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ICYMI: Gov. Evers Welcomes President Biden To Wisconsin | Recent News

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ICYMI: Gov. Evers Welcomes President Biden To Wisconsin | Recent News


MADISON, WI — Gov. Tony Evers, together with U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), [Thursday] welcomed President Joe Biden to Wisconsin to celebrate the more than $1.05 billion federal grant jointly awarded to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to replace the aging John A. Blatnik Bridge between Superior, Wisconsin, and Duluth, Minnesota, as announced earlier this week and highlighted by Gov. Evers in his 2024 State of the State address. This funding is being awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects program (INFRA) as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“I am glad to welcome President Biden back to Superior to celebrate the exciting future of the Blatnik Bridge,” said Gov. Evers. “It was a team effort that got us to this exciting point today—Senator Baldwin, labor to local leaders, Governor Walz and our Minnesota partners, and, of course, President Biden. With the help of this significant federal grant, we are building a safer, more efficient, and more reliable structure for the next generation. I look forward to continuing the positive partnership between our states and the Biden Administration as we work to build an even stronger future.”

Built in 1961, the Blatnik Bridge has served as an essential link between Superior and Duluth via Interstate 535 and US 53 for more than 60 years. Jointly owned and operated by WisDOT and MnDOT, the important freight and commercial connector reached the end of its service life. The bridge has been load-posted for 40 tons since 2019 and can no longer carry overweight freight loads.

More than 33,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day, including commuters and visitors. Each year, more than 265,000 trucks transporting nearly $4 billion in goods pass over the Blatnik Bridge. Many businesses across the upper Midwest rely on the bridge to reach the Port of Duluth-Superior, the largest U.S. port on the Great Lakes. The bridge is also one of the largest marine links for U.S. trade with Canada, the top trade partner of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the United States.

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Wisconsin and Minnesota each committed $400 million in program funding toward the project. In 2023, Gov. Evers signed the 2023-25 biennial budget, which authorized $47.2 million in funding and $352.8 million in transportation fund-supported, general obligation bonding authority to secure sufficient state support for the project. Additionally, thanks to the efforts of U.S. Sen. Baldwin, the federal omnibus spending bill for Fiscal Year 2023 signed by President Biden included more than $255 million to support dozens of projects throughout Wisconsin, including $7.5 million for the Blatnik Bridge. The INFRA grant application was jointly submitted by both states in August 2023. The $1.05 billion grant equals the amount of federal funding needed to move the estimated $1.8 billion project forward.

Design work for the project, which will determine specifications and shape the final project, is anticipated to begin in 2024. Once a final design is selected, construction could begin as early as 2025.





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Wisconsin

Kids fishing clinics part of spring tradition in southeastern Wisconsin

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Kids fishing clinics part of spring tradition in southeastern Wisconsin


As part of a spring tradition in southeastern Wisconsin, free learn-to-fish clinics for youth will be held April 18 at eight public sites in Milwaukee and Washington counties.

The events, offered free for children ages 15 and under, are staffed by members of local fishing clubs and presented by the Milwaukee and Washington county parks departments, the Department of Natural Resources, the Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations and the Hunger Task Force Fish Hatchery.

All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Additional free clinics will be held in similar formats April 25 and June 27 at private clubs in Waukesha County.

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The programs are part of campaign started about 40 years ago to get Wisconsin youth outdoors and teach fishing basics.

“These free, family-oriented clinics are designed to introduce beginners to fishing while helping established anglers sharpen their skills ahead of the open water season,” the DNR said in a statement.

The clinics will feature hands-on sessions on knot-tying, water safety, fish identification and fishing techniques as well as casting games, painting and tattoos, according to the DNR.

The lakes, ponds or lagoons at host sites are stocked with panfish or trout before the clinics.

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Fishing equipment is available, but participants are encouraged to bring a rod and reel if possible.

No preregistration is required. The instructional sessions typically last about 1 hour and will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 18.

Milwaukee County locations hosting clinics are: Brown Deer Park, 7835 N. Green Bay Road; Dineen Park, 6901 W. Vienna St.; Greenfield Park, 2028 S. 124 St.; Kosciuszko Park, 2201 S. 7th St.; McCarty Park, 8214 W. Cleveland Ave.; Mitchell Park, 524 S. Layton Blvd.; Scout Lake Park, 6201 W. Loomis Road; and Sheridan Park, 4800 S. Lake Drive.

And in Washington County, a clinic will be held Saturday at Regner Park, 800 N. Main St., West Bend.

Clinics will occur rain or shine, so participants are encouraged to dress for the weather. Adults are also encouraged to inquire about joining a club to expand their knowledge and help with future clinics.

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The clinics are held on formally designated urban waters and are reserved by state statute for youth ages 15 and younger and people with certain disabilities. 

Along with DNR staff, members of the following clubs and organizations will provide angling instruction at the clinics: Okauchee Fishing Club; Inner City Sportsmen Club; Milwaukee Great Lakes Sports Fishermen; Southside Sportsmen’s Club; Bayview Rod & Gun Club; South Milwaukee 1400 Fishing & Hunting Club; and Walleyes Unlimited.

In addition, two private clubs in Waukesha County will offer free fishing clinics later in spring and summer.

Wern Valley Hunting Preserve and Sporting Clays will hold clinics April 25 at a pond on its grounds. The events will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The club is located at S36 W29657 Wern Way, Waukesha.

And on June 27, Daniel Boone Conservation League will hold free fishing clinics at its pond. The clinics will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The club is located at 4694 Hwy. 167, Hubertus.

