"Shut-in Shout Out"

From the Shepherd Express:

by Art Kumbalek

January 16, 2018

4:18 PM

I’m Art Kumbalek and man oh manischewitz what a world, ain’a? So listen, I was sitting around the other day with nothing better to do than to think I ought to decide pretty damn soon to decide about which side of the gubernatorial candidacy pot I ought to pee in—in it, or on it.

 And whenever I got an important decision to pull off, I first seek consul with my personal brain trust, already ensconced within the friendly confines of The Uptowner tavern/charm school, majestically crammed at the corner of wistfully historic Humboldt Boulevard and the fabled Center Street. Come along if you’d like, but you buy the first round. Let’s get going.

Herbie: All I’m saying is that Trump really ought to know from “shithole” but good. Just look at some of those goddamn states that went big-time for him in the election, for crying out loud.

Ray: Yeah, President Dumbass doesn’t want any more people coming here from “shithole countries,” he says. He only wants people from Norway named Dag.

Herbie: Except the people from Norway don’t want to come here. To them, the U.S. is a shithole country as long as the asshole orange circus peanut is president, ain’a?

Ernie: What the fock, where’d the bartender go?

Emil: Hey, that’s my bar change, numbnuts.

Julius: The hell, “your” bar change. You talk like a sausage. Ray’s got you two rounds now and you haven’t bought even one yet to have money on the bar that’s yours. That’s my bar change.

Little Jimmy Iodine: Hey, Artie! Over here. Put a load on your keister.

Art: Hey gents, what do you hear, what do you know.

Ray: I know I saw O.J. on TV the other week ’cause he was in Vegas to watch a football game with some Buffalo Bills fans.

Little Jimmy: I heard Trump wants to make it official for O.J. to go out and search for the three million people who voted for Hillary illegally. And I’ll bet you a buck two-eighty some of those three million could be the murderers, to boot.

Julius: And I know we haven’t seen much of you’s lately, Artie. What, are you some kind of shut-in these days?

Art: No, I get out once in a while. Heck, I was just over by the Potawatomi with a couple good old buddies, and I was wondering how come they don’t have some slot machines at the Milwaukee Public Museum in the Native American area. Seems like a perfect fit.

Julius: And potentially a lot more lucrative than pushing the secret snake button they got there, what the fock.

Art: Listen guys, I need to tap your smarts on an important decision I got to be mulling over on soon.

Ray: What the hell is “mulling”?

Herbie: Isn’t “mulling” one of those kind of words you only ever find in a newspaper headline? I think it means same thing as “bullshit.”

Ernie: Artie, you want to tap something important? How ’bout you get behind the goddamn bar and tap me a focking Leinie.

Emil: All right Mr. Smarty-focking-Pants, if this really is your bar change, tell me who’s on this five-dollar bill I’m holding.

Herbie: Artie, if what you’re “mulling” is about paying back that ten bucks you owe me, I say yea before I mull to kick your butt ’round the block and back but good.

Art: Hey! One for Herbie over here. Yeah, put it on Ray’s tab.

Little Jimmy: So what you trying to decide, Artie?

Art: To run for governor or not.

Herbie: Oh christ, not this again. How many times you run now, six, seven?

Ray: Yeah, about the same number as votes he’s gotten all put together, ain’a?

Little Jimmy: So why not run, Artie? Seems everybody else is.

Ernie: Hold on, Artie. I thought you’s were going to run for the county sheriff.

Ray: Did you say “for” or “from”?

Art: I’ve bailed on the county sheriff gig. I figured a while ago that I’d probably need a driver’s license to be sheriff, and I don’t have the dough to get one. Cripes, how would that look, the county sheriff trying to pull over a speeder from the back seat of a focking freeway flyer?

Little Jimmy: I don’t think you should be governor or anything like that, Artie. It’s too dangerous. Don’t forget they let that nutbag John Hinckley, who shot at Reagan, out of prison the other year. We haven’t had an assassination for a while, but it would be just your luck that you’d be the guy some crackpot would hanker to take a pot shot at, I kid you not.

(It’s getting late and I know you got to go, but thanks for letting us bend your ear, ’cause I’m Art Kumbalek and I told you so.)

From: https://shepherdexpress.com/around-milwaukee/art-kumbalek/shut-in-shout-out/

Four for Fridays!

Good morning everyone I hope all of you are doing well today. The weather is a real roller coaster lately and I am just hoping no one is coming down sick. Here are your questions.

1) Do you know about how many different birds you can identify when you see them?

2) Have you ever went out driving or walking around looking for birds?

3) Do you have any bird feeders hanging outside to watch the birds?

4) What is your favorite bird to look for?

I hope everyone is going to enjoy the nice weather we are going to have this weekend.

Open Blog - Friday

And then you hug me.

Here: Waste 15 Minutes Of Your Life

"Man fatally shot by Racine Police officers, DOJ says"

RACINE — The suspect shot multiple times during an officer-involved shooting Wednesday has died, according to a Department of Justice news release.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation responded to a critical incident in Racine Wednesday at the request of City of Racine Police Chief Art Howell.

