Wisconsin
Opinion: Clerks from both parties uphold WI election integrity. You can be confident voting.
Election clerks from both parties working to ensure all votes count fairly.
How to register to vote in Wisconsin (you’ll need a have a photo ID)
Here’s how to register and vote in Wisconsin.
Election Day is just one month away.
Voters here in Wisconsin will have a real opportunity to make their voices heard in November. New legislative maps are finally in place, ending the long reign of gerrymandered districts that gave Republicans their disproportionate hold on power for more than a decade.
The GOP’s concentrated power led to policies that hurt working families and undermined abortion rights in our state. It also fueled the illegal — and frankly, embarrassing — efforts by Republicans to overturn the 2020 presidential election and to restrict our voting rights.
Unfortunately, those efforts continue today. Donald Trump continues to lie about the integrity of our elections and has threatened to make voting harder, and even to jail his opponents, if he wins.
Wisconsin clerks working tirelessly to ensure all votes cast count
Hundreds of clerks here in Wisconsin — Republicans and Democrats — have been working tirelessly to ensure that when you cast your ballot this year, it will count. These election workers are your neighbors and friends, who want nothing more than to carry out a fair and secure election.
When you go to cast your ballot this year, you’ll have the opportunity to do so early in-person, by absentee ballot, or at your polling location on Election Day. And, thanks to a recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision, callous efforts to prohibit the use of secure ballot drop boxes across Wisconsin have been stopped. Drop boxes help folks who have trouble getting to the polls, like those who are disabled or elderly, have a convenient option to cast their ballot. Unfortunately, some communities in Wisconsin are choosing to forgo their use this election, so make sure to plan ahead.
Thankfully, over the last few years, our governor has been able to stop right-wing bills and efforts to restrict voting rights from becoming law. But bad actors who want to subvert our elections have not stopped there.
They’ve used the fires of doubt that they themselves lit to justify these efforts — and they’re likely to try it again if they win in November. Republicans continue to raise questions about the legitimacy of our elections by spreading falsehoods about noncitizens voting, even though such voting is already illegal in Wisconsin.
Judging from the past, there’s no telling what radical-right majorities in the legislature might try if Wisconsin voters don’t give them the outcome they want. Republican lawmakers could challenge the legitimate vote count in court, try to derail the certification process, or even try to throw out votes.
Why it’s not unusual for results to not be known election night
When in doubt, get your information from trusted sources like your local election official. We may not know the results on election night, as it sometimes takes several days to count every ballot. This is part of the normal counting process.
Are we ‘Ready For It?’ Taylor Swift endorsement causes voter registration surge.
Above all the noise this election cycle, remember this: you can make a difference by voting in resounding numbers for the kind of leaders you want to represent you. Here’s how: Make sure your voter registration is up to date, and if you haven’t registered already, do so now at MyVote.WI.gov. Find out the rules for how, where and when to vote, and have a plan to vote. If you vote absentee, make sure to include a witness signature on your ballot to ensure your vote is counted, and get it in the mail so it arrives before Election Day.
When we work together and participate in our democracy, we can build a better state and a stronger country.
Be informed, be patient on Election Day, and above all, vote.
Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, is the Assembly minority leader.
Residents can attend the July 16 meeting in Sheboygan or submit written comments by email to NOAA.
Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary has 36 shipwrecks
Discover the history, shipwrecks and impact of the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, established to protect maritime heritage in Lake Michigan. This video was created by the Wochit AI tool.
Wochit
SHEBOYGAN – Residents can attend or comment on an upcoming meeting of the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council scheduled for July 16 in Sheboygan.
The gathering will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Sheboygan County Museum, 3110 Erie Ave., according to a community announcement. Members of the public are invited to attend and observe discussions.
The agenda includes routine council business, updates from working groups, community reports and briefings from NOAA staff on sanctuary programs, research and upcoming events.
Public can provide comments during meeting
A public comment period is planned for about 7:50 p.m., giving attendees a chance to share feedback directly with council members.
Those unable to attend may submit written comments by email to jean.prevo@noaa.gov, according to the announcement.
Council shares updates on sanctuary programs
NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries will provide updates tied to the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, including research initiatives and community engagement efforts.
More information about the council and its activities is available online at sanctuaries.noaa.gov.
