Robin Vos, state’s longest serving Assembly speaker, will not seek re-election

From The Journal Times.com:

MITCHELL SCHMIDT and KIMBERLY WETHAL Wisconsin State Journal

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Thursday he will not seek re-election next year, ending a more than decade-long career as one the the most influential Republicans in the state.

Vos, 57, the longest-serving Assembly speaker in state history, choked up as he addressed fellow lawmakers and staff on what is anticipated to be the Assembly’s final floor session of the year, saying his career has been “the greatest professional honor of my life.”

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.

OWEN ZILIAK, STATE JOURNAL ARCHIVES

The Rochester Republican was first elected to the Assembly in 2004 and has represented portions of Racine and Walworth counties. He has led the chamber as speaker since 2013.

His tenure in the Assembly has spanned a plethora of notable moments in Wisconsin politics, including the passage of Republican then-Gov Scott Walker’s controversial Act 10, which dramatically limited collective bargaining powers in the state, and multiple high-stakes presidential elections.

Vos said the decision on whether to run again had been weighing on him for months, but having a mild heart attack in November was part of his decision. Vos is fine, he said, but it his doctor told him he needed to reduce his stress levels.

“Let me tell you, this job is stressful,” Vos said. “It was a sign from God that convinced me I needed to choose a different path.”

Vos told the Wisconsin State Journal at the end of December he would decide in February whether to pursue another term.

Vos’ retirement means that two of Wisconsin’s most influential politicians won’t be in the Capitol come January. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, a longtime foil of Vos and his Republican agenda, announced his intent to retire in July, after this year’s budget was finalized.

Vos’ retirement means that two of Wisconsin’s most influential politicians won’t be in the Capitol come January. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, a longtime foil of Vos and his Republican agenda, announced his intent to retire in July, after this year’s budget was finalized.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said the decision to retire had been weighing on him for months, but a mild heart attack in November helped him make the decision.

JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL ARCHIVES

Evers said in a statement Vos’’ “retirement marks the end of an era in Wisconsin politics, and I’m grateful to have served as governor during Speaker Vos’ tenure.”

“Although we’ve disagreed more often than we didn’t, I respect his candor, his ability to navigate complex policies and conversations, and his unrivaled passion for politics,” Evers said.

“Being in public service is challenging and can be thankless work, most especially when you’re responsible for getting things done,” Evers added. “I understand that better than most. For your sacrifices and your service over the years, thank you, Mr. Speaker.”

Prior to joining the Assembly, Vos was a Racine County supervisor for 10 years. A graduate of UW-Whitewater, a relative powerhouse for churning out influential Wisconsin Republicans, Vos worked as a legislative assistant for Rep. Jim Ladwig, and his successor and wife, Bonnie Ladwig, as well as a district director for Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann.

Outside of state government, Vos owns both a food processing company and a real estate company that largely rents student housing in Whitewater.

Vos’ decision comes as state lawmakers head into the November elections under new, more Democratic-friendly maps signed in early 2024. Vos was a key player in the legislative redistricting fights that took place in 2010, when GOP lawmakers used their legislative majorities to redraw the state’s congressional and legislative maps to favor Republicans. There are currently two legal challenges before the state Supreme Court, which holds a 4-3 liberal majority, seeking to redraw Wisconsin’s congressional boundaries.

Under new legislative maps, liberals are feeling especially bullish on their chances to wrest control of the state Senate and Assembly away from their Republican colleagues.

Republicans say the measures they’ve been able to get across Evers’ desk, including more than $1 billion in tax cuts in the state’s two-year spending plan, should encourage voters to keep the party in control of the Legislature in 2027.

The election also hosts the first open race for Wisconsin’s executive office in 16 years. Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany is the frontrunner on the GOP side, while more than half a dozen Democratic candidates are running.

Vos has often been a thorn in the side of both Evers and his Democratic colleagues in the Legislature due to his ability to lead the Assembly Republican caucus as one of the most influential conservatives in the Capitol. But he’s also clashed with members of his own party at times, including President Donald Trump.

While Vos hired former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman in 2021 to lead a taxpayer-funded review of Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election — following pressure from Trump to substantiate his baseless claims that the election had been “stolen.”

