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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 […]
Agency, professional groups blame lawmakers for licensing backlog
Last year Angela Lecours took a step that she hoped would help prepare her for a new career as a hair stylist — something that “has always been my passion,” she says. She had moved to southeastern Wisconsin from Tomahawk and prepared to enroll in an apprenticeship program. Dave Hagemeier, who owns a group of […]
DHS: Wastewater shows COVID increase, but significance not yet certain
Concentrations of the virus responsible for COVID-19 in wastewater in some Wisconsin cities have been increasing, state health officials confirmed Tuesday, but the significance of that development isn’t clear. Wastewater virus testing “has been shown to be a leading indicator of cases,” according Elizabeth Goodsitt, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health Services (DHS), […]
A COVID-19 pause while watching for a potential new surge
While COVID-19 cases continue to recede, public health providers are also watching for a possible rebound. On Monday, Gov. Tony Evers and the state Department of Health Services (DHS) kicked off a state tour that will stretch over the coming weeks to celebrate local public health departments, health care providers and a wide array of […]
State DOJ sues Tyco, Johnson Controls over Marinette-area PFAS contamination
The state Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit Monday against the companies involved in the discharge of PFAS-related chemicals in northeast Wisconsin first reported five years ago. The suit, filed in Marinette County Circuit Court against Johnson Controls Inc. and Tyco Fire Products, resulted from a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) investigation of PFAS […]
Case tests how much local government can do to protect the public
How much power should a local health officer have to keep a community safe in the middle of a pandemic? That question was at the heart of an hourlong debate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court last week between lawyers for Dane County’s health department and for the rightwing law firm that has repeatedly gone to […]
Court: Employer didn’t discriminate when it rejected applicant with domestic violence conviction
A Racine manufacturer acted reasonably when it withdrew a job offer from an applicant convicted of domestic violence, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday. In a 4-3 decision, Justice Jill Karofsky stated that Cree Lighting didn’t discriminate unlawfully when it rescinded its offer to hire Derrick Palmer in 2015 after the company learned of his […]
Report: Taxes fall for most in state, except for the bottom 20% of earners
While Wisconsin has cut taxes for upper- and middle-income taxpayers over the last decade, low-income residents are paying more in taxes, a new report shows. The Wisconsin Policy Forum report released Wednesday confirms other analyses of how the tax burden has shifted following a series of tax cuts beginning in 2011, the most recent in […]