ABORTION WISCONSIN
Wisconsin Senate to consider GOP-backed abortion bills
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Senate is set to vote on a package of Republican-authored bills designed to discourage abortion in Wisconsin. One proposal would prohibit abortion providers from participating in Medicaid except in cases of sexual assault or incest. Another would require doctors to tell women seeking abortions through a drug regimen that she could still change her mind after ingesting the first dose and might be able to continue the pregnancy. A third bill would require doctors to ensure parents of unborn children with congenital conditions receive information about the condition. A fourth bill would prohibit abortions based on an unborn child’s sex or race. The Senate was scheduled to vote on the bills during a floor session Wednesday.
SENATOR ATTACKED
Jury acquits woman accused in attack on Wisconsin lawmaker
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A jury has acquitted a woman accused of sparking an attack on a Wisconsin state senator who was filming a Black Lives Matter protest outside the Capitol last year. Kerida O’Reilly, of Madison, was found not guilty Tuesday of felony substantial battery and misdemeanor disorderly conduct. She was accused of rushing toward Democratic Sen. Tim Carpenter in a move that prompted other people to start hitting and kicking him. The confrontation left Carpenter with a broken nose and concussion along with numerous bruises and cuts. Carpenter testified he does not believe O’Reilly struck him after others converged on him, but said she knocked him off-balance. O’Reilly and a co-defendant, Samantha Hamer, contended they were merely trying to get Carpenter to stop filming the protests.
MOTHER DEAD-CHILD MISSING
Milwaukee police ask for help to find missing 3-year-old boy
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee police say that any further searches for a missing 3-year-old boy will depend on whether they receive credible information from the public. Authorities have conducted several searches in Milwaukee, Washington and Dodge counties for Major P. Harris, whose mother was shot to death and the man suspected in her slaying was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Milwaukee police held a press conference Tuesday to ask for help in the case. They say Major was last seen in Milwaukee on Oct. 9. The Journal Sentinel reports that the discovery Monday of a vehicle described as one Clark might be driving did give investigators a few new leads. Police found blood in the SUV, which they have sent to the state Crime Lab.
FIERY CRASH-THREE KILLED
Madison man charged in crash that killed three teens
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Madison man suspected of speeding and driving drunk before a crash that killed three high school seniors earlier this month is facing numerous criminal charges in Dane County, including reckless homicide. A criminal complaint says 30-year-old Eric Mehring told a sheriff’s deputy investigating the Oct. 2 crash in the town of Middleton that it happened because of “too much speed and more drinks that I should have had to drive.” Killed in the crash were Madison West senior Simon Bilessi and Middleton High seniors Evan Kratochwill and Jack Miller.
CAPITOL BREACH-WISCONSIN
Eau Claire man pleads guilty to charge in US Capitol breach
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin man has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge related to his role in the breach of the U.S. Capitol last January. Kevin Loftus entered the plea to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. The 53-year-old Eau Claire man appeared by video in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. Tuesday after earlier reaching a plea deal with prosecutors. The misdemeanor carries up to six months in prison, but the agreement does not recommend a sentence. Loftus is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 31. At least four other Wisconsin men also face charges for entering the Capitol that day.
DNR BOARD-CONFIRMATION BATTLE
Group sues to obtain Wisconsin DNR board chairman’s texts
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — An environmental advocacy group has filed a lawsuit seeking the Department of Natural Resources policy board chairman’s text messages. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Midwest Environmental Advocates filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Dane County against Fred Prehn, the board and the DNR. The lawsuit demands Prehn turn over texts sent and received about his term on the board. Prehn’s term ended in May and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers appointed Sandra Naas to replace him, which would give Evers appointees control of the board. But Prehn, who was appointed by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, has refused to step down to make way for Naas, ensuring that Walker appointees maintain control of the board.
ELECTION 2020-AUDITS-WISCONSIN
Wisconsin GOP leader defends keeping election records secret
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is defending not releasing documents related to an ongoing investigation he ordered into the 2020 election, saying he believes the election was “tainted” but that President Joe Biden won. A judge earlier this month ordered Vos to release records requested by a liberal group under the state’s open records law. The group, American Oversight, filed a second lawsuit on Tuesday seeking records solely in Vos’s possession. Vos told Wisconsin Public Radio on Tuesday that turning over records now would be like an investigator looking into a murder putting out what he knows before his work is done.
LOGGING CHALLENGES
Mill closures create tough market for logging in Wisconsin
RHINELANDER, Wis. (AP) — Longtime professional loggers in Wisconsin say they are dealing with the most challenging times their industry has ever faced. Paper mills that buy pulp wood have closed creating an oversupply in timber markets that has sent prices plummeting. The logging bust in northern Wisconsin has forced some loggers to pick up side jobs in construction or related fields. Some have left the industry. Among the closures was the Verso mill in Wisconsin Rapids. It was the largest buyer of timber in the Upper Midwest and its closure last year was a blow not only locally, but had a ripple effect elsewhere. The 1,000-acre mill employed about 900 people.
