Monday, April 29, 2013
Angered over allegations that Milwaukee County Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic has been illegally negotiating with county employees, several county board members want her to resign as chair.
Another Milwaukee County board member has stepped forward in asking for Milwaukee County Board Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic's resignation, according to Patch's media partners at WISN 12 News. Last week, supervisors Mark Borkowski, Steve Taylor, John Wieshan Jr. and Deanna Alexander signed a memo requesting that Marina Dimitrijevic resign her position as chairwoman. Now Jim "Luigi" Schmitt has thrown his support behind the request. "Because of this lack of clarity and accountability, I cannot sit on the sidelines and will no longer continue to support our chairwoman," according to Schmitt's statement. The five members are accusing Dimitrijevic of negotiating with union employees after the state barred them from doing so and then lying …
Saturday, April 27, 2013
An analysis shows the UW system sitting on nearly half a billion dollars in extra tuition. Officials say they need it for future projects.
The University of Wisconsin system is under fire from both parties in the state Legislature after a Legislative Fiscal Bureau report showed it had $650 million in reserve — including $414 million in tuition reserves — despite annual tuition increases of more than 5 percent. Gov. Scott Walker is now considering a change to the $181 million planned for the UW system in the biennial budget, and whispers of a tuition freeze imposed by the Legislature are percolating. But UW officials say the surplus — about 25 percent of the operating budget — is in line with recommended practices, according to Madison.com, and less than Minnesota and Illinois keep. And the College Board says Wisconsin’s public-school tuition is still lower than Midwestern …
Friday, April 26, 2013
A special ceremony is planned for Wednesday, May 1, exactly 75 years to the day when the Village opened to new residents back in 1938.
The kickoff to the Village of Greendale’s 75th Anniversary celebration is just days away. On Wednesday, May 1, the Village will commemorate its official anniversary date – Greendale opened to new residents on May 1, 1938 – and its National Historic Landmark designation, which it received last fall. The event is slated for 4 p.m. on the front lawn of Village Hall. A portion of Northway and Broad Street will be closed during the event. Local and state officials will be on hand at the event, which will also feature music free food and beverages. Greendale NOW says between 1- 4 p.m., Greendale residents can come to Village Hall with a stamped letter to receive a postmark with a special 75th anniversary logo. The newspapers also said there will…
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Fear over multimillion dollar lawsuits has prompted many departments to strictly follow requirements in the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act that may or may not apply. And in doing so, they're violating the state's open records law.
A legal battle in Illinois over a $20 parking ticket could potentially cost a Chicago suburb tens of millions of dollars — and fear that the case could have implications here is prompting many Milwaukee-area police departments to drastically clamp down on how much information they’re releasing to the public. In a matter of months, police departments from Caledonia to Port Washington have stopped providing names of people their officers are arresting, ticketing or contacting, and, in some cases, won’t even release details on where a crime occurred because of the pending litigation in Illinois. We could see a closing off of Wisconsin’s open records laws — laws that are considered among the strongest in the country. “There’s the real …
A lawsuit filed by unions representing Madison teachers and city of Milwaukee employees over the state's collective bargaining law may be headed to the State Supreme Court.
A state appeals court is urging the Wisconsin State Supreme Court to take on an Act 10 lawsuit filed by two unions, which challenged the constitutionality of the collective bargaining limitations Gov. Scot Walker imposed on almost all public unions in 2010. The Supreme Court could take the case without waiting for an Appeals Court decision, but whether is does so is at the high court's discretion. If the Supreme Court doesn’t take the case, then the Appeals Court would need to take it. A certification filed by a panel of three judges from the 4th District Court of Appeals, asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to take the case because “a number of public unions have filed suits against municipalities over Act 10 provisions, which have left …
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Speculation aside, Larry Sabato, a well-known political scientist lays out his argument for Gov. Scott Walker being a top-tier candidate for Republican nomination for president in 2016.
The signs that Gov. Scott Walker is laying the groundwork for a possible presidential run are clear, but still speculative. And that speculation may be intensifying as Larry Sabato, a well-known political scientist, has declared Walker a top-tier candidate for Republican nominee for president in 2016 — right up there with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. Walker is writing a book about his governorship, which may become a resume of sorts and is planning to address conservatives in Iowa at the invitation of Gov. Terry Branstad in May. He also was one of the key speakers at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March. And, according to Politico, “he wouldn’t commit to serving throughout a second four-…
Friday, April 19, 2013
Governor Scott Walker and state legislative leaders call for tuition freeze at the University of Wisconsin after hearing the unexpected news.
A recent financial review of the UW System found a $1 billion surplus, and state lawmakers are furious. According to a story on Wispolitics.com, a review by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau discovered the overage. UW officials told the bureau that a good chunk of that money comes from the federal government for specific purposes and another healthy slice is from gifts. Still, that leaves almost $650 million in university system coffers, some $414 million from tuition alone. GOP leaders in Madison — including Joint Finance Co-Chairs Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) — issued a statement shortly after they received the LFB's report, taking UW officials to task over what they said is "gross mismanagement of …
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
A law that would make it mandatory for people buying guns at gun shows and online gun shows to have a background check is being debated in the Senate this week. Do you agree or disagree with the move?
Senate Republicans and Democrats seem to have reached a deal on a law that would allow background checks on private gun sales at gun shows and online gun purchases, according to a story by The Hill. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told a reporter with TheHill.com that he didn't think background checks fell into the category of gun control. A reporter with the New York Daily News called the deal "watered-down." But Fox News reported it is unclear whether there are enough supporting votes to pass the bill, which would require 60 votes and at least some of those votes coming from Republicans. Under current law, gun buyers who make their purchases at licensed gun dealers have to comply with background check laws, but those who buy guns at shows …
Monday, April 15, 2013
State Republican leaders held a press conference at Steelwind Industries to criticize federal taxes and highlight their work to decrease state taxes.
Republican leaders criticized federal tax increases and touted their efforts to lower the state tax burden at a press conference in Oak Creek on the last day people have to file taxes without an extension. Speaking at Steelwind Industries, 7550 S. 10th St., state GOP Vice Chairman Brian Schimming said the federal government should take a cue from Wisconsin in addressing tax issues. "The Legislature has set out a course here where they would address these issues head-on and not hide behind them," Schimming said. State lawmakers and Gov. Scott Walker are pushing for an income tax cut worth about $300 million, though how much savings the average person would see has been debated and remains to be seen. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald …
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Celebrate Greendale's 75th with the Brewers, Deadline Extended
paul hruz
9:50 am on Thursday, May 2, 2013
Lee how can the unions get anything they asked for? Remember she said they never negotiated more ›