Category Archives: Blog by Attorney Carlos Gamino

Go Ahead and Look Up: 3,400-Foot-Wide Asteroid Giving Earth Plenty of Space

02 Wednesday Feb 2022

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By Carlos Gamino

If you’ve been scrolling through Netflix recently, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve seen Don’t Look Up. On its face, it looks like a movie about a giant comet hurtling toward Earth (though it’s really about the looming climate crisis).

But in real life, there’s a 3,400-foot-wide asteroid doing a flyby in late January, and though it won’t even be a near-miss (it’ll be about a million miles away), it’s going to be moving fast at about 12 miles per second. The same asteroid, known as 7482, shows up from time to time, but it won’t be this close again for another 200 years or so. On January 17, 1933, the asteroid was about 700,000 miles away.

The asteroid is about three times as tall as the Empire State Building, and although it’s extremely far away, NASA classifies it as “potentially hazardous.” That’s because its orbit crosses ours, making a collision more likely.

So why isn’t NASA worried about Earth being on an eventual collision course with 7482? It’s all about math. There are around 25,000 near-Earth asteroids that would be devastating in the event of a crash.

Related: The billionaire space race

Don’t worry, though: The space agency is working on the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, which will collide with a 525-foot-wide space body (a moonlet, to be specific) called Dimorphos at about 15,000 miles per hour in September of this year. DART will give scientists a good idea on whether it’s possible to divert an asteroid that’s on a collision course with Earth in the future.

What Do You Think?

First, I’d love to hear whether you watched Don’t Look Up (and what you thought of it). Then, share your thoughts on 7482 and the 25,000 near-Earth asteroids – are you concerned that one of them will hit Earth sooner or later? Share your thoughts on these deep space questions on my Twitter feed or on my Facebook page to join the conversation!

Attorney Carlos Gamino

Will Wisconsin Schools Reopen During Fall 2020?

01 Saturday Aug 2020

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Will Wisconsin Schools Reopen This Fall - Carlos GaminoBy Attorney Carlos Gamino

If you’re like most parents, you’re wondering whether schools in Wisconsin are going to reopen in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic – and you’re concerned about making the right choice for your child if they do. It’s a tough balance; moms and dads all over Wisconsin need to work, and kids need formal education, so what are we all supposed to do?

The State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee met online in mid-July to talk about it, and its members don’t seem too keen on the idea of opening.

“School opening is an engine for all the other respiratory viruses. This is going to be a nightmare for our school districts,” said Dr. Jonathan Temte, a UW-Madison family medicine professor.

Schools all over Wisconsin have been given more than $200 million in COVID-19 relief funds – $45 million for private and charter schools and $155 million for public schools – which may help teachers and school administrators prepare to open the schools with safety precautions in place.

Dan Rossmiller of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards said, “Our goal is to reopen if possible five days a week. Whether that’s realistic or sustainable will depend upon infection rates, the spread of the virus and people’s perceptions about how dangerous that is.”

In June, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction released guidelines for reopening. The plan, which totals nearly 90 pages, includes the potential to shift between in-person instruction and virtual learning as necessary, as well the possibility for a four-day school week and short-term closures. The guidelines aren’t mandatory, and nothing in them is a requirement – they’re only meant to help individual administrators make the right choices, according to Deputy State Superintendent Mike Thompson.

Parents who aren’t comfortable with their own school district’s arrangements are free to teach their children at home, provided they’re registered as homeschoolers. You can get more information on Wisconsin’s requirements for homeschooling here.

What Do You Think?

Will you send your children to school in the fall? Do you think it’s safe to do so, or would you prefer to keep them home to limit their potential exposure? How do you feel about Wisconsin’s guidelines? I’d love to hear your opinion on whether our state’s schools should reopen in the fall – and if you believe they should, which restrictions each district should put in place. Please share your thoughts on my Facebook page or Twitter feed to join the conversation!

Attorney Carlos Gamino

Weird Crime: 2020 Edition

01 Saturday Aug 2020

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Weird Crime in the U.S. - Carlos Gamino By Carlos Gamino

Every now and then we like to pick up oddball news stories related to crime from across the world, and for 2020 – which is already weird as it is – we’ve uncovered a whole host of almost-unbelievable true crimes, including a couple who faked a woman’s death to keep her out of prison and a 5-year-old boy who wanted to buy a Lamborghini.

West Virginia Couple Fakes Woman’s Death

A West Virginia woman, with the help of her husband and son, attempted to fake her own death so she could avoid prison time. The woman went “missing” on May 31, when her fraud-committing family members said she fell off a cliff while searching for a missing earring. Search and rescue crews, including one from the National Park Service, scoured the area… until she turned up in her home a few days later.