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For more information on the Milwaukee or West Bend kid’s fishing clinics, contact Laura Schmidt, DNR fisheries biologist, at Laura.Schmidt@wisconsin.gov or (414) 416-0591. For information on the clinic at Wern Valley in Waukesha, contact Al Shook at arshook56@gmail.com or (414) 218-0774. And for nformation on the clinic at Daniel Boone in Hubertus, contact MarySusan Diedrich at msd55@att.net or (414) 379-3770.

Stamp design contests: The DNR is accepting artwork entries in the design contests for the 2027 Wisconsin wild turkey, ring-necked pheasant and waterfowl stamps.

The contests are held annually and provide Wisconsin artists with an opportunity to showcase their talents, commemorate their work and promote wildlife conservation across the state.

Hunters are required to purchase a species-specific stamp to legally harvest a turkey, pheasant or waterfowl species in Wisconsin. Sales of the three stamps generate hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for species management throughout the state, including habitat management, restoration, education and research projects, according to the DNR.

Stamp design entries for this year’s contests must be received or postmarked by Aug. 1, 2026.

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Registration, rules, entry information and reproduction rights agreements are available on the DNR’s Wildlife Stamp Funding and Stamp Design Contest webpage.



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WATCH: Teen ‘takeover’ turns violent as fights break out, arrests follow chaos at Wisconsin mall | Fox News Video

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WATCH: Teen ‘takeover’ turns violent as fights break out, arrests follow chaos at Wisconsin mall | Fox News Video


Video shows the moment a brawl reportedly broke out outside a Kohl’s at the Bayshore Mall during an unsanctioned teen “takeover” event in Glendale, Wisconsin on Sunday, March 29, 2026 . (Credit: @milwaukeereports via Storyful)



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Where Wisconsin men’s basketball 2026-27 roster stands before transfer portal

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Where Wisconsin men’s basketball 2026-27 roster stands before transfer portal


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  • Four senior guards have exhausted their eligibility, creating a void in the team’s backcourt.
  • Two forwards have announced their intention to enter the transfer portal, though the frontcourt could retain some key players.
  • The Badgers appear to have five open roster spots to fill at this point in the roster management process.

With eight newcomers (or nine until one preseason dismissal), the Wisconsin men’s basketball roster for 2025-26 looked much different from its 2024-25 roster.

Now with the 2025-26 season in the rearview mirror, early indications point toward the 2026-27 roster again looking much different from this season’s.

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Wisconsin is losing four seniors and two players who intend to transfer and already had one open roster spot. With more than a week before the transfer portal opens April 7, that means the Badgers could have at least seven newcomers on a 2026-27 roster that is capped at 15 players.

Here is a look at where the roster stands at this point in the reconstruction process:

Wisconsin’s guards

Exhausted eligibility: Nick Boyd, Andrew Rohde, Braeden Carrington, Isaac Gard

Intending to transfer: No announcements yet

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Has ability to return: John Blackwell, Jack Janicki, Zach Kinziger, Hayden Jones

Incoming freshmen: LaTrevion Fenderson, Jackson Ball

The Badgers will have a much different backcourt as they replace starting guards Boyd and Rohde and key reserve Carrington. The big question is whether they can retain Blackwell, who said he did not know his plans in the immediate aftermath of the March Madness loss.

Boyd, Rohde and Carrington’s departures already account for a loss of about 41% of the team’s scoring and 51% of the team’s assists from the 2025-26 season. Losing Blackwell too would swell those numbers to 64% of the team’s scoring lost and 65% of the team’s assists lost.

Janicki removed any doubt about his status when he said after the loss to High Point that he plans to return to the Badgers. Aside from Blackwell, he is the only other UW guard with the ability to come back who averaged at least 10 minutes per game this season.

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Wisconsin’s forwards

Exhausted eligibility: None

Intending to transfer: Jack Robison, Riccardo Greppi

Has ability to return: Nolan Winter, Austin Rapp, Aleksas Bieliauskas, Will Garlock

For as much change as Wisconsin’s backcourt is experiencing, the frontcourt has the potential to have a similar composition in 2026-27.

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Winter, Rapp, Bieliauskas and Garlock were the four players who each played in at least 30 of UW’s 35 games, and each player has the option to return. Rapp indicated after the High Point loss that he “100%” plans on returning, and Winter wanted to “live minute-by-minute and soak this all in” when he faced questions about his future.

Robison and Greppi, the first two UW players to signal their intention to enter the transfer portal, were on the floor for 31 and 19 minutes in 2025-26, respectively. Those were the two lowest minute totals among scholarship players. With Daniel Freitag transferring last year and Robison and Greppi transferring this year, UW’s entire 2024 high school recruiting class will be playing elsewhere.

When could Wisconsin’s transfer portal activity pick up?

The men’s college basketball transfer portal window will open April 7 and last through April 21. As already evident with Robison and Greppi, though, it is often in athletes’ best interests to announce their intention to transfer before the portal officially opens.

The 15-day window dictates when a player can enter the portal (with a few exceptions), but players do not necessarily need to commit to their new school during that time.

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UW appears to have five open roster spots when taking into account players intending to depart and recruits joining the program as freshmen. General manager Marc VandeWettering has long strategized UW’s roster reconstruction efforts for the 2026 offseason, and athletes’ agents may have been thinking ahead as well.

“We’d be naive to think that agents aren’t trying to figure out the markets for people,” VandeWettering told the Journal Sentinel in a late-February conversation, “whether that means they’re actually shopping somebody or just trying to figure out what numbers should look like.”



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