Trump lost to Joe Biden in Wisconsin by almost 21,000 votes that year, an outcome that has been substantiated through a recount, court decisions and multiple independent reviews.

The relationship between Gableman and Vos soured over the course of the seven-month review, with Vos ultimately firing Gableman in August 2022 and later calling him “an embarrassment to this state.

Vos closed out his speech saying he hopes the Legislature as an institution will remain strong, especially against the two other branches of government, and offered a reminder that the Legislature is not meant to be “fast, convenient, or easy.”

“I’ll miss the clowns, but not the circus,” Vos said, echoing Linda Upmeyer, former Speaker from Iowa, who said something similar upon her retirement in 2020.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/government-politics/article_ed9c3052-2bc7-5e14-a242-88a0175195f4.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Wisconsin sheriffs forced to aid federal immigration authorities under GOP bill

From The Journal Times.com:

ADAM KELNHOFER

Wisconsin sheriffs would be forced to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under a bill up for an Assembly vote Tuesday.

The bill  that Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos authored would require sheriffs to ask those in jail on serious offenses for proof of U.S. citizenship and report to ICE those whose legal status they cannot verify. Sheriffs would also have to hold anyone in jail longer should ICE make such a request.

Only those charged with or arrested on suspicion of felony criminal offenses such as sexual assault, homicide and illegal possession of a firearm would be reported. Sheriffs would still have discretion to tell ICE about the immigration status of those in custody on lesser crimes.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has said he would veto the proposal.

Tony Evers promises to veto GOP bill requiring counties to aid in immigration crackdown

Under the bill (AB24), sheriffs who don’t comply would put their county at risk of losing up to 15% of their state aid through the state's shared revenue formula. They’d also have to request the federal government reimburse them for any extra costs the extended jail holds incur.

Sheriffs would have to certify with the Department of Revenue each year that they have complied with the order. If not, the department would be ordered to cut the county’s portion of state aid for the next year.

The bill comes amid a federal crackdown on illegal immigration, aimed in part at reducing the flow of illegal fentanyl into the country.

President Donald Trump has called illegal immigration a “massive invasion” at the southern border that has “spread misery, crime, poverty, disease and destruction to communities all across our land."

There is no evidence to support Trump’s claim that immigrants commit more crimes than native-born residents.

A study by UW-Madison sociology professor Michael Light and two others of crimes committed between 2012 and 2018 found US-born citizens were more than two times more likely to be arrested for violent crimes than immigrants, 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug crimes, and more than four times more likely to be arrested for property crimes.

While a handful of Wisconsin counties have written agreements with ICE to cooperate on investigations and hold undocumented immigrants longer, generally how much sheriffs cooperate with ICE is up to each sheriff. Sheriffs who haven’t entered official agreements with ICE still aren’t allowed to impede the federal law enforcement agency, but they’re not required to have their deputies take time away from local law enforcement to assist federal law enforcement.

Police in Dane County generally don’t work with ICE right now. The Wisconsin State Journal found most municipal police department policies do not require officers to inquire about a suspect’s citizenship during interactions.

As Trump pursues mass deportations, where do Madison-area police stand?

The Madison Police Department’s policy states it will only comply with lawful ICE requests if the person targeted “is engaged in or is suspected of terrorism or espionage,” “is reasonably suspected of participating in a criminal street gang,” “is arrested for any violent felony” or “is a previously deported felon, under circumstances for which there is an independent basis for officers to detain or arrest the individual.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, Voces de La Frontera Action, Wisconsin Counties Association and six other groups registered in opposition to the bill. The Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs Association, Badger State Sheriffs’ Association and one other group registered in favor.

The ACLU in its written statement opposing the legislation says the measure “undermines community safety by diminishing trust in law enforcement by immigrants and others who may be presumed to be ‘foreign.’”

The Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs Association in its statement in support of the bill expressed support for the intent of the policy to ensure ICE is notified when those unlawfully in the country commit felonies. However, the group also raised concern over the potential to lose state aid and the mandatory reporting requirements, noting many sheriffs are already operating with limited resources.

