Green Bay’s mayor has agreed to never spy on people at city hall again.
Mayor Eric Genrich made the promise as part of the settlement in the lawsuit over hidden microphones at city hall.
Read MoreGreen Bay Mayor Settles City Hall Spying Case
Category: The Upper-Midwest
Trump Leads Harris in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan but Ties in Wisconsin, Poll Claims
A poll released Thursday and conducted after President Joe Biden dropped his bid for reelection shows former President Donald Trump leading Vice President Kamala Harris in the battleground states Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Michigan, while the former president is tied with the vice president in Wisconsin.
The New Emerson College pollsters found Trump enjoys his greatest lead in Arizona, where they determined 49 percent of voters support him while just 44 percent back Harris.
Read MoreHarris Campaign, Democrat Influencers Rave After Harris Fills High School Gymnasium near Milwaukee
The campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris celebrated her first official campaign event near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Tuesday night, billing it as a massive success.
Read MoreWisconsin Lawmakers Strike Down Three Emergency Election Rules
The fight over who writes the rules for elections in Wisconsin continues.
The Legislature’s rule making body, the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules, on Monday voted to suspend three proposed emergency rules from the Wisconsin Elections Commission that dealt with uniform rules for absentee voting, challenges to candidates and challenges to nominating paperwork.
Read MoreFull-Time Surveillance, Lawmen Sought Where Ballot Drop Boxes Used
Two Wisconsin lawmakers have introduced legislation that would require cities or counties that use ballot drop boxes to have them under 24/7 video surveillance.
The proposals of state Rep. Scott Krug, R-Rome, and state Sen. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, would also require police officers or deputies be on hand when the ballots are collected.
Read MorePoll: Trump Leading Biden in Wisconsin
Former President Donald Trump leads President Biden by 3 points in Michigan and 5 points in Wisconsin, according to the results of a new Emerson College poll.
The poll, conducted July 15-16, surveyed about 1,000 likely voters per swing state. Democrats for the Next Generation sponsored the poll, which has a +/-3% margin of error. It was released Thursday, the final day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Read MoreWisconsin MPS Recall Group Threatens Class Action Lawsuit
The group driving the Milwaukee school board recall is now looking to file a class-action lawsuit.
The MPS School Board Recall Collaborative said it has filed formal complaints against the city’s school board with the Wisconsin Board of Ethics, the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Department of Education against Milwaukee’s elected school board members. The group is alleging “malfeasance, illegal and unethical activities that cannot be denied by any of the Board members.”
Read MoreWisconsin Father Accused of Fatally Stabbing His Two Children was in U.S. Illegally from Mexico
A man accused of fatally stabbing his two children and injuring his wife in a Wisconsin town was living in the United States illegally, Just the News confirmed Thursday.
Victor Manuel Gomez Acosta has been charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and attempted homicide. His bond is set at $1 million and his first court date is scheduled for July 30.
Read MoreRaise and Retention Bonus Lift Wisconsin Chancellor Compensation Past $1 Million
A raise of 10% and a retention bonus will lift Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin of the University of Wisconsin past $1 million in annual compensation.
University regents met Monday and approved the deal. Mnookin’s salary rises from $811,512 to $892,663 next year. The bonus is $150,000.
Read MoreTrump Leads with Older Voters in Wisconsin in AARP Poll
Former President Donald Trump appears to have surged ahead of President Joe Biden with a critical constituency in battleground Wisconsin, according to a recent poll.
In an AARP survey of Wisconsin voters aged 50 or older, Trump earned the support of 52% of respondents, compared to 43% who expressed support for Biden. Among all age groups, Trump led by 5%.
Read MoreWisconsin Supreme Court to Hear Challenges to Wisconsin Abortion Law
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is going to decide on abortion.
The court said it will hear two challenges to Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion law, without waiting for lower courts in the state to rule on them first.
Read MoreWisconsin Crime Labs Not Meeting New DNA Testing Deadline
A new audit raises questions as to whether Wisconsin’s attorney general will be able to meet a new state requirement to get sexual assault kits tested within six months.
The Legislative Audit Bureau released its new report on the state’s crime recently, saying there are fewer requests for sexual assault DNA kits at the crime labs, but it is taking the labs longer to process each kit.
Read MoreSecond Effort to Recall Wisconsin Speaker Fails
Republican Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos will not face a recall election after the Wisconsin Elections Commission threw out more than a hundred signatures on a petition.
The WEC voted 4-2 on Thursday afternoon to reject the Vos recall petition after it found the number of signatures submitted by the deadline insufficient. Commission staff had recommended Wednesday the commission accept the petition signatures.
Read MoreGangs, Crime, and Terrible Living Conditions Included in New Look into Wisconsin City’s Immigration Problems
A new report says Whitewater’s immigration problems did not end when the city’s police chief sent a letter to the White House late last year.
