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Wisconsin jobs come back, but at a slower pace
Unemployment in Wisconsin dipped again in August, but the state still had more than 200,000 fewer jobs than a year ago, according to data released Thursday. Service and hospitality industry jobs continue to be among the hardest hit, a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic that forced restaurants, bars, entertainment spots and other such establishments to […]
Evers ‘looking at every possible avenue’ to extend mask requirement
With just two weeks until the statewide mask order to curb the spread of COVID-19 expires, Gov. Tony Evers said Tuesday his administration is “looking at every possible avenue to see if there’s a way to extend it.” He also made it clear that he doesn’t expect Republican leaders in the state Legislature to put […]
Report: Early outside money leans heavily for GOP candidates in legislative races
Republicans are benefiting from nearly two-thirds of the political spending by groups outside of the campaigns or the political parties so far this fall, according to the campaign financing watchdog group the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. In a preliminary report released Tuesday, the Democracy Campaign calculated that of $613,000 spent so far ahead of the November […]
Election financiers operating in the shadows
A complaint last week about the tax returns of one of the funders of Republican political campaigns threw a spotlight on an open secret about money in politics in Wisconsin: While political parties field the candidates, outside groups foot a significant part of the bill. And it’s become easier to hide where those groups are […]
Dane County schools ruling hints at future health agency limits
The state Supreme Court ruling that blocked Dane County from delaying schools from holding classes in person to guard against the spread of COVID-19 may be temporary, but it could have broad, long-term reach when it comes to public health. That’s the assessment of a political scientist who has been studying the polarization and politicization […]
Union protest targets Johnson, unemployment supplement
Protesting Sen. Ron Johnson’s opposition to extending a $600 weekly federal supplement to unemployment pay, members of the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization (MASH) erected a “living room” outside the Milwaukee federal courthouse on Thursday, where the senator’s Milwaukee office is located. “The $600 a week payment broken down is $15 an hour […]
Watchdog: Outside group omitted campaign spending on GOP from tax return
A tax-exempt lobbying group with close ties to the Republican Party spent nearly $1 million to help elect 13 GOP lawmakers in the 2016 and 2018 election cycles — without filing required reports, according to a complaint filed Tuesday with the federal Internal Revenue Service. The Jobs First Coalition (JFC), founded in August 2009 and […]
Pandemic shines a spotlight on workers’ struggle
Anthony Steward is a cook at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum basketball arena and the father of two. He was laid off in the spring when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. At the end of July his unemployment compensation was cut down to one-third the amount it had been. Now, he says, he looks for ways “to keep […]
COVID-19 infections ease, but they’re still too high
Wisconsin’s rate for confirmed COVID-19 infections has maintained a steady pace over the last two weeks: an improvement over July, but not yet where state health officials want to see it. Meanwhile, the number of people getting tested for the virus has continued to lag well behind the lab capacity that Wisconsin has to analyze […]
Eviction moratorium is a stopgap measure, but more help needed, advocates say
A temporary nationwide moratorium on evictions offers some hope for renters desperate to avoid losing their homes, but more comprehensive, longer-term solutions are still needed, according to tenant advocates. On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin disclosed during a congressional hearing that the agency order blocking evictions would be issued. The order, which comes from the […]
Kenosha officials on Trump, protests and police
As the City of Kenosha entered the second week since a police officer shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times, officials held a press conference in which they celebrated a weekend of peace and braced for the imminent arrival of President Donald Trump. Trump is set to visit the city Tuesday despite pleas from […]
Republicans hold special session in name only
Once again on Monday, Gov. Tony Evers and legislative Democrats were confronted by the existential fact of the current state Legislature: Republican leaders can and will quash action on any issue just by not showing up. As was widely expected, both the Assembly and the Senate gaveled in the special session that Gov. Tony Evers […]