[Madison, WI] Since the release of the Department of Justice report, and through subsequent conversations with legislators, it has become abundantly clear to me that as appointees, Administrators Haas and Bell will never receive the votes necessary for senate confirmation, which has been the case throughout their tenures. Any leftover remnants of the partisan GAB will never have the confidence of the public to ensure complete non-partisanship in the administration of elections or the oversight of government ethics. Therefore, it is now appropriate for Administrators Haas and Bell to step down from their respective positions, and allow the search to

CONTACT: Pamela Powers University Communications 715-232- 2381 powersp@uwstout.edu Menomonie, Wis. — Shane Yach expressed delight when visitors deemed his virtual reality game “weird.” Donning virtual reality googles, a headset and taking two handgrip controllers in their hands, game players at the University of Wisconsin-Stout Game Expo, or SGX-17, experienced talking at aliens in the senior’s game called Scapegr. “You use the controllers to yell at things,” said Yach, of Wisconsin Rapids, a senior majoring in game design and development. “It sounds like a squawk. I used my own voice and messed with it. People think it’s weird, and that’s what I

CONTACT: Britt Cudaback britt.cudaback@legis.wi.gov 308-440-2939 MADISON – Yesterday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) called for Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator, Michael Haas, and Wisconsin Ethics Commission administrator, Brian Bell, respectively, to resign from their positions. State Representative Melissa Sargent (D-Madison) released the following statement: “In my experience as a legislator, Mike Haas and Bryan Bell are exceptional public servants who serve our state with integrity, fairness, and honesty. It is the absolute height of irony that Speaker Vos and Majority Leader Fitzgerald would call for anyone’s resignation on the bases of partiality and partisanship. These

CONTACT:  press@baldwin.senate.gov (202) 224 – 6225 WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today joined 18 of her colleagues in sending a letter to Acting Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Victoria Lipnic requesting information on the commission’s efforts to address sexual harassment in the food and hospitality industries, which have high numbers of tipped workers. The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal workplace anti-discrimination laws and investigating discrimination charges that employees file with the commission. In fiscal year 2016 alone, the EEOC received close to 13,000 complaints involving sexual harassment.​ “Sexual harassment is pervasive throughout the

CONTACT: Tom Evenson, (608) 266-2839 MADISON – Governor Scott Walker visited Eagle River today to commemorate the re-grand opening of the Walter E. Olson Memorial Library. The library, which has operated in Eagle River since 1910, recently underwent renovations, doubling in space to over 11,000 square feet. “The Walter E. Olson Memorial Library’s status as a Joint Library supported by six nearby municipalities is an excellent example of communities coming together to share knowledge for the common good,” said Governor Walker. “I’m proud to be here for its renovated re-grand opening, and I’m confident it will remain the area’s historical, go-to public

CONTACT: John P. Koremenos, Jr., Communications Director (608) 266-1221 MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Brad Schimel continues to direct the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) to fight the opioid epidemic with a three-pronged approach: prevention, treatment, and enforcement. “Years ago, I first saw the opioid epidemic take hold in Waukesha County. As district attorney, I met with parents, community advocates, elected officials, pharmacists, doctors, and law enforcement to come up with solutions to the drug epidemic,” said Attorney General Schimel. “As Attorney General, I have continued this fight. Last year, opioids killed 827 people in Wisconsin[1] and we must continue prioritizing

CONTACT:  (202) 280-1990 TSchultz@federationforchildren.org Today, a group of three lawmakers from both sides of the aisle led by Senator Alberta Darling introduced legislation to create a Gifted and Talented Education Savings Account. The American Federation for Children, the nation’s voice for educational choice, released the following statement in support of the legislation. Statement from Justin Moralez of the Wisconsin Federation for Children: “This innovative new Education Savings Account option for designated Gifted and Talented students is the type of reform that will propel our Wisconsin education system and economy into the next century. While the bulk of education reforms are

CONTACT: Senator Alberta Darling 1-608-266-5830 Madison – All students deserve the opportunity to succeed regardless of their background, zip code, or family’s income. On Friday, State Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) unveiled a bi-partisan bill that creates an education savings accounts program for low-income gifted and talented students. Senator Darling says those accounts can help parents pay for textbooks, curriculum, tutors, lessons, fees, and tuition for their gifted and talented child. “Who knows how many scientists, engineers, musicians, artists, and community leaders we are missing out on because their family can’t afford additional educational opportunities,” Darling said, “This is another

CONTACT: Mike Browne, Deputy Director mike@OneWisconsinNow.org (608) 444-3483 MADISON, Wis. — In a letter to the state Elections and Ethics Boards, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Republican Leader Scott Fitzgerald have called on the administrators of the agencies responsible for campaign finance and ethics to resign. They claim Republicans have “lost confidence” in them, based on an error riddled report from Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel. “If they thought they could get away with it, this gang would get rid of the Ethics and Elections Boards outright,” commented One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross. “So they’ve settled on

CONTACT: Susan Lampert Smith (608) 513-6946 Ssmith5@uwhealth.org MADISON, Wis. – Women face big decisions soon after being hit with a cancer diagnosis, including whether to have a breast-conserving lumpectomy or mastectomy. With a five-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), UW Carbone Cancer Center breast surgeon Dr. Heather Neuman will study ways to improve the decision process for patients, with a focus on women from disadvantaged parts of the country, both rural and urban. “This conversation between surgeons and patients has always been hard, so I wanted to see if there

CONTACT:  Kara O’Keeffe kara.okeeffe@wisconsinhistory.org 608-261-9596 Kenosha, Wis. – The Wisconsin Historical Society placed the Vincent McCall Company building (Kenosha, Kenosha County) on the State Register of Historic Places. The Vincent-McCall Company Building, constructed in 1900 and expanded through 1945, was the main headquarters and primary manufacturing facility for the Vincent-McCall Company, a prominent local spring manufacturer and metal furniture products pioneer throughout much of the 20th century. The company’s sprawling factory exemplifies the growth of Kenosha’s industrial economy, particularly as it pertained to metal spring manufacturing and furniture supplies, during the first half of the 20th century. After first venturing

CONTACT: Kara O’Keeffe kara.okeeffe@wisconsinhistory.org 608-261-9596 Madison, Wis. – The Wisconsin Historical Society placed the Luther Memorial Church (Madison, Dane County) on the State Register of Historic Places. Luther Memorial Church is one of the finest examples of Neo-Gothic Revival style architecture in the entire city of Madison. As well, its architectural design is a product of the renowned and prolific architectural firm, Claude & Starck. The addition by Madison architect Reginald Stehr, is an excellent example of modern design which interprets the Neo-Gothic style of the church utilizing the Gothic vocabulary in a complimentary, yet restrained, manner. Neo-Gothic Revival characteristics exhibited