Wisconsin Right Now

Chief James Pfister, of the City of Oconomowoc Police Department, reported that the suspect “in the strong-armed robberies and bank robbery on June 29, 2021, in the City of Oconomowoc was identified as Kaia Mueller.” Mueller was “taken into custody without incident in Sauk County on June 30, 2021,” the statement said. “The City of Oconomowoc Police department was continuing to investigate various leads as to the whereabouts of Mueller an d his potential location. While conducting follow-up on these leads, we were dispatched to a hit and run traffic crash on June 30, 2021, around the area of Highway 67 and Valley Road. The hit and run suspect vehicle matched Mueller’s vehicle.” Kaia Mueller has a previous conviction for robbery of a financial institution as a repeater. He was given an eight-year sentence with four years of confinement and four years of extended supervision in 2016. His address at that time was given as Elkhorn. Police said that witness information provided “...

In a deleted podcast, Republican Attorney General Candidate Ryan Owens said a "potential coverup here is ongoing" by President Donald Trump and his administration regarding the Ukraine call that provoked Trump's impeachment. UW-Madison released three of four missing podcasts on Sept. 30, the day after Wisconsin Right Now broke the story that they were removed from the Internet. UW-Madison has been unable to unearth the fourth missing podcast, at least so far, a 2019 conversation that Owens had with Never Trumper Charlie Sykes. Wisconsin Right Now has filed an open records request for that podcast. The three released podcasts were conversations between Owens and Never Trump political consultant Mike Murphy; a conversation he had with Professor Ken Mayer, whose syllabus became controversial because it contained an anti-Trump line; and a conversation with Scott Coenen, who heads a conservative renewable energy group. You can listen to the discussion with Coenen here , w...

(The Center Square) – Border patrol agents who’ve committed their career to protecting the U.S. now face termination if they refuse to get vaccinated for COVID-19 by November. At the same time, the Biden administration is imposing no vaccination requirements on those entering the U.S. illegally as a condition for being processed and released into the U.S. In response, U.S. Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Tom McClintock, R-Calif., sent Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas a letter expressing their disbelief that “the Biden administration will allow COVID-positive illegal aliens to surge across the border but will terminate dedicated law-enforcement officers who do not comply” with a presidential mandate. The congressmen argue the agents’ jobs are made even harder “when senior officials, including Vice President Kamala Harris, spread false accusations of cruelty, as has occurred in recent days to mounted officers in Del Rio, while ignoring reports of attacks aga...

The Republican Party of Wisconsin filed a complaint on Sept. 30 against the Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC with the Federal Elections Commission for a myriad of alleged reporting failures. According to a release, the Minocqua Brewing Company purports to send 5 percent of their profits to their PAC, however, they allegedly failed to report any such transfer or to disclose these donors in campaign finance reports. In addition, the complaint alleges the Super PAC failed to include required disclaimer notices on solicitations for donations, failed to file required reports for an independent expenditure, and unlawfully used corporate funds to provide direct support to federal candidates. The Republican Party of Wisconsin released the following statement from Executive Director Mark Jefferson: “It appears that Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC has repeatedly failed to play by the rules. Though their spending hasn’t yielded any significant results, ineffectiveness does not excus...

Attorney General candidate Ryan Owens has given a series of shifting statements about what happened to four missing podcasts he recorded with people who are Never Trumpers or tied to anti-Trump statements. One podcast is with notorious Never Trumper Charlie Sykes. Wisconsin Right Now broke the story on Sept. 29, which led Owens to give a series of explanations to other media. Owens has now admitted to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he deleted some podcasts, claiming they aren't newsworthy after giving conservative talk show host Mark Belling a convoluted, different story, and after refusing to answer our question about whether he deleted podcasts at all. It can be a crime in some circumstances to destroy a public record, although it requires intent to defraud or injure. “Whoever with intent to injure or defraud destroys, damages, removes or conceals any public record is guilty of a Class H felony,” state statutes say. "UW-Madison believes the podcasts in questio...

Attorney General candidate Ryan Owens has given a series of shifting statements about what happened to four missing podcasts he recorded with people who are Never Trumpers or tied to anti-Trump statements. One podcast is with notorious Never Trumper Charlie Sykes. Wisconsin Right Now broke the story on Sept. 29, which led Owens to give a series of explanations to other media. Owens has now admitted to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he deleted some podcasts, claiming they aren't newsworthy after giving conservative talk show host Mark Belling a convoluted, different story, and after refusing to answer our question about whether he deleted podcasts at all. It can be a crime in some circumstances to destroy a public record, although it requires intent to defraud or injure. “Whoever with intent to injure or defraud destroys, damages, removes or conceals any public record is guilty of a Class H felony,” state statutes say. "UW-Madison believes the podcasts in questio...

