in 1986. The Beaver Dam Chamber will celebrate its own 100 year anniversary in 2013.

Deadline for Nomination Papers in Recall Election

Today is the deadline for candidates to file nomination papers in the recall elections against six Republican state senators. Primaries are expected in all six races, and they’re set for July 12th. The general elections are scheduled for August ninth. Republicans vowed to put up fake Democrats to guarantee the primaries, for the purpose of giving their incumbent senators an extra month to campaign. But Democrats called that dishonest – and they vowed to have enough of their own candidates in the primaries. Three Democratic senators are also up for recall. But their elections won’t be held until a week after the Republicans.’ And that’s county clerks upset, because they’ll be paying the tab for all the political shenanigans. In Brown County, senators from both parties are facing recalls – and that means the county clerk will have to pay for up to four extra elections. Darlene Marcelle said she wished the Government Accountability Board would have scheduled the two parties’ elections at the same time, so the cost wouldn’t be so great. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel figures that the fake primaries will cost 428-thousand-dollars in the six G-O-P Senate districts alone. And that does not include at least three counties and the extra costs by municipalities. Katie McCollum of the State G-O-P defends her party’s fake primary candidates. She says they have a right to be heard – and they think it’s ridiculous for G-O-P incumbents to be recalled for doing their jobs. The Republicans are targeted for voting in favor of the bill that limits public union bargaining. Democrats are targeted for staying away from the Capitol for three weeks in a failed attempt to block a vote on the union bill.

Teachers Union Calls For Organized Protest

6/14/11 - Wisconsin’s largest teachers union has changed its mind about not having an organized protest at the State Capitol against the proposed budget. On its Web site Monday, WEAC has asked teachers to drive to Madison Tuesday to quote, “Stand up for democracy.” Last week, union president Mary Bell told a reporter that many teachers would not be able to make it to the Capitol because of school and part-time jobs. But WEAC now says it wants members to rally against quote, “a budget that guts public schools, strips workers of their rights, and erodes our state’s quality-of-life.” Among other things, the budget cuts 800-million-dollars in state aid to public schools over the next two years. The teachers’ union says its protest will begin late tomorrow morning on the Capitol Square, and a late afternoon rally is planned near the “Walkerville” protest tents on State Street. Also, the Wisconsin A-F-L C-I-O has asked its supporters to sign petitions against the limits on collective bargaining that might be placed into the budget if the courts don’t approve the law by later in the week.

Concealed Carry Vote Planned For Today

6/14/11 - While the Wisconsin Assembly debates the state budget, senators will be acting on another hot-button issue – concealed weapons. The Senate is scheduled to vote on a compromise measure endorsed last week that would require state permits and training for law-abiding residents who want to carry hidden guns. They would also have to under-go background checks. Most tax-funded facilities would ban hidden heat – and businesses would have the option to do so. Governor Scott Walker supports the measure. Wisconsin Republicans have tried for years to pass concealed carry. And they’re scrambling to do it while they have the majority in both houses and the governor’s office. The Badger State and Illinois are the only two that don’t allow some form of concealed weapons.

Green Bay Tourism Bureau Cautiously Optimistic

6/14/11 - Tourist businesses in Green Bay are getting a little nervous as the N-F-L lockout continues with training camp just a month-and-a-half away. Fred Monique of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce says a number of people take their vacations at Packer Camp – and it would be a big blow to the community if it’s not held on time. Aecom Technical Services said an estimated 34-thousand people went to the Packers’ training camp in 2009, not including the annual Family Night at Lambeau Field. The total economic impact was almost seven-and-a-half million dollars. The study said over 80-percent of training camp visitors come from outside Brown County – and their average stay is almost two days. The N-F-L owners’ lockout is heading into its fourth month – and it’s got training camp hosts throughout the league on edge, as well as fans. The Packers have scheduled this year’s Family Night for Saturday, August sixth – but only if the lockout is over and camp’s going on by then.