Wisconsin banks are going into 2025 with a “mixture of hope and hesitation,” as optimism about the policies of the incoming Trump administration meet uncertainty and economic headwinds.  That’s according to Rose Oswald Poels, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Bankers Association. The group yesterday released its annual Wisconsin Economic

The latest WMC survey finds fewer businesses are struggling to find workers amid high expectations for profitability in the coming six months.  Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce yesterday released results from the Wisconsin Employer Survey, which tapped 153 executives by email and traditional mail at companies of all sizes from across

GOP lawmakers recently circulated a bill that would require developers to get signoff from each city, village and town in which a solar or wind project would be built before they could seek approval from the PSC. Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, and Rep. Travis Tranel, R-Cuba City last week

Black, Latino and Native American businesses remain underrepresented in Wisconsin’s economy, a series of UW-Madison reports show.  The university’s Community Economic Development program recently released the reports on Black, Latino, Asian, and Native-owned companies in the state, detailing their growth over time as well as persistent challenges for each minority

A UW-Madison expert warns of “significant” economic damage in the state if a circulating strain of the bird flu hits Wisconsin’s dairy industry.  California declared an emergency in December after discovering bird flu in more than 600 dairy herds, raising concerns about the disease spreading further in 2025.  Prof. Keith

Thirty projects aimed at boosting Wisconsin’s food production industry are getting $23.2 million through a USDA infrastructure program, state and federal officials announced.  Funding for the projects comes from the agency’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program, which aims to strengthen the “middle of the food supply chain,” expanding markets for

Banks and credit unions across the country are more optimistic about growth in 2025 despite growing concerns about fraud and cybersecurity, according to surveys from Milwaukee-based accounting firm Wipfli.  The company recently released survey results for the U.S. banking and credit union industries, exploring top challenges for financial institutions as

Wisconsin utilities are making a renewed push on legislation to give them first shot at building new infrastructure, this time armed with a report suggesting ratepayers would save $1 billion over the next 40 years via the plan. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu told WisPolitics last week he wants the

Both monthly home sales and total statewide listings were up over the year in November even as the state’s median home price continued to rise, the Wisconsin Realtors Association reports.  Wisconsin had a total of 5,508 homes sold last month, an increase of 1.7% from November 2023 when 5,417 homes

Wisconsin’s current transportation funding system is unsustainable, according to a former state transportation secretary.  Speaking during a recent Wisconsin Policy Forum panel, former Department of Transportation Secretary Mark Gottlieb argued any state transportation funding structure should be adequate, sustainable and equitable “across different user types” and socioeconomic groups.  “The… Please

The board for the regional transmission group MISO has OK’d a portfolio with dozens of projects, including several in Wisconsin, that will set the stage for further clean energy investments.  The Midcontinent Independent System Operator handles transmission planning and energy and capacity markets for more than a dozen U.S. states

Bankers in Wisconsin view the state’s economy more favorably now than earlier this year, according to the latest executive survey from the Wisconsin Bankers Association.  The group’s latest Economic Conditions Survey of bank CEOs found 83% rate the state economy as good or excellent, up from 76% in the mid-year

Foxconn is eligible for more than $8.7 million in state tax credits for the 2023 fiscal year, according to the latest annual review from WEDC.  The Taiwanese tech company, through multiple subsidiaries operating in Wisconsin, earned the annual tax credits by creating 1,114 jobs and making more than $24 million

Agricultural observers in Wisconsin are leery of Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan, saying it could deal a multi-billion dollar blow to the state’s ag industry.  Trump has pledged to declare a national emergency after he’s inaugurated in January in order to deport immigrants living in the country illegally en masse,

Green Bay venture capital firm TitletownTech has announced an investment in Realta Fusion, a Madison-based startup developing fusion energy technology.  Yesterday’s announcement touted the startup’s “modular compact magnetic mirror” technology, which confines high-temperature plasma between two superconducting magnets. The powerful magnetic fields cause charged particles to bounce back and forth

Scientists at UW-Madison have created a new method for quickly detecting small molecules, which has possible applications in military, environmental and health fields.  Vatsan Raman, a biochemistry professor at the university, led the team that created the Sensor-seq method. This approach can screen tens of thousands of protein mutations at

Madison-based RadUnity has received FDA clearance for its time-saving medical imaging product, clearing the way for commercial distribution.  The startup company recently announced the federal agency approved its 510(k) Class II Medical Device application, which founder Tim Szczykutowicz says will help secure additional funding and expand the team.  He launched

By Larry Sandler  For WisBusiness.com — With ridership running ahead of expectations on Amtrak’s new Borealis, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is studying whether to add a second daily round trip between Chicago, Milwaukee and the Twin Cities. At the same time, the agency’s rail chief says a recently funded

Higher education leaders in Wisconsin stressed the importance of financial aid programs under the U.S. Department of Education continuing, even if incoming President Donald Trump follows through on his plan to eliminate the federal agency.  Speaking yesterday in Madison during a Wisconsin Technology Council luncheon co-sponsored by WisPolitics, Universities of

The state Department of Transportation is launching a pilot program to study the carbon emissions of construction materials with $32 million in newly announced federal funds.  Gov. Tony Evers yesterday announced the grant from a U.S. Department of Transportation program, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act. The state DOT will