News
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 […]
Seven states to watch in the 2022 push to restrict voting rights
WASHINGTON — Republican state lawmakers across the country are ramping up their drive to enact voting and election-related laws in time for crucial 2022 midterm elections. As federal legislation that would limit state-level voting restrictions appears stymied in Washington, Republicans in the states are moving forward with new proposals and revisiting old ones that Democrats […]
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. […]
American Indian Movement co-founder Clyde Bellecourt, ‘Neegonnwayweedun,’ dies at 85
Clyde Bellecourt, one of the most influential leaders in the Red Power movement and fight for Native American civil rights, died Tuesday at his home in Minneapolis. He was 85. His legacy encompasses high-profile, sometimes militant acts of civil disobedience alongside peaceful efforts to found schools, improve health care and nurture Native culture in the […]
Senate filibuster on voting rights criticized by advocates for the poor
WASHINGTON — Progressive lawmakers Friday joined a virtual news conference with organizers from the Poor People’s Campaign and said they are not giving up on the push to change Senate rules to pass voting rights legislation. The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival held the virtual meeting to kick off its plans […]
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 […]