CONTACT: Tom Still or Cassidy Wartenweiler, 608-442-7557 WAUWATOSA, Wis. – The work of the UW-Madison Department of Computer Sciences and how computer science is driving the Wisconsin economy will be explored at the Thursday, March 8 meeting of the Tech Council Innovation Network in Wauwatosa. Guri Sohi, professor and chairman of the UW-Madison Department of Computer Sciences, will be joined by Jignesh Patel, a professor in the UW-Madison Department of Computer Sciences, in talking about how the department can help industry in Wisconsin and beyond. The event will take place at UW-Milwaukee’s Innovation Accelerator, 1225 Discovery Parkway. Registration, networking and hors

CONTACT: State Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), 608-266-5830 State Representative John Nygren (R-Marinette), 608-266-2343 Madison—The Co-Chairs of the budget-writing, Joint Committee on Finance, Representative John Nygren (R-Marinette) and Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) released the following statement in reaction to the release of the Comprehensive Annual Fiscal Report (CAFR): “This report confirms what we already know – Wisconsin remains on strong fiscal ground. Through Governor Walker’s leadership and Republican fiscal reforms in the Joint Committee on Finance, Wisconsin ended every budget year with a surplus. On Wednesday, the Department of Administration released the CAFR. The report indicates that Wisconsin ended the

CONTACT: Mike Browne, Deputy Director mike@OneWisconsinInstitute.org (608) 444-3483 MADISON, Wis. — The Senate Judiciary today set aside common decency and its own long-standing traditions and rules in voting to approve Donald Trump’s nomination of Michael Brennan to fill the “Wisconsin seat” on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The seat was open for Trump to fill because Republican Sen. Ron Johnson obstructed consideration of previous nominees since 2011. Brennan was chosen despite not being recommended through the traditional bipartisan process used by Wisconsin’s U.S. Senators since the 1970’s, and his nomination is being rammed through the U.S. Senate Judiciary

CONTACT: Toni Morrissey (608) 263-3223 (608) 576-6456 tmorrissey@uwhealth.org MADISON- The use of a mobile health application reduced the number of risky-drinking days and illicit drug-use days, according to researchers in the family medicine department at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Three federally-qualified health centers that serve mainly low-income residents were sites for the study. The sites include a UW Health clinic in Madison, a rural clinic in Missoula, Montana, and an urban clinic in the Bronx, New York, all primary care clinics with established electronic health records (EHRs). Up to 100 patients were recruited at each

CONTACT: Marina Dimitrijevic, (414)255-4009 mdimitrijevic@workingfamilies.org Wisconsin Working Families Party director Marina Dimitrijevic made the following statement regarding the upcoming primary election for the State Supreme Court on February 20: “Wisconsin Working Families Party is pleased to announce our support for Tim Burns in the primary election for the State Supreme Court. In a state where the Republicans wield their majority control to benefit themselves and their donors, the State Supreme Court is an important check on power on issues ranging from redistricting to civil liberties. We believe that Burns will be a judge who will carefully weigh the needs of everyday

CONTACT: Myranda Tanck mt@platform-communications.com MADISON – This week, Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin partnered with the Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association and Wisconsin Police Leadership Foundation for the organizations’ Winter Training Conference. Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin was proud to sponsor the event banquet which included a special address from guest speaker Michele Gay, co-founder of Safe & Sound Schools: A Sandy Hook Initiative. The event is one in a series of Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin’s recent partnerships with major statewide law enforcement organizations, including the recent Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs Conference. “I’m honored to have been able to attend this great event

CONTACT: John P. Koremenos, Jr., Communications Director (608) 266-1221 MADISON, Wis. – Today, Attorney General Brad Schimel announced, as part of Wisconsin’s Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) Initiative, that the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) will award $320,000 to Bayfield, Dunn, Eau Claire, and Milwaukee counties, to develop programs designed to assist jail inmates to successfully reenter society. “This funding will help four counties in Wisconsin develop an evidence-based program to reduce recidivism that we hope to share with other Wisconsin communities after demonstrating success with the pilot program,” said Attorney General Schimel. “We want to make sure those serving time have

CONTACT:  Bryan Kennedy, (414) 517-3864 (Milwaukee) – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Matt Flynn today proposed a 21st Century Bill of Rights to address the needs of Wisconsinites in the digital age. The 21st Century Bill of Rights features ten principles that cover important needs including Net Neutrality, rural broadband access, digital privacy, and protections for consumers and elections. “The Bill of Rights codifies basic freedoms that all citizens of the United States share. As our lives have moved increasingly online, we need to enumerate our digital rights,” said Flynn. “Scott Walker has repeatedly failed to stand up for Wisconsinites’ digital rights.

CONTACT: press@baldwin.senate.gov 202-224-6225 WASHINGTON, D.C. – As a member of the bipartisan Senate Great Lakes Task Force, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin is expressing concern in regard to President Donald Trump’s proposed 90 percent cut to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), gutting the program’s funding from $300 million to $30 million in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget request. Last October, Senator Baldwin wrote to the Trump Administration calling for full funding of $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to be included in the Fiscal Year 2019 budget request. “Investments in the Great Lakes are an investment in the future of Wisconsin’s

CONTACT: Bill Cosh, Communications Director 608-224-5020 MADISON – Wisconsin prides itself as an agricultural leader. There is another agricultural title the state is currently chasing – the most returns of the Census of Agriculture. Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Sheila Harsdorf reminds farmers to return their questionnaire if they have not already done so. “Thank you to all the Wisconsin farmers who have completed their Census of Agriculture,” said Harsdorf. “The more responses submitted by Wisconsin farmers, the more the data will accurately reflect what is actually happening in our state’s fields and barns.” The U.S. National