Fair Play Urged for Fouling Water: The great Miller Park sewage leak brought more interested parties to the sewer pipe debate than just baseball enthusiasts, environmentalists and politicians. After it was discovered that the ballpark was allowing human waste to flow freely into the Menomonee River, the state Dairy Business Association raised some interesting questions about fair play.

"If a Wisconsin dairy farmer had a discharge like Miller Park, the environmental community would actively seek damages through DNR clean water rules and they would recommend the matter to be referred to the attorney general for prosecution," said association executive director Laurie Fisher.

Getting to the Root of Canal Audit: Some Milwaukee aldermen continue to fume after an audit of the Canal Street project found budget overruns of some $33 million. It's a key road in the Menomonee Valley redevelopment vision.

The street's extension was price was $20 million, but the bottom line ended up around $52 million. The audit, by City Comptroller Wally Morics, found aldermen weren't entirely privy to ballooning costs because the Department of Public Works shifted money from other road projects to cover the tab.

Since the slight of hand was pointed out earlier this month, aldermanic frustration and mistrust have spilled over into Common Council meetings with Barrett administration officials.

The Canal Street plan was actually started by former Mayor John Norquist. Nonetheless, Barrett's minions are left to get slapped up.

At a recent meeting of the Public Safety Committee over the cost of a new police class, Ald. Tony Zielinski accused city budget director Mark Nicolini of "lies" when talking of his research on the cost of the class -- a charge rarely heard among the formal confines of public officials. Allusions were quickly made to the Canal Street deal as well. Nicolini refused to cower and let the slur slide with some direct words to the chair.

Nonetheless, Zielinski and Alds. Jim Bohl, Joe Dudzik and Bob Donovan have asked Barrett to check into rolling a few heads among the civil servants involved in the project under the Norquist administration and are still on city payroll, "given the serious nature of the allegations raised" in the audit.

Bohl says DPW officials should apologize and called the response from the department a "deafening silence."

The Canal Street cost overruns come four years after the city and DPW were found in the tens of millions over-budget on the 3rd District police station and a recent $20 million boost to the Park East freeway bill. Ald. Michael Murphy, who chairs the Finance Committee and asked for the police station audit, noted that the comptroller's office has again made several of the same recommendations for the DPW that it made after the police station debacle.

Know Your Rights: The state Supreme Court ruled this week that odd movements made by a person during a traffic stop don't give police the right to search the vehicle. The issue stems from a Racine police stop in 2003 for an expired registration bust. During the stop the driver made a movement to reach under the front seat, which police claimed was an attempt to conceal a weapon, so they insisted on a search. Instead they found some pot, but an appeals court ruled the search violated his rights. Conservative judges Jon Wilcox, who is quitting this year, and Pat Roggensack, dissented.

The Powers that Be: With a new party in charge under the Capitol dome in D.C., the stock of our two local Republican congressman has dropped significantly. But even though Democrat Gwen Moore is now partying with the majority she still has a ways to go to gain some respect, according to the so-called "Power Rankings" put together by Congress.org, a Web site that studies all things congressional.

Menomonee Falls Republican James Sensenbrenner took the biggest plunge, falling from the no. 3 most-influential and powerful position in Congress last year, to no. 265 after the recent elections put the Dems in charge. Sensenbrenner was ranked the 56th most powerful among fellow party members.

Janesville Republican Paul Ryan actually topped Sensenbrenner on the power scale, getting the nod at no. 187 in Congress and no. 16 in his party. He was ranked no. 69 last year. Moore, who was ranked at no. 425 last year, literally at the bottom of the heap, edged up to no. 281 now that her party is in control -- still a ways to go to catch the area GOP reps. She clocked in at no. 215 in her own party.

Rice is Nice: Wild rice may soon be growing again in the Menomonee Valley. Thanks to a Wisconsin Coastal Management grant for $100,000 and a $100,000 match by the City of Milwaukee, a rice island could be developed in the Menomonee River that will not only bring the valley back to its roots (As we all know, Menomonee means wild rice in the Potawatomi language and the valley used to be full of it.), but also keep a floating island of trash from developing on a man-altered corner of the river near Emmber Lane.

The corner collects everything from soda bottles to plastic liners to used condoms and the presence of the island -- along with a pier for canoe and kayak launching -- will keep the trash at bay, making it easier for a river skimmer to pick it up.

"It makes flotsam fun," exudes Cheryl Nenn, Milwaukee Riverkeeper for the Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers. She says the island will provide for fish habitat and badly needed green space in the valley. A small park with native plants and a mini-riverwalk are also included in the plans. The total price is expected to be about $250,000.

The City of Milwaukee is expected to match the grant. About $100,000 of the city share is expected to be paid through a sewer maintenance fund. The Potawatomi, Cargill and the Menomonee Valley Partners will also likely contribute money to cover the rest of the $50,000 for the effort, Nenn says.