Politics & Government
Dane County schools ruling hints at future health agency limits
The state Supreme Court ruling that blocked Dane County from delaying schools from holding classes in person to guard against the spread of COVID-19 may be temporary, but it could have broad, long-term reach when it comes to public health. That’s the assessment of a political scientist who has been studying the polarization and politicization […]
Stop the presses: printing shops forced by Supreme Court to stop work on ballots
When the Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered that the mailing of absentee ballots be halted Thursday afternoon, the Color Vision printing office in Edgar was two hours away from finishing Marathon County’s 98,000 requested ballots. The order was made so the court could decide whether to add Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins’ name to the […]
Gov. Evers orders flags lowered on 9/11
Gov. Tony Evers ordered flags of the United States and Wisconsin flown at half-staff Friday in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the attacks of Sept. 11 2001 and in honor of the State Day of Service. “On the 19th anniversary of Sept. 11, we pay tribute to those who lost their lives, […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court delays mailing of absentee ballots
The Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an order on Thursday afternoon halting the mailing of absentee ballots to Wisconsin voters until the Court decides whether Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins should be added to the ballot. The order was issued by Chief Justice Patience Roggensack and justices Rebecca Bradley, Brian Hagedorn and Annette Ziegler — […]
Rural Wisconsin is divided, but still leans toward Trump
Driving through the rolling green hills of Western Wisconsin, you’ll see many giant Trump 2020 banners waving over golden fields of corn. Occasionally, a Biden sign propped against the side of a barn competes with the Trump-supporting neighbors across the road. But an informal survey on a recent weekend drive shows the Trump banners appear […]
One-third of Wisconsinites would not accept a free COVID vaccine
Over the past month, events have shaken Wisconsin, notably the shootings in Kenosha by police and militia, yet the news hasn’t altered Wisconsinites’ thinking much when it comes to voting, the Black Lives Matter movement or the presidential candidates. The Marquette University Law School Poll was conducted from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, 2020, with […]
How to vote absentee in Wisconsin: a PSA with Darth Vader’s younger brother
For loyal fans of Chad Vader — Darth’s younger and less successful brother — it’s no surprise that the Sith supermarket day-shift manager needs some help filling out his absentee ballot to vote in the November election. After all, he doesn’t know how to manage his staff or ask a woman out on a date. […]
Task force is “not a substitute for action,” on racial justice, but it “is what we have”
Rep. Shelia Stubbs marched in the streets after the police killing of George Floyd and the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha. At protests of police brutality and racial disparities in Wisconsin she was often handed a microphone. It is safe to say her rallying cry was not, “Let’s form another task force to […]
Jill Biden’s back-to-school supermom chat in Green Bay
As students across Wisconsin began the school year online, Jill Biden held a town hall meeting with two Green Bay mothers and Wisconsin State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski to discuss the challenge of meeting children’s educational needs during the pandemic. During the virtual campaign stop for her husband, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, Jill Biden talked […]
Senate GOP emergency relief plan leaves out direct aid to states
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans unveiled their latest coronavirus relief proposal Tuesday but were met with swift objections from Democrats. The GOP plan failed to include direct aid to cities and states, a priority for Democrats, or rental relief or nutrition assistance, and it appeared it wouldn’t go far enough to resolve a monthslong stalemate over […]
Watchdog: Outside group omitted campaign spending on GOP from tax return
A tax-exempt lobbying group with close ties to the Republican Party spent nearly $1 million to help elect 13 GOP lawmakers in the 2016 and 2018 election cycles — without filing required reports, according to a complaint filed Tuesday with the federal Internal Revenue Service. The Jobs First Coalition (JFC), founded in August 2009 and […]
Labor Day 2020: There are no sidelines in Trump’s America
Labor Day 2020 comes at the end of an historic summer of racial reckoning for our country. The police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha laid bare the stark realities of systemic racism right here in Wisconsin. I worked at the American Motors/Chrysler plant in Kenosha for 30 years and was the president of UAW […]