TOP STORIES Wisconsin joins challenge of Trump executive order ending birthright citizenship… Trump’s executive order asserts that the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution “has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States.” …
TOP STORIES Trump pardons 1,500+ Jan. 6 defendants, including 11 from WI… FBI has classified the melee as an act of domestic terrorism, which injured around 140 police officers. … included private messages Kasper [of Saxon] sent to another individual
TOP STORIES Battle over ‘conversion therapy’ ban, separation of powers before WI Supreme Court… Evers [suit] targets two votes by [JCRAR]. One deals with [DSPS’] “conversion therapy” ban. The other vote blocked an update to the state’s commercial building standards.
TOP STORIES Money allocated for reading law could go to state surplus if not used by June 30$50M for Act 20 is currently tied up in court system … change is complicated and expensive. New curriculum has to be purchased
TOP STORIES Gov. Evers creates new violence-prevention office in wake of school shooting… [funded by $10M-ARP, budget will request biennial funding, with] a sweeping package of gun violence and public safety measures. … office will work with local partners, including
TOP STORIES GOP challengers start to line up as Gov. Evers considers 2026 run for 3rd term… a congressman [Tiffany], a Whitefish Bay manufacturing businessman [Berrien, ex-Navy Seal] and suburban county executive [Schoemann] … have begun the conversations needed to
TOP STORIES State Building Commission approves funding for UW-Madison engineering building… approves revised proposal to shift unspent funds … new proposal broke the $70M [UWEC left-over] into two chunks, requiring two votes.* unanimously sent $29M to engineering building [total cost:
TOP STORIES Wisconsin’s alcohol-related deaths more than tripled since 1999… Midwest region had the largest spike, a 2.5-fold increase … In 1999, alcohol-induced deaths among Wisconsinites totaled 356. By 2020, that number had risen to 1,077. [CDC-defined as a range
TOP STORIES Senate passes voter ID measure, clearing way for final passage in Assembly next week… During debate on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon, Republicans and Democrats squared off, with Democrats questioning why there hasn’t been any action on issues
TOP STORIES Wisconsin GOP pushing to make voter ID a constitutional requirement… public hearing Tuesday … Senate was expected to pass it Wednesday. … Assembly was expected to give final approval next week. … Legislature passed the voter ID proposal
TOP STORIES Evers’ plan to let Wisconsin voters repeal and create state laws meets GOP resistance… Evers [FY25-27 budget] is reviving a [2022] plan previously rejected by Republicans giving voters the [constitutional] power to enact laws without approval of the
TOP STORIES Evers revisits effort to give voters more say in state laws… [Vos and LeMahieu previously dismissed his Constitutional citizen initiative as “desperate political stunt,” but] by including [it] in his 2025-27 biennial budget request, Evers hopes to force
TOP STORIES Nearly 200 ballots went uncounted in Wisconsin and officials want to know why… [WEC] voted unanimously to investigate whether Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl failed to comply with state law or abused her discretion. … concerned the clerk’s
TOP STORIES Coalition of 30 groups call for $953M investment for safe drinking water… long with policy changes [repeal REINS Act] and preventive measures … local rental inspection programs to ensure apartments are lead-free, funding for farmers that use practices
TOP STORIES Evers names Karen Hyun to serve as DNR secretary after year-long vacancy… has worked natural resources management for nearly a decade and, most recently, served as [NOAA] … Hyun lives in Madison and said she will be able
TOP STORIES Not covered: Insurers add PFAS exclusions to commercial liability policiesWI businesses and farms receive notice that insurers won’t cover PFAS losses … [WFBF-member insurer] Rural Mutual Insurance Company also notified Wisconsin farms that they would not pay losses
TOP STORIES Robin Vos wants to mirror Elon Musk’s DOGE committee in Wisconsin… [Rep. Nedweski] tapped to lead a state Assembly project called GOAT: Government Oversight Accountability and Transparency. … [Vos] skeptical about giving increased aid to local governments …
TOP STORIES Wisconsin’s 10 GOP electors formally cast votes for Donald Trump, JD Vance4 years ago, a different group of Republicans signed fake documents as part of a false electors scheme … Under a process laid out in the U.S.
