Category: State news

The Department of Natural Resources announced Wednesday a series of research projects to improve its population estimates and management practices for white-tailed deer in Wisconsin. The projects, presented at the Natural Resources Board meeting in Madison, will cost just over $2 million. Several will include partnerships with the University of Wisconsin and draw on input from the public.

A report released Wednesday by a conservative Milwaukee think tank attacking Wisconsinâ??s retirement system as too generous and unfair to taxpayers has drawn a stinging response from the Wisconsin State Employees Union.

“Itâ??s no surprise that wealthy interests are pumping out propaganda to erode support for pension plans relied on by lower-wage workers,” said Marty Beil. “Whatâ??s disappointing is that major media outlets give this propaganda great play, while burying news that paints Wisconsinâ??s pension system in a positive light.”

Beil notes that the well-respected Pew Center on the States recently rated the Wisconsin Retirement System a top performer.

The debut forum in a series on financing University of Wisconsin System colleges debated options for funding Tuesday night, as state sources of revenue are continuing to decline.

Four power plants in the University of Wisconsin System may undergo renovations as a result of a Department of Administration report released last week, which claimed they failed to comply with environmental regulations.

With approval of $810 million in federal funds, state officials are moving ahead with plans for high-speed rail service between Milwaukee and Madison – but debate is still raging over where the trains should stop in Madison. As the plan has moved closer to reality, criticism of the airport site has intensified. In both Madison and Milwaukee, among both rail supporters and opponents, critics say the airport is too far from downtown Madison, the state Capitol and the University of Wisconsin-Madison to attract riders heading for those destinations.

The state will install more pollution controls, eliminate coal use or possibly shut down five coal-fired heating plants, the Wisconsin Department of Administration announced Friday. The announcement came the same day the state Department of Natural Resources notified the DOA that five plants were not in compliance and five others needed reviews to determine whether they comply with clean-air regulations. After being sued by the Sierra Club in 2007, the state signed a consent decree that resulted in the elimination of coal at two state-owned plants: UW-Madisonâ??s Charter Street Heating Plant and the Capitol Heating Plant in Downtown Madison.

At least five more state-run power plants are not in compliance with federal clean air regulations and need to install tighter pollution controls, Gov. Jim Doyleâ??s administration acknowledged Friday. The Department of Administration said it would reduce coal use, use cleaner alternative fuels or otherwise limit emissions at plants that heat UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-River Falls and Mendota Mental Health Institute.

At least five more state-run power plants are not in compliance with federal clean air regulations and need to install tighter pollution controls, Gov. Jim Doyleâ??s administration acknowledged Friday.The Department of Administration said it would reduce coal use, use cleaner alternative fuels or otherwise limit emissions at plants that heat UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-River Falls and Mendota Mental Health Institute.

The state of Wisconsin gets positive marks for its pension fund under a new report issued by the Pew Center on the States.

Wisconsin was one of nine states designated as being a solid performer when it comes to state retiree health care and other non-pension benefits.

What the report didnâ??t mention, however, is that the State of Wisconsin Investment Board will begin using borrowed money to try and boost performance.

The Sierra Club sued the state Department of Natural Resources on Monday to obtain public records that it requested in October. The records involve four University of Wisconsin System coal-fired power plants that the environmental group alleges have been violating the federal Clean Air Act. The plants are at the campuses of UW-La Crosse, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Stout in Menomonie.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Sierra Club is asking a judge to force the Department of Natural Resources to release public records related to alleged Clean Air Act violations at state-run power plants.

In a lawsuit filed Monday, the environmental group alleges the DNR is violating the stateâ??s open records law by failing to release the records.

The Sierra Club asked in October for DNR records related to its claims that power plants at UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stout, UW-La Crosse and UW-Eau Claire should be required to install pollution controls.

A new film documents the life of William Kunstler, the famed and infamous civil rights attorney, who helped with the defense of Karl Armstrong in 1973 and delivered a riveting courtroom speech.

An Internet payday loan company will pay $180,000 and forgive debts owed by customers who took out loans under a class action settlement with the state of Wisconsin. The Consumer Law Litigation Clinic at University of Wisconsin-Madison filed the class action lawsuit, which was later joined by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. The complaint alleged Arrowheadâ??s loan contracts violated certain provisions of the Wisconsin Consumer Act.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted by a wide margin last week to confirm the nomination of former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler to serve as chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.

And rightly so. There was no overstatement on the part of Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., when he hailed Butlerâ??s â??intelligence, diligence, humility and integrity.â?

University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly has appointed a new commission to help make the case for increasing employee salaries.

A new state bill proposed in the wake of University of Wisconsin junior Brittany Zimmermannâ??s murder would stop individuals and media outlets from accessing audio recordings of 911 calls to protect the victims and their families.

A bill sought by the family of slain UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann would end the publicâ??s right to receive 911 tapes and replace that with transcripts.

The state auditor is warning that the University of Wisconsin Systemâ??s aging payroll program could be compromised because of weak financial controls.

Wisconsin International University could be forced to change its name. So might Heed University. And a job applicant who recently tried to claim a phony degree from Madison Business College could be criminally prosecuted.

Mentions that the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is studying whether MPS students involved in SAGE programming in the early grades scored higher on state tests in later grades. Results should be out later this year.

Former Department of Natural Resources secretary Darrell Bazzell has been appointed by Gov. Jim Doyle to the Dane County Regional Transit Authority.

“I am honored to be Gov. Doyleâ??s appointee to this important new authority,” Bazzell said in a news release. “I look forward to working with regional partners in developing a sound transportation strategy that will serve our region well for years to come.”

Bazzell is vice chancellor for administration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and also serves as a senior adviser to the chancellor and provost.

Gov. Jim Doyle spoke to state lawmakers and Wisconsin citizens Tuesday night in his annual State of the State Address.

Amid a $2.7 billion budget deficit and concerns over health care reform and job loss, Gov. Jim Doyle delivered his eighth and final State of the State Address Tuesday, focusing on green job creation, health care reform and education.

Q. When the UW-Madison Charter Street Power Plant is converted to burning biomass (such as wood, wood waste and switchgrass), what impact will it have on traffic in the area?

A. â??We do anticipate that switching from coal to biomass will impact traffic on and around campus,â? said Carla Vigue, a spokeswoman for the Department of Administration, which oversees state buildings.