Top Stories August 27th

No Charges in Supreme Court Incident

8/27/11 - In interviews with Dane County detectives, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser admitted he touched Justice Ann Walsh Bradley's neck. And, Bradley admits getting face to face with Prosser as they had a confrontation. But, she says she suffered no physical harm. The sheriff's department released 117 pages of records from the investigation yesterday which centered on the June 13th fight between the two. The interviews include many contradictory versions of the events of that day. The interviews revealed serious personal problems the three justices in the minority on the court have had with Prosser going back a decade. Sixteen months before the latest incident Bradley had met with court staff about Prosser's open displays of anger. Prosser had told interviewers that Bradley charged him and he put his hands up in reflex. He says he didn't intend to touch her, but he did. Bradley denies rushing toward Prosser.

Ma and Pa’s Not So Lucky

8/27/11 - The place where the state’s biggest lottery winners buy their tickets had a run of bad luck Thursday. A driver crashed through a set of doors at Ma-and-Pa’s convenience store on Main Street in Fond du Lac. Owner Mike Forsyth said a woman’s accelerator got stuck – but nobody got hurt, and the only major damage was to the doors themselves. He said somebody walked through the doors just moments before – and another customer was using a nearby copy machine when the car hit them both. Believe it or not, Forsyth said it was the third time that Ma-and-Pa’s was hit by a vehicle. So it’s no surprise that they simply boarded up the damage and went back to work. Some of Wisconsin’s biggest lottery jackpots have been claimed by those buying tickets on Fond du Lac’s Miracle Mile over the years. And Ma-and-Pa’s is the capital of that community, selling millions in winners. Players who buy scratch-off tickets there can get detailed explanations of the available games before they buy.

BDLIA to Hold Annual Meeting

8/27/11 - The Beaver Dam Lake Improvement Association will hold their Annual Meeting today at the Conservation Club Clubhouse in Beaver Dam. A free continental breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. and the meeting will start at 9:00. Updates on association activities in the past year will be given by committee chairs. There will be an election of BDLIA Board Directors for two year terms. Possible bylaw changes and any other business that may be conducted at this meeting will be addressed. The meeting will conclude with a talk by Laura Stremick-Thompson, a DNR Fish Biologist. She will review the results of the extensive fish survey she conducted last year on Beaver Dam Lake. The meeting is open to the general public. Only members of the BDLIA will be allowed to vote at the meeting. Renewal memberships and new memberships may be purchased at the meeting. Annual membership fees are $20 for a single membership and $30 for a family membership. Doors will open at 7:15 a.m. The meeting will conclude by 11:00 a.m. or before.

Man Claims He Did “Too Good a Job” in Defending Himself

8/27/11 - A 58 year old Milwaukee man tells his neighbor and a police investigator that he defended himself. Wallace Doman reported told the police officer he did "too good a job" of defending himself. Doman has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide by use of a dangerous weapon. He's accused of stabbing Rickie Blaeske 10 times after an argument over flowers. Blaeske bled to death. Doman could get up to 65 years in prison if he is convicted.

Environmental Group Seeks Help from EPA

8/27/11 - The environmental group Milwaukee Riverkeeper is calling on the EPA to make the We Energies Valley Power Plant modify its system to protect fish. The water it works now, the group says river water is used to cool the plant's equipment -- and the system that sucks the water into the plant kills fish and their eggs. A spokesman for the utility says it is looking at ways to protect the fish in the process, but says it isn't necessary for the Environmental Protection Agency to mandate any changes. We Energies wants to be able to choose the best technology to protect fish, rather than be handcuffed by government regulation. The EPA is expected to release a list of new rules about power-plant cooling systems by some time next summer.

