Wis. bill requires Indian logo investigations
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin schools may have to drop their American Indian logos or face hundreds of dollars in fines under a bill a Democratic lawmaker has proposed.
Schools have been moving away from American Indian logos and nicknames for years.,”___
MATC fires President
MILWAUKEE (AP) – The board of the state's Milwaukee Area Technical College fired its president Thursday night, 10 days after he was ticketed for a first offense of operating while under the influence of alcohol.
The MATC board voted to terminate the employment contract of 61-year-old Darnell Cole after hearing from him while meeting in closed session.
According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department report, a breath test put Cole's blood-alcohol content at 0.20 percent when he was arrested Feb. 9, compared with the limit of 0.08 percent considered evidence of drunken driving in Wisconsin.
_
Wis. bill requires Indian logo investigations
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin schools may have to drop their American Indian logos or face hundreds of dollars in fines under a bill a Democratic lawmaker has proposed.
Schools have been moving away from American Indian logos and nicknames for years. More than three dozen still use them, however, according to a fiscal estimate attached to the bill.
The bill calls for the state Department of Public Instruction to investigate complaints about race-based names, nicknames, logos or mascots. School boards would have a chance to argue the logos or mascots don't discriminate or amount to harassment or stereotyping.
If the state superintendent finds the complaint has merit, he or she would order the school board to drop the offending moniker within a year or face $100 to $1,000 in fines each day it continues to use the logo.
"It's 2009. It's time we put this behind us. It's the native American's heritage, first and foremost. If they're not feeling honored, then it's time to get rid of it," said the bill's author, Rep. Jim Soletski, D-Green Bay.
Like many other Midwestern states, Wisconsin has dozens of towns, counties and cities with names derived from Indian languages. The name "Wisconsin" is derived from the French version of the Miami Indian word for the Wisconsin River, according to the state Historical Society. That history has been reflected in school nicknames across the state.
Academia began moving away from the nicknames in the late 1980s to avoid offending American Indians. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse changed its nickname from the Indians to the Eagles in 1989.
—–
Obama announces $15B to states for Medicaid plans
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama said Monday he would begin distributing $15 billion to the states within two days to help them with Medicaid payments to the poor.
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services said Wisconsin would get $163.1 million.
The money will begin reaching the states Wednesday from the newly passed $787 billion economic stimulus program, Obama told the nation's governors during a meeting at the White House.
The recession has had a huge impact on state budgets, and one area public officials are struggling with is in meeting costs in the Medicaid program for the poor. The program is underwritten jointly by states and the federal government.
Speaking to state chief executives at the close of the three-day winter session of the National Governors Association, Obama also addressed concerns about the stimulus plan raised by a handful of Republican governors who have called the plan overly large and wasteful .
At issue is a proposed expansion of state unemployment benefits for part-time workers and others who where previously ineligible to receive the funding. Some GOP governors – several with an eye on the 2012 presidential contest including Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana – say they may not accept that funding because it will require a tax increase on employers once the stimulus money runs out.
Obama addressed that critique directly, and warned against allowing political considerations to cloud a discussion of the stimulus program.
—–
Judge allows statement against Appleton teacher
APPLETON, Wis. (AP) – A judge says a teacher's statement admitting sexual contact with a boy at an Appleton parochial school may be used as evidence against the man.
Outagamie County Circuit Judge Dee Dyer said 26-year-old Daniel Callan of Menasha was not under improper police pressure when he wrote the statement following an interview the day after the boy reported the incident. Defense lawyer Kevin Musolf said the statement should be suppressed because Callan thought he was in police custody even though he hadn't been arrested.
Callan taught at St. Bernadette's Elementary School and is accused of molesting a 10-year-old boy there May 5.
He is charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child, causing a child to view sexual activity and two counts of indecent exposure.
—-
Threat at Johnson Creek school investigated
JOHNSON CREEK, Wis. (AP) – Students and staff were temporarily evacuated from Johnson Creek Junior/Senior High School Monday after a message written on a restroom stall indicated someone would be harmed.
The building was locked down around noon and the staff and students were taken to other locations.
Police Sgt. Mike Gosh said school administrators, maintenance staff, police and firefighters did a thorough search before an all-clear was given and the students and teachers returned.
Classes are scheduled to go on as planned Tuesday.
Police said the incident is under investigation.
“