Wisconsin

Gov. Tony Evers signs sweeping overhaul of Wisconsin alcohol industry

Published

1 year ago

December 6, 2023

Gov. Tony Evers signs sweeping overhaul of Wisconsin alcohol industry

MADISON – Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday signed into law a massive overhaul of Wisconsin’s alcohol industry, following years of negotiation and nearly a decade of infighting over what industry professionals said were confusing and unclear state laws governing beer, wine and spirits sales.

The measure passed the Senate in a bipartisan 21-11 vote last month, and the Assembly signed off on the Senate’s vote with a bipartisan 88-10 vote.

“Across the country, Wisconsin is best known not only for our world-champion dairy but also our world-class breweries, wineries and distilleries that employ thousands of workers statewide and play a significant role in our statewide economy,” Evers said in a statement. “Ensuring that our state’s regulations and policies are modernized and updated to meet this ever-evolving industry remains a priority for the safety of consumers, producers and Wisconsin as a whole.”

The law clarifies a host of alcohol regulations in the state, touching everything from who can invest in new alcohol businesses, to winery operations, to when bars close during the Republican National Convention next summer. Alcohol producers will be allowed to sell their products without a tap room or production facility on site, and winemakers can now stay open past 9 p.m. into the early morning hours, similar to most bars.

The measure creates a new division within the state Department of Revenue to oversee the alcohol industry. It also creates a new statewide bartending license, increases the driving while under the influence surcharge and funding for the Safe Ride program, and implements a variety of regulations on electronic vaping devices.

The bill fundamentally alters Wisconsin’s complicated system governing the making, distribution and sales of alcoholic beverages, known as the three-tier system. The system dates back to the 1930s and was intended to prevent monopolies on the sale of beer, wine and spirits by separating businesses involved in alcohol production, wholesale and retail sales.

The three-tier system can both limit the businesses of brewers, distributors and retailers and provide them with lucrative opportunities, so proposed changes to the law have often provoked intense legislative battles. Critics of the system said its rules were outdated and often arcane, hampering new and growing aspects of the state’s alcohol industry.

Supporters have praised the plan as a rare and historic compromise. It has received broad support from Kwik Trip, New Glarus Brewing Co. and other business groups in the alcohol industry, along with organizations representing law enforcement, hotels and restaurants.

But the changes haven’t sat well with owners of barns converted into wedding venues — better known as wedding barns — who have blasted what they fear would be an “extermination bill” for their businesses.

Under the new law, wedding barns and other private event venues planning to serve liquor will be required to get a new type of license to do so. The license, a “no sale event venue permit,” will allow those renting the barn to bring in their own alcohol but will limit wedding venue owners to rent or lease the property on no more than six days per year and one day per month. The requirement will not apply to campgrounds or parking lots where events occur, including tailgates.

Although some wedding barn owners already have a liquor license, others have said the law’s requirement is too expensive for their business model.

Elements of the law are set to take effect on a varied timeline. Some are effective the day after publication, while most others will take effect the first day of the fifth month beginning after the bill’s publication. The wedding barn provisions are set to take effect in two years.

Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.

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Wisconsin

Preview: Wisconsin Closes Nonconference Schedule Hosting Detroit Mercy

Published

49 minutes ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Preview: Wisconsin Closes Nonconference Schedule Hosting Detroit Mercy

Detroit Mercy (5-8, 1-2 Horizon League) vs. Wisconsin (9-3, 0-2 Big Ten)

Date/Time – Sunday, December 22, 1 p.m.

Arena – Kohl Center (16,838)

Watch – Big Ten Network (Jeff Levering and Brian Butch)

Radio – Badgers Radio Network (Matt Lepay and Charlie Wills), Sirius 119 or 195, stream online on iHeartRadio.

Series – Wisconsin leads 3-0 (Wisconsin leads 3-0 in Madison)

Last Meeting – Wisconsin won, 68-42, on December 6, 2003, in Madison

Follow Online: The Badgers’ Den

Twitter: @Badger_Blitz

Betting line: Wisconsin -29.5

Projected Starting Five (Wisconsin)

Player to Watch: After averaging 2.4 points per game last season, Winter has improved to 10.6 ppg this year after scoring a career-high 20 vs. Butler. He leads UW in rebounds (5.6), offensive rebounds (23) and field goal percentage (.598).

