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Category: State news

Republicans advance bill banning critical race theory in schools

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Wisconsin State Journal

During an informational hearing Wednesday on critical race theory by the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, lawmakers spoke with members of the University of Wisconsin System, along with Chris Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and director of the conservative think tank’s critical race theory initiative, and Max Eden, research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

Workers reinstall Wisconsin statues downed in 2020 protest

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AP

The reinstallations come as a task force works to erect a statue of Vel Phillips on the Capitol grounds. Phillips was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School, the first female judge in Milwaukee County and the first Black judge in Wisconsin. She died in 2018.

Gableman talking to conspiracy theorist Shiva Ayyadurai as he reviews Wisconsin’s election

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: Barry Burden, the director of the Election Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said Ayyadurai’s claim can’t be taken seriously.

“His statements about Massachusetts seem completely implausible,” Burden said. “These sort of artificial multipliers and things that he latches onto seem completely detached from reality.”

How Wisconsin is ruled by a shadow governor

Posted on
POLITICO

Then-Gov. Tommy Thompson, a Republican, picked Vos to serve as a student representative on the University of Wisconsin’s board of trustees. Vos was also college roommates with Reince Priebus, who later became chair of the Republican National Committee and Trump’s first White House chief of staff. Priebus didn’t respond to inquiries about Vos.

Bice: Republican AG candidate criticized for speaking favorably last year of Gov. Evers’ pandemic response

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

It’s the third rail of Republican politics in Wisconsin right now.

Do not praise anything that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has done, especially his response to the coronavirus pandemic.

But there was Ryan Owens, a Republican candidate for attorney general, doing just that last year in a podcast produced by the University of Wisconsin-Madison political science department.

“We have to keep our eye on this,” Owens told the “1050 Bascom” podcast on April 6, 2020.

“The governor, to his credit, was ahead of the game when it came to the ‘safer at home’ order,” Owens said of the Evers administration’s March 2020 measure closing schools and nonessential businesses due to COVID-19. “We can quibble around the edges about the treatment of religion and things like that with it, but he was well ahead of a lot of states when he issued that order, to his credit.”

Report: COVID-19 Pandemic Driving Wisconsin’s Alcohol Sales

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: National studies show people have been consuming more alcohol, especially women with young children, during the pandemic, said Julia Sherman, coordinator for the Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School. She said other research has found that people who increased alcohol consumption to cope with natural disasters, like Hurricane Katrina, didn’t slow their drinking afterward.

“And that is the big question,” said Sherman. “Will the drinking subside as this crisis fades? As we are able to get back to normal or the new normal? Will we all go back to the previous level of alcohol consumption? And based on this other reporting, it’s not as likely as we might hope.”

‘It’s a waste of time’: A pair of Republicans take aim at partisan election reviews in Wisconsin

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: Barry Burden, director of the Election Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said at Wednesday’s news conference that the partisan efforts would hurt the public perception of a well-run election.

“They are decreasing confidence in the election system, rather than increasing it, regardless of what they find,” Burden said. “The fact that questions and suspicions and allegations are being launched and there are multiple tracks of reviews happening simultaneously all coming in at different times with different conclusions is likely to undermine the trust that people have in the system.”

Listen Live The Ideas Network Program Schedule Program Notes NPR News & Music Network Program Schedule Music Playlists All Classical Network Program Schedule Music Playlists WPR CORONAVIRUS IN WISCONSIN A red “Now Hiring!” sign located in a grassy field near a county road instructs potential applicants to apply outside. A sign is posted outside of Klondike Cheese Factory on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021, in Monroe, Wis. Angela Major/WPR Evers: End Of Pandemic Unemployment Will Not Solve Worker Shortage

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Wisconsin Public Radio

For months employers, politicians and economists have squared off over what role additional federal unemployment benefits had in contributing to a worker shortage in Wisconsin.

Now that an extra $300 a week in pandemic jobless benefits has ended, the question many have is whether — and when — people will return to the workforce.

“They will, but at a very small margin. Particularly for low wage jobs,” predicts economist Steven Deller from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Report: For working Wisconsin, ‘new normal’ must mean big changes

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Wisconsin Examiner

More jobs, but not a full recovery. Better wages, but fewer unions — and, as a consequence, weaker protections for workers. And gaping inequalities by race and ethnicity.

That’s the picture painted in the 2021 edition of the State of Working Wisconsin, an annual assessment that COWS, a University of Wisconsin research and policy center, has been producing for more than two decades.

