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  WEDNESDAY
June 19, 2013

MADISON — Republicans privately negotiated a series of last-minute changes to the Wisconsin budget Tuesday designed to smooth its passage, including removing a cap on a popular tax credit program for disabled veterans and delaying the loosening of requirements for high-capacity wells. The changes, discussed among Republican legislative leaders in both the Senate and Assembly, were announced throughout the day but never formally introduced.
>>Assembly scheduled to pass state budget

MILWAUKEE — Hundreds of Wisconsin National Guard members face furloughs as the result of the automatic federal budget cuts that took effect earlier this year. Most of Wisconsin's 10,000 guard members won't be affected by the budget cuts because they are state employees or considered active-duty military personnel. But about 700 guard members who are considered U.S. Department of Defense technicians must take 11 furlough days before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. 

APPLETON — Donald Driver will be ready to go if the Green Bay Packers call and say they needed his help. Other NFL teams, however, needn't bother. Green Bay's all-time leading receiver announced his retirement Jan. 31 after 14 years in the NFL — all with the Packers. Driver says he still loves the game, but he promised Packers fans he'd never play for another team.  "At the end of the day, if I get that itch, it would only be for the green and gold," he said. "If the Packers called me and said, 'Drive, come back to training camp,' I'd be back for training camp.

HOUSTON — The Milwaukee Brewers were done in by their mistakes on Tuesday night. They had miscues on the mound and three in the field, and to top it off they couldn't take advantage of opportunities on offense in a 10-1 loss to the Houston Astros. Matt Dominguez hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high five runs to back another solid performance by Jordan Lyles and help Houston to the victory.

MADISON — Republicans are looking to curtail public access to an iron mine site in far northwestern Wisconsin in hopes of stopping protesters from interfering with the project. The state budget will be amended to give the state Department of Natural Resources authority to pass rules restricting access, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Tuesday. Vos had said earlier that DNR may be able to pass an emergency rule on its own, but he said the agency doesn't currently have the authority to do that in this case.

MILWAUKEE  — A review of the nation's teacher-training programs released Tuesday suggests that many University of Wisconsin System education schools are of middling quality. The nonprofit National Council on Teacher Quality used a four-star rating system to evaluate teacher preparation programs at more than 1,100 colleges and universities. UW-Stout's undergraduate program for preparing high school teachers received three stars, the highest marks in the state for any education school.

NEW YORK — A Roman Catholic religious order released an unusually candid report Tuesday outlining how its leaders failed for decades to stop sex abuse in its schools and other ministries. The Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph, which spans 10 Midwestern states, asked experts in clergy sex abuse to provide a full accounting of abuse by examining all the order's records. Advocates for victims said it was the broadest attempt at transparency by any part of the American church.

MADISON — State lawmakers on Tuesday approved legislation that would invest millions of dollars in public and private money in Wisconsin startups despite criticism that the investment targets only limited industries. The bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, would create a program that invests $25 million from the state and at least $50 million in private money in young Wisconsin companies. The investments would be limited to companies involved in agriculture, information technology, engineered products, advanced manufacturing, and medical devices and imaging.