Lowering construction costs to boost U.S. housing inventories will be key to reducing inflation, a top national economist told attendees of the Wisconsin Economic Forecast Luncheon.  Robert Dietz is the chief economist and senior vice president for economics and housing policy for the National Association of Home Builders. He was

UW-Madison spin-off companies have a $12.4 billion annual economic impact in the state, making up nearly a third of the $38.9 billion total for the university, its affiliated organizations and startups.  That’s according to a new report released yesterday by the university, which shows its total jobs impact is 287,232,

State utility regulators rejected a proposal that would have required ratepayers to share the cost of new power plants built for data centers.  Data centers in We Energies’ coverage area will instead be expected to pay the whole cost of new “bespoke” power generation built to serve the energy-guzzling facilities,

A $30 million U.S. Navy contract recently awarded to Fincantieri Marinette Marine will lay the groundwork for building four or more new landing vessels at its shipyards in the state.  The company last week announced the contract for materials procurement and engineering activities for these first four ships out of

Dane County’s housing market is facing slower inventory growth and faster price increases than expected, according to an analysis from Stark County Realtors CEO David Stark.  “Only three months into the new year we’ve already had more curve balls thrown our way than we normally get in a full year,”

The proposed Hiawatha West extension of Amtrak service from Milwaukee to Madison would result in more than $20 million in projected visitor spending based on ridership forecasts.  That’s according to Arun Rao, senior director of network development for Amtrak, who discussed the proposed project’s status during a recent public webinar.

The co-chair of the Wisconsin Defense Industry Council is calling for a unified long-term approach to growing the state’s defense sector, arguing “we’ve got to prove ourselves” to improve Wisconsin’s standing.  Maj. Gen. Ernie Litynski, who’s also president of RBP Chemical Technology, spoke yesterday during a WisPolitics-State Affairs-UW-Milwaukee event in

The Wisconsin Policy Forum is proposing a new joint commission to assess property in Milwaukee County, which could lead to more “timely, accurate and uniform” assessments and other benefits with a trade-off of higher costs.  That’s according to the group’s latest report on this topic, which notes Wisconsin is the

A Wisconsin ratepayer advocacy group says We Energies’ proposed “very large customer” rate for data centers could shield other customers from cost increases, though it’s calling for several changes to the plan.  Citizens Utility Board Executive Director Tom Content yesterday weighed in on the utility company’s proposal during a panel

Gov. Tony Evers has signed into law a bipartisan compromise to combat PFAS contamination, capping a yearslong standoff with the Legislature and opening the door for new aid for Wisconsinites tackling the “forever chemicals.” Evers and lawmakers have been working toward a compromise on PFAS since the Legislature first set

This year’s spring cohort for the gBETA Madison startup accelerator includes companies developing at-home health tests, manufacturing technologies, health care operations software and more.  Organizers for the program recently announced the five startup companies chosen for the free, seven-week experience, which aims to prepare entrepreneurs for participating in equity-based accelerators

By Larry Sandler For WisBusiness.com  Jim Doyle still dreams of what might have been.  The former Wisconsin Democratic governor backs a revived plan to extend Amtrak service from Milwaukee to Madison. But he bemoans the loss of the more extensive plan he championed 16 years ago.  In January 2010, Doyle’s

While Wisconsin gas prices remain lower than the national average, they’ve jumped by nearly a third over the past month amid the conflict in Iran.  The state Department of Revenue’s latest economic update report shows retail prices of gasoline in Wisconsin averaged $3.62 per gallon on Tuesday, below the national

More than 20,000 international cruise ship passengers are expected to visit Milwaukee this year as Great Lakes tourism continues to expand in the region.  That’s according to the former head of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, Adam Tindall-Schlicht, who addressed members of the Rotary Club of Milwaukee

Gov. Tony Evers has signed into law dozens of changes to worker’s compensation in the state, from expanding PTSD coverage for some first responders to boosting certain disability benefit rates.  The Dem guv yesterday signed AB 651 at the Wisconsin State Council of Machinists Annual Conference, his office announced. The

Federal changes to wage rates under the H-2A migrant labor program are expected to lower costs for employers in Wisconsin and elsewhere, though advocates are raising concerns about the impact on workers whose pay will drop dramatically.  Most of the workers coming to Wisconsin under the program could see their