Wisconsin
City of Sun Prairie becomes first Wisconsin municipality to achieve 100% renewable energy
SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. (WMTV) – The City of Sun Prairie is now the first municipality in Wisconsin to achieve 100% renewable energy for all city operations.
While sustainability experts say the change is good for the environment, it may also be better for your wallet.
From traffic lights to street lights, all city-powered infrastructure is now powered by energy that comes from natural resources.
“We are moving away from fossil fuels,” City of Sun Prairie Sustainability Manager Rose Daily said. “So from using oil and coal to power our electricity, to now using natural resources that we can tap into.”
Solar panels are not cheap upfront. Daily said the cost of the city’s most recent solar panel purchase was more than $800,000, though it was mainly funded by grants.
However, Daily said the high price tag comes with a high reward.
“Since we are consuming a lot of energy that we are now producing ourselves through our rooftop and ground mounted solar arrays, we paid for that investment upfront, and now we have significantly lower electricity bills,” Daily said.
According to Daily, since the solar panels and other renewable energy infrastructure were implemented in 2024, the city’s electricity bill dropped by $40,000.
Those lower energy bills for the city could mean lower taxes for residents, according to Daily.
Sam Dunaiski, Executive Director of Madison-based nonprofit RENEW Wisconsin, said Wisconsin is an ideal area for renewable energy, and said he hopes to promote its use throughout the Badger state.
“Wisconsin does not have a lot of the energy resources that historically we Americans have used,” Dunaiski said. “We don’t have coal mines, we don’t have gas deposits, we don’t have petrol fields or anything like that, so we spend billions and billions of our rate payer dollars each year sending money out of the state, out of the country to bring those fuels in so we can power our electricity.”
Dunaiski said he hopes to see a sustainability model like Sun Prairie’s across the state.
“[Renewable energy] investments will add jobs to our economy, it will make our air and our water cleaner and healthier, and it will also mitigate effects of climate change as well.”
Daily said the City of Sun Prairie has also seen more homes and businesses using renewable energy, too. She said they consistently issued over 40 solar permits a year since 2020.
The City of Sun Prairie said their next goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
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About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
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.
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