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Week-ends (07/02/11)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on July 2, 2011

Week-ends

A look back at the people and events that made news the past week. Week-ends is a regular weekly feature of This Just In...


HEROES OF THE WEEK


Gary Sinise


Jody Kelley


Barry Galfano


Bob Wieland


Kassidy Merritt


Michael Kacer


Elderly woman armed with cane



VILLAINS OF THE WEEK


Racine firefighters union


Eugene City Council


Joseph Simpson JR


Hillary Clinton


Coalition Against Breast Cancer


Stephanie Robinette



QUOTES OF THE WEEK


"I thought (Obama) was kind of a dick, yesterday."
Mark Halperin


“So let’s take a look here. The word 'dick' inappropriate. But the Republicans will hurt disabled kids is totally permissible. The Republicans will hurt college kids. The Republicans will take food out of old people's mouths. Totally appropriate. The Republicans want to take Social Security checks away from old people, totally appropriate. Paul Ryan will push your grandmother to her death over a cliff in a wheelchair, totally appropriate. The rich are selfish, mean-spirited, extremist racists, totally appropriate to say. Conservatives are racist, sexist, bigot, homophobes, totally appropriate to say. It is totally appropriate to make up quotes I never said and attribute them to me. It's totally appropriate for left-wing sportswriters to invent things I never said, that's totally appropriate.”
Rush Limbaugh


“They want to see two girls come together and have a mud wrestling fight. And I’m not going to give it to ‘em.  I have great respect and admiration for the Governor."
GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann commenting about the media comparing her to Sarah Palin.


“When I look around this room, I see America’s future. Our doctors, our teachers, our nurses, our engineers, our scientists, our soldiers, our Congressman, our Senators and maybe our President.” US Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois)


“They have no right to be here. They’re clogging up our emergency rooms. They’re making our education system more expensive, and if you go to the Madison County jail, far too many illegal aliens there because they have victimized Americans. As your congressman on the House floor I’ll do anything short of shooting them, anything that is lawful. It needs to be done because illegal aliens need to quit taking jobs from American citizens.”
Rep. Mo Brooks (R.-Ala.)



OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK


The TSA and its handling of a 95-year old woman and her adult diaper.



MOST UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEK


Softball politics in Wisconsin



MOST OVER-HYPED STORY OF THE WEEK


I thought there was far too much coverage of the re-opening of the O'Donnell parking structure. Every time, it re-opened the wounds for the family of the young boy killed in that accident.



STRANGEST, MOST UNUSUAL STORY OF THE WEEK


The Wine Rack and other liquor luggage.


It's your feet, ladies.


That’s it. Thanks for checking in.

We close with the latest from NewsBusted:

 

Let's just ban all fun on the Fourth

Posted by Kevin Fischer on July 2, 2011

They’re out there.

The nervous Nellie’s, worry-warts, fuddy-duddies (lefties) who in their miserable hum-drum lives wish to eliminate all the fun and celebration surrounding our holidays, including America’s birthday, Independence Day.

When I filled in for Mark Belling this week on Newstalk 1130 WISN, this blog served as inspiration for one of my topics. Sure enough, I took more than a few phone calls from people who were adamant that no firework should be legal. Why? Because one that landed in the street ALMOST caused a car accident. That firework leftovers were found, not on their roofs, but on their lawns, that a couch caught on fire.

I thought one unhinged east-sider (of course) was going to break down and cry.

Was there any actual property damage I asked the callers?

No.

Was there any personal injury?

No.

BUT THERE COULD HAVE BEEN!

They are just too dangerous?

Why?

Because they are.

Is that because the fireworks themselves are dangerous or is it more due to a lack of proper parental supervision and/or complete stupidity?

Well, that might be true…

BINGO!

Certainly there’s a risk at using fireworks if you’re a complete buffoon and have no clue what you’re doing.

Using that same logic that all fireworks should be banned around Independence Day, should we clamp down on grilling?

