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Wisconsin lawmakers vote on tax cuts, veto powers and hunting fees in final session push

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Wisconsin lawmakers vote on tax cuts, veto powers and hunting fees in final session push
  • The Wisconsin Legislature, in its final session, addressed various issues through voting, including a substantial tax cut and out-of-state hunting fees.
  • The Assembly voted on a constitutional amendment to limit the governor’s veto powers, a measure needing statewide voter approval.
  • Other tax measures include increasing credits for married couples and retirees’ income exemptions.

The Wisconsin Legislature was racing to finish its work for the session by voting Tuesday on everything from a massive tax cut to raising out-of-state hunting fees.

The Assembly was also voting for the first time on a constitutional amendment that would curb the veto powers of Wisconsin’s governor, which are the broadest in the country. That proposal would ultimately need to be approved by voters statewide. The Senate was also expected to vote to reject one of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees to the Department of Natural Resources policy board.

The moves come as the Assembly was planning to finish its work for the session on Thursday, with the Senate wrapping up next month. Lawmakers will then quickly turn to campaigning for the fall election under new maps Evers signed into law on Monday.

WISCONSIN GOV. EVERS SIGNS NEW LEGISLATIVE MAPS INTO LAW AFTER REPUBLICANS PASS THEM

The Senate was slated to give final approval to a package of bills that would cut taxes about $2 billion in the first year and $1.4 billion every year after that. Evers has not said whether he will sign the package, or veto it like he has other similar Republican-backed tax cut proposals.

Wisconsin Republicans who control the state Legislature held a hearing on election-related proposals in the state Capitol on Oct. 24, 2023, in Madison, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Legislature completed its work for the session by voting on Feb. 20, 2024, on everything from a massive tax cut to raising out-of-state hunting fees. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer, File)

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The centerpiece of the package is a measure that would expand the state’s second income tax bracket so more income would be subject to a lower rate.

Currently, the second bracket covers individuals earning between $14,320 to $28,640 and married couples making between $19,090 to $38,190. Under the bill, earnings up to $112,500 for individuals and $150,000 for married couples would be subject to the 4.4% rate, down from 5.3% now.

Other measures would increase the income tax credit for married couples, expand the state’s child care tax credit and increase the amount of retirees’ income exempt from the state income tax.

The Senate was expected to reject the appointment of Todd Ambs to the state’s Natural Resources Board. Ambs was the only one of four Evers appointees rejected by a GOP-controlled Senate committee following a tense public hearing last year. All four appointees were forwarded by Evers after the Senate in September rejected four DNR board appointees.

Ambs served as deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources before retiring in December 2021.

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Ambs was questioned by GOP lawmakers at a December hearing about his online criticism of the Republican Party. Ambs said at that hearing that he would make “no apologies” for speaking out against former President Donald Trump.

LAWMAKERS ADVANCE BILL REQUIRING UNIVERSITIES OF WISCONSIN TO ADMIT ALL TOP-PERFORMING HIGH SCHOOLERS

The state Assembly was set to approve a bill that would raise bow and crossbow license fees for out-of-state deer hunters for the second time in less than a year in an attempt to shrink a gaping deficit in the state’s wildlife management account.

The Republican-authored proposal would raise out-of-state fees for bow and crossbow licenses from $165 to $200, the current cost of a nonresident gun deer license. The $35 increase is projected to generate an additional $409,000 for the account annually, according to DNR estimates.

The move comes as the state Department of Natural Resources looks for ways to shore up its fish and wildlife account. The fund covers a wide host of projects ranging from fish stocking and habitat restoration to paying farmers’ wolf depredation claims. The account was built with revenue from hunting and fishing license sales, timber sales and tribal gaming payments.

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Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis apartment chaos: Teens smash door, attack tenant and party on rooftop

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Minneapolis apartment chaos: Teens smash door, attack tenant and party on rooftop


Residents in the Uptown neighborhood said they are frustrated and scared after a group of teenagers broke into their apartment building and caused chaos over the weekend.

Tenants describe chaotic scene at Uptown apartment complex

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What we know:

Tenants at The Venue on Knox Apartments said a group of teenagers broke through the front door late Saturday night and got inside the building.

“They smashed the front of the building. The entire door was smashed,” said a tenant, who did not want to share his name. “As soon as I saw that was happening, I got out of there.”

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Once inside, tenants said the teenagers threw a loud party on the roof.

“Very loud parties. I hear them at night. They have emcees. They’re shouting, barking orders,” the tenant recounted. “I didn’t know where that was coming from. The fact that it was on the rooftop, and I’m on the second floor, like that I could hear it, just shows it’s really out of hand.”

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Police said someone pulled the fire alarm, forcing everyone outside in the middle of the night.

After that, a tenant said he was attacked by a group of at least 10 teenagers, causing injuries to his head, arms and body.

City leader, police respond to concerns

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Local perspective:

In a statement on Tuesday, City Council Member Elizabeth Shaffer referred to the teenagers as “urban explorers” and said they are trespassing and causing problems in Uptown.

“There have been these cases of ‘urban explorers’ who scale to rooftop patios, are trespassing and creating havoc… Authorities are working together to put in place some strategies to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” she said.

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Police said they documented the property damage, but have not made any arrests.

The chaos that unfolded over the weekend came just days after city leaders announced new plans to address crime in the Uptown neighborhood.

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Tenants said apartment management has not addressed the incident.

“They haven’t sent us a single email. I thought there would be emails. I thought there would be phone calls to us. They’ve been completely unresponsive,” said a tenant.

