No more firefighting foam at Madison's Truax Field
Sophie CarsonI'm Sophie Carson and this is the Daily Briefing newsletter by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Sign up here to get it sent to your inbox each morning.
After a rainy weekend it looks like a great start to the week with a high of 70 under sunny skies today. Tomorrow is even better.
No more firefighting foam at Madison's Truax Field
Truax Field in Madison has become the first U.S. Air Force installation to totally eliminate all firefighting foam with "forever chemicals" from its hangars. Its firefighting systems use water now.
The arrival of F-35 fighter jets this spring meant that the Air National Guard base needed to renovate its facilities. And PFAS contamination had already been detected in the soil at the base and in nearby Starkweather Creek. So updating the fire suppression systems made sense.
"Most Air Force bases are not modifying every hangar on base all at one time," said Lt. Col. Mike Dunlap, a base civil engineer. "So this was a unique opportunity for us we were able to leverage."
Another key point from reporter Laura Schulte: Truax's renovations "forced the Air Force generally to get up to speed on learning how other bases could make the switch to using water as well." (The Department of Defense is requiring all military bases to phase out foam with PFAS by October 2024.)
Schulte also has this interesting, unrelated story: Why are we seeing so many bears in populated areas? Here's what to know.
Court ruling against landlord
An appellate court ruling against Milwaukee mega-landlord Joe Berrada could have a big impact on evictions going forward, the lawyers who won the case say.
The judge found the eviction filing by a Berrada company failed to list specific reasons to justify evicting a resident named Chakari Lathan.
The ruling will do little to help the other nearly 800 Berrada tenants who were evicted on one day in January 2022, reporter Cary Spivak writes.
But Nick Toman, the Legal Aid Society attorney who represented Lathan, said it "is going to make all landlords, presumably, provide enough information so tenants could prepare for court."
"It's good for everybody if people know what they are showing up in court for," he said.
Police video release policy blocked for now
A new city policy that said the Milwaukee Police Department had to release video footage of police shootings within 15 days is now on hold.
That's because a Milwaukee County judge on Friday granted a temporary injunction at the request of the Milwaukee Police Association, the union representing rank-and-file officers. The union is arguing the city didn't properly follow its collective bargaining obligations before implementing the policy.
Reporter Elliot Hughes writes:
Friday’s hearing was quickly arranged after two nonfatal police shootings occurred on Milwaukee’s south side May 5. The union argued a temporary injunction was necessary until the court could ultimately rule on the collective bargaining issue.
So the policy is blocked until at least June 28, the date of the next scheduled court hearing.
Don't miss these
- In a column, executive editor Greg Borowski introduces the rest of the Journal Sentinel's senior leadership team: Jill Williams, Rachel Piper, Lainey Seyler and Jim Fitzhenry.
- Alan Borsuk's third column on the new "science of reading" curriculum at Cudahy Public Schools dives into the costs — in the hundreds of thousands of dollars — and the payoff teachers are seeing in their students' literacy levels.
- Two Milwaukee Common Council members have proposed legislation that would regulate where, when and how food trucks can operate in certain areas of the city. They said it's an attempt to cut back on all-out bans while reining in bad actors.
- Have any plans for the first week of June? How about a multicourse meal at a downtown restaurant you haven't tried before? We've got the details for Downtown Dining Week, which runs June 1-8.
- On the topic of dining, we've also got 13 must-visit Door County restaurants. Of course, Al Johnson's and its roof goats make the list.
Green Bay's 'Jeopardy!' champ is back on TV
Ben Chan, the St. Norbert College philosophy professor with three "Jeopardy!" wins under his belt, returns to TV this evening.
A quick fan favorite whose win streak was temporarily paused in April when he tested positive for COVID-19, Chan will face the show's other current returning champion.
He spoke with Green Bay Press-Gazette reporter Kendra Meinert about the exclamation point on his podium screen ("Ben!"), why game-show buzzers found their way into his classroom this semester, and how his dogs are benefiting from his winnings. Give it a read here.
Simone Biles: Soon-to-be Lambeau Field regular?
My favorite news of the weekend: Olympic gymnast Simone Biles likely will be spending more time in Wisconsin since her new husband, Jonathan Owens, just signed a deal with the Packers.
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