Wisconsin
Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approves Portage County solar farm
At full capacity, the Vista Sands Solar Project is expected to generate enough electricity to power over 200,000 Wisconsin homes.
The Vista Sands Solar Project proposed for Portage County received approval Thursday from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.
The solar project will be the largest of its kind in Wisconsin and among the most powerful in the country, generating nearly 1.3 gigawatts of electricity, a spokesperson for the project said Thursday afternoon in a news release. At full capacity, Vista Sands Solar will generate enough electricity to power over 200,000 Wisconsin homes.
More than half of the project, being built by Doral Renewables, will be in the Portage County town of Grant and most of the rest will be in the town of Plover, with a small section in the village of Plover. The county and communities will receive a total of $6.5 million a year in payments from the project.
“We are thrilled with the approval of the Vista Sands Solar Project by the PSCW,” said Jon Baker, vice president of development at Doral Renewables and project manager for the Vista Sands Solar Project, in the release. “This milestone marks an exciting new chapter for clean energy in Wisconsin.”
Baker went on to say that with years of careful planning and community engagement, approval of the project represents an opportunity for local economies in Portage County and a major step forward for Wisconsin in achieving its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
The company is leasing the land from the owners, mostly farmers. It gives the farmers the chance to diversify their sources of income. Doral will remain the owner of the project. Once it reaches the end of its lifespan, the company will remove the panels and the land will still belong to the farmers.
Several conservationists and wildlife advocates had raised concerns about the project’s proximity to the Buena Vista Grassland State Wildlife Area, home of the state’s largest population of threatened prairie chickens, calling for one-half and one-mile setbacks between the solar arrays and the prairie chicken booming grounds.
The final Environmental Impact Statement on the project also cited concerns about the proposal’s likely negative impacts to the prairie chickens, even if mitigation suggestions are followed. The Department of Natural Resources and Public Service Commission’s final EIS, released July 15, did not require those benchmarks, however.
Vista Sands Solar says it will not construct any panels within 500 feet of greater prairie chicken booming grounds identified by the Wisconsin DNR, according to the project’s website.
Between 5,700 to 7,900 acres of agricultural lands in the vicinity of the Buena Vista Wildlife Area will be restored to grasslands, according to the project website. Vista Sands Solar’s ecologists have designed a seed mix that will be used across the project area, creating a suitable environment for both native wildlife and solar energy generation, according to the website.
Clean Wisconsin, an organization that works to combat climate change and pollution in the air, water and land, submitted analysis to the Public Service Commission that shows Vista Sands is also likely to have significant water benefits in Portage County, boosting aquifer levels and reducing contamination in the water-depleted Central Sands region. The solar farm is anticipated to take 56 high-capacity wells out of normal operation and will greatly reduce the estimated 3 million pounds of fertilizer and 73,000 gallons of insecticide currently spread across the project area every year, according to Clean Wisconsin.
“Today, the PSC approved the biggest step toward curbing Wisconsin’s carbon emissions in the state’s history,” Katie Nekola, Clean Wisconsin general counsel, said in a news release. “This is significant because Wisconsin cannot meet its carbon reduction goals or contain customer costs without acknowledging and indeed embracing the need to invest in the least-cost, cleanest generation available.”
Vista Sands Solar also was designed to avoid waterways and no impacts to drainage are anticipated in the project area, according to its website.
Doral representatives stated in 2023 they hoped to have the necessary approvals for the project by the end of 2024. It will take about two years to build the project.
Vista Sands Solar will bring a total capital investment of nearly $2 billion and create approximately 500 jobs during construction and about 50 permanent jobs, stimulating local economic activity that will benefit local businesses, according to a spokesperson for the project.
Contact Karen Madden at kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KMadden715, Instagram at @kmadden715 or Facebook at facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
(WLUK) – A couple challenging the decision not to award them a 50-50 raffle prize at a Milwaukee Brewers game asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to take the case, calling it one of “statewide importance.”
Matthew and Annette Flynn purchased ten raffle tickets at the July 7, 2023, game, and held the winning number which was originally selected for $13,000. According to court records, the raffle rules in effect at the time required the winning ticket holder to claim the prize at a designated 50-50 table by the end of the top of the seventh inning. Flynn said she did not see the winning number displayed or hear it announced and was directed by stadium personnel to another location before making her way to the claim table. Officials determined she did not arrive before the deadline and selected a new winning ticket.
The Flynns sued, but the circuit and appeals courts ruled the raffle’s rules gave the foundation sole discretion to determine the official winner and that the rules clearly stated a participant who failed to claim the prize within the specified time would be disqualified.
In a petition to the Wisconsin Supreme Court filed Wednesday, the Flynn’s asked the high court to take the case, saying the decision “affects not only the parties to this action but potentially every Wisconsin resident who participates in charitable raffles and similar gaming activities.”
