ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - A Rockford man accused of killing a Wisconsin woman in 2012 has been found guilty of first-degree murder.
Prosecutors contended that 24-year-old Kody Walsh of Rockford shot to death 36-year-old Lori A. Daniels of Afton, Wis., while they were passengers in a vehicle near South Beloit.
Walsh also was accused of trying to kill the driver of the vehicle. The Winnebago County jury acquitted Walsh of attempted murder charges.
Walsh fled after the killing of Daniels and was captured a week later in Memphis, Tenn., after a high-speed chase by police.
The initial reason police tried to pull over Walsh’s car is because he was following another vehicle too closely and his license plate was obstructed.
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Monday he “definitely” thinks Republicans are correct in removing Rep. Bill Kramer as majority leader of the state Assembly amid allegations that he groped a woman after a Washington fundraiser last week and verbally abused another on the flight home.
Walker’s strong stance is another blow to Kramer as he faces losing his leadership position Tuesday and is under growing pressure to resign the seat he’s held since 2007.
“I definitely think the Assembly is right in asking him to step down from his position as a part of their leadership team,” Walker said when asked about the situation while in Green Bay.
Walker said he didn’t know any details of the case beyond what he’s seen in media reports.
“If it’s true, I don’t think there’s any place for someone in a position of public trust to be in office if they’ve done those things,” Walker said.
Kramer, who was elected to the second-most powerful position in the Assembly in September, hasn’t commented on the allegations, which surfaced Friday. On Saturday, his staff said Kramer had checked himself into a treatment facility for an unspecified reason.
On Tuesday, Republicans plan to vote on removing Kramer as majority leader and discuss privately whether to fill the position or leave it vacant for the remainder of the year, Assembly caucus chairwoman Rep. Joan Ballweg said.
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A Republican-backed bill that would protect existing sand mines from new restrictions would tie local government officials’ hands and make it impossible to regulate the industry in the years to come, opponents told the Legislature’s mining committees Monday.
Sen. Tom Tiffany’s measure reflects the growing tension between residents, mining operations and local governments as the sand mine industry continues its dramatic expansion in Wisconsin. The proposal would prohibit local governments from imposing new zoning ordinances that are more restrictive than existing zoning rules on existing operations. The bill also would shield sand mines from any other new ordinance or license requirement if the mines are operating within the year preceding the ordinance or requirement’s adoption.
Supporters insist the measure gives the industry regulatory certainty going forward and ensures local officials who don’t support mining can’t regulate existing operations out of business. Critics counter the measure is a blatant attack on local control and amounts to a corporate giveaway.
“It just seems to me you’re tipping the balance,” Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, a member of the Senate mining committee, said during a joint public hearing on the measure. “What happens if there’s a real need on the part of these towns to deal with new situations or new technology? Aren’t you shutting them down completely?”
Tiffany, R-Hazelhurst, who serves as chairman of the Senate committee, countered that the measure simply codifies grandfathering concepts and helps preserve the industry and the jobs that go with it.
“You’re saying OK, we can change the rules here … and in some instances even go so far as to put a business out of operation. Where does that stop?” Tiffany said.
Wisconsin’s sand mine industry has boomed over the past few years, mirroring advances in hydraulic fracturing, which uses sand mixes with water and chemicals to extract natural gas and crude oil from rock formations.
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) - It was a happy homecoming for two dozen military families who were reunited with members of a Wisconsin National Guard security forces unit.
And it was especially memorable for one sergeant and his future bride.
Two squadrons from the guard’s 115th Fighter Wing Security Forces spent about six months serving in Africa before arriving at the Dane County Regional Airport Sunday.
Sgt. Justin Padley tells WKOW-TV (https://bit.ly/1luOg4Ohttps://bit.ly/1luOg4O ) he decided months ago that he would propose to girlfriend Wendy Anderson once he arrived home. Padley says he worked with family members to order a ring and arrange his proposal while he was overseas.
Once his unit arrived at the airport and he saw Anderson, Padley dropped a knee and proposed. She said yes.
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Information from: WKOW-TV, https://www.wkow.comhttps://www.wkow.com
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