Over The Past Decade, The Number Of Sites Glorifying Drug Use Has Surged. Four years ago, curiosity about marijuana brought an Idaho teenager named Nick to a popular online drug encyclopedia. Now 18 and in a rehabilitation program, Nick said he became obsessed with the Web site's offerings -- particularly the vaults filled with information about hundreds of mind-altering chemicals, herbs and plants. The site, which the journal Pediatrics reported receives 250,000 clicks daily, also has thousands of posts from users, mostly twentysomethings, about their substance experiences. [continues 759 words]
An ex-convict-turned-local professor will appear on Wisconsin Public Television's "In Wisconsin" tonight. Stephen Richards, criminal justice professor at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, will appear on a segment at 7 p.m. about convicts teaching college courses. Richards served a federal term for conspiracy to buy marijuana, according to the press release. He earned a doctorate in criminology and started a pilot program at the Oshkosh Correctional Institute called "Inviting Convicts to College." The episode of "In Wisconsin" repeats Sunday at 9:30 p.m. and Monday at 11:30 p.m. [end]
MILWAUKEE - In words that an owner of a professional basketball team would understand, it was a slam-dunk. U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl began his bid for re-election to a fourth consecutive term by trouncing a longtime liberal activist from Madison in Tuesday's Democratic primary. The 71-year-old millionaire - and owner of the Milwaukee Bucks - promised a campaign this fall of "fighting for progress" by protecting good-paying jobs, strengthening investments in education, ensuring all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care and adopting a smarter foreign policy. [continues 389 words]
Activism Began in High School, Masel Says MILWAUKEE - Ben Masel says his top interests include "good hash" and "getting acquitted" - not exactly what you'd expect from a candidate for U.S. Senate. But the 51-year-old liberal activist from Madison has made a career of doing things his own way. In high school in 1969 he participated in a strike in which he says protesting students demanded and received the principal's resignation. He was arrested for his prominent role in Vietnam War protests, which he says led to his being "indefinitely suspended" from the University of Wisconsin-Madison after his freshman year in 1971. [continues 121 words]
A contentious and controversial Republican primary race for Columbia County sheriff will be decided Tuesday. The candidates -- Lt. Roger Brandner and Deputy Dennis Richards -- are members of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office and are seeking to succeed outgoing Sheriff Steven Rowe, who endorsed Brandner for the position. The controversies that arose during the primary campaign include: Richards' questioning whether Brandner's use of photos of himself in his deputy uniform in campaign materials and on his Web site were a violation of Sheriff's Office rules. [continues 349 words]
The undercover police officer whose work was instrumental in the Aug. 10 arrests of 14 adults and 8 juveniles charged with dealing drugs is stepping out of his disguise. Officer Wayne Thomas, a 2005 graduate of Pardeeville High School, was studying criminal justice at Madison Area Technical College in Madison when the Wisconsin Dells Police Department recruited him for the undercover work. 'We just interviewed him and talked to him and thought that he was young enough," said Wisconsin Dells Police Chief Bret Anderson. [continues 707 words]
We should be proud of one of Wisconsin's Democratic senators who has demonstrated his wisdom and courage through the principled stands he has taken on important issues. We should be embarrassed by the other one. Sen. Herb Kohl does not lead; he skates by. He relies on blandness, political favors and his personal fortunes to keep him comfortably in office. Let's shake him up a bit. On the primary ballot on Tuesday, voters will see two names listed as candidates for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate: Herb Kohl and Ben Masel. The Wisconsin State Journal describes Masel as a "nominal" candidate. That means he's not going to win. But Masel's positions are strong, clear and liberal. If enough of us vote for him, maybe Kohl will get the message: Lead, or get out of the way. Matt Weber Middleton [end]
The numbers show police seized scores of guns and dozens of pounds of cocaine and jailed thousands of suspected wrongdoers over the summer, Milwaukee Police Chief Nannette Hegerty noted this week. Yet assaults and robberies have surged. "I think we have a societal crisis," Hegerty concluded. Think? We most certainly have a societal crisis, and a long-simmering one. The fuel comes from many sources, but the latest was the collapse of the economic floor under Milwaukee's inner city during the 1980s, due to the downturn in manufacturing. That section of town is still reeling from the catastrophe. [continues 350 words]
