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Category: State news

Finnish saunas are having a moment in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Public Radio

Arnold Alanen is a professor emeritus of landscape architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he researched the history of sauna structures. Alanen told “Wisconsin Today” that as a Finnish American, sauna has been a way of life for him from the beginning. He said he was first brought into a sauna as a very young baby, and then he caught on to the ritual when he was about 8 years old, living on his grandparents’ farm in Minnesota.

“The weekly sauna tradition was something that we did on our farm, just without interruption. We would do it every Saturday evening,” he said. “It became such an integral part of my life, as well as of our family.”

An election for a single state Supreme Court seat becomes the ‘blockbuster’ political fight of 2025

CNN

“It’s going to be a blockbuster,” said Barry Burden, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In a state where a Democrat controls the governor’s mansion and Republicans hold the legislative majority, the state Supreme Court “is the center of the action,” he said. “It’s become a place where a lot of hot-button issues people care about get decided.”

Gov. Tony Evers’ budget calls for tax cuts, protection against ‘needless chaos’ of Trump policies

Wisconsin State Journal

Evers proposed $856 million in new operational funding for the UW system, more than the $800 million he pledged to the UW Board of Regents last August. His proposed budget also includes $60 million in new state aid for Wisconsin’s technical college system, $10 million of which is meant to support the 16 two-year colleges in investing in artificial intelligence.

Would Susan Crawford have to recuse from any abortion case? Why experts say she wouldn’t.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Howard Schweber, a professor emeritus of political science and legal studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, noted many judges previously worked as criminal prosecutors or defenders.

“It would be absurd to suggest that those judges must recuse themselves from any case involving a crime,” Schweber said.

Shortsighted DOGE USAID cuts hurt Wisconsin farmers, weaken national security

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a key partner for USAID’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab, helping train agricultural researchers around the world and research new seeds. In the past decade, Feed the Future has reduced hunger and poverty by 20 to 25 percent in targeted areas, with over 6 million producers newly using better agricultural practices in 2023 alone.

Of course, these innovations not only support communities abroad, but can also be put to use right in UW-Madison’s backyard to make farmers more resilient to increasing hazards such as heatwaves and extreme precipitation.

Outsourcing in Wisconsin state government expands under Evers

The Capital Times

Andrew Reschovsky, a professor emeritus of public affairs at UW-Madison, said sometimes it makes sense for a state agency to contract out services when it doesn’t have the staff or knowledge for the work. Without the outcome of cost-benefit analyses or other information, it is impossible to know when contracting out makes sense without querying each agency, he said.

2 GOP state lawmakers pushing to advance nuclear energy in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Public Radio

Two Republicans who chair state legislative committees on energy and utilities say they want to bring more nuclear power online in Wisconsin in the coming years.

To start that effort, they introduced a resolution calling on the Legislature to publicly support nuclear power and fusion energy.

Lawmakers debate measure requiring state employees to return to in-office working

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Last year, an analysis released by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau found most state agencies and University of Wisconsin institutions allowed employees to work from home up to five days a week and one-third or less of workstations in state offices were being used during auditors’ visits.

Based on six visits to 15 agencies and University of Wisconsin System offices between July and August 2023, the highest percentage of workstations being used was 34.5% at the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. The audit was released in December 2023.

More Wisconsin communities rejecting fluoride in water. Health groups say fears unfounded.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Patrick Remington, emeritus professor at UW-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health who began his career at the CDC, said some who oppose fluoride because of its risks aren’t weighing them against the benefits — something people do every day when they choose to drive a car, have a drink or make other choices.

The benefits of fluoride are clear: less tooth decay, Remington said, while the science doesn’t yet show neurodevelopmental problems for children who ingest fluoride at the level in the U.S. water supply.

Housing Inventory Report: Madison leads Midwest, Texas leads nation

Wisconsin Public Radio

From 2005 to 2023, Madison stands out as a top performer in the Upper Midwest in addressing the housing shortage, according to a new analysis. Yet, Texas has 15 cities out-pacing the nation in housing stock growth. Kurt Paulsen, a UW-Madison urban planner, examines the report and offers takeaways.

How do Trump’s executive orders affect climate and clean energy funding in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin Public Radio

Greg Nemet, energy expert and public affairs professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the president doesn’t decide what to do about spending that Congress has authorized.

“This could end up just being more of a power struggle between Congress and the president,” Nemet said. “But in the meantime, it does reduce some confidence in the funding and the expectations that would go to our state.”

These Wisconsin specialty license plates were the most popular in 2024

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Anyone can show their love for the Wisconsin Badgers with this plate — it’s not just available to alumni. While the UW-Madison plate is the most popular, you can choose a plate logo for any of the other UW System campuses.