Two Racine police officers conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of 14th Street and Villa Street Wednesday around 4 p.m. The driver of the vehicle fled on foot and was pursued by the officers. The officers witnessed the vehicle’s driver showing a firearm and responded with gun fire, striking the driver.

“The operator of that vehicle fled the vehicle,” said Racine Police Malacara said. “He ended up in the 1400 block of Park Avenue and our officers followed in pursuit. They chased him into the yard of one of the homes. He presented with a gun and aimed it at the officers. The officers fired upon him and he was struck multiple times.”

The driver of the vehicle died while being transported to a local hospital by paramedics, the Department of Justice release said. The suspect’s identity is not being released at this time.

The involved officers are not injured and have been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of this investigation, per department policy, the release said. The offier's identities are not being released at this time.

The officers were 15- and 16-year veterans of the force, according to Malacara. He said that for the most part, the officers were doing alright as of Wednesday evening.

“Obviously any incident like this is a traumatic incident,” Malacara said.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice-led investigation of this incident has been a collaboration between DCI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pleasant Prairie Police Department and Mount Pleasant Police Department. The Racine Police Department has been fully cooperating with DCI during this investigation.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is continuing to collect evidence and determine the facts of this incident and will turn over investigative reports to the Racine County District Attorney when the investigation concludes.

The Journal Times will update the story as more information becomes available. 

http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-fatally-shot-by-racine-police-officers-doj-says/article_b46f7022-0cae-5011-a8c0-2879e923dada.html

"THE EMPEROR'S HAVE NO CLOTHES"

CASE # 17CF1505

GAMERS GOT A NEW GAME IN THE RACINE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT SYSTEM 

THE BLAME GAME

 But lets first introduce two more gamers hidden amongst the court  records in the Isaiah Degroot Court fiasco.

 Racine County Sheriff Chris Schmaling and 

Deputy Sheriff  John Hanrahan

Neatly tucked away in records was a court document that the sheriff's office denied access/release of Mr. Degroot for an evaluation and risk assessments to be performed.

This document is dated 11-1-2017 implicating the sheriff's department as the denier of the assessment. 

This lack of assessment was in fact another greasing of the court's revolving door policy of getting the criminals out the door ASAP.

You may ask why does it matter?

Because had a mental evaluation and risk assessment been performed on Isaiah Degroot before he was released, there may have been a very different outcome for 

Jeffery and Cheryl Coopman.

BUT why didn't any of the Judge's involved in this case question the sheriff's denial of access to this mental evaluation and risk assessment???
You will have to ask the Judges and the 
prosecutors office to get an answer

We know who has suffered the most for the failures of this derelict and corrupt court system.........

Jeffery and Cheryl Coopman

But who in the court system ultimately bears the
 responsibility for this injustice?

Will the guilty parties please step forward
Alice Rudebusch
Amy Vandehoef
Chris Schmaling
Faye Flancher
Gregory Reed
Jason A. Rossell
John Hanrahan
Louis C. Moore
 Mark Nielsen

How is that for a beginning list?
Let the finger pointing begin

Reminder
Court protest begins on 

 Friday, January 19th., 8:30 AM.

outside of the 

Racine County Justice Center,  

730 Wisconsin Ave, Racine Wi.

Bring friends, signs, bullhorns and effigies.

Posted by racinecountycorruption at 3:53 AM No comments:

Racine County Corruption

http://racinecountycorruption.blogspot.com/

My buddy over at RCC has been been posting about local crime and I was unaware of it.  

http://racinecountycorruption.blogspot.com/2018/01/cha-ching-3000-dollar-bail-opens.html

This piece of shit should never have been released in the first place.  He was the driver and the shooter.  He has no drivers license.  Yet our court system gave him only $3,000 bond.  That amount was met readily, freeing Isaiah to drive another stolen vehicle, attempt to get away from a Sheriff, crashing the vehicle in the Kohl's parking lot, putting two people who were just minding their own business in the ICU unit of Froedert Memorial Hospital.  The woman lost a leg and an arm.  If not for the first-aid work done on her and him by the Deputy and onlookers, she would have died.

Notice the cocked back head in his jail photo.  He's proud of what he's done.  May his ass be sentenced to prison and daily rapes for the next 100 years. 

"VW Bike!"

"Yeah!"

"Moped driver escapes from police officer during Miami's Wheels Up, Guns Down"

"10 Products That Are Designed To Fail"

Open Blog - Thursday

Originally, 'thumbs up" meant kill the guy and "thumbs down" meant spare him.  See, at the JTI you learn something new every day.

"Facebook is a ‘living, breathing crime scene,’ says one former tech insider"

SAN FRANCISCO — With more than 2 billion users, Facebook's reach now rivals that of Christianity and exceeds that of Islam. However, the network's laser focus on profits and user growth has come at the expense of its users, according to one former Facebook manager who is now speaking out against the social platform.

"One of the things that I saw consistently as part of my job was the company just continuously prioritized user growth and making money over protecting users," the ex-manager, Sandy Parakilas, who worked at Facebook for 16 months, starting in 2011, told NBC News. During his tenure at Facebook, Parakilas led third-party advertising, privacy and policy compliance on Facebook's app platform.

As Facebook transitioned from a Harvard dorm-room project into one of the world's most valuable companies, its power grew in ways that founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg never could have anticipated.

