As negotiations over the war in Iran are interspersed with the firing of missiles in the midst of an uneasy ceasefire, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin acknowledged it’s hard to keep track of what’s happening along diplomatic channels. Following his investigation as a special prosecutor examining the practices of Ridglan Farms, La Crosse District Attorney Tim Gruenke described his findings that led to the company closing its dog-breeding business. The Center for Black Excellence and Culture in Madison has opened its doors, and its founder Alex Gee speaks to its goals for the community.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin
D-Wisconsin

• Diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Iran continue over ending hostilities in the Persian Gulf region and open passage of the Strait of Hormuz, but the two nations have not come to a resolution. Baldwin said the worst case outcome of the war in Iran is that the U.S. ends up being far less secure as an economy, and said the damage it’s doing to the rule of law is worth noting. The best outcome in her view?
• Baldwin: “The best outcome would be for the war to come to a quick end and to use diplomacy to settle the issues. I always have to remind folks that in 2015 there was an international agreement that would have prevented Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. There were intrusive inspections. and Donald Trump in his first term as president ripped it up. I think we may end up in this conflict with a deal that’s less robust than the one that was agreed to in 2015. Look, diplomacy is the answer, and instead, Donald Trump has brought us into a war of choice. And I emphasize that point because we were not under attack from Iran. We were not in imminent threat of attack. In those circumstances the president needs to come to Congress to authorize use of military force. He didn’t. So now we have 13 service members dead, we have hundreds more injured, some very seriously, and we see these price shocks with gasoline, with fertilizer for our farmers that are just getting ready to plant. I’ve been a part of an effort with a number of colleagues to force votes on war powers resolutions. We are gaining support over time from our Republican colleagues, but that’s what we need to do, is bring this to a quick end and use diplomacy to achieve our goals.”

Tim Gruenke
La Crosse County District Attorney

• Following years of complaints into the practices of Ridglan Farms, a Dane County judge appointed a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of animal cruelty at the dog breeding and biomedical research facility in the town of Blue Mounds. That special prosecutor is Tim Gruenke, the district attorney for La Crosse County, whose work resulted in a settlement in which Ridglan agreed to stop breeding beagles as research animals. Gruenke’s investigation found he could file criminal charges relating to one surgical procedure n that involved staff who were not veterinarians removing dogs’ eye glands without general anesthesia. He said the settlement with the company followed from there.
• Gruenke: “Charging that would only have started a process that probably would have taken six months to a year to get to trial. There were some issues that could have been appealed. So charging it would have just been the start of a process. When the farm offered to close down in exchange of charging, I thought that was a good outcome because even if I had charged and convicted them, I still had no authority to close them down. And the fines that they had been charged with as well, they could have just paid and kept on running. So I thought them ending the business is what most people wanted and it’s more than I could do by charging, and it would happen much quicker than me charging. So I felt that was a good resolution to have them agree to end their business in exchange for not charging a crime.”

Alex Gee
Founder and CEO, The Center for Black Excellence and Culture

• The Center for Black Excellence & Culture, a multi-purpose facility on the south side of Madison that has been in the works for years, held its grand opening on May 6. The project’s founder and CEO Alex Gee spoke with Here & Now special projects reporter Murv Seymour about the dream that informed this venture and its ambitions for the community.
• Gee: “We’re sitting right here in our senior space. So, this is one of the programs that’s ready to go because so many of our seniors, once they’ve retired, they just seem to disappear. We don’t see them anymore. We want them to come out and have a place to hang out right next door to our children’s library, where they can help young readers. We have a program that’s for entrepreneurs, innovators and folks that are ready to start their own businesses. We’re going to work on leadership development, business strategy development, helping to raise money to launch those businesses, and then helping to introduce those people into our social network so that you don’t have a business that’s ready to go and no place to carry it out.”

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