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Monday, September 8, 2008
County’s 911 center director resigns Joe Norwick resigned Friday after months of 911 center controversy By Abby Sears THE DAILY CARDINAL
After several months of scrutiny and criticism surrounding the Dane County 911 Center, the center’s director announced his resignation Friday. Joe Norwick, the director of the county’s Public Safety Communications Center, resigned from his position effective Sept. 19. Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk accepted Norwick’s resignation and commended him for his contributions to the county, which included technological upgrades to the 911 Center and organizing the implementation of a $30 million count-wide emergency radio system.
“I thank Director Norwick for his service and the enhancements he embarked upon as director of the Public Safety Communications Center,” Falk said in a statement. Norwick’s resignation comes nearly four months after the 911 Center received criticism for the mishandling of a 911 call from the cell phone of Brittany Zimmermann, a 21-year-old UWMadison student killed in her offcampus apartNORWICK ment in April. In May, Norwick admitted that a dispatcher mistook Zimmermann’s call as an accidental or “hang up” call and failed to call her back to verify the occurrence of an emergency, a violation of center policy. Since the controversy, county officials have worked
to review policies and technological equipment at the 911 Center. Norwick held the position of 911 Center director since July 2007, following a brief retirement after more than 30 years of working in the Dane County Sheriff ’s Department. Falk named Kathy Krusiec, former director of Dane County Emergency Management, as interim director of the 911 Center. Krusiec, who was the county’s emergency management director since 1993, has many years of experience in public safety. As emergency management director for Chippewa County, Krusiec wrote an Enhanced 911 Implementation Plan and also worked as an Emergency Medical Services specialist prior to her directorship. Falk said Krusiec will not seek the position permanently and, the county will begin a nation-wide search for a permanent director.
McCain and Palin visit small Wisconsin town
LORENZO ZEMELLA/THE DAILY CARDINAL
A cash bail of $250,000 was set Friday for Justin Stout, the man accused of a fatal stabbing outside the Plaza Tavern Wednesday night.
Bail set in fatal bar fight stabbing By Abby Sears THE DAILY CARDINAL
The man accused of stabbing a fellow patron outside a downtown bar last week made his first court appearance on charges of first-degree homicide Friday during a bail hearing. Justin Stout, 31, is currently being held on $250,000 cash bail in connection with the homicide of Juan Bernal, 22, who suffered two fatal stab wounds to the chest Wednesday outside the Plaza Tavern at 319 Henry St. Madison Police Department Public Information Officer Joel DeSpain said it did not appear Stout and Bernal knew each other. Assistant District Attorney Mike
Verveer said the violence leading to the death stemmed from a disagreement over music playing on the tavern’s jukebox. “It’s just unbelievable that such a senseless tragedy occurred over music,” Verveer said. Also appearing in court Friday was 34-year-old Travis Knapp, who was with Stout the night of the stabbing. Knapp was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to substantial battery following an incident in which he punched a woman in front of the Pub Tavern on State Street in February. Knapp was homicide page 3
Ironman athletes compete in Madison KYLE BURSAW/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, speak in Cedarburg, Wis., during their first post-convention campaign stop together. By Charles Brace THE DAILY CARDINAL
CEDARBURG, Wis.—The day after he accepted the Republican nomination for president, John McCain made a campaign stop in a small Wisconsin town Friday and vowed to change the direction of the country. McCain was accompanied by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who was recently announced as his surprise choice for vice presidential running mate. Palin generated excitement in the crowd, with more than 10,000 people attending when the campaign had initially only expected around 2,000. Palin’s speech focused largely on criticizing Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and highlighting McCain’s record. “In politics, there are can-
didates who use change to promote their careers and then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change,” Palin said. She said Obama was “profoundly” wrong about the troop surge in Iraq and mentioned that he recently admitted it was working. As a former soldier and prisoner of war, McCain has shown he is committed to serving the country, according to Palin. McCain’s speech focused more on domestic issues. He said the practice of “pork barrel” legislation, where lawmakers insert lucrative projects for their home states into a bill, should end. The first bill with such measures in it would be vetoed if he becomes president, McCain said. Independence from Middle
Eastern oil sources, according to McCain, could be achieved by a combination of alternative energies, though he promised to drill for more oil in the United States. “We will drill offshore and we will drill now,” McCain said, eliciting shouts of “Drill! Drill!” from the crowd. He said he has a record of bipartisanship and independence in the U.S. Senate that shows he is qualified, though he said other lawmakers do not always use the word “maverick” as a compliment toward him. Both McCain and Palin portrayed themselves as people willing to change the “culture” of Washington, D.C. Cedarburg resident Jan Shidan said it seemed like Palin attracted mccain page 3
More than 2,000 athletes from around the globe gathered in Madison on Sunday to compete in the 2008 Ironman Wisconsin triathlon. Competitors began the event at 7 a.m. with a 2.4-mile swim in Lake Monona, followed by a 112-mile bike ride through Dane County and finished in front of the capitol building after a 26.2-mile marathon through the downtown area. Australian Chris McDonald took home top honors in the men’s race,
finishing with a time of 8 hours, 43 minutes and 29 seconds, according to Ironman Wisconsin results. In the women’s race, Hillary Biscay of Tucson, Ariz., finished first with a time of 9:47:25. Also among the Ironman competitors were triathletes from UWMadison. Sara Schmitt of Duluth, Minn., said she woke up at 5 a.m. to cheer on older sister Jenny Schmitt, a ironman page 3
DANNY MARCHEWKA/THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Ironman Wisconsin course includes a 2.4-mile swim in Lake Monona, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a full 26.2-mile marathon.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”