Wisconsin
Wisconsin man charged with fleeing to Ireland to avoid prison term for Capitol riot role
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 6: Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. – Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the 2020 pres
A Wisconsin man fled to Ireland and sought asylum to avoid a prison sentence for joining a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol over three years ago, federal authorities allege in a court filing Tuesday.
The filing charges Paul Kovacik with defying a court order to surrender and serve three months behind bars for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
Kovacik, 56, was arrested last month after he voluntarily returned to the U.S. from Ireland. Kovacik is serving his sentence at a federal prison in Chicago and is scheduled to be released from prison on Sept. 8. But a conviction on the new misdemeanor charge could lead to more time behind bars.
Kovacik told authorities that he decided to withdraw his asylum claim and return to the U.S. because he felt homesick, according to a U.S. Marshals Service deputy’s affidavit.
The FBI initially arrested Kovacik in June 2022. A year later, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton sentenced Kovacik after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 06: WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 06: Crowds gather outside the U.S. Capitol for the “Stop the Steal” rally on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Trump supporters gathered in the nation’s capital today to protest the ratification
Kovacik took videos of rioters’ damage as he moved through the Capitol on Jan. 6. He later uploaded his footage onto his YouTube channel, with titles such as “Treason Against the United States is about to be committed,” according to prosecutors. They said Kovacik’s criminal record included 24 prior convictions.
Walton initially ordered Kovacik to report to prison on Aug. 22, 2023, but the judge agreed to extend that deadline to Nov. 1, 2023, after Kovacik requested more time for his seasonal employment at a theme park in Georgia.
The court issued a warrant for Kovacik’s arrest after he flew to Dublin, Ireland, through Germany on the day that he was supposed to report to prison in Chicago.
Kovacik called himself a “political prisoner” when investigators questioned him after his arrest last month at an arrival gate at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, according to the deputy’s affidavit.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 06: Protesters gather on the second day of pro-Trump events fueled by President Donald Trump’s continued claims of election fraud in an to overturn the results before Congress finalizes them in a joint session of the 117th Co
Inside his luggage, authorities found documents related to his asylum request, which cited a fear of political persecution, the deputy wrote. The affidavit doesn’t say whether the Irish government acted on Kovacik’s request.
An attorney who represented Kovacik in his Capitol riot case declined to comment on the new charge.
More than 1,400 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack. Several other Capitol riot defendants have become fugitives at different stages of their prosecutions.
WISCONSIN — Gov. Tony Evers announced on Tuesday he’s lowering the lead poisoning threshold in the state.
The emergency rule would lower it from 5 micrograms per deciliter to 3.5 micrograms per deciliter, according to the release.
It puts the state more in line with recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which states intervention in lead poisoning cases should be taken at 3.5 micrograms per deciliter.
By adjusting the threshold, it will also help more kids and families get access to services for lead poisoning.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, there were at least 3,272 kids between Nov. 2021 and Feb. 2024 who were affected by lead poisoning that didn’t receive intervention services. That’s because their exposure — between 3.5 and 4.9 micrograms per 100 milliliters of blood — did not meet the definitions of lead poisoning or exposure in the previous threshold.
Another 1,400 kids are expected to have this same level of lead in 2025, DHS estimates. Now, under the new rule, they’ll be able to get assistance.
Evers said he will also direct $6.2 million in his 2025-27 Executive Budget to support lead poisoning efforts through grants to local health departments.
Lead poisoning exposure can have long-term consequences for children, including on their ability to pay attention as well as their learning capacity, according to the CDC. A 2019 study revealed that even low levels of lead exposure during early childhood can affect reading and math scores, with additional schooling “not sufficient” enough to offset this damage.
“There is no safe level of lead exposure for kids,” Evers said in his State of the State address last week.
Evers also announced more funding to combat PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. He said he’ll direct another $5 million in federal funds to the expanded Well Compensation and Well Abandonment Grant Program, created in 2022 to support “replacement, reconstruction, treatment, or abandonment of contaminated private wells.”
The Department of Natural Resources has so far awarded over $9 million to 684 grantees. It has allowed the 393 contaminated wells to be replaced, another 106 to be treated, 182 unused and abandoned wells to be sealed and more.
Grant funding for the next $5 million will open up on Feb. 3, 2025. To find out if you’re eligible, you can take a questionnaire online, here. You can apply, here.
A study by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health found that most Wisconsin residents have PFAS in their bodies. The substances can be found in fire-suppressing foam, nonstick pans and more.
“If we want our kids to bring their full and best selves to our classrooms, elected officials have to start acknowledging how policy decisions and investments—or lack thereof—here in this building affect kids, families, schools, and communities across Wisconsin every day. …” said Evers at his State of the State address.
Wisconsin, led by first-year position coach Kenny Guiton, offered Trae Taylor on Jan. 10.
On Monday, the four-star quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class took an unofficial visit with the Badgers. Taylor, from Carmel Catholic in Illinois, previously camped with the Badgers and visited for a game at Camp Randall in October of 2023.
If the Wisconsin women are going to right the ship, they are going to need to get going in a hurry.
Coming off an eighth straight loss, the Badgers (10-10, 1-8) welcome in Michigan on Wednesday.
The good news for Wisconsin is they play three of the next four at home. The bad news, though, is those include matchups with recently ranked Michigan and national title contender USC.
Troubles continued for the Badgers over the weekend, as they were blown out at Minnesota by 21 points. They have not had a game decided by less than 10 since a December 31 loss to Minnesota by nine.
Michigan (14-6, 5-4) saw its four-game win streak come to an end at the hands of Michigan State, 88-58. They topped Minnesota by five during the run and are led by Olivia Olson, who averages just under 16 points per game.
The ESPN BPI gives Michigan a 93 percent chance to win the game.
Here are details on how to watch Wisconsin vs. Michigan on Wednesday, Jan. 29:
Who: Wisconsin vs. Michigan in Big Ten Conference women’s basketball action
When: 6:30 p.m CT | Wednesday, January 29
Where: Kohl Center | Madison, Wisconsin
Live Stream: Stream Wisconsin vs. Michigan live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)
TV Channel: BIG+
Our Prediction: Michigan 74, Wisconsin 60
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