As they poured out of the United Center arena Thursday night, Wisconsin delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago were beaming.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech accepting her party’s nomination for president left them fired up, they said. The address capped off a week of appearances by celebrities, rising Democratic stars and even some former Republicans.
Harris used her moment in the national spotlight to pledge support for labor unions, restoring federal abortion protections and uniting the nation. She also attempted to speak to voters of other political persuasions by promising to “be a President for all Americans.”
“I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations. A president who leads and listens. Who is realistic, practical, and has common sense, and always fights for the American people, from the courthouse to the White House. That has been my life’s work,” said Harris.
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DNC attendees listen to Vice President Kamala Harris accept the Democratic nomination for president Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, at the United Center in Chicago, Ill. Angela Major/WPR
It was exactly the message Wisconsin delegates from around the state said they wanted to hear, with some promising to go back home and make the final push to get Harris and vice presidential nominee Tim Walz over the finish line.
“I will go door to door,” said John Krizek of Hudson. “I will talk to every neighbor I can find, and I’ll go to coffee shops, and I pledge my future. Because right now, I am radicalized in her support.”
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Krizek said Harris’ speech left him feeling “full of power.” As a former pledged delegate for President Joe Biden, he said he was nervous after Biden’s debate performance with former President Donald Trump. Krizek said it felt like “an anvil had been lifted off my chest” when Biden decided not to run for re-election.
“I felt Donald Trump was going to win and that he was going to destroy our democracy and our future,” said Krizek.
Attendees take selfies with balloons as they fall at the end of Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech at the DNC on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, at the United Center in Chicago, Ill. Angela Major/WPR
Krizek’s comments and others suggested a sense of relief that Biden dropped out of the running. But Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said he doesn’t see it that way.
“I don’t know if it’s a sense of relief,” said Johnson. “I think that there’s a sense of history that’s about to be made here, that we have our chance, an opportunity to elect the first woman president and the first Black woman president and get through those 60 some million cracks that Hillary Clinton put in that highest and hardest glass ceiling in 2016. We finally have the opportunity to shatter that.”
Harris’ vow to unite Americans and be a “president for all” was one of the things that excited Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton. She said whenever she hears Trump talk it’s aimed at dividing citizens.
As for the notable rise in enthusiasm among Democrats, Hesselbein said she thinks it will trickle down to state legislative races, too.
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“I think with Kamala at the top of the ticket, you’re going to see so many people voting for Kamala and Democrats up and down the ticket,” Hesselbein said. “It’s going to be fantastic for all of us.”
Attendees celebrate as balloons fall at the end of the DNC on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, at the United Center in Chicago, Ill. Angela Major/WPR
Deiadra Queary, a delegate from Milwaukee, said she thought Harris spelled out the high stakes of the election.
“This is serious. It is a serious matter,” Queary said. “One wrong choice, and we’re living in a world that wouldn’t be good for us.”
The theme of the final night of Democrats’ weeklong rally was “For our Future.” While attacks aimed at former Republican President Donald Trump and GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance featured prominently throughout the convention, Harris said the upcoming election is about more than defeating them this fall.
LaToya Bates of Mayville said that future-oriented message left her feeling hopeful.
“We see a candidate who has a plan, who is energized, who is excited — who’s exciting — who can articulate all of those questions and things that we may not have been able to form for ourselves but we were burdened and worried about, and we can see hope,” Bates said.
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Harris also focused her speech on economic concerns, saying that building out the middle class, and offering a middle class tax cut, will be a cornerstone of her presidency.
Ann Jacobs, a Milwaukee-area delegate and member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said that message suggested that Harris would represent all Americans.
“She’s standing up for the union workers. She’s standing up for the middle class. She’s standing up for the persons on Social Security. She’s standing up for the things we actually believe in,” Jacobs said.
At the start of her speech, Harris described the unusual path she took from supporting Biden’s candidacy to receiving his endorsement and launching her own campaign in just a month.
Jacobs said that that dramatic shift over the summer “changed the dynamic in a way no one’s ever seen before.”
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“That has electrified everybody, maybe for its novelty, maybe for its her youth and her enthusiasm,” she said. “Whatever it is, it changed everything.”