Over the past 14 months, Zuckerberg has gone from saying it was "crazy" to think Facebook could influence an election to vowing that 2018 is the year he will "fix" Facebook.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/facebook-living-breathing-crime-scene-says-one-former-manager-n837991

"Majority Of National Park Service Board Resigns, Citing Administration Indifference"

January 17, 20185:42 AM ET

Scott Neuman

Twitter 

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke speaks on the Trump administration's energy policy at the Heritage Foundation in Washington in September 2017. Nine of 12 members of the National Park Service advisory board resigned Monday citing Zinke's unwillingness to meet with the panel.

Andrew Harnik/AP

  

Three-quarters of the seats on the U.S. National Park Service advisory board are vacant following a mass resignation Monday night, citing Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's unwillingness to meet with them.

Nine of the panel's 12 members, led by former Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles, handed in their resignations. The bipartisan panel was appointed by President Barack Obama and the terms of all members who quit were set to expire in May.

Knowles, in a letter of resignation to Zinke from himself and the eight other members, said the board had "worked closely and productively through 2016 with dedicated National Park Service employees, an inspiring Director and a fully supportive Department."

Since then, as explained in the letter, the board had repeatedly tried and failed to secure a meeting with the new interior secretary.

"[Our] requests to engage have been ignored and the matters on which we wanted to brief the new Department team are clearly not part of the agenda," the letter reads.

Alaska Public Radio quoted Knowles as saying that the Department of the Interior "showed no interest in learning about or continuing to use the forward-thinking agenda of science, the effect of climate change, protections of the ecosystems, education."

"And it has rescinded NPS regulations of resource stewardship concerning those very things: biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change," he added.

According to The Washington Post:

"The three board members who did not resign include Harvard University public finance professor Linda Bilmes, University of Maryland marine science professor Rita Colwell and Carolyn Hessler Radelet, the chief executive of Project Concern International. Terms for the first two end in May, while Radelet's term does not expire until 2021.

          In an email, Bilmes said she did not resign her post because she is conducting research with
          other colleagues funded by the National Park Foundation, and wanted to complete her
          project."

Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat who is the ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued a statement of support for the resigning board members.

"The President still hasn't nominated a director for the National Park Service and Secretary Zinke has proposed tripling entrance fees at our most popular national parks," she said. "His disregard of the advisory board is just another example of why he has earned an 'F' in stewardship."

Since taking office, President Trump has sought to roll back protections of national parks and public lands under the auspices of the Department of the Interior. The administration has ordered a dramatic downsizing of two massive national monuments in Utah and has announced plans to open up oil drilling in protected areas of the Arctic and the Atlantic.

From:  https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/17/578525840/majority-of-national-park-service-board-resigns-citing-administration-indifferen

"U.K. Appoints a Minister for Loneliness"

By CEYLAN YEGINSUJAN. 17, 2018

Tracey Crouch, left, Britain’s under secretary for sport and civil society, is to coordinate the government’s response to loneliness. Credit Stephen Pond/Getty Images for Sport England

LONDON — Since Britain voted to leave the European Union more than a year ago, Europeans have mockingly said that the decision will result in an isolated, lonely island nation.

But Britain, in fact, already has a serious problem with loneliness, research has found. More than nine million people in the country often or always feel lonely, according to a 2017 report published by the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness.

The issue prompted Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday to appoint a minister for loneliness.

“For far too many people, loneliness is the sad reality of modern life,” Ms. May said in a statement.

“I want to confront this challenge for our society and for all of us to take action to address the loneliness endured by the elderly, by carers, by those who have lost loved ones — people who have no one to talk to or share their thoughts and experiences with.”

Mark Robinson, the chief officer of Age UK, Britain’s largest charity working with older people, warned that the problem could kill.

“It’s proven to be worse for health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day, but it can be overcome and needn’t be a factor in older people’s lives,” he said.

A former United States surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review last year arguing that loneliness needed addressing in the workplace.

It could be associated, he wrote, “with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression and anxiety.”

The British report was commissioned by the Red Cross in partnership with the Co-op, a cooperative supermarket chain, and published by the Cox commission in December.

The group operates in memory of Ms. Cox, 41, a Labour Party lawmaker who was shot dead by a right-wing extremist in 2016, and who had been a prominent voice in Parliament on the issue, setting up a cross-party commission that aimed to start a national conversation and establish the scale and impact of loneliness in Britain.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/17/world/europe/uk-britain-loneliness.html

"WILL Press Release | WILL and Voters With Facts Challenge Eau Claire TIF District #12"

City claims completed building would not be built without a new TIF district

January 16, 2018 – Eau Claire, WI – On behalf of Voters With Facts, an Eau Claire volunteer organization, and multiple individuals whose taxes will be affected, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed a notice of claim with the City of Eau Claire on Friday, challenging the legality of newly-created Tax Incremental District (TID) #12.  The challenge comes as the Wisconsin Supreme Court is set to review the legality of Eau Claire TIDs #8 and #10.