Apartment management did not respond to a request for comment.

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Indianapolis, IN

Woman critically injured in shooting on northeast side of Indianapolis

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Woman critically injured in shooting on northeast side of Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS — A woman was critically injured in a shooting on the northeast side of Indianapolis Tuesday night.

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the 5500 block of East 41st Street around 8:45 p.m. to investigate a shooting. When police arrived at the scene, they located an adult female with injuries consistent with gunshot wounds.

Photo of police investigating a shooting in the 5500 block of East 41st Street on April 28, 2026, captured by a FOX59/CBS4 crew.

Per IMPD, the victim was transported from the the scene to a local hospital in critical condition. Police reported that hospital staff later provided them with an update that indicated the victim remains in critical condition.

Investigators believe the shooting occurred inside a residence on 41st Street. One shell casing was found in the front yard of that residence near its driveway. Police do not believe that stray shell casing is related to the shooting in any way.

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Law enforcement detained a person of interest during its investigation of the shooting. IMPD has not yet provided any of the detainee’s identifying information like sex, age or name.

Police do not believe the shooting poses any ongoing threat to the public. Investigators are, however, still encouraging area residents to call IMPD at (317) 327-3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at (317) 262-8477 to pass along any information they may have on the shooting.



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Cleveland, OH

Cleveland has Ohio’s highest apartment rents – NEOtrans

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Cleveland has Ohio’s highest apartment rents – NEOtrans


The Collins Apartments on Carter Road is one of two major developments to open in the past year on Scranton Peninsula in Cleveland’s Flats. But it wasn’t enough to meet Greater Cleveland’s demand for more multifamily units (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Multifamily construction not meeting demand

A new report released today by international real estate firm Colliers shows that multifamily development in Greater Cleveland isn’t keeping up with demand. The result is that average rents in the Cleveland area are now the highest of any metro area in the state.

Colliers said that 1,601 apartments are typically built each year in Greater Cleveland to meet an average annual demand of about 1,976 multifamily housing units — the second-highest demand in the state behind Columbus’ 7,156 units.

But while metro Columbus had 9,123 apartments under construction in the first quarter of 2026, metro Cleveland had only 1,203 apartments being built in that same three-month period.

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By comparison, Greater Cincinnati has a typical annual demand for 1,121 units of multifamily housing which is met by an annual average of 1,944 units. But in the first quarter of 2026, Cincinnati had 3,575 apartments under construction.

That translated into an average rent per square foot in January-March 2026 of $1.60 in Greater Cleveland, $1.58 in Cincinnati and $1.47 in Columbus.

More apartment construction is needed in Greater Cleveland to keep up with demand. Without it, the metro area will continue to have the highest rents per square foot in the state (NEOtrans).

The typical size of an apartment in Cincinnati is slightly larger than those in Cleveland, so the average monthly rent for an apartment in Cincinnati is the highest at $1,511. Cleveland is next at $1,419 and Columbus third at $1,405.

“The development pipeline (in Cleveland) continues to shrink, with units under construction falling to about 1,203 from 1,461 last quarter and 3,672 one year ago,” Collier said in its report.

“That drop in future supply is one of the most important trends in the market right now, because it should help Cleveland maintain healthy occupancy and support rent growth as 2026 moves forward,” the report explained, noting that higher rents will attract new construction.

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“That is a strong signal for the market, especially after several years of elevated deliveries,” the report noted. “Over the last five years, Cleveland has generally operated in the mid-95 percent occupancy range, and current performance remains in line with that trend.”

The other big development on Cleveland’s Scranton Peninsula is Triton at The Flats, opening after The Collins across the street (NEOtrans).

In part, Colliers used data generated by Real Capital Analytics, a data model managed by MSCI Inc., a finance, equity and real estate analysis company headquartered in New York City.

“Cleveland’s multifamily market remained healthy in Q1 2026, with inventory rising to approximately 178,925 units and occupancy holding at 95.8 percent,” Colliers said in its report.

The report noted that while construction locally has dropped below demand, vacant units are filling the gap. Yet Cleveland had fewer vacant units than Ohio’s other two big C’s.

“Vacant units totaled about 7,533, down from roughly 7,719 last quarter,” Colliers said of Cleveland’s apartment market. “Demand continued to absorb most of the new supply, keeping overall fundamentals stable.”

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Not all new multifamily inventory comes from new construction. In Downtown Cleveland, most of it comes from converting older, obsolete office buildings into housing plus other uses like hotel and retail, as seen here with Project Scarlet’s remake of the Rose Building at East 9th Street and Prospect Avenue (NEOtrans).

Greater Columbus may have Ohio’s largest multifamily inventory at 218,113 apartments, it also has the most vacant units at 10,382. Greater Cincinnati’s inventory had 173,050 apartments with 7,562 of them vacant in the Q1 2026.

“Market conditions also improved from a year ago,” Colliers said. “Occupancy increased from 94.5 percent in Q1 2024 to 95.8 percent in Q1 2026, showing that Cleveland has been able to work through added inventory without a meaningful drop in performance.”

Leasing conditions are still competitive in the Cleveland market and the market remains on solid footing. Colliers said newer projects are creating pressure in certain pockets, especially where owners are competing for renters more aggressively, but the broader market continues to benefit from steady demand and a stable base of occupied units.

“In simple terms, Cleveland is not overheating, but it is also not slipping,” the report summarized. “It is holding up well.”

END

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