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Legal aid lawyers want most eviction court records removed after one year
Lawyers who represent low-income Wisconsin residents are asking the state Supreme Court to remove most eviction cases from court records after one year. Landlords use those records to exclude prospective tenants, says Korey Lundin, an attorney with Legal Action of Wisconsin. That happens even if the case is dropped without a court-ordered eviction, he says […]
Evers vetoes ‘Riot Bill,’ says it duplicates existing law and could criminalize nonviolent protest
Gov. Tony Evers has vetoed the so-called Riot Bill that passed the state Legislature on party lines, saying that the measure duplicated existing law and that it also could be used to infringe on the First Amendment rights of peaceful protesters. Senate Bill 296 created a definition of “riot” and would have authorized criminal charges […]
Vos, Assembly cited for contempt after not turning over election review records
A Dane County judge cited Assembly Speaker Robin Vos with contempt of court Wednesday for failing to comply with her order five months ago to turn over records from the 2020 election review that Vos commissioned. The failure of Vos and the Wisconsin Assembly to search for and produce the records amounted to “a collective […]
Mount Pleasant Village Board repeals change to longer terms after referendum campaign
A controversial change in board terms for the Racine County village of Mount Pleasant is off the table after a citizens group campaigned for a referendum on the matter. The Mount Pleasant Village Board voted Monday night to repeal its ordinance changing the board to three-year terms rather than draft a referendum for residents to […]
Madison store is third Wisconsin Starbucks where employees seek a union
Employees at a third Wisconsin Starbucks location filed a petition for union representation Tuesday, continuing a nationwide union drive that has been unfolding since late last year at the Seattle-based coffee chain. Between 20 and 30 employees who work at the Madison Starbucks located at 1 E. Main St., across the street from the state […]
Cutting prescription drug costs still priority in U.S. Senate, Baldwin says
Federal legislation to rein in the cost of prescription drugs is still in play, according to a Wisconsin lawmaker who is sponsoring several such measures. A bill that would lower patients’ out-of-pocket costs for insulin is circulating, and Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin says a Senate vote could come sometime “in the coming weeks.” The legislation […]
NLRB rejects Colectivo appeal of union vote; company says it will negotiate
Updated The National Labor Relations Board has rebuffed Colectivo Coffee’s management appeal to block employees from being represented by a union that won a majority vote at the company last year. The board, in Washington, D.C., acted Thursday, issuing a one-sentence decision rejecting the Milwaukee-based company’s petition to review an earlier order that certified the […]
New employment numbers show more Wisconsin residents work now than before the pandemic
Employment continued to rise in Wisconsin in February, with more people reporting they were working than two years ago, just before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, according to the state’s labor department. Employers, however, have reported they had 71,000 fewer jobs than there were two years ago, in February 2020. “Things are returning to somewhat […]
U.S. high court reverses Wisconsin ruling on state legislative maps
Updated The U.S. Supreme Court rejected legislative maps Wednesday that were drawn by Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, sending the maps back to the state Supreme Court that had approved them. The 6-2 unsigned ruling states that the state high court erred in how the majority applied the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA) in accepting the […]
Insurer canceled for sub-standard plans; clients will get Healthcare.gov enrollment option
A company that sold health insurance plans to as many as 900 Wisconsin residents is out of business in the state, and the federal government is preparing to offer former clients an opportunity to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Dates of the special ACA enrollment period for former customers […]
Democrats in Legislature re-launch ‘Economic Justice Bill of Rights’
Lawmakers and community activists joined forces Monday to re-energize a year-old campaign for broader economic access and equality in Wisconsin. “True freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence,” said Rep. Kristina Shelton (D-Green Bay) at a news conference in the state Assembly chamber to relaunch a resolution endorsing an Economic Justice Bill of Rights. […]
Public health providers hope testing wastewater will alert them to next COVID-19 spike
As COVID-19 cases continue to ease in Wisconsin and public health officials cast a wary eye toward the possibility of a new increase, tracking the virus in wastewater is taking on new importance. “It can kind of give us a kind of an early peek … at what we may be seeing later on, with […]