As the chill of winter settles in, finding ways to stay warm and maintain wellness becomes a priority. Regular sauna use offers an excellent solution, combining physical relaxation, mental rejuvenation, and numerous health benefits. Whether you’re combating the cold...
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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.
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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.
Report: $55M in improvements, winterization for American Family Field
(The Center Square) – Nearly $55 million in spending was reportedly approved to winterize American Family Field in Milwaukee, with claims the taxpayer district funds will allow for winter events and concerts at the stadium.
The spending includes $25 million to winterize the stadium, meaning the improvements would allow for the seating bowl temperature to be 68 degrees even when the temperature outside is 10 below zero, according to WISN.
The Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District Board also approved $10 million for social gathering spaces, $500,000 for roof repairs, $661,000 to build a sensory room and $500,000 to upgrade the umpire locker room for women umpires, WISN reported.
The issue with the spending and winterization is that stadium concert tours do not occur in the winter because artists do not put together tours during a time of year when only some stadiums and cities can be visited.
“The difference between an outdoor stadium and an indoor stadium is essentially zero in terms of events,” economist Victor Matheson told The Center Square while discussing similar claims involving a roofed NFL stadium in Nashville. “The reason for that is that all the big tours all go out in the summer specifically so they can use all the outdoor stadiums in the country rather than the limited number of domed stadiums.”
American Family Field has a capacity of nearly 42,000, which is larger than most concert venues that artists perform at to begin with.
Visit Milwaukee told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel late last year that winterizing the stadium could lead to the stadium hosting The NHL Winter Classic and the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball Final Four.
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Why Did The Wizard of Oz Premiere in Oconomowoc?
When most people think of The Wizard of Oz, they imagine Dorothy’s adventures in the magical land of Oz. What many don’t realize is that the iconic 1939 film made its world premiere in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin—a charming small town that played a surprising role in...
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Elon Musk, the technology juggernaut and billionaire, has shown interest in the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court race. On Thursday, January 23rd Musk posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account saying: "Very important to vote Republican for the Wisconsin Supreme Court...
Republican lawmakers push for higher academic standards for schools
(The Center Square) – A pair of Wisconsin lawmakers are asking the state to reverse the process of lowering school standards.
State Sen. John Jager, R-Watertown, and Rep. Bob Wittke, R-Caledonia, 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 National Assessment of Education Progress and would make the high school testing standards the same as those from 2021-22.
“We need to reinstate our high academic standards and strive for excellence on behalf of the students and families we serve.” Jagler said in a statement. “These changes were made behind closed doors in advance and revealed only when the test scores were announced. Not surprisingly, the massive uptick in artificial performance gains was confusing at best and misleading at worst.”
Jagler is the Chair of the Senate Committee on Education while Wittke was on the Assembly Education Committee for three terms.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty endorsed the legislation, pointing out where the state lowered school report card cut points in 2020-21, changed the labels on those in 2023-24 and lowered the cut points again that year as well.
“The bill represents a critical step in restoring the ability of parents, policymakers, and taxpayers to assess how well Wisconsin’s schools are doing across the public, charter, and private voucher sectors,” WILL Research Director Will Flanders said. “Make no mistake, since 2020, DPI has essentially changed the definition of success to mislead the public about stagnating academic performance in Wisconsin schools.”
Wittke said that the current system ranks 94% of schools as meeting expectations or above that, making it difficult to know which schools need to improve.
“It’s troubling to me that changing testing protocols is the path the state superintendent has chosen in response to students poor reading and math performance,” Wittke said. “Let’s set the bar as established by the National Assessment of Education Progress and make a better effort to understand student needs for academic improvement.”
Judge orders MPS to follow school police officer law
(The Center Square) – One Wisconsin lawmaker says the law is clear, and Milwaukee Public Schools are clearly violating it. But it’s much less clear whether a Milwaukee judge can force the city’s school district to bring police officers back into school buildings.
A judge on Thursday ordered MPS to comply with the state law that requires Milwaukee schools return 25 school resource officers to their buildings.
That law took effect last January, but MPOS has not returned any.
State Sen. John Jagler, R-Watertown, said there shouldn’t be any confusion.
“The law couldn’t be more clear. MPS needs to put school resource officers back into the schools. This is great news that a Milwaukee judge agrees with what we’ve been saying for months. It’s bonkers that it took a lawsuit to get MPS to follow the law,” Jagler wrote on social media.
But the 2024 law doesn’t include any consequences for MPS for failing to put the officers back in school. And it’s unclear what consequences the judge will impose if MSP continues to fail.
“The ‘or else’ is having to show up in court on Feb. 17 and explain to the judge why nothing has happened,” Lucas Vebber, Deputy Counsel at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty told The Center Square. “The judge has not made clear what else would happen in the event that they do not comply. Holding them in contempt is always an option. The judge plans to issue a written decision by the end of day Monday, and so that could shed a little more light on the situation.”
WILL sued Milwaukee Public Schools over the district’s non-compliance. WILL represents a mother who says the lack of school resource officers is putting her children, and other MPS students, at risk.
MPS leaders have said they are working on a plan to return the officers, but the district is blaming Milwaukee Police for the delay.
MPS’s school board has said the district doesn’t hire, train or pay for police officers, and the district cannot be held responsible for what Milwaukee Police have not done.
Jagler has said in the past that the intent of the 2024 state law is clear, and lawmakers clearly intended for MPS to pay for its own school resource officers.
“Students need to be safe before they can learn. Returning the SROs to MPS helps make that possible,” Jagler added. “It’s a shame it came to this.”
Wisconsin employment number increase in December, drop expected in future
(The Center Square) – Wisconsin saw another record number of individuals employed in December while the state’s adjusted unemployment rate rose to 3.0%.
There are now 3,076,500 employed in the state. The federal unemployment rate is 4.1%.
The state’s labor force participation rate increased to 65.9% in December, better than the national rate stayed of 62.5%.
The state’s overall labor force was 5,000 larger month over month and went up 20,100 for the year while the number employed went up 2,500 month over month.
Wisconsin had 1,200 less nonfarm jobs over the month but that total went up 20,300 year over year.
While the employment numbers are currently at record-high levels, a projected population drop in the coming years will see that number decline.
Those estimates show the state’s population has likely peaked and will be at an estimated 5.89 million by 2030 and 5.84 million by 2040.
“That has affected a lot of things going forward across the economy,” DWD chief economist Dennis Winters said.