A burglary of a gun store Tuesday has escalated into a nation-wide search for Joseph Jakubowsky, a Janesville-area man who has reportedly threatened to carry out an attack on an undisclosed location.
The state’s powerful Joint Finance Committee eliminated Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal Thursday that would have allowed UW System students to opt out of paying segregated fees.
Rather than crying over spilled milk, state legislators decided to take action to address the steady price decline of Wisconsin’s dairy industry by writing UW System President Ray Cross urging university researchers to find alternative uses for the dairy product. Wisconsin, championed as the dairy state, is one of the largest producers of milk in the country.
One of the largest referendums in state history passed in the Verona School District Tuesday in large part due to tech corporation Epic.
Crime victims could receive greater protections in the courtroom under a proposal announced Tuesday by state Republicans. The proposal is part of an amendment that would also allow victims to speak out at a greater number of court hearings and to refuse interviews with attorneys for suspects. The legislation, dubbed as “Marsy’s Law,” is part of an effort to increase victims’ rights nationwide.
As the GOP formulates its spending priorities into the new state budget, one proposal from Gov. Scott Walker would lift the sole mandate enforcing a minimum number of hours of instruction per year in Wisconsin schools. The plan would do away with the state law that ensures such criteria in both public and private schools, and also lift time requirements for one-on-one instructor availability for students enrolled in virtual charter schools. Walker’s proposal would make Wisconsin the only state in the country without laws to ensure minimum instruction time for students. “For us, it’s about eliminating the mandate,” Walker told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Monday.
A well-known former state senator recently announced he will not challenge Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin’s 2018 election, making him the most recent of a number of state Democrats who have already ruled out a gubernatorial run.
UW System officials praised Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed budget Thursday in an appearance before the state’s powerful budget-writing committee, saying they were “very pleased” with the suggested funding level. In his testimony, UW System President Ray Cross told the Joint Finance Committee that Walker’s proposed 2017-’19 biennium budget is the most investment in the UW in over a decade. Walker’s proposal calls for $140 million in new funding to the state’s 16 public universities, including $42.5 million tied to each university’s performance in certain metrics.
Gov. Scott Walker appointed two new members to the UW System Board of Regents Wednesday. A Milwaukee attorney and a Green Bay bank executive will join the 18-member board.
Youth who commit crimes could face tougher penalties in Wisconsin due to two bills included in a package of anti-crime bills considered by a state Senate committee Wednesday.
Adults who host underage drinking gatherings in their homes could face fines and jail time as part of a new proposal presented by two state legislators Tuesday. The proposed bill, spearheaded by state Rep. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, and state Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, aims to address binge drinking and drunk driving, issues the lawmakers believe are being exacerbated by a cultural acceptance of underage drinking.
Wisconsinites could be allowed to carry concealed handguns without a permit if a bill proposed by multiple Republican state legislators Tuesday passes. The legislation replaces state gun-free school zone laws, and instead allows individual schools to determine by posting signs whether firearms are prohibited in their school or on school grounds under state trespass law. The bill, which comes six years after licensed concealed weapons were legalized in the state, would also allow people with concealed carry permits to bring guns into places they are currently banned, including school grounds and hospitals, unless signs are posted stating otherwise. Current Wisconsin law states that the exposed carry of a firearm is legal without a license, but it cannot be concealed in any way except for when a permit is obtained. The proposal, also called “Right to Carry” legislation, would eliminate the Wisconsin law requiring that anyone seeking a permit to carry a concealed weapon obtain a license and take a firearms training course.
State legislators are proposing an audit of UW schools’ private foundations, after allegations that UW-Oshkosh officials misused funds by hiding money in the school’s non-profit foundation.
A Wisconsin congressman is working to ensure parents of deceased students are not subject to excessive tax payments.
Enbridge Inc.’s plans to expand its crude oil pipeline in Minnesota has environmental advocates worried it will translate to further pipeline expansion in Wisconsin, despite protests and promises earlier this year. A $39 billion Canadian company, Enbridge owns all crude oil pipelines in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Some people have reason to believe that Enbridge is planning an expansion in Wisconsin, citing the need to support an increase in oil that will come with a line replacement in Minnesota, aging pipes in Wisconsin, legal changes and surveys from landowners. “Enbridge is absolutely going to have to expand their Wisconsin pipelines,” said Phyllis Hasbrouck, Wisconsin Safe Energy Alliance project leader. Enbridge denies these claims. “There’s been no decision regarding plans for a new pipeline in Wisconsin ... besides, it’s a lengthy process and would take a considerable amount of time,” said Scott Suder, manager of State Government Affairs at Enbridge. Additionally, Enbridge is a publicly traded company and would have to alert its stakeholders if it was moving forward with a plan, according to Suder. Enbridge plans to build a replacement for the Line 3 pipeline in Minnesota and abandon the old one, increasing capacity from 390 kilo barrels per day to 760 kilo barrels per day.
With the cost of college increasing by 300 percent over the past 30 years, students have frequently had to grapple with loan debt.
Gov. Scott Walker expressed support of the federal government’s Medicaid reforms Wednesday in response to a letter that was sent to all governors, which aimed to ensure the program will be enhanced and meet each state’s unique needs.
A slew of U.S. senators sent a bipartisan letter to the Environmental Protection Agency Friday urging the agency not to cut funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Amid heavy criticism over a seemingly lack of urgency to process 6,000 untested rape kits throughout Wisconsin, the state’s Department of Justice has pursued a goal of collecting and processing all kits while maintaining a survivor-centered approach.
At a time when many aspects of the UW System have encountered politicization, increasing reporting and investigation of sexual assault on college campuses has become an area of bipartisan support at the Capitol. Both Republicans and Democrats signed onto a bill last session designed to make it easier for survivors who had been drinking to go to law enforcement.
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