Tax incremental financing is an extraordinary mechanism that cities may use only in precisely limited situations.  Cities are allowed to create TIDs, borrow money to pay for improvements within the TID to encourage new development, and then dedicate the taxes paid on that new development to repaying the loans.  Among many other requirements, a TID can only be created if the new development within the TID wouldn’t occur unless a TID is created.  In other words, if new projects would happen in the area anyway, then creating a TID is not only unnecessary, it is not allowed. 

Those new projects should be placed on the ordinary tax rolls like any other property.

Eau Claire is claiming that without TID #12, the Aspenson Mogensen Hall, at 222 Water Street, would not be built.  But the Hall is already built.  The building was completed in 2017 and UW-Eau Claire students had already moved into the upper-floor apartments before city government approved TID #12.

“It is unlawful to approve a TID project plan that relies on ‘incremental’ tax revenue from property that was fully developed before the TID was enacted,” explained Rick Esenberg, President and General Counsel of WILL.  “Capturing existing developments in a TID removes the property from the allocable tax base, and burdens other taxpayers with taxes that would otherwise be allocated to the new property.”

A copy of the notice of claim can be found here.  More information about VWF’s and WILL’s challenge to TIDs #8 and #10 can be found here.

http://www.will-law.org/voters-facts-challenge-eau-claire-tif-district-12/

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and Irregulars!  How are you?  I'm OK, I guess, but I keep being plagued by memory lapses.  I awoke at 3-something this morning to take a pee.  Somehow I arrived at the conclusion that today is Tuesday and I slept in.  This follows an incident yesterday where I left my wallet at a gas station and didn't realize it until I arrived at the Piggly Wiggly.  There's no pure panic like the thought that someone has your everything and you don't know who.  I went back to the station and someone had found my wallet on the counter and turned it in.  Nothing was missing.  This is the same gas station where I pulled my car up to a pump, went in and paid for $10 worth of gas, and then drove off without pumping the gas.  I returned later and they were kind enough to let me pump the gas then.

I hate getting older.  So many connections within my body now pop and crack, and some ache like hell.  I'm always preoccupied.  I'll write out the grocery list but then fail to bring it with me.  Yesterday, at the gas station, I put my car in reverse without looking backward and hit the gas.  I went maybe 10 feet when I snapped to and hit the brakes.  I was within a few feet of the plow and another customer.  Sometimes I think I should be encased in a large foam ball with just my head, hands, and feet peeking out.

Another thing that is freaking me out is this Foxconn fever.  In today's online Journal Times: "Memo: Foxconn cost to public nearing $4.5 billion"(http://journaltimes.com/business/local/memo-foxconn-cost-to-public-nearing-billion/article_26ee82a2-f12b-5c3e-a600-036ee900d01a.html#tracking-source=home-top-story)  We were supposed to be at $3 billion at this point.  A definite sign of things to come.  This damned project will kill Racine County and no liquid crystal displays will ever be built here.  They will be obsolete by the time the factory would be near production.  I say we should let Milwaukee annex the land (after they've given us $4.5 billion).  They're much better suited to fouling up a project of this magnitude.

It's 4 degrees (Fahrenheit) outside   Lord, I'm no longer able to deal with the complexities of winter life up here.  Please place me down south or 6-feet underground.

From the current Journal Times:

"Fire and Ice Festival coming to Monument Square"

"Downtown’s Monument Square is the place to be on Saturday, Jan. 20, when a new event called the Fire and Ice Festival will take place from noon to 5 p.m.

"Presented by the Downtown Racine Corp., the free family festival will offer opportunities to celebrate the season — including ice skating and ice sculptures — as well as plenty of places to warm up and stay cozy.

"Ice carvers from around the state will be on the north end of the square, transforming large blocks of ice into works of art — while the south half of the square will feature Downtown’s new ice skating rink, where all are invited to lace up a pair of skates and take a whirl around the rink for free. Free skate rentals will also be available during the festival (an ID must be provided while skates are in use).

"In between, attendees can shake off the winter chill with a bonfire located on Monument Square. The festival will also offer a vendor area featuring food trucks and handmade crafts, and businesses around the square will be open and offering more food and drink options, according to Kelly Kruse, RC executive director.

“The Downtown Racine Corporation, with the help of Racine Parks and Rec Department, are excited to bring this brand new event to Downtown,' Kruse said. 'It’s a great way to celebrate our community and get some fresh air, especially during the cold winter months.'"

Read more:  http://journaltimes.com/lifestyles/leisure/fire-and-ice-festival-coming-to-monument-square/article_677587ae-a0ae-5fa9-8057-c68a11e303dd.html

I wish them luck.  It seems that Monument Square can get a little crowded, especially on weekends.  I hope especially that the ice skating rink works out.  Every kid deserves a chance to go out there and fall on his or her ass repeatedly.  What fun!  I finally learned how to stay vertical on skates.  That's enough for me.

And that's enough of me blabbering. I love you all.  C'mon down and watch the wonders this weekend.  Or stop by and skate anytime the rink is open.

madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

Stay warm, dears.  When it's in the single digits, I won't leave the house.  Senor Zanza has set up some sort of primitive heater in the garage, so the car is not so cold.  We'll probably be the next house with a garage fire.  Bring your brats and weenies! Love, love, love.
 __________________________ 
Please donate: paypal.me/jgmazelis 
If you don't like PayPal, send me a note at madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com and I'll send you my street address so you can send a check or money order.  Thank you

Open Blog - Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!

