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After plant closing, company settles DOJ lawsuit for workers’ lost wages
As many as 140 former employees of a Merrill factory that made windows and doors will share in more than $650,000 to compensate them for the wages they lost when the company shut down in December 2019 without notice. Attorney General Josh Kaul announced on Thursday that the Department of Justice had settled a lawsuit […]
Right-wing law firm challenges new Dane County mask order
A law firm that has helped to block state public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is now going after local restrictions as well. The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging the mask order that Public Health of Madison & Dane County Director Janel Heinrich issued this […]
Dane County issues new mask requirement as COVID-19 climbs again
With local COVID-19 cases continuing to spread, Madison and Dane County officials announced a new mask mandate Tuesday aimed at curbing transmission of the coronavirus while urging people who haven’t yet been vaccinated to do so. The new order takes effect Thursday and will last for 28 days, said Janel Heinrich, director of Public Health […]
Pocan, retiree advocacy group schedule Social Security webinar
The Social Security program marked its 86th birthday over the weekend, and to celebrate the occasion, a retiree advocacy group plans a virtual conversation with U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Black Earth) this week. The Alliance for Retired Americans will broadcast the conversation in a webinar on Facebook Live starting at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Wisconsin members […]
Republican lawmakers: Give jobless pay to workers who reject COVID-19 vaccine requirements
A GOP-authored proposal to grant unemployment pay to employees who quit their jobs to avoid a COVID-19 vaccine has exactly the wrong end of the stick, a small business lobbying group says. “The best thing that can be done to help address labor shortages and help small businesses is to increase vaccination rates,” according to […]
Mask, vaccine mandates get support, but mostly will be up to private sector
As the COVID-19 delta variant continues to spread, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers expressed support Thursday for schools, hospitals and businesses that institute mask mandates or require vaccines. During a briefing for reporters held online, Evers also said his administration would decide within a week whether it will require state employees to be vaccinated for the […]
Poll: Two-thirds of voters have started the COVID-19 vaccine, but there’s a partisan divide over the shot
Wisconsin voters are sharply divided along party lines in their attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccines, according to the newest Marquette University Law School poll. Overall, 68% of registered voters told pollsters they have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. In that age range, 26% say they have not been vaccinated and 7% […]
Cases, hospitalizations continue to increase with COVID-19
Wisconsin hospitals are once again filling up with COVID-19 patients as the new surge in the pandemic continues, driven by the fast-spreading delta variant of the coronavirus. New cases each day are increasing, reaching levels last seen in February, the state Department of Health Services (DHS) reported Wednesday. And coronavirus activity — which DHS assesses […]
Democratic Congress member Ron Kind bows out from ’22 reelection bid
La Crosse Democrat Ron Kind won’t seek reelection to Congress in 2022, setting the stage for a wide-open race in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District. Announcing his decision at a La Crosse elementary school, the longest-serving member of Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation said that “the truth is, I’ve run out of gas,” WEAU-TV reported. Kind first won […]
Faith groups challenge bills that would restrict teaching about racism
On the steps of the state Capitol Monday evening, about 60 people of differing faiths came together for an hour of prayers, sermons and a call to stand against proposed legislation that that participants charge would silence teaching about the history of racism, and related subjects, in Wisconsin schools. The bills target what Republicans nationwide […]
One employer’s answer to the hospitality hiring crunch: Union? Yes!
While other hospitality industry operators bemoan that their cupboard is bare when they try to hire workers, the owners of one Milwaukee venue are pursuing a dramatically different approach. Bounce Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Area Service & Hospitality Workers union (MASH) announced an agreement Friday that sets the stage for Bounce to reopen in the […]
The uphill battle to reform campaign finance laws
Democratic lawmakers who are circulating draft bills to tighten campaign finance laws acknowledge that their efforts face steep hurdles, including opposition from the Legislature’s Republican majority and a series of Supreme Court decisions that favored looser campaign finance laws instead. Still, “you cannot win if you give up before the fight starts,” said state Rep. […]