Even more people have been injured or killed by repeat drunken drivers this past week. The recent tragedies included a crash at Sheboygan’s Brat Days, in which four people were injured by a drunken 21-year-old from Manitowoc who was sentenced to serve time in jail for previous drunken driving convictions, plus a death and injury caused by a Pewaukee man who already has four drunken driving convictions.

Almost 90% of women use or have used birth control, yet the Bush administration wants to make it more difficult for these women to access it. The Department of Health and Human Services is attempting to change the definition of abortion so that it could include the pill, emergency contraceptives and IUDs.

Issue: The Paid Sick Days coalition, led by the working women’s group 9to5 Milwaukee, collected more than 42,000 signatures in support of a referendum that will likely be placed on the Nov. 4 ballot. Jerk: On July 16, the conservative syndicated host said this about autistic children: “In 99% of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out. That’s what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they’re silent? They don’t have a father around to tell them, ‘Don’t act like a moron. You’ll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don’t sit there crying and screaming, idiot.’”

When Rep. F. Jim Sensenbrenner tried to score cheap political points by demonizing undocumented workers, did he really think that rounding up, detaining and imprisoning almost 400 meatpacking plant workers in Postville, Iowa, would be good for the nation—or his Republican Party? According to an essay by court...

Issue: The state Supreme Court decided last week that “a person selling a home can look the buyer in the eye, lie about the condition of the home and escape legal consequences,” according to Justice Ann Walsh Bradley in a scathing dissent that’s well worth a read.... Jerk: Charlie Sykes is either the hypocrite of the week or just fundamentally stupid... But Sykes had no problem with an Army-sponsored virtual killing “experience” at Summerfest, which sought to attract kids as young as 13 to shoot human-shaped targets. When the Army and Summerfest decided to pull the game, Sykes accused them of not supporting the troops.

Last week, in a split decision, the conservative activist wing of the U.S. Supreme Court struck down portions of a long-standing handgun ban in Washington, D.C. While it affirmed the right of individuals to possess guns, it also left intact some restrictions, including a local licensing law. The decision could have implications for...

The rush to apply for food benefits this week shone a spotlight on the growing food crisis in Milwaukee. Troubled by flooding, high fuel costs and rising food prices that are stretching family budgets, an estimated 3,000 Milwaukeeans thought they had found relief at Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Center...

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker may be eyeing higher office, but if he wants to run on his record of being fiscally responsible, he’s got some explaining to do. Not only will the county have a budget shortfall of more than $30 million in the coming year, but his plans to fund mass transit will do nothing to fix the problem. Everyone knows that Milwaukee’s bus system is in trouble, and Walker’s decision to cut routes and raise fares hasn’t helped the bottom line. His steady opposition of the Kenosha- Racine-Milwaukee rail line has stymied mass transit in the region.

Well, at least it wasn’t snow. Last weekend’s furious rainfall and dangerous aftermath serve as a reminder that we’re all in this together. The record levels of water didn’t discriminate, flooding wealthy and not-so- wealthy areas, rural and urban, vacation paradises and freeway intersections. The rain has stopped for now, but danger remains. The rush of water in rivers and ditches should always be avoided, and parents and teachers must remind curious kids that they should stay away. Floodwater often harbors dangers bacteria, and mold can form in damp areas, so anything that can’t be dried and disinfected must be thrown away.

The launch of the city’s festival season started with a bang at RiverSplash!— unfortunately. What’s typically a fun night out turned into a disorderly scene in which a minority of drunken jerks put the safety of the majority at risk. Mayor Tom Barrett, Alderman Bob Bauman and Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn are considering their options for next year, and we can only wonder how the rest of this summer’s ethnic, neighborhood and street festivals will be affected. It would be a shame if the bad press generated by just a few irresponsible yahoos deterred festival-goers from enjoying everything this great city has to offer.