Wisconsin’s record budget surplus is growing once again.
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau on Wednesday said the surplus will now hit $7.1 billion by July.
Read MoreWisconsin Budget Surplus to Top $7 Billion by July
Category: Battleground States
Milwaukee County Supervisor Resigns amid Misconduct Questions
A Milwaukee County Supervisor has resigned under a cloud of misconduct in office allegations.
Supervisor Dyango Zerpa, who represents the county’s 14th District, is leaving to “pursue other opportunities,” his attorney Michael Maistelman told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Maistelman did not return a call from The Star News Network seeking comment.
Read MoreRepublican Senators Re-Introduce No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act
In a show of pro-life solidarity, 47 Republican U.S. senators are re-introducing a bill that would establish a permanent prohibition on federal funding for abortion, replacing the current restrictions with a single, government-wide standard.
The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, the lawmakers say, attempts to clean up inconsistent and haphazard policies that have regulated federal funding for abortion.
Read MoreNationally Watched Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Is a Battle Beyond the Badger State
The national left is all in on Wisconsin’s crucial Supreme Court race, a contest that will not only determine whether conservatives or liberals control the high court, but the fate of Gov. Tony Evers’ liberal agenda and, possibly, the 2024 presidential election.
Conservative Supreme Court candidate Daniel Kelly, a former justice on the court, says the race is about the very survival of the constitution and the rule of law.
Read MoreBill Aims to Bring Transparency to Wisconsin’s Parole Commission
Looking to improve transparency and efficiency at the state’s troubled Parole Commission, state Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) has released the “Parole Transparency Act.” The bill, according to Wanggaard, aims to ensure victims can be involved in and informed about the parole process.
Read MoreStudy: Students in Wisconsin Choice Schools Outperforming Public School Peers
On this National School Choice Week, a new study by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty shows parental choice programs continuing to outperform public schools, particularly in the state’s largest city.
“Apples to Apples: Accessing Wisconsin State of Education”, accesses Badger State educational performance across public, charter, and private voucher schools.
Read MoreMadison Police Drop Race from Suspect Descriptions in Police Reports
Last week, a woman was filling up her vehicle at a convenience store in the 2700 block of Madison’s E. Washington Avenue when a “man pointed a gun at her face and demanded she give him the keys,” according to the Madison Police Department incident report.
A man.
Read MoreThreats of Violence Cloud Conservative Events in Wisconsin
The organizers of a Milwaukee-area event on the dangers of woke indoctrination say they’re working with local law enforcement after receiving a number of threats.
Meanwhile, a theater in suburban Chicago has canceled a “reforming sex education” event after reportedly being bombarded with threats.
Read MoreUniversity of Wisconsin System Says It Will Ban TikTok After Congressional Warnings
After Gov. Tony Evers finally relented and ordered TikTok banned from state government devices, Wisconsin’s Republican congressional delegation asked University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman to follow suit. A UW System spokesman on Wednesday said the schools will follow part of the lawmakers’ request and restrict TikTok from UW System-owned devices.
Read MoreWisconsin Flat Tax Proposal Overshadows Zero Tax Idea
Tax reform is top of mind for Republicans this legislative session. But while a flat tax measure has taken center stage, another proposal by one legislative leader to eliminate Wisconsin’s personal income tax has seemingly disappeared from the tax cut discourse.
A new State Policy Network (SPN) survey shows a good deal of support for nixing the state income tax.
Read MoreWisconsin Bail Reform Amendment Goes to Voters
A constitutional amendment proposal to reform Wisconsin’s cash bail system is now headed to voters in April’s election. Following the Republican-controlled Senate’s approval of the measure earlier this week, the GOP-dominated Assembly on Thursday passed the resolution.
