Friday, May 3, 2024
Joe Biden to make 4th trip to Wisconsin with Racine visit next week
Jessie Opoien
President Joe Biden will return to Wisconsin for the fourth time in 2024 next week, his campaign confirmed to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Biden, a Democrat, plans to visit Racine on May 8, where he will deliver official remarks and then hold a campaign event.
The trip follows Republican former President Donald Trump's second stop in Wisconsin this year.
"President Biden is showing up yet again to speak with Wisconsinites about the issues that matter most to us, including his administration’s historic investments in our communities, economic gains made under his leadership, and he and Vice President Harris’s commitment to defending fundamental freedoms," Garren Randolph, Wisconsin Democratic coordinated campaign manager, said in a statement. "Wisconsin voters will show up for President Biden and Vice President Harris this November just like we did in 2020."
More:In interview, Trump doesn't commit to accepting Wisconsin election results if he loses
With polls showing a tight presidential race in this battleground state, Trump rallied a crowd in Waukesha on Wednesday around immigration and economic issues. It was his first rally since his criminal trial began in New York last month; he's accused of falsifying business records during his 2016 campaign to conceal an affair.
As Biden continues to campaign across the country, Trump has spent much of his time in a Manhattan courtroom.
"Never forget our enemies want to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedom. I'm never going to let it happen, " Trump said in Waukesha on Wednesday. "They want to silence me because I will never let them silence you."
The Biden campaign has highlighted its commitment to Wisconsin, noting that this is the first time the Democratic presidential nominee has made Milwaukee a state campaign headquarters in at least two decades. That site is one of 46 general election offices across the state, according to the campaign, including one in Racine.
The Biden campaign also noted that the Republican National Committee declined to renew its lease in its Hispanic outreach center in Milwaukee’s south side Lincoln Village, and the location is slated to become an ice cream shop.
Trump's first Wisconsin rally of the 2024 election was in Green Bay early last month. There, he attacked Biden over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Wisconsin is one of just a handful of states that will decide the next presidential contest, and Biden and Trump are locked in a tight rematch of 2020. A Marquette University Law Poll released last month showed Trump leading Biden 51%-49% among both registered voters and likely voters.
Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.
What a choice we face in November: Sleepy Joe or Conman Trump.
Ho-Chunk Nation decriminalizes cannabis. This is what that does, and doesn't, mean.
Frank Vaisvilas
Kristin White Eagle, who serves as a member of Ho-Chunk Nation Tribal Legislature, says it’s time for Wisconsin to legalize cannabis.
“Across the country, we have seen the benefits of cannabis,” she said in a statement. “It’s time to move toward an end to this prohibition.”
White Eagle and the rest of the Ho-Chunk tribal legislature voted to decriminalize cannabis on tribal lands, according to an announcement April 30.
They reasoned that millions of dollars in potential revenue leaves Wisconsin every year as residents buy cannabis from surrounding states that have legalized it.
“The Ho-Chunk Nation recognizes that marijuana and its derivatives are natural growth plants with medicinal and industrial applications,” the tribe said in a statement. “Indigenous people have used marijuana and hemp for hundreds of years for a variety of purposes and the Ho-Chunk Nation acknowledges its functional purpose.”
Cannabis is illegal in Wisconsin and on the federal level, but the tribe said it anticipates entering the cannabis business once it becomes legal in the state.
But tribal law experts say there's still a legal question about whether tribal nations can allow cannabis sales on federal trust reservation land — land that isn't subject to local jurisdiction or taxes but still must abide by federal law.
Matthew Fletcher, a University of Michigan law professor who specializes in tribal law, doubts tribal nations can have much success in that endeavor without a change in federal law.
"The only way to do that would be on tribal trust land/Indian country land, and since federal law still bans cannabis, no, there’s no way," Fletcher said. "That doesn’t mean tribes won’t do it, but they are at the complete mercy of the whims of the federal government’s decision to prosecute or not. It’s no way to do business. Same is true even if the state makes it legal."
But Wednesday, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration signaled it intends to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug, eight months after the U.S. Department of Health recommended that it do so.
The reclassification of cannabis from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug means the federal government would acknowledge the potential medical benefits of the drug and it would be legal for medicinal purposes at the federal level.
But states could still choose to make cannabis illegal, even for medicinal use.
It’s unclear if tribes in Wisconsin would allow sales of cannabis for medicinal use if it becomes legal on the federal level but remained illegal at the state level.
“Tribes are able today to self-determine their interests in cannabis and the complex landscape requires the navigation of local, tribal, state and federal policy,” said Rob Pero, founder of the nonprofit Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association. “We see the reclassification empowering tribes to engage meaningfully throughout the supply chain, from farming to processing to retail and more, as well as to facilitate interstate nation-to-nation commerce.”
