By DINESH RAMDE
Associated Press
MILWAUKEE (AP) — While politics accounted for plenty of state headlines, as usual, here are some of Wisconsin’s other top news stories:
WILDFIRE
Sparks from logging equipment ignited a massive wildlife in Douglas County in May. The fire consumed about 7,400 acres, destroyed 17 homes and forced dozens to flee. Firefighters needed three days to contain it. The blaze was the largest fire in Wisconsin in 33 years.
KENOSHA CASINO
The federal government in August approved the Menominee Nation’s plans for an off-reservation casino in Kenosha, but Republican Gov. Scott Walker must still sign off on the project. Walker has said his approval hinges on three criteria. The project must have community support, it can’t lead to a net increase in gambling and the state’s other 10 tribes must allow it. The Ho-Chunk Nation and the Forest County Potawatomi oppose the casino. It’s unclear when the governor may make a decision.
SINKING BRIDGE
Transportation officials rushed to shut down the Leo Frigo bridge over the Fox River in Green Bay in September after a concrete support pier settled by a little more than 2 feet, creating a long, deep dip in the pavement. The bridge, the second-longest in Wisconsin, sank almost another inch by mid-October. An estimated $7.7 million in repairs could be completed by mid-January.
Associated Press writer Todd Richmond in Madison also contributed to this report.