Rewind: Your Year in Review
WisconsinEye Host and CBS 58 Capitol Reporter Emilee Fannon and WisPolitics.com Editor JR Ross review the top stories of 2024 in state politics.
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WisconsinEye Host and CBS 58 Capitol Reporter Emilee Fannon and WisPolitics.com Editor JR Ross review the top stories of 2024 in state politics.

Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow is documenting and sharing his cancer journey to help others while vowing to be at the state Capitol when the budget battle intensifies next year. “I’ll say I didn’t plan on going as public,” Farrow

Former state Sens. Tim Cullen, who crossed party lines to serve in a Republican administration, and George Petak, whose change of heart paved the way for a new baseball stadium in Milwaukee, have died.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes says the guns brought to school by a 15-year-old school shooter in Madison last week were bought legally, but the chief wouldn’t reveal who bought them. Also on the program, Attorney General Josh Kaul says he’ll continue his push for lawmakers to fully fund the Department of Justice’s Office of School Safety in the next state budget.

Gov. Tony Evers announced today he appointed Karen Hyun, the chief of staff of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as DNR secretary, filling a position that has been vacant for more than a year. Evers praised Hyun’s “extensive science

On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and CBS 58’s Emilee Fannon discuss the debate over school safety after Monday’s school shooting in Madison, legislative priorities in 2025, disagreement over funding for university building projects, Wisconsin’s GOP electors certifying President-elect Donald Trump’s win and Attorney General Josh Kaul’s vow to challenge the Trump administration on deportations and other issues.

Dem AG Josh Kaul said he’s ready to challenge the incoming Trump administration if it seeks to improperly divert federal funds to the president-elect’s immigration priorities, tries to end birthright citizenship or restricts access to abortion drugs.

But Vos argued the Government Oversight Accountability and Transparency Committee would provide a unique opportunity to examine state spending because so much of the focus with the current budget process is on “how much should the increase in the programs be. Very rarely do they have the time and the opportunity to delve into the details of how you know x, y, z, could be done.” The GOAT Committee, for short, will be chaired by Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie.

Senate GOP leaders have fired Chief Clerk Linsay Hale after 10 months on the job, with Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu only saying she didn’t have enough support in his caucus to continue in the role. Hale, the first woman to

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu noted Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, has raised the prospect of again trying to cut taxes on retirement income. But LeMahieu said he wants broader tax relief that cuts across ages. The majority leader also said he likely won’t bring up his proposal from this session to move the state to a flat tax and believes there’s no appetite in his caucus to try pumping additional state money into various local aids in an attempt to drive down property taxes.

Wisconsin public officials offered their condolences after three people died in a shooting at a Madison private school yesterday. Gov. Tony Evers ordered flags to fly at half-staff through Sunday in their honor.

“We are having conversations with Assembly Democrats, in our local communities, and of course with the governor and the attorney general and trying to figure out what is available to us, what levers we have to pull to try to protect our friends and neighbors,” the Racine Dem said on WISN’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “We’re all very concerned, both from a moral perspective, I think it’s wrong to remove people who have lived and contributed to our communities for so long.”

Dems went into the 2023-25 session in a super-minority with just 11 members in the chamber. But they will walk in the door January with that GOP edge narrowed to 18-15 and the opportunity to flip the chamber in 2026 with four competitive races on the ballot. Three are now in Republican hands and the fourth is represented by Sen. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire.

On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and CBS 58’s Emilee Fannon discuss a court appearance for those charged in the 2020 Republican false electors case, a challenge to Joint Finance Committee oversight of state Department of Justice settlements, the Department of Public Instruction adopting reading curriculum without JFC approval, Gov Tony Evers’ opposition to a plan from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to require state workers to return to the office, property tax hikes and more.

Jim Troupis said Dem AG Josh Kaul should be “ashamed of himself” for seeking to prosecute him and two other former Donald Trump aides for their role in the 2020 fake electors scheme.

Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer says one thing Donald Trump did well during the campaign was express the anger that many families feel about their financial struggles. But she doesn’t believe he has a plan to actually help address the issue, making it incumbent upon Dem lawmakers in Wisconsin to show they do.

The GOP co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee have rejected the Department of Public Instruction’s argument that it isn’t required to seek the committee’s approval of recommended reading curriculum under the state’s new literacy law.

The state Department of Justice has filed amended complaints against two attorneys for Donald Trump and a third who served as an aide to his 2020 presidential campaign, adding 10 felony counts related to the false elector scheme.

A split study committee voted 8-4 to recommend legislation that would allow a hunt of sandhill cranes while providing state funding to address damage the birds do to crops.

