Written by Benny Witkovsky, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. His dissertation examines nonpartisan politics and polarization in small cities in Wisconsin.
Category: State news
Gov. Evers announces free birth control for BadgerCare recipients
“This is a huge step in the right direction to break down barriers to access contraceptives,” Dr. Abigail Cutler, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Public Health said.
Could Ron Johnson be the next Republican Leader in the Senate? He isn’t saying no.
Johnson “has become an influential voice in his party because of his outspoken nature and eagerness to weigh in on issues even when his position is unpopular,” said Barry Burden, a UW-Madison political science professor and the director of the Elections Research Centerthere, in an email.
“But Johnson is unlikely to become party leader because he has not developed a network of trusting relationships with his colleagues,” Burden continued. “Although fellow Republicans often appreciate his bold critiques of Democrats and other authority figures, Johnson has not shown himself to be a coalition builder who carefully attends to the concerns of his Senate colleagues. He tends to oppose measures that are moving forward rather than finding ways to bring them to fruition.”
Computer and data science school starts new fundraising project amid budget deficit for building
The School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (CDIS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is currently facing a $15 million budget shortage for construction of its new building, set to open in 2025.
UW-Madison moves to protect itself from future anti-DEI legislation
Months after a controversial deal which exchanged funds for capped diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) positions, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is looking for ways to protect itself and fight against a nationwide anti-DEI movement.
Private funds and elections: What voters need to know about the April 2 referendums
Supporters of the amendment argue outside money can “create undue influence on elections and the work of election officials,” said Emily Lau, a staff attorney with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s State Democracy Research Initiative. Lau said that can hamper trust in elections.
Those opposed to the amendment say election work is underfunded, which sows distrust as well.
“There are concerns that bans on private funding without accompanying guarantees of adequate and sufficient public funding could impede the work of election officials,” said Lau.
Lower fishing bag limits aim to help struggling walleye
Zach Feiner is a research scientist at the state Department of Natural Resources and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Limnology. On WPR’s “The Morning Show,” Feiner said the state hopes lowering the number of fish caught can help walleye recover.
Wisconsin plants ‘confused’ by mild winter, now freezing temps
“For the staff here, it’s tracking these events over time, and seeing how they differ between different years,” said UW-Madison Arboretum ecologist Brad Herrick.
He’s worked there for 17 years, so he’s able to compare each season. He said this year is a weird one.
“We’ve had really sharp temperature swings from February on,” he said.
Breaking down the constitutional amendments on Wisconsin’s primary ballot
“This is the money that private give to city clerks to spend for the purposes of helping people get to the polls and cast votes,” Howard Schweber, a political science professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, said.
Kathleen Gallagher: We need to rethink the role of UW-Madison and Wisconsin’s economy. Chancellor Mnookin seems to be on the right path
Republican legislators’ assault on University of Wisconsin System campuses’ diversity, equity and inclusion offices failed to address the problem the politicians purportedly wanted to solve: Ensuring the state’s universities, particularly UW-Madison, help grow Wisconsin’s economy.
If TikTok gets banned, Wisconsin influencers would have to adjust
It is not yet clear whether the bill that passed the House will get a vote in the Senate. President Joe Biden has said he would sign the bill if it passes.
Even if that happens, there would surely be legal challenges, said University of Wisconsin-Madison law school professor Anuj Desai.
“I suspect the government’s first defense, so to speak, is this is not a ban on TikTok,” Desai said. “It is an attempt to get ByteDance to sell TikTok to an American company.”
Is ‘uncommitted’ an option for the Wisconsin Democratic primary?
A vote for uninstructed delegation is a voter telling delegates to vote for whoever they think is best at August’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, including Biden, said Derek Clinger, a senior staff attorney with the University of Wisconsin Law School’s State Democracy Research Initiative — provided that enough voters cast their ballots for the uncommitted option.
Here’s what the Wisconsin Legislature did (and didn’t do) in its final months of session
Another bill that took months to take shape was a deal between Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents. Vos wanted to do away with positions related to DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion. In exchange, he agreed to approve UW staff raises and building projects that were included in the state budget.
Evers, who was critical of the deal, eventually signed off on multiple components, including $700 million for building projects like a new engineering building at UW-Madison and guaranteed admission to the UW for the top-performing students in each graduating class across the state.
UW-Madison seeks renovations for aging facilities in 2023-29 capital project requests
Renovations and buildings requested at UW-Madison included: A Camp Randall sports center replacement at $285 millionA replacement engineering building at $347.3 million Music Hall restoration at $39.8 million.
The planning behind prescribed burns; Amphibians and pollution
Includes interviews with Jeb Barzen, an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture and Jessica Hua, an associate professor in forest and wildlife ecology, both at UW-Madison.
