Fox Valley area drivers, you’re not alone in your feelings around Interstate 41 construction.

In a survey from Munley Law, a personal injury law firm, I-41 was named the “angriest route” in Wisconsin. The law firm surveyed more than 3,000 workers nationwide on the worst commutes in each state that causes the most road rage.

The workers were asked which commutes make them angry because of road congestion, aggressive driving or unpredictable delays. Munley Law said people were polled to reflect the U.S. working population. The results of the “Toxic Traffic” survey were released in February.

The Fox Valley ranked on top of the list in Wisconsin, likely due to the traffic changes amid construction on I-41.

Traffic congestion probably won’t get better soon. The ongoing I-41 project will continue through 2030 to reconstruct 23 miles of the interstate between Grand Chute and De Pere.

One of the largest impacts of the project will start in spring in Appleton with the closure of the State 47/Richmond Street interchange. All on- and off-ramps and the bridge over I-41 will close from spring to fall this year.

Air your grievances in person

If you want to attend a meeting about the I-41 project, attend a public meeting at 5-7 p.m. March 17 at The Marq, 3177 French Road in De Pere, or 5-7 p.m. March 19 at Fox Valley Technical College’s D.J. Bordini Center, 5 N. Systems Drive in Appleton.

Contact Benita Mathew at bmathew@usatodayco.com.

A significant snow storm will hit during the late evening on March 14 and last until the morning of March 16. The National Weather Service is advising people to plan to stay off the roads.

Weather forecasters aren’t sure how much snow central Wisconsin residents will see Sunday, March 15, but they are advising people to stay off the roads that day.

There is a significant storm coming that will hit during the late evening hours on Saturday, March 14 and go through March 15, lasting until almost the morning of Monday, March 16, said Scott Berschback, National Weather Service meteorologist in Green Bay. However, as of March 11, the National Weather Service isn’t putting out any predictions for snowfall totals just yet.

“There is a very large snow storm coming,” Berschback said.

Some weather apps on phones are predicting between 20-24 inches of snow for March 15 in Central Wisconsin, and The Weather Channel app says between 8-12 inches are expected.

The National Weather Service isn’t predicating amounts right now because saying there is a possibility of between 8-24 inches of snow isn’t very helpful, Berschback said.

The storm could hit closer to the Milwaukee area or up near the Michigan state line, Berschback said. He said it is going to be a significant storm, but as of March 11, it isn’t known whether it will be a major storm similar to what we’ve seen this winter or one that the area hasn’t seen in years, he said.

Berschback recommends residents keep a close eye on the weather this upcoming weekend and plan to not drive anywhere on Sunday.

• The lawsuit comes after a 2025 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation.
• The investigation found the state Legislature had spent about $26 million in taxpayer money on legal fees to private attorneys since 2017.

Law Forward, a Madison-based liberal law firm, is suing the Republican-controlled Legislature over its use of taxpayer money to hire private attorneys.

The lawsuit, which was filed last month, comes after a 2025 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation found the state Legislature had spent about $26 million in taxpayer money on legal fees to private law firms since 2017.

The investigation found the vast majority of the spending came after Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul won the November 2018 election, defeating Republican former Gov. Scott Walker and Attorney General Brad Schimel.

The sharp increase in spending also followed a law passed by Republican legislators in the December 2018 lame-duck session that authorized the Assembly speaker and Senate majority leader to hire private lawyers with taxpayer money.

“Wisconsin taxpayers deserve to know their money is being spent lawfully to advance a valid public purpose,” Law Forward President and General Counsel Jeff Mandell said in a statement. “This lawsuit challenges the tens of millions in taxpayer funds, most of which is wasted by the Republican-controlled Legislature on private legal counsel in pursuit of private interests.”

He called the practice a “clear violation of the Wisconsin Constitution’s public purpose doctrine and Wisconsin’s system of divided government.”

The lawsuit names as defendants the Assembly, Senate, Department of Administration and legislative leaders, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu.

Vos and LeMahieu could not be reached immediately for comment about the lawsuit.

The lawsuit cited a 2023 dispute in which the Senate continued to pay private counsel after it had been removed as a party in a case involving the use of surveillance cameras in Green Bay City Hall. The case cost the Senate more than $1 million in fees, according to records reviewed by the Journal Sentinel.

Assembly leaders also spent $1.8 million on fees related to former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman’s 2020 election probe, which found no evidence of fraud. The probe ended when Vos fired Gableman in August 2022. The legal fees did not include other investigation-related expenses, like Gableman’s salary. 

Much of the spending at issue stems from the 2018 lame-duck session, in which Republicans passed a series of laws stripping Evers and Kaul of various powers a month before they took office. One of those laws allowed legislative leaders to pay for outside counsel with taxpayer money and circumvent the attorney general to intervene in lawsuits that challenge state law.

Since then, the Legislature has spent more than $8 million defending challenges to the lame-duck laws.

In a July 2025 interview, Vos told the Journal Sentinel the laws ensured the governor did not consolidate too much power.

“The norm is for one person to try to take more authority, because they can make an easier, quicker decision,” Vos said.

“I think that’s really unhealthy for democracy, which is why we have so rigorously defended the right of the Legislature and the court to maintain its own independence,” he added.