Conifer Crime: Police No Longer Stumped By Rare Pine Tree Theft

MILWAUKEE, WI — Authorities are no longer stumped by the theft of a rare pine tree from the University of Wisconsin Arboretum in November.

UW-Madison police said Friday that three 19-year-old university students stole the 25-foot Algonquin Pillar Swiss Mountain pine as part of a “pledge” activity for the former Chi Phi fraternity. The fraternity hasn’t been recognized by the university as an official student organization since 2015, The Associated Press reported.

The three were cited with illegally removing the tree and could be fined up to $200 apiece if they’re found guilty.

University police got a tip, and the students admitted they’d purchased a chainsaw to cut down the tree and rented a U-Haul to take it away. »Read more from The Associated Press.

Front Porch Concerts Still A Thing

The casual porch concerts that husband and wife Bob Batyko and Lorie Docken have been performing for their neighbors every Friday night during the coronavirus pandemic have become a lifeline in their Madison neighborhood, the Wisconsin State Journal reports.

"It gives us something to look forward to," Docken said of the weekly concerts. » Read the full story on Madison.com.

Metro Milwaukee Headlines

• Jacob Blake Sues Kenosha Officer: The civil lawsuit accuses Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey of excessive force, via Milwaukee Patch.
• Surprise, Your Mortgage Is Paid For A Month: A family gets a sweet surprise from their mortgage holder, via Waukesha Patch
• Vaccine Supplies Lag As Variant Surges: With Milwaukee County averaging 86 new cases a day, public health officials worry about an adequate supply of vaccine, via WISN.
• Saturday To Be Airport’s Busiest Day In A Year: Spring break travel means activity is brisk at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, though airlines haven’t yet recovered from the gut punch of the pandemic, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“You start learning to manipulate the system, and you become very good at it. To a point where I was basically taking in two days a month's prescription, which is crazy. It became constant at the end of the '94 season.”

— Former Packers legend and three-time NFL MVP Brett Favre on his an addiction to painkillers that made him suicidal at times, via the “Bolling with Favre” podcast

SPORTS TALK: Wisconsin native and Texas Longhorns head coach Shaka Smart could be Marquette University’s next men’s basketball coach, ESPN is reporting. Smart has led the Longhorns through six seasons and taken the team to NCAA tournaments three times. Smart would replace Steve Wojciechowski, who was fired as the head coach last week.

LET’S MAKE PLANS: The Racine Art Museum’s 12th Annual PEEPS Art Exhibition runs through April 10. The 138-piece exhibit features Easter-time marshmallow candy that has been shaped into everything and everyone imaginable, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose Inauguration Day photo in a mask and mittens delighted internet meme-makers. The art museum is open from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday.

WEATHER IN A WORD: Rainy.

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