James MacGillis, a retired Milwaukee police commander who runs a major drug investigation unit known as HIDTA, is the new Wauwatosa police chief. He was formerly director of training for the Milwaukee Police Academy. The City of Wauwatosa Police and Fire Commission voted 4-1 to choose MacGillis at 4:30 p.m. today. Jeffrey Norman, the acting Milwaukee police chief, received one vote. That decision sets the stage for Norman to possibly become permanent MPD chief if the city reaches a settlement with Alfonso Morales , which it must do by July 12. All three finalists were current or retired Milwaukee Police Department commanders. David Salazar was the other finalist for the Tosa chief position. James MacGillis will replace long-time chief Barry Weber, who was chief for 31 years and had 48 years of law enforcement experience. James MacGillis Biography Wauwatosa released this bio for James MacGillis. He is a retired MPD commander who is currently in a leadership position for a...

U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, a Democrat from western Wisconsin, claimed COVID-19 prevented him from traveling to Washington D.C. to vote on major bills but still found a way to eat ice cream in La Crosse with President Joe Biden. "While millions of Wisconsinites went to work on Tuesday, Ron Kind played hooky from his responsibilities in Washington -- claiming that he had to miss House votes because of COVID when he was actually getting ice cream with Joe Biden," the state of Wisconsin Republican Party said in a statement, releasing the above photo. In a letter to Congress , Kind wrote, on June 28, 2021, “Pursuant to House Resolution 8, I write to notify you of the designation of a proxy to cast my vote. I am unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency, and I hereby grant the authority to cast my vote by proxy to the Honorable Gerry Connolly (VA), who has agreed to serve as my proxy.” https://twitter.com/UrbanScootsEbay/...

Did you know that thousands of people charged with new crimes while on state supervision don't go back to prison? More than 6,000 people on state supervision basically thumbed their noses at the system by committing new crimes recently, but the state of Wisconsin Department of Corrections chose not to send them back to prison. A Republican state lawmaker, Julian Bradley, is trying to change that, along with some of his colleagues. The numbers come from a fiscal estimate in a bill currently before the state Senate, and they're only for one recent year, so the cumulative total over the years is much higher. The new bill would require the Wisconsin DOC to revoke a person's extended supervision, parole or probation if they are charged with a new crime. Some people might be surprised to learn that doesn't always happen now, but it doesn't - a lot. That's an issue that Bradley has taken charge of highlighting at a time of rising violent crime. Many in the med...

In 2019, Professor Ryan Owens recorded a conversation with notorious Never Trumper Charlie Sykes, who is regarded as a traitor by many in the GOP base. It's vanished. Where is it? Owens has been critical of Trump at times in the past, saying Trump's emergency action at the southern border "was just as excessive as Obama's unconstitutional actions were." He says he voted for Trump twice out of three elections. A podcast that Professor Ryan Owens recorded at UW-Madison with notorious Never Trumper Charlie Sykes has mysteriously disappeared. The 2019 conversation with Sykes is one of four podcasts that Owens recorded - including two with Never Trumpers and one with a professor whose syllabus contained negative comments about Trump - that have vanished from the Internet. We specifically asked Owens whether he deleted/removed the podcasts from the Internet and what happened to the Sykes' audio, and he did not respond to that question. The four podcasts no...

The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission released a statement on July 9, 2021, confirming that Alfonso Morales "will be reinstated as Chief of Police" on July 12. However, later in the afternoon the commission and Morales agreed to extend the reinstatement date to Thursday, July 15, 2021. That's when three new members will join the Commission. It theoretically gives both sides yet another chance to reach a last-minute deal. A judge ordered Morales's reinstatement as Milwaukee police chief, but the date was initially pushed back to July 12 to give the city and chief a chance to reach a financial settlement instead. However, the FPC statement seems to confirm what Morales's attorney, Frank Gimbel, previously told news reporters this week: That Morales is coming back to the job because negotiations failed. The chief's return will cap an extraordinary year in which the FPC demoted him without due process. He then retired and challenged the demotion in court,...

