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DNR adds 51 sites to Wisconsin list of impaired waters
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ biennial survey of surface water pollution across the state added 51 bodies of water to the state’s impaired waters list, which tracks which bodies fail to meet the state’s surface water standards. The survey found that 80% of assessed waters meet the state’s standards, but the remaining one out […]
Wisconsin Senate votes on party lines to advance PFAS bill
Wisconsin Republican Senators voted to advance a bill to address PFAS contamination across the state despite objections from Democrats and conservation groups that it gives a pass to polluters while preventing the state from responding to contamination. The bill has been subject to months of negotiations and attempts at compromise between both parties, conservation groups, […]
Senate forces through update to alcohol regulations over objections of wedding barn owners
A bipartisan group of Wisconsin lawmakers on Tuesday forced an update to the state’s alcohol laws through the state Senate even though the new regulation had been blocked in committee after the owners of wedding venues across the state claimed it would kill their industry. The Assembly passed its version of the bill on a […]
Environmental group argues Wisconsin’s gerrymandered maps disenfranchise parents of lead poisoned children
Wisconsin’s legislative maps, which are drawn to heavily favor Republicans, have disempowered parents on the North Side of Milwaukee, preventing them from pushing their elected representatives to work toward removing the lead pipes that remain in their neighborhoods, a legal brief filed on Monday by an environmental group argues. The “friend of the court brief” […]
Republican lawmakers ask judge to demand WEC appoint new administrator
Republican legislative leaders have asked a Dane County judge to rule that the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) has a duty to appoint a new administrator. The Republicans made the argument after the state Department of Justice argued in a new legal filing that the commission has the option of appointing a new commissioner but doesn’t […]
Fast-growing communities rewriting zoning unclear on requirements of new housing programs
This summer, Wisconsin lawmakers created several programs aimed at making a dent in the state’s shortage of affordable housing. As those programs are rolled out by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), they face their first hurdle — the slow and politically thorny process of municipal zoning updates. The programs, signed into law […]
Wisconsin DNR Board votes to approve wolf management plan without numerical population goal
The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board voted unanimously Wednesday to implement a new wolf management plan, approving the Department of Natural Resources’ decision not to include a numerical population goal over the objections of Republican lawmakers and pro-hunting groups. The board is now entirely made up of appointees of Gov. Tony Evers, including four new members, […]
FTC, state DOJ cite Rhinelander car dealer for discriminating against Native American customers
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Wisconsin Department of Justice announced Tuesday they’re taking legal action against a Rhinelander car dealer for charging Native American customers higher financing costs and adding up to thousands of dollars in illegal junk fees onto car prices. Since 2016, the dealership, Rhinelander Auto Center, was charging Native American customers […]
Joint committees take up constitutional amendments on election restrictions
The Wisconsin Assembly and Senate committees on elections held a joint public hearing Tuesday on a number of resolutions to amend the state Constitution. The resolutions address some of Wisconsin Republicans’ most common allegations about election administration and its vulnerability to fraud. The resolutions, if adopted, would make it illegal for municipalities to use private […]
Wisconsin DNR Secretary Payne resigns after 10 months on the job
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Secretary Adam Payne submitted his resignation Friday to Gov. Tony Evers. The resignation, effective at the end of the day on Nov. 1, will leave the environmental agency without someone in its top post as it deals with the finalization of its proposed plan for managing the state’s wolf […]
Evers, DNR announce $402 million in spending to improve drinking water
Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced Monday that more than 100 municipalities across the state will receive $402 million in funding to improve local drinking water by removing lead service lines and addressing contaminants such as PFAS and nitrates. The funds come from the DNR’s Safe Drinking Water Loan Program […]
Former Supreme Court justice does not have to appear in lawsuit over Republican impeachment advice
Retired Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Patience Roggensack will not have to appear in court in an open records lawsuit over advice she gave about the possible impeachment of the justice who replaced her, a judge ruled Wednesday. Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington decided against holding a hearing in which the former justice had been […]