Dane County Jail ends participation in federal immigration grant program

Madison Superintendent Joe Gothard on immigration rules and if liberal Madison is a target

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/article_930a71ec-4224-5dc8-8b1c-ad0dea1b348b.html

As Wisconsin prisons crack down on drug smuggling, not even paper is safe

From The Journal Times.com:

ANNA HANSEN Wisconsin State Journal

Smuggling contraband into prisons doesn’t look like it used to, and Wisconsin officials are trying to keep up.

Department of Corrections employees have found narcotics sprayed onto crayon drawings, calendars and photographs, hidden in cracked book spines, slipped between Bible pages and into manila envelopes masquerading as legal mail. Against the department’s best efforts, the smugglers are becoming increasingly innovative.

On Saturday, a Waupun Correctional Institution employee was hospitalized and treated with Narcan after trying to intercept a drug-laden piece of paper being passed between two inmates, according to DOC spokesperson Beth Hardtke.

In September, substance exposure sent two DOC employees to hospitals, one of whom touched an item that tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl. The other fell ill after treating an inmate who was showing signs of intoxication, Hardtke said.

Between Jan. 1, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2023, 20 Wisconsin inmates died of overdoses, Hardtke said.

“This stuff is really dangerous,” she said. “Over the last several years, DOC has had to take additional, important steps to ensure the safety of our institutions, including addressing drugs entering our facilities via paper from personal letters, legal mail and books, among other materials.”

The DOC has been tracking an increase in drug-related incidents among inmates, and they’re getting harder to track due to the ubiquity of K2 and other synthetic cannabinoids, which are odorless and difficult to detect. Sometimes, it’s not even drugs: There have been instances of people smuggling wasp spray or embalming fluid into institutions on paper, Hardtke said.

Paper and envelopes can be sprayed or soaked in the substances before they’re mailed off to inmates. The highs these drugs produce can cause violent behavior as well as serious medical distress. From Jan. 1, 2019, to Sept. 18, the DOC reported 881 drug-related contraband incidents. Nearly a quarter of those incidents involved drugs on paper.

Among the DOC’s preventative steps are stricter mail room protocols. In 2021, the DOC implemented mail scanning after a successful pilot program at Fox Lake Correctional Institution. Personal mail is photocopied by an outside mail management service, which then sends the photocopies to each institution for delivery.

Official mail, such as that from attorneys, is handled differently: Rather than being photocopied by the outside mail management service, it’s photocopied in house. That saves time, as court documents and business information can come with tight deadlines. It also allows inmates a sense of security: They can see their documents being scanned in real time, eliminating suspicion that their legal mail has been tampered with.

The department also has tightened limits on books its facilities accept from organizations such as Wisconsin Books to Prisoners. The DOC has long prohibited used book donations, but an exception had been made for Wisconsin Books to Prisoners. However, the prevalence of bad actors masquerading as WBTP led to tighter restrictions and in January, when the DOC announced that it would no longer accept used books from any entity. This policy now is being implemented not only in books sent personally to inmates but in library donations as well, as each prison has its own library.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/drug-smuggling-wisconsin-prisons-books/article_ee49bffe-7e46-5bd9-8a1c-c41b95213d11.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

Robin Vos says medical marijuana bill likely coming in January

From The Journal Times.com:

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said the bill would propose something similar to Minnesota's medical marijuana program, which originally allowed for the substance to be sold in pill, oil and liquid forms for people with serious conditions such as HIV, cancer, Crohn's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain.

ANDY MANIS PHOTO

ALEXANDER SHUR

Republicans will likely introduce a medical marijuana bill in January that would allow the substance for Wisconsinites with serious conditions, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Wednesday.

Vos, R-Rochester, said the bill would propose something similar to Minnesota’s medical marijuana program, which originally allowed for the substance to be sold in pill, oil and liquid forms for people with serious conditions such as HIV, cancer, Crohn’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. The Minnesota law was recently modified to allow for smokeable forms of cannabis.

Vos said he’s been operating under the assumption that 50 Assembly Republicans — a majority of the 99-member chamber — would have to support the proposal for it to pass because Democrats typically support broader programs than what it appears Assembly Republicans are slated to introduce.

