New York Times

Walker Exits from a Windowless Room

I captured the mood and the scene for the NY Times’ First Draft political newsletter, and contrasted Walker’s lonely, drab exit to the colorful fanfare when he announced his run in July, an event I had also covered. For Mr. Walker, who is fond of joking that “Madison is 68 square miles surrounded by reality”
– a rendering of a quote first used by former Gov. Lee S. Dreyfus, the scene on Monday afternoon in the state’s capital must have seemed surreal. As dozens of teachers and other public employee union members with whom Mr. Walker has often clashed cheered in the bright sunshine outside the Edgewater Hotel.

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Scott Walker Drops Out

Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin withdrew from the 2016 Republican presidential race on Monday, citing a need to “clear the field” for a “positive conservative message.” Updated, 9:59 p.m. | Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, whose early glow as a Republican presidential contender was snuffed out with the rise of anti-establishment rivals, announced Monday that he was quitting the race and urged some of his 15 rivals to do the same so the party could unite against the leading candidate, Donald J. Trump.

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Looking for the animal on Sunday in Milwaukee as the citywide search intensified. A grainy cellphone video has given the animal a Bigfoot-like celebrity
New York Times

A Creature on the Loose Puts Milwaukee Residents on Edge

This story about a possible lion roaming loose in Milwaukee was the second-most viewed and second-most shared story on the National News page of the New York Times website that day. The story drew almost 2,000 “likes,” over 800 “shares” and hundreds of comments after being posted on the NY Times Facebook page. — One man saw the creature for only a few bone-chilling seconds, but he remembers that it was big, with heavy brown fur and a long tail, and not in any particular hurry as it walked through his neighborhood in Milwaukee and then disappeared into a thickly wooded ravine.

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Dominique Heaggan-Brown, center, with his lawyers at the opening of his trial in Milwaukee on Tuesday in the killing of Sylville K. Smith. If convicted of first-degree reckless homicide, Mr. Heaggan-Brown, a former police officer, could face up to 60 years in prison
New York Times

Milwaukee Officer is Acquitted in High Profile Trial

When the police officer went on trial for first-degree reckless homicide in a shooting that touched off riots in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park, body camera footage became key evidence. I covered this trial, leading to three stories, the final one making page 1A. I was the only member of the media to coax an interview from the mother of the officer on trial. I also covered the emotional reaction outside the courthouse after the verdict.

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