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Weekend Roundup: Vos Hires Retired Cops To Investigate Election, And 1 Has A History

Spring: Bird Sightings, Park Openings And…Ice Chunks?

By
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. Shawn Johnson/WPR

One of the retired police officers hired by a top Wisconsin Republican to investigate the presidential election in the battleground state has ties to the GOP and previously led a probe into voter fraud in Milwaukee.

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos this week said he was hiring three retired police investigators to look into the election results. During an interview Thursday on conservative talk radio, Vos confirmed that one of those he hired is retired Milwaukee Police Detective Mike Sandvick.

Vos told The Associated Press, without naming Sandvick, that “he’s been active in the Republican Party.”

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“Is there a whole lot of smoke or is there actual fire? We just don’t know yet,” Vos told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Fond du Lac Added To List Of Municipalities Supporting Amtrak Extension

Fond du Lac has joined a growing list of municipalities in Wisconsin that have signed a letter to Congress in support of extending Amtrak’s Hiawatha line.

The Fond du Lac City Council voted Wednesday.

2 Rare Migratory Birds Spotted In Amhurst Junction

These photos from FOX6 Milwaukee feature two rare birds as they stop in an Amhurst Junction resident’s birdbath: a Scarlet Tanager and an Indigo Bunting.

Wisconsin State Parks Reopening As Pandemic Restrictions Loosen

Last year, many state parks and outdoor attractions closed for the pandemic — some permanently, others temporarily. Here’s a list of spots that are reopening this summer as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

A sign for Noah's ark says
Noah’s Ark in the Wisconsin Dells was closed throughout the summer of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Angela Major/WPR

Onalaska Graduating Class Has Record Number Of Siblings

The graduating class at Onalaska High School has a unique place in the school district’s history. When the seniors cross the graduation stage at the La Crosse Center Friday, a record number of siblings will be among the class of about 250 students — eight sets of twins and one set of triplets.

Senior class adviser Bridgett Hubbard says she has never seen so many sets of siblings in one class in her entire career. Hubbard says the class of 2021 has been through a lot with the coronavirus pandemic, but she says the unique class is very resilient.

Chunk Of Ice Falls Into Home In Elk Mound

On Tuesday morning, a large piece of ice struck a home in Elk Mound, causing damage to the house. The resident said the ice was like “basketball-sized hail” and that it landed in the bedroom after falling through the roof.

Biden Proposes $6T Budget

President Joe Biden has proposed a $6 trillion budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. Biden’s proposal is the largest budget in recent history.

Such a budget would also mean hiking up deficits of at least $1.3 trillion per year for the rest of the decade despite an increase in taxes on the wealthy, reports NPR.

Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this report.