Four of the six Republican State Senators up for recall elections in Wisconsin won on Tuesday, thwarting Democratic efforts to gain control of the State Senate.

MacIver News’ Bill Osmulski reports from Milwaukee

The Recall Dave Hansen Committee went to court Monday seeking an injunction against the state Democratic Party. People who had signed the petition said they were receiving harassing phone calls from the party. The judge sided with the Democratic Party because the committee did not properly serve the request.

Photo taken 2004; Credit WKOW.com

26 year-old Katherine R. Windels has been charged for sending emails containing bomb threats and death threats to Wisconsin state senators during the budget battles last month.

According to the Milwauakee Journal Sentinel:

Windels was charged with two felony counts “bomb scare” and two misdemeanor counts of “computer message-threatening injury/bodily harm.” If convicted, each felony count carries a maximum penalty of three years and six months in prison and a $10,000 fine, and each misdemeanor count carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in prison and a $1,000 fine.

Windels was never arrested, but released on her own recognizance. This is surprising, since it now comes to light that she was investigated last year for similar activity. It is not known what she wrote exactly, as police redacted all content of the emails, but an acquaintance, Lisa Patterson, who received the e-mails, felt compelled to take them to the police. The police  merely told Windels to cease contact with Patterson.

In this latest caper meanwhile, Windels used the alias “Lisa Patterson.” Vindictiveness perhaps?

Liberty Chick reported at BigGovernment Friday that the Mackinaw Center recently received similar threats from a female caller. Could this be the same person again?

Windels’ e-mails got a lot of play when they first appeared. They were particularly vicious. Here is the complete text of one:

From: XXXX
Sent: Wed 3/9/2011 9:18 PM
To: Sen.Kapanke; Sen.Darling; Sen.Cowles; Sen.Ellis; Sen.Fitzgerald; Sen.Galloway; Sen.Grothman; Sen.Harsdorf; Sen.Hopper; Sen.Kedzie; Sen.Lasee; Sen.Lazich; Sen.Leibham; Sen.Moulton; Sen.Olsen
Subject: Atten: Death threat!!!! Bomb!!!!

Please put your things in order because you will be killed and your familes will also be killed due to your actions in the last 8 weeks. Please explain to them that this is because if we get rid of you and your families then it will save the rights of 300,000 people and also be able to close the deficit that you have created. I hope you have a good time in hell. Read below for more information on possible scenarios in which you will die.

(more…)

On Wednesday, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker explained how the savings gained through the collective bargaining changes recently passed by the legislature will more than offset cuts in state aids to most school districts.

That formula is altered, however, if school districts rush to implement new labor agreements before Act 10 goes into effect on March 26th.

Walker was joined at his press conference with administrators and board members from the New Berlin school district.

Those education officials praised Walker’s plan, noting that it allows for merit pay and flexibility which will improve the educational opportunities for Wisconsin students.

(more…)

Three weeks after Senate Democrats fled the state, the Wisconsin State Senate passed the bulk of the Budget Repair Bill in a series of swift and deliberate moves Wednesday.

Late in the afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and the GOP lawmakers assembled for the Special Session voted to send the bill to a bipartisan Senate-Assembly Conference Committee.

“This afternoon, following a week and a half of line‐by‐line negotiation, Sen. Miller sent me a letter that offered three options: 1) keep collective bargaining as is with no changes, 2) take our counter‐offer, which would keep collective bargaining as is with no changes, 3) or stop talking altogether,” said Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau).  “With that letter, I realized that we’re dealing with someone who is stalling indefinitely, and doesn’t have a plan or an intention to return. His idea of compromise is “give me everything I and the only negotiating he’s doing is through the media.”

Shortly after 6pm, the Conference Committee convened and quickly approved Fitzgerald’s changes to the budget bill over the forceful objections of Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha).

Democrats fled the state on February 17^th in an extreme parliamentary maneuver to prevent a 3/5^th quorum from being present.

(more…)

Administration officials estimate that securtiy costs for the first two weeks of the protests could be as high as five milliion dollars.

Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch announced that figure when testifying in a court hearing Wednesday. Union leaders have gone to court to force the state to remove the securitiy measures put in place this week.

The $5 million figure is for the period before enhanced security measures were established this week–measures that have been of little help to lawmakers like Senator Grothman, who speaks from experience when talking about the unruliness of the protesters.

Shortly after the state of Arizona began cracking down on illegal immigration, President Obama and company went on the offensive against the state.

Now, with the Gov. Scott Walker taking on unions in Wisconsin, it was only a matter of time before Obama gave his two cents. He has taken the side of the state government unions against Walker’s plan that would force state workers to cover half of their pension contributions and 13 percent of their own health insurance cuts. The plan would also strip government workers of the power to collectively bargain for higher wages unless the public approved it through a vote.

When asked about the public employee benefits cuts in Wisconsin and the resulting union protests President Obama said he saw the cuts as an “assault on unions”.

After these comments it seems that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is going to become the next conservative sweetheart. Soon enough people will see Scott Walker doing something awesome and they’ll think to themselves… Christie who? Walk on Walker… walk on.

(more…)