State Sen. Patrick Testin, R-Stevens Point, joined the race on Sunday. Last week, longtime Ron Johnson staffer Ben Voelkel entered the race. The Republican race for lieutenant governor in Wisconsin is getting crowded. Patrick Testin has been in the state Senate since 2016. Most recently he took the lead in pushing Gov. Tony Evers for answers about the nearly 13,000 Afghan refugees at Fort McCoy, specifically where they will go once they leave the base. “I have been traveling the state and hearing from Wisconsinites in all corners of the Badger State. The single biggest concern I have heard is there is a leadership deficit in Madison,” Testin said in his campaign announcement. Testin is just the latest Republican to jump into the race for Wisconsin’s second in command. Last week, longtime Ron Johnson staffer Ben Voelkel entered the race. Lancaster Mayor David Varnam is also running for lieutenant governor. Pastor David King is raising money in the race too. “The last two y...

Criticism of mounted agents was widespread after a photograph showing agents using horse reins was misconstrued by members of the media and some politicians suggesting the agent was using the reins as a “whip.” The photographer who took the pictures said the agents weren't whipping anyone. (The Center Square) – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he would hire any Border Patrol agent fired by the Biden administration after White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said agents would no longer be permitted to use horses to guard the border in Del Rio, Texas. “There will be consequences,” Biden said. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last week said the agency would conduct an investigation into the use of the reins after President Joe Biden said the mounted agents “will pay” for how they handled the Haitians. Border Patrol Council Union Chief Brandon Judd told The Center Square that he personally went through the training the agents employed at the border. Bu...

While some crimes diminished in the unusual, COVID-shutdown year, homicides rose nearly 30% and aggravated assaults rose more than 12% in one year, the first time in four years that violent crime increased from the previous year. (The Center Square) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation released crime data Monday showing a sharp spike in homicides in 2020. “In 2020, there were an estimated 1,277,696 violent crimes,” the FBI said. “When compared with the estimates from 2019, the estimated number of robbery offenses fell 9.3 percent and the estimated volume of rape (revised definition) offenses decreased 12.0 percent. The estimated number of aggravated assault offenses rose 12.1 percent, and the volume of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses increased 29.4 percent.” There were about 21,500 murders reported in 2020, the highest figure in decades. “The 2020 statistics show the estimated rate of violent crime was 387.8 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, and the estimated ra...

"...You are taught to treat individuals differently in the classroom by the color of their skin," a parent says. A parent dialed into a Slinger School Board meeting and accused the district of training substitute teachers to treat children differently based on their race. A video of the woman's comments was posted on YouTube by Washington County Insider on June 22, 2021, and is going national . You can watch the woman's comments below; Her name is Robynn Hora. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQOq1Jsurqo Wisconsin Right Now has contacted the Slinger School District's superintendent and the School Board president to seek their comment. A response, if received, will be added into this article. In the meeting, Daren Sievers, the Slinger superintendent, said, “Certainly CRT is not in our curricular cycle right now." The Woman Claims Substitute Teachers Are Told It's Racist to Be 'Colorblind' https://twitter.com/MythinformedMKE/status/14...

Eric Toney, the Fond du Lac County District Attorney who is running for state Attorney General as a Republican, has racked up the endorsements of more than 50 current and retired sheriffs, police chiefs, and district attorneys. Toney is the president of the Wisconsin District Attorneys Association. “As Fond du Lac District Attorney, Eric Toney has proven himself to be a tough but fair prosecutor," said Ryan Waldschmidt, Fond du Lac County Sheriff. "He’s stood with law enforcement by working to keep violent criminals behind bars, encouraging programs to curb offenders from repeating, and ensuring deputies and officers have the legal knowledge they need to make sound decisions on the street when lives are on the line.  Please join me in endorsing Eric Toney for Wisconsin Attorney General.” “Eric Toney has distinguished himself as a tough prosecutor dedicated to the safety of our communities," said Ryan Windorf, President of Wisconsin State Lodge Fraternal Order of Po...

The Minocqua Brewing Company is raising money to pay for a class-action lawsuit "against every school board in Wisconsin that isn't mandating masks for kids too young to get the vaccine" and "not following CDC guidelines." That's even though zero children ages 19 and under have died of COVID in Wisconsin - zero. Kirk Bangstad, owner of the Minocqua Brewing Company and Super PAC and a failed Democratic candidate for state Assembly, announced the move in an incendiary Facebook post on Sept. 26, 2021. He claimed in the post that the effort has already raised $250,000 and found people willing to be plaintiffs. Kirk Bangstad's effort comes on the heels of conservative and other parents who are angry about mask mandates and critical race theory taking back School Boards all over the state. It's a great parent awakening that's occurring in communities from Tomah to Oconomowoc. As with many of the left's approaches to ideas they don't like, B...