The Journal Times from Racine, Wisconsin • 15

STATELOCAL The Journal Times Tuesday. August 11, 1998 page editor: John R. Bornor Court: UW cant make students finance groups they oppose one organization receives from 10 cents to 30 cents per student. The fees are mandatory because students who refuse to pay cannot graduate or receive their grades, the appeals court noted. Many students have no idea where their activity fees go, said Scott Harold Southworth, one of the students who sued.

He graduated from the UW-Madison Law School in 1997 and now works for a state representative. Lorence said he has filed a similar lawsuit against the University of Minnesota. MADISON (AP) The University of Wisconsin-Madison cannot use an individual student's mandatory activity fees to finance political groups that the student opposes, an appeals court ruled Monday. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled UW-Madison's use of required student activity fees to fund activist groups on campus even if students do not want their money to go to them violates the First Amendment right to "freedom of belief." The court sided with three Christian students who sued the UW District Judge John Shabaz in Madison.

The appeals court overturned Shabaz's order that the UW publish a list of campus groups to help students decide which ones they do not want their fees to finance, if any. The judge ordered the university to establish an appeals process for students who object to funding organizations on the list. UW students pay about $330 in fees annually. Less than 10 percent is used to support student groups and services, the university has said. Any And that is what they based their decision on," said Jordan Lorence, a lawyer for the conservative Northstar Legal Center in Fairfax, who represented the students for free.

The appeals court left it to the UW to find a way to comply with the ruling. University officials and attorneys with the state Justice Department were reviewing the ruling and could not immediately comment on it, spokesmen said. The UW-Madison student government also was examining the deci sion. It is likely the ruling will affect all UW campuses, UW spokesman Peter Fox and Justice Department spokesman Jim Haney said. Any new fee collection system should make payment of fees to support student groups voluntary, Lorence said.

"I think it would be unacceptable to have the students be required to pay the money up-front and have to do something to get their money back," he said. The court's ruling upholds most of a November 1996 decision by U.S. for using mandatory student fees to fund groups to which they objected, such as the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Campus Center. The funding of private groups that engage in political and ideological activities is not germane to a university's educational mission, the three-judge panel ruled. Even if it were, the burden on students' First Amendment rights outweighs any government interests, the court wrote.

"Freedom of speech has a component where you're free not to speak, you're free not to support somebody. COUNTY First lady to substitute for Clinton in Milwaukee Wednesday Zoo Beach reopens important to come back," Lockhart said. "He was not really comfortable being out three days." This is the second time a member of the Clinton family has canceled a trip to, Wisconsin in recent months. Mrs. Clinton was scheduled to speak at a fundraiser in Madison July 28, but canceled so she could attend a memorial service for two slain Capitol police officers.

The president last visited Wisconsin in January, when he spoke in La Crosse. Lockhart said Clinton will cut short his trip in order to meet early Wednesday with his national security advisers on the twin bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Clinton had been scheduled to return to Washington after his speech here Wednesday night. "The president felt it was MILWAUKEE (AP) President Clinton has canceled his visit here later so he can consult with advisers on two terrorist bombings in Africa last week, a spokesman said Monday.

First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will attend the Democratic fund-raiser instead, White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said. The president was scheduled to attend a fundraiser for state Democratic candidates including U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold in Milwaukee Wednesday night as part of a swing that also included Kentucky, Illinois and California. Clinton Zoo Beach in Racine was re-opened to swimmers Monday.

The beach was closed temporarily, because of high bacterial counts late last week. Shelter receives funding S.A.F.E. Haven, a shelter for teen runaways, has recovered funding from a major federal grant. Last fall, the nonprofit organization discovered too late that through some glitch in the application process it would not receive federal monies that had been the core of its financing for nearly 20 years. With help from the Racine Area United Way and a number of local fundraisers, S.A.F.E.

Haven was able to not only stay open but serve a record number of teens. During the year, the shelter harbored 134 residents and helped 69 teens, taught 24 youth independent living skills and housed 353 truants. The group also fielded 3,611 calls to its teen hot line. But this year, S.A.F.E. Haven will receive the federal Runaway and Homeless Youth Basic Center grant for $93,510, said Executive Director James D.

Huycke. The grant will help provide food, shelter, clothing, transportation, medical services and counseling for runaways. In addition, the shelter has received money from a new program to expand the truancy diversion program it began with Racine Unified School District and local law enforcement agencies earlier this year. The Street Outreach Program grant $56,643 will pay for the addition of a second truancy assistant, who will not only help with the truancy diversion program but who will offer additional street outreach to youth, Hyucke said. Last spring, the shelter worked with 353 truant youth in the newly formed program funded by a juvenile justice grant.