A Middleton man charged with providing a fatal dose of heroin to a 20-year-old Madison woman prevented two people from calling 911 when it became apparent she was suffering a medical emergency, according to a criminal complaint. "You're not putting this on me," Robert D. Steed allegedly told Elise Schnitzler's friend. "You keep your mouth shut." Steed, 37, was charged with first-degree reckless homicide in the May 17 death of Schnitzler, known as Nupie to her friends, as well as three counts of delivering heroin. [continues 479 words]
RACINE COUNTY - The Racine County Sheriff's Department has received an award from the Wisconsin Narcotics Officers Association. The I-94 Community Oriented Policing Unit received the Urban Drug Unit of the Year award at the association's annual banquet, held Aug. 24 in Green Bay. The I-94 COPS Unit was recognized for "exemplary work in detecting persons transporting controlled substances, weapons and cash," while preventing the drugs from reaching the streets. To date, the I-94 COPS Unit has seized 66.35 pounds of marijuana, 34 kilograms of cocaine, 156 grams of heroin, 436 grams of ecstasy, 365 pills of various substances and $432,265 in cash. The estimated street value of the seized substances is more than $3.6 million. The I-94 COPS Unit has also made 135 felony arrests, served over 1,500 warrants and issued approximately 33,000 traffic citations. [end]
Herb Kohl does not face a lot of political pressure this year. The three-term senator is running for re-election against a Democrat primary challenger best known as the organizer of the Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival and Weedstock, a Republican who couldn't muster 5 percent of the vote in his own party's Senate primary two years ago, a Libertarian who couldn't get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, and a Green who is mounting an impressive campaign but will never be able to match the campaign spending of the wealthy Kohl. [continues 424 words]
New state laws aimed at reducing the number of illegal methamphetamine labs seem to be working, but they have not put much of a dent in the sale and use of the highly addictive drug. New figures on the number of meth labs in the state show a significant drop in the past year. Burnett County Sheriff Dean Roland attributes that to the states new laws regulating the sale of the ingredients used to make meth. A meth enforcement expert at the University of Wisconsin Law School says fewer labs means fewer children affected by the toxic process of making the drug and reduced risk to police who have to clean up the labs once they bust them. [continues 229 words]
Sandy Theune, a lieutenant with the Madison Police Department, and Gordon C. Disch, a sergeant with the Dane County Sheriff's Office, are members of the Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force. While methamphetamine is not currently a significant problem in Dane County, there is no reason to believe we will be immune to it. We must be constantly aware of the po tential devastation to individuals as well as the environmental hazards methamphetamine presents. The good news is that Dane County is better prepared to deal with the consequences of such an epidemic than we would have been three to five years ago. We have had ongoing training for law enforcement personnel throughout the county, as well as for our fire and emergency medical counterparts. [continues 383 words]
How should Wisconsin respond to illegal methamphetamine use? During the crack epidemic of The '80s, New York City chose the zero tolerance approach, opting to arrest and prosecute as many offenders as possible. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry was smoking crack and America's capital had the highest per capita murder rate in the country. Yet crack use declined in both cities simultaneously. The decline was not due to a government anti-drug campaign or the passage of mandatory minimum sentencing laws. [continues 370 words]
Understanding Addiction: Part 3 of 5 When a man and a woman drink too much alcohol - by far the most widely abused substance in the country - they not only do it for different reasons, they also get different results. And many now say they need different treatment. Alcoholism carries greater risks to women. Heavy drinking increases the chances of a woman becoming a victim of violence and sexual assault. Most women who abuse alcohol and drugs - studies show as many as 80 percent to 90 percent - have a history of physical or sexual abuse. [continues 904 words]
Wednesday's article regarding the attorney general race raised the question "What comes next in fight against meth?" Unfortunately, none of the candidates has the insight or political courage to address the root cause. A recent segment of the PBS series "Frontline," citing Drug Enforcement Administration sources, stated 65 percent of meth consumed in the United States comes from Mexican drug cartels. The drugs have no value until they are illegally carried across the border to be sold. Drug cartels work with gangs, such as MS-13 to handle distribution. [continues 147 words]
