State worker booked in balloon-popping incident; Officers hope playing cards will help solve old crimes; more briefs

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MADISON -- An assistant director in the Division of State Facilities was released after he was arrested Thursday for allegedly shoving a protestor against a door and popping her balloon.

Ronald Blair, 56, was booked on a possible charge of endangering safety with a dangerous weapon. Dane County’s chief prosecutor said he would review the case before making a decision on charges.

Blair is not commenting on Monday’s incident, which happened during the daily sing-along at the State Capitol by protestors upset about the law that limits union bargaining.

Leslie Peterson said she was getting ready to pose for a picture during the demonstration when Blair popped her balloon several times with a knife. When she asked for his name to consider a complaint, Peterson said he shoved her against a door. Blood was found at the scene, but Blair told officers he injured his hand on a stairway before the incident.

The balloons have become a symbol of the Capitol’s pro-union protests. Peterson told the Wisconsin State Journal Thursday that she feels bad it came down to this. She said the protest was meant to be peaceful.

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Officers hope playing cards will help solve old crimes

The state Justice Department is trying to solve old murders and disappearances by putting photos and descriptions of the victims on playing cards.

When jail and prison inmates play their card games, they can provide leads if they know any.

Special Agent Jim Holmes said information from an inmate could be the “missing link” that breathes new life into a cold case, and seeing a victim’s face can really hit home with prisoners who might come forward.

The cards feature victims like Alexis Patterson, the seven-year-old Milwaukee girl who vanished from school in 2002, and Brittany Zimmermann, the UW-Madison student who was killed in broad daylight at her apartment in 2008.

Holmes said law enforcement asked for permission from the victims’ families to put photos on the playing cards. He said some were just happy that officers have not forgotten about their cases.

A federal grant and donations are covering the $10,000 it cost to make 2,000 card decks. There are similar efforts in neighboring Minnesota and five other states.

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Lawsuit filed to block Adams County mega-farm

A Madison group and a local landowner have gone to court to try to stop a mega-farm from opening in Adams County.

The Family Farm Defenders and Bob Clarke, who owns a seasonal home in the area near Coloma, have filed a civil lawsuit in Dane County. They want the state Department of Natural Resources to review its approval of new structures for a 4,300 cow dairy operation proposed by the firm of Milk Source Holdings.

Milk Source has also asked the DNR for a pollution discharge permit. A decision is due around Sept. 1.

Over 400 people attended a public hearing earlier this month on the permit request.

Family Farm Defenders and Clarke say the proposed mega-farm threatens the quality of air, water and food. They said it would be a financial blow to smaller farms in the area. The suit claims small farms would get lower prices once the mega-farm floods the market with its products.

The head of the Family Farm Defenders, John Peck, told the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune he did not think the lawsuit would succeed, but he still believe it’s worth the effort to fight the project in court.

Bill Harke of Milk Source says his firm has complied with all state laws. He said the group’s other dairies are among the most environmentally sound operations in the country.

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Man seriously injured in fall from Door County cliff

A Door County man is still fighting for his life after he fell from a cliff at a county park this week.

Evan Nastos, 28, of Ellison Bay remained in critical condition at last word at a Green Bay hospital.

Authorities said he was hiking with a friend Tuesday at the Door Bluff Headlands County Park when he got close to a ledge, and his feet slid toward an embankment before he fell.

The park is located north of Ellison Bay in the northern Door Peninsula.

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State has more charter schools than ever

Wisconsin will have a record number of charter schools this fall thanks mainly to federal grants.

Thirty-six new charter schools are about to open their doors, bringing the total in Wisconsin to 236.

Charter schools offer specialized curricula under the wings of public school districts.

Thirty of the new schools are sharing about $6 million in federal dollars for start-up costs, and 15 existing charter schools are getting about $3 million for the new term.

State Superintendent Tony Evers said the federal grants are vital, due to the budget crunch at the state and local levels. Without the federal help, Evers said there would not be nearly as many new charter schools this fall.

Milwaukee’s CEO Leadership Academy is switching from a private school to a charter school. Board chairman Howard Fuller said the school could not financially survive as a private school.

CEO Leadership is getting $250,000 in start-up funds as a charter school. Fuller said being a charter school will connect CEO Leadership to a number of new networks. He said the grant money will help pay for teacher training and new computer equipment.

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DNR opposed federal plan to recognize two wolf species

A new federal plan to recognize two species of wolves would hurt Wisconsin’s effort to manage the animal’s growing population, said DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp Thursday at a forum on the subject in Minocqua.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is trying for a third time to remove Midwest grey wolves from the federal endangered species list.

Two previous de-listings allowed Wisconsin to adopt its own management plan, which does a better job of controlling problem wolves that attack farm animals and crops. But under the federal government’s new plan, two types of wolves would be recognized for the first time, and an eastern species that’s in the Badger State might continue to get federal protections.

If that’s the case, Stepp and other DNR officials say it would pose a huge problem for Wisconsin. That’s because many wolves in the state are a mix of the two species, and the state has always treated wolves as one group.

Also, Bill Horn of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance said environmentalists might use the new distinction to challenge the entire wolf de-listing in court again.

State officials have tried for years to get a permanent management plan in place as wolves continue to cause more damage. Among other things, eight hunting dogs have been killed by wolves in the state this year.

Wisconsin has up to 824 wolves. Its original goal was to have just 350.

Tags: state news, wisconsin