Wisconsin

Democracy on line? Swing state Wisconsin offers a test – Times of India

Published

2 years ago

August 25, 2024

APPLETON: Michael Hovde has a lot he dislikes about Donald Trump‘s agenda. But when he votes in November in the electorally crucial state of Wisconsin, he believes the stakes are far higher than mere policy issues.
“Trump, I think, is an existential threat to democracy,” the 36-year-old said as he strolled through the bustling downtown of Appleton, one of the most politically diverse areas of one of the most closely divided US states.
He pointed to the “terrifying” people around the Republican mogul and to Project 2025, the governing blueprint written for, but publicly disavowed by, Trump that would ram through his hard-right policies.
“They aim to truly just bypass and circumvent checks and balances, and really neuter the efficacy of our political system,” Hovde said.
Not far away, past the verdant lawns and elegant Victorian homes in this comfortably middle-class city, Casey Stern, 58, sees the race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris quite differently.
Above his neatly tended garden of corn and zucchini flies an imposing “Trump 2024” flag. Another banner calls for Biden’s impeachment and says, “We the People Are Pissed.”
If the message is in-your-face, so are the reactions. Stern recounts passers-by shouting profanities, while some critics jot down his address and send him letters.
He acknowledged that Trump’s “mean tweets in the middle of the night” can bother people but believes the country needs a “strong-willed” leader to address inflation, immigration and crime.
“Every time you go to the grocery store, you can’t even afford a steak,” Stern said.
He scoffed at Democrats’ charges that Trump puts democracy at risk, accusing President Joe Biden of stifling public debate over the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Biden has done more to harm democracy,” he said.
– State of tumult –
If there is one state where the Democrats’ message on Trump’s threat to democracy may mobilize voters, it is Wisconsin.
Once known for clean, polite, left-tilting politics, Wisconsin has become an epicenter of partisanship — an ultimate swing state that could tip the national .
Trump stunned complacent Democrats by winning narrowly in 2016. Biden then took back Wisconsin by another razor-thin margin in 2020.
A turning point had come in 2010 when Scott Walker, a young Republican who many presumed would respect Wisconsin’s mild-mannered political style, was elected governor and unleashed sweeping changes.
He stripped power from Wisconsin’s once-formidable labor unions, and his Republicans drastically redrew election maps, virtually guaranteeing party control of the state legislature.
Democrats hope Republicans will have their comeuppance in the November 5 election, fought on less partisan maps after a ruling by the state Supreme Court’s new liberal majority.
Kristin Alfheim, a Democrat who is seeking a state Senate seat, said competitive maps benefit democracy.
“It brings the opportunity for accountability from both sides, knowing they’re going to need to work together,” she said.
– ‘Democracy’ cuts both ways –
Biden and Harris have hammered away on the threat to democracy from Trump, who refused to accept defeat in 2020 and fired up the supporters who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Arnold Shober, a government professor at Lawrence University in Appleton, said the democracy theme carried “special resonance” in Wisconsin after its experience with Walker, who was voted out in 2018.
But Shober said it cut both ways, with some Republicans still smarting over the boisterous, albeit nonviolent, protests that disrupted the state’s capitol when Walker pushed through his anti-union measure, known as Act 10.
“When you talk about January 6 in Wisconsin, folks on the right will instantly say, well, what about those Democrats with Act 10?” Shober said.
“They see it almost as an equity issue. You did it — we can do it, too.”
– Countering vitriol –
The historic home to giant paper mills and now the base for major white-collar employers, Outagamie County, of which Appleton is the seat, was dominated by Republicans and produced the notorious anti-communist witch-hunter Joe McCarthy.
But in a microcosm of the country, an urban-rural split has deepened, with Democrats gaining in an increasingly cosmopolitan Appleton.
Outagamie County Chief Executive Tom Nelson, a Democrat sympathetic to socialist Bernie Sanders, has kept winning since 2011 even as he has seen coarseness in politics rising with Trump.
“He has animated that vitriol, that contempt, that hatred,” he said.
Nelson said he has successfully reached across the divide on a more basic message.
Fundamentally, he said, people want “to be able to live in a community that is safe, that is healthy, that has a strong and vibrant economy.”

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin man accused of setting fire to congressman’s office over TikTok ban gets 7 years in prison

Published

12 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin man accused of setting fire to congressman’s office over TikTok ban gets 7 years in prison

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin man who allegedly told police he tried to set fire to a Republican congressman’s office last year because he was angry that the lawmaker backed a bill requiring TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell off its U.S. operations was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison.

In addition to the prison time, Fond du Lac County Circuit Judge Tricia Walker sentenced 20-year-old Caiden Stachowicz to seven years of extended supervision, court records show.

Stachowicz, of Menasha, pleaded no contest to an arson charge in November. Prosecutors dropped burglary and property damage counts in exchange for Stachowicz’s no contest plea, which isn’t an admission of guilt but is treated as such for the purposes of sentencing.

