Wisconsin
Vos consulting former justices on potential Protasiewicz impeachment
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says former members of the Wisconsin Supreme Court are advising him on the potential impeachment of liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz.
During a Wednesday morning appearance on WISN’s The Jay Weber Show State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said he’s formed a panel of former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices to “review and advise what the criteria are for impeachment” of Justice Protasiewicz if she refuses to recuse herself from lawsuits before the court seeking to overturn GOP drawn voting maps. He said he would not name the justices while their review was underway.
Vos and other Republicans claim Protasiewicz has prejudged the redistricting cases because she called GOP voting maps “rigged” on the campaign trail ahead of defeating conservative former Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly by 11 points.
His comments came the day after a surprise press conference on Tuesday when Vos announced a Republican bill had been introduced to create an “Iowa-style” nonpartisan redistricting process in Wisconsin. Republicans are fast-tracking the bill, which creates a redistricting process similar to one they had previously opposed.
Democrats, including Gov. Tony Evers, quickly voiced opposition to the plan, claiming Vos cannot be trusted. They say legislation could give Republicans a chance to draw their own maps.
Vos told Weber impeachment is the “last thing I want to happen” and would prefer to see Wisconsin’s redistricting rules be changed rather than have the state go through potential court battles over recusal and impeachment.
“But if you have a justice that has predetermined cases and is not going to take themself off the case, I want to know what all of our options are so that we are ready to go if it is required,” Vos said.
State Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard, D-Madison, told WPR it’s “vitally important” to remember that Vos “created gerrymandered maps” and has been unwilling to consider reforming the state’s redistricting process as Democrats and their supporters have called for in the past.
Agard noted Vos and Republicans are set to vote on the redistricting bill Thursday without offering any opportunity for public comment.
Vos accused Democrats of being “hypocrites” for opposing legislation that is similar to what they introduced in 2021, their plan at that time also based on Iowa’s redistricting process.
“If they are so certain that they have a justice in their pocket, because they don’t even want to take an idea that has been their own for 20 years, it certainly says to me that the process in the Supreme Court is even more rigged than what they say the maps are.”
Agard said there’s no guarantee that Democrats would reintroduce their 2021 redistricting bill but are still interested in changing how maps are drawn.
“The Supreme Court would very likely come up with a solution for right now,” Agard said. “But as we move forward after future censuses, we could find ourselves in the same spot. So we need to come up with a long term solution that prevents us from fighting up in the same place again.”
Without Gov. Evers’ support, the GOP redistricting plan appears doomed. It’s also unclear whether Republicans in the State Senate would support it. WPR emails sent to State Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, Tuesday afternoon went unanswered.
While the bill outlines a process that is similar to how Iowa draws it’s voting maps, Senior Staff Attorney Derek Clinger of the University of Wisconsin Madison Law School’s State Democracy Research Initiative told WPR there’s one key difference that “could be exploited for partisan gain.”
He said the GOP legislation would require Wisconsin’s nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau to draw maps that would need to be approved by legislators and the Governor. If lawmakers reject two of the LRB maps, they would be allowed to draw their own maps on a third attempt.
“And I think that would open the door for the legislature adopting a map that gives path an advantage to one party or favors incumbents,”
Vos has downplayed those concerns, claiming Evers could simply veto maps he feels have a Republican advantage. But Clinger said that only works with split-party government.
“I suppose that counts as a check, as long as there’s a Democratic governor,” Clinger said. “But thinking long term, who knows who will be in the governor’s seat the next time or the time after that and the time after that.”
The Wisconsin assembly is scheduled to vote on the Republican redistricting plan at 1 p.m. Thursday.
Preview: No.5 Wisconsin meets No.4 UCLA in Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals
No.5 Wisconsin (24-8, 13-7 Big Ten) vs. No.4 UCLA (22-9, 13-7 Big Ten)
Date/Time – Friday, March 14, 1:30 p.m.
Arena – Gainbridge Fieldhouse (18,345)
Watch – Big Ten Network (Guy Haberman, Stephen Bardo, Rick Pizzo)
Radio – Badgers Radio Network (Matt Lepay and Brian Butch), Sirius 106 or 195, stream online on iHeartRadio.
Series – UCLA leads 6-2 (UCLA leads 2-0 in neutral sites)
Last Meeting – UCLA won, 85-83, on January 23, 2025, in Los Angeles
Follow Online: The Badgers’ Den
Twitter: @Badger_Blitz
Betting line: Wisconsin -1.0
Projected Starting Five (Wisconsin)
Player to Watch: On only five shot attempts, Winter posted 18 points in Wisconsin’s Thursday win over Northwestern, matching the second-highest output of his career. Winter drew nine fouls, went a career-best 9-for-10 from the line, and added six rebounds in the 70-63 victory.
Projected Starting Five (UCLA)
Player to watch: Earning third-team All-Big Ten honors, Bilodeau leads UCLA in scoring and three-point shooting percentage (41.2 percent, 35-for-85). He has scored in double figures in 23 of 30 games this year, including scoring 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting earlier this season against the Badgers.
Series Notes
This will be the first postseason matchup between the two schools.
The Bruins have won the last six meetings, including neutral wins in the 1995 Maui Invitational and the 2017 Hall of Fame Classic.
