Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, Tim Walz says Democrats must ‘push as far as we can’ against Trump
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on how Democrats can combat President Trump
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz traveled to Des Moines Friday, March 14, 2025, as part of several stops to competitive congressional districts.
EAU CLAIRE – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday he and other Democratic governors should not follow unconstitutional mandates from President Donald Trump in an effort “to challenge and push as far as we can” against the new administration.
The former Democratic vice presidential nominee in his first visit to the Badger State since the 2024 presidential election made the comments ahead of a town hall-style event in Eau Claire, a liberal-leaning city in a congressional district held by Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden.
Walz stopped in the battleground district this week to rally voters for liberal state Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford and as part of a multi-state tour to highlight Republicans who have stopped holding in-person town halls after backlash over the Trump administration’s government cuts.
Walz told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in an interview that he attributes losing Wisconsin and other battleground states in November to an inability to effectively offer enough change to rural voters.
Trump defeated Harris in Wisconsin by about 29,000 votes as part of a victory that swept battleground states. Now, as he is floated as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, Walz said he and other Democratic governors should refuse to go along with orders from the Republican president made outside of the bounds of the U.S. Constitution. “What governors can do is use our authority and states’ rights, which, again, the Trump administration doesn’t believe anything about right now … and we’re very clear about that,” Walz said.
“I’ll continue to follow the law, but I think we have a responsibility to challenge and push as far as we can. And when Donald Trump issues an order that is unconstitutional, we have no responsibility to follow that, and we won’t in Minnesota.”The event was part of a tour Walz organized characterized as filling a gap where Republicans have declined to hold public events so to avoid confrontational audience members.
Three Trump supporters turned away from Tim Walz event
However, at least three supporters of Trump were turned away from the Eau Claire event. One told the Journal Sentinel he had a ticket and was stopped after entering the Pablo Center in downtown Eau Claire because of the red Make America Great Again hat he was wearing.
“We were proud to welcome more than 900 people to our town hall in Eau Claire tonight, and I’m confident we had folks join in who did not agree with us on absolutely everything,” Joe Oslund, a spokesman for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said when asked about the decision to turn the Trump supporters away. “We’re always happy to engage with folks who hold different points of view, but when you show up in funny hats looking to cause shenanigans, let’s just save each other the trouble here.”
A Republican who tracks Democrats at events to find content for attack ads was allowed to stay in the audience, according to the party.
Ahead of the event, Van Orden said Walz’s tour to his district that borders Minnesota “is simply a desperate attempt to save face and remain relevant after his embarrassing defeat, which sent him back to Minnesota in disgrace.”
“America is finally moving in the right direction, thanks to President Donald J. Trump and Vice President JD Vance, and voters throughout the Third District have no desire to Minnesota their Wisconsin.”
Walz’s first stop was Friday in Des Moines, Iowa, in a district represented by U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, a Republican who has not committed to holding town halls this year.
Walz took questions for about an hour from Democrats who asked how to combat potential cuts to Medicaid programs and ways to compete with Republicans in public appeal, among other topics.
“I don’t think we would have won the election if we’d gone on Joe Rogan, but I don’t think we would’ve got beat any worse,” Walz told the crowd, referring to a decision by the Harris campaign to not appear on Rogan’s mega-popular podcast.
“I worried about this in the last couple weeks of the election. I was in Pennsylvania and North Carolina and in the countryside, I saw a sign split in half: Trump good, Kamala bad,” Walz said.
“I’m like, Jesus, are we first graders? What the hell, it worked. It worked. They did it. They made it simple.”
Walz told the Journal Sentinel the Harris-Walz campaign failed to represent enough change to turn out the number of voters needed to defeat Trump.
“It was our job to win these these states, I think especially rural Wisconsin, they wanted change. They didn’t feel like they were getting that. And quite honestly, they didn’t think the message they were hearing was the one to make a difference.”
Walz stopped in Eau Claire two weeks ahead of the April 1 spring election when Wisconsin voters will cast ballots in the state Supreme Court race for ideological control of the court.
The race has broken national records for the most expensive state court battle in history. The race is being eyed as a test of support for Trump after the first few months of his presidency during which he and billionaire Elon Musk have leveled massive cuts to the federal workforce, including to agencies serving veterans and schools.
“Look, you can start to lame duck this on April 1,” Walz told the crowd Tuesday. “Then we win the Virginia governor’s race. And then you got guys like (Van Orden) here saying ‘shit, Trump’s done in a couple of years, this is looking bad. The momentum is changing. I think I’m feeling something, and it feels like maybe I’m growing a spine and I’m going to stand up for my people, because if I don’t, I’m going to get my ass kicked in the midterm election.’”
‘People v. Musk’ town hall event
Tuesday’s event was billed as a “People v. Musk” town hall event as part of a new Democratic focus on Musk. On Friday, a handful of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to pass a budget fix that will avert a government shutdown, but which many Democrats derided as caving to Republican pressure and handing Musk a blank check.
