In spring elections across Wisconsin on Tuesday, voters will choose municipal and county leaders, judges and school board members. They will also vote on more than 90 referendum questions in school districts throughout the state. Two ballot questions will ask whether Wisconsin’s constitution should be amended to ban outside grants to assist local elections clerks […]
Author Archives: Erik Gunn
Posted inEnvironment, Local news
Volunteers monitored the air pollution in Beloit. A new worldwide report shows how bad it is.
Back in the fall of 2022, a group of Beloit residents concerned about climate change began monitoring air pollution in the southern Wisconsin industrial city. It was the first time that anyone had systematically surveyed the community’s atmosphere. The early results were troubling, indicating notably high levels of air pollution. The monitoring efforts continued, with […]
Posted inGovernment, Local news
Evers vetoes GOP income tax cut, retirement tax break and marriage credit increase
MADISON, WI — In a decisive move impacting Wisconsin’s fiscal landscape, Governor Tony Evers vetoed a trio of Republican-backed tax cut bills on Friday. The governor emphasized that these measures, including AB-1020, AB-1021, and AB-1022, “would set Wisconsin on a path toward insolvency,” underscoring his concern for the state’s financial health.
Posted inElections, Government, Local news, Politics
Brewery owner, political fundraiser Kirk Bangstad says he’ll sue to block Trump from Wisconsin’s 2024 ballot
Minocqua brewery owner and political gadfly Kirk Bangstad says he will go to court to force the Wisconsin Elections Commission to keep Donald Trump off of the state’s presidential ballots in 2024 under the 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Bangstad filed a complaint with the elections commission Thursday demanding Trump’s exclusion. The election commission’s dismissal […]
Posted inGovernment, Local news
State’s highest court to weigh if Amazon delivery drivers are independent contractors or employees
The Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear arguments next week about whether a group of drivers who deliver packages for Amazon should be considered employees, qualifying them for unemployment compensation if they lose their jobs. Amazon considers the “delivery partners” to be independent contractors — self-employed business owners outside the unemployment insurance (UI) system. But the […]
Posted inEmployment, Wisconsin Jobs
Job numbers ease slightly, but state economist sees little cause for concern
Wisconsin jobs and unemployment figures cooled slightly in October, but the changes weren’t significant enough to suggest the economy is shifting, according to the State Labor Department. Wisconsin employers reported a projected 3.014 million jobs in October, down about 1,400 from September, the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) reported Thursday. There were 900 fewer construction […]
Posted inKenosha Lens, Kenosha Police and Fire, Local news
Michael Bell renews demand for bullet that killed his son on the eve of a grim anniversary
A libel lawsuit Michael M. Bell filed against the former Kenosha Police officer who shot and killed his son nearly two decades ago was dealt a setback Wednesday as a state appeals court upheld a circuit judge’s ruling that dismissed Bell’s claim. The opinion comes a day before the 19th anniversary of the night that […]
Posted inGovernment, Local news
Parties split as election-related constitutional amendments pass Senate
Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate advanced four proposed constitutional amendments Tuesday, including one to ban private grants to local communities for administering elections and another to ban non-citizens from voting in any elections in the state. A third would write the state’s photo ID requirement for voters into the Wisconsin Constitution. The fourth measure would […]
Posted inGovernment, Local news, Politics, Schools
UW enlists business leaders to push for new engineering building funds
The University of Wisconsin-Madison kicked efforts to persuade the Legislature to come up with nearly $200 million for a new engineering building into higher gear Monday. The UW announced a campaign including digital and newspaper advertising, social media and a video spot to reverse the Republican legislative majority’s decision in June against funding the building […]
Posted inElections, Government, Local news, Politics
Vos advances Wolfe impeachment resolution two days after start of attack ads targeting him
Two days after the launch of a pressure campaign directed at Assembly Speaker Robin Vos by activists seeking to impeach the Wisconsin elections administrator, Vos formally advanced the impeachment resolution Thursday. Vos is the target of a radio and television campaign in Milwaukee media accusing him of “standing in the way” of efforts to impeach […]
Posted inGovernment, Local news
Lawmakers pitch legislative package to expand protections for Wisconsin renters
A Milwaukee pilot program that has provided legal representation to renters facing eviction would go statewide under draft legislation that Democratic lawmakers began circulating last week to recruit cosponsors. The proposal is part of a package of nearly two dozen draft bills that senators and representatives have drawn up to establish stronger protections for tenants […]
Posted inGovernment, Local news
Evers moves $170M to extend child care support into 2025
Gov. Tony Evers announced Monday his administration would shift $170 million toward Wisconsin child care providers as stopgap funding to stave off a potential fiscal cliff early next year and extend state support for providers into 2025. Evers made the announcement as a state Senate committee voted to eliminate more than twice that amount in […]
Posted inGovernment, Politics
Republicans maintain skepticism for most of Evers’ workforce agenda at Senate hearing
A parade of witnesses urged state senators Wednesday to preserve child care support that began during the COVID-19 pandemic but was cut from Wisconsin’s two-year budget enacted in July. Restoring the Child Care Counts program dominated the three-and-a-half hour hearing before the Senate Committee on Economic Development and Technical Colleges, held to consider legislation that […]
Posted inConstruction, Development, Government, Local news
Legislature’s rules committee kills new building standards that advocates said would save money
On a party-line vote, members of the Legislature’s administrative rules committee have blocked a proposed Wisconsin commercial building code update that advocates said would save energy, improve safety and lower insurance costs. The update would have brought Wisconsin commercial building standards in line with the 2021 standards of the International Code Council, including the International […]
Posted inCORONAVIRUS, Health, Local news
Former COVID-19 czar: The virus ‘new normal’ points to larger public health mission
With COVID-19 still a public health reality but no longer considered a public health emergency, it’s time for policymakers, health care systems and the public to think more broadly about public health, a former White House COVID-19 czar said Thursday. There is a new normal, said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the School of Public […]