COWS Associate Director Laura Dresser acknowledges a widespread urge to get “back to normal” under those conditions.

“But ‘normal’ for low-wage workers has long been unsustainable, leaving too many families struggling to get by,” she writes. “Adding jobs is important, but ensuring strong job quality and supports for low-wage workers is equally important.”

Smith: Milwaukee River assessment highlights value of fish diversity

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: Identifying fish in Wisconsin is easier than ever thanks to an app that can be dowloaded to smartphones.

The app includes color photographs and information on 174 fish species. It was developed by the University of Wisconsin Center for Limnology, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute.

Prehn corresponded with Republican leadership about decision not to step down from Natural Resources Board, emails show

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The embattled chairman of the Natural Resources Board sought and received counsel from aides to Republican state Senate leadership on his decision to not vacate his seat at the end of his six-year term in May, emails show — contrary to claims he hadn’t.

Frederick Prehn solicited advice from and shared information with several people since May, according to documents obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, including Madison lobbyist Scott Meyer, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, and former University of Wisconsin Regent Gerald Whitburn.

Here’s why mosquitos are so bad right now — and why you don’t have to worry too much about West Nile virus

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Green Bay Press-Gazette

“We typically don’t have significant disease concerns with them,” said PJ Liesch, a University of Wisconsin entomologist. “These floodwater mosquitoes can be a nuisance, and they can lead to lots of bites and things like that, but in many cases they aren’t carrying diseases like West Nile virus.”

Wisconsin Pediatricians, State Superintendent Plead For Universal Masks In Schools As Cases Continue Rapid Rise

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: “This is an appeal, really, to school administrators and other officials in schools, and most importantly to parents and anyone whose decision-making about masks in schools,” said Dr. Ellen Wald, a University of Wisconsin-Madison pediatrician who was one of nearly 500 doctors to sign the open letter from UW Health released Wednesday. “We think this is such an important intervention.”

Wald emphasized that masking everyone in schools has universal support among the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and other health agencies.

Tommy Thompson: I have no plans to cede UW COVID policies to lawmakers

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The Capital Times

Column by interim UW System president Thomnpson: The University of Wisconsin System owns a critical responsibility to open our classrooms this September to deliver the in-person education students deserve and parents expect. And we are planning to do just that. Unfortunately, some want us to ignore our unambiguous authority and duty under Wisconsin law to protect the “health, safety, and welfare of the university.”

UW System Refuses To Submit COVID-19 Safety Restrictions For Republican Approval

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Wisconsin Public Radio

University of Wisconsin System interim President Tommy Thompson says he will not comply with an order from Republican state lawmakers to submit COVID-19 safety restrictions and requirements for their approval. Thompson said he doesn’t think the state Legislature will sue over the matter but said if it goes to court he’s confident the UW will win.

Wisconsin Businesses Step Back From In-Office Work Plans As COVID-19 Delta Variant Spikes

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: Steve Deller, an applied economics professor with University of Wisconsin-Madison, said for some businesses, not leasing office spaces has allowed them to bring down operating costs.

“I think three things are happening: a lot of businesses are embracing telecommuting as an alternative to maintaining office spaces; businesses are allowing greater flexibility for some of their workers to continue to telecommute; and finally, some workers are still uncomfortable returning to the office,” Deller said in an email.

But Deller said it’s “too soon to tell” whether shifts to remote work will continue in the long term.

For the sake of rural science students in Wisconsin, we have to get broadband right

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: One of the best examples demonstrating both the limitations and the potential of broadband for science is our collaboration with the Morgridge Institute for Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Each summer, Morgridge holds a series of Rural Summer Science Camps designed to expose students from isolated settings to some of the world’s top scientists who lead them in cool experiments on campus. They are exposed to exciting ideas and the joy of science. Most importantly, kids walk away from these camps with the confidence in knowing “I can compete at this level.”

1 Month After Child Tax Credits Expanded To More Families, Food Insecurity Drops 24 Percent

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: “That’s a great thing in just the first month, I’m guessing that those numbers are going to improve,” said Timothy Smeeding, a University of Wisconsin-Madison economist and child tax credit expert. “The word’s getting out, so I expect it’ll even be better soon for people who really need it.”

The Urban Institute estimates 78 percent of eligible families will be receiving their tax credits by February, though Smeeding said he expects it will take even longer. He’s been working with several groups in Wisconsin to help connect harder-to-reach groups to the payments, especially immigrant families.

“All U.S.-born children who have Social Security numbers are eligible for the child tax payment, but (the families) are gun-shy because they fear public charge rules, they fear all sorts of things that took place under the last administration, and they need trusted people who they can work with,” he said.

