Another Bridge Problem in Milwaukee

WTF?

A Marquette Interchange freeway ramp used by 15,000 motorists per day was shut down Thursday afternoon and will remain closed indefinitely because cracks have formed in a vertical support pier.

The ramp carries traffic from W. Wisconsin Ave., at N. 11th St., to I-43 southbound.

State Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi said the cracks were discovered during a scheduled inspection on Monday and further investigation revealed that the 40-foot concrete support was designed improperly and is inadequate to support the weight that rests on it, including steel girders and the roadway.

Busalacchi said the design firm HNTB Corporation has accepted responsibility for the error and the repair. What will be done to fix or replace the vertical pier has not been determined, the secretary said. Also unknown is how long it will take to fix the problem.

Wisconsin To Be Nicer to Inmates

Let’s just hope that this doesn’t lead to a dead guard. 

To settle lawsuits filed by inmates, state officials have agreed to make wide-ranging changes to the segregation unit at the maximum-security Waupun Correctional Institution to make it easier for them to sleep, exercise and communicate.

New windows, magazines and even hacky sacks are on the way for the 180 inmates who are housed there, according to settlements signed last month and obtained by The Associated Press. The state is also paying more than $113,000 to two inmates and their attorneys.

The inmates had argued the conditions in the cells were so isolating and harsh they violated their constitutional right to be free of cruel and unusual punishment and made their mental illnesses worse.

Golfer Disqualifies Self

Outstanding.  Good for young Mr. Nash. 

Zach Nash was shocked when he discovered he had one too many golf clubs in his bag a couple hours after winning a junior Wisconsin PGA tournament.

But rules are rules, and the 14-year-old from southern Wisconsin made a decision that might surprise some people: He disqualified himself and surrendered his medal.

“I knew right away I couldn’t live with myself if I kept this medal, so it was pretty instantaneous,” Nash said during a phone interview from his home in Waterford on Wednesday, his first day of high school.

Gallipoli

Here’s a PSA for my fellow history buffs.  Premiering Sunday on Smithsonian Channel, which is fast becoming one of my favorites.

Handshake

So… what is Clinton thinking?

No Clue

Wow.

Just how bad was it?  Romer admitted that no one at the White House understood the fundamentals of this recession, and how they just assumed it would behave like previous recessions.  And it might have done so, had the Obama administration applied the policies that alleviated previous recessions, especially those that Ronald Reagan used to pull the US out of a decade-long stagnation slump where high inflation eroded the buying power of Americans.  Instead of cutting taxes (especially capital gains taxes) and reducing regulation to entice new investment, Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats chose to chase a government takeover of health care, a massive tax on energy production that would penalize expansion and growth, and expanding the jurisdiction on Wall Street of the same agencies that had watched the collapse come and did nothing about it.

Romer, however, still hasn’t got a clue why a one-time expenditure of government funds didn’t make things hunky-dory:

Oil Rig Explodes in Gulf of Mexico

Let’s hope everyone is found alive.

An oil rig has exploded 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana, with 12 people overboard and one missing, the Coast Guard said Thursday morning.

Rescue attempts are underway for at least 12 people, Coast Guard spokesman John Edwards told CNN. 13 people were on board the rig total, Edwards said, noting 12 have been accounted for, but one person was missing.

The accident took place 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana on the Vermilion Oil rig 380, which is owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy.

UPDATE: Yea!

David Reed, a paramedic on board the Rowan Gorilla II oil rig located 14 miles from the platform that exploded told submitted an iReport saying he saw all thirteen workers rescued from the water.

MPD Seeks To Follow Law

Well, it’s a start.

Milwaukee police officers who retire to Arizona and Florida can easily get permits to carry hidden guns in those states, just like most other residents.

Soon, hundreds of former MPD officers in Wisconsin also could be able to carry concealed weapons, under a federal law that allows retired officers to be certified annually and carry their guns in any state.

The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act was passed in 2004, and many other Wisconsin law enforcement agencies have been certifying their retirees to carry guns for years.

So after six years, MPD will finally get around to implementing the law.  But they will do so with onerous regulations. 

Retirees would have to pass the same firing range testing as active officers, using MPD-approved guns, and sign waivers that would clarify the city has no liability for any later use of the guns by the retired officers.

In addition, either Tobin or Flynn could revoke a retiree’s certification for any reason, Tobin said, and only retirees who are residents of Wisconsin can apply.

The certification procedure will cost $100.

Administration Blocks Importation of M-1s

Garands and Carbines, that is:

The South Korean government, in an effort to raise money for its military, wants to sell nearly a million antique M1 rifles that were used by U.S. soldiers in the Korean War to gun collectors in America.

The Obama administration approved the sale of the American-made rifles last year. But it reversed course and banned the sale in March – a decision that went largely unnoticed at the time but that is now sparking opposition from gun rights advocates.

A State Department spokesman said the administration’s decision was based on concerns that the guns could fall into the wrong hands.

“The transfer of such a large number of weapons—87,310 M1 Garands and 770,160 M1 Carbines—could potentially be exploited by individuals seeking firearms for illicit purposes,” the spokesman told FoxNews.com.

“We are working closely with our Korean allies and the U.S. Army in exploring alternative options to dispose of these firearms.”

Concerns that the guns could fall into the wrong hands?  Like the roving bands of criminals who prefer a heavy-ass rifle that kicks like a small mule?  Or criminals who go for the lighter carbine and it’s weak-ass, non-standard, expensive ammunition?

Why can’t they just be honest and say the real reason—“we don’t like guns”?

These guns are of great interest to collectors because they’re historic.  It’ll be a shame when the administrations comes up with its inevitable solution and scraps ‘em.