Get ready for a force-fed election diet

With Mayor Tom Barrett announcing a run for governor of Wisconsin, joining Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker as Milwaukee candidates for the top office in the state, the term "local politics" will take on new meaning ...

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Firstwatch: Space shuttle launch and school politics

We'll launch the work week with the scheduled launch of the space shuttle Atlantis.As of this writing, takeoff is set for 1:28 p.m.Atlantis and its crew will make some deliveries to the International Space Station, do three spacewalks and bring back crew member Nicole Stott to Earth, NASA says ...

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Firstwatch: Politics, football and music for boomers

Tick, tick, tick, tick…The end of the week nears, along with the supposed deadline for Mayor Tom Barrett's in or out decision on a run for governor in 2010. Perhaps the mayor has concluded that a campaign announced on Friday the 13th would be doomed.Freed temporarily from their legislative duties, Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) and Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin) plan to meet their constituents ...

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Death of the Old Guard And: Not Taxes But Fees

The death last week of former Milwaukee alderman Mary Anne McNulty was in some ways the passing of an era. She was, for starters, part of a group of 60s-style activists who thrust their way into mainstream politics. The Chicago native moved here in ...

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Firstwatch: Job cuts, politics and Friday night lights

The end of the week will mean the end of the line for 126 workers at the Harley Davidson distribution center in Franklin. Company officials alerted Mayor Tom Taylor to the layoff plans earlier this month, adding to the list of job losses in the area.Politics remains one business seemingly unaffected by the recession. Keeping the cash flow steady, the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate hosts a golf outing today at the Hawks Landing Golf Club in Verona. The Wheeler Report put the price for the

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Suspected serial killer slipped through the cracks

If what authorities believe is true, Walter E. Ellis escaped detection for more than 20 years. The politics of the criminal justice system, a host of unreliable witnesses and the fact most of the victims were prostitutes helped him avoid arrest even as bodies were dumped within blocks of his home ...

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Auction this week to bring state vehicles sold to 500

Madison — An auction Saturday of the oldest and most road-weary state government vehicles will bring the total sold this year to 500.Selling that many was the order that Gov. Jim Doyle made in November to help the state save money.But Republicans and others question whether the move really was more about politics than the state's pocketbook ...

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Politics blog: In phone call, Obama praises Tom Barrett's bravery

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Politics blog: Sullivan, Vukmir waste no time going after one another

Sen. Jim Sullivan has called his 2010 opponent one of the "most extreme and divisive politicians" in Wisconsin. The Wauwatosa Democrat will be challenged by Rep. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa, who announced her candidacy today ...

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Politics blog: Complaint filed against Walker over motorcycle tour

Three Milwaukee County supervisors have filed an ethics complaint against County Executive Scott Walker over the statewide motorcycle tour Walker has scheduled for later this month, saying it will actually benefit his 2010 campaign for governor. But in a letter to Walker earlier this month, the county ethics commission already gave the ride the green light ...

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