GOP ready to appeal decision voiding legal contracts for redistricting

Today’s Midday podcast covers the Dane County judge who voided two contracts GOP legislative leaders signed that put taxpayers on the hook for more than $1 million in legal fees, ruling lawmakers don’t have the authority to retain private counsel for a redistricting suit that hasn’t been filed yet. wispolitics · GOP ready to appeal decision voiding legal contracts for redistricting  

Read More »

League of Women Voters: Statement on redistricting ruling

[MADISON, Wis] – On Friday, April 30, Debra Cronmiller, the executive director at the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, issued the following statement in response to Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke’s ruling against members of the Wisconsin legislature who hired private attorneys in anticipation of legal redistricting challenges: “Legislators hiring attorneys, using taxpayers’ funds, well before the start of the map drawing process, demonstrates the broken gerrymandered system that has existed in Wisconsin for too long. Without this opinion, taxpayers would have been forced to bear the burden of defending gerrymandered maps.   “The redistricting process should begin

Read More »

Milwaukee County Sheriff Lucas: Appointed by Gov. Evers to Wisconsin Law Enforcement Standards Board

Milwaukee, WI  (April 30, 2021) Governor Tony Evers has appointed Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell R. Lucas to the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB).  The LESB is a policy-making body attached to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, as authorized by state statute.  The membership of the LESB is set forth in § 15.255(1), Wis. Stats.  The primary mission of the LESB is to establish and enforce standards for professional employment, education, and training of law enforcement, tribal law enforcement, jail, and juvenile detention officers in Wisconsin. Sheriff Earnell R. Lucas said, “I thank Gov. Evers for giving me the high honor of serving on the Wisconsin

Read More »

U.S. Rep. Moore: Leads effort to increases for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grant programs

Congresswoman Gwen Moore Leads Effort in Calling for a Funding Increase for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grant Programs Congresswoman Moore and Congressman John Katko (R-NY) led 157 of their colleagues in a bipartisan letter to the Appropriations Committee calling for $3.5 billion in funding in FY 22 for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s((HUD) ) McKinney- Vento Homeless Assistance Grants (HAG) program. “There is no doubt that the misery index increased during the pandemic for millions of Americans. Like other cities around the country, too many Milwaukee residents either faced evictions or only kept their heads above water because of

Read More »

UW-Madison: Humanities Building to undergo repairs

MADISON — An engineering review of the University of Wisconsin—Madison’s Mosse Humanities Building has identified potential structural concerns with a portion of the northwest section of the building that require immediate attention. After a tour of the building, staff from Facilities Planning & Management and the state Department of Administration, along with a consulting engineer from a private firm, have determined that an expansion joint on the 6th floor of the west side of the building has failed, creating a potentially unsafe situation. Out of an abundance of caution, the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th floors on the northwest side

Read More »

City of Racine: Partnering With Cardinal Capital To re-imagine Porter’s Site

City of Racine – Today, the City of Racine announced it has partnered with Cardinal Capital to redevelop the Porter’s site into a multi-family housing building with commercial components. Cardinal Capital Group has partnered with the City on other projects, including most recently the redevelopment of the former Ajax property where they have completed the first of two multi-family housing buildings. Cardinal Capital has submitted a design proposal to the Department of City Development. That design will be reviewed internally by relevant City Departments and then be presented to the City’s Planning, Heritage and Design Commission. A public hearing on the

Read More »

Milwaukee County Supervisor Taylor: To introduce resolution funding Dontre Hamilton Memorial Bench

MILWAUKEE – Seven years ago today, a Milwaukee Police Department officer shot and killed Dontre Hamilton, who had been sleeping on a bench in Red Arrow Park. The tragedy affected the entire Milwaukee community. To honor Hamilton’s life, Milwaukee County Supervisor Sequanna Taylor will introduce a resolution appropriating funds towards the Dontre Hamilton Memorial Bench, which would be placed in Red Arrow Park. “Dontre Hamilton should still be with us today,” said Supervisor Taylor. “His story is just one of many examples of Black people taken from us too soon due to police violence. This memorial would serve as a reminder

Read More »

With first votes Thursday, JFC ready to pull nearly 400 items from Evers’ budget

The Joint Finance Committee will take its first votes on Gov. Tony Evers’ budget Thursday with a plan to strip out his calls to expand Medicaid, legalize marijuana, plus allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver licenses and pay in-state tuition at Wisconsin colleges and universities. Many of the Evers-backed provisions that will be targeted in the first motion would repeal policies Republicans pu… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, click here for a WisPolitics free trial and to view the different subscription options. Username or E-mail Password * Remember Me     Forgot

