Wednesday 8.16
Gov. Jim Doyle announces a plan to exempt health insurance premiums from state taxes. The move would allow workers who purchase health coverage from their employer to deduct the cost of their premiums. Doyle says the tax break will be included in next year's budget ' if he wins re-election and the measure gets legislative approval.
Republican Mike Hanson and Democrat David Mahoney, both running for Dane County sheriff, appear at a Latino Support Network forum attended by about 100 people. Audience members press them to hire more Latinos, to better reflect their presence in the community.
Thursday 8.17
Tracy Sorum of McFarland loses his driver's license for a year and is ordered to pay $400 plus court costs after pleading no contest to noncriminal inattentive driving for having killed Madison bicyclist Jessica Bullen. Sorum, 30, had been charged with negligent homicide, but the jury deadlocked at trial, and the prosecution cut a deal rather than retry the case.
Friday 8.18
John Huber and Bradley Marchant, both 17, are arrested for vandalizing Sacred Hearts Church and other businesses in Sun Prairie. Police say the boys set fire to a tent containing rummage sale items and spray-painted racist and obscene graffiti on the church walls. Two other males and a female are also suspected in the vandalism spree.
A WISC-TV poll finds that 48% of Wisconsin voters support a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages and civil unions, while 40% of those polled oppose the ban. The other 12% of likely voters are undecided.
Saturday 8.19
Adam Servais, 23, of Onalaska dies in Afghanistan when his Air Force Special Operations Unit comes under heavy fire. Servais is the fifth Wisconsin soldier to die as a result of service in Afghanistan.
Monday 8.21
Santiago Rosas, alderman for Dist. 17 on Madison's east side, is arrested for violating a domestic abuse restraining order issued by his wife. Rosas' wife, Elena, obtained the restraining order last week, saying he threatened her with a rifle. Rosas has represented the district since 1993. He denies the charges, saying his wife fabricated them because she is seeking a divorce.
Tuesday 8.22
Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk announces a new initiative to help troubled teens. The Focus Program will provide a residential facility for up to 10 teenage boys to help them make the transition from the legal system back into society.
Wednesday 8.23
A 20-year-old Madison woman sustains severe facial injuries after being attacked by a man in the stairwell of her apartment building on Langdon Street in the early morning. The woman fights off her attacker, described as white, 20 to 30 years old, about 6'2", with shoulder-length brown hair.
Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz names Charles "Chuck" Kamp, who currently oversees the transit system in the Appleton and Fox Cities region, as the new general manager for Madison Metro. Kamp will be paid $100,000 a year.
Compiled from local media