How about bicycle parades on the 4^th?

And what about cars?  Incredibly risky. Should we ban them, too.

To all the ninny nanny-staters, big, bad meanie-greenies, do us a favor. Clam up. Lock yourself inside on the 4^th. Hide under your mattress, and let the vast majority of us enjoy celebrating the greatness of America.

Photos of the Week (07/03/11)

Posted by Kevin Fischer on July 3, 2011

Photos of the Week

1) The Minnesota Zoo is closed due to the state government shutting down on Friday going into the July 4 holiday after Democratic Governor Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders failed to reach a budget deal in St. Paul, Minnesota Friday July 1, 2011. State parks and campgrounds have closed ahead of what is usually their busiest stretch of the year for the July 4 holiday, and dozens of highway rest stops were shut down for one of the biggest travel days of the year. Photo: Reuters


2) Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich speaks to the media at the Federal Courthouse Monday, June 27, 2011 in Chicago. Blagojevich has been convicted of 17 of the 20 charges against him, including all 11 charges related to his attempt to sell or trade President Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat. At right is his wife Patti. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)


3) Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) addresses a gathering of supporters to formally launch her campaign for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination in her childhood hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, June 27, 2011. Bachmann, a rising star of the conservative Tea Party movement, leaped into the race for the Republican 2012 presidential nomination on Monday and said the country cannot afford four more years of President Barack Obama. Photo: Reuters


4) Jennifer Pitts Adair kneels in the spot where she survived a direct hit from the April 27th EF5 tornado, June 20, 2011. Her Camden Ct. home in Limestone County near Athens, Ala., was destroyed to the foundation yet the twister left her lying in floor of what was once her closet injuring only her shoulder. Adair credits her survival to lessons learned from the 1974 tornado that claimed three relatives years before she was even born. Gary Cosby Jr / AP


5) A crew member aboard the International Space Station, flying at an altitude of approximately 235 statute miles on June 27, 2011, exposed this still photograph of a major fire in the Jemez Mountains of the Santa Fe National Forest in north-central New Mexico. The fire is just southwest of Los Alamos National Laboratories. Photo: NASA


6) In this photo taken Thursday, June 30, lightning strikes near the downtown Chicago area as a powerful storm swept through the area. Tom Cruze / Chicago Sun-Times via AP


7) A rainbow of light can be seen at the base of the over 300 foot tall Yellowstone River Lower Falls in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, on June 21. Jim Urquhart/Reuters


8) Two skydivers parachutes tangle during 'Aviation training' at the Airpower 2011 airshow in Zeltweg, Austria on Friday, July 1. Both soldiers were injured in the incident and flown to nearby hospitals. Mario Kuhnke / EPA


9) Firefighters freed a Fond du Lac man Tuesday after he got his hand stuck in a car while retrieving a Snickers candy bar. Russ Plummer/The Fond du Lac Reporter


10) Bodies painted in red and black lie on the ground making an image depicting a bull to protest against bullfighting in Cali, Colombia on June 30.. Carlos Julio Martinez / AP


11) A man dressed up as the devil jumps over babies lying on a mattress in the street during 'El Colacho', the 'baby jumping festival' on June 26, in the village of Castrillo de Murcia, near Burgos, Spain. Baby jumping is a traditional Spanish practice dating back to 1620 that takes place annually to celebrate the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi. During the act - known as El Salto del Colacho (the devil's jump) or simply "El Colacho" men dressed as the Devil (known as the Colacho) jump the babies to take the evil from those born the last twelve months of the year as they lie on mattresses in the street. Israel Lopez /AP


12) A rabbit jumps over a hurdle near Jena, Germany, on June15. This rabbit belongs to the First Thuringia Rabbit Sport Jena Society, whose members devote themselves to 'Kaninhop.' It consists in rabbits running a course and jumping over obstacles while being timed. Martin Schutt / EPA


