Wednesday, 11.24
Dane County settles a lawsuit brought by the family of Brittany Zimmermann, who was murdered in her downtown Madison apartment in April 2008. Zimmermann called 911 shortly before she was killed, but the dispatch center failed to send help. Dane County will pay $5,000 to the Zimmermann Reward fund and $2,500 in attorney fees.
Friday, 11.26
Madison police arrest Johnnie McGahee, 37, who allegedly swiped a laptop and iPhone from an east-side Madison home, after using GPS technology to track the stolen items. Ain't technology great?
Saturday, 11.27
Loran Pate, 38, of Madison, is busted for allegedly exposing himself to two women on the southwest commuter path. Police suspect that Pate is the same man who has exposed himself to several people this year.
Monday, 11.29
Samuel O. Hengel, a 15-year-old boy armed with two handguns, holds 23 classmates and a teacher hostage for five hours before killing himself at Marinette High School. The teacher, Valerie Burd, is later praised for keeping the gunman relatively calm and acting as a liaison with police.
Police arrest UW-Madison student Chase Baruch, 24, in connection with the death of his 63-year-old mother in June in Lincoln County. Baruch reported that his mother crashed his pickup into Moraine Lake near Tomahawk and he escaped but was unable to save her. Police suspect the accident was staged. Baruch was having money problems and had taken out three life insurance policies on his mother shortly before the accident.
Tuesday, 11.30
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz announces the nomination of Gregg McManners as Monona Terrace director. McManners, the center's current director of operations, will replace Jim Hess, who is retiring at the end of his contract on Dec. 10.
State Rep. Joe Parisi (D-Madison) announces he's running for the Dane County executive seat being vacated midterm by Kathleen Falk. County Board Chairman Scott McDonell and Verona Mayor Jon Hochkammer have also said they'll run.
Wednesday, 12.1
In a meeting that began the previous month, the Madison Common Council defers voting on an Overture Center rescue plan, hoping to instead find a compromise before the Dec. 31 deadline on a plan to pay off the arts center's $29 million debt.
State Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Madison) mocks Scott Walker with a blog post purporting to be a letter from the governor-elect to Gov. Jim Doyle. In the fake letter, Walker asks Doyle to delay the Christmas tree lighting and demands the train running around it "must be stopped. It goes nowhere. It does not go there fast enough. Not enough people are riding on it. It is a boondoggle."
The state's ban on texting while driving goes into effect. First-time violators face $20 to $400 fines; second offenders $200 to $800. :)
Compiled (in part) from local media
