Wednesday, 1.5
Madison police confiscate 160 marijuana plants and $17,000 from an east-side home. No one was immediately arrested.
Thursday, 1.6
The Dane County Board approves two collective bargaining contracts that will save the county $1 million each year, thanks to concessions workers made on health insurance co-payments. The contracts cover 1,300 workers, or about half of the county's workforce. Aren't public employees great?
The Dane County Board confirms Kathleen Falk as interim county executive, to serve until her replacement is sworn in after the April 5 election.
Friday, 1.7
Republicans propose a voter ID bill that would require residents to show identification when registering to vote, a law Jim Doyle repeatedly vetoed. They say it will reduce fraud, but Scot Ross, director of One Wisconsin Now, says "Voter ID is the Republicans' attempt to rig elections in their favor by disenfranchising minorities, students and senior citizens."
Dane County Clerk Bob Ohlsen announces he will retire on Feb. 4 after holding the position for six years. "I'm old and crotchety," Ohlsen jokes to the State Journal. He has asked the County Board to appoint his deputy, Karen Peters, to fill out the rest of his term.
Four retired Oscar Mayer workers sue Kraft Foods over reductions in health benefits. The workers are asking that it be a class action lawsuit, covering all retired workers.
Saturday, 1.8
Madison Police are called to the Mendota Mental Health Institute to investigate the death of a 50-year-old patient. The patient had been restrained after fighting and struggling with staff, but was later found not breathing. The investigation continues.
Monday, 1.10
The Associated Press reports that the first eight bills proposed by Gov. Scott Walker will increase the state's debt by $80 million a year through several tax cuts. Walker campaigned on a promise to eliminate the state's $3 billion debt. He'll probably get around to that next week.
Tuesday, 1.11
The Madison Water Utility announces that levels of chromium-6, while considerably higher than in other cities, is still well below federal limits. "I'd say it's perfectly safe, some of the best drinking water in the country," Thomas Schlenker, director of Madison Dane County Public Health, tells the State Journal.
Wednesday, 1.12
Gov. Scott Walker launches a border war on Illinois, announcing an "escape to Wisconsin" campaign to lure small businesses here. He hopes to capitalize on Illinois' move to hike its income and corporate taxes.
Compiled (in part) from local media