The Ho-Chunk Nation is a member of the ICIA, along with three Ojibwe tribes in Wisconsin — Lac du Flambeau, St. Croix and Sokaogon Mole Lake — and is lobbying Madison with its Indigenous partners for legalization of cannabis.
“This is a history day for Ho-Chunk,” Pero said of the tribe’s vote on cannabis. “We commend their commitment to increasing accessibility to plant medicine. … They are building and environment now, before prohibition ends, that will position them to lead the industry, create sustainable economic opportunity and improve the health and wellbeing of our people.”
Tribes in states where cannabis is legal have already entered the industry and are seeing large profits,
Robert Van Zile, chairman of the Mole Lake Ojibwe Tribe in Wisconsin, said the Hannahville Potawatomi Tribe, about 100 miles east of Mole Lake in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, earns about 90% of its $5 million annual cannabis business revenue from Wisconsin residents.
He said Wisconsin is losing tens of millions of dollars to surrounding states where cannabis is legal, including Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.
Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at fvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
DOJ plans to reclassify marijuana as Schedule III
Are they sure that reefer is not as harmful as heroin?
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Monday, April 29, 2024
King of the Zombies (1941) [Horror]
Mantan Moreland steals the show here. This is one of my favorite flicks.
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Car flipped, more than 80 arrested at annual Mifflin Street Block Party in Madison
Hope Karnopp
More than 80 people were arrested Saturday at the annual Mifflin Street Block Party in Madison, where partygoers flipped over a car and a deck failed, according to the Madison Police Department.
Around 2:30 p.m., police and the Madison Fire Department responded to a first-floor porch with boards that broke under the weight of the occupants. No one was injured, and the number of people on the porch isn't known.
Shortly after, a red car was flipped over, though no one was injured. Another car in the area was also damaged, police said. Crowds thinned after police started clearing backyards after the incident.
The fire department was also alerted to a downed power line, which Madison Gas and Electric determined was a low-voltage communications wire.
In all, more than 80 people were arrested Saturday, mostly for minor, alcohol-related offenses, police said. Six were booked into the Dane County Jail. Police plan to issue final citation numbers later this week.
A driver was not cited after hitting an officer who was working a traffic post. The officer was taken to a hospital to be evaluated for minor injuries.
EMS responded to 14 medical emergencies, with 11 resulting in transports to the hospital, mostly related to alcohol.
The Mifflin Street Block Party, which is held off the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus and is attended mostly by college students, dates back over 50 years. It began as a political protest against the Vietnam War.
Officers reported this was the largest year for the block party since the Covid-19 pandemic started. Thousands of people attended the party, which is held along two blocks. The party wrapped up around 5:40 p.m. when rain moved into the area.
In 2021, revelers stood on an SUV and smashed through the car's windows, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. And in 2022, a rotted beam caused a balcony collapse that injured three people.
Building inspectors checked on houses along the street since February, identifying 24 porches, balconies or other areas that needed repairs. Only a few of those areas still needed repairs two days before the party, police said.
How the medical syringe became a tool of control when police restrain people
Police under duress are the leat people that you want making meidcal dcisions for you.
Saturday, April 27, 2024
Friday, April 26, 2024
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Wisconsin DOJ inquiry into clergy abuse reaches 3 years. Here's what we know so far
Laura Schulte
MADISON – The investigation into clergy abuse in Wisconsin, launched by Attorney General Josh Kaul, is now three years old.
Since its launch, the inquiry has brought charges against clergy members and resulted in hundreds of reports gathered from religious organizations across the state.
Here's what we know about the ongoing look at abuse by clergy in Wisconsin.
How many clergy abuse reports have been made to the DOJ?
As of April 24, there have been 274 completed reports with the department, according to information from a department press release Thursday.
Of those reports, 66 had never been reported before and 76 had only been reported to a religious authority and not to law enforcement.
What has it accomplished so far?
Charges have been filed against three current or former clergy members or counselors, or the abuse has been reported to a religious authority and the abuser has been added to the list of credibly accused abusers.
A year ago, Theodore McCarrick, a former cardinal of the Catholic Church, was charged with one count of fourth-degree sexual assault for an incident that occurred in 1977. The former cardinal allegedly engaged in repeated sexual abuse of the victim over time, including once fondling the victim while staying as a guest at a Lake Geneva residence.
In January, the court determined McCarrick was not competent to stand trial. That decision will be reviewed in a Dec. 27 hearing.
In addition, abuse by John Cullinan, a deceased Catholic priest who served in the La Crosse diocese, was reported for the first time. The DOJ worked with the diocese to add his name to its list of clergy with substantiated allegations of abuse.
In May 2022, an arrest warrant was issued for 61-year-old Jeffrey Anthony Charles, who police say sexually assaulted a minor at a cabin in Douglas County between 2005 and 2010.
