Today, news outlets around the state (and beyond) are running the story of three UW-Madison students who were given $86,000 in fines after a post-game house party they threw back in September was busted by the police. From Madison.com:

• One of the three, Travis W. Ludy, says the fines — which authorities said were higher than any others in memory for just three people in one incident — are out of proportion.
• "We should definitely get a fine, but I think $30,000 each is by far excessive," said Ludy, a 21-year-old junior from Sun Prairie who is majoring in sociology. "I mean ... I think is extremely unfair for something that happens every weekend around here."

The three young men face a total of 130 counts, including providing alcohol to minors (21 of them), encouraging underage drinking, and dispensing beer without a license. Two of the three guys were underage, themselves. Apparently, when the cops came to the door around 11:30pm, the party planners simply locked the doors, turned off the music, flipped off the lights, and told everyone, “Shhhhhh.” I guess that equals immunity to your average wasted party animal.

These fines do seem particularly crazy, especially when you consider that, according to the Madison.com article, far worse things have happened at Madison house parties provoking much lower fines. Not sure how many house parties are broken up every week here in Eau Claire, but fines like these, if they stick, could certainly set a punish-tastic precedent.