The Watchdog is at the Door

Teachers, legislator respond to school violence report; schools mum, By James Wigderson
WISN-AM’s Dan O’Donnell said he has been contacted by about 100 teachers regarding his report on violence in Milwaukee Public Schools since it first aired a week ago.   “The biggest response is, this is exactly what my life is like. This is exactly what I deal with every day. It’s about time some other people, besides other teachers, got a taste of what we’re going through,’ O’Donnell said in a phone interview.  O’Donnell, news anchor and talk show host at WISN, interviewed more than two dozen teachers for the special report, “Blood on the Blackboard,” about attacks on teachers in Milwaukee Public Schools. O’Donnell discovered cases where the police were not called and reports were not filed.  “Teachers for a long time have, I think, not been believed when they’re saying that we’ve hit a crisis point in how kids are behaving,” O’Donnell said. “ And how there’s no respect for authority. No boundaries, no limits, no anything. I think most of them that I’ve spoken with are just relieved finally some people are starting to listen and take this seriously.”......To Read More....

McCrory vetoes bill that could save billions in coal ash cleanup costs, By Bruce Parker 
Gov. Pat McCrory vetoed a bill to revive a commission overseeing North Carolina’s coal ash cleanup, inviting a possible override by lawmakers and baffling the company whose cleanup effort is at the center of the fight.  On Monday, the saga over how to manage coal ash in North Carolina continued as the governor and lawmakers battled over an independent Coal Ash Management Commission established in 2014 to oversee coal ash waste.  “This legislation is not good for the environment or for the rule of law in North Carolina.” McCrory said in a veto statement Monday night.  McCrory successfully sued to disband the commission earlier this year on grounds it encroached on his executive authority, but lawmakers passed Senate Bill 71 last week to revive it, hoping to give the state greater flexibility in managing coal ash waste ponds........To Read More....

Democrats give break to Vermont’s wind energy developers in special session, By Bruce Parker
Democratic lawmakers helped Gov. Peter Shumlin give a break to wind energy developers Thursday by removing strict limits on wind turbine noise passed by the Legislature in May. In an 11-hour special session at the Statehouse, lawmakers passed S.260, a fix-it bill that gives large-scale wind energy developers a green light for siting projects without fear of violating noise restrictions passed last month as part of S.230.  While the Legislature easily passed S.230, Shumlin vetoed the bill Monday, saying its temporary rules for wind turbine noise “make it impossible to continue to sensibly site renewable wind power in Vermont.” The bill limited turbine noise to less than 10 decibels above ambient background noise.  Supporters say the strict standard, already in use in Massachusetts, would have provided relief to Vermonters suffering health effects and sleeplessness from prolonged exposure to large-scale wind projects in areas like Milton and the Northeast Kingdom......To Read More.....

Light rail runs at heavy price in Dallas, Houston, By Kenric Ward
Houston’s Metro rail is catching up to Dallas’ DART trains in ridership, but both systems are more dependent than ever on taxpayer subsidies.  Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s light-rail trains recorded 29.9 million passenger trips in fiscal 2015. The newer Houston Metro rail is on track for 23.6 million fares this year if its bullish numbers from March continue.  The competition for ridership comes at a price. DART’s rail system receives $619,960,000 in annual operating subsidies, with local sales tax and the Federal Transit Administration providing the most funding.  Houston’s Metro says it averages $4.75 in subsidies for every rail ride. Multiplied by projected ridership, that comes to $112,100,000 in taxpayer support this year. Watchdog.org test-rode the light-rail networks, finding them clean, safe, reliable and seldom full – with some defining differences in operations......To Read More....

Lawmakers propose ‘Homeowners’ Bill of Rights’, By M.D. Kittle 
Dave Meixner purchased property on the northern shores of Lake Pepin in the pursuit of his art.
The nature photographer saw the potential for the perfect outdoor studio.  ow he and his land are being pressed against the government’s claim of “the greater good” in a land battle that could ultimately invoke eminent domain.  The greater good in question is Bay City’s push to development a 1.1-mile walking trail along a Mississippi River inlet, a project that would claim a portion of Meixner’s land.     In April, the Bay City Village Board voted 3-2 in favor of the development plan that, to property-rights advocates “is evidence of local government overreach and a bullying use of eminent domain,” according to the Pierce County Herald.   Last month, Meixner offered a compromise proposal, a land swap. The board has yet to take the property owner up on the offer.....“Unfortunately, the creep of overbearing government at all levels has imperiled property rights and homeownership,” Tiffany and Jarchow said in a joint statement. “It’s time for reform that protects and defends homeowners and by extension, the American Dream.”.......To Read More....