"Racine commission to discuss idea of parking meter removal"

RACINE — A Racine commission is scheduled to take up an alderman’s suggestion this week that the city remove its parking meters.

Alderman Steve Smetana, who represents the city’s 5th District, asked in November for a discussion on the topic. The City Council referred the suggestion to the Transit and Parking Commission, which is scheduled to talk over the idea at its Wednesday meeting.

Smetana told The Journal Times in November that he thinks doing away with the parking meters would make the city a more welcoming place. Free parking, he said at the time, would make the community more inviting to shoppers and diners.

“It’s just a small step to start welcoming people,” Smetana said.

The parking meters have frustrated some business owners who see the pay-to-park requirement as a deterrence for potential patrons.

Kelly Kruse, executive director of the Downtown Racine Corp., said in November that free parking could eliminate the availability of spots. She said that in the past, with places where people could park for free, vehicles sometimes parked for days at a time and there was limited turnover for stores and restaurants.

Racine offers free parking at limited times throughout the year. For the past two Decembers, for example, the city allowed people to park without plugging the meters on Saturdays. The move aimed to drive local holiday shopping, city officials said.

From: http://journaltimes.com/news/local/racine-commission-to-discuss-idea-of-parking-meter-removal/article_f4bce7ac-aa44-52a7-9e85-09f4b691bb69.html

"Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan dies suddenly aged 46"

The Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan has died suddenly at the age of 46, her publicist has confirmed.

The Irish musician, originally from Limerick, led the band to international success in the 90s with singles including Linger and Zombie.

A statement from her publicist said: "The lead singer with the Irish band The Cranberries was in London for a short recording session.

"No further details are available at this time."

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said the police were called to a hotel in Park Lane at 09:05 GMT on Monday, where "a woman in her mid-40s" was pronounced dead at the scene.

The police have confirmed that the death is not being treated as suspicious and said a report was being compiled for the coroner.

Her current band mates in The Cranberries - Noel Hogan, Fergal Lawler, and Mike Hogan - paid tribute to the lead singer on social media.

The message said: "She was an extraordinary talent and we feel very privileged to have been part of her life from 1989."

 Her publicist added: "Family members are devastated to hear the news and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."

The parish priest from her home town Friarstown, in Limerick, said her funeral would take place in Ireland.

"Her family are still waiting for more details to come from London about her death," said Ballybricken and Bohermore parish priest Fr James Walton.

"The plan is for her to be buried here at home. When that will be will depend on when her body is released."

Read more:  http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-42696376

"Racine County – A Ravaging Decade of Rising Taxes, Debt, Expenses and a Fleeing Population Comprised... "

Dear County Board, A new post from Cindy and I: Racine County – A Ravaging Decade of Rising Taxes, Debt, Expenses and a Fleeing Population Comprised of The Best and Brightest https://arrestrecordsofracinewipublicofficials.wordpress.com/2018/01/16/racine-county-a-ravaging-decade-of-rising-taxes-debt-expenses-and-a-fleeing-population-comprised-of-the-best-and-brightest/ Please join Cindy and I is JUST SAYING NO to allowing Governor Scott Walker, Representatives Robin Vos,  Cory Mason & MTP President David DeGroot to violate the Wisconsin Constitution (and their Oath of Office) by granting special rights to Corporate interests, stealing people’s property, destroying multi-generational Farms alongside an entire long established Community, loosening environmental protections, permitting heavy metals water pollution, instituting slave labor wages, providing taxpayer subsidies to multi-billionaire Corporations, and politician overreach. Sincerely, Tim & Cindy

"Racine County – A Ravaging Decade of Rising Taxes, Debt, Expenses and a Fleeing Population Comprised of The Best and Brightest"

https://arrestrecordsofracinewipublicofficials.wordpress.com/2018/01/16/racine-county-a-ravaging-decade-of-rising-taxes-debt-expenses-and-a-fleeing-population-comprised-of-the-best-and-brightest/

"Talking Racine Episode 54 'Machinery Row The Early Years'" part 2

Dear County Board, Be sure to watch this Episode of Talking Racine - especially since one of your own - County Supervisor Monte Osterman is highlighted! Talking Racine episode 54 discusses the early beginnings of Machinery Row. In 2012 thirty-nine jobs were scheduled to be expanded into a Machinery Row building. Supervisor Monte Osterman gets relocated from Machinery Row. An ethics complaint is filed on Osterman over the relocation.We bring the perspective down to the local level to discuss issues that affect our own city of Racine, WI. https://youtu.be/SPRZQfRAeyQ Also remember to please join Cindy and I is JUST SAYING NO to allowing Governor Scott Walker, Representatives Robin Vos,  Cory Mason & MTP President David DeGroot to violate the Wisconsin Constitution (and their Oath of Office) by granting special rights to Corporate interests, stealing people’s property, destroying multi-generational Farms alongside an entire long established Community, loosening environmental protections, permitting heavy metals water pollution, instituting slave labor wages, providing taxpayer subsidies to multi-billionaire Corporations, and politician overreach. Sincerely, Tim & Cindy

"Talking Racine Episode 54 'Machinery Row The Early Years'"

Talking Racine episode 54 discusses the early beginnings of Machinery Row. In 2012 thirty-nine jobs were scheduled to be expanded into a Machinery Row building. Supervisor Monte Osterman gets relocated from Machinery Row. An ethics complaint is filed on Osterman over the relocation.We bring the perspective down to the local level to discuss issues that affect our own city of Racine, WI.

 https://youtu.be/SPRZQfRAeyQ

Open Blog - Tuesday

My coffee maker was on all night.  Morning mud.