Projected Starting Five (Detroit Mercy)

Player to watch: Leading the Titans with 16 points in Wednesday’s loss at Northern Kentucky, Lovejoy has been in double figures in nine of UDM’s 13 games. He leads the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals (1.9).

Series Notes

Wisconsin’s average margin of victory in its three prior meetings with UDM is 18.3 points.

The last time Wisconsin and Detroit Mercy met was Dec. 6, 2003, when UW claimed a 68-42 win. Devin Harris and Freddie Owens led the Badgers with 13 points, with Harris adding nine assists.

Wisconsin is 72-4 all-time against teams in the Horizon League. Under head coach Greg Gard, the Badgers hold a 9-0 all-time mark vs. Horizon teams.

The Titans are 30-123 all-time against the Big Ten Conference – 12-81 on the road – and have dropped 18 in a row against the league. The last win was at Michigan State, 68-65, on Dec. 13, 1997.

Wisconsin Notes

Wisconsin is 79-23 (.775) in regular season, non-conference games under Gard.

Wisconsin is 9-1 in non-conference play this season and has the chance to post double-digit out of conference wins for the first time since going 11-2 in 2016-17. The Badgers have tallied four non-conference wins over Power 5 teams, their most since 2018-19.

Wisconsin ranks 11th in the nation with an adjusted offensive efficiency of 120.1 per KenPom – through games played Dec. 18. This year’s adjusted offensive efficiency rating of 120.1 ranks as the school’s third-highest mark since KenPom began tracking in 1999.

UW is averaging 15.2 assists per game, its most since 1993-94, while turning the ball over 9.6 times per game. UW has never had a season in which it has averaged 15+ assists per game while remaining below 10 turnovers per contest.

Wisconsin leads the NCAA in free throw percentage, 84.8% FT (234-for-276) at the line. UW has nearly made more FTs (234) than its foes have attempted (237) this season.

Detroit Mercy Notes

With 11 new players on the 15-man roster, the Titans returned just 14.2 percent of their scoring, 12.9 percent of their rebounding, and 18.0 percent of their minutes played from last season.

The Titans snapped a 22-game road slide with a win at Ball State on November 20.

UDM posted four wins in November, the most in the month since going 4-3 at the start of the 2017-18 season

Detroit Mercy has owned the glass this year, outrebounding its opponents in nine of its 13 games. The Titans are 52nd in the country with 13.2 offensive boards and 74th in DI with a +5.4 rebounding average.

UDM has a 173-107 margin on second-chance points on the season.

Prediction

Calling out a play that involves Crowl getting an early shot attempt in the low post is nothing new for Gard. Off the top of his head, he estimates that getting the ball to Crowl in the low post within Wisconsin’s first three offensive possessions happens 90 percent of the time.

But after being publicly called out by his coach and pushed to be more aggressive by his teammates, Wisconsin intentionally made a call to get Crowl the ball near the low block on the first possession. Seeing him convert by being physical with his back to the basket, unleashing a spin move for an easy bucket was the positive response the staff was looking for.

Crowl’s season-high 18 points against Butler were a catalyst in breaking a three-game losing skid. He did it playing aggressively and in short spurts, playing in just 17 minutes (second-fewest of the season) and going 7-for-10 from the floor (second-most attempts of the year).

“It’s a credit to him,” Gard said. “The 17 minutes that he had, he took full advantage of those.”

The renewed play of Crowl and the growth of Nolan Winter could give Wisconsin a punch to the offense it hasn’t had through the first two months of the season. Crowl and Winter had only reached double figures in the same game once until last Saturday. The duo combined for 38 points and their play helped Wisconsin outscore Butler, 40-to-24, in the paint, its third-highest total for the season and the second-highest paint-scoring differential.

“They play and have pride in playing for what’s on the front of the jersey, knowing that the back of the jersey will get taken care of,” Gard said. “You really get individual accolades through team success. I don’t see a lot of MVP awards being handed out to an 8-25 team.”

