Daniel Smith with UW Extension’s integrated pest and crop management says that since February, the temperatures have warmed up and had more precipitation.
Category: State news
FDA suspends milk quality testing
Leonard Polzin, a Dairy Markets and Policy Outreach specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, joined on News 3 Now Live at Four on Thursday about whether you should be concerned.
Three assembly members form Wisconsin’s first Legislative Asian Caucus
Maydev is the first South Asian elected to the Assembly and represents the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus and other parts of the state’s capital city. She noted that her district is about 17% Asian American and she represents the highest concentration of Asian Americans in the state.
State audit reveals gaps in tracking DEI initiative spending at Wisconsin agencies, universities
Republican-ordered audits found April 11 determined Wisconsin state agencies and the University of Wisconsin System failed to track millions of dollars spent on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts during the 2023-24 fiscal year — making it difficult to fully assess the efforts which have been under review due to recent federal orders.
Study: Varying abortion care directives confuse Wisconsin doctors, jeopardize patient health
Led by Dr. Abigail Cutler, a practicing OB-GYN at UW Health, the new study intended to document changes in clinical practice among Wisconsin doctors as a result of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision.
Wisconsin joins over 20 states in lawsuit challenging AmeriCorps funding cuts
Wisconsin joined over 20 states in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s $400 million cuts for AmeriCorps, a federal volunteer program that assists communities with literacy, conservation, homelessness and health care, Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday.
State lawmakers want to pave the way for Wisconsin’s unique nuclear power research
Three of the country’s 25 nuclear fusion companies are located in Wisconsin, with ties to the top-ranked nuclear engineering program at UW-Madison. A package of bills in the state Legislature would pave the way for these companies and others to eventually build fusion reactors in the state.
AFT-Wisconsin wants pro-labor voices on UW Board of Regents
Two UW System regents are reaching the end of their terms next month. Governor Tony Evers is tasked with appointing their replacements.
Union to Evers: appoint pro-labor members to UW Board of Regents
The American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin is waging a public campaign to urge Gov. Tony Evers to appoint two pro-labor representatives to the UW Board of Regents. It’s a first for the teachers’ union, but a necessary move given the danger President Donald Trump poses to higher education, says one union official.
Wisconsin home sales saw double-digit decrease last month compared to 2024
Steve Deller, a professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the seasonality of Wisconsin’s housing market helped insulate the state from similar month-to-month declines.
“I’m not going to rush my purchasing of a house because I think tariffs are going to hit,” Deller said. “I’m going to rush my purchasing of, say, a washer and dryer or refrigerator or a car because I think tariffs are going to cause prices to go up and I want to get them now. The housing market isn’t going to be hit by tariffs the same way.”
Judge Hannah Dugan has all-star legal team, including ‘LeBron James of lawyers’
Richard Frohling, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, oversees the federal team. He has spent much of his career as a prosecutor. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin Law School and working as a law clerk and in private practice, Frohling joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Milwaukee in 2000. He was named first assistant in 2015. He has twice been the Acting U.S. Attorney and briefly served as U.S. attorney in 2022.
New group sees ‘fusion voting’ as a path to ease Wisconsin’s political polarization
Barry Burden, a political science professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the university’s Elections Research Center, said while there is no silver bullet to inject harmony into the state’s politics, “allowing fusion to be used once again in the state has the potential to at least begin moving politics in a healthier direction without any negative side-effects.”
Audit reveals over $40 million in DEI spending across UW System institutions
Joint Legislative Audit Committee examines effectiveness, transparency, outcomes tied to Executive Order 59.
Republican lawmakers renew calls to end UW System DEI following state audit
University of Wisconsin System leadership defended diversity, equity and inclusion policies in a tense hearing after a state audit revealed the system and 15 state agencies failed to track DEI spending.
Wisconsin EMS providers are ‘in crisis.’ Lawmakers have ideas
Belleville Area EMS is fully staffed — which is increasingly rare in Wisconsin — but a drop in volunteers has forced the service to rely on student recruits from the University of Wisconsin-Madison more than on local residents. Belleville also is among a growing number of EMS services shifting from an all-volunteer model to one that leans on some paid staff.