Self-Proclaimed Radical Makes Long-Shot Bid to Oust Democrat This probably comes as a surprise to you: There is a statewide primary election on Sept. 12 for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. But if you have a taste for the offbeat in politics, what's not to like in a match between Herb Kohl, an 18-year Senate veteran and a powerhouse in state politics, and Ben Masel, who lists "good hash" as one of his four interests on his MySpace page on the Internet. (And, yes, he's referring to hashish and not potatoes.) His other three interests: "Getting acquitted. Chess . . . Hangin' with my brand new granddaughter." [continues 705 words]
Todd Bjerke enters the courtroom every day for two reasons: to protect the community and save drug addicts from their deathbeds. "I get calls from people every now and then that say I turned their life around," said the La Crosse County Assistant District Attorney. Bjerke has prosecuted thousands of drug-related cases in his 17 years with the county and carries the heaviest case load in the state, he said. His office inside the courthouse is stacked with cardboard boxes of case files and his desk is littered with criminal complaints. The Wisconsin Circuit Court Access Web site is his Internet homepage. A 22-by-16-inch color photograph of a 2.2-pound cocaine brick hangs on the opposite wall from his wood-framed law degrees. Ask Bjerke about any defendant he's prosecuted and he can recall his or her criminal history and drug ties without hesitation. [continues 1064 words]
Still, Too Many Get Inadequate Or No Treatment With her bright pink nail polish, pancake makeup and darting, penciled eyes, Sarah looks older than 16. But being too old has never been her problem - not since the age of 11, when she sought help from a California drug treatment program for adolescents and was turned away for being too young. By then, she had already been smoking crystal meth for at least a year. Ineligible for a program "developmentally targeted" for teens, an adolescent Sarah fell through the cracks. [continues 1107 words]
Testing: Atheletes, Students With Parking Permits and Others In Co-Curricular Activities Are Subject to the Tests. "It's really about changing the climate of our school," activities director Ray Kosey said. "We want the kids who are saying no to drugs and alcohol to be the majority.... the longer you can keep kids from using drugs, the less likely they are to get hooked on them. Hopefully down the road, it changes the climate of our community, too." Athletes won't be the only ones subject to testing. All students involved in a co-curricular activity, such as debate or band, are included -- as are students who buy a school parking permit. A third test group is comprised of students who have volunteered for the tests and have pledged to not use drugs. [continues 1778 words]
Understanding Addiction: Part One Of Five Brain Research Is Key To Hope Seven. That's how many attempts it took Joseph Bryant to kick lifetime addictions that began with alcohol when he was just 10, followed by heavy marijuana use in his teens, and topped by a $700-a-day heroin habit in his 20s. After he served prison sentences for car theft and drug peddling, and as he took up residence in abandoned houses at the age of 27, he realized he had to change his life, or he would find himself, as he put it, "in jail for the rest of my life or dying on the streets of Baltimore." [continues 1111 words]
UW Falls To Third Place AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Longhorns earned another national title Monday, not for football but as the country's best party school. The University of Texas at Austin beat Penn State University, West Virginia University and last year's winner, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the Princeton Review survey of 115,000 students at campuses around the country. It topped the overall list -- its first time atop the Princeton Review chart -- by ranking second in the use of hard liquor, third in beer drinking and 13th in marijuana smoking. [continues 205 words]
Wisconsin's efforts to reduce methamphetamine labs are working. But the state must now expand the battle against the illicit drug on another front: Halting the trade in meth flowing into the state from labs elsewhere, particularly Mexico. To shore up resources on this added battlefront, Wisconsin should: .Pressure the federal government to strengthen joint U.S.-Mexican anti-trafficking efforts. U.S.-Mexican cooperation can be effective. Earlier this month, Mexican law enforcement officials, trained in anti-meth procedures by U.S. officials, seized a meth "superlab" near Guadalajara that had been feeding meth into the United States. [continues 301 words]