Flood cleanup continues in four counties "We certainly hope the federal government will provide assistance to the families and communities devastated by floods and heavy rain last week." GOV. TOMMY THOMPSON School positions filled About 500 residents of a Sheboygan apartment complex were still unable to return to their homes Monday, said Stacy Behrens, Sheboygan County's emergency management director. The building has some structural damage and it could be weeks before residents are allowed to return, Behrens said. So far, damage in the county was estimated at close to $25 million, Behrens said. Many businesses along Underwood Creek in Elm Grove remained closed Monday, said Waukesha County's chief of staff, Michelle Farrow.

Preliminary estimates show the county sustained about $9 million in damage, she said. She did not know when those businesses would reopen. "A lot of people have been cleaning up all weekend, and their getting back on their feet," Farrow said. "Others have a long couple of weeks ahead of them." Damage in Milwaukee County was estimated at $15 million, officials said. Rock County did not yet have an dollar figure on its damage, said John Olson, emergency management director.

About 160 homes were damaged in the floods, he said. "It ranges from very minor damage to everything in the basement wiped out," he said. Mike Ballweg, a University of Wisconsin-Extension agricultural agent in Sheboygan County, said he received several calls Monday from people concerned about whether they could eat produce from their flooded gardens. Because floodwaters carry a lot of filth, nothing should be consumed from flooded gardens for at least a month, Ballweg said. After that, produce should be sanitized using very weak chlorine bleach, then peeled and cooked, he said.

However, the best thing may be to "abandon that garden for this year," Ballweg said. MILWAUKEE (AP) Residents in southeastern Wisconsin communities Monday continued to mop up after devastating flash floods as government inspectors surveyed the damage in affected counties. Officials in Milwaukee, Rock, Sheboygan and Waukesha counties were still assessing damage, but preliminary estimates from three counties put the cost at $49 million dollars. Federal Emergency Management Agency teams began touring the counties Monday, collecting information about damage to public and residential areas, said Al Shanks, deputy administrator of the state Division of Emergency Government. Gov.

Tommy Thompson said in a statement Monday he planned to submit a formal request for aid to President Clinton and FEMA once the estimates were completed. The agency told Thompson the state's request would be expedited, the governor said. "We certainly hope the federal government will provide assistance to the families and communities devastated by floods and heavy rain last week," Thompson said. He said he expected the state's request to include Sheboygan, Milwaukee, Waukesha and Rock counties. Other counties could be added, depending on the extent of their damage, Thompson said.

Residents and businesses were still cleaning up from Thursday's floods, which killed two boys who had fallen into a creek in suburban Elm Grove. Company agrees to buy properties with polluted wells The Racine Unified School Board recently filled four administrative positions that will be in effect for the new school year. Richard R. Fornal, principal at Gifford Elementary School, will be the supervisor of curriculum and instruction. He replaces Chuck Leonard, who retired at the end of the last school year.

Jeffrey P. Rasmussen, former principal at Starbuck Middle School, will be principal of Roosevelt Elementary School. He replaces Patricia Limburg, who left in June for another school district. Jonathan Bar-Din, assistant principal at Mitchell Middle School, will be sub-school principal at Horlick High School. Barn-Din replaces Robert Ware, who became the new principal at Gilmore Middle School earlier this year.

Rebecca B. Pranghofer, program support teacher, will be an assistant principal at Jerstad-Agerholm Middle School. She replaces Brian Colbert, who became principal at Winslow Elementary School. Interviews for administrative positions at Starbuck and Gifford will be conducted this month. Heck elected to fill Unified board seat Keith Heck, a certified public accountant and attorney, is the Racine Unified School Board's newest member.

Heck, 47, was elected Monday night during a special meeting held to fill the seat David Weiss vacated Aug. 1 because of health reasons. Board members Dave Hazen, Michael Piontek, Bill Schalk, Linda Flashinski and John Turek voted for Heck. Other candidates were Eugene Dunk, Gigi Morris and Bernice Thomsen. Board members Julie McKenna and Stella Young voted for Dunk, and Michael Pitsch voted for Morris.

Thomsen didn't receive any votes. Heck works as a domestic tax counsel in the SC Johnson Son Inc. Corporate Tax Department and has been with the company since 1982. Heck said he believes his business experience and financial background will be an asset to the district. "Accountability is important.