Read MoreFBI Offers $25,000 Reward for Information on Pro-Abortion Terrorists Behind Pro-Life Center Attacks
More than eight months after Wisconsin Family Council/Action’s Madison headquarters was firebombed by pro-abortion extremists, the FBI is now offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the “identification, arrest, and conviction” of the individuals involved in the attack. “It’s about time,” said Julaine Appling, president of Wisconsin Family Council/Action, a pro-life organization that advocates for religious liberty and traditional family values.
Read MoreNew Survey Shows Wisconsin Businesses See Recession Ahead
Battered by ongoing high inflation, a majority of Wisconsin businesses see a recession ahead, according to Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce’s latest Wisconsin Employer Survey.
WMC’s survey finds 60 percent of businesses believe the Badger State economy is headed for a recession this year. On the surface, the number appears to be an improvement from last summer’s survey when 71 percent of respondents worried a recession was looming. But Nick Novak, WMC’s vice president of communications and marketing, said more employers moved from being sure about a recession to uncertain about the economy.
Read MoreLiberal Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate Protasiewicz Learned from ‘Progressive Justice’ DA John Chisholm
Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court justice candidate Janet Protasiewicz says she’s not hiding from the “progressive label.”
The Milwaukee County judge has surrounded herself with liberal legal activists, perhaps none more controversial than her old boss, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm.
Read MoreWisconsin Representative Introduces Bill Raising Mandatory Minimums for Fentanyl Crimes
As fentanyl continues to take its deadly toll, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) is introducing a bill that would put the synthetic opioid’s criminal penalties on par with another killer drug that has ravaged America.
Grothman and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Indiana), who served as Republican Study Committee chairman, have introduced the Standardizing Thresholds of Penalties (STOP) for Fentanyl Act. The bill would reduce the threshold for mandatory minimum penalties for fentanyl-related offenses, with quantity thresholds on par with methamphetamine.
Read MoreBill Demands Elections Commission Cleans Up Wisconsin’s Voter Rolls
A bill released last week for co-sponsorship aims to remove ineligible voters from the state’s official voter registration list in a more timely fashion, a key election integrity concern that has dogged Wisconsin’s voter rolls for years. The legislation, authored by state Rep. Ty Bodden (R-59th Assembly District) and Sen. Andre Jacque (R-1st Senate District), would require the Wisconsin Elections Commission to clean up the WisVote database.
Read MoreWisconsin Schools Connect Kids to Site Described as ‘Pedophile’s Paradise’
TrevorSpace bills itself as an affirming place for LGBTQ young people. Several Wisconsin school districts encourage their students to check out the site. But is the social networking site little more than an online dating community putting kids as young as 13 at risk of sexual exploitation?
Read MoreWisconsin Part of Flat Tax ‘Revolution’
Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) and state Representative Rob Brooks (R-Saukville) are set to introduce a tax reform proposal this week that would ultimately phase in a 3.25 percent flat income tax rate by tax year 2026. The measure would make Wisconsin part of a recent “flat tax revolution”, according to a national tax expert.
Read MoreState Senate Majority Leader Pitches Flat Tax for Wisconsin
by Benjamin Yount Wisconsin’s Senate majority leader says there is plenty of money available to reconfigure the state’s personal income tax rates. State Sen. Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, on Friday said Wisconsin’s record $6.6 billion surplus will help get the state over the hump. “So, for sure in the first…
Read MoreGroup ‘Parents on Patrol’ Bring Anti-Transgender Activist Chole Cole to Wisconsin for ‘Stolen Innocence’ Event
Chloe Cole this week told a Washington, D.C. think tank that she was coerced into taking puberty blockers and having her breasts surgically removed.
She was 15 years old.
“It’s important to know how awful it really is,” Cole told the Heritage Foundation about her double mastectomy.”Really, it’s like Nazi-era experiments.”
Read MoreWisconsin Department of Natural Resources Slapped with a ‘Notice of Violation’ over Local Zoning Ordinance
The regulatory shoe is on the other foot for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, served with notice on that it has violated Winnebago County zoning code.
It appears the agency failed to secure conditional use and zoning permits before starting construction on a maintenance garage (cold storage building) in the county.