State Republicans Are Gambling with the Delta Surge

Posted on
The New Yorker

This followed a demand by state-senate Republicans that the twenty-six campuses of the University of Wisconsin submit all covid safety protocols to legislators for approval. A few hours later, the University of Wisconsin at Madison announced indoor mask requirements to protect students and staff. “Today’s action feels like a political statement,” a university spokesman told reporters, explaining that university leaders “are doing what needs to be done now to safely open for in-person teaching this fall.” (The university system is led by Tommy Thompson, a pragmatic Republican former governor, who once served as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.)

All UW Campuses Enact Mask Requirements, Expectations Amid Rise In COVID-19 Cases

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Every University of Wisconsin System campus in the state has instituted mask requirements or expectations for individuals regardless of their vaccination status as the number of new coronavirus cases rises. The measures come amid an effort by Republican lawmakers to block COVID-19 restrictions at universities.

‘It’s all or nothing’: A small pay bump can cut benefits for Wisconsin workers

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TMJ4

Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison economics professor Timothy Smeeding said the rise in wages for low-income workers means it’s a good time to reassess their jobs and find a better one.

“For those reasons, the job market is in favor of workers right now and turnover is good,” Smeeding said. “When people voluntarily leave jobs, economists think that’s good, because that meant they found something better.”

Milwaukee took a big hit in the new census numbers. The question is whether they’re accurate.

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: “It’s sort of like a race, where you’re only seeing people at the starting line and people at the finishing line but you’re not seeing how they go around the track,” David Egan-Robertson, a demographer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said of the data released every 10 years.

Wisconsin cities look to basic income to close racial, other wealth gaps

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: Stephen Young is a University of Wisconsin-Madison assistant professor who studies basic income programs in the United States and worldwide. Young said universal basic income is not a “magic bullet solution” but an idea that has gained traction in the past decade to “address structural unemployment and poverty.”

The U.S. Census Bureau is releasing key information Thursday. Here’s what to expect in Wisconsin.

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: David Egan-Robertson, a demographer in the Applied Population Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said one of the key points he would be looking at is changes in the state’s race and ethnicity data.

Much of the state’s growth in recent decades has been attributable to an increase in the Hispanic population, he said.

Wisconsin Natural Resources Board Sets Quota Of 300 Wolves For Fall Hunt

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: Adrian Treves, an environmental studies professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the population is at risk of dropping below 350 wolves. A recent study by Treves and other researchers concluded that hunters and poachers might have killed a third of the wolf’s population since the animal’s delisting.

In a statement following the vote, conservation group Wisconsin’s Green Fire said the quota is likely to cut the state’s wolf population in half.

“Removing 300 wolves in another hunt would likely have a destabilizing effect on almost every wolf pack in the state,” said Adrian Wydeven, a former DNR wolf biologist. “There is no other wildlife species where that level of reduction would be acceptable. And it’s highly likely it would trigger a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service review of state management.”

Pandemic Inflation Trends Put Wisconsin Businesses, Consumers Under Pressure

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: “I think that there was some concern that inflation would continue to accelerate,” said Tessa Conroy, an assistant professor of agricultural and applied economics with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Producers haven’t been able to respond with supply as enthusiastically as consumers have responded with demand as the economy has sort of opened back up.”

Conroy said the new numbers indicate the current accelerated inflation is a temporary trend brought on by supply shortages.

“I think that’s hopeful for a lot of consumers in particular, that as some of the short-term problems resolve themselves, prices will stabilize,” said Conroy.

The critical race theory controversy drives an hourslong legislative debate over classroom instruction in Wisconsin

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: “Teachers do not deliberately set out to make students feel bad about themselves. The problem this bill seems to identify, that Wisconsin’s teachers intentionally or otherwise want to make students feel bad, is simply not real,” said Jeremy Stoddard, a University of Wisconsin-Madison curriculum and instruction professor.

“What I fear is that if it becomes law, it will have a chilling effect inhibiting teachers from teaching a full account of history.”

As a new academic year begins, the state should recommit itself to the Wisconsin Idea

Posted on
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

This August, faculty, staff, and more than 160,000 students at the 13 University of Wisconsin campuses are hard at work, getting ready for a new academic year.  Wisconsinites are justifiably proud of the UW System, and with good reason. Our public university system, built on the foundation of the Wisconsin Idea, truly serves every corner of the state.

