WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK 1989-1990


1975       Menominee Indians occupied Alexian Brothers Novitiate. Legislature
made voter
           registration easier, established property tax levy limits on local
governments, and
           eliminated from the statutes distinctions based on sex. UW scientist,
Dr. Howard
           Temim, shared 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology-Medicine.
 1976      U.S. District Court ordered integration of Milwaukee public schools.
Ice storm dam-
           age reached $50.4 million. Wisconsin Legislature established a
system for compensat-
           ing crime victims. Exxon discovered sulfide zinc and copper deposits
in Forest
           County. By appointment, Shirley S. Abrahamson became first woman
on the Wis-
           consin Supreme Court. Wisconsin Supreme Court declared negative
school aids law
           unconstitutional.
 1977      Governor Lucey appointed Ambassador to Mexico. First state employes
union strike
           lasted 15 days, National Guard ran prisons. Constitutional amendments
authorized
           raffle games and revised the structure of the court system by
providing a Court of
           Appeals. Legislation enacted included public support of elections
campaigns, no-
           fault divorce, and implied consent law for drunk driving.
 1978      Supreme Court allowed cameras in state courtrooms. Vel Phillips
elected secretary of
           state, first Black constitutional officer. Laws enacted included
a hazardous waste
           management program.
 1979      Constitutional amendment removed lieutenant governor from serving
as president of
           the senate. Moratorium on tax collections gave state taxpayers
a 3-month "vacation"
           from taxes. Shirley S. Abrahamson, appointed in 1976, became the
first woman
           elected to Wisconsin Supreme Court. Law enacted to establish school
of veterinary
           medicine at the University of Wisconsin.
 1980      Eric Heiden of Madison won 5 Olympic gold metals for ice speed
skating, named
           winner of the Sullivan Award as best amateur athlete in the country.
15,000 Cuban
           refugees housed for the summer at Fort McCoy. Ex-Governor Patrick
Lucey ran as
           independent candidate for vice president.
 1981      U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Wisconsin's historic open primary.
Laws enacted
           included stronger penalties for drunk driving and changes in mining
taxes.
 1982      State unemployment hit highest levels since the Great Depression.
Voters endorsed
          first state referendum calling for a freeze on nuclear weapons.
U.S. District Court
          ordered apportionment of state senate and assembly districts. Laws
enacted included
          extensions in the fair employment law, an "employes right-to-know
law" pertaining
          to toxic substances in the workplace, a new public records law,
and a historic preser-
          vation law. Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co. acquired by Stroh Brewing
Co. of Detroit, all
          Milwaukee operations closed.
1983      Continued recession forced adoption of budget including a 10 percent
tax surcharge
          and a pay freeze for state employes. Law raising minimum drinking
age to 19 passed
          (effective 7/1/85). Inmates at Waupun State Prison held 15 hostages,
who were re-
          leased uninjured. Legislature adopted apportionment plan. Laws
enacted included a
          "lemon law" on motor vehicle warranties, regulation of
health maintenance organiza-
          tions, changes in child support collection procedures and levels.
An October special
          session on economic development enacted bonding for export and
economic develop-
          ment loans, establishment of a foreign trade office, changes in
regulatory process to
          aid small business and creation of a permit information center.
First class at UW-
          Madison Veterinary Medicine School.
1984      Most powerful U.S. tornado of 1984 destroyed Barneveld; 9 dead.
Democratic party
          chose presidential convention delegates in caucuses rather than
by presidential prefer-
          ence primary as a result of the Democratic National Committee rules
changes. Indian
          treaty rights to fish and hunt caused controversy. First liver
transplants in Wisconsin
          conducted at UW Hospital. Laws enacted included a marital property
reform act,
          groundwater protection act, establishment of high school graduation
requirements, a
          "right-to-die" act, prohibition of smoking in public
areas. Economic conditions be-
          gan to improve from the low-point of the previous 2 years.
1985      Milwaukee air crash killed 31. Major consolidation of state banks
by large holding
          companies. Laws enacted included authorization for public utilities
to form holding
          companies, comparable worth and teen pregnancy prevention measures.


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