Charles served as the pastor for the nondenominational church Neighbors to Nations in Princeton, Minn., at the time of the assaults, but routinely traveled to his Wisconsin cabin with parishioners. He is accused of assaulting the victim four times five years, while the victim was between the ages of 3 and 7.
In February 2022, Remington Jon Nystrom, 33, was charged with one count of first-degree sexual contact with a child under 13 in connection with an incident that occurred in 2009. Nystrom was a counselor at a Mount Morris camp in Waushara County when, police say, he inappropriately touched a sleeping child. The camp is affiliated with the Moravian Church of America.
Last year, Nystrom was convicted of second-degree sexual abuse of a child, and sentenced to seven years of prison, followed by 10 years of extended supervision.
Two cases have also been handed over to Brown County investigators, but no charges have yet been filed there
Have the Catholic dioceses helped with the investigation?
The five dioceses in Wisconsin haven't voluntarily opened up their records for the department but have said that if there is a specific allegation for a current, living member of the clergy they'd be willing to share information with investigators.
Is the inquiry only looking at Catholic clergy?
No, the department is accepting reports and tips relating to abuses of power in all types of religious institutions. Only a few of the cases that have been made public have involved Catholic clergy.
Will the report be released soon?
There is still no formal release date for the report, according to the press release, because some reports are still being followed up on. But when it is released, it will include an overview of the inquiry, a summary of the reports made and what was done in response. It will also include institutional responses to allegations.
When was the inquiry started?
Kaul announced the faith leader review at the end of April 2021.
What have critics said?
Members of the advocacy group Nate's Mission, named for a man who took his life after being abused as a child by a priest, have raised questions about the department's inquiry. In particular, the group wants Kaul to be more aggressive with obtaining information directly from the Catholic dioceses and, in particular, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
The group has applauded the resources provided for survivors but says there needs to be more action taken.
What's going on with the Archdiocese lawsuit?
In August, Kaul sought access to court documents sealed nearly a decade ago as a part of a bankruptcy filing by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The bankruptcy filing was related to a $21 million settlement to compensate victims of sexual abuse by clergy.
The department is still waiting to hear from the courts on whether the documents will be unsealed for examination by Kaul and his team.
Kaul said in August that he filed the motion because the Archdiocese has not voluntarily provided records for the inquiry.
In response, the Archdiocese said that the request was a violation of the survivors and others in the case, because private details could become available to investigators.
What happens when someone makes a report?
When a survivor or someone with knowledge of abuse makes a report to the hotline or online, they're put into contact with a victim services worker who can steer then to resources if needed.
Then each claim is looked into be a team of people across different specialties, who decide if the claim can be forwarded to local authorities.
How can I report abuse or knowledge of abuse?
To file a report, call 877-222-2620 or use the online reporting tool at supportsurvivors.widoj.gov. Both options provide the ability to file an anonymous tip.
The department is still accepting reports and said survivors have control of what happens after their report is received.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X at @SchulteLaura
As usual, the Catholic Church is doing what it can to protect its pedophiles. Their senile, demented "leader" keeps spitting up platitudes while the priests bugger the kids. Amen.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Hemp-based cannabis production, sales thrive on both sides of Mississippi River despite patchwork of laws
Depending what side of the Mississippi River you find yourself on, your ability to purchase legal marijuana is drastically different. As of August 2023, Minnesota residents can buy, grow and use marijuana as long as they are 21 or older. Wisconsin still criminalizes the plant.
Despite different legal status, marijuana is still not widely available in Minnesota yet. The legal change is very new to the state, and licenses for dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana are still a ways down the line.
“They’re looking at starting to issue licenses early next year. Hopefully sooner, but looking at next spring,” said Harry Penner, co-founder of Ripple Leaf Farms in Winona, Minnesota. “We’re looking to get a license that would allow us to have a small grow area and also retail.”
Until then, both Minnesota and Wisconsin remain on the same page regarding what is commercially available. Smoke shops and dispensaries sell cannabis products that legally qualify as hemp, not marijuana, even if they can have similar effects.
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CBD and CBG products are seen at The Rippled Leaf in Winona in May 2023. While marijuana is now legal for recreational use in Minnesota, the drug is not widely commercially available in the state. |
Growing in Wisconsin
In the back lot of what once was the La Crosse Rubber Mills, a major growing operation develops the raw ingredient that props up the industry. Fans line the ceilings of the grow rooms, blowing moist air containing a strong sweet and earthy aroma that sticks to anything that touches the plants. Green sticky stalks line several rooms, ready to be cut, dried and bagged up as pure buds, pre-rolled joints, gummies, chocolates and more.
