Wisconsin
Building in Merrill listed on DOGE website among others in Wisconsin
MERRILL, Wis. (WSAW) – The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has taken no time in transforming the entire federal government workforce in just one month since President Trump took office.
Thousands of people were laid off as the administration and DOGE told agency leaders to plan for “large-scale reductions in force” and freeze trillions of dollars in federal grant funds.
Among the cuts is a small, less than 400 sq. ft. facility in Merrill used by the Defence Contract Management Agency (DCMA).
The agency’s Public Affairs Chief Mark Woodbury tells NewsChannel 7 the building and personnel have been used for quality assurance and oversight for the contracts DCMA manages.
Woodbury adds no jobs have been cut, and the workers have been relocated to other facilities.
Woodbury says DCMA is letting the lease on the building expire, citing budget restrictions and downsizing as factors.
The Merrill building is not the only government building or entity in Wisconsin seeing an impact. Others listed on the DOGE website include a Department of Defense building (7,322 sq. ft.) in Milwaukee, a Social Security Administration building (976 sq. ft.) in Green Bay, and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service building (2,871 sq. ft.) in Madison.
DOGE lists the total savings of each facility at:
- Merrill: $6,067
- Madison: $290,709 ($58,142 annual lease cost)
- Milwaukee: $933,500 (assuming the lease is continued for five years; $186,700 annual lease cost)
- Green Bay: $131,145 (assuming the lease is continued for five years; $26,229 annual lease cost)
The owner of the building in Green Bay, Doug Buck, told our affiliate WBAY that the Social Security Administration has been leasing the building on Dousman Street for over 20 years.
The administration renewed their lease just nine months ago.
Buck said he was surprised and in disbelief when he heard the news.
“This property serves a need in the community. There are a lot of people in this country that rely on their Social Security benefits for their survival. This is a crucial governmental service. So I have a hard time seeing this building closing soon,” Buck said.
Buck said he is confused as to why the building is on the DOGE list and is waiting to be given answers. He noted the DOGE listing shows a slight reduction in square footage and notes that it’s confusing.
DOGE states on the website its goal is to “balance the budget”. Thousands of people have been laid off as the administration and DOGE told agency leaders to plan for “large-scale reductions in force” and freeze trillions of dollars in federal grant funds.
The website was last updated on February 17 and states it will be updated “once or twice per week” with the eventual goal of having “real-time” updates.
Copyright 2025 WSAW. All rights reserved.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
How Aleksas Bieliauskas has grown in first season with Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has high praise for Aleksas Bieliauskas about a month into the Lithuania native’s freshman season.
MADISON – One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s departing transfers is headed to an SEC program with some connections to the Badgers.
Ex-UW forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina, he announced on April 17.
Bieliauskas left the Badgers after appearing in all 35 games as a freshman and making 28 starts. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 points in 20.2 minutes, and highlights of his freshman year included his five 3-pointers in UW’s upset over eventual national champion Michigan.
He’ll join a program with plenty of Wisconsin ties. South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2010-17 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs. South Carolina assistant coach Tanner Bronson and director of video services Roman DiPasquale also are UW alumni.
Bieliauskas is the second of UW’s four departing transfers to commit to a new school. Reserve forward Jack Robison committed to North Dakota State on April 15. Starting guard John Blackwell and reserve forward Riccardo Greppi have not announced their next schools yet.
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