Saturday, February 1, 2025
Friday, January 31, 2025
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Cops Gone Wild: More Waupun prison staffers fired, resigned amid federal probe into alleged smuggling ring
Vanessa Swales
Nearly a dozen prison employees have now resigned or been fired since the U.S. Department of Justice launched a probe into a suspected drug, phone and contraband smuggling ring within Waupun Correctional Institution, according to the state's Department of Corrections.
That's up from the five previously reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last spring.
Of the 11 staffers, nine had their employment terminated and two resigned while under investigation, according to DOC spokesperson Beth Hardtke. The department said it isn't yet releasing the names of nine individuals whose employment was terminated because they are still under investigation.
In September, however, a former facilities repair worker at Waupun Correctional Institution pleaded guilty in federal court to smuggling contraband into the prison, including cell phones, tobacco products and controlled substances. Between 2022 and 2023, the former employee had received payments from prisoners, former prisoners and "associates" of prisoners totaling more than $53,000.
The probe came at a time when the state's correctional system faced growing criticism from prison rights advocates and families of Waupun prisoners following a spate of in-custody deaths, extended lock-down periods and poor access to on-site health care and services.
In June 2023, Dean Hoffmann, 60, died by suicide after nine days in solitary confinement. An investigation by the Journal Sentinel found that prison workers failed to give him his bipolar and antidepressant medications as prescribed more than three-quarters of the time. Shortly thereafter, his family filed a lawsuit alleging prison staff were deliberately indifferent to Hoffmann's serious mental health needs.
In October 2023, 30-year-old Tyshun Lemons died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and Cameron Williams, 24, died of a rare stroke. Fellow prisoners have accused prison workers of ignoring Williams' pleas for help before his death. Their families have filed separate civil rights lawsuits against DOC, each alleging that Lemons and Williams were deprived of constitutional rights protecting against cruel and unusual punishment.
Donald W. Maier, 62, died in February of last year, a week after staff began periodically switching off the water to prevent him from flooding his cell, according to a criminal complaint. He died of probable dehydration and malnutrition, and his death was ruled a homicide.
The Journal Sentinel also reported on the deaths of Jay J. Adkins, 66, who died in May, and Christopher L. McDonald, 57, who later died in August. Dodge County Sheriff Dale J. Schmidt did not immediately respond to questions about the status of his office's investigation into their deaths.
Last summer, the prison's former warden and eight other workers, including nurses, correctional sergeants and lieutenants at the facility, were arrested and charged with misconduct in office and abuse of residents of a penal facility related to the deaths of Williams and Maier.
32-year-old Walworth County man dies in Racine County crash
Drake Bentley
A 32-year-old Walworth County man died in a vehicle crash in Racine County Wednesday, authorities say.
The Racine County Sheriff's Office said the crash happened shortly after 3:30 p.m. in the town of Norway at the intersection of Highways K and S, or Apple Road and North Beaumont Avenue.
A preliminary investigation revealed the 32-year-old driver in a passenger car was stopped at the stop sign for Beaumont Avenue and pulled out in front of a utility pickup truck on Highway K, driven by a 28-year-old Racine County resident.
The sheriff's office said it's believed the Walworth County man was unfamiliar with the area. He was extricated from the heavily damaged car and life-saving efforts were attempted, but the man died at the scene, the sheriff's office said.
The driver of the pickup truck remained on scene and is fully cooperating with the investigation. No sign of impairment was seen for either driver and no other occupants were in the vehicles, the sheriff's office said.
No other information was immediately available.
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
When will the days start getting longer in Milwaukee?
Cailey Gleeson
Milwaukeeans, rejoice. It may still be cold, but starting Wednesday you'll have a little bit more daylight to get you through the frigid temperatures.
The sun will once again begin setting after 5 p.m. this week.
Here's what to know:
When will the sun start setting after 5 p.m. in Milwaukee?
2025's first sunset after 5 p.m. in Milwaukee is on Wednesday, according to timeanddate.com.
The sun rose at 7:09 a.m. and will set at 5 p.m. — giving the city nine hours and 51 minutes of daylight.
When will the days get longer in Milwaukee again this winter?
| Date | Hours of daylight | Sunrise | Sunset |
| Feb. 1 | 9 hours, 58 minutes | 7:06 a.m. | 5:04 p.m. |
| Feb. 15 | 10 hours, 34 minutes | 6:48 a.m. | 5:23 p.m. |
| March 1 | 11 hours, 14 minutes | 6:27 a.m. | 5:41 p.m. |
| March 15 | 11 hours, 55 minutes | 7:03 a.m. | 6:58 p.m. |
| April 1 | 12 hours, 45 minutes | 6:33 a.m. | 7:18 p.m. |
| April 15 | 13 hours, 25 minutes | 6:09 a.m. | 7:34 p.m. |
When does daylight savings time begin in 2025?
Daylight savings will resume on Sunday, March 9, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
The sun will set at 6:51 p.m. in Milwaukee on March 9, according to timeanddate.com. On March 8, it will set at 5:50 p.m.
When is Milwaukee’s longest day of the year?
The longest day of the year is the summer solstice, which will fall on Friday, June 20. Milwaukee saw 15 hours and 21 minutes of daylight during 2024’s summer solstice, per timeanddate.com, with the sun rising at 5:12 a.m. and setting at 8:34 p.m.
When is Milwaukee's shortest day of the year?
The shortest day of the year is the winter solstice, which will be on Sunday, Dec. 21 this year. Milwaukee is expected to receive nine hours of daylight — with a 7:20 a.m. sunrise and a 4:20 p.m. sunset, according to timeanddate.com.