GOP audit committee chair calls state DEI spending ‘rebranded discrimination’ at hearing
The audits released by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau showed the Universities of Wisconsin and state agencies have failed to track millions of dollars spent on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
‘The nuclear renaissance’: Wisconsin lawmakers discuss pro-nuclear energy bills
“It has been many years since new nuclear power plants have been considered in the state of Wisconsin, and in that time there have been many substantial changes in the technology of nuclear energy,” said Paul Wilson, a nuclear engineering professor at UW-Madison, at the hearing.
Heads of UW system, state agencies defend diversity, inclusion practices to audit committee
President of the Dane County NAACP chapter Greg Jones was the only member of the public to testify at a Joint Audit Committee hearing Tuesday on two recent audits into the diversity, equity and inclusion practices of state agencies and the Universities of Wisconsin. His message to lawmakers was simple: listen to individuals’ stories about the impact of diversity, equity and inclusion programs and stay away from politicized attacks on DEI.
DataWatch: Trump’s tariffs and Wisconsin’s economy
“That whipsawing back and forth, that creates a tremendous amount of uncertainty,” said Steven Deller, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who researches the state’s agricultural and manufacturing economy. “And one thing that the economy hates is uncertainty.”
Is Wisconsin having a nuclear energy moment?
“Data centers need electricity all day, every day, not just when the sun’s shining or the wind’s blowing,” said Paul Wilson, who chairs the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Nuclear Engineering.
Rothman continues push for increased UW System funding despite GOP opposition
University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman continued to push for an increase in state funding, defending the system’s 2025-27 biennial budget request at a committee hearing Thursday while impending federal funding cuts cast a long shadow over higher education in Wisconsin.
Visa terminations are ‘deeply troubling,’ seem ‘arbitrary and unjust,’ Mnookin says in newspaper column
In a column published in the Wisconsin State Journal, Mnookin addressed the recent visa terminations of UW-Madison students and alumni. As of Tuesday, the university is aware of the termination of 27 total records, which includes 15 current students and 12 alumni.
‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin
UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin discussed the many issues facing the university, including concerns over federal investigations, funding cuts, and international student visa revocations, as well as the 2025 state budget cycle.
UW-Madison finally breaks ground on hard-won engineering building
UW-Madison officials’ sense of relief Thursday was almost palpable at the official groundbreaking for the new engineering building.
Academic unions rally against Trump, demand action from UW-Madison leaders
More than 250 people gathered on campus to rally against the Trump administration and demand action from UW-Madison higher-ups. The local unions representing university faculty, academic staff, and graduate students organized the demonstration, joining countless others today across the country as part of the National Day of Action for Higher Ed.
Higher education leaders ask lawmakers for state funding as federal cuts loom
Federal funding cuts and national culture war politics cast a long shadow over a state legislative committee hearing Thursday as Wisconsin’s higher education leaders asked lawmakers for additional investments in the next state budget — warning that disinvestment by the state could damage public universities’, private nonprofit schools’ and technical colleges’ ability to serve students and the state.
Evers, campus leaders break ground on UW-Madison engineering building after years of political conflict
Campus leaders and Gov. Tony Evers broke ground Thursday on a new engineering building at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, after long delays and a protracted political funding battle.
Madison Water Utility earns high marks in first-ever Wisconsin water report cards
The report cards, compiled by Manuel Teodoro, a professor at UW-Madison’s La Follete School of Public Affairs, evaluated 572 water utilities using data from 2022 and 2023 provided by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Teodoro’s research team.
Walking tour illuminates Ho-Chunk history at UW-Madison
When former University of Wisconsin-Madison director of tribal relations Aaron Bird Bear was hired in 2003, he was shocked at the lack of representation and resources for Native American students. He saw Native American students’ need for support.
UW-Madison spending protocols under review following leader’s demotion
The Universities of Wisconsin is set to pay a consulting firm $395,000 after a diversity leader at the system’s flagship campus was demoted over financial concerns.
Bird flu and expensive egg prices drive demand for chicks from Wisconsin hatcheries
“January and February were just a disaster,” Ron Kean, a poultry specialist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension, said in an interview last month. “We’ve been pretty fortunate here in Wisconsin, knock on wood.”
