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Narrower of two PFAS bills advances
One of two bills in the Legislature aimed at the growing concern about PFAS chemicals cleared an Assembly committee Wednesday, but the author of a second says his own measure is essential to providing a more comprehensive solution. AB-323, authored by State Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette), bars the use of firefighting foam containing perfluoroalkyl or […]
Report: Short-term health plans risk leaving patients uncovered
Boosted by the Trump administration in the last year, short-term health insurance plans that have been proliferating in Wisconsin could leave patients without the coverage they need and fall far short of the guarantees provided under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new report. The report, Don’t Get Caught Short, was released Wednesday by […]
Pay raise approval process drags for state workers
After several months delay, contracts covering unionized state workers could finally go before state lawmakers for their required review next week. A spokeswoman for state Sen. Roger Roth (R-Appleton) said Tuesday that the Joint Committee on Employment Relations has penciled in a meeting for Wednesday, Dec. 18, pending confirmation that all members can attend. Roth […]
Eau Claire athletics program to undergo outside review after racist incidents
Intercollegiate athletics at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire will undergo an independent review by an outside agency after racist messages were circulated on campus among a group of university football players. University Chancellor James C. Schmidt announced the review Monday, along with the formation of a 16-member task force of students, faculty and staff to […]
UW-Eau Claire sanctions students in racist incident
Disciplinary sanctions have been levied against students involved in racist Snapchat postings at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire last month, the university announced Friday, but officials withheld details citing federal student privacy laws and the advice of the UW system’s general counsel’s office. “In the spirit of transparency, I asked the general counsel to determine […]
Pushing the reset button on state highway project panel
Playing catch-up after five years on ice, a state panel on major highway projects has canceled three proposed projects and added no new ones to the state’s road-building agenda. The panel met for the first time in half a decade last week. In contrast to the last two governors, Gov. Tony Evers and the acting […]
Baldwin-backed bill gives volunteer firefighters housing break
Hoping to attract more rural residents to join their local volunteer fire departments, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and a bipartisan group of Capitol Hill colleagues on Thursday introduced legislation to add volunteer firefighters and first responders to the list of people eligible for federal housing assistance. “These communities cannot afford to move to fire departments […]
Lawyers, tribes raise concerns about adoption bills
A package of bills aimed at streamlining adoption, ensuring more stable lives for adopted children and their new families and expanding the rights of foster parents could produce more litigation, making the process more complex and lengthy, witnesses warned a state Senate public hearing at the Capitol on Wednesday. The cautionary testimony came alongside comments […]
Too many things?
While thousands of shoppers prepared to converge this Friday on discount retailers and big box stores to stock up on merchandise for Christmas, Becca DuBey of rural Sauk County made other plans. “I find it is usually a great day to share with a good book, watch birds and squirrels, and enjoy my home,” DuBey […]
Racist social media incident investigation is complete
An investigation into a series of racist Snapchat social media messages circulated among members of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire football team has concluded, but it will be next week before sanctions for those involved in the incident can be finalized, the university’s chancellor said Wednesday. Chancellor James C. Schmidt told the Wisconsin Examiner in […]
Racist messages prompt outcry, investigation at UW-Eau Claire
This article includes reporting by staff of the UW-Eau Claire student newspaper The Spectator, including Managing Editor Rebecca Mennecke, Lea Kopke, and Ta’Leah Van Sistine. A series of racist social media messages, accompanied by images of a Ku Klux Klan cross-burning, has sparked a week of discussion and protest at the University of Wisconsin-Eau […]
Evers signs ‘telehealth’ bill
Medicaid patients who get medical or behavioral health care delivered long-distance now qualify for coverage under a bill that Gov. Tony Evers signed Monday. The bipartisan bill, SB 380, passed the state Senate and the Assembly earlier this fall. In signing the legislation at Richland Center Hospital, Evers said it would offer expanded options for […]