Politics & Government
Republican bills would curtail benefit programs to boost hiring
Proposals that the Republican authors rolled out Tuesday would address Wisconsin’s workforce shortage by increasing barriers to government aid programs, including Medicaid, Foodshare and unemployment insurance. As employers have reported increased difficulty in filling job openings in the last year, analysts have pointed to a range of obstacles that have kept potential employees from being […]
A look back at Steineke’s tenure as he announces his departure
Majority Leader Jim Steineke — by most accounts the friendlier and funnier half of the Assembly leadership team that also includes Speaker Robin Vos — announced Tuesday that he will finish his term, but does not plan to run for reelection in the fall. The Kaukauna Republican served in local government as a town board […]
Bipartisan group of legislators discuss supporting Wisconsin agriculture at dairy event
A group of four legislators from both sides of the aisle discussed how state policies can support Wisconsin agriculture and the dairy industry at an event hosted by the Dairy Business Association (DBA) on Tuesday. Sens. Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska) and Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) and Reps. Travis Tranel (R-Cuba City) and Don Vruwink (D-Milton), spoke […]
Legislatures across country back off pandemic protocols
As Dr. Jennifer Bacani McKenney walked the halls of the Kansas Statehouse on opening day of the legislative session this month, she was taken aback by what she saw. In the hallways, where “people are chatting and hugging and all that stuff, there were probably less than half of the people wearing masks … You […]
Super PAC backing Kleefisch for governor got $200K from Liz Uihlein
Billionaire GOP megadonor Elizabeth Uihlein contributed $200,000 last October to a Republican super PAC that’s backing former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch for governor. Uihlein and her husband, Richard, of Lake Forest, Ill., founded Uline, a shipping supply company, and are among the leading contributors to GOP and conservative state and federal candidates and causes in the country. Freedom Wisconsin […]
Madison mayor pushes for voting rights legislation, calls out Wisconsin Republicans in online event
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, criticized the “unreasonable and ridiculous” attacks on American democracy from Republicans in the state Legislature as she called for federal action on voting rights during a virtual event hosted by the Center for American Progress, a nonprofit, progressive policy institute based in Washington, DC. Rhodes-Conway appeared at the event with Houston […]
The Underdog: Tom Nelson’s longshot race for U.S. Senate
Republican Sen. Ron Johnson’s announcement that he is running for a third term hardly came as a surprise to state Democrats, who have already been campaigning against the senator for months. None of them has been at it longer than Tom Nelson. The Outagamie County executive launched his campaign 15 months ago, attempting an old-fashioned […]
Bridge funding in infrastructure law on the way to states
The federal government will begin releasing more than $5 billion for distressed bridges in the first year of funding under the recent infrastructure law, President Joe Biden said in a Friday video message. He specifically mentioned the Brent Spence Bridge connecting Ohio and Kentucky, the Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River between Oregon and […]
Will Wauwatosa elect its first Black council members this spring?
With six of Wauwatosa’s eight common council seats now up for grabs, change could be coming to the suburb. Two of the candidates, if they win, would be among the first people of color to hold a seat on Wauwatosa’s Common Council, joining Margaret Michele Arney, a female African American candidate for alder in Dist. […]
MLK Day events set for across Wisconsin
Across Wisconsin, communities, religious groups and other organizations are holding events on Monday to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In Madison, there’s a week of events planned that include religious services of all faiths and a community service week put on by the UW-Madison Athletics Department. The holiday itself will feature a youth call […]
AG Kaul on false electors: Feds should prosecute any actions that further ‘seditious conspiracy’
A complaint against 10 Republicans in Wisconsin who posed as official electors, signing and submitting falsified certification papers to Congress is in front of the Wisconsin Elections Commission and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, filed by Law Forward attorneys Jeff Mandell and Mel Barnes. They filed the complaint nearly a year ago and so […]
UW System names two finalists in search for permanent president
The chairman and CEO of a prominent law firm based in Milwaukee and the Chancellor of UW-Eau Claire were named as finalists in the search for a permanent UW System president on Friday. The university system has been without a permanent president for nearly two years after the initial, widely criticized search failed because enough […]