Book Of Life, Foreign Policy Challenges, State News Round-Up

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• Weekly News Roundup: State Supreme Upholds Act 10, Voter ID And Domestic Partnerships

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  Here’s a rundown of some of the top news stories in Wisconsin this week:

  • Supreme Court Upholds Act 10, Ending Legal Battle Against Collective Bargaining Law:

    On Thursday, the state Supreme Court handed down a 5-2 ruling that declared Act 10 to be constitutional. The Madison teachers’ union and city workers in Milwaukee challenged Gov. Scott Walker’s signature law, which ended collective bargaining rights for public-sector unions. They had argued that it infringed on their constitutional rights of association, free speech and equal protection. The Supreme Court, however, said collective bargaining among public unions is under the purview of the state legislation and not constitutionally guaranteed.

  • Supreme Court Upholds Voter ID Law, Though Injunction Will Remain:

    Another Supreme Court decision announced on Thursday upheld Wisconsin’s controversial voter ID law, which requires voters to show photo identification at the polls. The Supreme Court did have one caveat: They said the state Department of Transportation has to find a way to issue photo IDs without requiring a birth certificate, which costs money to get. The issue is also before an appeals court in Chicago in a separate case; until that decision comes down the law is on hold.

  • Supreme Court Upholds Wisconsin’s Domestic Partnership Registry:

    In a third decision, the state Supreme Court ruled on Thursday to uphold Wisconsin’s domestic partner registry. The conservative group Wisconsin Family Action had sued the state because they said the registry was a violation of the state’s gay marriage ban. The registry provides certain benefits to domestic partners, like hospital visitation rights. Attorney General JB Van Hollen refused to defend the law and agreed that it violated the same-sex marriage ban in Wisconsin. That ban is currently being challenged in federal court.

  • Coal Shipping Shortage Could Cause Energy Crisis In Winter:

    A shortage of coal being shipped into Wisconsin could make for an energy crisis in the state this winter. The trains that usually carry coal from western states like Montana to electrical generating plants in the Upper Midwest are being used to ship oil from North Dakota and Canada — a shift that has led to a backlog in coal shipments. Coal is usually shipped to the Mississippi River, where it’s loaded onto barges bound for power plants. But once the river ices over, the barges can no longer run. If the pace of coal shipments don’t pick up, there could be tighter supplies and higher prices, similar to the propane shortage last winter.

• The Book Of Life

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  In the latest novel of a fantasy trilogy, a witch and a vampire team up to unlock the mysteries of a historic text that could explain why some supernatural creatures are losing their power. The bestselling author of the All Souls Trilogy talks about where the series finale will take us.

• A Long And Growing List Of Foreign Policy Challenges

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  Ukraine, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Central America…the list of foreign policy challenges for the Obama White House is long and seems to grow by the week–so is the White House overwhelmed? A foreign relations expert looks the spate of crises, and how the adminstration is reacting.

• State News Round-Up For August 1st

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  WPR’s assistant news director joins us to take stock of the latest news in Wisconsin.