WebProNews

Tag: Wisconsin

  • Walmart Shooting Suspect Arrested, Victim Still Critical

    Police have made an arrest in the recent shooting of a Walmart employee in Neenah, Wisconsin. Forty-six year old Justine Boyd of Greenville, Wisconsin was arrested today on a charge of first degree attempted intentional homicide after allegedly shooting a 56-year-old cashier at the Neenah Walmart just before 11:15 Wednesday morning.

    Boyd, who also works at the store, was identified and arrested while officers were still securing the scene in the aftermath of the shooting. The motive for the shooting remains unclear, but the women apparently knew each other.

    The victim, whose name has not yet been released, is in critical condition at Theda Clark Medical Center. She was shot once in the torso. The victim was a cashier in the liquor section of the store, which is where the shooting took place. Unsurprisingly, given the time, there were no customers in the area at the time.

    Walmart spokesperson Diana Gee told local news media that Walmart was working closely with authorities to figure out what happened, and that Walmart is sharing its surveillance footage with police. She also said that Walmart employees are prohibited from carrying firearms while at work.

    Police and Theda Clark personnel are planning a joint press conference for Thursday morning at 10 AM to give an update on the victim’s condition.

  • Toddler Found In Trunk After Day-Long Search

    When 2-year old Wisconsin boy Isaiah Theis went missing on Tuesday, his family says they assumed he had wandered into the wooded area surrounding their home. As a precocious, curious little boy, it wasn’t uncommon for him to do such a thing. But after search parties failed to find him during that sweltering afternoon, police say they wanted to check the cars that sit on the property and were told there was no way the toddler could have gained access to them. Unfortunately, as authorities found on Wednesday, he had.

    Isaiah’s father, Justin, runs an auto repair shop near the home and had several cars in his care earlier this week. But, he says, they were all closed up and locked before Isaiah disappeared, and there would have been no way for him to have crawled inside. Search dogs were brought in by police and they went right by the cars without any indication that they had picked up on Isaiah’s scent. More than 2,000 volunteers came out to help search for the boy as the hours ticked by with no sign of him. But around 10 p.m. on Wednesday night, when the owner of an Impala came to remove the car from the scene, officers decided to look in the trunk just to be sure. There, they found the toddler’s body.

    Now the question remains: how did Isaiah get inside?

    “We were operating under the belief that there was no access to those vehicles, and finding out later there was, I was surprised,” said chief deputy with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Steve Moe.

    The home and property remains blocked off as officials investigate how the tragedy occurred if the cars had been locked, and an autopsy is underway.

    Automobiles can become death traps in the summer, especially for young children and babies. Parents and caregivers are advised to never leave a child inside a car or to let them have access to the car under any circumstances when the weather is hot; here in Kentucky, Bryan’s Law has been passed, which means second-degree manslaughter charges for anyone who leaves a child under the age of 8 in a car and it leads to their death. The law is named for Bryan Puckett, an 11-month old from Winchester, Kentucky who died when his caregiver left him in the car to go shopping.
    Image: Polk County Sheriff’s Office

  • NSA Recruiting Fiasco at U. Wisconsin

    NSA Recruiting Fiasco at U. Wisconsin

    Last Tuesday, the NSA conducted a recruitment drive on the campus of the University of Wisconsin. Madiha Tahir, a journalist taking a language course at the university, stopped by to ask some uncomfortable questions. (Note: Tahir has posted a recording of the exchange, as well as a transcript, on her blog, The Mob and the Multitude.)

    “Do you consider Germany and the countries that the NSA has been spying upon to be adversaries,” she asked, to which a recruiter responded, “You can define adversary as ‘enemy’ and, clearly, Germany is not our enemy. But would we have foreign national interests from an intelligence perspective on what’s going on across the globe? Yeah, we do.”

    Tahir, unsatisfied, pressed for clarification until the frustrated recruiter interjected, “our business is apolitical. OK. We do not generate the intelligence requirements. They are levied on us so, if there is a requirement for foreign intelligence concerning this issue or this region or whatever then that is. If you wanna use the word adversary, you ca– we might use the word ‘target.’ That is what we are going after. That is the intelligence target that we are going after because we were given that requirement.”

