Wisconsin

AMA: Ask your Badgers-related questions

Published

2 years ago

July 15, 2024

The Wisconsin Badgers had an impressive month of June, hitting the recruiting trail hard to land a majority of their 2025 recruits throughout their official visit weekends.

While the buzz has simmered recently with most of the targets now off the board, either to Wisconsin or other schools, there are still a few recruits out there that the Badgers are vying for to add to their 2025 class.

On the basketball side, the Badgers recently offered 2025 four-star forward Amari Allen, who is a native of Kaukauna, Wisconsin, but plays at powerhouse IMG Academy.

He joins a group of targets that Wisconsin is pursuing in the 2025 class to add to commits Zach Kinziger and Will Garlock.

Every week, I’m looking to do an AMA session, where everyone can ask whatever questions they have about the Badgers in the comments, and I’ll answer each and every one over the next 24 hours.

Drop your Badgers-related questions in the comments down below!

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Wisconsin

Worker in stable condition after crane accident at Madison construction site

Published

11 hours ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

Worker in stable condition after crane accident at Madison construction site

A worker is in stable condition after a crane dropped a massive beam at the site of the future Wisconsin History Center on Madison’s Capitol Square, where construction is now paused.

The Madison Fire Department responded to the incident around 9:30 a.m. Jan. 31. A construction crane dropped a beam weighing 20,000 to 30,000 pounds, which fell about 50 feet through sublevels of construction.

One employee fell with the beam; he was taken to a hospital with critical injuries. It is unclear where he fell in relation to the beam. Crews rescued another, uninjured employee who was stranded with the crane above the site. No other injuries were reported.

The injured employee has not been identified. Findorff, a Madison-based construction company overseeing the project, said in a Feb. 1 statement that the worker is in stable condition at a nearby hospital.

“The health and safety of our employees and everyone on our job sites is our highest priority. Work on site has been paused, and we are working closely with local authorities and safety officials as we work to determine the cause of the incident,” Findorff said.

The fire department was dispatched to the corner of State Street and Fairchild Street, or the 100 Block of State Street.

That exact location lines up with a building that houses Ian’s Pizza, which is not under construction. But it’s across the street from the construction site for the future Wisconsin History Center.

The Wisconsin State Journal first reported the incident happened at the center’s buildout site.

A $106.5 million center is replacing the former state historical museum, which was demolished in late 2024. The new project broke ground in April 2025 and is expected to open in 2027.

The project is led by the Wisconsin Historical Society, which is simultaneously a state government agency and a private membership organization.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel requested comment from the Wisconsin Historical Society and asked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration whether it is investigating the incident.

The five-story, 100,000-square-foot facility will include a lobby, classrooms, rotating exhibits, permanent galleries and a rooftop terrace. The project received bipartisan support; former Govs. Jim Doyle and Tommy Thompson co-chaired the fundraising campaign.

Hope Karnopp can be reached at HKarnopp@usatodayco.com.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin lawmakers hear bill to codify IHRA antisemitism | The Jerusalem Post

Published

24 hours ago

February 1, 2026

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Wisconsin lawmakers hear bill to codify IHRA antisemitism | The Jerusalem Post

The Wisconsin Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety held a public hearing last week on bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening the state’s response to antisemitism by formally adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism into state law.

The bill, SB 445, would require state and local authorities to use the IHRA definition, including its 11 contemporary examples, when evaluating discriminatory intent in civil rights violations and determining enhanced penalties for hate crimes. The measure is sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Senators Rob Hutton, Rachael Cabral-Guevara, Dianne Hesselbein, Jesse James, Brad Pfaff, Patrick Testin, Jamie Wall, Van Wanggaard, and Bob Wirch.

A companion bill, AB 446, sponsored by a broad coalition in the Wisconsin Assembly, was heard earlier this year by the Committee on State Affairs.

The legislation states that government entities and officials should consider the IHRA definition when assessing whether crimes or discriminatory acts were motivated by race, religion, color, or national origin, particularly in cases involving enhanced criminal penalties.

The bill is supported by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), whose representatives testified during the hearing at the State Capitol in Madison.

CAM Director of State Engagement David Soffer told lawmakers that the bill would provide clarity and consistency in addressing antisemitism.

“SB 445 will make a difference in combating antisemitism,” Soffer said. “It helps identify what is, and just as importantly, what is not, antisemitism, and gives state institutions the tools they need to properly recognize and address antisemitic conduct. The Jewish community is asking for action, and this bill answers that call.”

Also testifying was CAM Public Affairs Officer Natalie Sanandaji, a survivor of the October 7 Hamas attacks. She warned lawmakers that contemporary antisemitism increasingly disguises itself as political activism.

“When people call for October 7 to be repeated, when they chant to ‘globalize the intifada’ or glorify those who carried out mass murder, they are not calling for peace,” Sanandaji said. “They are calling for the killing of Jews.”

Written testimony was also submitted by CAM President of U.S. Affairs Alyza Lewin, who emphasized that the IHRA definition does not restrict legitimate political speech.

“The IHRA definition provides a framework for identifying modern antisemitism while protecting free expression,” Lewin wrote. “It does not prohibit criticism of Israel. It simply draws the line when criticism becomes demonization, delegitimization, or the application of double standards to Jews or the Jewish state.”

“Hate that is ignored does not disappear,” she added. “It escalates. If we want to stop antisemitic violence, we must first be willing to recognize antisemitism in all its contemporary forms.”

According to data compiled by CAM’s Antisemitism Research Center, 37 U.S. states have now adopted the IHRA definition in some form. Wisconsin’s proposal is part of a broader nationwide effort to address rising antisemitism through legislation, education, and law enforcement coordination.

Over the past year, CAM has worked closely with lawmakers in multiple states on similar initiatives. Legislative efforts have been introduced in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, with six of those states enacting new laws since April 2025.

In June, elected officials and senior government representatives from 17 states gathered in Kansas City for the first-ever CAM-organized State Leadership Summit on Antisemitism, aimed at coordinating policy responses and sharing best practices nationwide.

If enacted, SB 445 would place Wisconsin among a growing number of states using the IHRA definition as a formal tool to confront antisemitism in law enforcement, education, and public policy.

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