Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su touted the ripple effect of Microsoft’s planned $3.3 billion Wisconsin AI datacenter while visiting a mine that will supply materials for its construction.  She spoke yesterday at the Payne & Dolan mine in Franklin after taking a tour of the facilities. It conducts aggregate

A leadership program for Black professionals in Milwaukee is kicking off its 15th cohort this year, helping more participants advance their careers and sharpen critical skills.  That’s according to Angela Adams, interim president of the African American Leadership Alliance of Milwaukee. She spoke yesterday alongside Hispanic Collaborative President Nancy Hernandez

Six Madison-area startup companies will compete later this month for the chance to meet with Silicon Valley venture capital firms in the fall.  This year’s Pressure Chamber competition, hosted by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, is taking place Aug. 20 as part of Forward Festival. This annual celebration of

The head of Hospital Sisters Health System is slamming a bill from U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, arguing the restrictions and requirements it would place on health care systems are “not feasible.”  HSHS President and CEO Damond Boatwright made the comments in response to the Madison Dem introducing a bill last

Sentry Equipment has been running a co-op program for college students for nearly two decades, offering participants hands-on experience while building a pipeline of skilled workers.  Dave Nowak, vice president of engineering for the Oconomowoc-based sampling equipment manufacturer, is a product of that program. Like many other companies, the business

A proposed commuter rail project in southeastern Wisconsin aims to connect dozens of communities throughout the region while delivering a projected $1.5 billion in economic impact.  That’s according to Jaqulynn Honl, chief operating officer for Transit Innovations LLC. For the last dozen years, this Milwaukee-based company has been working toward

UW Health and Epic say policymakers should provide “targeted investment and support” to ensure AI in health care benefits rural communities and other underserved areas.  The Madison health care system and Verona-based electronic health records business yesterday released a report on how AI should be regulated, drawing from a summit

The Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access is pushing for more state funding to expand broadband in Wisconsin, arguing “federal funds alone won’t solve internet access issues” for state residents.  The task force on Friday issued its fourth annual report, providing an update for ongoing state efforts around improving internet

By Mikel Livingston Permitting reform and interagency communication at all levels are keys for state governments to accommodate rising energy needs, panelists told a collection of lawmakers in Ohio this week. Rising load due to data centers and other energy-intensive users coming online was front and center during a recent

The Governor’s Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence has issued its final action plan, covering a wide array of policy proposals across education, government, workforce and economic development.  The task force held its final meeting at Madison College this week, wrapping up efforts that began with its first meeting

A state biohealth workforce project aims to drive interest in the field, provide specialized training, fill job openings with skilled workers and more.  That’s according to Mark Thomas, chief strategy officer for Madison Area Technical College and leader of the Actualizing Biohealth Career Pathways project, one of several key initiatives

UW-Madison has achieved a “major milestone” in an ongoing energy research project, announcing its fusion device has generated plasma for the first time.  Plasma is superheated material that’s often referred to as the “fourth state of matter,” distinct from solid, liquid and gas, according to an overview from the Massachusetts

–By Brian Clark, for WisBusiness.com When Tania Burke was growing up in Pewaukee, she often hiked with her family at Devil’s Lake State Park near Baraboo. “I loved it,” said Burke, president of Madison-based Trek Travel, which has been leading bicycle tours around the globe for more than two decades.

On Tap at the Brewhouse Inn & Suites is hosting multiple private parties this week for state delegations to the Republican National Convention, featuring custom cheese carvings of Donald Trump as well as the party’s elephant mascot.  Located in the original Pabst Blue Ribbon Brewery building near Fiserv Forum in

Software startup Renaissant will use a recently completed $5 million investment round to fund further development of its logistics platform, the Milwaukee-based company announced.  The Series A funding round was led by Green Bay’s TitletownTech — a venture capital firm created by the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft — and

GOP U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil says it’s “absolutely essential” to seize the opportunity presented by the overturning of the Chevron doctrine to reduce regulations on businesses.  Speaking yesterday during an Association of Equipment Manufacturers panel hosted in Milwaukee on the first day of the Republican National Convention, the Janesville lawmaker

Income inequality has been rising more slowly in Wisconsin than at the national level over the past three decades, though it remains on an upward trajectory.  In a recent UW-Madison Division of Extension report, Prof. Steven Deller examined trends in state and national income inequality. Concerns about how economic growth

Milwaukee’s local economy “took a step back” in May after positive momentum was seen in April, according to the latest Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce report.  Just seven of the 23 economic factors MMAC tracks saw year-over-year improvement in May, compared to 10 positive indicators in April. And only three

Scientists at UW-Madison this summer are testing a device that senses soil nutrients, which could help farmers make better decisions when fertilizing.  The sensor technology created by engineers at the university can be used for real-time monitoring of nitrates in soil, which are essential for growing crops. But excess nitrate

The share of Wisconsin’s electricity generation coming from coal is set to drop from 27% in 2022 to just 13% in 2030, according to a draft report from the state Public Service Commission.  The PSC recently released a draft copy of its latest Strategic Energy Assessment, covering the state’s electricity