The. community is going to hold us accountable in terms of support with funSrand when we're up for elections." he said. "We have to work to make sure the board does things in the right way." Abrahamson at Wingspread conference State Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson was among the participants Monday in a Wingspread meeting for SafeStart, a project to address violence against teen girls and its link to adolescent pregnancy. SafeStart, an organization in the planning stages, obtained input fr area service providers in the domestic violence and adolescent preg cy areas. Racine County received a grant of $100,000 for SafeStart in October of 1997.

The organization started in the beginning of this year. component of gasoline, in water at the sites, spokesman Bob Berens said. "What we want to do is purchase the properties to install the equipment that we need to," he said. The contamination was discovered in February after a resident smelled petroleum in his water well. Some tests found 280 parts per bil- KRONENWETTER (AP) A fuel company has agreed to purchase four properties with water wells that the company says it contaminated because of a fuel spill more than 20 years ago.

Williams Pipe Line Co. will purchase the two homes and two vacant lots because tests found high levels of the chemical benzene, a hazardous Williams Pipe Line is also providing bottled water to another three homes near its fuel storage plant, even though benzene levels were either not detected or within the state standards, he said. One of those homeowners, Bonnie Depuis, said concern about water problems in the neighborhood is hampering her day-care business. "I am losing my business on this deal," she said. "The first thing parents said when they came here is, 'How's your lion of benzene in the water.

Anything above 5 parts per billion is considered unsafe to drink under state regulations. The petroleum spill is thought to have occurred when a truck overflowed while loading during the 1970s, Berens said. The company cleaned up the contamination as best it could with the technology then available, he said. "We thought we got it all. Due to the very low ground water levels of today, that caused the contamination to surface," Berens said.

VOTING BY ABSENTEE BALLOT Woman faces charges in husband's death Any qualified elector unable to get to the polling place on election day may request to vote an absentee ballot. A qualified elector is any U.S. citizen, who will be 18 years of age or older on election day, who has resided in the ward or municipality wnere ne or sne wisnes 10 vote ror ai least 10 days before the election. If voter registration is required, the elector must also be registered. TO OBTAIN AN ABSENTEE BALLOT YOU MUST MAKE A REQUEST IN WRITING.

Contact your municipal clerk and County Circuit Court. She faces a charge of first-degree intentional homicide in the July 26 death of Quincy Armon, 24, at their home. Crystal Armon remained jailed in lieu of $25,000 bond. WEST BEND (AP) A woman accused of fatally shooting her husband in the back waived her right Monday to a preliminary hearing in the case. The arraignment for Crystal 27, of Hartford, was scheduled for Aug.

26 in Washington request that an application for an absentee ballot be sent to you tor tne Partisan Primary. You may also request an absentee ballot by letter. Your written request must state that you will be unable to get to the polling place on election day. It must also list your voting address within the municipality where you wish to vote, the address where the absentee ballot should be sent, if different, and your signature. Special absentee voting application provisions apply to electors who are indefinitely confined to home or a care facility, in the military, hospitalized, or serving as a sequestered juror.

If this applies to you, contact the municipal clerk. You can also personally go to the appropriate clerk's office, complete a written application, and vote an absentee ballot. Abrahamson and Nancy Wheeler, a former assistant to the chiet justice, and others in the community helped Racine County get the grant. "Racine has a lot of good groups in the community and that's why Racine was chosen for this project," Abrahamson said during a break at Wingspread. Wheeler, a former Racine County Circuit Court judge who is currently a private attorney and chairman of the project's steering committee, was a facilitator at Monday's meeting.

Also working as a facilitator was Arrtanda Cosgrove-Paffrath. a domestic violence consultant, member of the project's advisory committee and consultant to the project. Besides Moray's focus group, the organization has been gathering information through surveys, said JoAnn Selmo. SafeStart project coordinator. "We are in the process of writing what the programming will be," Selmo said.

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Tolls. And Fee Apply CLERK'S OFFICE IS 5:00 P.M. ON FHIPAT. SfcPTfcMBfcH ALL VOTED BALLOTS MUST BE RETURNED TO THE MUNICIPAL Moon Auto Care Center K'i DmrK ik Bar Ht-nn Racine Auto Specialists Hiic6i-S6 Southwest Mobil bil We specialize in getting results fc-mul 634-3331 1'inirt CLERK SO IHfc ULtHl UftN UtLlVCM mcM lumc rnurcn POLLING PLACE BEFOE THE POLLS CLOSE ON SEPTEMBER 8. 1998, ALL BALLOTS RECEIVED AFTER THE POLLS CLOSE WILL NOT BE COUNTED..