Vos offered details about the proposal under the condition that the Wisconsin State Journal not seek reactions to it until early Thursday morning. Legislative Democrats haven’t made clear publicly that they would be unanimously opposed to narrower marijuana bills.

Democratic Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer said Democrats were open to discussing the Republican bill.

"We hope that it's a serious proposal from our colleagues that addresses the past harms that have been caused by the criminalization of marijuana and that really allows access for the people who need it," she said Thursday.

Republicans this year stripped provisions to legalize marijuana from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ two-year budget.

Without providing more specifics about the bill, Vos said its authors wanted to make sure there would be no pathway “to assume that because we have medicinal (marijuana), someday we’ll have recreational.”

Vos said the bill is different from legislation Sen. Mary Felzkowski, R-Irma, has been working on. It’s unclear what the differences between the proposals will be, but Felzkowski’s last version of the bill also proposed allowing the use of medical marijuana in nonsmokeable forms for people with serious conditions.

Felzkowski’s previous version of the proposal received a public hearing in April 2022, the first hearing in Wisconsin for a marijuana measure since 2009 and the first one ever under a Republican-led Legislature.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, who previously said he opposed legalizing marijuana for medical use, has since said Senate Republicans are moving closer to supporting the policy for serious conditions.

An October 2022 Marquette Law School Poll found 64% of registered voters in Wisconsin, including 46% of Republicans, want marijuana to be fully legalized. A 2019 Marquette Law School Poll found 83% of Wisconsinites said medical marijuana should be legal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/wisconsin-medical-marijuana/article_d9bec5a7-a0f6-5790-a3a2-262d2503b775.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest

Foxconn qualifies for Wisconsin tax breaks for first time

From TMJ4:

Photo by: TMJ4

By: Associated Press

Posted at 4:07 PM, Dec 22, 2021

 

and last updated 4:07 PM, Dec 22, 2021

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Foxconn Technology Group has qualified for nearly $30 million in Wisconsin tax credits.

That marks the first time the Taiwan-based electronics giant has secured state aid since breaking ground on its Wisconsin facility in 2018.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation on Wednesday verified that Foxconn met job creation and investment benchmarks to qualify. That was based on documents provided to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Foxconn created 579 eligible jobs and made a capital investment of $266 million at the Racine County facility last year.

That qualifies the company for more tan $2 million in job credits and nearly $27 million in capital investment credits.

From: https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/foxconn-qualifies-for-wisconsin-tax-breaks-for-first-time

Kanye West's nomination papers challenged in Wisconsin SHARE THIS Facebook Twitter Email Print Save Kanye West's nomination papers challenged in Wisconsin

From The Journal Times.com:

ASSOCIATED PRESS, STATE JOURNAL

Rapper Kanye West has filed nomination papers to run for president in Wisconsin as an independent, but his nomination is being challenged on various grounds.

ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES

Rapper Kanye West’s attempt to get on Wisconsin’s presidential ballot as a third-party candidate is being challenged.

One challenge filed Friday with the Wisconsin Election Commission alleges that West’s nomination papers were delivered too late and don’t properly list his residency. The complaint states the address listed as his residence is classified as a “commercial” property.

Another challenge raises issues including illegible signatures and also the late delivery of the nomination papers, which were due by 5 p.m. Tuesday. It also includes affidavits from several individuals who said they signed West’s nomination paper not knowing what they were signing and that they do not support West’s candidacy.

One woman, Cherrel Pernell, said in a sworn statement she was approached in a Milwaukee Walmart parking lot by a woman who asked her if she was registered to vote. When she said she was, the woman told her it was OK to put down her name so they knew she had already registered. Pernell said she couldn’t see the top of the form.

“Then yesterday, August 6, I got a call telling me what I actually signed was papers to get Kanye West on the ballot,” Pernell wrote. “If I had known that, I wouldn’t have signed the papers, absolutely not. Kanye West would not get my vote and I think it’s a joke that he’s running for president.”