Pretending local elections aren’t partisan is actually making voters angrier
Written by Benny Witkovsky, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. His dissertation examines nonpartisan politics and polarization in small cities in Wisconsin.
‘Record-breaker by far’: Wisconsin sees its warmest winter on record
Steve Vavrus, director of the Wisconsin State Climatology Office, said this winter was a “whopping” 2 degrees warmer than the previous record of 26.1 degrees set back in the winter of 2001-2002. He noted previous records were closer in the rankings.
Wisconsin’s pay gap between men and women is worse than the national gap
The pay gap for men and women in Wisconsin is worse than the gap between genders nationally, even as female representation on the state’s corporate boards continues to grow.
Nationally, women working in full-time, year-round jobs earn about 84 cents for every dollar a man makes, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. In Wisconsin, women make nearly 81 cents to every dollar a man makes, Census Bureau data shows.
A recent report from the University of Wisconsin-Extension found the pay gap persists, even for those with college degrees.
Wisconsin Republicans pass restrictions on transgender athletes as state Senate wraps up busy final day
Republicans fired eight of Evers’ appointees to various state boards Tuesday, including the the first Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents members to be rejected by the Senate since 1991.
Wisconsin’s wildfire season is beginning fast, with risk above normal
Another factor is the state’s ongoing drought from last year, said Steve Vavrus, Wisconsin’s state climatologist and the assistant director at the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Center for Climatic Research. About 68 percent of Wisconsin is in a drought, according to the latest data from the United States Drought Monitor. With 18.5 percent in a “severe drought” or a level two out of four.
“The concern right now, is that we’re in a drought still from last year. In fact, the drought conditions have worsened quietly in the last few weeks,” Vavrus said. “If we get a few more of the really unseasonably warm days that we had (earlier this month) … there’s legitimate concerns surrounding the higher risk of fire in Wisconsin and elsewhere.”
Are Eric Hovde’s claims about the national debt under Biden, Baldwin correct? We took a look.
One point right off the bat: The 2020 fiscal year ended in September 2020, which means the numbers include the last few months of former President Donald Trump’s time in office.
Overall, Hovde is “pretty close on the actual numbers,” said Menzie Chinn, a professor of public affairs and economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. However, Chinn said, “the basic point is that the numbers are meaningless.”
Senate fires 8 Democratic appointees, including 2 UW Regents
The GOP-controlled state Senate fired eight Democratic appointees Tuesday, including two members of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents who voted against a controversial deal limiting campus diversity positions in exchange for state funding.
DEI deal votes lead senators to reject two Evers Regent appointees
Lawmakers rejected two of Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents Tuesday after the regents voted against a deal to freeze positions related to diversity, equity and inclusion in exchange for funding for the UW.
Wisconsin Senate approves bills restricting transgender athletes, giving Legislature control over federal funds
The Senate also for the first time passed Assembly Joint Resolution 109, a constitutional amendment that’s Wisconsin Republicans’ latest step in their fight against government-run diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Republican lawmakers last year struck a deal requiring the Universities of Wisconsin to restructure its DEI programs, and GOP legislative leaders have said they plan to scrutinize similar programs in state agencies.
Wisconsin Republicans fire 8 more Evers appointees, including regents and judicial watchdogs
Republicans who control the state Senate fired eight more of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees Tuesday, including two Universities of Wisconsin regents who voted against a deal that limited campus diversity and four judicial watchdogs who wouldn’t commit to punishing liberal state Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz.
Senate rejects 8 of Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees, including 2 from the UW Board of Regents
The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate on Tuesday fired eight of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees, including two on the UW Board of Regents whose rejection came after they voted last year against a divisive deal that gives the UW system additional state funding in exchange for scaling back diversity efforts.
Assembly votes to remove UW Regents Board Members, passes proposal to limit DEI programming
Republican lawmakers voted to pass a proposal prohibiting the Universities of Wisconsin System and technical colleges across Wisconsin from using institutional or loyalty pledges that can influence how students are admitted to its universities and faculty is hired.
Wisconsin Senate to vote on regulating AI, giving Legislature control over federal funds
The Senate appears likely to fire John Miller and Dana Wachs, two of the six regents to vote late last year against a sprawling, controversial deal struck by UW system President Jay Rothman and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, that gives about $800 million in funding to the UW system in exchange for changes to the public university system’s diversity programming.
Wisconsin sees ticks active months ahead of schedule
Adult ticks, approximately half of whom are infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, are ready to feed earlier than usual this year.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases at the University of Wisconsin-Madison started to look for ticks in February, almost two months ahead of schedule.
Researchers asked Wisconsinites if they wanted a sandhill crane hunting season. Here’s what they found.