The Institute for Reforming Government on Monday released a report that uses 4,000 open records requests to paint a picture of the continued problems that a flood of illegal immigrants has caused in Whitewater.
Read MoreSocial Media Curfew for Children Sought in Wisconsin
One of Wisconsin’s Republican lawmakers is not giving up on his idea for a time limit for kids when it comes to social media.
Rep. David Steffen, R-Green Bay, this week announced his Wisconsin Kids Online Safety Act.
Read MoreWisconsin Lawmakers Say MPS Troubles Costing Their Schools
Lawmakers at the Wisconsin Capitol say Milwaukee Public School’s financial crisis will cost their schools as well.
Republican Rep. Jerry O’Connor, R-Fond du Lac, said MPS’ recently approved property tax increase will shift the way that state school aid dollars are spent.
Read MoreNew Challenge to Wisconsin’s School District Grow Your Own Teacher Program
There’s a challenge to the Grow Your Own Multicultural Teacher Scholarship in Beloit Schools.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty sent a letter to Beloit Schools, asking it to end the scholarship because it discriminates.
Read MoreNew Wisconsin Liberal Supreme Court Candidate Making Up Abortion Claims
The abortion debate in Wisconsin’s next race for the state supreme court is now set, just a day after a Dane County judge jumped into the race.
Judge Susan Crawford announced her campaign Monday.
Read MoreUnanimous Wisconsin Supreme Court Rejects Racine Mobile Voting Van and Keep Polling Places
Conservatives on the Wisconsin Supreme Court say the order that bans Racine County’s mobile voting van but keeps the city’s Democrat-heavy other polling locations is nonsensical.
The liberal-majority court unanimously ruled that Racine, and other cities in Wisconsin, cannot use vans to collect ballots.
Read MoreUniversity of Wisconsin President Promises New Focus on Free Speech, Civil Dialogue
The new free speech lessons for the University of Wisconsin’s next freshman class will not just be about speaking your mind.
UW President Jay Rothman told regents during meeting in Milwaukee he is planning a new curriculum for new students about both sides of the right to freedom of speech.
Read MoreMilwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Resigns amid Budget Pushback, Missing Fiscal Reports
Milwaukee’s school superintendent is out of a job, but the city’s school board did not fire him.
Superintendent Keith Posley reigned early Tuesday morning after a marathon school board meeting.
Read MoreWisconsin AG Hits 3 Trump Allies with 2020 Election-Related Charges
Democratic Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul on Tuesday charged three Trump allies with felony forgery related to the 2020 election.
Two attorneys, Kenneth Chesebro and Jim Troupis, along with former aide Mike Roman, face one count each of forgery related to their role in attempting to submit alternate elector certificates to Congress stating former President Donald Trump, rather than President Joe Biden, won the 2020 election in the state. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers shared a one word statement on X in response to the charges: “Good.”
Read MoreTwo Wisconsin Illegal Immigrants Charged in Alleged Sexual Assault of 12-Year-Old Girl
Two illegal immigrants were charged Wednesday in connection with an alleged sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, according to court documents and releases.
The office of Fond du Lac Country District Attorney Eric J. Toney announced that Elia Antonio and Juan Carlos Rocha Mejia each face multiple counts stemming from a May 19 incident where Antonio’s 12-year-old daughter escaped after allegedly being bound, blindfolded and assaulted, according to a Wednesday release from the DA’s office and a May 20 release from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office. Antonia was the 12-year-old girl’s mother, according to a criminal complaint.
Read MoreMajor Shift in State Supreme Court Could Allow Unions to Wreak Havoc on Wisconsin’s Budget Once Again, Experts Say
A legal challenge could upend a long-standing Wisconsin law that has successfully balanced the budget at the expense of curbing public unions in the state, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Lawmakers passed the Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill, also known as Act 10, in 2011 in an effort to reduce the state’s budget deficit primarily by limiting the power of public unions to demand higher compensation and benefits that had come to be a drag on the state’s finances. A coalition of unions had their chance to argue starting on Tuesday to a Wisconsin judge that the law was unconstitutional, despite previous legal objections and the law’s success at solving key budgetary issues that had previously plagued the state, emboldened by a new liberal majority on the court that threatens to repeal the law, according to experts who spoke to the DCNF.
Read MoreMilwaukee RNC Protesters Angry over Proposed Zone Change
While Milwaukee Republican National Convention planners continue to push to move the city’s planned protest zone, protesters are angrily pushing back.
The Coalition to March on the RNC recently demanded the Secret Service leave the convention protest zone in Pere Marquette Park.
