Wisconsin

Minnesota Official Wins UW-Whitewater Chancellor job

Watszon Will Begin new job August 1

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A Minnesota academic official is the new chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The UW System Board of Regents announced Thursday that they have given the job to Dwight Watson, provost and vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Southwest Minnesota State University. He replaces former Chancellor Beverly Kopper, who resigned in December after her…

UPDATE: One Dead After Officer Involved Shooting in Ashland

ASHLAND, Wis. – An individual died Wednesday evening after an officer involved shooting took place in the 800 Block of 4th Avenue West in the City of Ashland. According to authorities, U.S. Marshall Officers and local law enforcement attempted to arrest the individual who had a Federal warrant. While attempting to apprehend the subject, the subject entered a vehicle and…

Superior man Arrested for Vandalism

Suspect not yet Formally Charged

SUPERIOR, Wis. – A 19-year-old Superior man has been arrested for his involvement in several incidents of vandalism throughout the city in recent months. According to the Superior Police Department, the man was arrested on Tuesday for the incidents that occurred at Wade Bowl Park and several other locations along Belknap Street. Authorities say the man was cooperative and gave…

Four Arrested in Hayward Shooting Incident

The Incident Remains Under Investigation

HAYWARD, Wis. – Officers with the Hayward Police Department say they responded to multiple calls about shots fired in the area of West Fourth Street on May 14. Soon after, Sawyer County dispatch received a call from an adult male saying he had just been shot at and was following the black Chevy vehicle the suspects fled in. Officers located…

Education Advocates, Business Group Expect Funding Increase

Evers Proposed $1.4 Billion Increase

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Advocates for K-12 schools and the University of Wisconsin System say they think Republicans will want to spend more money on education, but they don’t anticipate it will be as much as Democratic Gov. Tony Evers proposed. Education advocates and the lobbyist for the state chamber of commerce spoke Tuesday at an event organized by the…

Body Found in Vehicle Submerged in Lake Winnebago

An Autopsy is Being Conducted

OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) – Oshkosh police say a body has been recovered from a vehicle submerged in Lake Winnebago. Police say they were notified Monday that there was damage to the railing at the Bowen Street fishing dock, indicating a vehicle may have plunged into the lake. Oshkosh Fire Department divers did an initial search, but didn’t find anything. The…

Budget Panel Approves Tech College Increase

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Republicans on the Legislature’s budget-writing committee have approved more money for Wisconsin’s technical colleges, but fell $11 million short of how much Gov. Tony Evers and Democrats wanted. The Joint Finance Committee is working Thursday on making changes to Evers’ budget before the full Republican-controlled Legislature votes on the two-year spending plan, likely sometime in June….

Kaul Sues Purdue Pharma Over Opioid Marketing Practices

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is suing Oxycontin maker Purdue Pharma over its opioid marketing practices. Kaul filed the lawsuit in state court Thursday. It alleges Purdue Pharma downplayed the addiction risks of opioid pain medication Oxycontin and the company’s former president, Richard Sackler, approved the strategy. The lawsuit alleges the practices amount to a public…

Firefighter Killed, Three Injured in Wisconsin Shooting

This is an Ongoing Investigation

APPLETON, Wis. (AP) — A firefighter responding to a medical emergency was killed in a shooting at a Wisconsin bus station that left three others injured, officials said. The shooting happened after police and firefighters responded to a medical emergency around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Valley Transit in downtown Appleton, fire and police officials said. Appleton Officer Meghan Cash said…

Wisconsin Assembly OKs ‘Born Alive’ Bill

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The state Assembly has passed a so-called “born alive” anti-abortion bill that would require physicians care for babies who survive abortion attempts or face prison. The chamber passed the Republican-authored measure 62-35 on Wednesday, sending it on to the state Senate. GOP leaders in that house expect to vote on the bill next month. Democratic Gov….