TOP STORIES Madison school shooting is Wisconsin’s deadliest on record… [15-y/o female] student shot and killed a teacher and fellow student and wounded at least six others at Abundant Life Christian School in east Madison [390 students, K-12] … the
TOP STORIES Hesselbein to revive medical marijuana bill as Senate Democrats weigh new power… already had conversations with Republican leaders, including [LeMahieu, Felzkowski] … thinks recreational legalization is a nonstarter. “But let’s get medicinal out there, because there are a
TOP STORIES Wisconsin joins challenge of Trump executive order ending birthright citizenship… Trump’s executive order asserts that the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution “has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States.” … claims people born to parents who are “unlawfully present” and
TOP STORIES Trump pardons 1,500+ Jan. 6 defendants, including 11 from WI… FBI has classified the melee as an act of domestic terrorism, which injured around 140 police officers. … included private messages Kasper [of Saxon] sent to another individual as part of their case. “I pepper sprayed 3 cops
TOP STORIES Battle over ‘conversion therapy’ ban, separation of powers before WI Supreme Court… Evers [suit] targets two votes by [JCRAR]. One deals with [DSPS’] “conversion therapy” ban. The other vote blocked an update to the state’s commercial building standards. [GOP argue DSPS lacked authority to enact “conversion therapy” ban]
TOP STORIES Money allocated for reading law could go to state surplus if not used by June 30$50M for Act 20 is currently tied up in court system … change is complicated and expensive. New curriculum has to be purchased by already cash-strapped school districts. And literacy coaches need to
TOP STORIES Gov. Evers creates new violence-prevention office in wake of school shooting… [funded by $10M-ARP, budget will request biennial funding, with] a sweeping package of gun violence and public safety measures. … office will work with local partners, including law enforcement agencies, nonprofits, school districts and gun shop owners
TOP STORIES GOP challengers start to line up as Gov. Evers considers 2026 run for 3rd term… a congressman [Tiffany], a Whitefish Bay manufacturing businessman [Berrien, ex-Navy Seal] and suburban county executive [Schoemann] … have begun the conversations needed to launch campaigns. … [Tiffany] is primarily focused on passing the
TOP STORIES State Building Commission approves funding for UW-Madison engineering building… approves revised proposal to shift unspent funds … new proposal broke the $70M [UWEC left-over] into two chunks, requiring two votes.* unanimously sent $29M to engineering building [total cost: $419.8M] and $5.4M to UW-Stout, $10.5M to UW-Whitewater.* 5-3 shifted
TOP STORIES Wisconsin’s alcohol-related deaths more than tripled since 1999… Midwest region had the largest spike, a 2.5-fold increase … In 1999, alcohol-induced deaths among Wisconsinites totaled 356. By 2020, that number had risen to 1,077. [CDC-defined as a range of short- and long-term conditions such as alcoholic liver diseases,
TOP STORIES Senate passes voter ID measure, clearing way for final passage in Assembly next week… During debate on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon, Republicans and Democrats squared off, with Democrats questioning why there hasn’t been any action on issues such as gun safety or the high cost of living
TOP STORIES Wisconsin GOP pushing to make voter ID a constitutional requirement… public hearing Tuesday … Senate was expected to pass it Wednesday. … Assembly was expected to give final approval next week. … Legislature passed the voter ID proposal last session and must approve it again by Jan. 21
TOP STORIES Evers’ plan to let Wisconsin voters repeal and create state laws meets GOP resistance… Evers [FY25-27 budget] is reviving a [2022] plan previously rejected by Republicans giving voters the [constitutional] power to enact laws without approval of the Legislature. [2022 special session was intended to let voter decide
TOP STORIES Evers revisits effort to give voters more say in state laws… [Vos and LeMahieu previously dismissed his Constitutional citizen initiative as “desperate political stunt,” but] by including [it] in his 2025-27 biennial budget request, Evers hopes to force the budget committee’s 16 members to hold a vote on
TOP STORIES Nearly 200 ballots went uncounted in Wisconsin and officials want to know why… [WEC] voted unanimously to investigate whether Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl failed to comply with state law or abused her discretion. … concerned the clerk’s office didn’t inform them of the problem [discovered Nov. 12]
TOP STORIES Coalition of 30 groups call for $953M investment for safe drinking water… long with policy changes [repeal REINS Act] and preventive measures … local rental inspection programs to ensure apartments are lead-free, funding for farmers that use practices to reduce nitrate contamination from manure run and phasing out
TOP STORIES Evers names Karen Hyun to serve as DNR secretary after year-long vacancy… has worked natural resources management for nearly a decade and, most recently, served as [NOAA] … Hyun lives in Madison and said she will be able to jump into the new job once she’s briefed on
TOP STORIES Not covered: Insurers add PFAS exclusions to commercial liability policiesWI businesses and farms receive notice that insurers won’t cover PFAS losses … [WFBF-member insurer] Rural Mutual Insurance Company also notified Wisconsin farms that they would not pay losses stemming from PFAS pertaining to bodily injury, property or environmental
TOP STORIES Robin Vos wants to mirror Elon Musk’s DOGE committee in Wisconsin… [Rep. Nedweski] tapped to lead a state Assembly project called GOAT: Government Oversight Accountability and Transparency. … [Vos] skeptical about giving increased aid to local governments … particularly doubtful about further helping the city of Madison, calling
TOP STORIES Wisconsin’s 10 GOP electors formally cast votes for Donald Trump, JD Vance4 years ago, a different group of Republicans signed fake documents as part of a false electors scheme … Under a process laid out in the U.S. Constitution, states around the country met Tuesday to finalize their
TOP STORIES Madison school shooting is Wisconsin’s deadliest on record… [15-y/o female] student shot and killed a teacher and fellow student and wounded at least six others at Abundant Life Christian School in east Madison [390 students, K-12] … the deadliest Wisconsin school shooting ever recorded in a federal database
TOP STORIES Hesselbein to revive medical marijuana bill as Senate Democrats weigh new power… already had conversations with Republican leaders, including [LeMahieu, Felzkowski] … thinks recreational legalization is a nonstarter. “But let’s get medicinal out there, because there are a lot of people that could benefit from that,” she said.