By Carlos Gamino

Potentially toxic algae blooms in freshwater lakes all over the world – including many in Wisconsin – have become much more intense over the past 30 years. Even worse, rising temperatures make it harder for lakes to bounce back, paving the way for more toxic blooms and creating a cycle that’s going to be difficult to get out of.

The Wisconsin DNR advises people not to swim during a blue-green algae bloom, which can cause illness or death in people and pets. Some of the symptoms of toxicity from these blooms include stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle weakness and difficulty breathing – and those carry over to pets, as well.

Blue-green algae, a form of Cyanobacteria, is basically what you call “pond scum.” It doesn’t have to be blue-green, either. It’s been recorded as blue, green, reddish-purple and brown, as well. This type of bacteria grows well in lakes, ponds and slow-moving streams, especially when the water is warm. It grows quickly, creating floating mats of algae. Usually, these blooms occur between mid-June and late September in Wisconsin, but as temperatures rise, we’re likely to see them earlier and later in the year.

These toxic blooms aren’t confined to Wisconsin. They’re becoming more widespread all over the world, putting hundreds of aquatic species (as well as humans and other animals) in danger. The booms cost the U.S. about $4 billion annually because they damage drinking water, agriculture and the tourism industry.

What Do You Think?

Have you seen a blue-green algae bloom in a lake or pond near your house? Please feel free to share your photos with us on social media so others know what to look for – and share your thoughts about these toxic blooms on my Facebook page or chime in on Twitter.

Carlos Gamino

By Carlos Gamino, Milwaukee criminal defense lawyer

By now we’ve all heard about Brian Williams, the former NBC News reporter who exaggerated his claims about his time in war-torn Iraq. He says he took a leave of absence to “adequately deal with the issue,” but a statement from Deborah Turness, the president of NBC News says otherwise.

“We have decided today to suspend Brian Williams as Managing Editor and Anchor of NBC Nightly News for six months. The suspension will be without pay and is effective immediately. We let Brian know of our decision earlier today,” read the memo.

Williams has admitted to making false statements about being shot down in an Army Chinook helicopter during a 2003 tour.

His whole career is under the microscope now, including his coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Twitter nearly exploded with Brian Williams memes under the hashtags #BrianWilliamsMisremembers and #BrianWilliamsWarStories.

While it’s unlikely that he’ll face any legal consequences—is there really anything to accuse him of?—he has probably effectively ended his career as one of America’s most well known reporters.

And this brings up a very valid point: the three major news media outlets regularly get their facts wrong, and it’s not always accidental. Only about 10 percent of the things you hear on NBC News are fully true, and just 11 percent are completely true on FOX. CNN doesn’t fare much better, with only 18 percent of their “facts” ringing true.

Should we forgive Brian Williams for embellishing his war stories? Should he ever report the news again, or would he be better off starting an opinion column in the New York Times? I’d love to hear your opinion, so let me know in the comments section or head over to my Facebook page to join the discussion.

Carlos Gamino

Carlos Gamino is a criminal defense lawyer in Wisconsin, where the death penalty is not an option for jurors (capital punishment has been outlawed here for more than 160 years). However, he keeps an eye on what happens in other states—particularly when it has to do with criminal law.

Oklahoma is at the forefront of the debate when it comes to executing inmates, and for good reason—they made national news for the tragically botched execution of Clayton Lockett, and they issued a 9-month stay on all executions in the state that was only lifted on January 14.

The investigation after Lockett’s execution revealed that an IV line had failed, and that the deadly cocktail of drugs was administered locally, rather than into Lockett’s bloodstream.

Lockett died from a heart attack, not the drugs, which has caused a huge uptick in death row inmates’ requests for clemency; critics say that what the state uses—a drug called midazolam—isn’t sufficient to cause coma-like unconsciousness before the paralytic and deadly drugs are administered.

Oklahoma, as well as several other states, use midazolam because many drug manufacturers refuse to sell more effective drugs to be used for executions. Whether that’s for public-relations purposes or it’s because of moral objections, we can’t be sure; we only know that now, states that want to execute people by lethal injection must get their non-FDA-approved drugs from a compounding pharmacy.

No matter which side each of us stands on in the death penalty debate, none of us wants to see an execution botched so badly as Lockett’s. (There were two executions that went horribly awry in Arizona and in Ohio just before Lockett’s, as well.)

The Supreme Court ruled, in Baze v. Rees, that administering a paralytic drug and potassium chloride to someone who is not “deeply unconscious” is unconstitutional, and now they’re set to decide on midazolam—a debate that wouldn’t have begun had Oklahoma not executed Lockett.

As a side note, Oklahoma used one-fifth the amount of midazolam than other states use.

What are your thoughts? We’d love to hear what you think. Head over to my Facebook page and leave a comment.

Carlos Gamino