The move comes after the state Supreme Court in a 6-1 decision overturned the process the GOP-controlled Legislature has used to block stewardship purchases through the Joint Finance Committee, ruling it violates the separation of powers.
WisconsinEye Host and CBS 58 Capitol Reporter Emilee Fannon and WisPolitics.com Editor JR Ross review the top stories of 2024 in state politics.

Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow is documenting and sharing his cancer journey to help others while vowing to be at the state Capitol when the budget battle intensifies next year. “I’ll say I didn’t plan on going as public,” Farrow told WISN’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics.

Former state Sens. Tim Cullen, who crossed party lines to serve in a Republican administration, and George Petak, whose change of heart paved the way for a new baseball stadium in Milwaukee, have died.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes says the guns brought to school by a 15-year-old school shooter in Madison last week were bought legally, but the chief wouldn’t reveal who bought them. Also on the program, Attorney General Josh Kaul says he’ll continue his push for lawmakers to fully fund the Department of Justice’s Office of School Safety in the next state budget.

Gov. Tony Evers announced today he appointed Karen Hyun, the chief of staff of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as DNR secretary, filling a position that has been vacant for more than a year. Evers praised Hyun’s “extensive science background and expertise working in fish and wildlife, shoreline restoration,

On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and CBS 58’s Emilee Fannon discuss the debate over school safety after Monday’s school shooting in Madison, legislative priorities in 2025, disagreement over funding for university building projects, Wisconsin’s GOP electors certifying President-elect Donald Trump’s win and Attorney General Josh Kaul’s vow to challenge the Trump administration on deportations and other issues.

Dem AG Josh Kaul said he’s ready to challenge the incoming Trump administration if it seeks to improperly divert federal funds to the president-elect’s immigration priorities, tries to end birthright citizenship or restricts access to abortion drugs.

But Vos argued the Government Oversight Accountability and Transparency Committee would provide a unique opportunity to examine state spending because so much of the focus with the current budget process is on “how much should the increase in the programs be. Very rarely do they have the time and the opportunity to delve into the details of how you know x, y, z, could be done.” The GOAT Committee, for short, will be chaired by Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie.

Senate GOP leaders have fired Chief Clerk Linsay Hale after 10 months on the job, with Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu only saying she didn’t have enough support in his caucus to continue in the role. Hale, the first woman to serve as Senate chief clerk, was appointed to the position

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu noted Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, has raised the prospect of again trying to cut taxes on retirement income. But LeMahieu said he wants broader tax relief that cuts across ages. The majority leader also said he likely won’t bring up his proposal from this session to move the state to a flat tax and believes there’s no appetite in his caucus to try pumping additional state money into various local aids in an attempt to drive down property taxes.

Wisconsin public officials offered their condolences after three people died in a shooting at a Madison private school yesterday. Gov. Tony Evers ordered flags to fly at half-staff through Sunday in their honor.

“We are having conversations with Assembly Democrats, in our local communities, and of course with the governor and the attorney general and trying to figure out what is available to us, what levers we have to pull to try to protect our friends and neighbors,” the Racine Dem said on WISN’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “We’re all very concerned, both from a moral perspective, I think it’s wrong to remove people who have lived and contributed to our communities for so long.”

Dems went into the 2023-25 session in a super-minority with just 11 members in the chamber. But they will walk in the door January with that GOP edge narrowed to 18-15 and the opportunity to flip the chamber in 2026 with four competitive races on the ballot. Three are now in Republican hands and the fourth is represented by Sen. Jeff Smith, D-Eau Claire.

On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and CBS 58’s Emilee Fannon discuss a court appearance for those charged in the 2020 Republican false electors case, a challenge to Joint Finance Committee oversight of state Department of Justice settlements, the Department of Public Instruction adopting reading curriculum without JFC approval, Gov Tony Evers’ opposition to a plan from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to require state workers to return to the office, property tax hikes and more.

Jim Troupis said Dem AG Josh Kaul should be “ashamed of himself” for seeking to prosecute him and two other former Donald Trump aides for their role in the 2020 fake electors scheme.

Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer says one thing Donald Trump did well during the campaign was express the anger that many families feel about their financial struggles. But she doesn’t believe he has a plan to actually help address the issue, making it incumbent upon Dem lawmakers in Wisconsin to show they do.

The GOP co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee have rejected the Department of Public Instruction’s argument that it isn’t required to seek the committee’s approval of recommended reading curriculum under the state’s new literacy law.

The state Department of Justice has filed amended complaints against two attorneys for Donald Trump and a third who served as an aide to his 2020 presidential campaign, adding 10 felony counts related to the false elector scheme.

A split study committee voted 8-4 to recommend legislation that would allow a hunt of sandhill cranes while providing state funding to address damage the birds do to crops.

The move comes after the state Supreme Court in a 6-1 decision overturned the process the GOP-controlled Legislature has used to block stewardship purchases through the Joint Finance Committee, ruling it violates the separation of powers.