"More Proof that the Rule of Law is Dead in Wisconsin"

Deborah Jordahl: Wisconsin’s Comey-over

We have followed recent events in Wisconsin’s scandalous John Doe investigation of Governor Walker’s allies and supporters here (also citing background on the scandal) and here. State senator Tom Tiffany then updated us on the scandal’s aftermath. Now Senator Tiffany has directed our attention to Matt Kittle’s current MacIver Institute report “In John Doe’s shadow: Showdown looms in bitter battle over bureaucrats’ jobs.”
Senator Tiffany has also forwarded Deborah Hawley Jordahl’s column commenting on current developments. Ms. Jordahl was herself a victim of the secret John Doe investigation. Her home was searched and turned upside down in a pre-dawn raid by armed deputies in 2013 in the course of the investigation; the Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel takes up Ms. Jordahl’s ordeal in chapters 19 (“Raid Day”) and 20 (“Fight Club”) of her invaluable Intimidation Game. Ms. Jordahl writes:
What do a former attorney general, two former judges, two licensed attorneys and a former state legislator have in common?

They presided over the Wisconsin Ethics Commission when it opened its doors on July 1, 2016. This agency and the Wisconsin Elections Commission were created to replace Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board (GAB) following its participation in an unconstitutional John Doe investigation into Republican Governor Scott Walker, his aides and allies.

As a longtime conservative strategist and consultant, I had a front row seat to what the Wisconsin Supreme Court called “a perfect storm of wrongs,” visited upon people who are “wholly innocent of any wrongdoing.” The court noted:

Deputies seized business papers, computer equipment, phones, and other devices, while their targets were restrained under police supervision and denied the ability to contact their attorneys. The special prosecutor obtained virtually every document possessed by the Unnamed Movants relating to every aspect of their lives, both personal and professional, over a five-year span [from 2009 to 2013].

The court ordered prosecutors to return all private property seized in the investigation:

We require that Attorney Schmitz (the former John Doe special prosecutor) gather all documents and copies thereof (whether in hard copy or in digital form) and all electronic data and copies thereof obtained as a result of the John Doe II investigation from all persons who worked for or were associated with him and the prosecution team in the John Doe proceedings/investigations.

Recently the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DoJ) conducted a criminal investigation into the illegal leak of court sealed John Doe records and found the Wisconsin Ethics Commission had not complied with the court’s order.

Not. Even. Close.

Apparently Wisconsin ethics officials don’t grasp the significance of a Supreme Court order or fully comprehend the meaning of words like “require,” “shall” and “all.”

DoJ’s report said the agency had not properly secured documents and electronic records. In addition, at least one external hard drive containing illegally obtained private records had gone missing on its watch. After DoJ made several attempts to collect documents from the commission, its top administrator and general counsel refused to speak to investigators without a lawyer.

The agency then hired a lawyer who specializes in defending government in cases involving civil rights violations. In other words, the Wisconsin Ethics Commission was more concerned about its civil liability than potential crimes committed by other government officials.

Not only did DoJ conclude the illegally leaked records came from the GAB or its successor agency, but also the ethics commission had millions more records seized in investigations going back 27 years.

Instead of taking responsibility for the undisputed facts in the DoJ report, ethics commissioners circled the wagons around their staff, attacking the Attorney General for “omissions and inaccuracies.” DoJ refuted the so-called inaccuracies. As for omissions, commissioners complained that DoJ didn’t give them a gold star for having better security practices than its predecessor.

All but two of the current commissioners, the agency’s top administrator and its general counsel were in charge when illegally seized records were leaked to a British newspaper, when those records were to be surrendered to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and in February 2017 when DoJ first discovered the agency had not complied with the Supreme Court order.

I’m not a lawyer, but the court order looks straightforward to me. Not so much to a former attorney general, two former judges, two licensed attorneys and a former state legislator. They won’t even ask the commission’s administrator and general counsel to resign because the men
exceeded expectations in recent performance reviews.

Failing to comply with a court order, “misplacing” a hard drive filled with sealed court records, and changing stories before lawyering up in a criminal investigation exceeds expectations for the state’s top ethics officials?

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2018/01/wisconsins-comey-over.php

"Wanda Jackson - Capitol 45 RPM Records - 1956 - 1960"

How come I never heard of this woman?

"Racine police chief has fielded inquires about open Milwaukee chief job"

STEPHANIE JONES stephanie.jones@journaltimes.com

•  

  
  
  

  Chief Howell

  RACINE — Following Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn’s recent retirement announcement, Racine Police Chief Art Howell said he has fielded inquiries from Milwaukee stakeholders about the job opening.
  