This story was created by reporter Nida Tazeen, NTazeen@usatodayco.com , with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
Wisconsin
A Wisconsin family is suing Target after their 10-month-old died from swallowing a water bead
A Wisconsin family lost their ten-month-old daughter after she swallowed a water bead. They blame Target and the water bead manufacturer for her death.
This week, Taylor and Tyler Bethard filed a lawsuit against Target in Hennepin County, claiming that the company failed to warn them and other customers about the dangers of a water beads product that used to be sold exclusively at Target.
Water beads are marketed as toys that come with sensory kits or craft sets, but data shows the products are prone to injuring young children. The polymer material is extremely absorbent, allowing water beads – which are often colorful – to expand around 100 times their original size when they interact with water or liquid. This presents a hazard for kids; the United States Product Safety Commission states that between 2017 and 2022, there were 6,300 water bead-related ingestion injuries that required treatment from emergency departments across the country.
In 2023, a 10-month-old girl died. Her name is Esther “Jo” Bethard. According to court filings, Taylor Bethard found her daughter unresponsive in her crib on the morning of July 7, 2023, after she had suffered symptoms of a stomach illness overnight. Medical examiners told the family that her death was caused by swallowing a single water bead.
The Bethards had purchased a Chuckle and Roar water bead set in the spring of 2022 for Esther Jo’s older siblings, never intending for the infant to interact with the water beads.
Target and the Chuckle and Roar manufacturer, Buffalo Games LLC, mutually agreed to pull the product from the shelves in November of 2022. Court records show an email exchange between Buffalo Games and a product safety employee at Target where the manufacturer noted that while their water beads had met safety standards at the time, they wanted to “avoid any future unintended misuse of the product.”
That conversation was prompted after Buffalo Games was informed that an infant required surgery after ingesting a water bead from the Ultimate Water Beads kit. Target agreed to end sales, indicating that this would be classified as a “safety removal.”
The Bethard’s lawsuit alleges that Target clearly knew how dangerous these water beads could be, but failed to warn them or other customers. Target stopped selling the product about eight months before Esther Jo died. Daniel Mann, a personal injury attorney representing the Bethards in this case, said that Esther Jo would still be alive if Target had acted.
“With all this information Target didn’t do anything to reach out to the family or other consumers to let them know about this problem,” Mann said, “I think 10/10 people would say Target had a responsibility to do more than what they did, which was nothing.”
A spokesperson for Target said that they would not comment on ongoing litigation, but the company had already responded to an identical complaint filed by the Bethards in the State of New York. In 2025, the Bethards sued both Target and Buffalo Games in Erie County, N.Y., because that was where the manufacturer was based. In response to the lawsuit there, court filings show that Target denied the allegations that they knew of an extraordinary danger posed by the water beads and failed to notify customers.
The complaint was dismissed against Target in New York, Mann explained, due to jurisdiction. This lead to them refiling in Hennepin County this week.
In a statement to WCCO on the new legal action, a Target spokesperson said “We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by this tragedy, and we worked closely with the manufacturer of the product at the time the incident occurred.”
Taylor Bethard, Esther Jo’s mother, has lead the charge to ban water beads entirely. Her efforts lead to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commision recalling the more than 52,000 Chuckle and Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kits that were in circulation. The recall took effect in September of 2023. Target, Walmart and Amazon announced that they would stop marketing water beads to children.
Bethard is also working with Wisconsin U.S. State Senator Tammy Baldwin to establish federal legislation to permanently outlaw all water beads. This past spring, the CPSC established new legal guidelines that restrict the size of water beads to try to ensure high safety standards.
(WLUK) — Wisconsin State Patrol troopers are teaming up with truckers to better spot dangerous driving behaviors.
The annual Trooper in a Truck initiative kicks off next week in Wisconsin.
Troopers will ride along with with semitruck and bus drivers to use the higher vantage point to spot dangerous driving behaviors, especially near commercial motor vehicles.
Troopers will be looking for risky driving behaviors, including distracted driving, speeding, following too closely and seatbelt violations. When an officer identifies a violation from the truck or bus, they will radio to patrol cars in the area for appropriate enforcement action.
Drivers can expect to see Trooper in a Truck enforcement in the following areas:
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