    Essentially, “we’re given ‘targets’ and pursue them blindly”–probably not the best sales pitch. Tahir, very aware of the gaffe, pounced: “I’m just surprised that for language analysts, you’re incredibly imprecise with your language.”

    After further discussion in which Tahir pressed the NSA reps on whether a citizen ought to be able to opt out of surveillance (something Mozilla has been campaigning for of late), Tahir’s questioning inspired nearby students to join in. “I have a lifestyle question that you seem to be selling,” began a student,

    It sounds more like a colonial expedition. You know the “globe is our playground” is the words you used, the phrasing that you used and you seem to be saying that you can do your work. You can analyze said documents for your so-called customers but then you can go and get drunk and dress up and have fun without thinking of the repercussions of the info you’re analyzing has on the rest of the world. I also want to know what are the qualifications that one needs to become a whistleblower because that sounds like a much more interesting job. And I think the Edward Snowdens and the Bradley Mannings and Julian Assanges of the world will prevail ultimately.

    Snap.

    All around, a bad day for NSA recruiting in Badger-town. I guess they’ll have to go back to hiring from academic backwaters like MIT and Cal Tech.

  • Delavan Turtle Dies After Being Beaten by a Golf Club

    [Graphic photos of animal cruelty below]

    A female snapping turtle found severely beaten in a sand bunker of a Delavan, Wisconsin golf course has died from her injuries.

    Authorities believe that the turtle was probably attempting to lay her eggs in the bunker when she was beaten with what appears to be a golf club. Investigators are currently searching for the eggs, but have so far been unsuccessful.

    “It happened at the Delbrook Golf Course in Delavan on June 10 between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m. The female turtle, looking for a place to lay her eggs, was found lying in the sand in a bunker with holes in its shell. It was also struck in the right eye, a wound which appeared to have been from a golf club,” said the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in a Facebook update.

    The turtle was supposed to undergo surgery, which was to give her a 40%-60% chance of survival. Sadly, the turtle died before that was possible.

    The Global Conservation Group, Wisconsin’s largest animal rights organization, has offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person(s) responsible. And PETA has reportedly pledged an additional $5,000.

    The photos of the turtle, post-attack, are pretty brutal. According to the people at the Pineview Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, the turtle (aged 10-13) was just too banged up to survive. Not only did the turtle sustain multiple gouges to its shell, but also sustained a severe blow to the head.

    What the hell, people?

    (image)

  • Nude Beach Shut Down on Weekdays in Mazomanie, Wis.

    Nude Beach Shut Down on Weekdays in Mazomanie, Wis.

    A popular nude beach located on a river in Wisconsin will now be closed to the public on weekdays.

    The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stated the new policy has been put in place to stop beachgoers from enjoying sex and drugs in the area.

    On Tuesday the DNR announced that the beach, the islands off the beach, and the woods surrounding the beach will be closed on weekdays. The new rules take effect immediately and last from now until September 15. The closure will last from March 1 to September 15 in future years. The beach area will be opened on Saturday and Sunday, from 6 am to 8 pm.

    “The goal of this closure is to make Mazomanie Beach a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone who visits or floats past the area.” said Nate Kroeplin, DNR conservation warden. ” It is clear from our records that the majority of illicit activity is taking place on weekdays. Along with the closure we will add extra law enforcement presence.”

  • Mysterious Earthquakes Rock Wisconsin Town

    Scientists are looking into a series of low-magnitude earthquakes that have hit a small Wisconsin town recently. The mysterious part is, geologists say that quakes of such low magnitude aren’t generally felt by anyone and are only recorded on seismographs; yet residents of Clintonville have been reporting disturbances–including loud booming noises spaced several minutes apart and shaking of the ground–since last Sunday.

    Just after midnight on Tuesday, a 1.5 magnitude trembler hit Clintonville, which is about 40 miles west of Green Bay, and when calls of a disturbance began pouring in, geologists went through seismograph reports to find that earthquakes did occur, but some scientists are skeptical that such a low-magnitude event would generate enough energy to cause loud noises. However, officials have ruled out the sounds as anything man-made. Steve Dutch, a geologist at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, said a 1.5 magnitude earthquake produces the energy equivalent of 100 pounds of explosives and could produce loud sounds.