  Howell’s contract with the City of Racine expires on April 2 this year. He has been the city’s police chief since April 2, 2012.
  
  However, Howell said in an email to The Journal Times:
  
  “As of this time, I remain focused on moving the Racine Police Department forward.”
  
  Flynn announced his retirement on Monday and his last day with the Milwaukee Police Department is expected to be Feb. 16.
  
  The day Howell received the first inquiry regarding the Milwaukee position, he said he met with members of the Racine Community Outpost to discuss Community Oriented Police houses in Racine. Racine Community Outpost Inc. is the nonprofit that funds and supports the COP houses.
  
  In Milwaukee, officials there are in the process of acquiring their very first community oriented policing house similar to the houses here in Racine that give police a home base in the community where they can do programming and work directly with residents in problematic areas.
  
  Howell said the Racine Police Department has hosted several meetings with elected officials and stakeholders from Milwaukee for the purpose of sharing best practices for neighborhood stabilization.
  
  “We look forward to sharing local best practices with our neighbors to the north,” Howell said.
  
  That is separate from the Flynn announcement, Howell said.
  
•  Read more:  http://journaltimes.com/news/local/racine-police-chief-has-fielded-inquires-about-open-milwaukee-chief/article_fa3029b5-34aa-5bfc-9f11-887fc5e48c2f.html

Notice

You've probably noticed that I've been posting another person's posts, without making it too clear if it's me or him.  To avoid confusion, another commentator has volunteered to post my friend's blogs.  Clint Teeters (cteeters@wi.rr.com)  is gonna be the new guy ripping Foxconn a new asshole.  Thank you Clint, and sic 'em!

Open Blog - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The H-Bomb - 1956 Atom Bomb, Hydrogen Bomb 41300 HD

"Snow forecast for tonight through Tuesday morning; 5 to 7 inches expected"

RACINE — The National Weather Service in Sullivan is forecasting 5 to 7 inches of snow in Racine County, starting Sunday night and into early Tuesday morning.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 8 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Tuesday.

Lake-enhanced snow will occur at times from Monday into Monday night, the NWS says. Residents should plan for difficult travel conditions, including during the morning and afternoon commutes on Monday, possibly continuing into the Tuesday morning commute.

Residents should be prepared for reduced visibility and snow-covered roads, the weather service says. Use caution when driving. The latest road conditions can be obtained by calling 5-1-1.

The weather service predicts long-duration powdery snowfall Sunday night into Monday night. Light snow will spread from southwest to northeast across southern Wisconsin Sunday night. It will then continue through Monday into Monday night.

Lake-enhanced snow will occur at times Monday and Monday night in far eastern Wisconsin, the NWS reports.

http://journaltimes.com/news/local/snow-forecast-for-tonight-through-tuesday-morning-to-inches-expected/article_700fe2f0-c1d4-5565-b0f7-b0365c8fb692.html

"What it's Like to Live in a Well Governed Country"

What makes a country well-run? Whether minimising corruption or spearheading educational and medical initiatives, governments around the world use different policies to facilitate a high-functioning society. To quantify the effectiveness of these policies, indexes like the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index, the World Bank’s Governance Index and the Social Progress Index survey residents, compile publicly available statistics and rank countries based on their performance across different categories.

While each index varies in their precise ranking, certain patterns emerge across all three, with the same countries consistently at the top for their progressive social policies, trust in government and effective justice system

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180107-what-its-like-to-live-in-a-well-governed-country

"Foxconn-driven power lines subject of public meetings Tuesday"

Two public “scoping” sessions will be conducted Tuesday by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission in response to plans to build a high-voltage electric transmission line to the site of the Foxconn Technology Group factories and campus in Mount Pleasant.

American Transmission Co. has proposed the construction of a 14-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line, a new 345/138-kV substation and new underground 138-kV lines to connect a substation to a Foxconn-owned substation near the planned $10 billion manufacturing plant.

The public sessions will be held at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. in the State of Wisconsin offices in Sturtevant, 9531 Rayne Road. The sessions will be held in an open house format, and anyone with comments or concerns is encouraged to attend. At the sessions, PSC staff will explain the regulatory review process.

Comments will be taken on the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement, which is currently being drafted by the PSC and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

http://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/foxconn-driven-power-lines-subject-of-public-meetings-tuesday/article_ce29b764-0404-5779-8a64-2a3f1e2d14fc.html

"The Curious Case of Former State Sen. George Petak , R-Racine"

Dear County Board,

For your consideration:

Everybody in Racine is familiar with former state Sen. George Petak , R-Racine who threw his vote to legally bind Racine County Residents to pay a never ending sales tax to fund Milwaukee County Millionaire Baseball Owners and Players; then claimed to have left Wisconsin to go to Tennessee so he could dedicate his life to helping orphans and children in foster; except to magically re-appear in Madison Wisconsin, be appointed to high level cushy State jobs at WI DFI (Department of Financial Institutions) and WHEDA (WISCONSIN HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY), get back credits for a taxpayer funded overly generous WI Taxpayer funded State Pension and live the hedonistic lifestyle he always dreamed about; as an unelected State employee at taxpayers expense, of course.