Worker shortage likely to continue, long-term trends seen as likely in play as well

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Kenosha News

Quoted: According to Noah Williams, director at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy, the state’s labor force participation has been declining for decades as the state’s demographics shift over time.

“The way I think about it is there’s long term trends and then on top of that there’s been the shorter term issues,” Williams said, “The population is aging; it’s aging more rapidly in Wisconsin than in the rest of the country.”

Wildfires Degrading Air Quality In Wisconsin Are Driven By Climate Change

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: Climate change is driving the extreme heat and record-breaking drought that have set the stage for wildfires to burn more than 3 million acres so far this year, according to Jonathan Patz, a professor and director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Patz has served as a lead author for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which warned in its 2018 report that drastic shifts are needed to reduce global warming to stave off the worst effects of climate change.

“These extreme events of drought and heat waves are definitely linked to climate change,” said Patz. “They don’t only affect those states that are burning in the West, but the wildfire smoke travels across the country. We’ve seen very high levels in northern Wisconsin and across the state.”

Steve Nass and Co. make it harder to fight COVID

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Wisconsin State Journal

Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, is insisting that universities seek approval from him and a handful of his skeptical colleagues for masking, vaccine and testing requirements on state campuses. Never mind that University of Wisconsin System schools have adopted and adjusted similar rules for more than a year now, which helped control COVID-19 among students, staff and surrounding communities.

The Truth Behind The So-Called Labor Shortage

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WORT FM

“No one wants to work anymore.” This is a common refrain from business owners around the country as the economy opens back up. Conservative commentators claim that unemployment insurance is keeping people from going back to work and fueling widescale laziness—but is that really what’s going on?

Today on the show, labor economist Laura Dresser joins Thursday host Allen Ruff to challenge these myths of the “labor shortage” narrative. They talk about the working class in Wisconsin, the pandemic economy, the importance of worker power, and the real reason employers are struggling to hire.

Laura Dresser is associate director of the Center On Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) and assistant clinical professor in the School Of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is co-editor of The Gloves-Off Economy: Workplace Standards at the Bottom of America’s Labor Market(Cornell University Press, 2008) and co-author of the annual State of Working Wisconsin report from COWS.

Study: Masks, Social Distancing Still Necessary To Combat COVID-19

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: Thomas Friedrich is a professor of virology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and another study author. He said vaccination, while extremely effective, is not necessarily a magic shield.

“This does not indicate that the vaccine is not effective,” said Friedrich. “What it does mean is that in some people who are vaccinated — at least for a certain amount of time after infection — there’s enough virus around in their systems that they could pass the virus on to others.”

Dave O’Connor, also a UW-Madison professor of virology and the third co-author of the study, said it’s important to continue to recalibrate expectations as circumstances change.

“The vaccines are imperfect, but they’re still going to help keep me out of the hospital right now, and we should be really thankful for that,” said O’Connor. “But we also need to be on guard, because just because we might be done with the virus doesn’t mean the virus is done with us.”

Environmental, Ag Experts Warn Drought Conditions Sign Of What’s To Come With Climate Change

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Much of southern and western Wisconsin has continued to experience abnormally dry conditions this year, with far southeastern Wisconsin seeing severe drought earlier this summer.

But agronomist Chris Kucharik from the University of Wisconsin-Madison said lower precipitation hasn’t had as much of an impact on the state’s crops as he was anticipating.

“I’m a bit surprised at how well the crops have been doing,” Kucharik said. “Honestly, once the crop is in the ground, (farmers) are kind of at the mercy of what happens during the growing season with the weather.”

Wisconsin Wants To Let Hunters Slaughter More Wolves

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HuffPost

Noted: University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers warned in a new study that Wisconsin’s plans for another hunt “raise questions about sustainability.”

The state’s stated goal is maintaining a stable population of wolves, a top predator that helps sustain ecosystem health, study co-author and Madison environmental studies professor Adrian Treves told The National Geographic.

Treves called plans for a November hunt unwise, particularly since officials have no clear understanding of the impact of the February killings. Hunters often seek out the largest animals, for example, which are frequently pack leaders whose loss could leave entire groups to starve to death. The killing of fertile females would further reduce the population.

Charts show 2020 was not as bad a year for the dairy industry, but the crisis continues

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: Even though the situation in the industry remains tough, Mark Stephenson, head of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said “2020 was not as bad a year for dairy farmers.”

Milk prices had been low since 2015 — “for a longer period of time than we’ve seen in quite a while,” according to Stephenson. Farmers did their best to cut costs, and waited for demand to increase and boost prices with it.