Read MoreSchool Board in Wisconsin Affirms Parental Rights
The School District of Waukesha (Wisconsin) Board of Education this week passed a resolution recognizing parental rights with regard to political and gender issues.
The measure, which passed the board 8-0, furthermore affirms biological sex as determinative in allowing students to join sports teams and use bathroom facilities. Board President Kelly Piacsek said she drafted the resolution to address concerns that numerous parents brought to her and other school directors. She added that she is a parent of three students who attend district schools.
Read MoreRetiring Justice Pat Roggensack Endorses Jennifer Dorow in Wisconsin Supreme Court Race
Jennifer Dorow’s bid for Wisconsin Supreme Court got a big boost.
Retiring Justice Patience Roggensack on Monday endorsed Dorow in the race for the court. Roggensack, whose seat Dorow is running to fill, heaped praise on her.
Read MoreBill Lowers Threshold for Felony Theft in Wisconsin
Losses from retail theft have soared over the past several years, a problem exacerbated by soft-on-crime prosecutors and judges. Wisconsin has a Supreme Court justice candidate who, has suggested that shoplifters who steal from “big box” retailers shouldn’t be aggressively prosecuted.
State Sen. Andre Jacque says his bill lowering Wisconsin’s threshold for felony theft is in response to the increasing brazenness of criminals and the kid glove treatment they’ve gotten from some prosecutors and judges like Dane County’s Everett Mitchell.
Read MoreJames Bond Could Face Investigation at Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs
In announcing the appointment Monday of James Bond as his new secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, Gov. Tony Evers made sure to note that Bond would be the first “openly LGBTQ (gay) individual” to serve as a state cabinet secretary.
While Evers checked off an important liberal virtue signaling box, he failed to mention that Bond has been the No. 2 ranking official at a troubled state agency that has veterans deaths on its hands.
Read MoreWisconsin and Illinois Congressmen Urges ESPN to End TikTok Relationship
U.S. Representatives Mike Gallagher (R-WI-8) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-8) sent a letter this week to the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) opposing its decision to let TikTok run commercials during recent college football halftime shows.
The two congressmen are sponsors of a measure to ban the video-sharing application from all Americans’ computing devices. Gallagher and other Republican members of Wisconsin’s U.S. House delegation this month successfully encouraged Democratic Governor Tony Evers to prohibit the app’s download or use on any state-owned computers or phones. Numerous other state governments as well as the federal government no longer permit the program’s download or use by public entities.
Read MoreGov. Evers Puts Kibosh on Flat Tax, School Choice in Wisconsin
Gov. Tony Evers is already taking things off the list of possible compromises at the Wisconsin Capitol.
The governor told WISN TV on UPFRONT that he will not sign a flat tax or universal school choice plan if Republicans send him one.
“A flat tax, if that’s part of the budget, that could end it. If it’s universal school choice across the state for education, that could be a killer too. But we’ll see. I don’t think any of those things are going to happen, so I’m planning on signing a good budget.”
Read MoreIn the Wake of Waukesha Attack, Lawmakers Propose Bail Reform Again
State Rep. Cindi Duchow has been on a crusade for years to tighten up Wisconsin’s bail laws, and the effort began close to home.
“I have been working on this a long time,” the Delafield Republican told Empower Wisconsin last week. “It started mainly when a man on my street was charged with molesting his grandchildren and was out on ($75,000) bail. For several months he was free.”
Read MoreWisconsin Republican Delegation Celebrates McCarthy Win
The 15th vote was the charm for U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). But Wisconsin’s Republican House members had the new Speaker’s back from the first vote.
As McCarthy finally claimed enough votes for his narrow victory early Saturday morning (on the 15th ballot), U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Janesville) tweeted a photo of himself holding the last tally with the celebratory message, “McCarthy Wins!”
Read MoreWisconsin Senate Leader Opens Door to Some New State Spending
The top Republican in the Wisconsin Senate is talking about inflation.
Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu on Wednesday used his speech to the newly sworn-in State Senate to talk about the pressure that inflation is exerting on Wisconsin residents.
Read MoreChicago School Audit Finds Nearly 500 Sexual Complaints Filed in 2022
Chicago school officials this week revealed that the school system recorded nearly 500 sexual complaints over the last year, with investigators stressing their inability to respond to a majority of all complaints they receive.
The Chicago Board of Education Office of Inspector General said in its 2022 annual report that it received 470 “sexual allegation” complaints over the course of FY2022.
Read MoreWisconsin Republicans to Vote on Bail Reform Amendment Next Week
Republicans in Madison are moving quickly to change how bail works in Wisconsin.
A pair of lawmakers want to take the first vote next week on a Constitutional amendment that would give judges more latitude in deciding when to keep someone in jail and when to release them.
Read MoreReport: Wisconsin Tax Burden Lowest Ever
Another report brings another round of good news for Wisconsin taxpayers.
The Wisconsin Policy Forum released a new study on Thursday that says the state’s tax burden is at its lowest level ever.
Read MoreWisconsin Gov. Evers Finally Bans TikTok, ‘CCP Trojan Horse’, on State Devices
After more than a month of warnings from Wisconsin’s congressional Republicans and the cybersecurity community), Gov. Tony Evers says he will ban TikTok on state devices.
Wisconsin joins federal agencies, Congress and at least 16 states in prohibiting the popular video-sharing app that has drawn widespread concerns that its being used as a spying tool for the Chinese Communist Party.
Read MoreSpeaker Vos Vilified ‘Rogue Holdouts’ in 2017
As tempers flare in the Republican battle for Speaker of the House, the anti-establishment conservatives blocking Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid are being likened to pirates — and worse.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), a McCarthy loyalist, called the Republican defectors terrorists. They’ve reportedly been described as the “Taliban 19.”
Read MorePro-Life Wisconsin PAC Endorses Justice Daniel Kelly in Supreme Court Primary
The Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund political action committee (PAC) on Thursday came out in favor of Justice Daniel Kelly’s election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Kelly previously served on the court from 2016 to 2020 but failed to get reelected that spring. This year, he will face state Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow (3rd District), Dane County Circuit Court Judge Everett Mitchell (Branch 4), and Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz (Branch 24) in the February 21 primary. The top two vote-getters will compete for the high-court seat in an April 4 general election.
Read MoreMadison’s East High School to Host ‘Family Friendly’ Drag Show
Madison East High School will host a “family friendly” drag show later this month, a taxpayer-funded woke event that is “Exhibit A” for expanded school choice, according to a parental rights activist.
East High parents recently received an email announcing the event, sponsored by the Gender and Sexuality Alliance. The show is scheduled for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Jan. 19, according to the school’s calendar. The festivities will take place in the high school’s Margaret Williams Theater.
Read MoreWisconsin Indigenous Activist Exposed as Appropriating Native American Ethnicity
Kay LeClaire, the far-left Madison, Wisconsin-based activist who claimed an American-Indian heritage and clamored for radical causes she said benefitted the indigenous community, is facing public denunciation after being exposed as entirely white.
LeClaire, who went by the alias nibiiwakamigkwe [lower-case in the original] is a co-founder of giige [also lower-case in the original]. The arts-oriented group describes itself as “an Indigenous and queer space for the community in and around Teejop [a Ho-Chunk tribal word for the Great Lakes region].” Though female, LeClaire describes herself as “nonbinary,” denying she belongs to either sex.
Read MoreMore Abortion Access, More State Spending Top Evers’ Priorities in Second Term
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers used his inauguration address on Tuesday to tell lawmakers and voters that he wants more abortion, more state spending and more money for public schools in the next four years.
Evers started his wish list with a rollback of Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion law.
Read MoreGov. Evers Grants More Pardons, 774 to Date
Wisconsin’s governor has issued more pardons than any governor in modern history.
