Serving Abbotsford, Colby, Curtiss, Dorchester, Milan and Unit Abbotsford, Tribune-Phonograph 10/02/2013
Vol. 52, No. 40
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
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Fall colors Surrounded by a beautiful tapestry of fall colors, a freight train comes barreling down the tracks toward the high bridge near Atwood Monday morning. Leaves across central and northern Wisconsin are expected to hit their peak colors over the next couple of weeks, according to travelwisconsin.com. TP staff photo
More lawmakers caught up in grant scandal By Peter Weinschenk The Record-Review Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) on Tuesday said several area legislators--besides now resigned Assembly Majority Leader Scott Suder--were involved in pressing for a controversial $500,000 grant to United Sportsmen of Wisconsin that Gov. Scott Walker approved as part of the 2013-15 budget, but later rescinded. Barca released an Aug. 22 letter signed by 18 legislators, all Republicans, who urged the Wisconsin Sporting Heritage Grant Application Committee to approve the sportsmen education grant. The legislators include Tom Tiffany, a District 12 senator, and three local representatives, Mary Williams, 87th District; Mary Czaja, 35th District; and John Spiros, 86th District. Other Republicans signing the letter
were Sen. Paul Farrow, Rep. Jim Steinke, Sen. Frank Lasee, Sen. Glenn Grothman, Rep. Tyler August, Rep. Bill Kramer, Rep. Scott Krug, Rep. Warren Petryk, Rep. Joel Kleefisch, Rep. Scott Suder Ron Swearingen, Rep. Chris Kapenga, Rep. Mike Kuglitsch and Rep. John Jagler. In a series of stories, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported starting Aug. 25 that United Sportsmen of Wisconsin had no experience as a sporting heritage education group and that language in a budget amendment appeared to direct the grant only to United Sportsmen. The newspaper reported the group had close political ties to Republicans, including former state senator Pam
Galloway, Suder’s former chief of staff Luke Hilgeman, now a national director for the Koch brothers funded Americans for Prosperity, and Terry Kohler, an industrialist and major Republican donor. The newspaper said the organization lobbied the legislature on the Penokee Hills mine, registered voters and helped organize a conservative political rally in Wisconsin Dells, Freedom Fest. It also reported United Sportsmen’s president Matt Pantzlaff was cited for having the wrong license for bear hunting in 2005. Later, it was reported the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sent two letters to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources warning the state it could lose $28 million in federal funding if control over this money was shifted from the state agency to, as proposed by
See GRANT/ Page 20 October 4, 2013 2:24 pm /
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