MADISON, Wis. (AP) - In a sudden reversal amid a stinging backlash, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and GOP legislative leaders said they agreed Saturday to completely remove a part of the proposed state budget that would severely roll back open records laws.
Walker announced the decision in a joint statement Saturday with Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, and the co-chairs of the joint budget committee. They said that they’re committed to open and accountable government.
“After substantive discussion over the last day, we have agreed that the provisions relating to any changes in the state’s open records law will be removed from the budget in its entirety,” the statement said. “… The intended policy goal of these changes was to provide a reasonable solution to protect constituents’ privacy and to encourage a deliberative process between elected officials and their staff in developing policy. It was never intended to inhibit transparent government in any way.”
The restrictions, which Republicans on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee slipped into the proposed budget late Thursday, would shield nearly everything created by state and local government officials from Wisconsin’s open records law, including drafts of legislation and staff communications. The proposal drew heavy criticism from liberals and conservatives alike, and was the subject of a withering front-page editorial in Saturday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The sudden furor had become a serious distraction for Walker as he prepares to formally announce his candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination on July 13. He told reporters before an Independence Day parade in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa on Saturday morning that he planned to discuss the matter with legislative leaders after the weekend, the Journal Sentinel reported.
“My hope is, that after talking with them on Monday, we get to the point where it’s either out completely or there’s significant changes to it,” he said.
The joint statement, issued at mid-afternoon on Saturday, made it clear that they didn’t wait. The statement said the Legislature will form a committee to study the issue and allow for public discussion and input outside of the budget process.
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MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Green Bay Packers tight end Andrew Quarless was arrested Saturday after police said he allegedly fired two shots into the air during an argument outside a Miami Beach parking garage, authorities said.
Miami Beach Police say a witness reported that Quarless was riding in a black Porsche with three other people around 5 a.m. Saturday when they pulled up to a car full of women. An arrest affidavit says the football player and another man approached the car. It said the conversation eventually escalated and the witness told authorities he heard the women yelling for Quarless and his friend to leave them alone.
That’s when authorities say Quarless, who is entering his sixth season with the Packers, pulled out a handgun and fired two shots in the air. Quarless and the driver of the Porsche fled, but were later found and the gun was recovered, the affidavit states.
He was charged with discharging a firearm in public.
Emails to Quarless’ agent were not immediately returned Saturday. The team said it was aware of the incident, but declined further comment.
Quarless, who caught a game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a memorable play against the Dolphins in October, started 11 games last season, catching 29 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns.
Press-Gazette Media of Green Bay, Wisconsin, reports Quarless’ arrest is the second incident for the team this week. On Thursday, defensive end Datone Jones was suspended by the NFL for the team’s 2015 opener in Chicago for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.
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MILWAUKEE (AP) - Milwaukee County bus drivers have returned to work after a three-day strike over staffing and wages, despite a lack of a new contract.
Union leaders say the strike ended as planned at 3 a.m. Saturday despite a few remaining issues preventing an agreement on a new deal.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 President James Macon says the biggest sticking point is the county’s plan to hire more part-time drivers, with fewer benefits than full-time drivers. While more part-time drivers would reduce the need for overtime, Macon says the union supports a living wage.
Macon wouldn’t guarantee that drivers won’t strike again.
On Friday, drivers rallied outside the apartment building of Milwaukee County Executive Chris Aberle.
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MILWAUKEE (AP) - Milwaukee police say they’ve taken a juvenile male into custody as a person of interest in the fatal shooting of a 14-year-old boy in a dispute that started with a fight over a girl on Facebook.
Police were called about 10:30 p.m. Friday, just after a nearby fireworks display ended on Milwaukee’s lakefront. Teams of officers worked to resuscitate Tariq Akbar and got a pulse, but he died later at Froedert Hospital.
Police Chief Ed Flynn says eight or nine shots were fired. He expressed frustration with the easy access young people have to firearms and their recourse to deadly violence over affronts.
A police statement says preliminary information indicates Akbar was among a group of individuals who were feuding with another group on Facebook over a girl.
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