Briefs

Republicans announce hearings on UW free speech issues

BY: - March 28, 2023

Republicans on the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities announced on Tuesday they’d be holding a series of hearings about free speech and “intellectual diversity” on Wisconsin’s public university campuses.  Republicans in the state have frequently complained that conservative voices are prevented from participating in campus discussions and earlier this year the University of Wisconsin […]

A Milwaukee police squad in front of the Municipal Court downtown. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

Traffic citations in Milwaukee at five-year low

BY: - March 28, 2023

Fewer traffic citations are being issued by the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) as compared to past years. A recent TMJ4 investigation found that 33,105 citations were issued in 2022, down from the 71,402 issued in 2017 — a drop by more than half. The 53.6% decrease has been driven by several factors, including a shift […]

Holstein cows in a barn at the Marshfield Agricultural Research Station's north campus near Stratford, Wis., Wednesday afternoon, July 11, 2018. Photo by Michael P. King/UW-Madison CALS

Kewaunee Co. farm, DOJ reach $215,000 settlement

BY: - March 27, 2023

A Kewaunee County factory farm has agreed to a $215,000 settlement with the Wisconsin Department of Justice over allegations it improperly spread manure in Door and Kewaunee counties from 2018 to 2022.  The settlement with Kinnard Farms, which includes 16 industrial farming operations maintaining about 8,000 cows, also addresses allegations that   the farm failed […]

Phillip A. Washington speaks at a nomination hearing with the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee

Denver airport CEO withdraws as FAA nominee after attacks by U.S. Senate Republicans

BY: - March 27, 2023

Phil Washington, the chief executive of Denver International Airport and President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, withdrew from consideration in the face of persistent Republican opposition, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed Saturday night. Reuters first reported Washington’s withdrawal and Buttigieg confirmed it in a late Saturday tweet. Republicans had attacked Washington […]

Kelly campaign runs shot-for-shot remake of racist Willie Horton ad

BY: - March 24, 2023

This story has been updated with a comment from the Kelly campaign.  Conservative former Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly’s campaign for a vacant seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is running an ad on social media that is nearly a shot for shot remake of the “Willie Horton ad” run by supporters of former President […]

GOP calls for secretary of state special election, but state law doesn’t require it

BY: - March 22, 2023

Pushing back on Gov. Tony Evers’ appointment of former State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski to fill the Wisconsin Secretary of State’s office for the next four years, the state Senate’s GOP leaders will hold a vote Wednesday on a resolution calling on Evers to hold a special election instead. The resolution, coauthored by the two top […]

Mandela Barnes joins voters and Democratic Party officials at an early voting event. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

Mandela Barnes joins Democratic officials in early voting kickoff

BY: - March 22, 2023

Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Rep. Christine Sinicki (D- Milwaukee), Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler and a small group of supporters gathered across the street from the Washington Park Library in Milwaukee on Tuesday afternoon to call on Milwaukeeans to take advantage of early voting hours, which started Tuesday. From March 21 until […]

Coyote in the woods

Protesters object to coyote hunts after dog injury

BY: - March 21, 2023

Wauwatosa residents have been increasingly speaking out against the trapping of coyotes in the Milwaukee-area suburb. Protests have sprung up in the city in recent weeks, headed by the group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE). Local coyotes were blamed after a resident reported that a 50-pound dog, left unattended, had suffered from puncture wounds in late […]

Protesters march toward Wauwatosa as the curfew sets in. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)

Contradiction raised in Wauwatosa curfew lawsuit ruling

BY: - March 17, 2023

A motion was filed in federal court Friday to restore claims that were dismissed in a federal lawsuit filed over the city of Wauwatosa’s handling of protests in 2020. Claims raised by 17 of the lawsuit’s plaintiffs argue that Wauwatosa police Lt. Joseph Roy violated the Drivers License Protection Act (DPPA) by sharing personal information […]

Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette | Official Photo

La Follette steps down as secretary of state, replaced by former treasurer Godlewski

BY: - March 17, 2023

In a surprise move Friday, Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette abruptly retired less than five months after narrowly winning reelection in November to a new four-year term. Gov. Tony Evers immediately appointed former State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski to fill the remainder of La Follette’s term, which runs through 2026. In his resignation letter, […]

Person examining cannabis plants

Cannabis prohibition costs Wisconsin millions in tax revenue

BY: - March 17, 2023

Sen. Melissa Agard (D-Madison) is again calling on the Legislature to legalize cannabis in the state of Wisconsin. Agard points to a recent memo from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB), which found that $36.1 million in Illinois cannabis tax revenues last year came from sales made to Wisconsin residents. Agard has been pushing to […]

Legislation seeks attorneys’ fees for going after government agencies that block records requests

BY: - March 17, 2023

A new bill in the state Legislature would raise the stakes for government agencies that stall requests made under Wisconsin’s open records law. The legislation, the subject of a Senate hearing Thursday, would roll back a 2022 Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling relating to attorneys’ fees when someone making a records request is denied, or simply […]