News
Who will get a booster shot? A Q&A about what the feds are saying
WASHINGTON — Booster shots soon will begin rolling out to some Americans who received the two-shot vaccine made by Pfizer—after a contentious and confusing federal approval process that isn’t over yet. Determining who exactly should be rolling up their sleeves for an additional dose was tricky. The Biden administration had leapfrogged federal regulatory panels in […]
Attorney General and lawmakers introduce gun control bills
Attorney General Josh Kaul joined state legislators to announce two new bills on gun control. One bill would expand background checks. The other aims to establish an extreme risk protection order system in the state. “You have heard about these bills before,” said Kaul during a press conference Thursday. “You know that the vast majority […]
Huge uptick in pandemic ‘air rage’ hits flight attendants
Flight attendants have been subject to unprecedented harassment over masks and more during the pandemic, and a U.S. House panel on Thursday heard the raw details of those “air rage” incidents. While there’s no hard data, the leader of the flight attendants’ union said the most aggression appears to occur in Southern states where there’s […]
Detective who labeled Wauwatosa Tosa mayor a “higher value target” is now sergeant
Recently, the Wisconsin Examiner learned that a detective who created a PowerPoint presentation which labeled Wauwatosa’s mayor as a “higher value target” was promoted after an internal investigation of the matter was completed. The PowerPoint, which was obtained through open records requests in January, shone a light on how police viewed those who supported protests […]
Wisconsin could see major changes if Congress passes ‘Build Back Better’
In Washington, D.C., two intertwined pieces of legislation are ensnared in bickering among House and Senate Democrats while Republicans mostly look the other way. But this week, a pair of conversations 850 miles west of the nation’s capital brought the potential impact of those bills home to Wisconsin — a brief slice of real life […]
Republicans offer joint resolution on redistricting
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu drafted a joint resolution on establishing new voting maps and referred it to the Legislature’s rules committee Thursday, which put it on the calendar for the Assembly’s floor session next week. The resolution’s first two points are uncontroversial, stating that, in drawing new legislative districts […]
Health officials underscore need for masks, other measures as COVID-19 surges
The latest COVID-19 surge hasn’t peaked, and increased vaccination, masks, physical distancing and avoiding crowds remain essential if Wisconsin is to reduce the spread sooner rather than later, health officials said Wednesday. The burgeoning caseload and the strain that comes with it “are all due to the highly contagious delta variant [of the coronavirus] that […]
Madison alders pass unanimous resolution backing UW Health nurses’ union
A Madison Common Council resolution calling for a “fair and fast union election” by the end of 2021 for nurses at UW Health garnered unanimous approval from the body this week. The vote, conducted by acclamation Tuesday night, followed testimony from several nurses who support unionization at UW Hospital and Clinics. The resolution was introduced […]
State and federal courts are both set to draw voting maps — now what?
On Wednesday the Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed to take a redistricting case brought by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) that could put it in the position of drawing Wisconsin’s next round of voting maps, should the Legislature and the governor fail to agree on a new map following the 2020 census. […]
Ald. Cavalier Johnson makes his case to become Milwaukee’s next mayor
Cavalier Johnson, president of the Milwaukee Common Council, laid out his case for becoming Milwaukee’s next mayor at Wednesday’s newsmaker luncheon hosted by the Milwaukee Press Club and WisPolitics.com. Johnson outlined his thoughts on the policies he plans to support, and what a change in leadership could mean for Milwaukee. Johnson revealed that he has […]
Evers rolls out replacement bill to repeal personal property tax
Having rejected a previous Republican-authored attempt, Gov. Tony Evers unveiled draft legislation Wednesday to carry out the personal property tax repeal that GOP lawmakers had tried to link to the 2021-2023 state budget this summer. The draft bill includes a new state aid program for local governments to replace the revenue they would lose with […]
Conservatives, anti-maskers target school boards around the state
A conservative citizens’ group took over the annual Kenosha School Board meeting on Tuesday night, pushing through a cut in school board member salaries and a property tax reduction. “With rage still apparently simmering from a recent school board vote to require face masks in schools, a different crowd outnumbered the regulars Tuesday night,” local […]