WAUKESHA COUNTY, Wis. — With less than 80 days until the presidential election, it’s all hands on deck when it comes to campaigning for both the Democratic and Republican parties in Wisconsin.

Matt Mareno, chair of the Waukesha County Democratic Party, described the current campaign efforts in the state as “all gas, no breaks.”

“Wisconsin continues to be at the center of the political universe,” said Mareno. “We’re looking at a Senate that will likely come down to one or two seat majority, a presidency that will come down to a few thousand votes and Wisconsin continues to be at the heart of it.”

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz have already campaigned together in the Badger State twice. The pair hosted a large rally at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee earlier this week.

Mareno said Waukesha County Democrats are doing their part as well. 

“We’re just pedal to the metal making sure we’re out every day and every weekend talking to our friends and neighbors about how important it is to vote and the differences between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump,” said Mareno. “We know that once people hear our message and get a chance to meet Kamala, they are going to come and vote for the Democrats. Sometimes for the first time ever.”

The Wisconsin Republican Party has also been continuing its push forward after the Republican National Convention wrapped in Milwaukee.

Wisconsin GOP Chairman Brian Schimming said they’ve had one of the most active years for party building and recruitment.

“We’ve had thousands of people sign up across the state to become poll workers and dozens of dozens of staff in almost 40 field offices across the state,” said Schimming. 

Schimming said he is anticipating more visits from former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance.

“President Trump and JD Vance know Wisconsin,” said Schimming. “President Trump knows Wisconsin well. I’ve welcomed them multiple times to the state here already and we’re looking forward to seeing more of him. The more we can see Donald Trump and JD Vance in the state, the more likely we win.”

Both parties said they know Wisconsin will play a pivotal role in November’s election. The campaigning efforts by both parties will continue at full speed until Nov. 5. 

Detroit’s air quality slightly worsened Thursday as firefighters continue to contain a large mulch fire on the city’s west side.

Crews are still on the scene at the Detroit Mulch Company on Prairie Street as of Thursday morning, said James Harris, the Detroit Fire Department’s chief of community relations.

Firefighters are battling the blaze until it is fully extinguished, he said. Investigators have not yet determined what caused the fire.

The air quality in Detroit was on the higher end of moderate safety levels Thursday, according to AirNow, an air quality data site reporting from the officials U.S. Air Quality Index.

Officials report a particulate matter, PM-2.5 of 97, bordering close to the 100 to 150 range for air qualities considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.

The particulate matter measurement is an upward shift from a reported PM-2.5 of 66 on Tuesday at noon, hours before the DFD first received calls about the flames at the mulch site.

The Detroit Mulch Company is closed for business due to the “unexpected fire,” according to a recorded answering message on the company’s listed phone.

Co-owners Casey and Brooke Oberg plan to reopen the store as soon as it is safe to do so, according to a company statement issued Thursday.

“We’re deeply saddened by the fire at our mulch yard and by any inconvenience experienced by local residents—including our customers and employees,” they said in the statement. “In light of this event, we eagerly continue to work with local officials to ensure safety precautions and, to the extent possible, prevent such incidents in the future.”

Large stacks of mulch caught fire Monday, engulfing the immediate area in a cloud of smoke blooming from the local tree disposal and mulch production business.

The Detroit Mulch Company is a local, family-owned business whose majority owner is a Detroit native, according to its release.

The Obergs founded the company to recycle trees in Detroit and remain “deeply invested in the city’s success,” according to the release.

CNN
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Four former hotel workers pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of felony murder in connection with the case of D’Vontaye Mitchell, a 43-year-old Black man who died this summer after he was pinned to the ground outside a downtown Milwaukee hotel in an encounter partially captured on video.

Former security manager Todd Alan Erickson, desk agent Devin W. Johnson-Carson, security guard Brandon LaDaniel Turner and bellman Herbert T. Williamson each entered not guilty pleas on Thursday in state court in Wisconsin.

The then-hotel workers’ June 30 encounter with Mitchell unfolded as use of force – particularly against people of color – by police and others in authority roles remains under scrutiny nearly four years after protests flared nationwide following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

Erickson was granted bail Thursday after requesting a reduction from $50,000 to $5,000. The judge granted the reduction over the protest of Mitchell’s mother, Brenda L Giles, who made a statement in court asking the judge to deny bond reduction. Bail was also granted for Turner after the judge reduced the amount from $30,000 to $5,000.

Johnson-Carson and Williamson had previously been released from jail on cash bond.

Craig R. Johnson, an attorney for Johnson-Carson, called Mitchell’s death a “tragedy,” but said his client did not commit a crime.

“This situation was a tragedy, but not every tragedy has a villain, and not every tragedy is a crime … Mr. Johnson-Carson was responding to a volatile and potentially dangerous situation that could have threatened the safety of hotel staff and guests,” the attorney said Thursday. “His actions were not criminal and did not contribute to the death of Mr. Mitchell.”

CNN has reached out attorneys for Erickson, Turner and Williamson for comment.

All four defendants are due back in court on October 15. If convicted, they could be sentenced to up to 15 years and nine months in prison.

While the four defendants tackled Mitchell to the ground outside the hotel, one of them struck Mitchell multiple times; another hit him once; and another kicked him in the torso, the charging documents state.

Mitchell died from “restraint asphyxia and toxic effects of cocaine and methamphetamine,” and the manner of death is homicide, according to the autopsy report.

At a preliminary hearing on Monday, prosecutors called Dr. Lauren Decker, a forensic pathologist from the medical examiner’s office as a witness to go over the findings of Mitchell’s autopsy.

Attorneys for the workers questioned whether obesity and drug use could have caused his death, regardless of the restraint.

“I can’t extrapolate to other situations,” Decker said. “In this case, he not only was held by multiple individuals, but also was in this position.”

Milwaukee Police Det. Martin Saavedra was also called to the stand Monday. The detective described the altercation between Mitchell and the defendants, as seen on hotel security video.

All four workers have been fired by Aimbridge Hospitality, which operates the Hyatt Regency hotel, according to a source familiar with the situation.

CNN’s Sara Smart and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.