“This case presents significant questions concerning contractual discretion, discovery, judicial review of charitable gaming decisions, and the treatment of digital evidence within Wisconsin’s appellate system. For these reasons, Petitioners respectfully request that this Court grant review of the decision of the Court of Appeals,” the petition states.
The high court does not have to take the case. At some point, it will vote on if to take it. If it does, a months-long process to review the issues will begin. If it does not, the appeals court ruling would stand.
According to the rules posted on the Milwaukee Brewers’ website, the deadline to claim the prize is no longer during the game the tickets were purchased.
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“The Participant in possession of the Raffle ticket with the potential winning number may claim the Prize at the 50/50 Table located on the Loge (2nd) level concourse behind Sections 216/217 until such time as the Ballpark officially closes to fans after the end of the game. If the Participant in possession of the Raffle ticket with the potential winning number does not claim the Prize by the time the Ballpark closes to fans after the end of the game, that Participant may still claim the Prize within thirty (30) days after the conclusion of the Raffle Period for the respective baseball game by contacting the Raffle hotline (414-902-4334). A Prize that is not claimed within thirty (30) days after the conclusion of the Raffle Period will be awarded in compliance with applicable regulations,” the site states.
ONEIDA COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) — The Wisconsin DOJ is investigating an officer-involved death that occurred on the morning of June 17 in the town of Lake Tomahawk.
According to a press release, around 10:30 a.m., two Oneida officers arrived at Lumen Lake Drive to arrest a subject in a felony investigation.
Upon contact with the officers, the subject brandished and shot a firearm. One officer shot the subject in return.
EMS pronounced the subject dead on the scene. No members of law enforcement or the public were injured.
Both officers will be placed on administrative assignment, per the agency’s policy.
WFRV will update this story as needed.
Body camera shows Wisconsin officer shooting, killing dog in Mequon
Body camera footage from April 23, 2026 shows a Thiensville officer firing at two dogs running at him. He continues to fire as they run away, killing one.
A Thiensville officer fired 16 shots at two stray dogs, killing one, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been tracking the fallout.
The officer, Richard C. McCormick, resigned during an internal investigation. The shooting is now under review by the Ozaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
Here’s what to know about the case and what to do if you encounter a stray or lost dog:
What brought the Thiensville officer to the Mequon intersection?
On April 23, 2026, Mequon police responded to a call shortly after 1 a.m. for two loose dogs at Highland and Cedarburg Roads. The Mequon officers decided to return in the morning, when they could seek help from the humane society.
About two hours later, McCormick saw the dogs at the same intersection, outside his jurisdiction. McCormick stopped and tried to capture them. He was not responding to a new 911 call or other request for help. He was aware of the earlier call about the dogs.
What happened during the shooting?
Body camera footage obtained by the Journal Sentinel showed the dogs bounding toward McCormick after he opened a rear door of his squad.
The officer fired at least two shots near the ground, in what he later said was an attempt to scare the dogs. Video showed the dogs running away and McCormick continuing to fire across the road, even after one of the dogs collapsed on the ground and howled.
Six minutes later, McCormick fired a final shot from close range to euthanize the dog on the ground. The other dog escaped into the woods.
A national expert on police-dog encounters told the Journal Sentinel there were “valid concerns” about the shooting, noting that McCormick continued firing even as the dogs ran away from him.
What happened to the second dog?
The shooting came to light after three women tracked and safely trapped the second dog that had been wounded.
The dog, whom they named Ranger, had a bullet in his hip.
Ranger underwent surgery and was still receiving care at the Wisconsin Humane Society Ozaukee Campus as of June 17.
The rescue volunteers – Danielle Dietz, Alicia Hegedus and Karen Bohlmann – pieced together what happened to Ranger and the other dog, whom they nicknamed BD, using public records requests.
They learned that Ranger had been out for 17 days since he had been shot.
What should you do if you encounter a lost or stray dog?
Angela Speed, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Humane Society, offered the following suggestions:
- Be cautious. Fearful, injured or ill animals can be reactive when confronted.
- Watch the dog’s body language carefully.
- If the dog is obviously friendly and approachable, check for a collar with information. If an owner cannot be located, take the dog to a local animal shelter.
- If you have safety concerns, call a local non-emergency police or sheriff’s office line.
The volunteers who rescued Ranger have years of experience tracking and safely capturing stray or missing dogs, on their own and with local rescue groups. They offered additional suggestions:
- Note the location where you saw the dog and take a photo, if possible.
- Share that information in local neighborhood groups online, which can include Facebook, NextDoor or Ring.
- Look up nearby lost dog and recovery organizations online and contact those groups for help.
- Never chase a dog.
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