Yes, this is cannabis, but it is not marijuana. With careful seed selection and breeding practices, Dan Schmidtknecht and the team at Stacks Family Farms are legally growing hemp. It grows and smokes the same, but with close to none of the chemicals that would constitute it as marijuana, a Schedule I controlled substance in Wisconsin.
Cannabis is the overarching term for both hemp and marijuana plants.
Tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC, is the psychoactive component of cannabis that gives users various feelings from euphoria to anxiety. In marijuana, this chemical typically makes up 30-40% of the cannabis plant. In hemp, THC levels are 0.3% or less of the plant.
Read and see more: https://journaltimes.com/news/state-and-regional/legal-marijuana-mn-wisconsin-hemp-products/article_9818f0e8-6158-5912-9a60-c0a08a69e6cb.html
Friday, April 19, 2024
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Milwaukee ranks one of the worst cities for marijuana ahead of 4/20, study says
Alex Groth
As the day for celebrating marijuana, 4/20, approaches, a new report ranks Milwaukee as one of the worst cities in the country for weed.
Slightly under two-thirds of registered Wisconsin voters support legalizing marijuana, according to a 2022 Marquette Law School Poll. Despite that, marijuana remains illegal in Wisconsin, and Milwaukee is near the bottom of a list ranking the best cities for weed in the country, according to a report from Real Estate Witch, who worked with Leafly to rank 50 cities for weed.
Milwaukee is one of the worst cities ranked for weed
Milwaukee ranked No. 43, landing it amongst the worst ten cities in the country for weed, according to the report. Metrics included the legality of cannabis, dispensaries per 100,000 residents, number of medical cannabis-prescribing doctors per 100,000 residents, among others.
According to the report, Milwaukee has 2.86 marijuana retailers per 100,000 residents, and no cannabis prescribing doctors per 100,000 residents.
Marijuana use, both medical and recreational, is still illegal in Wisconsin. Penalties for possession vary. A first offense is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of 6 months in prison and a $1,000 fine. Additional offense are charged as felonies.
Transporting marijuana from one state back to Wisconsin is a federal crime because cannabis is still illegal under federal law. Wisconsin is entirely surrounded by neighboring states that have made marijuana legal for medical and/or recreational use.
What is 4/20?
April 20, also known as 4/20, is a day celebrated in support of marijuana and also serves as a rallying day for those advocating for the legalization of cannabis. People have celebrated 4/20 since the 1970s, according to National Day Calendar.
How many states have legalized marijuana?
More than a decade since Colorado and Washington became the first states to allow marijuana for recreational purposes, there are now 24 states that have legalized recreational use of marijuana, and another 14 states that allow the drug for medical use only. According to Pew Research, 54% of Americans live in a state where the recreational use of marijuana is legal. 74% of Americans live in a state where marijuana is legal for recreational or medical use.
Top cities for weed in the U.S.
According to the report, these are the top ten best cities for weed in the U.S.:
- Denver, CO
- Portland, OR
- Las Vegas, NV
- Buffalo, NY
- Baltimore, MD
- Phoenix, AZ
- Seattle, WA
- Sacramento, CA
- Kansas City, MO
- Providence, RI
Worst cities for weed in the U.S.
According to the report, these are the top ten worst cities for weed in the U.S.:
- Louisville, KY
- Dallas, TX
- Atlanta, GA
- Houston, TX
- Birmingham, AL
- Nashville, TN
- Charlotte, NC
- Milwaukee, WI
- Memphis, TN
- Indianapolis, IN
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Monday, April 15, 2024
Foxconn delivers 50,000 masks to Milwaukee charter school. Plans to donate 2 million masks in coming weeks
Ricardo Torres
Foxconn Technology Group plans to donate 2 million medical face masks to 40 Milwaukee area nonprofit and community groups.
The first 50,000 masks were delivered to the Milwaukee Academy of Science, a public charter school, on Wednesday. Other deliveries are scheduled for the coming weeks.
“During the height of the pandemic, Foxconn produced approximately 13 million face masks in Mount Pleasant," the company said in a press release.
More:What's happening at the Foxconn site in Wisconsin five years after the company announced its plans
"The company recognizes that even after the pandemic, organizations still need masks that limit the transmission of respiratory illnesses. As a member of the community, we are happy to make this donation and thankful for the help of Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care in identifying community organizations in need of masks."
In April 2020, Foxconn donated 100,000 masks to the State of Wisconsin Emergency Operations Center and has supported the Mount Pleasant South Shore Fire Department with annual donations.
What else has Foxconn made in Wisconsin?
Aside from masks, Foxconn has produced microinverters and data servers at its Mount Pleasant facility.
The microinverters, which are used in solar technology, were built for Enphase Energy which is based in Fremont, California.
Foxconn has also been making data servers for clients with data centers operated by large-scale cloud management companies. The servers support information storage, online video platforms, smart phone apps and other big data functions.
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