Some Democrats have called for Schumer to step down as minority leader. Walz declined to weigh in.
“I don’t question his commitment to protecting the American public but I think being through this fight in the fall and being through this fight as a governor, this is a different fight, and we have to have different tactics,” he told the Journal Sentinel.
Republicans have argued that Democrats are targeting GOP town halls for organized protests as liberal groups have encouraged turnout at the events. Some Republicans, like House Speaker Mike Johnson, referred to those voicing dissatisfaction with the Trump administration as “professional protesters.”
Rebecca Cooke, the Democrat who narrowly lost to Van Orden last November, said this week she will challenge him again in 2026.
Some Wisconsin Republicans have suggested they’ll continue to hold in-person town halls despite the directive from party leadership, though others have been noncommittal.
Van Orden, whose western Wisconsin House seat has become a main target for Republicans as they seek to flip control of the House, said at a tele-town hall earlier this month that he would not hold in-person town halls, citing the push from Democratic groups to send protesters to the events.
Van Orden did not take live questions from the audience during the tele-town hall. A staffer during the call noted “a few folks sent in questions ahead of time,” which the staffer read. Multiple people who participated in the call told the Journal Sentinel that the comment function was turned off on the video call.
Last week and on Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan, one of Van Orden’s loudest critics, held in-person town hall events in Belmont and Viroqua in an effort to highlight Van Orden’s decision not to hold in-person town halls.
Lawrence Andrea of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Brianne Pfannenstiel of the Des Moines Register contributed to this report.
MADISON, Wis. (Gray) – Wisconsin is working to assess damage from last week’s severe weather that brought extensive flooding, wind damage and 25 reported tornadoes across the state.
“We have pretty widespread damage, really in most areas of the state,” Greg Engel, a Wisconsin Emergency Management administrator, said.
As Wisconsin begins its path to recovery, Gov. Tony Evers is urging Wisconsin’s congressional delegation to start conversations with the Trump administration to “convey the importance of FEMA assistance.”
In a Friday letter to Wisconsin’s congressional delegation, Evers wrote, “It would be unfortunate if Wisconsin’s anticipated requests for emergency assistance are once again declined.”
The historic storms come after August’s thousand-year floods in Wisconsin, which particularly impacted Milwaukee. While FEMA approved homeowner relief funds, it denied Evers’ request for more than $26 million to support public assistance and hazard mitigation for six impacted counties.
Now, Wisconsin is still working to tally up the extent of the destruction from April’s storms. Some communities likely won’t complete their damage assessments until early next week, Engel explained.
Marathon County Emergency Management said they’ve already assessed nearly 150 damaged residences, and Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson said recovery will be expensive.
“It is not an exaggeration to say that all those communities together will be millions of dollars worth of damage,” Nelson said.
After the end of these severe weather events, Evers will have 30 days to submit an application to FEMA for federal assistance. Engel said they’re working to collect as much information as they can for their report and will continue to provide resources for recovering communities.
A White House official said they “continue to monitor forecasted weather and flooding that is affecting Wisconsin.”
If you are an impacted homeowner, Rock County is encouraging homeowners to contact their insurance early, start a claim, ask what they are required to do or not do, ask about temporary housing or emergency coverage and not throw out major items until approved.
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Copyright 2026 WMTV. All rights reserved.
Wisconsin Lutheran High School basketball star Zavier Zens has officially committed to play for the University of Illinois next season.
Zavier Zens Makes It Official with the Illini
Zens, a tenacious 6-foot-7, 215-pound senior forward, initially committed to play collegiately for Northern Iowa but reopened his recruitment as the result of a head coaching change, ultimately narrowing his final choices to Illinois, Utah State, and Wisconsin.
On April 17, the highly touted three-star recruit signed a Big Ten Conference Athletics Scholarship Agreement to compete for Illinois, ending the greatly anticipated recruitment journey.
A Chance to Maximize His Development Was the Key
“What I was looking for was the best chance to develop and become the best player I can become,” said Zens, in an interview with Zac Bellman of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Illinois, they arguably have the best team in the country coming in next year, and the chance to get to go up against them every day, along with the good development program and their record of developing guys, was really big to me. Obviously, the fit and culture was right as well.”
Illinois tied for second in the Big Ten Conference under the guidance of head coach Brad Underwood, advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four for the first time in 21 years (2005), and finished with a 28-9 overall record.
“Zavier first and foremost is a winner,” said Underwood, in an official release posted on fightingillini.com. “He is an extremely high IQ player who has been well coached and brings a championship pedigree to the table, winning three straight state titles. He fits our recruiting mold as a 6-foot-7 versatile wing who can score at all three levels and process the game.”
Zens Helped Wisconsin Lutheran to a WIAA Three-Peat
Zens averaged 23.4 points per game (including a 61.8% field-goal percentage) with 5.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists this season in leading the Vikings to a third consecutive WIAA state championship and statement-making 30-0 overall record.
