Jerry's Journal

Tweet Sheboygan, Wis., Mayor Ousted in Recall (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) Sheboygan Mayor Bob Ryan, an admitted alcoholic, was ousted from office Tuesday in a historic recall election prompted by incidents of his public drinking and behavior that brought national attention to the city of 50,000.

Tweet Sheboygan Mayoral Recall Election Biggest Race on Spring Primary Day (TMJ 4) On the first election day of 2012 – the day of the spring primary elections – one race in Sheboygan was expected to bring a huge turnout Tuesday. Sheboygan Mayor Bob Ryan’s job is on the line in Tuesday’s recall election after [...]

Tweet Wis. Assembly set to vote on wetlands bill (Daily Herald) The state Assembly is set to take up a contentious bill that would help developers to win wetland construction permits.

Tweet In Alabama, a County That Fell Off the Financial Cliff (New York Times) There is no money for a lot of things around here, not since Jefferson County, population 658,000, went bankrupt last fall. There is no money for holiday D.U.I. checkpoints, litter patrols or overtime pay at the courthouse. None for crews to [...]

Tweet Most Corrupt City? Chicago, Report Shows (Politico) A new report finds the Wind City easily lays claim to the title, based on the number of public corruption convictions there in recent decades, making Illinois the third-most corrupt state in the country, according to a new report.

Tweet 12 arrested in Occupy Atlanta AT&T protest (UPI) A dozen protesters affiliated with Occupy Atlanta were arrested in the AT&T Midtown Center after demonstrating against layoffs at the phone giant, police say.

Tweet Virginia House Passes ‘Personhood’ Bill (Washington Post) The Republican-led House of Delegates gave preliminary approval to a so-called personhood bill , despite strenuous opposition by Democrats who argued that the broad measure could prohibit birth control. Similar legislation passed the House last year, but died in the Senate, which was controlled by Democrats.

Tweet Obama Sends $3.8 Trillion Budget To Congress (Governing Magazine) President Barack Obama sent Congress a new budget that seeks to achieve $4 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade while increasing spending on areas aimed at giving the economy a quick boost.

Tweet St. Louis Mayor’s Pension Proposal Attracts Fire on First Day (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) Before Mayor Francis Slay’s long-anticipated proposal to overhaul city Fire Department pensions had even been introduced, the president of the firefighters union conducted a news conference on the steps of City Hall’s grand rotunda, with at least 50 firefighters behind him, [...]

Tweet Municipalities Need $300B in Sewer, Water Work (Governing Magazine) A federal study shows municipalities nationwide need more than $300 billion worth of essential upgrades to long overlooked water and sewer systems over the next 20 years.

Tweet North Carolina Panel Touts Wind Energy Use (Raleigh News & Observer) A new study released by Gov. Bev Perdue said North Carolina had the largest offshore wind resource on the East Coast and that the state should work with industry to develop the wind energy industry.

Tweet Official: Bankruptcy Possible for Harrisburg (Governing Magazine) The state official in charge of figuring out how to fix an enormous financial shortfall in Pennsylvania’s capital city said in a proposed recovery plan released Monday that “significant and difficult” steps lie ahead, and Harrisburg may end up seeking bankruptcy protection.

Tweet Lawmakers in 9 States Target Own Pension Perks (USA Today) Lawmakers in nine states — Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey and South Carolina— are advancing legislation to scale back their own pensions by closing loopholes and lucrative retirement plans that have let thousands of former lawmakers earn more in retirement [...]

Tweet Push for Wyoming Wind Projects Paying Off (Casper Star-Tribune) While more work remains, federal and state efforts to speed up the permitting of Wyoming wind farms and transmission line projects are paying off, officials and developers say.