More:What was that fiery streak in the sky Tuesday night over Wisconsin?
More:It's freezing cold in Wisconsin. When is the first day of spring 2025?
Lawmakers reverse DNR rule that banned guns for anglers in Wisconsin
Laura Schulte
MADISON - Anglers can now carry guns while they fish in Wisconsin after lawmakers overturned a decades-old rule on Wednesday.
The Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules approved overturning the rule on a 7-3 vote without discussion.
The change comes after a conservative group highlighted the law last year and how it could potentially impact anglers who carried a gun for protection but didn't plan to use it on fish.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, WILL, filed the lawsuit on behalf of Travis Kobs in Sheboygan County seeking to repeal a state rule enacted by the Department of Natural Resources in 1999 barring anglers from possessing firearms that could be used for fishing.
More:Hearing and comment period set on potential Lake Michigan commercial fishing rule
Since then, the rule has prevented anglers from being able to carry any sort of firearm while they fish on the water and along banks and shores.
WILL said the regulation possibly violated the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Kobs, according to the complaint, is an avid outdoorsman who also has a permit to conceal-carry a pistol for self-defense, which the regulation prevented him from doing while fishing.
The complaint also notes that musky fishing in Wisconsin can be dangerous, and until 1966, anglers often carried small guns to kill or incapacitate the fish before reeling them in. It also said Wisconsin's rules regarding fishing with firearms are some of the most restrictive in the nation.
Because there was a risk that a gun may be used for fishing, the regulation prohibited the possession of firearms completely.
After announcement of the lawsuit last year, the Department of Natural Resources pledged to repeal the rule, and said it already didn't enforce the rule. But, the agency said, anglers still won't be allowed to use guns to shoot fish, just simply carry them for protection.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.
Wisconsin's opportunity gap for Black, white students still among worst in U.S.
Cleo Krejci
For Wisconsin fourth graders, 51% of white students tested "proficient" or better in math. For Black students, the score was just 5% — an opportunity gap of 46 percentage points.
Those are among the 2024 results of the U.S. Department of Education's National Assessment of Educational Progress test, sometimes called the "Nation's Report Card." Released Wednesday, the results reflect how fourth and eighth grade students performed on national math and reading tests, which are distinct from Wisconsin's Forward Exam.
Overall, Wisconsin students tested better than their peers compared to national averages. The state's eighth grade students scored third-highest in the U.S. for math, NAEP data show.
In an interview, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly said the NAEP results are a high standard to meet, and are different than grade-level proficiency.
She also said the 2024 results reflect a need to increase funding for public education in Wisconsin.
In particular, Underly said what's needed to address disparities in test results between Black and white students are school resources: among them, highly qualified teachers in classrooms, quality school nutrition, mental health resources, child care, after-school programs and funding for literacy in Wisconsin Act 20.
"If we're serious about closing opportunity gaps and setting up all students for success, we have to stop underfunding public education," Underly said.
Without those resources, Underly said, forces like poverty continue to take a toll on students' ability to learn.
Wisconsin could address the gaps, she said.
"We know what will fix it," Underly said. "But yet, our state Legislature just chooses not to. And that's the hard part for me to accept as a human, and as a mom, and as a teacher."
2024 math and reading scores for all Wisconsin students
- Grade four math: 42% of Wisconsin students tested "proficient" or better compared to a national score of 39%. Wisconsin's 2024 data represents no significant change from the 2022 score of 43%, according to NAEP.
- Grade eight math: 37% of Wisconsin students tested "proficient" or better compared to a national score of 27%. Wisconsin's data from 2024 represents no significant change from the 2022 score of 33%, according to NAEP.
- Grade four reading: 31% of Wisconsin students tested "proficient" or better compared to a national score of 30%. Wisconsin's 2024 data represents no significant change from the 2022 score of 33%, according to NAEP.
- Grade eight reading: 31% of Wisconsin students tested "proficient" or better compared to a national score of 29%. Wisconsin's 2024 data represents no significant change from the 2022 score of 32%, according to NAEP.
2024 math and reading scores for Wisconsin students broken down by racial gaps
- Grade four math: 51% of Wisconsin white students overall tested "proficient" or better compared to 5% of Black students.
- Grade eight math: 45% of Wisconsin white students overall tested "proficient" or better compared to 7% of Black students.
- Grade four reading: 38% of Wisconsin white students overall tested "proficient" or better compared to 8% of Black students.
- Grade eight reading: 36% of Wisconsin white students overall tested "proficient" or better compared to 9% of Black students.
Washington, D.C. reported a larger gap between Black and white student test scores, according to NAEP data.
How did Milwaukee Public Schools students perform in 2024 standardized math and reading tests?
District-by-district test results from the NAEP are available for 26 large urban districts around the U.S., including Milwaukee Public Schools.
The 2024 data show MPS students tested below their peer group of large urban districts.
- Grade four math: 12% of MPS students tested proficient or above, compared to 33% for large cities. MPS' 2024 data represents no significant change from the 2022 score of 11%, according to NAEP.
- Grade eight math: 8% of MPS students tested proficient or above, compared to 23% for large cities. MPS' 2024 data represents no significant change from the 2022 score of 7%, according to NAEP.
- Grade four reading: 9% of MPS students tested proficient or above, compared to 26% for large cities. MPS' 2024 data represents no significant change from the 2022 score of 12%, according to NAEP.
- Grade eight reading: 15% of MPS students tested proficient or above, compared to 26% for large cities. MPS' 2024 data represents no significant change from the 2022 score of 14%, according to NAEP.
Cleo Krejci covers K-12 education and workforce development as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at CKrejci@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci. For more information about Report for America, visit jsonline.com/rfa.
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