A look back at the people and events that made news the past week.
Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In...
HEROES OF THE WEEK
Wyatt Yocum
Once again, the Boy Scouts
Jay Thurston and Mike Kinziger
Resourceful Jessica Bruinsma
The 6 Milwaukee County Board members who voted against a proposed sales tax referendum
VILLAINS OF THE WEEK
Adam Peterson
The MATC Board
Cleveland teenagers
Animal abusers in Oshkosh
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
Barack Obama is "John Kerry with a tan."
Anti-tax activist Grover Norquist in an interview with the LA Times.
“She rocks, she rocks.”
Obama describing Hillary Clinton at a joint appearance in Unity, New Hampshire.
"This felt like when your mom forces you to go visit your Aunt Ida and she has to pinch your cheeks and you're sitting there in an uncomfortable suit and you can't wait to leave.”
A Clinton donor describing the mood on the campaign plane with Obama and Clinton.
“The Democratic Party of Wisconsin and its members have been embarrassed in the local and national media by the decision of Ms. Bartoshevich to endorse Senator McCain.”
From a letter to the Democratic National Committee from the state Democrat Party, asking that Debra Bartoshevich, an elected Hillary Clinton delegate for Racine County, be stripped of her delegate status over her support for John McCain. The party voted to endorse her expulsion as a delegate at the DPW convention in Stevens Point earlier this month.
“I still very much want to be a delegate for Hillary. I still support Hillary Clinton as the nominee. I hope to still go (to Denver). All I can do is sit and wait.”
Bartoshevich on her delegate status.
“Today’s incident only highlights the tough economic times many in our area face. After the flooding we have seen, in addition to high unemployment, energy, housing and food costs we cannot be surprised when thousands show up at 5 a.m. seeking assistance to feed their families.”
Wisconsin Congressman Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, in the aftermath of a crowd rushing a Milwaukee human services building Monday morning in search of disaster relief food vouchers.
“Monday’s incident shows that there needs to be regulations in place to verify that when a person applies to receive federal disaster benefits, in this case due to flooding, the applicant’s residence should actually have incurred flood damage.”
Wisconsin Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, who has asked Milwaukee County DA John Chisholm to look into the incident and has introduced a bill intended to eliminate fraud in disaster-relief claims.
“I’m the gatekeeper.”
Convicted former Milwaukee Alderman Michael McGee on tape during his trial discussing the power he had over licensing.
“This is a test for the council. It has to respond. It can’t just simply say this never happened. It happened.”
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett urging a study of best practices on city licensing.
OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK
Thousands turned out in the inner city earlier this week claiming to be flood victims in an attempt to gain food vouchers. Naturally, pushing and shoving broke out and police had to intervene.
One had to question how valid some of these claims were.
Charlie Sykes and others had observations.
MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK
We have got to start placing the same amount of attention and scrutiny that we do on local and states taxes on our technical colleges.
This week, the Journal/Sentinel reported, "The Milwaukee Area Technical College Board on Tuesday night unanimously approved a 2009 budget that increases the property tax levy 4.9% — an increase that means the college has boosted the levy 31% in the last five years."
In a column last August announcing legislation to make unelected boards like the MATC Board elected, state Senator Mary Lazich wrote, "It appears from all the data, the increases being hoisted upon taxpayers are substantial. Consider the total tax levies for the state's 16 technical colleges. According to he non-partisan Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, the technical college tax levies have increased from $251 million in 1992-'93 to $622 million in 2005-'06. That’s an increase of almost 150 percent compared to a 75 percent increase in overall levies during the same time period. Governor Doyle exempted technical colleges from levy limits in the 2005-07 state budget. Technical college boards were free to raise tax levies, and taxpayers were powerless."
Technical colleges are soaking us the most, and yet they continue to get a free pass.
MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK
As wonderful as Summerfest is, let's not invent stories just to fill time on the 6 and 10:00 news.
STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK
German man torches car.....read why.
Inmate falls through ceiling and winds up ?????
Something went wrong when she tried to make manure bombs.
Young man decides to disrupt graduation dressed as.......well.....take a look.
REMEMBER: Your suggestions/nominations for any of these categories every week are welcome, especially for HEROES OF THE WEEK. If you know of anyone in the community deserving of recognition, please e-mail me.