Fewer than one in five Wisconsinites supports a sandhill crane hunting season in the state, according to a study conducted by University of Wisconsin researchers. And approximately half of Badger State residents oppose such a hunt.
The data are part of an effort by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center to scientifically assess attitudes on hunting the large, long-legged birds.
Wisconsin had record-high construction jobs in January
Menzie Chinn, a macroeconomist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the rise in state construction employment may be tied to a larger national construction boom. Chinn said about one-fifth of the change in employment for January and February is tied to nonresidential construction.
“There’s a big boom in the building of commercial (properties). Not commercial as in stores, but factories,” he said. “I don’t know how much of that is in Wisconsin, but nationwide, that’s a very big factor. There’s a lot of construction going on.”
GOP-led committee recommends rejecting 2 UW regents, both of whom voted against diversity deal
A state Senate committee has recommended rejecting the nominations of two members serving on the state public university board, both of whom voted against a deal struck with the Legislature to restructure campus diversity positions.
UW-Madison is getting its new engineering building. What happens now?
On Wednesday, Gov. Tony Evers signed a measure that gives about $740 million in funding for capital investments to the Universities of Wisconsin, including funds for the new engineering building that rallied massive industry support.
Bonafide Badger or ‘pure California’? Senate messages paint contrasting pictures of Eric Hovde
“I would like to tell you about the man I love, Eric, who is running for the U.S. Senate,” Hovde’s wife, Sharon, says in his Tuesday ad. She calls Hovde a fourth-generation Wisconsinite and notes he graduated from Madison East High School and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
How new maps in Wisconsin will affect Madison-area voters
The new maps create an open seat in and around the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, meaning voters there will have the chance to select new representation.
Gov. Tony Evers to sign into law new engineering building for UW-Madison
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is getting a new engineering building, a widely supported project ensnared for months in a broader political negotiation over campus diversity programs.
Liberal group makes U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil one of its top targets in 2024
While Steil’s seat appears relatively safe, it’s actually “rather competitive,” said University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Barry Burden. Noting that Trump won the 1st District by two points in 2020 while losing the state by less than one point, “even a slight shift in political winds could bring the district into play,” he said.
Wisconsin’s Medicaid postpartum protection lags most of the country
“The year following a delivery is a very important year with huge life changes and where having adequate health care is absolutely essential,” said Dr. Lee Dresang, a family medicine doctor at UW Health and a professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Of the patients he followed with postpartum depression, “exactly zero magically got better at 60 days after delivery,” he said during a legislative hearing.
Explore Wisconsin history through artifacts with PBS Wisconsin Education’s new ‘The Look Back’ collection
PBS Wisconsin Education announces the launch of a new education series called The Look Back, which explores eras from Wisconsin’s history through artifacts. The Look Back was made in collaboration with the Wisconsin Historical Society, University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries, UW–Madison’s Rebecca M. Blank Center for Campus History, Wisconsin educators and learners, and museums around the state.
‘I am a champion for growing Milwaukee’: Takeaways from Cavalier Johnson’s State of the City address
His comments included a reference to a city plan that prioritizes lead service line replacement based most heavily on the area deprivation index, which ranks neighborhoods by “disadvantaged status,” according to the Center for Disparities Research at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Residency, authenticity emerge as early issues in Senate campaign
Even before Hovde formally announced his candidacy, Democrats had spent months casting him as a carpetbagger, who spends more time in California tending to his business interests than in the Badger State. Hovde does own homes in both Wisconsin and California, but he grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Howard Schweber, Jon McCray Jones
Parties in the lawsuit over abortion law in Wisconsin want the state Supreme Court to take the case, bypassing the state’s appeals court — University of Wisconsin Law School professor Howard Schweber described how he thinks the court might consider the issues.
$30 million substance abuse treatment center could come to Milwaukee. It needs city ok
In an interview, Vidal said financing for the development would include $4.9 million Meta House received from the state’s share of a 2022 opioid lawsuit settlement; a $775,000 grant from University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health via American Rescue Plan Act funds; private philanthropy, and federal New Markets Tax Credits − which help finance new commercial buildings in lower-income neighborhoods.
Wisconsin budget committee releases previously withheld funding for UW system projects
The Joint Finance Committee unanimously passed the measure, although Democratic members of the committee criticized their GOP colleagues for holding back the funds in exchange for restructuring the DEI positions.
GOP budget committee releases $32 million previously withheld from UW campuses during diversity dispute
One of the last pieces in a sweeping deal between the University of Wisconsin System and the state Legislature was approved Thursday, moving campuses one step closer to the end of an extended and contentious state budget session.