Wisconsin’s name-change law raises safety risks for transgender people
This is less privacy than the legal system typically affords young people, confirmed Cary Bloodworth, who directs a family law clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Bloodworth said both child welfare and juvenile courts tend to keep records confidential for a number of reasons, including that what happens in a person’s youth will follow them for a lifetime.
“I certainly think having a higher level of privacy for kids is a good thing,” Bloodworth said, adding that she thinks the publication requirement is unnecessary for people of any age.
Wisconsin and Great Lakes research could suffer under proposed cuts to NOAA
At Wisconsin Sea Grant, the program’s director Christy Remucal said NOAA funding is the largest source of revenue for the program that’s operated for 57 years on state and federal support. Federal funding makes up 32 percent of the program’s funding, or $2.4 million. Wisconsin Sea Grant and its 30 staff support conservation of Great Lakes resources and communities through research, education and outreach.
“We have staff that are working directly with communities and really making a difference on so many different things whether it’s flooding or clean marinas or invasive species,” Remucal said.
Researchers, lawmakers look to turn Wisconsin into the ‘Silicon Valley’ for nuclear energy
A group of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Realta Fusion, a Madison-based nuclear startup, have developed a fusion device in Stoughton that creates the same kind of reaction that fuels the sun and stars. The process is much different than fission, the nuclear reaction that powers current nuclear reactors and the atomic bomb.
Wisconsin sees record start to the fire season as climate change drives more blazes
Volker Radeloff, a forest and wildlife ecology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the interface of wild land and urban areas accounts for roughly 10 percent of the state that’s potentially at risk of wildfires.
Republicans take skeptical view of UW system’s ‘make-or-break’ funding request
At an April 1 hearing, in a sign of what the most contentious issues will be in this year’s state budget, the Republican-controlled budget committee only heard from two state agencies: Corrections and the Universities of Wisconsin system.
UW joins other Big Ten schools in implementing fiscal controls amid federal funding cuts
The University of Wisconsin will implement fiscal controls for the remainder of the 2025 fiscal year including hiring reviews, reductions in non-essential spending and the development of 5% and 10% budget reduction scenarios for fund 101 — a fund dedicated to state tax, federal indirect cost and tuition allocation.
Wisconsin audits find lack of tracking of DEI spending at university system and state agencies
Republican-ordered audits released Friday found that Wisconsin state agencies and the University of Wisconsin system have failed to track the millions of dollars they spent on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, making it difficult to fully assess the initiatives.
State audit finds University of Wisconsin campuses aren’t tracking DEI spending
A highly anticipated state audit found University of Wisconsin System campuses do not track how much they spend on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, or whether the millions spent on these initiatives pay off.
Audits say Wisconsin fails to track DEI spending, GOP renews call to end the programs
State agencies and the University of Wisconsin System failed to adequately track millions of dollars spent on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, according to audits released Friday, fueling ongoing Republican efforts to dismantle such programs.
Wisconsin state agencies, university system failed to track DEI spending, audit reveals
The University of Wisconsin system and several state agencies failed to specifically track spending on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, Wisconsin’s Legislative Audit Bureau (WLAB) recently revealed.
Wisconsin volunteers flock to count sandhill and whooping cranes this weekend
Paul Robbins, dean of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a former board member for the ICF, told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that counting cranes might seem like a simple task, but it’s the only way to get a snapshot of the population around the state.
“Conservation is really based on pretty small numbers of beings in the world, so you actually have to find them and see them,” he said. “And that really requires people to be on the ground.”
Survey of child care providers forecasts closures, tuition hikes without state support
The report was commissioned by the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) and produced by the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Do UW–Madison students vote even when the candidates are uncontested?
University of Wisconsin-Madison students contributed to a record-high turnout for uncontested local candidates in the spring 2025 elections, boosted by the marquee state Supreme Court race.
Bipartisan bill to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage deserves vote in Assembly
Co-authored by Kateri Klingele Pinell is a clinical mental health professional and co-founder of the Wisconsin Student Parents Organization at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Wisconsin counties shift left in the 2025 Supreme Court race
Among wards containing University of Wisconsin-Madison residence halls, Crawford received roughly 92.3% of the vote, outperforming Harris in wards containing university residence halls by nearly 15 percentage points, according to an independent analysis from The Daily Cardinal.
