Brooke Brandtjen
Unemployment rate rises in 11 of 12 Wisconsin metropolitan areas

Unemployment rate rises in 11 of 12 Wisconsin metropolitan areas

(The Center Square) – The unemployment rate rose slightly in 11 of the 12 metropolitan areas in Wisconsin in December while the rates lowered year over year in seven of those areas.
The exception was the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis area, which again remained at 3.0% unemployment.
The rates rose in 22 of the largest 35 cities in the state as well.
This comes as state’s adjusted unemployment rate rose to 3.0% but remained below the 4.1% rate national, according to numbers released last week.
The unemployment rates across the state remained the same in Dane and Milwaukee counties but rose in the rest of the counties across the state. Overall, 55 counties saw unemployment rates lower or remain the same year over year.
The state’s lowest unemployment rate is 2.1% in Dane and Lafayette counties with Green (2.2%), Calumet (2.3%), Kewaunee (2.3%) and Sheboygan (2.3%) next.
The state’s highest December unemployment rates were in Iron (5.2%), Adams (5.0%), Bayfield (4.8%) and Buffalo (4.6%) counties.
There were a record 3,076,500 employed in the state in December.

Waukesha County Gives Update On Federal Funding

Waukesha County Gives Update On Federal Funding

The Waukesha County government has provided an update on the federal funding pause. The update is intended to provide answers for concerned citizens who many be confused over the local impacts of recent executive orders. In a post on the official 'Waukesha County...

Wisconsin 4th grade reading scores drop, 8th grade math 3rd in nation

Wisconsin 4th grade reading scores drop, 8th grade math 3rd in nation

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s fourth-grade test scores showed a continued decrease in aptitude while the eighth-grade math scores were the third-highest in the country in results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress released Wednesday.
The scores are released every two years and are intended to show the aptitude of students as they prepare for college.
The results showed just 31% of the state’s fourth graders were proficient in reading compared to 33% in 2022 and 36% in 2019. Black fourth grade students fared the worst in the country with 8% proficient in reading and 5% in math.
“Reading scores in Wisconsin and Milwaukee are the lowest in decades,” said CJ Szafir, CEO of the Institute for Reforming Government. “Instead of solving this literacy crisis, Superintendent [Jill] Underly has lowered standards for Wisconsin kids and dragged her feet on enacting Act 20. Enough is enough. DPI must return to high standards and retrain teachers by the law’s 2025 deadline, or 2027 will look the same.”
Only Massachusetts and students at the Department of Defense fared better than Wisconsin eighth-graders in math while fourth-graders were at the national average in math, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Superintendent Jill Underly’s office said.
“While the NAEP results highlight some successes, today’s release serves as an urgent wake-up call for our state – one that demands we act with greater urgency to support our children, educators, and schools,” Underly said. “We have the power to achieve lasting change, but it starts with a fundamental commitment to properly investing in our public schools, rather than continuing the cycle of underfunding them, as our legislature has chosen to do for far too long.”
Some pointed to the results and believed it showed that Wisconsin’s adjusted standards on the state Forward Exam have given inaccurate information on how prepared Wisconsin students are for college.
State Sen. John Jager, R-Watertown, and Rep. Bob Wittke, R-Caledonia, recently introduced legislation that would reset the K-12 school report card standards of 2019-20, makes grades 3-8 standards the same as those set by the NAEP and would make the high school testing standards the same as those from 2021-22.
“The latest Nation’s Report Card, released today, confirms that only 3 out of 10 students are college- or career-ready, and the achievement gap is widening,” said Brittany Kinser, a candidate for DPI superintendent. “The state exam results for Wisconsin fail to reveal the full extent of the problem. Transparency and urgency are critical to addressing this crisis. That’s why I’m running—to restore high academic standards with a relentless focus on reading, writing, and math.”

Hartland Bus Incident Addressed by Superintendent

Hartland Bus Incident Addressed by Superintendent

On Monday, January 27 a student from the Hartland-Lakeside School District called 911 to report frightening driving behavior. According to a press release from the Hartland Police Department, the student claimed that the bus's driver was "Would not let kids off the...

