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The beat report

This race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court is heated.

I’ve never seen so many signs and television ads for this type of race. It just shows you how much interest there is in the fight over collective bargaining, public workers and the state budget.

I had a chance to interview incumbent Justice David Prosser, 68, and Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg, 57, a couple weeks ago. I met with Kloppenburg in person at the Gazette. I spoke with Prosser via cell phone while he was traveling to Green Bay for a campaign event.

Both candidates told me they have been on the road constantly, traveling to several cities a day to meet with journalists, civic groups and other organizations. They seemed tired from all the campaigning.

They both were on the attack, and they weren’t afraid to criticize each other. Both candidates were fascinating interviews when pressed on the issues.

Prosser is widely perceived as part of the court’s conservative majority, and Klooppenburg is viewed as aligned with the left. Both candidates denied the characterizations in my interviews, but many observers believe the winner will tip the court’s majority either right or left.

Both candidates also told me they have no opinion on collective bargaining because no case is before them.

The election could alter the fate of the collective bargaining bill and impact rulings on recall elections. Make sure you get out and vote Tuesday no matter what side you are on.

LEFT IN THE NOTEBOOK

• I recently reported that the Rock County Coroner’s Office started a suicide prevention and awareness program after the suicide rate nearly doubled in the last couple years. Unemployment and economic problems are partially to blame for the increase. The coroner’s office has similar programs in mind for the future, including awareness campaigns to reduce infant deaths, curb drunken driving and fight prescriptions drug abuse.

• When I wrote about possible flooding a couple weeks ago, forecasters were predicting the Rock River at Afton would peak at the moderate flood stage of 11.1 feet. Of course, that prediction never came true. After my story published, forecasters changed their prediction to a far more conservative peak of 9.6 feet. That type of thing seems to always happen when I write weather-related stories.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS

• The Janesville Police Department started printing its reports on both sides of nearly every sheet of paper. I’m sure the move will save the department money.

• The Rock County Courthouse doesn’t have a coffee cart, and I think it’s time for that to change. Hundreds of employees and residents shuffle through the courthouse every day. I think a business selling coffee, muffins and other foods or beverages would be profitable. Maybe the county could even sell the items to make extra money.

• The Janesville Police Department provided security for the Forward Janesville dinner featuring Gov. Scott Walker as the guest speaker. The dinner had more than 700 guests. The event also drew about 1,000 to 1,200 protesters. No one was arrested.

QUOTABLE

• “We were seeing a lot of them who had just lost their jobs or were unemployed and couldn’t find work … for a lot of people, right now, financial pressure is just huge,” Rock County Coroner Jenifer Keach, on the county’s suicide rate nearly doubling since the economy took a downturn in 2008.

• “When our office is called, it’s too late. They’ve ended their life. But maybe through these particular presentations we’ve had, maybe people will talk to others,” Volunteer Deputy Coroner Tony Farrell Sr., on the suicide prevention and awareness presentations he gives to schools, civic groups or others to curb the suicide rate.

• "He does not see his role as independent and impartial. He sees his role as being partisan … the court should be deciding cases free of the partisan politics," Kloppenburg, referring to her opponent, Prosser, in the state Supreme Court race.

• "The idea that Dave Prosser is just some kind of robotic partisan just cannot be substantiated … I would ask people to look at my record, not only as a justice, but over all those years, and say, 'Is this guy really doing a remarkably good job over a long period of time, or is this guy a kook or some kind of extremist?’” Prosser, responding to the Kloppenburg campaign.

TWEETS WORTH RETWEETING

• “My entire philosophy on home protection comes from those venerable tomes: Home Alone I and II,” @egregiousdecay, on a blog post about burglary prevention.

FACEBOOK BANTER

• “How scary. I hope they catch him or them very soon,” M.E.P., on a second robbery reported in Janesville in about a week.

• “Hopefully they took her to get some kind of evaluation ... if she’s willing to swing a knife around at her mom what else is she capable of doing … little brat,” A.D., on a daughter accused of swinging a knife around and stabbing the wall twice after an argument with her mother.

• “That poor, poor wall!!! Why??? Why??? That wall was only standing there minding its own wall business,” O.V., also on the daughter-mother knife incident.

• “Laundry makes me tired, too,” J.B., on a report of someone sleeping in the laundry room of a Janesville apartment building.

• “Good, I hope that building burns if it’s just gonna sit there and mock the town,” M.N., on a report of 12 broken windows at the General Motors property.

OFF THE BEAT

• I was totally unplugged last week while on vacation with my family in northern Wisconsin. No cell service. No computers. No Facebook. No Twitter. It was a nice, slow change of pace.

• I ate at a small diner in northern Wisconsin while on vacation. This was the kind of place that has more stools at the counter than tables, where local residents gossip and the waitress signs the bill with her name and smiley faces. I ordered a Monte Cristo sandwich, which included ham, turkey and Swiss cheese between two pieces of French toast. I ordered it with a side of maple syrup. The sandwich was unbelievable. I think everyone should try this fine delicacy.

• My wife left me alone with my two young boys for a couple days last week while she was out of town. I have tons of respect for parents who stay home with their children. They do the real work. That’s a tough job.

• My NCAA brackets are busted. At least I didn’t lose any cash because these pools weren’t for money. They were just for fun and trash talk with friends. Butler? Virginia Commonwealth? Who knew?

LOOKING AHEAD

• I’m still catching up after being off last week. I’ve got a pile of emails and papers to comb through. The court calendar looks pretty light in the next few days. I’m sure some news will break, though. It always does.

• I’ll be out interviewing walleye fishermen this week for an outdoors feature story scheduled to run soon. It’s a great time to fish the Rock River if you get a chance to go out.

Ted Sullivan can be reached at (608) 755-8253, tsullivan@gazettextra.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook at Rock County Crime.