Wisconsin
Chaos at the Caucus: Republican infighting erupts in Wisconsin’s 8th District
MADISON, Wis. (WSAW) – It was chaos at the caucus. The Republican Party of Wisconsin and the GOP’s 8th Congressional District spent more than $1,600 on security for a GOP Caucus meeting, where only Republicans were in attendance.
“That’s not normal. There were people who were afraid to attend the caucus,” Kirt Johnson, chair of the Kewaunee County Republican Party, said.
Johnson, who has worked in politics and public policy for over four decades, described this caucus as, “one of the most disgusting, shameful things [he has] ever witnessed.”
Both sides of the debacle labeled this caucus as the boiling-over point for the Republican Party.
“For us to be in a situation as volunteer grassroots activists who are just doing this because we love our country,” Doug Reich, chair of the Brown County Republican party, said. “To be faced with going to a meeting where there are literally county sheriffs there who have been told to potentially escort you out is beyond belief.”
It is the great divide in the party born in Wisconsin.
Ahead of the caucus, the Republican Party of Wisconsin was concerned rules were not followed for the county delegate selection process in Waupaca, Oconto and Brown Counties.
“In the past, the party and some parties will suspend the rules and just enable anyone to go to [the caucus to] represent the county,” Reich said. “In accordance with our own Constitution, we held an election.”
That election resulted in five delegates from Brown County being excluded from the caucus.
“They actually precluded certain people who were dues-paying members in good standing from actually going to the caucus,” Johnson said.
In addition, a spokesperson from the statewide party said they received complaints the three counties did not follow due process and/or submitted their list of delegates late.
As a result, the Eighth District Credentials Committee petitioned for the three county delegations to not be seated at all at the caucus, except for the five originally not elected from Brown County.
In response, the Waupaca and Oconto Republican Party filed a lawsuit against the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District Committee, receiving a restraining order at 5 p.m. on a Friday, requiring all of the delegates to be allowed to join the caucus the next morning for a vote.
“The Republican Party was born in Wisconsin. It was literally born probably 30 miles from here,” Ken Sikora, the newly elected chair of the GOP 8th Congressional District. “Here we are, what, 150 years later… fighting for the right of our elected delegates to be represented at a caucus.”
During the caucus, there was a motion to adjourn in light of the legal battle.
“The idea at that point was we really can’t do the caucus until we clarify what the legal situation is, what the status of delegates,” Johnson said.
Joel Bartel, the GOP chair of Waupaca County, then began to “rile up the crowd,” Johnson described.
“I’m more boisterous, probably, than a lot of the chairs,” Bartel said. “I went out to all the caucus, all the delegates, and I said, ‘Hey! We’re having a meeting. Come on up.’ And the policemen wouldn’t let them come up, which I don’t understand why our executive committees are closed.”
With a vote, the caucus prevailed.
“The person who was running the meeting, I think, made the judgment that this could get out of control. We could have a riot. People could get hurt,” Johnson said. “We’ll just go ahead and do the caucus.”
Ken Sikora was overwhelmingly elected to chair the GOP’s Executive Committee for the 8th CD, beating the incumbent Stephanie Soucek.
“People love a fighter. We have a lot of people behind us,” Sikora said.
Another key contention point within the party is Sikora’s record. He was convicted of battery and disorderly conduct for domestic abuse. When asked if the convictions reflect on his ability to lead, Sikora responded, “No, not at all.”
“This is the same type of tactics that they used against Donald Trump in ‘16. Same thing against Ken,” Bartel added. “The establishment was trying to create this case that he’s a bad guy, look at his record, blah, blah, blah.”
Sikora did not refute his record, but said it was just “A story,” not “The story.”
Meanwhile, other long-term Wisconsin Republicans are dismayed at the turn of events.
“It’s embarrassing that it was the Republican Party,” Johnson said. “It’s just crazy, and like I said, it was mob rule.”
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(WLUK) — Applications for Wisconsin’s 2026 elk season open next week.
The DNR says the application period begins Sunday, Mar 1 and will close on Sunday, May 31.
Selected applicants will be notified in early June.
For the third year in a row, there will be increased opportunity to pursue elk within the Central Elk Management Zone (formerly Black River Elk Range), as additional bull elk and antlerless harvest authorizations will be available through the state licensing system. The 2026 elk quota for the Central Elk Management Zone is six bull elk and six antlerless elk, up from a quota of four bull and five antlerless in 2025.
The Northern Elk Management Zone (formerly Clam Lake Elk Range) quota will be eight bull elk, subject to a 50% declaration by Ojibwe tribes.
During the open application period, applicants will have the choice to submit one bull elk license application and/or one antlerless elk license application, separately. Applicants can apply to any unit grouping with an associated quota for that authorization type (bull or antlerless). The order of drawing will be bull licenses first, followed by antlerless licenses. As a reminder, only one resident elk hunting license can be issued or transferred to a person in their lifetime, regardless of authorization type.
In 2026, there will be one continuous hunting season, opening Saturday, Oct. 17, and continuing through Sunday, Dec. 13, eliminating the split-season structure that was in effect from 2018-2025. This offers elk hunters more opportunities and flexibility to pursue elk in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin residents can submit elk license applications online through the Go Wild license portal or in person at a license sales agent. The application fee is $10 for each of the bull elk and antlerless elk drawings and is limited to one application per person, per authorization type. The DNR recommends that all applicants check and update their contact information to ensure contact with successful applicants.
For each application fee, $7 goes directly to elk management, monitoring and research. These funds also enhance elk habitat, which benefits elk and many other wildlife. If selected in the drawing, an elk hunting license costs $49.
Before obtaining an elk hunting license, all selected hunters must participate in a Wisconsin elk hunter education course. The class covers Wisconsin elk history, hunting regulations, biology, behavior and scouting/hunting techniques.
(WLUK) — Snow remains deep across parts of the Northwoods and the Upper Peninsula, even though much of Northeast Wisconsin has seen notable snow-melting heading toward spring.
It’s connected to a shift in Pacific climate patterns.
As of Thursday, 75.1% of the Northern Great Lakes area was covered by snow. Snow depth across the Northwoods and the U.P. ranges from 20 to 30 inches, with areas along and north of Highway 8 in Wisconsin at about 20 inches.
But farther south, significant snowmelt has occurred over the last few weeks across Northeast Wisconsin and the southern half of the state.
Looking ahead, an ENSO-neutral spring is looking likely, meaning Pacific Ocean temperatures are not notably above or below average. Conditions tend to be more normal and seasonal, though that does not guarantee typical weather.
La Niña occurs when the Pacific Ocean has below-average temperatures across the central and east-central portions of the equatorial region. El Niño is the opposite, with warmer ocean temperatures in those regions. Those shifts influence weather across the United States and globally.
In Wisconsin, a La Niña spring is usually colder and wetter, while an El Niño spring brings warmer and drier conditions. During a neutral period, neither El Niño nor La Niña is in control and weather can swing either direction.
Despite the snowpack up north, the 2026 spring outlook from Green Bay’s National Weather Service leans toward a low flood risk, because ongoing drought in parts of the state is helping to absorb snowmelt.
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Dry conditions are also raising fire concerns in several parts of the country. Low snowfall in states out west is increasing wildfire concerns, and those areas are already experiencing drought. Wildfire activity can increase quickly if above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation continue into spring. About half of the lower 48 states are in drought this week — an increase of 16% since January.
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