News 06.21.18
21 June 2018 News
A state appeals court says the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh must release records related to a misconduct investigation involving a business professor. Alexander Nemec, a reporter with the student newspaper Advance-Titan, filed an open records request in March 2017 for a complaint against Willis Hagen and documents from an ensuing investigation. Hagen was a business professor who suddenly stopped teaching his classes earlier that year. Hagen sued to block the release, saying personnel records are exempt from Wisconsin’s open records law. A Winnebago County judge ordered the documents released. The 2nd District Court of Appeals upheld that decision Wednesday, saying no exemptions exist for records of closed misconduct investigations.
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The Markesan School District is receiving a grant of $22,625 through the state Department of Justice’s School Safety Grant program. Wednesday State Attorney General Brad Schimel announced a list of 19 schools and school districts receiving the grants. Combined, the schools and school districts will receive $1.9 million which will be spent on building safety improvements, as well as training for faculty and staff. More grants will be awarded soon.
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The expansion of State Highway 23 from Fond du Lac to Plymouth to a four-lane expressway can’t come soon enough for Fond du Lac and Sheboygan County residents. A number of them packed into the Prairie Theater at the UW-Fond du Lac Tuesday night for a public hearing held by the state DOT. The expansion project was held up years ago due to a lawsuit by the 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin. Arnold Baganz of Fond du Lac blames the group for the traffic deaths that have occurred on the highway since that lawsuit. He said, “This is not a game. The group of people called Friends of Wisconsin I believe are responsible for the deaths that have occurred.” Andy Horn of St. Cloud is a firefighter and EMT who has had to deal with some of those tragic accidents. He says, “and it is not only the people that are endangered themselves, it is also the EMT’s, the ambulance service, the firefighters that come in actually have to pick up the pieces and hold traffic and do the safety work on this highway.” The public hearing was for the limited scope supplemental environmental impact statement being prepared for the new project. A decision is expected this fall. The DOT’s preferred alternative is a four lane expressway on the 19-mile stretch of highway. Construction could begin next year and wrap up in 2021.
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The state Supreme Court says a judge improperly ordered the state to medicate a convict until he was competent to help his attorney with his appeal. Andre Scott was convicted of battery, disorderly conduct and kidnapping in 2009. His attorney in 2015 raised concerns about Scott’s ability to help with an appeal. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Kremers issued an order concluding Scott was incompetent to proceed and ordered him medicated to the point of competent. An appeals court upheld the order. The Supreme Court unanimously reversed the appellate court on Wednesday, ruling that Kremers’ violated procedure by tacking an involuntary medication order onto his incompetency finding. Justice Shirley Abrahamson wrote that forced medication for appeal purposes should be rare and Scott’s case doesn’t support the need for it.
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