Hart Van Denburg1) THE PROTESTERS HAVE LEFT THE BUILDING
Wisconsin protesters have left the state capitol after dwelling in the building for 17 days. A judge ordered the protesters to evacuate; they complied with cheers of victory and left without incident. However, after the protesters left, Democratic state Rep. Nick Milroy was tackled by police as he tried to gain access to the capitol. Rep. Milroy was allowed access to his office once police realized he wasn’t a protester.
2) WALKER THREATENS TO CAN 1,500 PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
Protesters have left the Wisconsin Capitol, but it doesn’t mean that the stalemate in the Badger State is coming to a close. Gov. Scott Walker (R ) is threatening to begin layoffs of public employees if his bill to diminish collective bargaining remains at an impasse.
3) HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER COLLAPSES, DIES AFTER MAKING WINNING SHOT
A sad item picked up by the Strib this morning:
A western Michigan high school basketball player collapsed on the court and later died after making the game-winning shot to cap his team’s perfect season.
Holland Hospital spokeswoman Deb Patterson says 16-yer-old Fennville High School basketball player Wes Leonard died Thursday night. A cause of death has not yet been determined.
4) THE SOUNDS OF RED WING
A beautiful item from MN Today about a violin maker in Red Wing.
5) NEWS FROM THE NOT EXTINCT
Yesterday 5X8 carried an item that the eastern cougar was determined to be extinct. Amateur wildlife observers continue to doubt the declaration by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. Although extremely rare, species can be removed from the extinct list. There is a candidate for that distinction swimming in Lake Michigan right now. A species of fish once thought to be extinct in the Great Lakes has reemerged. Straight from the front pages of the Leelanau Enterprise:
The strain of lake herring once thought to be extinct is part of the salmonoid cisco family of fishes native to the Great Lakes. Claramunt said that the species had been declared extinct in the 1960’s. In the 1990’s, however, anecdotal evidence began to emerge that some of the fish might be frequenting Grand Traverse Bay in the waters off Leelanau County.
TODAY’S QUESTION
With oil prices rising and the Middle East in turmoil, the Interior Department has approved the first deepwater drilling permit in the Gulf of Mexico since last year’s BP disaster. Today’s Question: How aggressive should the United States be in developing its own sources of oil?