Oconomowoc, Lac La Belle Agree to Pause Litigation

Oconomowoc, Lac La Belle Agree to Pause Litigation

The City of Oconomowoc, the Village of Oconomowoc Lake, and the Village of Lac La Belle have agreed to put a hold on the litigation filed challenging the municipalities' Intergovernmental Agreement. In a press release, City of Oconomowoc Mayor Robert P. Magnus and...

Wisconsin Democrats push for block of state immigration enforcement, spending

Wisconsin Democrats push for block of state immigration enforcement, spending

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin Democrats are pushing legislation to block state officials and resources from being used to detain anyone in the state on an immigration matter without a warrant, whether the individual is a citizen or not.
Democratic leadership spoke about the contributions of undocumented immigrants to Wisconsin’s economy and said that all in the state should be protected against unlawful searches and seizures.
“We want people and Wisconsin’s kids to feel safe in Wisconsin schools, places of worship, places where child-care services are provided and places where medical or other health-care services are provided,” said Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, D-Milwaukee. “Kids deserve to feel safe in school. People deserve to seek medical care without fear of separation or detainment.”
The bill does not apply to cases where there is a judicial warrant.
The bill comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are arresting nearly 1,000 people every day set to be deported since President Donald Trump has been in office.
Those working with ICE include agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Marshals Service.
The state is not required to help the federal agencies, Ortiz-Velez added.
Wisconsin currently has 70,000 undocumented workers, Ortiz-Velez said.
“By removing those people, the vast majority of which serve no public threat, it will make it difficult for Wisconsin to deliver to the residents of our great state the resources we need to feed our families,” Ortiz-Velez said.

Bill filed to bring Wisconsin state workers back to offices

Bill filed to bring Wisconsin state workers back to offices

(The Center Square) – There’s now an official push to get state workers back to their offices in Wisconsin.
State Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie, introduced legislation to require state employees, and workers at the Universities of Wisconsin, to return to their offices by July.
“Nearly five years removed from the pandemic, a significant number of state employees continue to work remotely while productivity diminishes and office buildings sit mostly empty,” Neweski said in a statement. “It is time for state employees to return to in-person work so they can do the job that Wisconsin’s hardworking taxpayers pay them to do.”
A recent state audit showed that thousands of state and UW employees continued to work from home. In fact, in some state agencies, nearly all workspaces were left empty.
Nedweski said that includes more than 94% of desks at the Department of Public Instruction’s office.
“It is unconscionable to me that only about 5% of DPI’s employees are actually working in-person,” Nedweski added. “Wisconsin has thousands of dedicated and hardworking teachers who are in their classrooms five days a week to help provide our kids with the best education possible. It is only right that the agency that oversees those teachers is held to the same standard.”
Nedweski’s legislation requires state workers to “return to work in their physical offices by July 1, 2025.”
Anyone who is a state employee or UW employee who was able to work from home before COVID will continue to be able to work from home under Nedweski’s plan.
“This bill is about maximizing the efficiency that we get from our state agencies and our state-owned buildings. If a majority of state employees are not working in-person, we are unable to get full use out of those buildings while wasting taxpayer dollars to maintain mostly empty office space,” she said. “In his State of the State address, Governor Evers indicated that he wants state government to work smarter and faster. Let’s start by making sure that state employees are being held accountable for their productivity.”
Gov. Tony Evers has also said he’s not looking to force state workers back to the office.
He said before the new legislative session that he’s open to allow state employees to continue with remote work because it allows Wisconsin to find the best and brightest outside of Madison or Milwaukee.
“We went out of our way during the pandemic, and post-pandemic, to hire people in Rhinelander and all sorts of different places in the state, because we knew they can work from home or work from an office that’s remote from Madison,” Evers said in December.
Evers later threatened to veto the state budget if it includes a back-to-the-office requirement. He’s expected to do the same to a stand-alone piece of legislation.