Vice President and Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris smiles as she wraps up her speech on the final day of the DNC on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, at the United Center in Chicago, Ill. Angela Major/WPR
With the convention in Chicago, there were fewer overtures to Wisconsin from the DNC’s main stage than there were during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. But a handful of Wisconsin Democrats took the stage throughout the week, including Lt. Gov. Sarah Rodriguez, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
Partly leaders also paid special attention to Wisconsin at the delegation’s daily meetings over breakfast, which featured political dignitaries from from vice presidential nominee Tim Walz to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
A Marquette University Law School poll of Wisconsinites released Aug. 7 showed Harris and Trump in a dead heat, though more recent polling from a variety of other sources has shown Harris opening up a lead in the state.
Editor’s note: WPR’s Anya van Wagtendonk and Shawn Johnson contributed reporting.
DODGE COUNTY, Wis. (WLS) — Law enforcement officials are saying a Chicago-area woman’s claims of being detained for two days were a hoax.
A Wisconsin sheriff is now suing Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi for defamation, claiming she lied to the public last month, when she said she was held in the Broadview U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility and transferred to Dodge County, Wisconsin.
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“Sundas Naqvi was not detained by ICE at anytime. She was not transported to Broadview detention facility. She was not transported across state lines to Dodge County, by law enforcement anyway. She was not in the custody of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office,” Sheriff Dale Schmidt said Friday.
Schmidt, in his lawsuit, outlined what he calls a hoax allegedly carried out by 28-year-old Naqvi.
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Naqvi’s supporters spoke out last month, after the Evanston native claimed she was detained at O’Hare airport by Customs and Border Protection for 30 hours.
Her family said she was then sent to the ICE detention facility in Broadview and later taken to a facility in Dodge County, where they said she was released Saturday, March 7.
According to the lawsuit, Sheriff Schmidt says Naqvi was actually staying at a hotel near O’Hare and allegedly sending text messages from her room.
“She checked into the Hampton Inn and Suites in Rosemont, Illinois for the entire duration of this alleged event, traveled from the Hampton Inn and Suites in Illinois to the Holiday Express in Beaver Dam, (Wisconsin), was done to complete this hoax. She scammed a victim out of thousands of dollars in pursuit of this hoax against the federal government and the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office,” Schmidt said.
During the sheriff’s news conference, he displayed what he says are messages from Naqvi at the time she claimed she was in custody.
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One message said, “going to look into this hotel” and “in the room now.”
There was also an image shown at the press conference, in which the sheriff says Naqvi was spotted at a store in Wisconsin during the time she says she was being held by Dodge County officials.
Sheriff Schmidt says this isn’t Naqvi’s first time lying to law enforcement. Court records confirm a 2019 case in which Naqvi filed a false police report with Skokie police, claiming she was sexually assaulted in a park. She pleaded guilty and did two years of probation, and the case was then dismissed
The sheriff is also suing Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morisson for defamation. Morisson held a press conference on behalf of Naqvi last month.
“Allegations of an illegal detention of a US citizen, allegations of a government cover up by federal authorities and the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, coordinated messaging designed to generate outrage and media attention. Misuse of the system will not go unanswered. This is Dodge County, Wisconsin, not Cook County, and we will hold them accountable,” Schmidt said.
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The Dodge County sheriff said while the situation is disturbing and defamatory, no laws were broken in Wisconsin. So they cannot file criminal charges.
Neither Naqvi nor her family replied to requests for comment.
Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison said, “It is my understanding that a lawsuit has been filed. I have not seen it. And if a suit has in fact been filed, I cannot comment on pending litigation.”
The Dodge County sheriff said Naqvi was detained at O’Hare by Customs and Border Protection, but for a little over an hour, not 30 hours as she claimed.
Customs and Border Protection said she was flagged for additional inspection based on law enforcement checks.