Wisconsin Budget Gets $753 Million Boost in tax Collections

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin state budget will have $753 million more than originally expected, thanks largely to a one-time spike in tax collections due to federal tax law changes. The money now becomes available for the Legislature as it’s working on the two-year spending plan. But Republican leaders don’t appear to be on the same page Wednesday about…

Kidnap Victim Jayme Closs Honored by Wisconsin Assembly

MADISON, Wis. – Jayme Closs is being honored by the Wisconsin Assembly as a “hometown hero.” The 13-year-old Closs appeared with family members and friends to receive her honor in the Assembly chamber on Wednesday. It was the most public appearance to date for Closs, who escaped her kidnapper in January after being held captive in a remote northwestern Wisconsin…

Update: One Dead Following Superior Home Explosion

Authorities say There is no Threat to the Public

SUPERIOR, Wis. – According to the Superior Police Department one person was found deceased inside a small home following an explosion in Superior’s Billings Park neighborhood Sunday. The explosion was reported around 10:50 a.m. Sunday on 22nd Street near Corning Avenue. The Superior Police Department, Superior Fire Department and Mayo Clinic Ambulance responded to 2219 North 22nd Street where they…

More People Dying in Wisconsin, but Elderly Living Longer

Deaths in Wisconsin Were up 15% Compared to a Decade ago

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – More people are dying in Wisconsin, but the state’s growing elderly population is living longer. Those are two findings of the annual death report from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The latest report released Monday looks at deaths in 2017. It found that deaths were up 15% compared with a decade ago. But the death…

Wisconsin Republicans Reject Medicaid Expansion

Wisconsin is one of 13 States That Have not Taken Expansion

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Republicans have voted to reject Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ proposals to accept federal Medicaid expansion, legalize medical marijuana and increase the state minimum wage. The Legislature’s GOP-controlled budget committee on Thursday voted along party lines to kill those proposals and dozens of other Evers initiatives. The vote came on the first meeting day of the…

Wisconsin Governor Pushes Back on Medicaid

(AP Photo)MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is urging voters to pressure Republican lawmakers not to kill his Medicaid expansion plan. The Republican-controlled budget committee was to vote Thursday on removing Medicaid expansion and a host of Evers’ other priorities from his two-year spending plan. The vote would kill those priorities for now, but they could be…

Police: Superior Middle School Student Brought Knives to School, Caused Lockdown

No Other Weapons Were Found

SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Superior Police Department has released more details regarding the Superior Middle School being placed on lockdown Tuesday morning. According to police, the school was locked down after a knife fell out of a student’s clothing while playing in the gym. The child admitted to having the knife and also pointed out another knife in the gym….

GOP Sends Evers Letter Complaining About Prison Raises

Nineteen Republicans Sent a Letter Wednesday to Evers

(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Assembly Republicans with prisons in their districts are complaining about Democratic Gov. Tony Evers decision to grant temporary raises at only six institutions. Nineteen Republicans sent a letter Wednesday to Evers on Wednesday saying the raises aren’t fair and compensation should be addressed through the state budget. Evers’ state budget calls for…

UW Tuition Revenue Grew $366.6m Over Decade

The System's Unrestricted Balances Stood at $1.3 Billion as of June 30

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A new audit says tuition revenue at University of Wisconsin System schools grew $336.6 million over the last decade. The report from the Legislative Audit Bureau found tuition revenue grew from $933.4 million in fiscal year 2008-09 to $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2017-18. Resident tuition grew from $125.4 million to $276.3 million. Nonresident tuition increased…

Wisconsin Tourism Industry Generates $21.6 Billion

Most of the Growth is Tied to Recreational Activities

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin’s tourism industry generated $21.6 billion last year. That’s according to a new report from the state Department of Tourism. The report says visitor spending rose nearly 5 percent in 2018 to $13.3 billion. Tourism brought in $1.2 billion in federal taxes, $879 million in state taxes and $703 million in local taxes. Most of the…

Republican Assembly Speaker Open to Legalizing Medical pot

Vos has Supported Limited Legalization for Chronic Medical Conditions

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin’s Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says he hopes to find a way to reach a deal with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on a limited legalization of medical marijuana. Vos on Thursday said Republicans won’t go along with Evers’ more expansive proposal that also includes legalizing small amounts of recreational marijuana. Republicans plan to kill that…

Evers Pledges to ‘Fight Like Hell’ for Medicaid

Some Republican Lawmakers say They're Open to Compromise

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Democratic Gov. Tony Evers says he will “fight like hell” to expand Medicaid in Wisconsin, even though Republican legislative leaders plan to kill his proposal next week. Evers and Democrats vowed at a news conference Thursday to save the proposal and called on voters to pressure Republicans to compromise. They cited public opinion polls that showed…