Month: June 2019

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Authorities say a Wisconsin firefighter is the second man to die after being pulled from Lake Monona during the swimming portion of the Half Ironman 70.3-mile triathlon in Madison.  Thirty-eight-year-old Todd Mahoney was found unresponsive in the water Sunday morning and taken to a hospital in critical condition. Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster says Mahoney died Tuesday.  Another Wisconsin man, 61-year-old Michael McCulloch of Cottage Grove, also […]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated most of the legislation passed by majority Republicans during a lame-duck legislative session aimed at capping the powers of their Democratic rivals.  The high court also blocked a trial that had been scheduled to start Wednesday on a lawsuit challenging one of the laws passed during the session, which came after a midterm election in which Republicans lost the […]

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a couple of vandalism incidents that appear to have been caused by some type of firework.  Sheriff Dale Schmidt says a mailbox was damaged Monday night on Spruce Road.  Schmidt says a few minutes later there was another report of an explosion and smoke at a portable toilet at the Fish Camp boat launch a short distance away.  Schmidt says in both incidents, witnesses reported seeing […]

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a Huber inmate walk away .   The Sheriff’s Office says  Tasheana Williams-Sonny was serving a 365-day Huber sentence at the Dodge County Jail for Resisting/Obstructing an Officer-Causing  Injury when she failed to return to the jail from a pre-approved appointment.   Her last known address was in Milwaukee.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Advocates for the elderly say fatal falls among Wisconsin's aged remain high because of a growing population, lifestyle hazards and better reporting.   The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says 1,393 residents age 65 and older accidentally fell to their deaths in 2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports show Wisconsin routinely ranks highest in the country for elderly fatal falls.  State health officials estimate the number […]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The leader of the Wisconsin Senate says Republicans are planning to include a roughly $400 million middle class tax cut in the state budget.  Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says  that Republicans want to "hit that tax cut number" before finishing committee work on the budget this week.  Fitzgerald says Republicans haven't agreed on a final number.  The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee planned to finish its work on […]

A Republican lawmaker from Fond du Lac says a local road funding plan is in response to concerns lawmakers have heard from constituents about the condition of local roads.   A group of Republican senators last week unveiled a plan to use $133 million in budget reserves to pay for repairs to county and town roads.  Senator Dan Feyen says Fond du Lac County and local townships would receive one time funds to help pay […]

The Fond du Lac County executive says a Republican proposal to pay for local road repair would certainly help Fond du Lac County.   But County executive Al Buechel says at this point the proposal to tap $133 million in budget reserves to pay for the work is just that…a proposal.  "I'm not all confident that's going to happen,"  Buechel told WFDL news.  "...based on it was ten senators that came up with […]

Wisconsin is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the state's ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.  A ceremony Monday in the state Capitol featured an unveiling of the state's original 19th Amendment and comments from first lady Kathy Evers, who led the state's efforts to mark the anniversary.   League of Women Voters of Wisconsin director Erin Grunze  says  Wisconsin was the first state in the […]