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• Pierce County judgeship: Did O'Boyle meet deadline?
• Barron Co. officers investigate farm death; more state briefs
• Pierce County judgeship: Did O'Boyle meet deadline?
• Update: GAB spokesman says O'Boyle missed deadline
• GAB spokesman says O'Boyle missed deadline

Although the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board's website still lists only two candidates for the Pierce County judgeship, a third man says he met the deadline for filing.

Pierce County District Attorney John O'Boyle said Wednesday morning that he overnight mailed his registration forms and completed nomination papers to the Madison office Monday. The deadline for filing was 5 p.m. Tuesday.

According to U.S. Post Office tracking records, the documents were delivered to the elections board on time, said O'Boyle. He said he expects the website won't be updated until elections board workers have time to go over the nomination papers.

O'Boyle said he submitted a few more than the required 250 signatures.

The two official candidates for judge are River Falls lawyer Joe Boles and Ellsworth lawyer Robert Loberg.

The Government Accountability Board's press relations person was not available first thing Wednesday morning.

If O'Boyle's paperwork is accepted, there will be a primary election for the office now held by Robert Wing, who is retiring.

Authorities in northwest Wisconsin are still investigating the death of a Cumberland man who was apparently run over by a tractor last week.

A friend told Barron County sheriff's deputies that he had not seen John McDonald, 53, for a couple days.

Officers went to McDonald's farm and found his snow-covered body pinned underneath the blade of a tractor.

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We still lead in cheese

Wisconsin continues to dominate as the nation's top cheese maker.

Total cheese production in the Badger State was 4.3% higher in November than at the same time a year ago. That's more than the national increase of 1.9%.

The No. 2 cheese state, California, continued to see its production go down. It dropped 2.2% from the previous year.

Wisconsin made almost 218 million pounds of cheese in November. The state's Italian cheese output grew a whopping 7% to 102 million pounds. Wisconsin also churned out 68 million pounds of American cheese and 53 million pounds of Cheddar.

The third and fourth leading cheese states, Idaho and New York, each had production increases of 1% to 2%. New Mexico, the No. 5 state, raised its cheese output over 8%.

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Many still without insurance

About 6% of Wisconsinites did not have health insurance in 2008. That's the same percentage as the year before.

State health officials interviewed people in 2,500 households. Almost 90% of them had health coverage for all of 2008. Another 5% were insured for part of the year, and 5% had no coverage.

The survey also showed that 11% of Wisconsin households were getting their insurance through Badger Care Plus or other Medicaid programs.

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Felons arrested for hunting with gun

Twenty-nine Wisconsin felons were arrested for deer hunting with a gun in November.

The Department of Natural Resources reports that's the highest number in the last seven years.

Chief Warden Randy Stark said felons cannot possess firearms under state or federal laws, but they can still buy hunting licenses.

Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire wants to change that. He's working on a bill to ban felons from buying any kind of gun license for hunting. Violators would pay fines of up to $1,000.

Nine felons were arrested for weapon possession in the 2008 gun deer season. Sixteen were picked up in 2007, and nine in 2006.

Although the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board's website still lists only two candidates for the Pierce County judgeship, a third man says he met the deadline for filing.

Pierce County District Attorney John O'Boyle said Wednesday morning that he overnight mailed his registration forms and completed nomination papers to the Madison office Monday. The deadline for filing was 5 p.m. Tuesday.

According to U.S. Post Office tracking records, the documents were delivered to the elections board on time, said O'Boyle. He said he expects the website won't be updated until elections board workers have time to go over the nomination papers.

O'Boyle said he submitted a few more than the required 250 signatures.

The two official candidates for judge are River Falls lawyer Joe Boles and Ellsworth lawyer Robert Loberg.

The Government Accountability Board's press relations person was not available first thing Wednesday morning.

If O'Boyle's paperwork is accepted, there will be a primary election for the office now held by Robert Wing, who is retiring.

By Judy Wiff

regional@rivertowns.net

According to state records, filing documents weren't received from John O'Boyle, and evidently his name won't appear on the ballot for the Pierce County judgeship in April.

The two certified candidates for the position are River Falls lawyer Joe Boles and Ellsworth lawyer Robert Loberg.

O'Boyle, currently Pierce County's district attorney, said Wednesday morning that he overnight mailed his registration forms and completed nomination papers to the Government Accountability Office in Madison Monday. The deadline for filing was 5 p.m. Tuesday.

"We don't have any record of having received it," said GAB spokesman Reid Magney after checking through office records at about 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Barring some proof, such as a certified mail receipt, that someone in the office accepted the documents, O'Boyle's name won't be on the ballot, said Magney.

"If he's got some evidence that that was delivered, we'd have to look at that," he said.

Earlier Wednesday, Boyle said that according to U.S. Post Office tracking records, the documents were delivered to the elections board on time.

He said he submitted a few more than the required 250 signatures.

By Judy Wiff

regional@rivertowns.net

According to state records, filing documents weren't received from John O'Boyle, and evidently his name won't appear on the ballot for the Pierce County judgeship in April.

The two certified candidates for the position are River Falls lawyer Joe Boles and Ellsworth lawyer Robert Loberg.

O'Boyle, currently Pierce County's district attorney, said Wednesday morning that he overnight mailed his registration forms and completed nomination papers to the Government Accountability Office in Madison Monday. The deadline for filing was 5 p.m. Tuesday.

"We don't have any record of having received it," said GAB spokesman Reid Magney after checking through office records at about 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Barring some proof, such as a certified mail receipt, that someone in the office accepted the documents, O'Boyle's name won't be on the ballot, said Magney.

"If he's got some evidence that that was delivered, we'd have to look at that," he said.

Earlier Wednesday, O'Boyle said that according to U.S. Post Office tracking records, the documents were delivered to the elections board on time.

He said he submitted a few more than the required 250 signatures.