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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 27 June 2024
Wisconsin youth prison counselor is declared brain-dead after

inmate assault

By TODD RICHMOND Calvin Callahan, whose
Associated Press districts include the youth
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A prison, joined the request.
counselor at Wisconsin’s The records are of “para-
troubled youth prison has mount interest” to the com-
been declared brain- munities around the prison
dead following a fight as well as the oversight
with a 16-year-old inmate, committees, the legislators
the county coroner said wrote.
Wednesday, less than Proulx was injured during
three weeks after prosecu- a fight Monday night at
tors filed criminal charges Lincoln Hills-Copper Lake
against a warden and mul- Schools, the state’s youth
tiple staffers in connection prison in Irma in northern
with two maximum security Wisconsin. According to
inmates’ deaths. a criminal complaint, the
Corey Proulx, 49, was de- 16-year-old inmate had
clared brain-dead Tuesday been planning to attack
so the family could pro- a staff member whom he
ceed with organ donation, believed was abusing her
Lincoln County Coroner power and treating him un-
Valerie Caylor said. fairly.
Prosecutors charged the He had another inmate ob-
inmate in adult court on This Dec. 10, 2015, aerial file photo, shows Lincoln Hills juvenile prison in Irma, Wis. tain a cup of soap, threw it
Wednesday with second- Associated Press at the staff member’s face
degree reckless homicide, and repeatedly punched
felony murder-battery and unanswered on Wednes- Department of Correc- statement: “Lives need to her before fleeing into an
two counts of battery by a day afternoon. tions is operating in “crisis be protected.” outdoor courtyard.
prisoner. He could face up The Associated Press is not mode.” He promised to Schraa and Sen. Van Proulx approached the in-
to 58 years in prison if con- naming the inmate be- to hold a hearing on the Wanggaard, who chairs mate, who began punch-
victed on all counts. cause his attorneys could agency’s overall opera- the Senate judiciary com- ing him without being
Online court records show try to move the case into tions “as quickly as possi- mittee, filed an open re- provoked, according to
Lincoln County Circuit juvenile court, where pro- ble.” cords request with the the complaint. Video sur-
Judge Galen Bayne-Allison ceedings are secret. “We have a deceased Department of Correc- veillance shows the in-
set a $100,000 cash bond State Rep. Michael Schraa, staff member, nine DOC tions on Wednesday for all mate punch Proulx twice
for him. A call to his attor- chair of the Assembly’s cor- employees facing crimi- documents connected to in the face using “full
ney, listed in online court rections committee, issued nal charges, and four de- the fight, including audio force.” Proulx went limp,
records as public defender a statement Wednesday ceased inmates,” Schraa and video recordings. Sen. fell and hit his head on the
Jessica Fehrenbach, rang questioning whether the said, adding later in the Mary Felzkowski and Rep. pavement.q

Florida’s balloon ban will protect sea turtles, birds and other

marine life

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Hunter Miller, a Florida rep- intentionally releasing a sin- ment on it. of Mexico. Balloons can
Sea turtles, marine birds resentative of the Washing- gle balloon. The bill analysis prepared stay afloat for days and
and children under 7 will ton-based environmental The new law also removes for lawmakers notes bal- winds and currents can
be protected under a new group Oceana. an exemption for biode- loon releases are com- carry them far from their ini-
Florida law that bans the The law will exempt chil- gradable balloons. DeSan- mon at weddings, funerals, tial release point.
intentional release of bal- dren under 7. Anyone else tis signed the bill in private sporting events, gradua- Once they deflate and fall,
loons. can be fined for littering for and didn’t make a state- tions and various celebra- sea turtles confuse them for
The law, signed by Repub- tions. one of their favorite foods:
lican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Following efforts to limit jellyfish. Birds, manatees,
Monday, replaces an ex- plastic bags and straws, whales and other marine
isting ban of releasing ten the push by environmental- life also eat balloons, which
or more balloons within 24 ists against balloon releases can block their digestive
hours. The Legislature ap- has gained traction. The systems, leading to starva-
proved the bill with bipar- Florida Legislature has pre- tion.
tisan support in March and viously barred local govern- “Balloon litter in waterbod-
the law is praised by envi- ments from banning plastic ies affects more than 260
ronmentalists. bags. In 2019, DeSantis ve- species worldwide and has
“Balloons rank among the toed a bill that would have been identified as among
deadliest ocean plastic temporarily banned local the five deadliest types
for key wildlife and are the governments from outlaw- of marine debris in terms
deadliest form of plastic ing plastic straws. of the risk that it poses to
debris for seabirds. Flori- Florida is a large peninsula marine wildlife,” said the
da’s new law will help save A loggerhead sea turtle hatchling makes its way into the ocean with no point further than legislative analysis, adding
ocean animals from these along Haulover Beach in Miami, July 9, 2013. 60 miles (97 kilometers) from that animals can also get
preventable deaths,” said Associated Press the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf tangled in balloon strings.q