Pause on federal grants creates confusion for states, nonprofits, lawmakers

Pause on federal grants creates confusion for states, nonprofits, lawmakers

(The Center Square) – States, universities, nonprofits and lawmakers were left confused Tuesday after a memo from the White House paused federal grants, loans and other financial assistance-programs, until the new administration can review them.
The White House’s two-page memo is at the center of the confusion.
“To the extent permissible under applicable law, Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal,” the memo said.
It noted that voters gave President Donald Trump “a mandate to increase the impact of every federal taxpayer dollar.”
“Financial assistance should be dedicated to advancing Administration priorities, focusing taxpayer dollars to advance a stronger and safer America, eliminating the financial burden of inflation for citizens, unleashing American energy and manufacturing, ending ‘wokeness’ and the weaponization of government, promoting efficiency in government, and Making America Healthy Again,” the memo said. “The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve.”
University of Chicago Provost Katherine Baicker told researchers to pause spending.
“We are requesting that all University researchers working on federal grants temporarily suspend their non-personnel spending on federal grants as much as possible during this period of substantial uncertainty,” she wrote in a memo to staff. “For example, do not make any additional spending commitments, purchase new supplies or equipment, start new experiments, embark on funded travel, etc.”
Baicker said university officials are waiting for more guidance.
“This is not a request that I make lightly. The research enterprise is at the core of our University’s mission and is of profound importance to the daily work of our faculty, researchers, staff, and students,” she wrote. “I also know that this is insufficient guidance and that you must have many questions (as do I). I wish that I had more information to share now, but will continue to be in touch as we learn more. But we must for now proceed under the assumption that grant expenditures incurred after today while this memorandum is in effect may not be covered by federal funding.”
The memo prompted Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, to write a letter to Trump seeking immediate guidances on the order.
“With very few details and specifics available, virtually no time for ample review and consideration, and no direct communication to date, states are left to plan for the worst, and Wisconsinites and millions of Americans who are rightfully alarmed and concerned by this unprecedented decision are left scrambling,” Evers wrote. “These benefits and investments – many of which were undoubtedly approved with bipartisan support by the U.S. Congress – are the law. Although we may disagree on many issues, we should be able to agree that following the law is critically important.”
U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told reporters that Trump was doing what he was elected to do.
“You’re going to see things like this, and your first reaction is going to be, ‘Well, this isn’t the way it’s been done,'” Emmer said. “You need to understand, he was elected to shake up the status quo.”
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., warned of “devastating consequences” in a letter to Acting Office of Management and Budget Director Matthew Vaeth.
“The scope of what you are ordering is breathtaking, unprecedented, and will have devastating consequences across the country,” they wrote. “We write today to urge you in the strongest possible terms to uphold the law and the Constitution and ensure all federal resources are delivered in accordance with the law.”
National Council of Nonprofits President and CEO Diane Yentel said the White House memo could have far-reaching implications, especially for nonprofits.
“This order is a potential five-alarm fire for nonprofit organizations and the people and communities they serve. From pausing research on cures for childhood cancer to halting food assistance, safety from domestic violence, and closing suicide hotlines, the impact of even a short pause in funding could be devastating and cost lives,” she said in a statement. “This order could decimate thousands of organizations and leave neighbors without the services they need.”
The spending freeze takes effect at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Agencies have until Feb. 10 to submit information on any programs subject to the suspension.
“This temporary pause will provide the Administration time to review agency programs and determine the best uses of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and the President’s priorities,” the memo noted. “Even before completing their comprehensive analysis, Federal agencies must immediately identify any legally mandated actions or deadlines for assistance programs arising while the pause remains in effect. Federal agencies must report this information to OMB along with an analysis of the requirement. OMB also directs Federal agencies to pause all activities associated with open [Notices of Funding Opportunities], such as conducting merit review panels.”

How to obtain an ID to vote in Wisconsin

How to obtain an ID to vote in Wisconsin

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin voters will have a choice on the April 1 ballot to create a state constitutional requirement to produce valid photo identification for elections.
Heading into the Feb. 18 spring primary, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is informing voters that they can obtain free identification ahead of voting.
There is not a separate voter ID but residents can use a driver’s license, identification card, military or student ID card at the polls if the referendum passes. A REAL ID is not required.
The department asks residents to bring proof of name and birth date, proof of identity with a signature or photo, proof of Wisconsin residency and proof of U.S. residency or legal residency status.
The full list of acceptable documents can be found on the department website.
Questions related to obtaining an ID that can be used to vote can call DMV’s toll-free hotline at 844-588-1069.