Stachowicz’s attorney, Timothy Hogan, didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

According to a criminal complaint, a police officer responded to a fire outside Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman’s office in Fond du Lac, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) northwest of Milwaukee, at around 1 a.m. on Jan. 19, 2025, and saw Stachowicz standing nearby.

He told the officer that he started the fire because he doesn’t like Grothman, according to the complaint. He initially planned to break into the office and start the fire inside but he couldn’t break the window, so he poured gas on an electrical box behind the building and around the front of the building, lit a match and watched it burn, according to the complaint.

He said he wanted to burn down the office because the federal government was shutting down TikTok in violation of his constitutional rights and peace was not longer an option, the complaint states. He added that Grothman voted for the shutdown, but he didn’t want to hurt Grothman or anyone else.

This undated photo provided by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department and the Fond du Lac County District Attorney’s Office on Nov. 10, 2025, shows Caiden Stachowicz. Credit: AP/Uncredited

Grothman voted for a bill in April 2024 that required TikTok’s China-based company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operation. The deadline was Jan. 19, 2025, but President Donald Trump has issued multiple executive orders prolonging it. TikTok finalized a deal two months ago to create an American version of of the social video platform. Trump praised the deal.

A spokesperson for Grothman’s congressional office didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

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Wisconsin

Carrington scores 18 points to lead Wisconsin’s 78-45 throttling of Maryland

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

MADISON (AP) — Reserve Braeden Carrington scored 18 points, John Blackwell scored 14 points and Wisconsin poured it on in the second half to dismantle Maryland 78-45 on Wednesday night.

Nick Boyd scored 13 points and reserve Austin Rapp scored 11 points for Wisconsin (21-9, 13-6 Big Ten), which had 11 players enter the scoring column.

The Badgers’ Andrew Rohde passed out six of Wisconsin’s 15 assists and didn’t commit a turnover. Wisconsin turned it over only three times.

Andre Mills scored 14 points and Elijah Saunders scored 11 points for Maryland.

Wisconsin turned an already commanding 34-21 first-half stranglehold into a 21-point lead 5 1/2 minutes into the second half. The Badgers shot 48% (27 of 56) and made 42% (13 of 31) from 3-point range. The Badgers scored 44 second-half points.

It was the fewest point Maryland (11-19, 4-15) has ever posted against Wisconsin in the shot-clock era. It was also Maryland’s lowest point total of the season.

Wisconsin has won five of its last seven. Maryland has lost five of its last six.

Up next

Maryland wraps up the regular season hosting 11th-ranked Illinois on Saturday.

Wisconsin ends the regular season at No. 15 Purdue on Saturday.

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Wisconsin

Flood Safety Week runs March 9-13 as Wisconsin braces for a spring swell

Published

2 days ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Flood Safety Week runs March 9-13 as Wisconsin braces for a spring swell

(WLUK) — As winter thaws, Wisconsinites are encouraged to think about preparing for potential flooding.

Gov. Evers has declared March 9 -13 as Flood Safety Week in Wisconsin.

During Flood Safety Awareness Week, ReadyWisconsin is asking everyone to review their flooding risk and take proactive steps to protect their families, homes, and businesses before waters rise.

Know your flood risk. Assess the potential for flooding on your property if you live in a flood plain, near a body of water, or have a basement. Plan with your family for what you will do if the floodwaters begin to rise.
Consider flood insurance. Most homeowner, rental, and business insurance policies generally do not cover flooding. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Most flood coverage requires 30 days to take effect. Find more information about flood insurance options here.
Move valuables or mementos out of the basement and store them in waterproof containers.
Elevate or flood-proof your washer, dryer, water heater, and HVAC systems. Relocate electrical outlets to three feet above the floor.
Have copies of important documents (personal identification like passports and birth certificates, medical records, insurance policies, and financial documents) in a waterproof container.
Build a “Go Kit.” Include items such as food, water, cash, and medications.
Make an emergency plan. If you can’t make it home or need to leave quickly, identify a meeting place for your family. Make a list of emergency numbers and important contacts.
Keep water out of and away from your house. Clean gutters regularly, direct downspouts away from your foundation, repair cracks in your foundation, improve grading so water flows away from your house, and cover window wells.

When flooding occurs, keep the following steps in mind:

Stay up to date on the forecast. Identify multiple ways to receive alerts about dangerous weather conditions and potential flooding, such as a NOAA Weather Radio, trusted local news outlets, and mobile weather apps. Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts on your smartphones.
Never drive or walk through flooded areas. Just six inches of fast-moving water can sweep adults off their feet, while just 12 inches can carry away a small car or 24 inches for larger vehicles. Moving water is not the only danger, your vehicle could potentially stall when driving through floodwater.

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Flooding could potentially impact your health as well. Avoid entering floodwaters, which can contain bacteria from human and animal waste, sharp objects, hazardous chemicals, downed power lines, and other dangerous items. If your home floods, follow cleaning and disinfection guidelines to avoid mold growth.

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