Wednesday, 2.24
Circuit Court Judge Patrick Fiedler sentences Anthony B. Stelter, a former child entertainer who performed as "Tony the Twister," to 41-1/2 years in prison for sexually assaulting three teenage girls. "What I see is somebody who not only committed horrible crimes but is evil," Fiedler tells Stelter. "I don't often say that about a criminal defendant, but I cannot see a time when you should be allowed back in the community."
Gov. Jim Doyle signs a bill requiring public schools that offer sex education to teach about birth control and sexually transmitted diseases. Says Doyle, "I learned - like I think every parent does - that much as I would have wanted to, I could not be in the car every time one of my sons went on a date." But sometimes he was?
Thursday, 2.25
State Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says former prisoners who never provided a DNA sample to the state before they were released must still do so. He deems this requirement "no more intrusive or onerous than...other legal restrictions or requirements placed upon offenders who have completed their sentences."
Sunday, 2.28
Darrell Pantazes, 51, of Skokie, Ill., dies at UW Hospital after leading police on a high-speed chase and crashing his car twice. A UW-Madison police officer tried to stop Pantazes just after midnight for going the wrong way on West Johnson Street. During the chase, Pantazes hit another vehicle and knocked over a light pole on University Avenue, causing his car to become airborne and strike a building.
Monday, 3.1
Madison Metro stops requiring low-income riders to prove their low-income status to qualify for a discounted pass. Riders are now on the honor system when declaring their income. But the number of low-income passes available holds steady at 300 a month.
Tuesday, 3.2
Six children, most of them 4 years old, testify in a child abuse trial against their former daycare provider, Lynn Moller of Madison. But the children don't remember much about abuse alleged to have occurred between 2006 and 2008. A 6-year-old girl testified earlier on video that she saw Moller bang an 18-month-old boy's head against a wall while changing his diaper.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb dismisses a lawsuit by Trek Bicycle Corp. against the California Trek Winery for trademark infringement. She rules the winery didn't have sufficient contacts in Wisconsin for the case to be heard in federal court here.
Wednesday, 3.3
An ethics committee considering whether to expel Rep. Jeff Woods (I-Chippewa Falls), who is facing three driving-under-the-influences charges, delays taking action because the guy who called for his expulsion, Rep. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater), didn't show up to testify. Nass says he wasn't asked to come and accused Democrats of stalling. Woods is fighting the action, noting that he has not been convicted.
Compiled (in part) from local media