Republicans release $32M for UW as part of deal limiting DEI programs
The Universities of Wisconsin will receive around $32 million in funding withheld for months by Republican lawmakers amid ongoing efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs on campuses.
Timeline set to shrink Wisconsin men’s hockey rink at Kohl Center
The State Building Commission signed off on plans to build a new football practice facility on the site of the Camp Randall Sports Center and McClain Center, and that project also includes money for the Kohl Center rink project that was estimated to cost about $2.5 million.
UW medical students criticize Senate candidate’s anti-abortion rights stance at news conference
’If we don’t get trained now, Wisconsin will be left with generations of doctors who do not know how to provide adequate abortion care,’ UW medical student says.
Smith: On its 75th anniversary, lessons of “A Sand County Almanac” more relevant than ever
Leopold, born in Iowa in 1887, received a forestry degree from Yale and began his professional career in 1909 with the U.S. Forest Service. In 1924 he became associate director of the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison and in 1933 the University of Wisconsin created a chair of game management for him. Leopold died in 1948 fighting a grass fire on a neighbor’s farm. The property is now part of the Aldo Leopold Foundation near Baraboo.
Epic’s Antitrust Paradox: Who Should Control The Levers Of Healthcare Innovation?
Epic attracts thousands of new employees to the company and area each year, regularly pulling in top tech talent, including the likes of Amazon and Google. The company also has a symbiotic relationship with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with Epic consistently being a “top employer” of UW grads.
Wisconsin Republicans move to amend constitution as Assembly session winds to a close
Assembly Republicans also made good on the final part of a deal struck in December with the Universities of Wisconsin that released pre-approved funding for employee pay raises and building projects in exchange for new limits on campus diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, known as DEI.
Top 5 percent of each graduating class can go to UW-Madison. What about everyone else?
Until this week, Imani Lewis, a junior at J.I. Case High School in Racine, hadn’t put a ton of thought into which college she’ll attend.
Lewis wants to go into biomedicine. She was thinking about attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but planned to look at other schools.
Then she learned about the law Gov. Tony Evers signed into legislation on Tuesday, allowing high schoolers to gain direct admission into UW-Madison if they are in the top 5 percent of their graduating class.
Now, she said, Madison has jumped to the top of her list.
Planned Parenthood asks Wisconsin Supreme Court to rule on constitutional right to abortion
Miriam Seifter, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Law, said similar cases have been brought before state supreme courts across the country since the U.S. Supreme Court ended federal abortion protections in their 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
“At least a dozen state high courts have expressly held that these types of provisions protect abortion, at least to some extent,” Seifter said. “There are a number of others that have reached those types of rulings at the lower court level, but haven’t fully resolved them in the high courts yet.”
Diversity in Wisconsin’s high schools and the future of DEI in higher education
As political battles churn over funding for diversity, equity and inclusion at the Universities of Wisconsin, changing demographics influence how K-12 educators prepare new generations of college students.
Wisconsin Democrats talk a lot about Child Care Counts. But what is it?
A study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Institute for Research on Poverty found the most commonly reported use of Program A funding among providers participating in the study is for physical operating expenses, such as rent and utilities. This was followed by materials and supplies for enhancing the program and then payroll and benefits.
New UW-Madison engineering building approved, DEI targeted again
Lawmakers approved spending millions of dollars for a new engineering building at UW-Madison, part of a funding package sent to Gov. Tony Evers that project advocates cheered as a “long time coming.”
Legislature approves $740M for UW system, including a new engineering building at UW-Madison
The Legislature on Thursday approved about $740 million in capital investments across the Universities of Wisconsin, including a new engineering building at UW-Madison that rallied massive industry support.
Smith: Legislators propose UW study on effects of wake surfing on Wisconsin lakes
With a pro-boating industry bill apparently dead in the Legislature and after a more lake-protective proposal failed to muster support among the Republican caucus, the prospect is dim for any new, statewide wake surfing law to take effect this year in Wisconsin.
But a measure to bolster the science of the impacts of wake-enhanced boating could garner more favor. A proposal announced Tuesday by Republicans would task the University of Wisconsin System with conducting a study on the effects of wake boating.
Wisconsin high school students ranked in top 5% of class guaranteed UW-Madison spot under new law
If you’re a Wisconsin high school student ranked in the top 5% of your class, you’re now guaranteed a seat at the University of Wisconsin-Madison if you want it.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed the Republican-authored bill into law Tuesday. It was part of a broader deal the UW System struck with the GOP-controlled Legislature about diversity programming, pay raises and building projects.
Wisconsin Senate tosses out Evers appointees, limits his hiring power
Earlier in the day, Republican senators voted down three of Evers’ appointments to the board overseeing UW Health operations over questions from conservative lawmakers over the hospital’s abortion policy.