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DOJ subpoenas Dane, Milwaukee county clerks for Trump election documents
The U.S. Department of Justice has subpoenaed the county clerks of Dane and Milwaukee counties seeking records of communications between their offices and former President Donald Trump. The subpoenas from DOJ special counsel Jack Smith come as he leads two separate investigations into Trump’s actions as he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 […]
Kewaunee Co. dairy charged for overspreading manure has long history of spills, violations
The Kewaunee County dairy at the center of a criminal case brought this week by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) for overspreading manure on its fields and lying about it has a long history of manure spills and violation of state environmental rules, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) records show. On Monday, the DOJ […]
Conservationists bristle at stonewalling from DNR bear, wolf advisory committees
Wildlife conservationists in Wisconsin are frustrated after their efforts at influencing state rules guiding the treatment of bears and wolves were unceremoniously shut down by the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) advisory committees on the animals. Both committees are part of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, a statewide body in which local delegates are elected in […]
EPA, Wisconsin reach $1.6 million settlement with Milwaukee-area company over air pollution, waste management
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state of Wisconsin have reached a $1.6 million settlement with a Milwaukee-area company for violations of clean air and waste management laws that endangered local residents, the EPA announced in a news release Thursday. The settlement with Container Life Cycle Management will be split evenly between the state and […]
Sheboygan Co. DA seeks dismissal of DOJ abortion lawsuit
Sheboygan County District Attorney Joel Urmanski filed motions on Wednesday seeking to have a Dane County judge dismiss Attorney General Josh Kaul’s lawsuit against the state’s 1849 criminal abortion ban. In his brief, Urmanski argued Kaul cannot challenge the law because he faces no personal consequences if it’s enforced. He also argued that three doctors, […]
WEC considers massive legislative data request, observer rules
The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) deadlocked on Wednesday on how to move forward with a massive request for voter data from Republican lawmakers. Commissioners also discussed the next steps for writing a new rule guiding how election observers can operate at polling places. Earlier this year, Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls), chair of the Assembly […]
WEC chair certifies 2022 election
Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) Chair Don Millis, a Republican, certified the results of the 2022 midterm elections on Wednesday — marking the quiet end to an election season that went much more smoothly, and with less interference, than 2020. The certification of the election is a normal ministerial function of the WEC’s chair. After the […]
Waukesha Co. judge announces run for state Supreme Court
Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow announced on Wednesday she’s joining the race for an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Dorow recently gained attention for presiding over the trial of the man who drove through the Waukesha Christmas Parade last year and killed six people. That attention from the high profile case […]
Farm under county scrutiny for runoff involved in state program for reducing pollution
At the Aeschbach farm in Primrose, the Dane County Land and Water Resources Department has been trying since 2019 to get the property owner Wayne Aeschbach to install a fence preventing the farm’s 80 or so dairy and beef cattle from entering the nearby stream and to increase vegetation to prevent runoff. While Aeschbach has […]
‘Electoral ground zero’: majority at stake in Wisconsin Supreme Court race
Just weeks after the 2022 midterm elections, Wisconsin is already moving on to this spring’s state supreme court race in which the ideological tilt of the court is up for grabs. Justice Patience Roggensack is retiring at the end of her term, leaving an open seat on the body that conservatives currently control with a […]
Secretary Preston Cole retiring from DNR
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Preston Cole is retiring from his position after a 35 year career in public service and four years at the helm of the state’s conservation agency, Gov. Tony Evers announced in a news release Friday. Cole is set to retire on Wednesday, giving Evers a chance to nominate a […]
Same sex marriage bill negotiated by Baldwin moving forward in Senate
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumber (D-N.Y.) has filed the Respect for Marriage Act, setting up the bill, which would enshrine marriage equality into federal law, for its first procedural vote on Wednesday. Wisconsin’s Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin has played a key role in negotiating with Republicans in an effort to get the bill past […]