UP: Forest Shomberg. The former Madisonian is freed with the help of the Wisconsin Innocence Project after serving more than six years in prison. As Isthmus has reported ("Supreme Shift," 12/8/05), Shomberg was convicted of a 2002 sexual assault based on shaky eyewitness testimony. The Wisconsin Supreme Court, following blowback over rulings that upheld the rights of criminal defendants, rejected his appeal. But Dane County Judge Patrick Fiedler agreed that problems with the identifications and new DNA evidence justified overturning Shomberg's conviction.
DOWN: Birth control. A new state law requiring health plans to cover prescription birth control has led some religious employers - including St. Mary's Hospital and Madison Catholic Diocese - to consider switching to self-insurance. The move will likely cost more money but, as Madison Diocese spokesman Brent King tells the Wisconsin State Journal, "it is worth it if we can avoid cooperation with sin."