Wisconsin’s Mr. Basketball contributed 20 points with four 3-point baskets, six rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots, and one steal as top-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran defeated third-seeded Madison Memorial 57-37 in the WIAA Division 1 state championship game at the University of Wisconsin’s Kohl Center on March 21.
The 2026 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year finished his memorable four-year high school career with a 109-7 overall record (including an 88-2 mark during the three-year championship run) and as the third-leading scorer in program history (1,611 points).
Zens Continues the Trend of Mr. Wisconsin Playing Out-of-State
In an interesting twist, Zens (a cousin of NBA rookie sensation Kon Knueppel who competes for the Charlotte Hornets) joins an elite group of seven recent Wisconsin Mr. Basketball recipients who opted to play out of state.
Wisconsin, under current head coach Greg Gard, has advanced to the NCAA Tournament eight times, with the fifth-seeded Badgers most recently falling to No. 12-seeded High Point 83-82 in this year’s opening round on March 19.
The impressive list of Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association honorees includes:
2025: Xzavion Mitchell, Oshkosh North (Iowa State)
2023: (co-winner) Milan Momcilovic, Pewaukee (Iowa State)
2023: (co-winner) John Kinzinger, De Pere (Illinois State)
2022: Seth Trimble, Menomonee Falls (North Carolina)
2021: Brandin Podziemski, St. John’s (Illinois, Santa Clara)
— Jeff Hagenau | jeffreyhagenau@gmail.com
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WISCONSIN (WBAY) – Wisconsin residents contributed more than $36 million in marijuana taxes to Illinois last year and nearly $6 million to Michigan in 2024, according to new numbers released by the state Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
The revenue comes from counties bordering Wisconsin that legally sell marijuana, while bills to legalize both medical and recreational marijuana remain stalled in the Wisconsin Legislature.
Wisconsin will have a new governor, new speaker in the Assembly and a new majority leader in the state Senate next January.
All three people holding those leadership positions decided not to seek re-election.
State lawmakers will have a fresh debate regarding marijuana for the first time in a while, and the latest numbers from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau are likely to be a big part of it.
Illinois dispensaries generate millions from Wisconsin buyers
On the Wisconsin border, from Michigan to Illinois, marijuana sales have become big business.
“The economic value to restoring this plant back to our economy is huge. We can’t even put a dollar amount on it,” said Jay Selthofner, founder of the Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Network.
According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo, Wisconsin residents contributed $36.1 million last year to the overall marijuana tax collected by Illinois.
That’s based on data from 36 dispensaries located in five of the six counties bordering Wisconsin. Jo Daviess, Lake, McHenry, Winnebago and Boone counties have dispensaries, while Stephenson County does not.
Among the five counties with dispensaries, a total of $319.4 million in sales was generated. The report concludes $132.4 million, or 41.5%, of these sales were made to out-of-state residents.
“It’s concerning that yeah, revenue is leaving the state both tax wise and tourism dollars without being a state that is looked at as recreational marijuana, we’re losing some tourism there,” Selthofner said.
Michigan collects nearly $6 million in taxes from Wisconsin residents
On the other side of the state, Michigan is making money off Wisconsin residents.
The most recent data from 2024 shows the state with 854 retailers and microbusinesses licensed to sell cannabis. Of those licensees, 22 were located in counties bordering Wisconsin: Gogebic, Iron, Dickinson and Menominee.
The report states, “Assuming that each retailer/microbusiness makes an equal amount of sales,” those businesses in the Upper Peninsula brought in $85.4 million. Using the same estimate as Illinois, 41.5% of sales came from Wisconsin residents, translating into $5.8 million in tax revenue collected.
Minnesota is also mentioned in the report. The state began legalized cannabis sales in September 2025, but so far there is no data on taxes paid by Wisconsin residents.
Gubernatorial candidates weigh in on legalization
If Wisconsin makes changes, it’s likely to be next year after the November election.
Republican candidate for governor Tom Tiffany said he is open to medical marijuana and supporting veterans.
“I think in particular we should look out for our veterans. I’ve heard from so many veterans that suffer from PTSD and I’m very open to that as well as medicinal. I think we just work our way through it and get to a good spot in regards to marijuana,” Tiffany said.
Among the Democrats running for governor, at least seven have come out supporting efforts to legalize marijuana, aligning with the state party platform.
“A lot of people look at it as the wild west right now here in Wisconsin, it’s not. It’s the wild Wisconsin and what Wisconsin is going to do is it’s going to show the rest of the country how innovative a state can really be on cannabis,” Selthofner said.
Twenty-four states, along with the District of Columbia, legalize recreational marijuana, and 40 total legalize medical marijuana. The most recent additions are Ohio, Minnesota and Missouri.
Copyright 2026 WBAY. All rights reserved.
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