Push is on for mandatory pet abuse reporting; Deer hunters asked to report feral pig sightings to DNR; more briefs

Talk about it

State law requires a host of specialists to tell authorities about the abuse they see against children and the elderly. But no such law exists for pet abuse, and that’s something veterinary leaders are trying to change.

The issue has come up in Wausau, where a 20-year-old woman was charged this week with poisoning and killing her boyfriend’s dog after it was treated for earlier injuries.

The Wausau Daily Herald says 39 states, including Wisconsin, do not have laws that require people like veterinarians to report suspected abuse to law enforcement.

Mary Kirlin of the Marathon County Humane Society said she gets several calls a week about suspected animal abuse and passes the more believable calls on to police. She says pet abuse is more common than people think, and she believes it largely goes unreported.

Wausau veterinarian Karla Sathre said it can be hard to report abuse cases because many are hard to prove – especially when a pet owner seeks medical treatment. Sathre said Marathon County needs a humane officer because the police have other things to do.

Wausau police captain Dwayne Dachel told the Daily Herald that pet abuse calls are not frequent to his agency, but all of them are taken seriously.

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Deer hunters asked to report feral pig sightings to DNR

State officials are asking deer hunters to report any wild pigs they see to the Department of Natural Resources.

There have been reports of feral pigs in at least 51 counties over the last 15 years.

The DNR says they’re a serious environmental threat because they destroy nature lands while looking for food, and they often carry diseases. Also, feral pigs have been known to prey on fawns and birds that nest on the ground.

The DNR allows hunters to shoot feral pigs every day of the year except the Friday before the nine-day gun season in November, but they need small game licenses if they shoot on other people’s land.

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OSHA accuses Wood Products firm of exposing workers to amputation risks

The Northeastern Wisconsin Wood Products company in Pound has been cited by the federal government for 16 workplace safety violations.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed fines of over $140,000.

The agency inspected the plant in April. Many of the citations accuse the plant of exposing workers to amputation risks.

The plant makes parts for containers and wood pallets.

Northeastern Wisconsin Wood Products has 15 days to pay the fine, challenge the citations or seek a settlement conference with OSHA.

The agency added the company to its Severe Violator Enforcement Program after 18 previous citations which followed an inspection in January of last year. The firm challenged the citations, but they became final orders in March of this year.

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Two spa shooting victims remain hospitalized

Another of the four surviving victims of last Sunday’s shooting spree at a Brookfield spa went home from the hospital Wednesday.

That leaves two women still hospitalized as they recover from their gunshot wounds. Both are in satisfactory condition at Milwaukee’s Froedtert Hospital. The survivors’ names have still not been released.

Meanwhile, funeral arrangements have been announced for two of the three women killed by gunman Radcliffe Haughton at the Azana Salon and Spa. Services for Cary Robuck, 35, of Racine will be held 7 p.m. Friday at Grace Church in Racine, where visitations begin at 3 p.m.

Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling will help sell T-shirts Friday to raise money for Robuck’s family. The shirts read “One Big City, One Big Family.”

A funeral will be held Sunday evening in Oconomowoc for Maelyn Lind, 38, of the town of Merton. The service begins at 5 p.m. at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church, where visitations begin at 2 p.m.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced yet for Haughton’s estranged wife Zina, who was working at the salon when she was killed.

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Ho-Chunk member gets 10-year sentence on bribery scheme

A member of the Ho-Chunk Indian tribe has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for taking over $3 million in a bribery scheme.

Federal Judge William Conley also told Timothy Whiteagle, 61, of Black River Falls to spend three years under supervision when he gets out and to pay almost $163,000 to the IRS.

Whiteagle’s attorney said the sentence was too harsh, and the government should have let the tribe handle the case.

A jury in Madison convicted Whiteagle almost three months ago for bribery and tax violations.

Prosecutors said Whiteagle was a consultant for businesses that provided ATM and check-cashing services at Ho-Chunk casinos and for a business that wanted to provide housing and mortgages to tribal members.

Officials said Whiteagle and others gave former Ho-Chunk legislator Clarence Pettibone cash and numerous gifts in exchange for his votes on tribal contracts from 2002 through 2009. In July, Pettibone was sentenced to five years in prison in July for his role in the scheme.

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Packer, Brewer plan fundraiser for spa shooting survivors

Survivors of the Brookfield spa shootings are about to get help from an unexpected and very high-profile source.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he and Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun are planning a fundraiser for the victims and their families.

Rodgers and Braun own the 8-12 Restaurant in Brookfield. Rodgers says the restaurant makes him and Braun part of the community so they’re looking for ways to help.

Rodgers told WTMJ Radio in Milwaukee that the restaurant’s partner, Omar Shaikh, is still finalizing plans for the fundraiser. Rodgers said all of the proceeds will go to help the victims.

Radcliffe Haughton killed his wife, two others and himself at the Azana Salon and Spa last Sunday. Four other women were wounded.

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Wisconsin native will become Catholic cardinal

Milwaukee’s Catholic archbishop has high praise for Wisconsin native James Harvey, the longtime Vatican assistant who’s being elevated to cardinal.

Pope Benedict said Wednesday that six prelates would be elevated in a consistory planned for Nov. 24. Harvey, 63, is the only American to be promoted.

He was raised in Milwaukee. Archbishop Jerome Listecki said Harvey has always kept Milwaukee his home, and he makes sure he stays connected to his home archdiocese.

Listecki called Harvey a “dedicated and faithful servant to the universal church” and said the appointment was a tribute to the Milwaukee Archdiocese.

Harvey will become one of 120 prelates who will elect the next pope when the time comes. Benedict is now 85.

Harvey served one year as the assessor in the Vatican’s Secretariat of State before he was named in 1998 as the prefect of the papal household. He organizes the pope’s schedule, escorts visiting dignitaries at the Vatican and joins the pontiff at his weekly general audiences.

Harvey became an archbishop in 2003. As part of his new promotion, he’ll become the archpriest at the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls.

Harvey was born in Milwaukee in 1949, but he studied in Rome and was ordained there.

Tags: state news, wisconsin, crime, religion