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Judge decides not to shut down Line 5 over shoreline erosion concerns
A federal judge ruled against conducting an emergency shutdown of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline Thursday, sections of which operate on Bad River tribal lands. The Bad River Band argued in U.S. District Court in Madison that Line 5 has become an imminent danger due to recent post-storm erosion, which has carved away large sections […]
At Milwaukee County Reintegration Center new vision collides with mass incarceration
Milwaukee County has big plans for its Community Reintegration Center (CRC), an incarceration facility formerly known as the House of Corrections. By creating a diversified network of programs and services and avoiding overcrowding, officials hope to repurpose the facility to better reintegrate its residents back into the community. It’s an ambitious goal, though one which […]
Bad River tribe and allies call for emergency Line 5 shutdown
Next week a court filing by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa will be brought before a U.S. district court judge in Madison who is presiding over a legal battle between the tribe and the Canadian energy company Enbridge, over the company’s Line 5 pipeline. Since 2019, the tribe has argued that Enbridge […]
Republicans propose to restrict books, prosecute school staff
Republican lawmakers are proposing to remove certain books from schools and prosecute school staff who allow students to access materials deemed inappropriate. A co-sponsorship memo entitled “Protect Childhood Innocence” authored by Rep. Scott Allen (R-Waukesha) and Sen. Andre Jacque (R-DePere) began circulating Tuesday. One proposed bill removes protections of schools and their staff against prosecution […]
Evers signs bills targeting reckless driving and carjacking into law
In Milwaukee, Gov. Tony Evers signed two bills into law Wednesday targeting reckless driving and carjacking. Assembly Bill 55 increase penalties for reckless driving while Senate Bill 76 creates a new section of the criminal code for carjackings. Joined by legislators from both sides of the aisle and locals who has lost loved ones to […]
Protesters march in Wauwatosa after federal jury exonerates police
“So whose side are you on, my people, whose side are you on?” Mariah Smith, one of many who marched with The People’s Revolution (TPR) in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd, sang to a group of fellow protesters. “We’re on the freedom side,” the marchers responded loudly. Standing in Wauwatosa’s Hart Park, the […]
Wauwatosa protester list testimony wraps up
Update: A federal jury in the Eastern District of Wisconsin cleared Wauwatosa police officers after two hours of deliberation Friday in a lawsuit concerning the “protester list” they created in what plaintiffs’ attorneys called “an extraordinarily important case.” The list compiled personal information including names, addresses, dates of birth, height, weight, eye color, social media […]
Emotional testimony quashed during Day 3 of protester list trial
A third, emotion-filled day in a federal court case on Wauwatosa police surveillance of protesters began with testimony from Lt. Joseph Roy, who oversees WPD’s open records requests. Both Roy and Dominick Ratkowski, the department’s only crime analyst, are defendants in the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that both men violated the Drivers License Protection […]
Wauwatosa protester ‘target list’ trial enters second day
A federal lawsuit against the city of Wauwatosa over a list of people associated with protests created by the Wauwatosa Police Department (WPD) entered its second day Tuesday. Capt. Luke Vetter, one of the police department’s highest ranking officers both during the protests took the stand along with WPD crime analyst Dominick Ratkowski who testified […]
Wauwatosa protester ‘target list’ trial begins
“This case is not about politics, it’s about privacy,” said attorney Kimberley Motley during opening statements Monday on the first day of a federal trial over measures the City of Wauwatosa and its police department took against protesters who were part of a nationwide movement beginning in 2020 against police brutality. Curfews were enacted as […]
Activists call for immigration reform on May Day
On the first day of May, activists from the immigrant rights group Voces de la Frontera and allied organizations are taking to the streets for two days of marches in Milwaukee and Madison. The actions focus on continued efforts to restore driver’s licenses to undocumented Wisconsin residents and tuition equity for students from immigrant families. […]
Advocate has lukewarm reaction to report on legal aid for tenants facing eviction
Although a program in Milwaukee County that helped tenants facing eviction find legal representation saw major successes, local housing advocates feel that far more is needed. “It’s still kind of a drip in the bucket,” Joshua Taylor, an organizer with the Milwaukee Autonomous Tenants Union (MATU) told Wisconsin Examiner. “It’s a positive reform, but we […]