NEW YORK – In a case that could have broad national implications, a Wisconsin Catholic Charities branch has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a state Supreme Court decision that its activities aren’t primarily religious, therefore denying it an exemption from paying into the state’s unemployment compensation program.

Back in March, the Wisconsin Supreme Court affirmed a lower court decision from a year earlier that the activities of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Superior aren’t primarily religious. The ruling denied the organization a religious exemption from paying into the state’s unemployment compensation program, and prevented it from joining the church’s own unemployment compensation program.

Catholic Charities said after the ruling that it would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, and on August 9 the organization presented its first arguments to the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court rules it could have a significant impact on what activities qualify an organization for a religious exemption.

The work of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Superior mirrors that of other Catholic Charities branches nationwide. The organization, according to its website, helps people in the area with education in life skills, vocations and employment, housing, infant development, in-home nursing services, and independent living assistance.

Bishop James Powers of Superior argues that the organization carries out the diocese’s essential ministry.

“Catholic Charities Bureau carries out our Diocese’s essential ministry of caring for the most vulnerable members of our society,” Powers said in a statement. “We pray the Court will recognize that this work of improving the human condition is rooted in Christ’s call to care for those in need.”

Under Wisconsin law, nonprofits that are operated for a religious purpose are generally exempt from paying into the state’s unemployment compensation program. In the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s 4-3 ruling in the case back in 2023, the majority ruled that the organization’s work to help those in need may stem from Catholic teaching, but in fact it is secular work.

“In other words, they offer services that would be the same regardless of the motivation of the provider, a strong indication that the sub-entities do not ‘operate primarily for religious purposes,’” Justice Ann Walsh Bradley wrote for the majority.

Eric Rassbach, vice president and senior counsel at the Becket, which represents Catholics Charities in the case, argued that it’s clear that for Catholic charities, serving the poor is a matter of faith.

“It shouldn’t take a theologian to understand that serving the poor is a religious duty for Catholics,” Rassbach said in a statement. “But the Wisconsin Supreme Court embraced the absurd conclusion that Catholic Charities has no religious purpose. We’re asking the Supreme Court to step in and fix that mistake.”

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The Detroit Tigers were nine outs away from completing a combined no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants.

In another bullpen-only game, the Tigers retired 18 of the first 19 batters without allowing a hit in Friday’s opener of a three-game series at Oracle Park. The Giants, though, picked up their first hit on a leadoff single in the seventh inning, facing right-handed reliever Kenta Maeda.

The Tigers crumbled from there, losing 3-2.

“It happens fast,” manager A.J. Hinch told reporters in San Francisco. “Obviously, in close games, there’s a fine line between winning and losing, and it’s usually in the margins.”

The Giants scored one run apiece in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. In the ninth, the Giants loaded the bases with no outs against right-handed reliever Jason Foley. After that, Mark Canha — whom the Tigers traded to the Giants at the July 30 trade deadline — delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly against righty reliever Shelby Miller.

The Tigers (55-62) have lost back-to-back games in walk-off fashion.

The ninth inning began with a fielding error by second baseman Colt Keith. He booted a ball up that middle that he should’ve easily fielded, allowing the go-ahead run to reach base. Foley imploded under pressure, as the next two batters reached safely with a walk and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases.

That’s when the Tigers called Miller out of the bullpen.

Miller induced a grounder that led to a force out at home plate for the first out in the ninth inning, but he failed to put away Canha after getting ahead in the count. Canha refused to chase and when he got a middle-middle fastball from Miller, he drove the ball to deep left field for a game-ending sacrifice fly.

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Fumbling the no-hit bid

The first hit for the Giants occurred when Tyler Fitzgerald attacked a two-strike fastball from Maeda. He redirected the ball up the middle and into center field for a ground-ball single.

After another single, Fitzgerald scored from third base on a sacrifice fly from Michael Conforto for the Giants’ first run of the game, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 2-1.

What happened in the eighth inning was eerily similar to what happened in the seventh, with another round of back-to-back singles before a sacrifice fly. This time, Canha delivered the leadoff single against Maeda. He came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Patrick Bailey, making it 2-2.

Right-handed reliever Beau Brieske, serving as the starter for the bullpen-only game, worked around a two-out walk in the first inning, but other than that mistake, he was perfect. He registered five strikeouts across three scoreless innings, throwing 49 pitches.

Maeda, a 36-year-old veteran, covered the next 4⅔ innings, allowing two runs on four hits and zero walks with two strikeouts. He owns a 6.59 ERA in 21 games (16 starts), but he has improved significantly since getting reassigned to the bullpen.

Two runs

The Tigers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning, facing left-hander Robbie Ray.

Gio Urshela ripped a double to left field and advanced to third base on a wild pitch when Ray walked Wenceel Pérez, then he scored on Ryan Vilade’s sacrifice fly.

The Tigers increased their lead to 2-0 when Javier Báez cranked a leadoff double, stole third base for his eighth steal of the season and scored easily on a throwing error by catcher Curt Casali.

Ray, the 2021 American League Cy Young winner, surrendered two runs on five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts across six innings, throwing 105 pitches.

The Tigers finished 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

“We had plenty of opportunities,” Hinch said. “Part of the goal tonight against Ray was to make him work. Their bullpen was in a really tough spot, and we knew if we could get to them, they were going to have a hard time without the full use of their bullpen.”

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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MILWAUKEE — It’s that time of year again that the Sawall family sets up camp at the Milwaukee County Zoo. It’s for the annual ‘Snooze at the Zoo’ event organized by the Zoological Society of Milwaukee.

It’s a night filled with fun activities, s’mores, animals, and sleeping inside the zoo. It’s a tradition that the Sawall family has enjoyed together for 25 years.

“We always ask well do you guys still want to do it, they say yeah let’s do it, so let’s go [and] let’s have fun,” Marty Sawall said.

Marty brought his two sons Chris and Daniel to ‘Snooze at the Zoo’ for the first time in 1999 with their grandpa Dale.

Marty Sawall

“I guess he and Marcie, my mother-in-law, decided well maybe you should do that with the boys. That’s a good boys thing. So, when Chris was five he said well we’re going to do this! Let’s go! I said OKAY, let’s go. And then we just kept going. And when the boys were old enough, they’d come along so they were all looking forward to it so they could do it,” Marty explained.

Watch: Local family reflects on 25 years of camping event at Milwaukee County Zoo

Local family reflects on 25 years of camping event at Milwaukee County Zoo

Matthew and the youngest Joshua joined in as they got older. Life has gotten busy for Marty and his four boys, but they still find a way to make it to the zoo each August.

“It doesn’t feel like it went that fast and here they are,” Marty said.

Marty Sawall

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Grandpa Dale doesn’t come anymore because he lives in Florida. However, no matter what the boys make the time to come.

“It’s nice to get the boys together and hang out with them and spend time with them,” Marty said.

His son Daniel said spending time together is the best part.

Marty Sawall

“We just get to come hang out, get to catch up, again, we get to kind of be kids again and that’s just something super fun to enjoy with your dad,” Daniel explained.

The boys hope to continue this tradition together for 25 more years.

“I think it would be a fun time to continue seeing the zoo change and bring little ones as they come…like my nephew Noah,” youngest sibling, Joshua said.

The event for this weekend is sold out but you can click this link for more information.

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