MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today announced four appointments to the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Board. The governor has appointed Alex Lasry, Janixa Franco Gonzalez, and Lindsay Blumer, in addition to reappointing Quincey Daniels. “Our technical colleges are vital to our higher education system and critical to building a workforce of the 21st-century, and we’re grateful to each of these members—both new and returning—for their commitment to upholding our technical college system’s mission and serving its students,” said Gov. Evers. “The various background and professional experiences of our WTCS Board members allows them to bring fresh and unique perspectives to

Milwaukee – Today, Representative Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield) gave a statement following the bill signing ceremony for Assembly Bill 55 in Milwaukee. Governor Evers signed Rep. Donovan’s bipartisan reckless driving legislation that increases all penalties for reckless driving including fines and jail time. Rep. Donovan said: “Elected officials have a duty to listen to their constituents. I believe this bill signing is a direct product of that. We listened to your concerns and made good on our promises. Now I call upon our judges to do the same and utilize the tools they are given to protect those same citizens.” AB 55 doubles

The League of Wisconsin Municipalities welcomes Thomas Weatherston as the newest member of the League board. Weatherston is the current Village President of Caledonia. He has served on the Caledonia Village Board from 2010 to 2014 and currently since 2019. He also served as Wisconsin State Representative of the 62nd district from 2013 to 2019.  Weatherston graduated from the United States Air Force Civil Engineering school, the United States Air Force Jungle Survival school, the United States Air Force Combat Engineering Training school. He received his AAS in Construction Management from Erie Community College, and his BS in Industrial Engineering

Madison, WI – Today, Assembly Bill 55 was signed into law as 2023 Wisconsin Act 9. Act 9 effectively doubles the penalties for reckless driving offenses and applies the existing surcharges for OWI offenses to reckless driving convictions. Senator Duey Stroebel (R – Cedarburg) issued the following statement in response: “I am thankful for Representative Donovan’s partnership in advancing this important legislation to establish a stronger deterrent against reckless driving by increasing the penalties for individuals who endanger public safety through the negligent operation of a vehicle. While the rising number of reckless driving incidents in recent years has been most pronounced

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay’s core mission of providing access to education that ignites the regional workforce will be realized this weekend as more than 1,100 eligible graduates and their families celebrate the 2023 Spring/Summer Commencement. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 13 in two ceremonies at the Kress Events Center on the UW-Green Bay campus.  Notably, UW-Green Bay will celebrate its 50,000th graduate* from the University; coming a long way in the 53 years since the first graduating class walked across the stage in 1970. Of the more than 1,000 students eligible to graduate

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) will set over 10,000 traps for spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) in 47 counties from mid-May through early July. DATCP asks that property owners allow trapping staff to place traps on their land and to not disturb the traps once in place. “Traps are monitoring tools that identify pockets where spongy moth is advancing into previously uninfested areas,” says Michael Falk, DATCP Forest Entomologist. “Pinpointing these pockets allows program managers to safely and efficiently limit population spread before infestations become large enough to cause damage to trees.” Traps

Madison – Senator Jesse James (R- Altoona) announces the passage of SB 76 into law: “Today, we celebrate the signing of legislation that clarifies the crime of carjacking in our state. Until now, carjacking fell under the crime of vehicle theft. We know that carjacking differs from simple theft in that it involves threat or use of a dangerous weapon.” According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, in the two years from 2019 to 2021, Milwaukee Police Department saw a 20% increase in carjackings. In just a year, from 2020 to 2021, Madison saw a 60% increase. “We know that this

MILWAUKEE — Gov. Tony Evers today signed two bills that would help address reckless driving and carjacking in the state by increasing penalties for both and creating a new “carjacking” section of the criminal code.  “Reckless driving and other dangerous behaviors are putting our kids, families, and communities at risk all across our state, and we must do more at the state level to address dangerous behavior on our roads,” said Gov. Evers. “I’m proud the first enacted bill of my second term was a aimed at curbing reckless driving, and I am glad to be continuing that work today

Madison – Representative John Spiros (R-Marshfield) released the following statement after his bill to address rising carjacking numbers was signed into law: “The tragic results of carjackings are in the news every day: a nurse pistol whipped leaving work, a mom begging at gunpoint to get her baby out of the backseat, and a man beaten to death before his car is stolen,” Rep. Spiros said. “I am pleased that both sides of the aisle understand the necessity and critical nature of this bipartisan legislation, and that the Governor agrees strong carjacking laws are advantageous to Wisconsinites.” The Governor signed 2023

MADISON, Wis. — We’re all concerned about our and our children’s safety when using social media. But a Republican state legislator’s recent proposal to restrict access to social media for minors ignores the elephant in the room by letting tech companies off the hook for developing safe platforms and protecting the privacy of underage users, according to Jake Hajdu, disinformation coordinator at A Better Wisconsin Together. “We all care about our safety online, especially for kids using social media,” said Hajdu. “And we know that laws that focus on how tech companies currently design platforms to addict kids, and laws that

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, voted to advance the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023 to improve freight rail safety and prevent train derailment disasters like in East Palestine, Ohio. Senator Baldwin cosponsors the legislation. “Big rail companies have used their sky-high profits to line the pockets of their investors, not invest in the safety of our communities and their workers – and we have seen the devastating consequences,” said Senator Baldwin. “We have to do everything we can to ensure disasters like in East Palestine never happen again, and today,