Gov. Tony Evers last week issued another 171 pardons, bringing his four-year total to 774.
Read MorePart of Wisconsin Opioid Settlement to Fund Housing Program
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) is preparing to allocate a large fraction of opioid settlement money toward a new housing program for those in recovery.
In February 2021, an assemblage of 47 states including Wisconsin announced an agreement with the consulting firm McKinsey & Company would yield a total of $573 million for the jurisdictions in recompense for the corporation’s alleged role in the opioid epidemic. Prior to the settlement, state Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) and prosecutors across the country undertook an investigation that led to allegations that McKinsey devised promotions for high-strength pain medications resulting in widespread, improper use.
Read MoreWisconsin Lottery Sales Translates to an Average Property Tax Cut of $213
It may be the most money some people ever see from the Wisconsin Lottery.
Lottery managers in the state said the latest lottery tax credit means a $213 tax cut for the average homeowner in the state.
Read MoreTennessee, Georgia, and Virginia Among 18 States Banning Social Media App TikTok from State Devices
Following South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem’s lead, nearly half of U.S. states have put restrictions on or banned the use of Chinese-based social media app TikTok.
At least 19 states have banned TikTok on government-issued devices – Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Idaho, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utha, Virginia and West Virginia.
Read MoreWisconsin State Sen. Kapenga: No Consensus Among Republicans on Tax Plan Yet
Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol aren’t yet on the same page about tax reform in the new year, but they are in almost total agreement on new state spending.
Senate President Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, told Matt Kittle on News Talk 1130 WISN on Tuesday that the Republicans who control the state legislature are still talking about what to do with Wisconsin’s record $6.6 billion surplus, and calls for tax reform.
Read MoreNew Wisconsin Republican Boss Eyes Fundraising, Early Voting for First Successes
The new head of the Wisconsin Republican Party is talking like a Democrat.
Brian Schimming has said in a number of interviews over the past week that he wants to focus on early voting and raising money ahead of the spring election.
Read MoreWisconsin Governor Evers Seeks Recreational Marijuana Legalization
Governor Tony Evers (D-WI) is preparing for a potential battle with the Republican-run Wisconsin Legislature over the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Evers is gearing up to present his biennial budget requests to lawmakers in February and has said there is “no question” he will ask the legislature to permit adults to use cannabinoid substances for fun as he did in his most recent budget proposal earlier this year.
Read MoreWisconsin Rep. Tom Tiffany on His Border Security Bill
Title 42 remains in place — at least for now.
The U.S. Supreme Court this week temporarily blocked the lifting of the Trump-era rule that provided at least some check on the Biden administration’s failure to secure the U.S. southern border. Put in place in 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, the rule curtails general asylum for illegal immigrants, quickly expelling them to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Read MoreWisconsin Added 12,000 People from 2021 to 2022
Most of Wisconsin’s new people moved into the state.
The U.S. Census Bureau last week released a population snapshot.
Read MoreKari Lake Appeals Dismissal of Arizona Election Lawsuit
Kari Lake, the Arizona Republican nominee for governor, is appealing a Maricopa County judge’s dismissal of her lawsuit challenging her defeat to Democrat Katie Hobbs, who is currently serving as secretary of state.
In a notice of appeal filed Tuesday, Lake asked the Arizona Superior Court to reconsider all 10 counts that she brought up in her original lawsuit as well as the attorneys’ fees she was ordered to pay.
Read MoreWisconsin Congressman Tiffany Wants ‘Year-and-a-Day’ Homicide Rule Gone
U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany (R-WI-07) is spearheading an effort in Congress to end the “year-and-a-day” rule for federal homicide prosecutions.
Tiffany’s “Justice for Murder Victims Act” would allow murder charges to apply if an attacker committed an assault that resulted in the victim’s death more than a year and a day after the incident. Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA-04) is cosponsoring the legislation, while Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) have introduced a companion bill in their chamber.
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