Jonathan Lehnherr won't go to prison for the heroin overdose death of his friend, Michael Ace, but a Dane County judge put him on a very short leash. Circuit Judge James Martin initially sentenced Lehnherr, 25, to three years in prison for causing Ace's death on May 5, 2005, at their West Wilson Street apartment. But he stayed the prison sentence and put Lehnherr on seven years of probation, with a year in the Dane County Jail as a condition of his probation. [continues 383 words]
Man Bought Drug That Killed Friend A Madison man who supplied the heroin that killed a good friend was put on probation and will be able to get into a local drug program, but he may have a prison sentence if he is not successful. Jonathan Lehnherr, 25, was put on probation for seven years Wednesday and ordered to spend one year in the Dane County Jail, some of which will be stayed if he is successful in the Treatment Alternatives Program for drug abuse at Hope Haven, but Dane County Circuit Judge James Martin also left Lehnherr facing a possible seven-year prison term. [continues 479 words]
Parents In Recovery Struggle With Daughter's Fight With Addiction I am, at the least, a fourth-generation alcoholic. So is my wife, Deirdre. Our 22-year-old daughter, Carrick, is a recovering heroin addict. Most members of our family have been successful professionally - Deirdre's father was an attorney and judge; my side brims with journalists who kept the proverbial pint flask in their desk drawers. Most of us got sober, but we've taken different routes to get there. I've learned along the way that there is a difference between not using a drug and being in recovery, which encompasses the way you lead your life, interact with other people and face your mortality. [continues 2020 words]
Recently released state figures show a heartening drop in methamphetamine labs in the state - part of a national trend that could cut down on deadly explosions and help the environment. But that progress in the fight against the dangerous, addictive drug leaves state Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager and the three other candidates for her job to debate another issue: how to fight the out-of-state trafficking of the drug that now accounts for almost all of the meth seized in Wisconsin. [continues 936 words]
Your recent article came out at the same time I received a mailing from Sheriff David Clarke's campaign containing literature with some very interesting statements ("Why Sheriff Clarke Failed Milwaukee," by Lisa Kaiser, July 19). In a letter contained in his standard packet asking for financial and other support, he states: "After an unfortunate period of neglect going back many years, we are just now well into a program that will eventually provide outstanding security for you and your family." [continues 418 words]
WISCONSIN DELLS - Police wrapped up a three-month investigation into illegal drug sales Thursday, arresting 14 adults and eight juveniles and predicting that more arrests are likely. An undercover officer had infiltrated groups of dealers, and search warrants were executed Thursday at three Dells residences: 912 Broadway, Apt. 4, 901 Capital St. and 521 Church St. A large number of people were arrested, but the amount of drugs seized was relatively small. One pound of marijuana and smaller amounts of cocaine were seized, Wisconsin Dells Police Chief Bret Anderson said. [continues 245 words]
3 People Died in March Incident A woman accused of helping her boyfriend and another man plot a marijuana heist that ended with three people dead has been charged with two felonies. Erin Van Epps, 23, of Dodgeville, faces theft and felony burglary charges with modifiers tied to using a dangerous weapon. The charges came Tuesday after five months of investigation by state Justice Department agents. The complaint contains a six-page statement by Van Epps in which she describes the attempted heist and claims to have warned the men against trying it. [continues 252 words]
A marijuana plant heist planned with information provided by an insider went fatally awry one morning in March, resulting in a botched robbery that left three men dead and, this week, criminal charges against the woman who got away. Erin Van Epps, 23, a Dodgeville native, who claimed to be a reluctant tag-along, faces felony charges of theft and burglary, with "party-to-a-crime modifiers" because weapons were involved. The criminal complaint was filed Tuesday in Lafayette County, after five months of investigation by the state Justice Department's Division of Criminal Investigation, and includes a six-page handwritten statement by Van Epps in which she describes the shootings and claims to have warned her boyfriend and another man against the robbery. [continues 830 words]
Benjamin Stibbe is only 24 years old but, if a criminal complaint is correct, has left an astounding number of dead people in his wake. That he is not dead himself might be one of the small wonders of his case. Complaints charging him with a total of four counts of reckless homicide paint a picture of an inveterate heroin abuser - and supplier. Awaiting a sentencing that ended up being postponed in Port Washington on Friday, he wore the requisite orange of the jailed. He was pale and silent and wasn't asked to answer any questions. [continues 521 words]
