Contact: Senator Alberta Darling 1-608-266-5830 MADISON – One of the original authors of Wisconsin’s successful college savings program, Edvest, is applauding the program passing $5 billion in assets. State Senator Alberta Darling helped author legislation which created the program and has served on the board since 1999. Senator Darling says she is excited more children will be able to afford college. “Edvest is now a model college savings program for the nation,” Darling said, “With $5 billion in assets, more kids will get the opportunity to go pursue their dreams.” Edvest is Wisconsin’s college savings program, also called a “529

Contact: Bryan Kennedy – (414) 517-3864 (Milwaukee) — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Matt Flynn today attacked Governor Scott Walker for falsely implying that the federal government would protect wetlands threatened by Foxconn. “Foxconn is a global pollution threat. We cannot tolerate the worst of Chinese water quality in Wisconsin. Even the Chinese government, which has engineered one of the most polluted countries on the planet, has investigated Foxconn for ‘severely exceeding’ China’s flimsy requirements for water protection. “Walker and Republican state lawmakers have already exempted Foxconn from complying with Wisconsin’s wetlands laws, against the will of the majority of the people

CONTACT: Jennifer Miller, 608-266-1683 Elizabeth Goodsitt, 608-266-1683 The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has awarded a total of $496,516 in grants to 63 community groups to support seven strategies to prevent opioid abuse. “These grants further our commitment to reduce the impact of opioid abuse in Wisconsin communities,” said Paul Krupski, DHS Director of Opioid Initiatives. “The efforts supported by these grants will protect and promote the health and safety of Wisconsin residents.” The seven strategies include: The promotion of the Dose of Reality campaign to warn about the dangers of misusing prescription painkillers and highlight the importance of

Contact: Sarah Mattes Office: (608) 242-6414 Cell: (608) 216-3202 smattes@publichealthmdc.com In recognition of National Radon Action Month, Public Health Madison and Dane County (PHMDC) urges all residents to test their homes for radon. You can’t see, smell, or taste radon, but it could be present at a dangerous level in your home. Radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless, radioactive gas that develops in the soil. It is the second leading cause of lung cancer and causes over 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States. Radon is normally dispersed in outdoor air, but can reach harmful levels

Contact: Rep. Joel Kleefisch (608) 266-8551 Contact: Rep. David Bowen (608)-266-7671 MADISON – Upon the announcement that Governor Walker plans to close Lincoln Hills and replace it with smaller, regionally based facilities, Representatives Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) and David Bowen (D-Milwaukee) released the following joint statement: “It is welcome news that the governor plans to take steps that would reform Wisconsin’s juvenile corrections system in the 2019-2020 budget. While this news is indeed welcome, we believe it could be accelerated so our shared vision for safety and rehabilitation is achieved more urgently. “Two bills, including one that we co-authored, could be

Contact: Tom Evenson, (608) 266-2839 MADISON – Governor Scott Walker visited schools in Kimberly and Eau Claire today to discuss the Youth Apprenticeship Program. The program, administered by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD), partners high school students with employers to provide hands-on job training and transferable skills to pursue more advanced career paths. “Youth Apprenticeship is a key tool for improving educational and employment opportunities for students, and we’re proud of the fact that student participation in the program has more than doubled since we took office,” said Governor Walker. “This innovative program encourages collaboration between students, schools,

CONTACT Mike Browne, Deputy Director mike@OneWisconsinNow.org (608) 444-3483 MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Scott Walker, who opposes a common sense plan to allow student loan borrowers to refinance their loans just like you can a mortgage, is “honoring” one of the nation’s most worst actors in the student loan crisis, Sallie Mae. “Honoring Sallie Mae for student loan work would be like the company that owned the Titanic honoring the iceberg,” said Analiese Eicher, One Wisconsin Now Program Director. “Student loan debt has risen to $24 billion in Wisconsin and Walker’s only advice to the state’s nearly one million borrowers has

Contact: James Wigderson Editor, RightWisconsin 262-422-7763 Waukesha, WI – In an unscientific poll on Facebook, state Senator Leah Vukmir (R-Brookfield) easily defeated Kevin Nicholson of Delafield, 88.5 percent to 11.5 percent. While the poll is unscientific and participation is completely voluntary, the poll may be an indicator of the relative intensity of support for the two candidates. The unscientific poll was conducted on Facebook starting the night of Friday, January 5, and ending the night of Sunday, January 7. The poll was also posted on RightWisconsin Editor James Wigderson’s Facebook page. According to Facebook, the poll reached 1,406 people “organically”