Wednesday, 10.7
Madison police officer David Retlick, responding to a call of a holdup at Cousins Subs on South Park Street, confronts a suspect, who allegedly points a handgun at him. Retlick shoots and kills the suspect, Gregory Bickford, 26, of Sun Prairie. It is promptly deemed to be a justified shooting.
Friday, 10.9
Former Vice President Al Gore speaks to a gathering of the Society of Environmental Journalists at the Madison Concourse Hotel, while conservative college students protest outside. The Wisconsin State Journal reports the visit on Page A5. Is that a sign of Gore's dwindling stature, or the State Journal's?
Judge David Flanagan sentences Justin Stout, 32, to six years in prison for the stabbing death of 22-year-old Juan Bernal during a fight outside the Plaza Tavern on North Henry Street on Sept. 3, 2008. Flanagan criticizes Stout for carrying the knife, saying, "You were probably going to get punched up a little bit, but I don't see that your life was in danger."
Saturday, 10.10
Two weeks before he was to begin serving time for his fourth drunk driving offense, 32-year-old Gregory Grinder of New Glarus is stopped by police on suspicion of - surprise - drunk driving after he runs a stop sign in Mount Horeb on Highway 78.
Sunday, 10.11
Madison Police Capt. Joe Balles tells a community meeting on the south side that although crime overall is down, increased heroin addiction is likely behind a string of recent armed robberies. He adds, "I'm sure we're not even scratching the tip of the iceberg, and it kind of scares me."
Monday, 10.12
A delivery man from Milio's Sandwiches is punched in the head as three teenagers steal his delivery food on the 500 block of Gately Terrace and run away. Here's hoping that the culprits soon experience the joys of working in the restaurant industry.
Mayor Cieslewicz successfully defends his two big-ticket budget items, a new downtown library and funding to renovate the Edgewater Hotel, from amendments proposed by alders at the Board of Estimates. The library amendment would have forced a referendum on the project.
Tuesday, 10.13
Gov. Jim Doyle announces that federal stimulus money helped save more than 8,200 state jobs, mostly among teachers, police and firefighters.
The Assembly Committee on Public Safety hears testimony for and against a proposed increase in the beer tax from $2 to $10 per 31-gallon barrel. See a report by Will Mueller here.
A former Cross Plains car dealer, 63-year-old Kenneth Malec, is charged with defrauding customers of more than $227,000. Malec allegedly sold cars that belonged to customers he had consignment deals with, then kept the cash.
Chief Dane County Circuit Court Judge William Foust announces that Juvenile Court Commissioner James Olds, who has presided over more than 25,000 juvenile cases, will retire in December.
Wednesday, 10.14
The U.S. Department of Education reports that fourth- and eighth-graders in Wisconsin are doing better than the national average in math scores. Yes, it really is true: All of our children are above-average.
Compiled (in part) from local media