Getting to 8-25 would be a huge step forward for Detroit Mercy, which opened last season with a 26-game losing streak and finished 1-31, the worst record in Division-1. Hiring Michigan State assistant Mark Montgomery, who has coached with Tom Izzo on two different occasions, the Titans run some patterns similar to the Spartans in addition to executing three-quarters court pressure and zone.

The Titans also have a good player in Lovejoy, as the transfer from Eastern Michigan is one of 10 Division 1 players who averages 13.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. Detroit ranks 54th nationally in rebounding, averaging just under 40 per game. The problem the Titans are facing is health, as the Titans have three rotation players averaging at least 8.9 ppg out with injuries. The Titans played 10 student-athletes at NKU, six of those were freshmen who accounted for 101 of the 200 minutes as well as 38 of the 60 points and 22 of the 34 boards.

Wisconsin should handle an undermanned unit, as long as the Badgers aren’t overly rusty from finals week.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin former four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer appears headed for transfer portal

Published

9 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Wisconsin former four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer appears headed for transfer portal

MADISON – It appears that the Wisconsin football team will have almost a completely new quarterback room next season.

Mabrey Mettauer, the last scholarship player left at the position on the roster from this season, is expected to enter the transfer portal, according to 247sports. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound true freshman from The Woodlands, Texas, was a consensus four-star recruit coming out of high school.

This season he served as the top backup to Braedyn Locke after Tyler Van Dyke suffered a season-ending knee injury against Alabama. Mettauer appeared in one game and completed his only pass attempt.

He maintained his redshirt status and will have four years of eligibility remaining.

Mabrey’s departure was the last domino to fall from the firing of Phil Longo as offensive coordinator. Like Van Dyke and Locke, Mettauer came to Wisconsin with the idea that he would play in Longo’s pass-friendly offense.

Locke’s brother, Landyn, a member of the 2025 recruiting class, was also recruited by Longo. Landyn Locke has been released from his letter of intent and has re-opened his recruitment.

After 247sports broken the news of Mettauer’s expected departure he reposted the post on his X and Instagram accounts.

The loss of Mettauer means Wisconsin has three scholarship quarterbacks plus walk-on Milos Spasojevic on the roster for next season:

* Billy Edwards Jr., who started this season at Maryland and threw for 2,800 yards. He has one year of eligibility left.

* Danny O’Neil, who started at San Diego State as a true freshman and threw for 2,000 yards this season. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

* Carter Smith, a four-star prospect from Florida, will enroll early and participate in spring practice.

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Wisconsin

14-year-old killed in Wisconsin school shooting shared gifts of music and art with many, friends say

Published

16 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

MADISON, Wis. — Rubi Patricia Vergara was a talented young teenager who often handcrafted gifts for others and shared her musical talents with many, family friends recounted at funeral services held Saturday morning.

14-year-old killed in Wisconsin school shooting shared gifts of music and art with many, friends say

Vergara, 14, was a student at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, where she was shot and killed by a fellow student Monday. Teacher Erin West, 42, was also killed in the attack.

“She was a quiet, gentle spirit who cared deeply for others,” City Church lead pastor Tom Flaherty said. “But Rubi also had a faith beyond her years.”

Vergara’s services were held at City Church, which is adjacent to the school. West’s funeral is set for Monday at Doxa Church in Madison, according to her obituary.

Two other injured students remained hospitalized Saturday in critical condition but were stable, UW Hospital said.

A family friend, Dawn Moris, spoke about Vergara’s compassion and empathy. Vergara made personalized birthday cards for loved ones with digital artwork, origami and had started crocheting. Moris showed those in the congregation a small crocheted smiley face potato crafted by Vergara.

“She applied a caring and creative approach to everything she did,” Moris said.

Vergara played keyboard in a family worship band and could hear a song and pick it up on the piano, Moris said. As a singer, she had a special talent of harmonizing and “sang like an angel,” Moris said.

Vergara’s aunt played her niece’s favorite song, “Shoulders” by for King & Country, on the guitar during the service. Her uncle, Andy Remus, thanked the people of Madison for supporting his family this past week.

Police say the shooter, 15-year-old student Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow, shot herself at the school and died at a Madison hospital. Police have said she was in contact with a man in California who authorities say was planning to attack a government building. Rupnow’s motivation for the attack remains a key part of their investigation.

Volmert reported from Lansing, Michigan.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

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