Boy, 11 Years Shy of Getting Driver’s License, Takes Family Car on a Road Trip to Buy a Lamborghini

An Ogden, Utah 5-year-old hopped behind the wheel of his family’s SUV and embarked on a road trip to California to buy a Lamborghini because his mother wouldn’t buy him one. Utah Highway Patrol clocked him on the expressway doing 32 miles per hour, so officers believed the driver was drunk or having a medical emergency and pulled the car over. Surprisingly, the boy was fine – but he only had $3 in his wallet, so if the police hadn’t stopped him, he probably still wouldn’t have been able to get the car of his dreams. The boy isn’t going to face joyriding charges, but he did say, “The police told me I drive good.”

Polite Minnesotan Thief Leaves Thank-You Note

Porch pirates are everywhere, but they usually take your stuff and run. That wasn’t the case with a polite Midwesterner (they raise us right out here) who left a thank-you note in place of a package he or she stole from someone’s porch. The note, scrawled on notebook paper, read, “So just a quick little thank you for leaving me the opportunity of stealing your package. Very nice of you. Thank you.” It was signed “The new owner of your package.”

What Are Your Weirdest Crime Stories for 2020?

I’d love to read your favorite weird crime stories from this already-odd year, so please share a link on my Facebook page or Twitter feed to join the conversation!

Carlos Gamino

Coronavirus in Wisconsin – What You Need to Know

10 Sunday May 2020

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Coronavirus in WisconsinBy Attorney Carlos Gamino

Coronavirus moved across Wisconsin in mid-March with more than 30 cases of COVID-19 – and one patient has made a full recovery – but what does the CDC say, and are schools scheduled to close?

Coronavirus in Wisconsin: What You Need to Know

Governor Tony Evers has ordered all public and private schools to close by Wednesday, March 18, and that order will remain in effect until at least April 6. Naturally, the schools may remain closed longer, depending on what happens next with coronavirus – an illness scientists are still scrambling to learn about.

The CDC is suggesting that all gatherings larger than 50 people should be postponed, as well. That includes business conferences, festivals and concerts, and other get-togethers. Many cities cancelled St. Patrick’s Day celebrations (including New York, which cancelled its parade for the first time in more than 250 years).

Should you stay home, though?

The CDC says in general, yes. People should stay home whenever possible and avoid going to places like stores, restaurants and other locations where people you don’t know gather. (You can monitor coronavirus cases here.)

Coronavirus Symptoms

If you’re experiencing symptoms that could be related to coronavirus, the CDC is advising you to stay at home and call your primary care doctor. Don’t go to an emergency room unless you’re having difficulty breathing or facing other complications, because you could infect others who are there for other types of treatment.

These are the most common symptoms of coronavirus:

  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath

You need emergency medical attention if you have:

  • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
  • Persistent pain or pressure in your chest
  • New confusion or inability to arouse
  • Bluish lips or face

What Do You Think?

Are you staying home to prevent the spread of coronavirus and protect yourself (and others)? What do you think of the way Wisconsin is handling the pandemic, such as by closing schools? Are our officials doing things right or wrong? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please share them on my Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Carlos Gamino

 

Check Out These 3 Milwaukee Court Cases From the 1800s

20 Friday Mar 2020

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By Carlos Gamino

Wisconsin law has been through several evolutions over time – as evidenced by these interesting (and old) court cases we dug up from the Newspapers.com archives. Check out these old cases that you’d never see in a courtroom today.

Man Jailed for Failure to Pay AlimonyMan Jailed for Failure to Pay Alimony

On January 31, 1880, a local Milwaukee man, Joseph Budar, got himself into some legal hot water for failing to pay his wife alimony. The case wasn’t new, and Budar claimed he didn’t owe his wife anything because she’d cheated on him with another man. Alimony (now often called spousal maintenance or spousal support) has been around for eons; in fact, it dates back as far as the Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, and it was created for the “discarded” wife’s lodging, food, clothing and other necessities.

(Interestingly, the same Joseph Budar was later arrested for violating the Temporary Wartime Prohibition Act – but we don’t know if he ended up paying his wife what the court said he owed.)

Wisconsin Horse Thief George MorrisonWisconsin Horse Thief George Morrison

A slippery horse thief who escaped jail in Neillsville and made it all the way to Lavelle, Indiana, was captured and brought back to Marshfield for trial on September 30, 1885. On top of being a “noted horse thief,” Morrison was a bigamist – he married five different women (maybe on account of his “gentlemanly” appearance). He was also suspected of murder.

Man Found Guilty of BigamyMan Found Guilty of Bigamy, but His Third Wife Missed Him

It’s nearly always been illegal to marry someone while you’re already married to someone else – but Gustave Lange married three someones at once. In 1890, he was found guilty of bigamy. As he sat in jail awaiting trial, his third wife got well into her cups and went to the jail to drop off some pants – and then seemingly became so agitated that neighbors feared for their lives.

What Do You Think of These Cases?

Do you know of any old legal cases in Wisconsin (or elsewhere) that were interesting to read about? I’d love to hear your stories, so please feel free to share them on my Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Attorney Carlos Gamino