Supreme Court justices agree to be collegial; 71-year-old woman breaks world exercise record; more briefs

Talk about it

Wisconsin Supreme Court justices voted 4-3 Wednesday afternoon not to hire a consultant to improve the way they interact amongst themselves.

That was one of the ideas suggested in the wake of the physical skirmish in June between justices David Prosser and Ann Walsh Bradley. But the court’s four conservative justices said they were against considering the idea in public.

Prosser, Pat Roggensack, Annette Ziegler and Michael Gableman all said it’s a personnel matter that should be discussed in private.

Earlier this month, Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson proposed a dozen ideas to improve the court’s civility. One of them, deliberating cases in public, was voted down two weeks ago.

Wednesday the justices discussed numerous ideas for an hour and a half before approving a statement which affirms “our commitment to collegiality and cooperation.”

Prosser said it sounded nice, but it’s rather meaningless. But he ended up reluctantly agreeing with the statement, and it was endorsed unanimously.

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71-year-old woman breaks world exercise record

A 71-year-old nurse in Marshfield broke an unofficial world record Wednesday for an abdominal exercise called the “plank.”

Betty Sweeney of Plover held up her body by her forearms and toes for 36 minutes and 58 seconds – breaking the previous mark of a 33:40 held by a man from Australia.

When Sweeney was hospitalized in 2009, she weighed 235 pounds and decided it was time to make a change. Fitness expert Dave Candra of Stevens Point helped her get back into shape. Sweeney lost 110 pounds, and was able to stop taking 11 medications. She has also returned to work as a registered nurse.

Sweeney and Candra started working together earlier this year on breaking the record for the “plank” exercise. And yesterday, she knew after 20 minutes she would set the new mark.

Two police officers looked on as the witnesses which are required to get Guinness to recognize the new world record. Guinness officials also want videos and handwritten statements before confirming the new mark.

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Business owner accused of stealing retirement account money

The owner of an excavation firm in southeast Wisconsin has been charged with stealing money that was set aside for his employees’ retirements.

A federal grand jury in Madison has indicted Allen Howe, 63, of Waterloo. He’s accused of embezzling $57,000 withheld from employees’ paychecks for their retirement accounts.

The alleged thefts took place from late 2006 through the fall of 2009. The U.S. Labor Department investigated the matter and recommended charges.

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Domestic violence claimed 58 lives in state in 2010

Domestic violence is a public health issue as well as a public safety problem, said Milwaukee officials after learning that 58 people were killed in 39 domestic abuse incidents in Wisconsin last year.

That was down from 67 killings the year before, but the state’s Coalition Against Domestic Violence said 2009 marked a 10-year high for abuse deaths.

Seventeen counties had fatal incidents. Milwaukee County had 21 deaths.

Deputy District Attorney Kent Lovern said domestic violence is the most urgent public safety concern in Milwaukee today and the entire community needs to work together to prevent it.

Lovern said prosecutors and family peace advocates are now stationed at six Milwaukee police districts to provide help before a family situation turns deadly. He said there were 1,700 referrals from the police stations last year, and the number is expected to jump by four times this year.

Terry Perry of the Milwaukee Health Department said domestic violence is very much a health concern. He said children who witness family violence are more likely to have emotional stress, depressions and complications from things like asthma.

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Man gets 46-year term for sexual assault

A Racine man will spend almost 46 years in prison for taking a woman’s keys off a bar at a tavern and using those keys to enter her home and sexually assault her.

If he’s alive when he leaves prison, Timothy Kosterman, 41, must spend up to 15 years under extended supervision.

The incident happened in July of last year. The victim, who’s now 24, told Racine County Circuit Judge Pat Torhorst she went into a shell after the attack, and she’s still afraid of closing her eyes at night.

Prosecutors said Kosterman never saw the incident as a sexual assault, and he blames the victim for what happened.

The judge said Kosterman was not as intoxicated that night as he tried to claim. The judge said Kosterman had planned the assault.

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$500,000 bond set in homicide case

A $500,000 bond was set for one of two men accused of killing another man during a robbery attempt in Madison.

Anthony Williams, 19, of Madison made his first appearance in Dane County Circuit Court on a homicide charge. He and Zachary Mays, 18, of Madison are accused of shooting and killing Michael Keith Jr., 24, of Madison and Chicago.

Elizabeth Glasbrenner, 21, of Madison and Natique Crawford, 18, of Milwaukee are charged with felony murder and attempted homicide in the holdup, which occurred Sept. 15 outside a Madison apartment building.

Police said the women enlisted the men to help rob Keith of money and drugs. Prosecutors said Glasbrenner needed money to pay her rent, and Crawford wanted cash for cigarettes.

All four are due back in court Oct. 13 when a judge will decide if there’s enough evidence to order trials.

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Green Bay gets $500,000 grant for airline service

Green Bay is one of 29 U.S. cities to get federal grants to improve their airline service.

Transportation officials said Green Bay is receiving $500,000 to provide a revenue guarantee for a carrier and to market year-round flight service to the west.

The funding is part of a program that helps smaller cities meet their local air service needs. The program started in 2002 to help smaller places deal with things like insufficient service levels and high fares caused by a lack of competition.

Cities can use the money to give financial incentives to carriers and promote existing local air service.

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Moose dies following surgery

A popular bull moose has died at the Northeast Wisconsin Zoo near Green Bay.

Seven-and-a-half-year-old Dave died Monday after he was treated for a dental infection. He had chronic problems with an abscessed tooth, and several veterinarians had performed surgery Sunday to try and cure the moose. But Dave went into a respiratory arrest just before he died.

A necropsy was performed to determine the exact cause of death. The results are expected to be known within a month.

Tags: state news, wisconsin