Warmer temps and storm chances build into Sunday and Monday
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GET TO PLAY A PART TOO. THAT’S INCREDIBLE. I’M EXCITED. VERY, VERY COOL. STILL SOME RAIN A LITTLE BIT THIS MORNING AND I THINK IT MOVES OUT BY 7:00. WE HAD SOME IMPACTFUL RAIN OVERNIGHT. PARTS OF SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN, INCLUDING MILWAUKEE’S AIRPORT, PICKED UP MORE THAN HALF AN INCH. IT HAS BEEN A RAINY APRIL SO FAR. WE HAVE SEEN OVER FOUR INCHES OF RAIN ALREADY. WE’VE HARDLY STARTED THE MONTH OR A WEEK AND A HALF IN, BUT ON AVERAGE FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF APRIL, WE SEE UNDER FOUR INCHES OF RAIN. AND IT’S NOT JUST THE RAIN THAT WE’VE ALREADY SEEN. THERE IS MORE ON THE WAY. AS WE HEAD THROUGH THE SEVEN DAY FORECAST. THIS IS FORECAST PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE SEVEN DAY FORECAST. MOST OF THIS COMING SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. BUT NOTICE PARTS OF SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN. MOST OF THE STATE PICKS UP MORE THAN TWO INCHES OF RAIN OVER THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS. WE’LL SEE ROUNDS OF STORM CHANCES AND EVEN THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER. NEXT WEEK. IT IS FORECAST TO KEEP A REALLY CLOSE EYE ON RIGHT NOW 41 DEGREES. SOME SHOWERS LIKELY STILL AROUND THERE IN PEWAUKEE. FROM OUR CAMERA AT WAUKESHA COUNTY TECHNICAL COLLEGE. THERE’S ONE MORE AREA OF RAIN THAT’S GOING TO MOVE THROUGH SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN OVER THE NEXT HOUR AND A HALF OR SO. THEN WE’RE DRY, BUT YOU CAN SEE SOME CLEARING BACK BEHIND THOSE SHOWERS. WE’LL SEE A LITTLE MORE SUNSHINE EVEN AS WE HEAD TOWARDS 8:00 THIS MORNING. TEMPERATURES WILL BE MUCH COOLER TODAY THOUGH, THAN THEY HAVE BEEN THE LAST FEW DAYS. WE’VE GOTTEN CLOSE TO 70 DEGREES THE LAST TWO DAYS. TOMORROW. TODAY WE TOP OUT CLOSE TO ABOUT 4850 FURTHER INLAND. SO LET’S GO DAY BY DAY AS WE HEAD INTO AND PAST THE WEEKEND CLEARING SKIES TODAY AND MUCH, MUCH COOLER THAN WE HAVE BEEN TOMORROW. WE SHOULD BE DRY JUST ABOUT ALL DAY LONG. THERE IS A REALLY SLIM CHANCE FOR A STRAY SHOWER DURING THE AFTERNOON. RAIN AND STORM CHANCES INCREASE DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. WAY WARMER ON SUNDAY WITH ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND STORMS IN THE FORECAST. BUT I DO THINK THERE WILL BE SOME DRY TIME ON SUNDAY. MONDAY THERE’S ANOTHER CHANCE FOR RAIN AND STORMS, BUT RIGHT NOW IT DOES LOOK LIKE THERE’S A LOT OF DRY TIME. ON MONDAY. WE SEE MORE STORMS ON TUESDAY, MORE STORM CHANCES ON WEDNESDAY, MORE ON THURSDAY. AND LOOK AT THOSE TEMPERATURES SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. AGAIN, I DON’T THINK ANY DAY IS NECESSARILY A COMPLETE WASHOUT. SO THERE SHOULD BE SOME TIME TO GET OUTSIDE AND ENJOY THOSE TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S AND 70S FUTURECAST HAS THAT LITTLE BIT OF RAIN RIGHT NOW. IT QUICKLY MOVES OUT. WE’LL SEE MORE SUNSHINE AS WE HEAD THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS TODAY AND SUN THROUGH A LOT OF THE DAY TOMORROW. NOTICE BY 3:00, MAYBE A FEW SHOWERS AROUND. THIS MODEL IS KEEPING SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN DRY, BUT IT’S OVERNIGHT THAT WE SEE SOME STORM CHANCES INTO SUNDAY MORNING. AND THEN WE COULD SEE A FEW MORE STORMS AS WE HEAD INTO SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WE’RE STILL A LITTLE FAR OUT FOR EXACT TIMING ON SUNDAY STORM CHANCES, BUT I DO THINK WE’LL SEE SOME DRY TIME TO GET OUTSIDE AND ENJOY TEMPERATURES IN THE 70S. THEN IT’S AN ACTIVE STRETCH THROUGH MOST OF NEXT WEEK. NO DAY LOOKS LIKE A COMPLETE WASHOUT, BUT ESPECIALLY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. WE’LL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS HERE IN SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN. AND WITH MORE HEAVY RAIN ON THE WAY. AFTER A SOGGY LAST WEEK AND A HALF OR SO, WE’LL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR RIVER FLOODING CONCERNS AS WELL. 48 DEGREES FOR A HIGH TODAY, BUT WILL BE WARMER, INLAND. WARMER INLAND AGAIN TOMORROW. BUT EVERYONE SHOULD SEE HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 50S. THEN THAT ACTIVE STRETCH RETURNS TO SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN. DAILY STORM CHANCES. NO DAY IS A WASHOUT, BUT IF YOU HAVE OUTDOOR PLANS ON SUNDAY, KEEP AN EYE ON THE FORECAST. WE COULD SEE SOME IMPACTS. THAT 73, THOUGH LOOKING NICE AND QUITE A FEW 70S ON THE FORECAST. I KNOW. LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. IT’S JUST SO NICE TO HAVE THE WINDOWS OPEN YESTERDAY UNTIL THAT LAKE BREEZE KICKED IN AND IT DROPPED ABO
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Spring warm-up and storm chances in SE Wisconsin
Warmer temps and storm chances build into Sunday and Monday