Crime-related TV ads consumed $27 million of spending in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race
Overall, it may look like Schimel and his conservative allies aired more crime-related TV ads than did Crawford, said University of Wisconsin political science professor Barry Burden. But Burden noted that most of the spending on the left went through Crawford’s campaign. On the right, many conservative groups spent their own cash instead of funneling it through the state Republican Party to Schimel.
“Campaigns who spend directly are guaranteed by law to get lower ad rates, so even equal spending by the two sides means that Schimel was able to purchase less because more of his support came from outside groups,” Burden said.
Wisconsin writer turns his ‘lifelong obsession’ of researching cultural icons into new book
Wisconsin author Dean Robbins’ new book “Wisconsin Idols: 100 Heroes Who Changed the State, the World, and Me” is a collection of essays about notable people who have a connection to Wisconsin, either because they lived in Wisconsin or had a significant experience while passing through.
Calling for change in Madison
The way these protests affected and defined Madison proves yet again that the University of Wisconsin–Madison is the most important thing about the city. Of the demonstrations listed in this article, only two — against Gov. Scott Walker’s Act 10 assault on public employees in 2011 and for Black lives in 2020 — weren’t driven by UW–Madison students.
UW-Madison wants a new dorm. Early plans explore 3 possible locations
Somewhere on UW-Madison’s cramped campus, university leaders hope to find space for a residence hall with up to 2,000 new beds, the first new dorm in more than a decade.
If funds from state fall short, UW-Madison might seek tuition increase
UW-Madison may seek a tuition increase if the state Legislature does not fully fund its 2025-2027 budget request, a university finance official said at an April 3 university budget committee meeting.
In Madison protest, thousands send messages of all kinds to Trump, Elon Musk
Protesters marched from the Capitol to Bascom Hill on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, filling State Street joining the two landmarks.
Changes to Social Security would cost average Wisconsin resident $7,000 a year
Co-authored by J. Michael Collins, a professor in the School of Human Ecology and the La Follette School of Public Affairs, and Tyler Q. Welch is a PhD candidate in the Wisconsin School of Business’ Risk and Insurance department, both at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Double-digit Wisconsin Supreme Court defeat has Republicans at a crossroads entering a big 2026
“Democrats are now a party of higher income and more educated voters, rather than lower income and less educated voters, and that makes them more reliable voters,” said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the university’s Elections Research Center.
Everything you need to know about bird flu
A dangerous bird flu, in other words, was suddenly circulating in mammals — mammals with which people have ongoing, extensive contact. “Holy cow,” says Thomas Friedrich, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “This is how pandemics start.”
Wisconsin legislature approves pay increase for UW Building Trades employees
An agreement approved by the Joint Committee on Employment Relations, the Wisconsin State Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers increases the University of Wisconsin Building Trades employee wages, according to a press release from UW.
Latin, Hmong immigrants enrich Wisconsin farm organization through cultural contributions
Martin Ventura, the Urban Agriculture and Community Gardens Specialist at UW-Madison Extension, manages and maintains farms in the Milwaukee area, some of which are farmed by immigrants, particularly in the Hmong community. UW-Extension, Ventura said, had a former partnership with the Hmong American Friendship Association to establish a Hmong heritage garden plot, allowing local communities to farm.
Retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley elected chief justice, will hand reins to Jill Karofsky
A Middleton native, Karofsky has a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and master’s and law degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1992, she started as a Dane County assistant district attorney and was later promoted to deputy district attorney. She also has worked as director of human resources and general counsel for the National Conference of Bar Examiners and as an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
GOP lawmakers question new spending on UW system, state corrections
The heads of the Universities of Wisconsin system and the state Department of Corrections faced critical questions from Republican state lawmakers Tuesday over requests for new state funding.
Political expert breaks down results of Wisconsin Supreme Court race
“Although Green Bay being a city, you know, of course has a substantial number of Democratic leaning votes as well,”said Howard Schweber, a professor emeritus of political science and affiliate faculty member at the University of Wisconsin Law School. “Counties like Brown County and other northern counties, which are traditionally conservative strongholds in Wisconsin depend heavily on manufacturing and agriculture, and those are areas that are being slammed by the tariffs.”