MILWAUKEE – Wisconsin’s controversial Act 10 is back in court after more than a decade.

And on Wednesday, July 3, a Dane County judge struck down parts of the bill. 

What is Act 10?

Former Gov. Scott Walker signed Act 10 in 2011. The bill eliminates collective bargaining for most public workers. It prompted months of protests at the Wisconsin State Capitol.

The law separated unions into two groups: general and public safety employees. These types of workers have greater bargaining powers, while the general employees can only negotiate raises, which are capped at inflation.

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“The issue was, are people receiving equal treatment?” UW-Milwaukee Professor Emeritus Mordecai Lee said.

Republicans argue that Act 10 solved Wisconsin’s deficit problem, while Democrats say it hurts schools and public employee pay.

“It’s been a godsend to them to be able to manage their budgets,” said State Sen. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown).

Latest lawsuit

In November, unions representing public employees filed a lawsuit, saying the bill violates the right to equal protection, challenging the distinction between “public safety” and “general” employees.

“Wisconsin is a better place when all employees have the ability to negotiate and sit down and talk about the considerations that matter,” Wisconsin Education Association Council President Peggy Wirtz-Olsen said.

Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost on Wednesday denied a motion to dismiss the case.

“Teachers and support staff, we’re ecstatic and we’ve never given up,” Wirtz-Olsen said.

Political experts say decisions like this once again put Wisconsin in the national spotlight.

“Those are the people that are going to affect elections,” Lee said.

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The ruling doesn’t go into effect right away.

“I am very confident that it’ll stand,” Knodl said. “Act 10 will stand.”

The ruling will likely go to the court of appeals next and could end up in the Supreme Court.

A mother and daughter from Powell were among six people who died earlier this week in a Wisconsin house fire.

The fire occurred around 2:35 a.m. Sunday at a home in Necedah, a village located northwest of Madison.

Six people died in the fire, including Charis Kuehl, 38, and her 5-year-old daughter, Stella. Four other family members also died in the fire, including Kuehl’s sister and father.

Kuehl and her husband, Stephen, had been visiting with Kuehl’s extended family, according to a GoFundMe set up to benefit the family.

‘Fully engulfed in flames’: What we know about the Wisconsin house fire that killed a family of 6

Stephen and the couple’s other two children escaped the fire.

The family had recently bought a home in Minnesota, where Stephen Kuehl had accepted a job to teach at a local high school. The family remains in the process of moving from Powell to Minnesota, according to the GoFundMe.

Stephen Kuehl has served as the pastor of Shepherd of Peace Lutheran Church in Powell since 2011.

The online fundraiser had a goal of raising $75,000, but had doubled that effort with more than $130,000 raised as of Thursday afternoon.

The fire remains under investigation, but reports indicate the cause is believed to be accidental.

bbruner@gannett.com

MADISON – Sunday Wisconsin volleyball star Sarah Franklin injured her left ankle while competing for the United States national team at the NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six in the Dominican Republic.

Wednesday Badgers coach Kelly Sheffield said the 6-foot-4 outside hitter suffered a sprained ankle with a small fracture. The timeline for her return has not been determined.

The good news for the Badgers is that UW is about a month away from the start of practice. Wisconsin’s season-opening match will be Aug. 27 vs. Louisville on the road.

Franklin, the reigning national player of the year, suffered the injury midway through the third set of a five-set loss in the gold medal match.  She appeared to land on the foot of a Dominican Republic player after attempting a block. At the time the United States led the set, 14-13, and the match was tied at one set apiece.

During the rest of the match Franklin could be seen on the bench with ice on her ankle. She participated in the medal ceremony without the aid of crutches though she walked with a limp.

She returned to Madison on Monday and was checked out by the UW medical staff Tuesday and Wednesday.

Franklin’s injury brought to a premature end what was a strong showing in her first appearance for the senior national team. She finished with 33 kills, four blocks, two aces and a 54% attack percentage.