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	Van Hollen Asked to Review Case of Clergy Abuse Suspect; Other State Briefs River Towns August 21, 2009 http://www.rivertowns.net/daily/rfj/c090821/ MADISON - A national victims advocacy group wants Wisconsin's attorney general to investigate the role of Madison's bishop in protecting a priest suspected of sexually abusing both children and adults. Earlier this month, Madison Bishop Robert Morlino issued a press release stating that allegations about the sexual misconduct of Father Joseph Gibbs Clauder were being sent to the Vatican. But Peter Isely of the group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) says Father Clauder's actions should be investigated by the state attorney general, not the Catholic Church. At a news conference at the State Capitol, Isely called on Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen to challenge the Bishop's refusal to release information about where Clauder is and whether he is being monitored as a sex offender. A bill will be introduced in the state legislature this year that would increase the statute of limitations for bringing civil suits against sexual abusers. Bill Berndt of the National Association to Prevent Sexual Abuse of Children says the legislation attempts to let victims file civil suits against their perpetrators and the entities that protect them. Calls to the Madison Archdiocese were not returned. The attorney general released a statement urging anyone with knowledge of child sexual abuse to contact local law enforcement. -- Gil Halsted, Wisconsin Public Radio Jobless rate falls Wisconsin's unemployment rate dropped by a 0.5 percent in July to 8.7 percent. The state's unemployment rate was a full percentage point lower than the national rate of 9.7 percent. Still, the Department of Workforce Development and other economists warned against getting too excited. DWD Secretary Roberta Gassman issued a statement saying the decrease was due seasonal fluctuations, and that most economists expected employment numbers will lag behind any economic recovery. Don Nichols, a professor emeritus of Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says it will take more time before the unemployment rate goes down for good. He says he expects more sustained growth later in the year. Nichols says it's telling that while the state unemployment rate went down, the total number of employed residents also dropped. Compared to a year ago, there were 130,000 fewer jobs in Wisconsin. -- Shawn Johnson, WPR Democrats feel court will side with them in open records suit Attorneys representing the Democratic Party of Wisconsin say a judge is set to rule in their favor in an open records case against Republican state senator Dan Kapanke. The hearing that wrapped up this week was over whether Kapanke of La Crosse and his staff failed to cooperate with open records requests filed by the DPW. Democrats wanted documents relating to two economic forums that they argue show Kapanke's staff used state resources to plan two campaign related events. Kapanke admits he used some campaign funds for the events, to save the state money. But, it had nothing to do with his run for Congress, which he didn't officially announce until after the second forum. The Governmental Accountability Board also weighed in with its ruling, saying Kapanke shouldn't have used campaign funds, but he meant well. Dane County judge Richard Niess said the party likely wouldn't have received public records from Kapanke's office without filing the lawsuit. David Halbrooks, an attorney for the DPW, says the assistant attorney general conceded it was almost certain that they were prevailing in their case. But she still wanted a chance to make one last argument and that will help establish how much the state of Wisconsin will have to pay the party in attorney's fees, actual damages, and punitive damages should it lose the case. Attorneys for the DPW now have documents from Kapanke's office, and have subpoenaed for access to more, including phone records. -- Steve Roisum, WPR Urban Indians' situation subject of hearing MILWUAKEE -- Native American leaders are asking state lawmakers to take a closer look at problems facing Native people living in Wisconsin cities. The number of Native Americans living in southeastern Wisconsin alone may be near 25,000. That's far more than live on any one reservation in the northern part of the state. Many of the urban Indians have low incomes and high social service needs. A special committee on state-tribal relations held a public hearing in Milwaukee Thursday to begin to look into the problems. Gwen Carr of the National Urban Indian Policy Coalition asked the panel to launch a specific study of urban Indians of Wisconsin, with the hope of eventually bringing more financial aid to the cities. She also recommends more efforts to get the federal government to help urban Indians with health care, housing and economic development. Darren Kroenke of the Spotted Eagle social service agency in Milwaukee added that his organization also has to compete with tribes for funding. A tribal chairman, Phil Shopodock of the Forest County Potawatomi says he realizes there are large social service needs for urban Indians. But he says the need is also large on the reservation. -- Chuck Quirmbach, WPR Samples show EAB infestation in Vernon County has longer hold VICTORY -- Another Wisconsin county is showing signs that infestations of Emerald Ash Borer have been around for years. Michigan State University has returned test results on infested tree samples from the Victory area in Vernon County. Mick Skwarok is a disease specialist for the state's EAB program. He says the infestation in Vernon County is similar to those in Ozaukee and Washington Counties. But while those two counties have samples indicating that their infestations go back to 2006, the evidence shows that Victory's infestation may go back to 2004 or 2003. Skwarok says there are no plans to do further testing on infested tree samples to confirm those assumptions. Trapping across the state has led to the discovery of Emerald Ash Borer in four more counties this summer. They include Vernon and Crawford counties with more recent sightings in Brown and Kenosha counties in the past month. However, Skwarok says that may be it for EAB discoveries this summer as they're taking down traps and plant to have all of them removed by mid-September. Skwarok says quarantines of Kenosha and Brown counties will begin this Saturday, bringing the total to eight Wisconsin counties under quarantine. -- Danielle Kaeding, WPR Legislation would punish suspects who injure police MADISON -- People who flee from police and end up hurting officers could face up to six years in prison under a plan state lawmakers are considering. A person who intentionally injures a police officer can already be charged as a felon and face prison time. But police say suspects who injure officers while resisting arrest usually face lighter charges because it's tough to prove they meant any harm. Officer Dale Veto with the Dane County Sheriffs Office says that's what happened to the erratic driver he was trying to pull over last year. Veto says he tried to use road spikes to flatten the driver's tires, but then the car turned towards him at "approximately 65 mph." Veto recalls seeing his broken legs flopping around as he neared the pavement, and is convinced the driver was aiming for him. The offender was never charged with an extra felony for intentionally harming an officer. But under a proposal by Trempealeau Assembly Democrat Chris Danou, anyone who resists arrest and even accidentally hurts an officer could face prison time. A former officer himself, Danou says the plan won't deter everyone but says it will send a message to some, especially repeat offenders who know the system. The state Department of Corrections says the plan would come at a cost to the state because it would mean more inmates behind bars. The State Public Defender says it will also cost more to represent suspects in court. Neither agency had a firm dollar figure. -- Shawn Johnson, WPR Higher ed sees more green degrees Businesses sensitive to the environment need workers, and colleges have been coming up with courses to train them. Students this fall will be able to get a sustainable management degree online from four UW campuses: Parkside, River Falls, Stout and Superior. David Schejbal, UW-Extension Dean of Continuing Education, says in one of six courses taught, students will learn the bottom line no longer refers to just profit, but also environmental sustainability. He says businesses that aren't good stewards of their resources, both on the environmental side as well as the social capital side, are "not long for this world." As an example, he points to the airlines, whose profits plummeted when oil prices skyrocketed. More colleges are offering green courses. Madison Area Technical College, for instance, has a Renewable Energy Certificate. MATC instructor Barb Anderegg says more schools are interested in teaching about clean energy. She thinks all the talk about energy independence over the years will result in action this time. President Obama wants to invest $150 billion over the next decade in renewable energy. One proposal is to offer tax credits and loan guarantees to clean energy companies.
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