Read MorePoll: Uninstructed Voters Claim to Control Biden’s Wisconsin Fate
Wisconsin’s uninstructed, or uncommitted, voters are out with a new poll that says they could keep President Joe Biden from winning the state in November.
The Americans for Justice in Palestine-Action group commissioned the poll from YouGov. It says 1-in-5 Democrats and Independents in Wisconsin say they are less likely to vote for the president because of how he’s handled the war in Gaza.
Read MoreHuman Rights Campaign to Target Wisconsin in Push for Equality Voters
The Human Rights Campaign wants spend millions of dollars to connect with equality voters in Wisconsin this election season.
The Human Rights Campaign bills itself as the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. It says equality voters are people who share their LGBTQ focus and agenda.
Read MoreWisconsin Awards $32.6 Million in Grants to Housing Developers
Wisconsin housing developers are set to receive $32.6 million in housing tax credits for 2024, part of $525 million in workforce housing in this year’s biennial budget, Gov. Tony Evers’ office said.
The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority received $56 million in grant requests from developers with 23 developments in 14 counties that will create 1,383 affordable housing units being awarded the grants.
Read MoreWisconsin Supreme Court Might Overturn Ballot Drop Box Ban
The liberal-leaning Wisconsin Supreme Court appears ready to overturn a ruling that banned the use of ballot drop boxes, which became a source of controversy during the 2020 election cycle.
Wisconsin is considered a battleground state. The latest polls show a close race in the state between former President Trump and President Biden.
Read MoreMinnesota and Wisconsin Withhold Voter Registration from Public That Most States are Federally Mandated to Disclose
Wisconsin is one of the most fiercely contested battleground states in this election cycle, but it lacks federal transparency requirements for voter registration imposed on most states, according to a lawsuit by an election watchdog.
Minnesota, generally a solidly blue state although it saw a razor-thin margin in the results of the 2016 presidential race, also doesn’t make its voter rolls available to the public, the lawsuit contends.
Read MoreReport: Milwaukee Schools Would Lose Money If Charter School Evicted
There’s a warning about what Milwaukee Public Schools could lose if it kicks a charter school out of their buildings.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty is out with a new report that explains MPS would be hurting its bottom line by evicting the Carmen Charter School.
Read MoreMilwaukee Mayor Replaces City’s Election Commission Director
Six months before Election Day, Milwaukee’s mayor has made a change at the top of his city’s elections commission.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson on Monday announced Paulina Gutiérrez as the new executive director of Milwaukee’s Election Commission.
Read MoreRNC, Wisconsin GOP, RITE PAC Fight Lawsuit Aimed at Legalizing Ballot Drop Boxes in State
“The rule of law should not be undermined by Democrats attempting to overrule a case which was decided just two years ago,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said.
The Republican National Committee, the Republican Party of Wisconsin, and RITE PAC are fighting a lawsuit seeking to legalize ballot drop boxes in Wisconsin.
Read MoreWisconsin Democrat Leadership Continues Drop Box Push
Wisconsin’s Democrat leadership continued its push for drop boxes as Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a response brief with the Wisconsin Supreme Court to allow them.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers filed a brief in early April looking overturn a ruling from 2022 that said ballot drop boxes are not allowed under state law.
Read MoreUW-Madison Leaders Demand Protest Tents Be Taken Down
No one is sure if there is an ‘or else’ attached to the statement from UW-Madison leaders to pro-Palestinian protesters who are camping on campus.
Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin issued a statement that says the university is willing to speak with protesters about their demands. But Mnookin said protesters must first dismantle their tents.
Read MoreCommentary: Housing Woes in the Heartland
Wisconsin could well determine the next president of the United States. President Trump earned his historic upset victory in 2016 with a win in Wisconsin by only 27,000 votes. Four years later, Biden prevailed there by an even smaller 20,000 vote margin, out of 3.2 million total ballots.
This year’s election figures to be another photo finish. The latest battleground state polling shows Trump up +1% in a multi-candidate field. This polling was commissioned by my populist Right labor organization, the League of American Workers, and queried a sampling of likely voters in Wisconsin that split evenly in 2020 between Trump and Biden.
Read MoreHigher Prices, Mortgage Rates Hurt Home Affordability in Wisconsin
Homes keep selling in Wisconsin but prices and the cost to get a mortgage are keeping some from being able to afford a new home.
The Wisconsin Realtors Association is out with its latest look at the state’s housing market.
Read MoreWaukesha County DA Declines Charges in Brandtjen Campaign Finance Case
Another local prosecutor declined to bring charges against a Republican state lawmaker in a campaign funding raising case.
Waukesha County’s District Attorney Sue Opper said she would not file charges against state Rep. Janel Brandtjen. But Opper said she is not clearing Brandtjen in the case.
Read MoreReport: Wisconsin’s Finances in Best Shape in Decades
A new report says Wisconsin is in its best fiscal position in decades.