The grass-roots Common Sense Coalition and a majority of Madison City Council members want to reinstate the city's controversial anti-loitering law to help stop a surge in serious crime. But Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said the move is divisive, politically motivated and distracts from an important community conversation on public safety. The effort "is designed to pull people apart," he said. The original law, passed in 1997 and dropped over concerns about discrimination in 2002, made it illegal to loiter for the purpose of selling drugs. [continues 793 words]
Someone has been growing marijuana in a farmer's cornfield along County A in southern Dane County, and police would like to know who it is. For the sixth year in a row, according to the Dane County Sheriff's Office, someone has planted small patches of marijuana in the cornfield. Town of Oregon Constable Gary Wackett told the Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force about the growing operation and, on July 25, detectives went to the field to collect and destroy the plants. [continues 86 words]
Drug Abuse Resistance Education has been taught in many Barron County schools since the 1980s, but funding concerns are forcing a number of school districts to reconsider offering the fifth-grade program. Karen Chilson, an educational consultant at CESA 11, said many schools have stopped using DARE to teach drug and alcohol prevention, even though the programs is popular with many parents, teachers and students. The problem is that requirements for obtaining federal aid for these prevention classes have "become much more stringent" in recent years. [continues 1172 words]
ELKHORN -- A brother, sister and the man suspected of dealing them heroin are in the Walworth County Jail facing charges of first-degree reckless homicide. Rebecca H. Monroe, a 37-year-old Elkhorn woman, died in her home April 3 from a drug overdose, said Dr. Lynda Biedrzyski, a Waukesha County medical examiner, according to a criminal complaint. Devis K. Osinski, Ladine L. Osinski and Jermal A. Johnson are accused of being the terminal end of a supply chain that delivered heroin to Monroe. [continues 323 words]
On Tuesday, July 25, Tribune reporter Reid Magney wrote a column titled, "Doobie do-over," in which he commented on the possibility of the La Crosse County Board reconsidering an ordinance that the county board just passed in regard to possession of marijuana. Insightful as Magney attempted to be though, he did leave out several key points that made his column extremely slanted politically. For example, he commented on the fact that I was the board member who was being considered to move for reconsideration, but he neglected to mention the fact that two other members of the county board were also thinking about asking for reconsideration. [continues 144 words]
Eddie Harris "did not like screaming and hollering. It bugged his head," his mother, Rebecca Anderson, said. He was more of the type to avoid confrontation, a "follower," Anderson said -- definitely not the type to lead a raid to rip off a marijuana dealer, carrying a loaded shotgun. Harris, 24, was shot dead in the home of a marijuana dealer March 16, a Thursday. Also killed was his companion, Jaeson Shepard. When Anderson's daughter, Leah told her Eddie was dead, "I figured it was a drug overdose, I thought suicide, because Eddie was having a tough time," she said. "I never would have expected him to be shot." [continues 337 words]
For Openers, It Held About $500,000 Worth Of Marijuana Plants. It had something to do with the pegboard. What Eddie Harris and Jaeson Shepard died for, the reason Erin Van Epps was shot at, and why police suspect Brad Fandrich took his own life, was behind the pegboard in the basement. Harris, Shepard and Van Epps drove to Brad and Jeanna Fandrich's home on Highway N in the town of Argyle in March because, police believe, they had heard marijuana was growing there, and they wanted to steal it. [continues 444 words]
As a heated campaign for Columbia County sheriff approaches its final month, the campaign of Dennis Richards is questioning some campaign tactics targeting his candidacy. But the campaign doesn't know who it is carrying them out. And beyond the fliers of an anonymous group calling itself Concerned Citizens of Columbia County, Richards campaign manager Steve Sarbacker said the campaign is also skeptical about the structure in place for them to seek any remedy. If there is illegal campaigning afoot, "we don't think we'd get any enforcement of it - timely enforcement," Sarbacker said Monday. [continues 881 words]
Some Teens Report Their Parents Don't Know Where Their Children Are At. DARLINGTON -- Over half (54 percent) of teens "strongly agree" that their families love them and give them support when they need it. Based on teen perceptions, 65 percent of teens feel their parents monitor them at a "very high" level, while 15 percent feel their parents practice "low" or "very low" parental monitoring. Teens report they are more likely to have good talks with their parents about personal problems and plans after high school than drugs and sex. [continues 459 words]