Read more: https://journaltimes.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/kanye-wests-nomination-papers-challenged-in-wisconsin/article_c9747000-5c2a-5759-849c-cb159e340d43.html

Kanye West is an asshole for refusing to address his mental health issues.

Brewers to open shortened season against Cubs at Wrigley Field

From The Journal Times.com:

• ANDREW WAGNER For Lee Newspapers

The Milwaukee Brewers will open the delayed and shortened 2020 season on July 24 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. 

KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI, ASSOCIATED PRESS

MILWAUKEE — So much about this baseball season is expected to be different but the Milwaukee Brewers will at least start the season exactly as they had planned before COVID-19 brought spring training to a halt back in March.

A source confirmed to the Wisconsin State Journal Monday afternoon that the Brewers will open the delayed and shortened 2020 season on July 24 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Prior to baseball's shutdown, the Brewers were originally slated to open their season with three games against the Cubs at Miller Park starting on March 26, with a three-game home series against the Cardinals to follow.

The rest of baseball's 2020 schedule will be announced on MLB Network at 5 p.m. CDT.

Teams will play 60 games this season with 40 of those contests coming against their divisional rivals and 20 more interleague contests against teams from the opposite geographical division.

For the Brewers, that means 10 games — five home, five road — against the Cardinals, Cubs, Pirates and Reds and five games against each team from the American League Central Division.

This story will be updated. 

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/brewers-to-open-shortened-season-against-cubs-at-wrigley-field/article_00e8d447-66a1-5262-8a9e-e3ef20e35bdf.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1

Wisconsin stay-at-home order protesters vow to rally without permit

From the The pandemic hits home: Keep up with the latest local news on the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak series

SCOTT BAUER Associated Press  Apr 23, 2020

A woman holds a sign as she attends a rally outside the Missouri Capitol to protests stay-at-home orders put into place due to the COVID-19 outbreak on Tuesday. A similar rally is being organized for Madison's Capitol on Friday, even though the state has denied a permit.

JEFF ROBERSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Organizers of a rally against Wisconsin's stay-at-home order say they are proceeding with the event on Friday, even though their permit to hold it on the grounds of the Capitol was denied.

The planned rally is the latest in a string of events in Wisconsin and across the country, organized and promoted by opponents of orders designed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Friday's rally has the potential to be the largest to date in Wisconsin, with more than 3,300 people as of Wednesday saying on Facebook that they are going and 12,000 interested.

Organizer Madison Elmer applied for a permit with the state Department of Administration on April 14. Elmer said Wednesday that she was notified this week that the permit was denied because the gathering would violate the order barring gatherings of any size.

The Capitol building is closed.

Elmer pledged to forge ahead with the rally, despite the possibility of being cited by law enforcement.

"I think our message is bigger than that to be worried about it," Elmer said. "I'm willing to risk citation for everybody else that's speaking to be able to be heard."

A spokeswoman for Capitol Police hasn't returned a message asking what type of enforcement there would be at the event. Madison Police Department spokesman Joel DeSpain said officers from his department would monitor it.

Gov. Tony Evers has said he respects the protesters’ free speech rights, but that he also hopes they maintain a safe distance from one another.

Organizers urged rally participants to be peaceful. But they are leaving it up to each participant to decide whether to follow social distancing guidelines that public health experts say are essential to stopping the spread of the virus.

"Everybody's responsible for their own health," Elmer said. "If they feel somebody else is making them uncomfortable they can move or stand by somebody else."

Read more: https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/wisconsin-stay-at-home-order-protesters-vow-to-rally-without-permit/article_043d928a-c907-50f3-9d77-2687766c5d27.html

"Wisconsin AG Brad Schimel Asks For Halted John Doe Probe Into Alleged Antecedent Illegal Activity by Wisconsin Republicans be Estopped Because Republican Lawmakers Have Since Changed the Law to Retroactively Render the Former Legal Activity Illegal"

From News The JT Can't Use:

