All articles tagged with #wisconsin
Two federal judges rejected the Justice Department's effort to compel Maine and Wisconsin to turn over their voter rolls, marking a setback for federal attempts to oversee voter-roll updates in these states.
Federal judges in Maine and Wisconsin rejected the DOJ’s attempts to obtain unredacted voter registration lists, marking the seventh and eighth losses in a wave of cases against more than two dozen states; rulings say the Civil Rights Act does not authorize blanket production of statewide lists under HAVA/NVRA, underscoring federalism limits in election administration, while the DOJ continues lawsuits in about 30 jurisdictions.
Wisconsin is seeing an early tick surge as unseasonably warm March weather wakes ticks, leading to more tick-bite ER visits; although wood ticks are common, the deer tick is the main public-health threat because it can transmit Lyme disease, and more tiny nymphs are expected in the coming weeks; watch for fatigue, stiff neck, or rash as possible Lyme symptoms; protect yourself by showering after outdoor time, treating clothing with permethrin, wearing light-colored clothing and tucking pants into socks, using lint rollers, and taking steps to protect pets; Wisconsinites can also join The Tick App, a research effort to track tick encounters.
A Marshfield Clinic-led study through the Tick Inventory via Citizen Science found that 51% of 707 non-engorged adult female deer ticks tested in 2024 carried Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, with additional data from 2024–25. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in the Upper Midwest, and ticks can carry other pathogens; climate shifts are expanding tick ranges, increasing human exposure risk; researchers emphasize mapping pathogen prevalence to guide public health responses.
Schlitz, the Milwaukee-born beer that once topped global markets, is being discontinued after 177 years. A final 80-barrel batch will be brewed May 23 at Wisconsin Brewing Company in Verona, using an 80-year-old recipe to recreate Schlitz in its heyday, with the batch expected to reach fans June 27 at a commemorative event. Pre-orders open May 23. The brand’s decline followed production missteps and Budweiser’s rise, with ownership moving from Schlitz to Stroh in 1992, then to Pabst in 1999, which is winding it down.
Two high-speed police pursuits are highlighted: in Arkansas, a 3-year-old climbs out of a flipped car after a pursuit, and in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, a car goes airborne during a separate chase. The piece notes the dangers of chases, with 3,336 people killed in U.S. pursuits from 2017–2022, including more than 550 bystanders, contributing to reforms like the NYPD banning high-speed chases for low-level offenses.
An FBI agent visited the home of Milwaukee County’s elections director to question her about 2020 absentee ballots, signaling ongoing federal scrutiny of Wisconsin’s election results; officials emphasize the process was fair, ballots are intact (not destroyed), and multiple recounts and audits have affirmed Biden’s victory, while authorities have signaled broader investigations and officials resist relitigating the results.
Senator Tammy Baldwin renews her push for free over-the-air access to nationally televised games for teams based in Wisconsin and criticizes Netflix’s exclusive streaming of the Packers–Rams game on Thanksgiving Eve, tying it to her For the Fans Act amid ongoing NFL broadcasting and antitrust scrutiny.
Federal agents sought to interview Milwaukee County's elections director; an FBI agent visited her private residence, prompting the county clerk to say the inquiry should have gone through the Election Commission's office and that the county will cooperate with legitimate law enforcement while defending voters' rights. The move is part of a broader federal focus on election administration in several states, with the FBI not commenting on the case.
Gov. Tony Evers and GOP leaders unveiled an about $1.8 billion plan to spend Wisconsin’s budget surplus on tax relief and education, including $850 million in direct payments, eliminating state income tax on overtime pay and tipped earnings, and boosting K-12 funding by $600 million, while leaving the rainy-day fund intact. The package would mail up to $600 per married couple or $300 per person to roughly 3 million residents by November, but drew criticism from Senate Democrats and gubernatorial candidates who call it expensive; leaders say votes are likely after a special-session path, with the budget committee moving it on Tuesday and full Legislature debate possible as early as Wednesday.
Paleontologists describe 437-million-year-old fossils of the aquatic arthropod Waukartus muscularis from Wisconsin, showing uniramous limbs akin to land-dwelling relatives and suggesting myriapods developed many legs underwater before ever reaching land, with the loss of branched exopods occurring prior to terrestrialization and reshaping how we understand the evolution of land-walking traits.
Iowa State has secured Donovan Davis, a Wisconsin standout, extending the Cyclone Expressway from Wisconsin to Ames as part of T.J. Otzelberger’s Midwest recruiting push; Davis becomes the 25th Wisconsin recruit to ISU in about 20 seasons, underscoring ISU’s Wisconsin pipeline and Midwest footprint.
Protests at a Wisconsin dog-breeding operation led to the relocation and safety of about 1,500 beagles, with animal-welfare groups coordinating with authorities to move the dogs to shelters and rescues as investigations into conditions continue.
Outagamie County will start a roadway reconstruction project on County N between the Buchanan/Emons Road roundabout and County KK on Monday, May 4, with work running through September 2026. Local access to properties is maintained; the existing roundabout will stay open to Buchanan and Emons Road traffic until early June. A detour posted on the county page uses County KK, STH 55, and County CE.
More than 1,500 beagles from Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin are being adopted out through rescue groups led by Big Dog Ranch Rescue and The Center for a Humane Economy, with hundreds staying in-state and the rest headed to homes nationwide. The effort includes vaccines, spaying/neutering, and care as adopters are screened and dogs are prepared for their new lives.