The annual donation associated with the plate is $20, less than the typical $25. Proceeds support scholarship programs at the selected campus.

Public charging tax now in effect for electric vehicle owners in Wisconsin

FOX 11, Green Bay

Others like Chris McCahill, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and managing director of the State Smart Transportation Initiative, point out one negative to the tax — is electric vehicle owners already pay more than those with gas powered vehicles when registering their vehicle each year.

“So now with this new surcharge, the folks will be paying the state twice to try and compensate for those lost gas tax revenues,” said McCahill.

Embattled UW-Madison engineering building back on track after Republicans hit pause

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The embattled University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering building is back on track.

The State Building Commission unanimously approved the project’s new $420 million budget during a Friday meeting, a few weeks after Republican lawmakers stalled the project last month over transparency concerns related to increasing the project’s budget.

Crawford, Schimel set to square off in another high-profile Wisconsin Supreme Court race

Wisconsin Public Radio

“The court continues to be a place in Wisconsin politics where big issues are decided,” said Barry Burden, a political scientist and elections expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The state still has a Democratic governor and Republican Legislature who don’t get along and don’t do much productive lawmaking together … so a lot of the disputes between the parties end up being settled in the courts and eventually in the state Supreme Court.”

Missing all the political ads? With no primary, Supreme Court race will kick into high gear

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The same issues that animated the 2023 race in which liberal Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated former Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly are likely to come up again this year, said Howard Schweber, professor emeritus of political science and legal studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Opinion | GOP takes another kick at the University of Wisconsin

The Capital Times

Despite losing 14 seats in the fall election, GOP legislators still feel empowered to hold the state’s largest economic engine hostage to the whims of its most petty members. Republicans on the state Building Commission ganged up on UW-Madison last week and threw another obstacle in the path of the long-awaited and already-approved new engineering building.

Public money for higher education benefits everyone. Restore funding levels.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

When UW leaders asked for $845 million, a fraction of the total amount cut from the UW budget under his watch, Assembly Speaker Vos said, “I just know that some of these numbers, where they ask for the moon, are unrealistic.”

When Vos graduated from UW-Whitewater in 1991, Wisconsin’s higher education appropriations per student were $11,028. In 2023 it was $9,277. So the “moon” was realistic when he personally benefited from taxpayer support, but is unrealistic when it is your turn to benefit?

What to know about referendums in Wisconsin, and why citizens can’t petition for them

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Some voters don’t even know that there’s a constitutional amendment on the ballot until they get to the polls,” said Bryna Godar, a staff attorney at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School’s State Democracy Research Initiative.

“The first time that you’re encountering those typically is when you’re going to vote, which gives you less time to talk to other people about it and to look up more information about it,” she said.

Abortions in Wisconsin halved immediately after Roe was overturned, new CDC report says

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“The really shocking number [in this report] is the dramatic decline in abortions provided in Wisconsin in 2022, and we know that that’s largely a result of the Supreme Court’s decision that overturned federal protections for abortion,” said Dr. Jane Seymour, a research scientist for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Collaborative for Reproductive Equity (CORE).

Republicans stall UW-Madison engineering building again, citing transparency concerns

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The new University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering building is again in peril.

Republican lawmakers rejected the UW System’s request to increase the project’s $347 million budget by $73 million during a State Building Commission meeting Wednesday. The ask to bump up the budget was based on increased costs and design changes, including an additional floor for business partnership opportunities.

Wisconsin copies DOGE with new committee focusing on wasteful spending

Washington Examiner

Nedweski outlined a plan to address possible inefficiencies within Milwaukee Public Schools, the University of Wisconsin, the Department of Safety and Professional Services, and law enforcement. She is known for her efforts to shut down a Kenosha Unified School District board meeting in 2021 as a member of Moms for Liberty. Nedweski and others appeared at the meeting, holding signs that read, among other things, “We do not co-parent with the government.”

AT&T to discontinue traditional landline service in Wisconsin by the end of 2029

Wisconsin Public Radio

“I’ve watched the markets grow from just plain phone service to hybrid computers that are in our phones, so-called smartphones through which life is now lived,” said Barry Orton, a retired telecommunications professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“Old fashioned copper wire-based phones, which we all used to have in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s are now a thing of the past,” he added

Partisan approach to farm bill delaying updates for Wisconsin farmers

Wisconsin Public Radio

Paul Mitchell, professor of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said it’s fairly rare to see Congress have to pass a second extension to the farm bill. But he said the lack of cooperation between the parties has made it more difficult to reach the consensus needed to pass the large piece of legislation.

“Just like we walk up to the edge on these continuing resolutions to keep the (federal) budget going, the same thing is happening with the farm bill,” Mitchell said.