A Dane County sheriff met with President Donald Trump Tuesday to advocate for funding for programs to counter the county’s drug epidemic and for cooperation between the federal and local governments on immigration. “I have a jail [with] over 1,000 beds.
Earning the applause of an overflowing city hall, Madison’s legislative body unanimously condemned President Donald Trump’s executive order prohibiting immigration in a proposal Tuesday. The resolution, which also reaffirms the city’s stance on immigration enforcement, has been a controversial topic among Common Council members because of a clause declaring the City-County Building and Madison Public Libraries as “safe places” for immigrants to seek refuge and council.
St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison is among 21 Wisconsin health centers fined in recent years for failing to comply with a state law requiring facilities to offer emergency contraceptives to rape victims. A state law put into effect in 2008 requires hospital staff to provide victims with information about emergency contraceptives, let them know the drugs are available within the facility and dispense them upon request.
Echoing the concerns of Mayor Paul Soglin, a Madison city attorney cautioned against the adoption of a resolution labeling part of the City-County Building a “safe space.”
While national rates of smoking are steadily declining, a study released Thursday says the number of nicotine sales to minors in Madison is the highest since 2015. Almost one out of five Madison tobacco retailers willingly sold nicotine products to minors, according to the study, which was conducted by the Public Health Madison & Dane County and the Wisconsin Wins tobacco prevention program. Out of 208 tobacco retailers in Dane County given unannounced compliance checks by PHMDC, 19 percent of the establishments sold tobacco to underage volunteers who attempted to solicit illegal nicotine products, including cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, loose tobacco and electronic cigarettes.
Shortly after taking a defiant stance toward a series of immigration-related executive orders signed last week, Mayor Paul Soglin is offering a more cautious tone on related funding threats to Madison posed by state legislators.
Caught between diminishing inmate conditions and budget concerns, Dane County officials find themselves slowing to a yet another standstill on plans to move forward with a jail renovation project that has dragged on for years.
Dane County has been selected as one of 20 sites in the nation to be awarded a grant—along with technical and advisory assistance—to help reform the criminal justice system, county officials announced Wednesday. Providing $50,000 to the county, the grant will support local and surrounding communities on improving law enforcement systems.
A state lawmaker representing the downtown and campus area is seeking support from county officials on a bill aimed at reducing deadly force by Wisconsin police officers. The legislation would require teaching “de-escalation” tactics at police departments, through officer training mandates focused on defusing encounters on the street and reserving lethal force as a last-resort measure. State Rep.
Following a wave of contentious executive orders signed in Washington late last week calling for strict immigration law at both the federal and local level, Madison Police Department Chief Michael Koval announced on Monday two policy changes to how officers will approach immigration enforcement. The changes, including a new standard operating procedure and an updated code of conduct, say MPD will only probe immigration status in cases of serious crimes directly related to public safety, rather than for deportation purposes under Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal agency. “It is my hope that these changes will further affirm our commitment to providing qualitative services to ALL of our residents while also providing some measure of comfort that MPD will not be engaging in/with ICE in matters that are only concentrated on deportation,” Koval said in a blog post announcing the policy changes. Under the new standard operating procedure, MPD will only cooperate with ICE in immigration-related investigation or detainment when an individual is engaged in, or reasonably suspected of, terrorism or espionage, participating in a criminal street gang, arrested for any violent felony or is a previously deported felon.
Dane County's sister county of Kassel, Germany, invited one local artist to spend two weeks there in August and participate in an art exhibition, according to a Dane County press release.
Despite federal funding threats, city officials and law enforcement will not target individuals based on immigration status, according to Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. The move is in sync with a band of mayors across the country, who are vowing to denounce an executive order imposing immigration ultimatums on local governments signed by President Donald Trump yesterday.
Residents of Madison could earn $100 by trading in an old toilet for a newer models through a city water conservation program continuing this year. The toilet rebate program allows Madison Water Utility customers to earn credit toward water bills when they replace old toilets—that use a high amount of water—with more efficient ones.
City officials declared Wednesday a snow emergency for all of Madison, including the downtown and isthmus area, that will remain in effect until 7 a.m.
The alderman currently representing campus in Madison’s city council secured on an endorsement for reelection from Tuesday from College Democrats of UW-Madison. The student organization will support incumbent Ald. Zach Wood, District 8, in the race against challenger John Terry Jr. for the council’s heavily student-populated district seat, which constitutes a large portion of downtown Madison.
A digital strategy company says the march in Madison on Saturday had the second-highest ratio of city population who participated. The digital strategy company, Reverbal Communications, released an analysis Monday comparing percentage of city population to turn up at the top-10 largest marches.
A warrant is still out for a conman who calls himself “Commander Hook from the Dane County Sheriff’s Department Montello Unit,” Madison police said in a Monday incident report. The suspect scammed a 69-year-old woman out of more than $1000 in a phone call Sunday, according to Madison Police Department Public Information Officer Joel DeSpain.
Madison Police Department is looking to identify a suspect thought to be involved in a January theft incident in downtown Madison. The suspect, believed to have taken cash, electronics and other items from a North Lake Street apartment, is described by Madison police as a black male around 6-feet tall and between 22 and 25 years old.
Despite looming uncertainty about the future of the Affordable Care Act following President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the city of Madison is encouraging residents to sign up for health care under the federal law.
Suspended UW-Madison student Alec Cook, of Edina, Minn., will proceed to trial on 21 criminal charges including sexual assault, felony stalking and strangulation, a county judge ruled at a Friday preliminary hearing.
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