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Some Milwaukee residents say twenty years should be long enough to pay for Miller Park.

“I don’t understand why the sales tax is still going, and why they need to extend it further. It seems as if the consumer has paid enough for the stadium,” Ann Fasbender said.
Every year since 1996, five Milwaukee-area counties have paid an extra .1 percent sales tax, or ten cents for ever $100 spent, to support Miller Park. Last year, the tax netted more than $30 million for the Brewers.

Wisconsin Senator Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, introduced a bill to end the tax in 2019 for good. He says he loves the Brewers as much as anyone…  When he voted for the tax in 1996, was that it would end in 2014. He says the recession changed the timetable, and it was extended to 2019.
The Miller Park District sent this statement when asked about the bill:

“The Miller Park District Board of Directors has always been committed to retiring the 0.1% Miller Park sales tax as quickly as possible. Senator Carpenter’s bill appears to be consistent with the sentiment of the Miller Park District Board, and while well-intentioned, the bill as introduced might actually prove to be unconstitutional.

In essence, 2017 Senate Bill 443 is very similar to previously proposed legislation regarding the Miller Park District and the related 0.1% sales tax. The previously proposed legislation was found to be unconstitutional in that it violated the existing terms and conditions of bond contracts, bond insurance and other legal agreements. Because the District feels 2017 Senate Bill 443 may also be found to be unconstitutional, it would not be appropriate or necessary for the District to comment further before the proposed legislation is properly vetted by state agencies and state legal counsel.”

So a questionably Constitutional Tax to fund Millionaire/Billionaire Baseball Owners/Players is forever enmeshed in Red Tape?

https://arrestrecordsofracinewipublicofficials.wordpress.com/2018/01/13/the-curious-case-of-former-state-sen-george-petak-r-racine/

What of the 2016 Racine County CAFR? A nearly $10M operating loss -and large transfers in.
Is this a "one time event" or a growing problem?

Time will tell.

Sincerely,

Tim & Cindy

"Trump Lawyer Reportedly Paid $130,000 To Keep Porn Star Silent, She Denies"

As if the weekend news cycle wasn’t crowded enough already.

With “shithole-gate” still dominating the headlines, possibly steering the federal government toward its first shutdown in five years, the Wall Street Journal has picked this weekend to revive a rumor that it first published shortly after the election, and which President Trump’s lawyers have previously denied.

The paper described a plot by the Trump campaign to pay off an adult film actress who had been negotiating with Good Morning America for an exclusive interview about her brief affair with the president in 2006, just one year after he married Melania Trump.

According to the WSJ, Trump lawyer Michael Cohen arranged a $130,000 payment to the Stephanie Clifford, who 10 years ago was one of the biggest adult film stars in the US, working as “Stormy Daniels." In exchange, she had to sign an NDA barring her from discussing her experiences with Trump.

While the WSJ had previously reported the rumor about the GMA negotiations, the paper’s latest report goes much further. It describes how Cohen arranged for the payment to be made through Clifford’s lawyer, and how Clifford signed an NDA explaining she couldn’t talk about it... which she apparently is doing now.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-12/trump-reportedly-paid-porn-star-130000-sign-nda

"These Birds of Prey Are Deliberately Setting Forests on Fire"

It's pretty hot in Australia right now. A brutal heatwave that's incinerated temperature records threatens devastating bushfires – and to make matters worse, authorities have to contend with an ancient breed of flying arsonists that may as well be miniature dragons.

A new study incorporating traditional Indigenous Australian ecological knowledge describes the largely unknown behaviour of so-called 'firehawk raptors' – birds that intentionally spread fire by wielding burning sticks in their talons and beaks.

These flying firestarters are spread across at least three known species – the Black Kite (Milvus migrans), Whistling Kite (Haliastur sphenurus), and Brown Falcon (Falco berigora) – but while their hell-raising may be observed in Indigenous knowledge, that's not so elsewhere.

"Though Aboriginal rangers and others who deal with bushfires take into account the risks posed by raptors that cause controlled burns to jump across firebreaks, official skepticism about the reality of avian fire-spreading hampers effective planning for landscape management and restoration," the international team explains in their paper.

"A group of Wisconsin property owners are suing in federal court over local government efforts to take their land as part of the incentive package for a Foxconn factory there."

The 12 property owners hold 18 acres of land that the Village of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, is seeking to take via the power of eminent domain.

The Village of Mount Pleasant has agreed to buy the land where Foxconn will build its factory and give it to the company for free as part of a package of state and local government incentives valued at more than $4 billion. The steep cost of the incentive package has sparked criticism in Wisconsin, and is expected to be a major issue in this year's gubernatorial race.

The suit charges that the property owners are getting far less than other property owners who have already sold their land to the town for the factory. The attorney filing the suit, Erik Olsen, said he's not sure if he and his clients will be able to stop the factory from being built. But he argues that the government should have to follow the laws about property purchases, which dictate that all the owners must be treated equally when it comes to pricing.

"My clients believe, and I believe too, that they should be treated justly," he said. "Is it really OK to pay some people multiples of their land value, and other people not? The government has broad powers but not totally arbitrary powers."

http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/12/news/companies/foxconn-property-owners-fight/index.html