News
Sen. Tammy Baldwin and colleagues introduce the John Lewis Voting Rights Act
If anything drove home the need to bring back the Voting Rights Act, it was the coverage of the life work of Congressman John Lewis, a civil rights icon who passed away on July 17 after a battle with cancer. That is according to bipartisan senators who introduced a bill to restore the Voting Rights […]
Searching for Katelyn Kelley
Menominee Tribal Chair Joan Delabreau, a passionate advocate for missing Indigenous people, is rallying the public, law enforcement and the media to keep a spotlight on finding 22-year-old tribal member Katelyn Kelley, who disappeared more than a month ago after being seen leaving the reservation and possibly getting a ride to her home in Shawano, […]
U.S. okays special unemployment pay for disability recipients
After weeks of waiting and being told no, laid-off Wisconsin workers who also collect federal disability payments got some better news on Monday: They, too, can get jobless pay. A U.S. Department of Labor official, in a letter sent Monday to the state Department of Workforce Development (DWD), said that Wisconsin residents enrolled in the Social […]
Get in ‘good trouble’: John Lewis’ words ring out in Capitol one more time
WASHINGTON — The immortal words of the late civil rights leader John Lewis rang out from the U.S. Capitol Monday during a private ceremony in celebration of his life. “You must find a way to get in the way,” he said in a recording of a 2014 commencement speech he gave at Emory University. “You […]
Small farms get most of first round of COVID-19 aid; 2nd round planned
Nearly 12,000 Wisconsin farmers shared in the first round of aid from a special state program to support farmers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, state officials said Monday. So far $41.6 million has been distributed to 11,884 farms from the $50 million program, funded from the state’s allotment under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relieve and […]
The summer of Glenn Grothman continues with request for conspiracy theorist to speak to Congress
This summer, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothmann has espoused the benefits of vitamin D as a treatment against COVID-19; suggested Wisconsin schools — which have the widest achievement gap between Black and white students in the nation — don’t have problems with racial inequities; invoked the name of a far-right martyr on the House floor; had […]
Karofsky to be sworn in during 100-mile run
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice-elect Jill Karofsky is set to be sworn into office Saturday 35 miles into a 100 mile ultramarathon. Karofsky will start her run at 6 a.m. and seven hours later will arrive at an outdoor, socially distanced swearing in ceremony with Justice Rebecca Dallet, former Gov. Jim Doyle and Lt. Gov. Mandela […]
Disabled, jobless and waiting for unemployment compensation
Karen Smith was receiving Social Security disability payments and working part-time as a grocery clerk when the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading in Wisconsin. Smith, who is 59, has arthritis and a lung disease, is a recovering cancer patient and also has an autoimmune disorder. She asked her doctor what she should do. “My doctor told […]
One hundred days out of office: What is the Legislature good for?
It’s been 100 days since the Legislature met in session and passed an initial response to COVID-19. The state Senate never finished its work for the 2019-20 session. It cancelled — and never rescheduled — the remaining day of its regular session as the pandemic hit. When the session period officially ended, all bills not […]
PSC halts plan to let power companies disconnect customers behind on their bills
A month and a half after announcing it would let utility companies go back to cutting off service to people behind on their bills starting this weekend, the state Public Service Commission (PSC) voted 2-1 Thursday to reverse that decision. Instead, the PSC extended a moratorium on disconnections that was first imposed March 24 until […]
DOC completes investigation into escape at Columbia Correctional Institution
On July 16, the Department of Corrections (DOC) announced that its Office of Internal Affairs had completed 13 personnel investigations involving several staff. The investigations came in the wake of an escape incident in April at Columbia Correctional Institution (CCI) in Portage, Wisconsin. As a result of the investigation, seven staff members were terminated, and […]
Evers ‘considering’ state mask order, but wary that Supreme Court would undermine it
Once again imploring Wisconsin to return to the restraint it showed during the Safer at Home order in late March through early May, Gov. Tony Evers stressed Thursday the importance of wearing face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and said he’d like to be able to institute a statewide mask order. A statewide […]