Read More »

Dept. of Workforce Development: Announces first recipients of new Workforce Equity Grants

MADISON – The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) is helping two southeastern Wisconsin businesses fund workforce training and skill development, targeting traditionally underserved communities. E.C. Styberg Engineering Company in Racine and Stowell Associates, LLC based in Milwaukee are the first two recipients of DWD’s new Workforce Equity Grants, made possible by a donation from the IKEA U.S. Community Foundation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foundation donated $947,000 to DWD to address workforce needs in southeastern Wisconsin with a focus on improving racial equity in employment. The Foundation’s donation reflects the amount of money IKEA Retail U.S. employees collected

Read More »

U.S. Sen. Baldwin: Supports the introduction of new, bipartisan Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin is supporting the introduction of new bipartisan legislation, the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act. The bipartisan legislation, led by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), chair of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, would professionalize how the military prosecutes serious crimes by moving the decision to prosecute from the chain of command to independent, trained, professional military prosecutors, and provides for several new prevention provisions such as more and better training for commanders and increased physical security measures, while ensuring that commanders still have the ability to provide strong leadership and ensure a successful command climate. “The men and women

Read More »

Pro-Biden group launches ad campaign in Wisconsin, 4 other states

Building Back Together, a group created to support Joe Biden’s agenda, is launching a multi-million dollar ad campaign in five states to promote the first 100 days of his administration. The group said it will begin airing a 60-second ad on broadcast TV in select markets of Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. It is also doing digital ads in those four states and North Carolina that will target audiences on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. The group didn’t disclose specifics about the buy in Wisconsin. The TV ad touts several themes that have already popped up in spots

Read More »

FRI REPORT: Calendar shows more public events for Evers, but few meetings with GOP leaders

BREAKING NEWS: The state Capitol, closed for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will reopen to the public on Monday, according to the Department of Administration. The building will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and only the Martin Luther King Boulevard entrance will be open. There also will be no public tours initially. In an email to Capitol tenants, DOA as… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, click here for a WisPolitics free trial and to view the different subscription options.

Read More »

Rewind: Your Week in Review for April 30

On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and the Capital Times’ Briana Reilly discuss the Joint Finance Committee wrapping up budget hearings and preparing for the first votes, new census data showing Wisconsin will keep eight House seats, AG Josh Kaul’s statewide probe into clergy abuse and the upcoming special election for the 37th AD.

Read More »

League of Women Voters: Statement on redistricting ruling

[MADISON, Wis] – On Friday, April 30, Debra Cronmiller, the executive director at the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, issued the following statement in response to Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke’s ruling against members of the Wisconsin legislature who hired private attorneys in anticipation of legal redistricting challenges:

Read More »

Milwaukee County Sheriff Lucas: Appointed by Gov. Evers to Wisconsin Law Enforcement Standards Board

Milwaukee, WI  (April 30, 2021) Governor Tony Evers has appointed Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell R. Lucas to the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB).  The LESB is a policy-making body attached to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, as authorized by state statute.  The membership of the LESB is set forth in § 15.255(1), Wis. Stats.  The

Read More »

UW-Madison: Humanities Building to undergo repairs

MADISON — An engineering review of the University of Wisconsin—Madison’s Mosse Humanities Building has identified potential structural concerns with a portion of the northwest section of the building that require immediate attention. After a tour of the building, staff from Facilities Planning & Management and the state Department of Administration,

Read More »

Dept. of Workforce Development: Announces first recipients of new Workforce Equity Grants

MADISON – The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) is helping two southeastern Wisconsin businesses fund workforce training and skill development, targeting traditionally underserved communities. E.C. Styberg Engineering Company in Racine and Stowell Associates, LLC based in Milwaukee are the first two recipients of DWD’s new Workforce Equity Grants, made possible

Read More »

U.S. Sen. Baldwin: Supports the introduction of new, bipartisan Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin is supporting the introduction of new bipartisan legislation, the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act. The bipartisan legislation, led by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), chair of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, would professionalize how the military prosecutes serious crimes by moving the decision to prosecute from

Read More »

Rewind: Your Week in Review for April 30

On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and the Capital Times’ Briana Reilly discuss the Joint Finance Committee wrapping up budget hearings and preparing for the first votes, new census data showing Wisconsin will keep eight House seats, AG Josh Kaul’s statewide probe into clergy abuse and the upcoming special election for the 37th AD.

Read More »