In June, the La Crosse County Board voted 15-12 to make possession of less than 25 grams of marijuana a county ordinance offense. Some supervisors who opposed the ordinance are looking to revisit the issue, especially since the vote was close and eight supervisors weren't there to vote. But when you're on the losing side, you can't just call a do-over. You've got to find somebody from the winning side to change his mind and ask for reconsideration. [continues 119 words]
In early March, Jaeson Shepard sat down with his mother and said he, his girlfriend, Erin, and a guy named Eddie were going to rip off a marijuana grower. "Don't do it," Donna Fox told her son. "You're going to go in there and come across some mean (expletive deleted) and he'll blow your head off," she told him. That's exactly what happened. Shepard, 29, was fatally shot in the hallway of a converted cheese factory along a little-traveled road a few miles south of Blanchardville at 3 a.m. March 16. [continues 2045 words]
With Thompson Out, Party Lacks Senate Contender If you go to the Web site of the Republican Party of Wisconsin and click on "Election Candidates 2006," you'll get a list of candidates backed by the party in races from governor to the Assembly's 75th District. What you won't find is any mention of the U.S. Senate race. "Our attention now is fully on the governor's race," said Rick Wiley, executive director of the party. "It's unfortunate that Herb Kohl is going to get, for all intents and purposes, a free pass on this one." [continues 1335 words]
In its 150 years, Madison has had its share of outspoken political activists, but none has been as enduring as Ben Masel. Masel's tweaking of the establishment's nose goes back more than 30 years. His most infamous protest took place at the Dane County Airport when the state of Washington's U.S. Sen. Henry "Scoop" Jackson arrived to campaign for the Democratic nomination for president. Jackson, a longtime supporter of the Vietnam War, was met by Masel, who promptly spat in the senator's face, a scene that was captured by Bruce Fritz of The Capital Times photo staff and transmitted worldwide by The Associated Press. [continues 128 words]
There is no longer any question whether marijuana is medicinal, but even if there were, is it good public policy to arrest and jail patients who have turned to it after modern medicine has failed them? Congressman Mark Green apparently thinks so, judging by his vote recently against a congressional budget amendment that would have prohibited the use of federal funds - our tax dollars - to target medical marijuana patients in the 11 states that have legalized it. This is Green's fourth such vote in four years. [continues 106 words]
Consumer products made from a renewable resource are all you will find at Hempen Goods. At the near East Side store, clothing, backpacks, wallets, footwear, paper, even lip balm, soap, candles and dietary supplements are derived from seeds, stems and fibers of the versatile hemp plant. Hempen Goods owner Rich Ray said Americans are the world's leading consumers of hemp products. With the advantage of being an annual crop that can be grown easily throughout much of the world, hemp can be made into a variety of consumer goods from bio-diesel fuel to building materials for homes. [continues 239 words]
The "potent asset forfeiture laws," used to seize land and cash from Jerry Hartman, have another definition: extortion - and by the government, no less ("Law dents dealer's lifestyle," July 8). These laws do not pass the smell test. There may be something said for reclaiming assets associated with illegal drug wholesaling, provided it is applied within a system of rational drug laws - which is now most certainly not the case. But the way prosecutors go after assets, by filing charges far in excess of what true justice requires in order to have the maximum leverage with which to mulct their targets, is deplorable. This is about money, not drugs. Can the attorneys and cops operate honorably realizing these funds are usually used to pay for people's employment and pet projects? Justice should not be priced as piecework. D.H. Michon Eau Claire [end]
WAUPACA - Waupaca County officials said the 27-year-old man found dead in the county jail on Monday is Shane L. Hodge of Wisconsin Rapids. Hodge was discovered unresponsive by another inmate in the shower at the jail, according to a sheriff department's news release. He was taken to Riverside Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. An investigation determined that Hodge committed suicide by hanging. Hodge was being held by Wood County authorities, but was transferred to the Waupaca County Jail because the Wood County Jail is full. Wood County has been housing inmates in other counties since September 2001. [continues 96 words]
Inside Wisconsin