13) Sushi chefs pose for photographs as they try to lift a 772 pound, 9 foot long bluefin tuna during an event promoting a restaurant in Seoul on June 28. Kim Ju-Seong / Yonhap via Reuters


14) Kent Carmichael of Ulysses, Kan. poses with a giant halibut he caught on Tuesday, June 28, in the Gulf of Alaska, about 90 minutes offshore from Pelican in Southeast Alaska. A conversion table in the Alaska Tide Book was used to determine the weight of the 94-inch fish to be an estimated 466 pounds. Highliner Lodge & Charters Inc. via AP


15) Sydney Wildlife World's new baby joey koala "Boonda" clings to its mother "Elle" on June 28. Koalas are under threat due to a shortage of suitable habitats due to mass land clearances, with Sydney Wildlife World launching KOALA HQ in July to help raise much needed awareness regarding the importance of conserving one of Australia's most iconic and adored marsupials. Greg Wood / AFP - Getty Images


16) Festival goers walk through rubbish left in the main arena in front of the Pyramid Stage as they begin to leave the Glastonbury Festival site at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 27, 2011. As the 140,000 plus music fans began to leave this morning the clean up of the 1000s of tonnes of rubbish left by them begins. The festival, which started in 1970 when several hundred hippies paid 1 GBP to watch Marc Bolan, has grown into Europe's largest music festival attracting more than 175,000 people over five days. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)


17) The O&M Co., Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano are shown in a scene from "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark." The reboot of the "Spider-Man" musical on Broadway enjoyed a strong second straight week at the box office, leaving the two lead producers cautiously optimistic about the future of the show."Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" took in $1.7 million for the week ending Sunday, June 26. (AP Photo/The O&M Co., Jacob Cohl)


18) Over one thousand guitarists perform "Amazing Grace" during the World Culture Festival at Berlin's Olympiastadion July 2. Thousands of people showed up for the festival which marks Shankar's "Art of Living" movement's 30th anniversary. John MacDougall / AFP - Getty Images


19) NBA basketball player Dirk Nowitzki waves to fans as he arrives at the Wuerzburg Residenz during a visit to his German home town of Wuerzburg, June 28, 2011. Nowitzki became the first German to win an NBA title when his basketball team Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat last weeki, giving the Mavericks their first championship in their 31 year history. Nowitzki was also named the Most Valuable Player of the Championship series. Frank Rumpenhorst/Pool via Reuters. Here, Nowitzki holds a glass of beer while he arrives at the Wuerzburg Residence. Ralph Orlowski / Getty Images


20) A tennis fan attends Day Eight of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 28, in London, England. Julian Finney / Getty Images


21) Children cavort in a fountain to cool off while parents catch wisps of mist as temperatures jumped up at Summerfest and elsewhere in Wisconsin Friday. Milwaukee’s high of 86 degrees fell short of meteorologists’ forecasts. Photo: Jeff Sainlar


22) A young model reacts as he wears a creation by Swiss-Korean fashion designer Youn Chong Bak, as part of the Smalto collection as part of spring-summer 2012 men's fashion, presented in Paris, on Saturday, June 25. Jacques Brinon/AP

Tonight's the Night! The Michelle Witmer Story at 6:30

Posted by Susan Kaczmarek on July 11, 2011

Sisters in Arms: The Michelle Witmer Story begins at 6:30 p.m. tonight, July 11.

John Witmer tells the story of his daughter, Michelle, the first female National Guard member killed-in-action.  Presentation followed by book signing.

Read more

Oak Creek considers financing for proposed distribution center

Posted by Tom Daykin of the Journal Sentinel on July 19, 2011

Oak Creek, Industrial

A developer planning to build a $4.9 million light industrial building in Oak Creek is seeking $300,000 in financing help, with the money to be repaid by the building's property taxes.

The Common Council, at its Tuesday night meet, will consider authorizing city staff to take preliminary steps to provide the financing through a tax incremental financing district. A final proposal also would need council approval.

Read more