Child abuse, wildfire emissions, accused clergy, chancellor’s retirement, F-35 flaws
Of note: This week we highlight an investigation by NBC News’ Mike Hixenbaugh. He told the story of Dr. John Cox, a former emergency room physician at Children’s Wisconsin hospital in Milwaukee who lost custody of his adopted daughter — and has been charged with felony child abuse — after hospital staff members reported him to Child Protective Services. But more than 15 medical experts who later reviewed Cox’s case found a litany of medical mistakes and misstatements by hospital staff members, including one who confused the daughter’s birthmarks for bruises. The story has already prompted Children’s Wisconsin to launch an internal investigation of its practices. Hixenbaugh says he was threatened with possible criminal charges by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families for publishing information from child abuse investigation file.
Access to some stories listed in the Wisconsin Weekly roundup may be limited to subscribers of the news organizations that produced them. We urge our readers to consider supporting these important news outlets by subscribing.
Thanks for reading!
To have the free Wisconsin Weekly newsletter (as well as story alerts and news about the Center) delivered straight to your inbox, sign up here! You can change your preferences at any time
An ER doctor was charged with abusing his baby. But 15 medical experts say there’s no proof
NBC News — January 27, 2020
Dr. John Cox accidentally fell asleep while cuddling his daughter in bed early one morning in May, he said, and must have turned on top of her. What followed, according to more than 15 medical experts who later reviewed Cox’s case, was a series of medical mistakes and misstatements by hospital staff members that has devastated Cox’s family and derailed his career.
‘Blatant manipulation’: Trump administration exploited wildfire science to promote logging
The Guardian — January 24, 2020
Emails show President Donald Trump’s political appointees sought to play up pollution from California wildfires while downplaying emissions from fossil fuels as a way of promoting more logging in the nation’s forests. Monica Turner, a fire ecology scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said “it is climate that is responsible for the size and severity of these fires.”
Credibly Accused
ProPublica — January 28, 2020
U.S. Catholic dioceses and religious orders have released lists of “credibly accused” abusers who have served in their ranks, using their own criteria for whom to include. ProPublica collected these lists to provide a central location to search across all reports. Wisconsin Watch has compiled its own list of Wisconsin priests.
Previously from Wisconsin Watch: ‘I was such a little kid’: As Wisconsin Catholic clergy accused of sexual abuse grows, the trauma lingers
Former UW-Whitewater Chancellor Beverly Kopper retires
Gazette Extra — January 24, 2020
Former UW-Whitewater Chancellor Beverly Kopper retired from the university on Jan. 5. She resigned as chancellor about a year ago after her husband, Alan “Pete” Hill, was banned from campus following multiple allegations of sexual harassment. She was previously on paid leave with plans to return and teach psychology.
F-35’s list of flaws includes a gun that can’t shoot straight
Bloomberg — January 30, 2020
Add a gun that can’t shoot straight to the problems that dog Lockheed Martin Corp.’s $428 billion F-35 program, including more than 800 software flaws, the Pentagon’s test office said in its latest assessment of the costliest U.S. weapons system. The report comes as the Air Force is eyeing Truax Field Air National Guard Base in Madison as an F-35 location, stirring intense local debate.
The nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (wisconsinwatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
