Five of the seven men responsible for slashing the tires of Republican Party vehicles Election Day appeared in court yesterday on charges of felony. The children of two eminent Democrats-Michael Pratt, son of former Milwaukee mayor Marvin Pratt, and Sowande Omokunde, son of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore-were among the five who made court appearances.
The slashings destroyed 40 tires among 25 vehicles the Republican Party rented to transport voters to the polls. The crime reached felony status when the monetary loss due to vandalization surpassed $2,500. Altogether, towing costs and the expense of the tires added up to more than $5,300.
The five men could face fines up to $10,000 and prison sentences of up to 3 1/2 years if convicted.
The Student Services Finance Committee convened Monday to approve Associated Students of Madison's internal budget for the 2005-'06 fiscal year. ASM's proposed budget totaled $681,200. SSFC voted to reduce the salary of ASM's Chair from $5,200 to $4,800 to ensure parity across different branches of ASM's leadership. A similar cut was made to reduce the vice-chair salary by $300. SSFC's final decision was to add $1,890 in order to correct a number of rounding errors and oversights.
A hotly contested issue the committee discussed was whether there was an unnecessary overlap of services between the LGBT issues specialist, the Women's issues specialist, the student of color issues specialist, the women's student of color issues specialist, and the LGBT student of color issues specialist. Ultimately, a resolution to streamline these student hourly positions failed by a vote of 5-4.
UW-Madison freshman Sean Weas, 18, fell from a second-story balcony while attending a party on the 900 block of College Court late Friday evening. The accident resulted in a hairline skull fracture for Weas. Alcohol was believed to have been involved.
Weas' mishap is the second balcony fall this academic year, as in late August UW-Madison freshman Jason Gratzl fell from a second-story balcony on Mifflin Street while trying to vomit. Weas, however, was not reported to be near the balcony for such a purpose. Authorities say snow beneath the balcony may have prevented Weas sustaining more serious injuries.
Weas was released from UW-Madison Hospital Sunday after a two-night stay and treatment for his head injuries.