Mayor Agrees that Mifflin Street Block Party Has to End

8/27/11 - Madison city officials agree with a police report that says the Mifflin Street block party has to end. The problem is, ending the annual event is easier said than done. It's been going on near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus for more than four decades. Happening near the end of the school year, it has been the scene of violence on too many occasions. Madison police say the alcohol-fueld event also costs the department thousands of dollars. This year's party saw two stabbings, three sexual assaults and 162 people arrested. Mayor Paul Soglin admits it might take years to fully end the annual parties.

West Allis Police Prep for Planned Neo-Nazi Rally

8/27/11 - Fearing violent confrontations, West Allis police are urging local businesses to consider locking their doors next weekend. A neo-Nazi group is planning a rally in reaction to black-on-white violence like that seen at the Wisconsin State Fair. The National Socialist Movement says it wants to have a peacefully rally. However, the group's website talks of a, quoting here, "mobilization of battle-hardened White Men." The website has an almost taunting tone when it says it welcomes any flash mob. Black youths attacked fair-goers on the opening night of this year's state fair, leaving dozens injured. At least one of the suspects admitted he targeted white victims.

Former Beloit Worker’s Vacation Ended Early

8/27/11 - Vacation was cut short for a former supervisor with the city of Beloit. The FBI reports Timothy Kosier was at a vacation rental home in Hawaii when he was arrested. Kosier was to have a detention hearing yesterday in Honolulu. He is accused of stealing at least five thousand dollars worth of Beloit city property. Kosier was a maintenance supervisor in the city's water resources department. City officials are quoted as saying the items stolen and the unauthorized use of city credit lines could be worth 150 thousand dollars or more. Kosier was arrested on the island of Maui, then taken to a facility in Honolulu.

State Representative Calls Immigration Reform Proposal a Political Tool

8/27/11 - State Representative JoCasta Zamarripa says it's just a case of using immigration reform as a political tool. The Milwaukee Democrat says a proposal mandating anyone applying for public assistanc programs in Wisconsin prove they are a legal citizen isn't needed. Zamarripa says the current laws would keep undocumented immigrants from accessing public assistance programs. She says there is no evidence suggesting the guidelines aren't working. Zamarripa says the new would make it harder for those who can enroll in those programs to apply and, at the same time, would make it more difficult for social workers to do their jobs. A public hearing is coming up before a committee which has Zamarripa as a member.

Questions Arise After Another Walker Appointee Leaves

8/27/11 - A state official who worked for Governor Scott Walker when he was the Milwaukee County executive took a sudden personal leave this week. Officials would not say why Deputy Administration Secretary Cindy Archer left – or whether it’s tied to a John Doe investigation involving Walker’s former county assistants. Neither Archer nor administration officials have commented on the move. Earlier this summer, Walker discussed the John Doe probe with the Journal Sentinel. It involves county staffers who allegedly helped Walker’s campaign for governor while at work last year. The governor said Archer was involved in scheduling a number of appearances for the candidate. The 52-year-old Archer had worked with Walker for four years in Milwaukee County before taking her state job in January. Former Walker aide Tom Nardelli also resigned a state job in late July as the head of Environmental-and-Regulatory Services. Nardelli said he had second thoughts about taking the post, because he was planning to leave in September anyway.

Woman Reels in a Big One

8/27/11 - A Wisconsin woman was fishing in Minnesota during the July Fourth weekend when she reeled in somebody’s prosthetic leg. Beth Krohn was at her vacation home on Lake Ida near Alexandria Minnesota. She told K-S-A-X T-V that she was on the lake for about an hour when she reeled in something large – and she knew it wasn’t a fish. Once she saw the prosthetic leg, Krohn said she gasped and hoped it was not a dead body. She later realized it was an artificial leg – so she called some specialists, and found that Pam Riley of Morris Minnesota had owned it. Riley also has a vacation home on Lake Ida – and it turned out that she lost the prosthetic leg three years ago while swimming. Riley never thought it would be recovered. But she met up with Krohn the day it happened, and they exchanged stories and body parts. Krohn said her catch is one for the ages. She said it’s like going deer hunting and getting the biggest buck of all.