FRIDAY
May 24, 2013

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Scott Walker tried to introduce himself to Iowa Republicans Thursday as so many would-be presidential candidates often do — one of their own. After all, the Wisconsin governor weighing a 2016 bid for president spent seven years as a young child living in Plainfield, a tiny town in northeast Iowa Walker referred to a half-dozen times during a 40 minute speech at a Republican fundraiser.

MADISON — The Legislature's finance committee Thursday approved a plan in Republican Gov. Scott Walker's executive budget that would dramatically expand the state's powers to seize DNA from crime suspects. Wisconsin currently takes DNA only from convicted felons and sex offenders. Walker's plan would require police to seize DNA from anyone arrested for a felony and a host of sex-related misdemeanors.
>>Budget committee permits Milwaukee crime lab move
>>Judge overturns Wisconsin man's rape conviction

MADISON — A key legislative committee voted Thursday to slash the University of Wisconsin System's budget, venting its anger a few weeks after learning the system raised tuition for six straight years even though it's currently sitting on a surplus of $650 million. The measure, which passed the Joint Finance Committee by a 14-2 vote, eliminates a proposed spending increase of $181 million for the UW System in the upcoming budget, and also cuts a further $2.5 million. 
>>Wis. committee cuts roadwork to close budget gap

CONCORD, N.C. — Matt Kenseth is ready to get back to work. Kenseth and his first-year team at Joe Gibbs Racing have had plenty to celebrate this season with a Sprint Cup-best three victories and seven top-10 finishes in 11 events. But he wasn't a factor last week in the All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and knows he has some challenges to overcome before getting back to his winning ways in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night.

MADISON — The Legislature's finance committee blocked Republican Gov. Scott Walker's plan Thursday to exempt rent-to-own businesses from Wisconsin's consumer protection act, bowing to intense pressure from industry opponents who insist the operations prey on the poor. Rent-to-own critics have long contended the industry takes advantage of the needy and charges them exorbitant interest rates. 

MILWAUKEE — A federal agency has sanctioned the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex for failing to protect patients from one another. It also was cited for insufficient follow-up after reports of beatings of patients by other patients, a patient who deliberately rammed into others with his wheelchair and two patient claims of rape. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel obtained a federal report on the violations Wednesday.

MADISON, Wis.  — The state's troubled economic-development agency has hired its fourth chief financial officer in two years. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. on Thursday named Stephanie M. Walker as its CFO. The agency says she's unrelated to Gov. Scott Walker, and her first day will be June 17. Stephanie Walker is the finance director for the Milwaukee County village of Shorewood. She held similar positions in Brown Deer and in Berwyn, Ill.

MADISON — An elementary school has inspired the University of Wisconsin-Madison to create a new wheelchair lift that could help make more places wheelchair accessible nationwide. The invention process started about three years ago when the principal at Emerson Elementary School in Madison, Karen Kepler, told a school donor on a tour that her biggest wish was to have her building accessible to everyone. All four entrances to the 93-year-old building had stairs.