A new poll from the Dem firm Public Policy Polling finds Gov. Scott Walker trailing a generic Dem opponent and his job approval numbers upside down. Forty-three percent of voters surveyed approve of the job he’s doing, while 49 percent do not. Meanwhile, a generic Dem opponent led 48-43. Other

Airbnb says it’s collected almost $550,000 in occupancy taxes over the first three months of a deal with the state, outpacing projections. Under the tax agreement, reached between the state Department of Revenue and Airbnb in June, Airbnb collects occupancy taxes from people who use its app to rent out

Twenty Dems signed onto a letter this week decrying UW System President Ray Cross’ plan to merge two-year colleges with four-year campuses. Among the concerns detailed in yesterday’s letter is that the merger proposal won’t “maintain adequate access to higher education” and could ultimately “pen the door to campus closures

DOC has tapped agency Juvenile Correction Administrator John Paquin to be interim superintendent of the state’s troubled youth prisons. This follows a request from the guv to put someone in charge temporarily during the search for a permanent hire. In his role as administrator, the superintendent for Lincoln Hills and

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The conservative Restoration PAC released a new TV ad today that compares GOP Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson to Ronald Reagan and says the former Marine and businessman is the best candidate to beat “ultra-liberal Tammy Baldwin.” The PAC announced a $625,000 statewide

Lawmakers today unveiled a bill that looks to better help detect breast cancer among women, particularly those with dense breast tissue. The bill, from Rep. Mike Rohrkaste, R-Neenah, and Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, would require facilities that perform mammograms to notify women who have dense breast tissue. Dense tissue

Gov. Scott Walker was in northern Wisconsin today to announce the DNR will move its forestry headquarters to Rhinelander from Madison. Forestry will be the only of the DNR’s five divisions with its headquarters outside of Madison. The move was included in the 2015-17 state budget. “When you just look

Gov. Scott Walker said he still has no plans to visit the Lincoln Hills youth prison in northern Wisconsin, even after further reports of inmate abuse on staff. Walker praised Corrections Secretary Jon Litscher for his leadership and the guv said he trusts him. “The important thing is to listen

Nine of state Sen. Leah Vukmir’s GOP legislative colleagues contributed to her U.S. Senate campaign in the third quarter as she finished the period with $233,964 in the bank, according to her campaign finance report. Vukmir’s campaign said earlier this month the Brookfield Republican raised nearly $250,000 during her first

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Scott Walker called on the Department of Corrections today to appoint an interim superintendent of the state’s juvenile prisons, following attacks on staff. In the letter, Walker suggested “violent individuals in these institutions have become emboldened following repeated media reports and

Two bills seeking to promote healthier eating among food stamp recipients cleared an Assembly committee this morning — although one passed with Dem support while the other did not. AB 501, which won the votes of all three of the committee’s Dems and ultimately passed with unanimous support, would create

The Walker administration is increasing reimbursement rates for professionals treating those with mental health and substance abuse issues. The bump of about $17 million includes $7 million in state funding, which a DHS spokeswoman said would come from the existing Medicaid budget. Gov. Scott Walker said the move was designed

A coalition backing legislation that would ban the sale of fetal tissue from abortion and a companion bill said both must clear committee by early November to have a chance of becoming law this session. Still, two key legislators pushing the bills said they don’t have assurances from leadership the

Dems today used a May audit to cast doubt on whether the state’s job agency is up to overseeing the $3 billion Foxconn incentive package in the coming years. Still, others on the Legislative Audit Committee commended the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation for the improvements noted by the audit, while

More than half of Milwaukee-area adults say Foxconn would “substantially improve” the area economy, according to a new Marquette University Law School Poll out today. The poll surveyed residents of five Milwaukee-area counties: Milwaukee, Racine, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties. It found that while 54 percent of respondents across those