The blare of train horns has been a constant in Bayport this week as Union Pacific crews work to replace railroad ties in town.

The sudden increase in train-horn noise surprised residents as the city is designated a “quiet zone” by the Federal Railroad Administration. That means that locomotive engineers rolling through the city are exempt from federal requirements that horns be sounded when approaching crossings.

“While our city is considered a ‘quiet zone,’ those horn-noise rules only apply to train engines,” city officials wrote in a post shared on social media. “Since the equipment that is currently in town is classified as maintenance equipment, they are required under federal law to sound their horn at every single railroad crossing, no matter the time of day or quiet-zone status.

“As part of their work, they occasionally have to go forward and backward several times — which means they are required to sound the horn several times if they’re working near a crossing,” officials wrote.

The crew, which is “completing necessary maintenance, including replacement of the railroad ties, ensuring ongoing safety and transportation of products,” should be done by Friday afternoon, city officials said.

— Mary Divine

Ex-guard makes plea in prisoner deaths

One of eight guards charged in the deaths of two inmates at a troubled maximum security prison in Wisconsin has pleaded no contest to a reduced charge, becoming the first defendant to resolve their case.

Former Waupun Correctional Institution guard Sarah Ransbottom pleaded no contest last week to a charge of violating a law governing conduct by prison staff and paid a $250 fine, the Wisconsin State Journal reported, citing court records.

Prosecutors in June charged the prison’s former warden, Randall Hepp, and eight other Waupun staff members, including Ransbottom, in connection with the deaths of inmates Donald Maier and Cameron Williams.

Both of those deaths occurred during a more-than-yearlong lockdown at the prison, which was first built in 1851 and has struggled with staff vacancy rates for years.

Men held at Waupun have filed a class action lawsuit alleging mistreatment, including not having access to health care. The U.S. Department of Justice is also investigating a possible smuggling ring at the prison, located about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northeast of Madison.

Five inmates at Waupun have died since June 2023. Two killed themselves, one died of a fentanyl overdose, one died of a stroke, and one died of malnutrition and dehydration.

Ransbottom, who became a correctional officer in 2022, was one of four Waupun staffers originally charged with misconduct in office, a Class I felony that carries a maximum sentence of 3½ years of combined prison time and extended supervision, and up to $10,000 in fines.

She told the Wisconsin State Journal that low staffing levels, long hours and forced overtime contributed to the death of at least one inmate.

— Associated Press

Kaul loses bid for archdiocese records

A federal judge has denied Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul’s request to review the Milwaukee Archdiocese’s sealed bankruptcy records as part of his investigation into clergy sex abuse.

U.S. District Judge G. Michael Halfenger denied Kaul’s request on Monday. Halfenger called the scope of Kaul’s request “staggering” even before considering what it would take to provide abuse survivors notice of the request.

He added that Kaul did not give him any compelling reason to grant the request, calling it a “massive fishing expedition.”

The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy protection in 2011 to address unresolved claims by abuse survivors. The case ended with a settlement in 2016 that called for the archdiocese to pay hundreds of survivors $21 million. Hundreds of their claims remain under seal.

Kaul launched his investigation in April 2021, saying he wanted to develop a full picture of clergy sexual abuse over the decades.

The attorney general filed a request in federal court in August 2023 seeking access to the archdiocese’s bankruptcy records.

— Associated Press