Everything to Know About Super Bowl LIX

Everything to Know About Super Bowl LIX

The Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs are set to face off for Super Bowl LIX. The game is set to be held on Sunday, February 9th at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. It is scheduled to air at 5:30 p.m. CT on Fox. This previous Sunday, the teams slated...

Lawmaker: UW-Madison diversity officer’s demotion linked to state DEI audit

Lawmaker: UW-Madison diversity officer’s demotion linked to state DEI audit

(The Center Square) – A Wisconsin lawmaker is crediting a state investigation into the cost of diversity, equity and inclusion programs to state taxpayers for the demotion of an official at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW-Madison Chief Diversity Officer LaVar Charleston was moved from that position back to being a clinical professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis in the School of Education due to “areas of concern about financial operations and fiscal judgments in the division,” according to the school.
The demotion came during an internal review of the department’s finances, which Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Oconto, said if from the Legislative Audit Bureau’s investigation into DEI policies and practices within state agencies.
Wimberger is the head of the Legislative Audit Committee, which ordered the full audit last April, looking to see the financial taxpayer impact of the diversity initiatives that came with complying with Gov. Tony Evers’ Executive Order 59.
“This revelation highlights exactly why I, and legislative Republicans, voted to audit DEI government-wide,” Wimberger said. “Not only is DEI harmful as it reinforces negative stereotypes by design, it’s also a slush fund of waste for grifters to profit off government funding.”
The full audit report is expected to be released in the coming weeks, Wimberger said.

The Killers Announced as Summerfest Headliners

The Killers Announced as Summerfest Headliners

Despite cold weather and high winds, Wisconsin is already looking ahead to summer. This morning, the Killers announced that they will be headlining at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater on June 27th. Tickets for the show will be going on sale this Friday,...

Conservative justices rip Wisconsin Supreme Court decision to fast-track literacy money case

Conservative justices rip Wisconsin Supreme Court decision to fast-track literacy money case

(The Center Square) – Two of Wisconsin’s conservative supreme court justices say the liberal majority is playing politics.
The liberal-majority court last week agreed to accept the case that will decide how $50 million in literacy money put into the current state budget will be spent.
The question for the court is not necessarily the money, but instead, who gets to decide how is spent.
Republican lawmakers included the money in the budget, but Gov. Tony Evers vetoed it out.
Lawmakers wanted to send the money to local schools to buy new books and lesson plans for Wisconsin’s new literacy reforms. The governor said he wanted the Department of Public Instruction to spend the money instead.
Conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley wrote a dissent to the majority’s decision to accept the case, accusing the majority of playing politics.
“The court grants a premature bypass petition filed by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and Governor Tony Evers, which presents issues related to the exercise of Governor Evers’ partial veto authority,” she wrote. “Earlier this term, the court heard another case involving the interpretation of the same constitutional provision as applied to the Governor’s partial veto authority. The court has not released its opinion, so the parties in this case do not have the benefit of the court’s decision.”
Chief Justice Annette Ziegler agreed with the dissent.
Bradley added the liberal justices seem to have no legal standards in deciding which cases to fast track, and which to allow to go through the appeals court process.
“Process matters. The members of the majority sometimes enforce a rule against ‘premature petitions’ but sometimes they don’t, without disclosing any standards by which they will choose whether to apply it. Such arbitrariness by courts is antithetical to the original understanding of the judicial role,” Bradley wrote.
But she finished with her strongest accusation, arguing the justices are making decisions for political reasons, and not constitutional questions.
“The majority’s arbitrariness in following its professed procedure in one case while discarding it in another sends a message to litigants that judicial process will be invoked or ignored based on the party filing the petition or the majority’s desired outcome in a politically charged case,” Bradley wrote.