Wednesday, 11.21
Politico places Gov. Scott Walker on the list of potential Republican contenders for the 2016 presidential nomination. Get your Walker/Palin 2016 buttons now.
Saturday, 11.24
The State Journal reports that Dane County will begin developing a new county park on 300 acres in Albion next year. Silverwood Park includes 240 acres of farmland and 60 acres of woods. Part of the acreage will be used for agricultural education, with land made available for community gardens and nonprofits. County Executive Joe Parisi says, "This is about getting the urban community interacting with the ag community."
Monday, 11.26
Dane County opens a temporary warming shelter for the homeless at 827 E. Washington Ave., a few days ahead of schedule.
Gov. Scott Walker announces a "Talk with Walker Tour" in which he will tour the state to collect input from residents on the next state budget. United Wisconsin complains that the tour is not actually open to the public, and that Walker will meet only with select business leaders.
Madison's Alcohol License Review Committee approves a liquor license for Frank Productions for the Orpheum Theatre, which is set to reopen on Dec. 31. Monona State Bank owns the theater - which has been the focus of a lawsuit - and is allowing Frank Productions to manage it. The Common Council must approve the license at its Dec. 11 meeting.
Tuesday, 11.27
Meriter Health Services announces it is laying off 50 employees, eliminating some vacant positions and reducing the hours of others. The cuts are being made in order to cut $9 million from the budget, as the organization prepares for reductions in Medicare payments in January.
WISDOM, a Milwaukee-based religious network, and Human Impact Partners, a California nonprofit, release a report recommending Wisconsin dramatically boost the amount of money it spends on alternatives to prison. The state currently spends $1.3 billion a year locking up criminals but less than $1 million on diversion programs. The state's prison population has grown from 6,533 in 1990 to almost 22,000.
A 37-foot balsam fir tree is set up in the Capitol Rotunda for the Christmas season. Get your Walker/Palin 2016 ornaments now.
Police arrest Koalton Peterson, 18, of Mount Horeb for allegedly beating 20-year-old Ryan Smith of Fitchburg with a baseball bat. Peterson is tentatively charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide; Smith is in critical condition at UW Hospital.
Compiled, in part, from local media.