The Wisconsin Policy Forum released its latest report this week. It looks at the state’s debt, budget health, general fund reserves and what the future may hold for the state.
Read MoreWisconsin’s Largest Business Group Sues over Evers’ 400-Year School Funding Veto
There is now a legal challenge to Gov. Tony Evers’ 400-year school funding veto.
The WMC Litigation Center on Monday asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to take up their challenge to the governor’s summer veto that increased per-pupil funding for the next four centuries.
Read MoreWisconsin Election Integrity Journalist Who Exposed Allegedly Illegal Democratic ‘Smurfing’ Donations Arrested
Peter Bernegger, president of Election Watch in Wisconsin, was arrested last week after filing complaints against officials and candidates he exposed for accepting donations allegedly facilitated by progressive activists in the names of people who were unaware of them. He was charged with a felony, simulating a legal process.
Bernegger posted on X after posting bail and being released, “This is politically motivated where they are trying to shut me up, to shut us all up. For those who don’t know, this is the second time they have come after me; the first time was dismissed in 15 minutes when the judge learned the truth of the matter.”
Read MoreGreen Bay Broke Same-Day Voter Registration Rules, Allowed Illegal Votes, Election Group Alleges
The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) filed a complaint on Monday against the Green Bay city clerk to the Wisconsin Elections Commission for not following state law to verify same-day voter registrations. Same-day voter registration, which is when people can register to vote and cast a ballot at the same time, is a practice that both PILF and the Honest Elections Project warn may let illegal votes be counted before a voter’s registration can be verified.
PILF reported the Green Bay city clerk to the Wisconsin Elections Commission for failing to follow state law on same-day voter registration, an election practice that election integrity advocates warn can allow illegal votes to be counted.
Read MoreWisconsin Directs Federal IDEA Funds Toward Racism, Equity Workshops
A project housed under the Wisconsin Department of Education is using federal special education funds to pay speakers to provide instruction to teachers on race, equity and Black queer feminist methodology.
Wisconsin’s Educational Equity Network’s virtual events feature presentations from authors and activists, including notable and controversial writers such as Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo, about racism, inequity and marginalized gender or sexual identities.
Read MoreState Bar of Wisconsin Changing Diversity Definition to End Discrimination Suit
The State Bar of Wisconsin isn’t ending its diversity clerkship that faced a federal discrimination lawsuit, instead it is changing the definition of diversity.
The State Bar agreed to tweak the program and make it about the diversity of ideas and experiences, rather than base the clerkship on race and gender.
Read MoreWisconsin Gov Shoots Down Bill to Keep Boys Off Girls’ Sports Teams
Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a bill Tuesday barring biological men from competing in women’s sports just weeks after it passed the state Senate.
The bill was passed by the state Senate in March by a 20 to 11 vote and would require athletes to compete in sports categories in line with their biological sex. Evers had expressed displeasure with the legislation in the past and opted to veto the bill, arguing that it would only embolden “anti-LGBTQ harassment, bullying, and violence,” according to a press release.
Read MoreFormer Wisconsin Governor: Elections Too Important to Let Politicians Decide Integrity
Wisconsin’s most-recent former governor says elections in the state must be fair and free from outside money posing as election aid.
Former Gov. Scott Walker on Thursday said voters need to approve a constitutional amendment banning so-called “Zuckerbucks” in order to keep politicians from sapping faith from voters.
Read MoreWisconsin February Tax Collections Down $51 Million Year over Year
Wisconsin tax collections were down more than $51 million year over year in February after being roughly even in January.
The numbers come despite one more day this February than the year before.
Read MoreJury Convicts Former Wisconsin Election Commission Deputy Director
Milwaukee’s deputy director at the Election Commission in October 2022 has been found guilty of election fraud.
Wednesday’s jury decision involving Kimberly Zapata at the Milwaukee County Circuit Court could be foretelling for another involving a man in Racine. In each case, those charged requested and received ballots using fake information.
Read MoreRecall Vos Organizers Shift Blame for Faulty Signatures, Recall Failures
The people behind the Recall Vos effort continue to say they didn’t collect potentially fraudulent signatures and are hinting that a conspiracy is to blame.
Recall Vos organizers on Monday tried to shift the blame for their apparent failure to get enough signatures to trigger a recall election.
Read MoreWisconsin Has Awarded 14 $3 Million Tax Credits for Investors in Innovative Businesses in 2024
Wisconsin’s Department of Economic Development has awarded $3 million in tax credits to investors in 14 startups in the state so far in 2024.
The tax credits are part of the state’s Qualified New Business Venture program, which began in 2005. It gives 25% transferrable tax credits for investors in qualified new businesses capped at $3 million for a $12 million cash equity investment.
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