5 Hours Ago by Paul Revere

"How low can Wisconsin Republicans go? The graft, corruption and lawlessness which started in earnest under the leadership of former Republican Governor Tommy Thompson was surprassed by former Democrat Governor Diamond Jim Doyle.  When the voters had enough of the graft, corruption and lawlessness of the Democrat variety, they swung back to the Republicans, who promised to clean up Wisconsin. It’s become abundantely clear that not only did the Republicans lie, but the graft, corruption and lawlessness under Republican Scott Walker has exceeded that of Diamond Jim Doyle. While the Wisconsin State Journal headline read as follows:

"Wisconsin attorney general asks US Supreme Court not to hear John Doe appeal"

"The headline should have read:
Wisconsin AG Brad Schimel Asks For Halted John Doe Probe Into Alleged Antecedent Illegal Activity by Wisconsin Republicans be Estopped  Because Republican Lawmakers Have Since Changed the Law to Retroactively Render the Former Legal Activity Illegal

"From Wisconsin State Journal:

"Attorney General Brad Schimel asked the U.S. Supreme Court Monday to reject a review of a halted criminal investigation into Gov. Scott Walker’s recall campaign, marking the first time his office has argued the merits of the case after his predecessor declined to lead the investigation more than three years ago.

"Schimel’s filing argues the court should reject the appeal because Walker and the Republican-controlled Legislature have since changed the law making the alleged activity legal and prohibiting the use of secret 'John Doe' proceedings in investigating campaign finance violations.

"In June, the lawyers representing the various respondents in the case waived their right to file a response to the request for review filed earlier this year by three Democratic district attorneys. But on July 14, the U.S. Supreme Court directed its clerk to request that responses be filed, according to a letter provided by Schimel’s office.

"Schimel filed the brief because of that request, Schimel spokeswoman Rebecca Ballweg said.

"Lisa Graves, executive director of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy, which has filed a brief supporting the prosecutors, said the court 'has ample grounds for taking the case and reversing the state court’s judgment.'

"'The Wisconsin Supreme Court based its self-serving decision on an erroneous misreading of the First Amendment, and its ruling flies in the face of several U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding corruption,' Graves said.

"Scot Ross, executive director of liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now, noted the political arm of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, one of the conservative groups linked to the investigation, spent $1.5 million in 2014 to help Schimel win election.

"Before he was Attorney General, Brad Schimel said elected officials should be able to help their campaign donors, and this latest action shows he wasn’t kidding,” Ross said.

"Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm began the John Doe II investigation based on evidence collected in a prior John Doe investigation into Walker’s Milwaukee County office that resulted in six convictions of Walker aides and associates.

---

"It’s beyond disgusting.

"It’s criminal.

"It needs to be investigated and lead to more criminal prosecutions.

"And AG Brad Schimel is just  carrying on the tradition of former AG JB Van Hollen; acting as Scott Walker’s personal defense attorney, while continuing to ignore the all too numerous crimes being commited by Wisconsin’s Elected Officials and Public Employees."

---

 Read more: https://newsthejtcantuse.wordpress.com/2016/08/18/wisconsin-ag-brad-schimel-asks-for-halted-john-doe-probe-into-alleged-antecedent-illegal-activity-by-wisconsin-republicans-be-estopped-because-republican-lawmakers-have-since-changed-the-law-to-retro/

"Open government group files complaint against Public Records Board"

From The Journal Times.com:

5 hours ago  •  MATTHEW DeFOUR Wisconsin State Journal

"MADISON — A state open government watchdog group has filed a complaint alleging an obscure board made changes to the state's records retention policies in August in violation of the state open meetings law.

"Bill Lueders, president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, wrote Monday in a verified complaint to Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne that the Public Records Board made changes to the state's records retention policy without proper notice or record in its minutes of motions and votes.

"Cullen Werwie, a spokesman for Gov. Scott Walker's Department of Administration said last week 'while we do not agree that there was any violation, to the extent the Department of Administration provides administrative support to the Public Records Board, we plan on working with (the Department of Justice's) Office of Open Government to implement best practices for both the agenda and meeting minutes moving forward.'"

Read more:  http://journaltimes.com/news/local/state-and-regional/open-government-group-files-complaint-against-public-records-board/article_bce0ec4e-6e57-5a87-b19d-ede317b01b52.html


Racine and Wisconsin used to be good places to live, but now the corruption by our "leaders" have ruined both.