    But he was reluctant to describe Tuesday’s event as an earthquake, saying the term is “generally used to refer to widespread stress in the earth’s crust”. He speculates that what happened in Wisconsin could be groundwater movement near the surface, or the thermal expansion of underground pipes.

    Still, Dutch can’t rule out an earthquake entirely. There are many different types of rock found in the Wisconsin landscape–including quartzite, sandstone, limestone, and calcite–and are thought to be excellent transmitters for seismic energy. This could explain the loud booms heard by residents.

    “If you’ve got something causing a little bit of shifting underground, it may take a while for whatever is causing it to play itself out,” he said.

    Tuesday’s quake registered on seismographs as far away as central Iowa, which is strange for such a small trembler.

    No damage or injuries have been reported.

    (image)@cody_rose
    Cody Rose    Earthquakes in Wisconsin huh? What’s next, Tsunamis?(image) 3 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@schmope
    HET    Earthquakes in Wisconsin aren’t unusual. We’ve had a couple dozen since I was born somewheres around 30 years ago.(image) 10 hours ago via Mobile Web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@4FallenOfficers
    Jason Asselin    Earthquakes & Natural Disasters: #Clintonville Wisconsin Booms Heard Around World? http://t.co/bLj0ByEW What do YOU THINK is happening? #RT(image) 22 hours ago via Tweet Button ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • March Madness: Wisconsin Leads Montana By 10 At Half

    It’s halftime at The Pit, and 4th seed Wisconsin leads 13th seed Montana by 10 points, 39 – 29. Wisconsin was in control the entire half, never relinquishing their lead.

    It was been a clean half, with only 8 combined turnovers between the two teams.

    Wisconsin only allows opponents 52 ppints per game, so Montana is on pace to break that – but not by much. Wisconsin’s defense was strong, and was only really cracked by Montana’s Art Steward and Derek Selvig, who combined to go 8 – 11 from the field.

    As far a star watch goes, Montana guard Will Cherry, the 5th leading steals man in nation, had 3 in the first half. He was disappointing on the scoring end, however, going only 1 – 7 for 2 points. On the other side, senior leader Jordan Taylor shot 50% for 10 points and also dished out 4 assists.

    Overall, Montana shot 43.3% from the field to Wisconsin’s 51.9%.

    Will Montana be deep enough to make a 2nd half run? Will the mile-high altitude have an effect? It is The Pit, remember:

    (image)

  • Wisconsin School Buys iPads With Microsoft’s Money

    Wisconsin School Buys iPads With Microsoft’s Money

    Two weeks ago Apple announced its new textbook initiative. Thanks to an update to the iBooks software for iPad, and agreements with the three largest textbook publishers, the company would start bringing interactive electronic textbooks to students everywhere. Schools in Madison, Wisconsin will be getting a total of 1400 iPads over the course of this year.

    According to a report by the Madison State Journal, the program will put 600 tablets into the hands of students this spring, with a further 800 coming in the fall. Bill Smojver, director of technical services for the school district, pointed out that iPads beat computers in portability, user-friendliness, and price. He called the transition to tablets a major transition point for digital learning. The program will initially focus on replacing paper workbooks, though deputy superintendent Sue Abplanalp said that the transition to e-textbooks was one the district would consider down the line.

    The program comes before the Madison school board for approval today. Assuming it passes the iPads will be in 20 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, and 3 high schools by the middle of March.

    In a development that is sure to peg your irony meter, the money for these iPads – which the disctrict is getting for $479 each – is actually coming from Microsoft. Wisconsin (along with several other states) sued Microsoft on behalf of consumers, claiming that the software giant overcharged for its software. While the company managed to win dismissals in several of the cases, they wound up settling with several states. In 2009 they settled with Wisconsin for $80 million. The money for Madison’s iPads comes from a $3.4 million chunk set aside for schools.