Tuesday, 12.1
Joyce Kitsemble, 70, suffers a fatal heart attack in the Capitol just as Gov. Jim Doyle is about to sign into a law a bill that Kitsemble had worked to pass, requiring that dog-breeding facilities be licensed (See "Rescue Me," 3/6/09).
Wednesday, 12.2
A 15-year-old girl testifies that her father, Porfirio Olivas, forced her to eat insects and once ordered her to eat a dead mouse, which she managed to hide instead. She also said Olivas stuffed her in plastic bags, which she chewed through in order to breathe.
Thursday, 12.3
Police find a woman and her 2-year-old daughter shot dead in a car on the city's southwest side. They later find another woman and her 2-1/2-year-old-daughter shot dead in a car trunk in Middleton. Tyrone M. Adair, 38, is suspected of killing all four. Police call the killings "somewhat domestic-related."
Mark Olinger, Madison's director of Planning and Community and Economic Development, announces plans to leave his post early next year. He does not give a reason, but Mayor Dave Cieslewicz says, "Mark and I arrived at this conclusion together."
Friday, 12.4
A jury convicts Porfirio Olivas, 39, of 21 counts of child abuse, but acquits him on two counts of child abuse and a second-degree sexual assault charge. He'll be sentenced early next year.
Monday, 12.7
Tyrone Adair is found dead with a gunshot wound in a car in Cottage Grove, ending a massive manhunt. Dane County Coroner Ray Wosepka later rules his death a suicide.
Andrew J. Wirth, 25, accused of killing an off-duty police officer and her friend early Sunday, erupts during his initial court appearance, calling the charges against him "ridiculous" as bailiffs carry him from the courtroom. Wirth allegedly shot and killed Oconomowoc police officer Jennifer Luick, 37, and Gregg Peters, 40, after becoming upset by some butt pinching at a bar in Jefferson.
Tuesday, 12.8
The Madison Water Utility holds a public hearing on a proposed 22% rate hike, which would increase the average residential customer's water bill $3.30 a month.
April M. Walker, 40, is convicted of child neglect in the death of her granddaughter from an accidental overdose of oxycodone in February. Walker, who did not seek immediate medical help when the child couldn't be wakened at the downtown YMCA shelter where they were staying, enters a plea of "no contest." District Attorney Brian Blanchard will ask that she be sentenced to no more than 10 years, five years less than the maximum.
A snowstorm pummels Wisconsin late in the day, prompting the Madison Common Council to cancel its meeting to decide the fate of the beleaguered Edgewater Hotel project (see here for reports). Mayor Dave Cieslewicz closes nonessential services to the public, and Gov. Jim Doyle closes states offices. On Dayton Street, some 200 UW students engage in an all-out snowball battle.
Wednesday, 12.9
Snow continues to fall as most businesses and schools - including the UW - close for the day.
Compiled (in part) from local media
