Wednesday, 1.29
Dane County Circuit Judge Julie Genovese sentences Chad G. Chritton, 42, to five years in prison for abuse and neglect. Chritton's 15-year-old daughter, weighing just 68 pounds, was found wandering the streets in her pajamas in February 2012. The girl's stepmother, Melinda Drabek-Chritton, was sentenced to five years in prison last summer, and her stepbrother, Joshua Drabek, 20, is scheduled to stand trial next month for sexually assaulting her. A statement from the girl is read in court: "I do not, do not want to see Chad Chritton ever again, and I do not want to hear from him and I do not want anything from him anymore ever again."
Thursday, 1.30
The Wisconsin 4th District Court of Appeals declines to halt a John Doe investigation of allegations of illegal campaigning surrounding the activity of conservative groups during the 2011 and 2012 recall elections. The court makes public hundreds of documents that show the investigation is focusing on five individuals, although it does not identify them. The investigation centers on Milwaukee, Columbia, Dane, Dodge and Iowa counties.
Friday, 1.31
Dane County Circuit Judge William Foust orders 31-year-old Jaren Kuester to spend the rest of his life in a mental institution for murdering three elderly Lafayette County farmers last April. The sentencing includes a condition that Kuester never be released.
Gov. Scott Walker reports that he raised $5.1 million in the second half of 2013, almost three times what his Democratic opponent Mary Burke raised in the three months she's been campaigning. About half of Walker's donations came from out of state, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel later reports.
Monday, 2.3
The Judge Doyle Square committee recommends the city move ahead with a $215 million proposal by JDS Development (headed by developer Bob Dunn) for the controversial project next to Monona Terrace. Although city officials are worried about the high cost of the development, the committee recommends the most expensive proposal. See Meghan Chua's report.
The American Civil Liberties Union files a federal lawsuit against the enforcement of the state's ban on same-sex marriages. See Judith Davidoff's article on page 6.
Wednesday, 2.5
Gov. Walker tells reporters he's open to making "tweaks" to his $504 million tax-cut plan. Some Republicans have raised alarms about the proposal, claiming it will increase the state's structural deficit.