Updated: 6:12 AM CDT Apr 10, 2026
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Friday starts with a few early showers and sprinkles before skies gradually clear. Temperatures will stay on the cool side near the lake in the upper 40s, but inland spots warm into the mid-50s. Friday night turns partly cloudy and cool, with lows dipping to around 35 degrees.Saturday looks mainly dry with a mix of clouds and some sunshine with highs reaching the low 50s lakeside and upper 50s inland before rain and storm chances begin to move in late. Those storm chances stick around through Sunday and Monday, with a noticeable warm-up pushing highs into the 70s both days. Rounds of rain and storm chances are on the way Sunday through Thursday next week. Stay tuned to the forecast this weekend and next week, a few days next week could bring the chance for severe weather to SE Wisconsin.
MILWAUKEE —
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Friday starts with a few early showers and sprinkles before skies gradually clear. Temperatures will stay on the cool side near the lake in the upper 40s, but inland spots warm into the mid-50s. Friday night turns partly cloudy and cool, with lows dipping to around 35 degrees.
Saturday looks mainly dry with a mix of clouds and some sunshine with highs reaching the low 50s lakeside and upper 50s inland before rain and storm chances begin to move in late. Those storm chances stick around through Sunday and Monday, with a noticeable warm-up pushing highs into the 70s both days.
Rounds of rain and storm chances are on the way Sunday through Thursday next week. Stay tuned to the forecast this weekend and next week, a few days next week could bring the chance for severe weather to SE Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill into law Thursday that legalizes online sports betting, making it the 33rd state to allow the practice.
But gamblers in Wisconsin will have to wait months or maybe even longer before they can start to legally place bets. The law Evers signed, which passed the Legislature with bipartisan support, requires the state to negotiate new deals with American Indian tribes that would run the sports betting.
Evers said he would not accept a plan that treats any one tribe better than another.
“The real work begins today,” he said in a statement. “Each of the 11 Tribes must now work diligently-and together-to shape the future of sports betting in Wisconsin. … An approach that exacerbates long-standing inequalities among Tribal Nations is not good for Wisconsinites or Wisconsin. I will not entertain it as governor.”
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Gambling is legal in Wisconsin only on tribal lands under exclusive contracts between tribes and the state. Sports bets can currently be placed only at certain tribal casinos, and online sports betting is illegal.
Under the new Wisconsin law, online sports betting would be allowed only if the infrastructure to manage the bets, such as computer servers, is located on tribal lands in the state. That approach, known as the “hub-and-spoke” model, already is used in Florida.
Under the Wisconsin tribal compacts, a percentage of the money tribes earn through that gambling is returned to the state. In 2024, the tribes paid the state just over $66 million from revenue generated at casinos.
Evers said the new law represents a chance “to support mental health programs and to combat the opioid crisis, two issues that I know plague both Tribal Nations and communities across our state.”
Supporters of the measure include several Wisconsin tribes and the Milwaukee Brewers. They contend people currently are placing bets using offshore sportsbooks or prediction markets or crossing into other states where it’s legal, including neighboring Illinois.
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The Sports Betting Alliance, which represents FanDuel, DraftKings, bet365, BetMGM and Fanatics, opposed the law. They argued that it wouldn’t make financial sense for them to partner with Wisconsin tribes, because federal law requires 60% of gambling revenues must go back to the tribes. They would prefer a state constitutional amendment opening sports betting to all operators.
Evers, who is not running for a third term this year, has originally said he would sign it as long as it had the support of the state’s 11 federally recognized tribes. But he later raised concerns because not every tribe was on board. Evers said Thursday that all 11 tribes are now in active negotiations over how to implement the new law.
Across the U.S., state-regulated sportsbooks handled nearly $167 billion of bets last year, generating revenues of nearly $17 billion after winnings were paid out to customers, according to the American Gaming Association. That marked an almost 23% increase over the previous year.