Wisconsin Notes
With 24 wins, this season already equals the 11th-highest win total in Wisconsin history and the third-highest under Greg Gard. Another win would give the Badgers 25 wins for the third time under Gard and the 11th time in the last 22 seasons.
The Badgers are 16-8 against the top two quadrants of the NET rankings, going 6-7 in Quad 1 and 10-1 in Quad 2. UW is one of nine schools with 16+ Quad 1/2 wins.
Wisconsin is 10-5 away from home, including a mark of 6-5 in true road games and 4-0 in neutral site contests. Over the last two seasons, UW is 9-2 in neutral site games. Only two Major Conference teams have a better winning percentage in neutral site games over the last two seasons: Auburn and 2024 National Champion UConn.
Northwestern shot 37.0 percent from the field Thursday, the Badgers’ lowest by an opponent since holding Nebraska to 33.9 percent shooting on Jan. 26. UW is 10-2 this season when holding teams below 40 percent.
The Badgers finished the game with 10 turnovers against the Wildcats, marking the 20th game with 10 or fewer turnovers this season. UW is 16-4 in those games.
UCLA Notes
Through games played on March 11, the Bruins ranked No. 23 in the country in scoring defense (65.1 ppg), No. 17 in turnovers forced per game (15.3), and No. 8 in turnover margin (+4.5).
Through March 11, the Bruins ranked No. 8 in the nation in turnover margin (+4.5), having committed 334 turnovers and forced 474 turnovers by the opposition.
Nine of UCLA’s 10 rotation players have totaled more assists than turnovers through 31 games. Clark (87 assists, 35 turnovers) has recorded a team-best 2.5 assist-turnover ratio. Including Clark, the Bruins have three guards with an assist-turnover ratio better than 2.0-to-1 (Dylan Andrews and Johnson).
Johnson has been named a Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection (one of five), currently ranking sixth in the league in steals per game (1.7 spg, 53 steals in 31 games). Johnson, who hails from Milwaukee, earned Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors as a sophomore in 2023 and junior in 2024.
The Bruins’ bench has outscored the opposition in 22 of 31 games this season (16-6 record in those 22 games). Sophomore Sebastian Mack has played in all 31 games, entering off the bench in 30 games. Mack has averaged 9.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 73.8 percent at the free throw stripe.
Prediction
Before Saturday’s clunker against Penn State, Wisconsin’s last poor defensive effort came at Pauley Pavilion against the Bruins. The Badgers shot 51.0 percent from the field, 15-for-30 from three, and 18-for-21 from the line and lost by two. The reasons were simple: the Badgers committed 13 turnovers, saw the Bruins shoot 50.9 percent, and were picked apart by their ball-screen defense against reserves Sebastian Mack and Aday Mara. That latter fact resulted in 23 fouls as the Badgers were out of position and forced to chase and reach.
Mack scored 19 against the Badgers and hasn’t scored more than 14 since. Mara had 22 and also hasn’t scored more than 14 since playing UW. Crowl and Winter have seemed to be consistently outworked by true centers all season. Mara’s on that list with the Michigan combination of Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf, Oregon’s Nate Bittle, Michigan State’s Jaxon Kohler, and Penn State’s Yanic Konan Niederhauser. It’s optimistic to say UW has grown in the department, but the performances against Bittle, Kohler, and Niederhauser have come in the last three weeks. However, those three players are better than Mara.
UCLA has won 11 of its last 14 games and is quietly peaking at the right time. However, the Badgers don’t appear to have the same offensive rhythm as they did the last time these two teams met in Westwood. Furthermore, UW’s stellar defensive performance Thursday comes with the caveat that Northwestern was really beat up with injuries. UCLA hung 93 on USC in the season finale to claim the final double bye.
Initially planning to pick Wisconsin based on the Badgers getting their feet under them with their victory over the Wildcats, I feel UW’s offense won’t be able to crack UCLA’s tough defense.
Worgull’s Prediction: UCLA by 6
Record: 25-7 (23-9 ATS)
Points off Prediction: 267 (8.3 per game)
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Wisconsin
Calling all cheese lovers: University of Wisconsin – River Falls now offers a cheesemaking course
From cheddar to swiss, Wisconsin is known for the craft of queso.
Now, University of Wisconsin-River Falls runs a cheesemaking course at its on-campus dairy plant.
“In Wisconsin, the cheese industry. The dairy industry is an over 50 billion dollar industry,” said Michael Orth, Dean of the University’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.
The “gouda” thing, is University of Wisconsin-River Falls is developing those already in or who want to work in that industry with their Cheesemaker’s Short-Course.
“They’re seeing samples of the cheese, they can see it, taste it, smell it,” said Rueben Nilsson, UWRF’s dairy pilot plant manager.
They learn the process, work the equipment, discuss the science and technical aspects of making cheese in a five day course.
The plant is made possible by names like Culver’s, Land O’ Lakes and more that students can actually get that hands-on experiential experience.
“I’m a parm girl,I love parm through and through,” said senior Makenzie Skibbie.
Skibbie has family is in the business and took the course to follow in her mother’s footsteps.
“Wisconsin’s the only one that requires you to have a license to make cheese. So for me, going into these classes, it gives me a head step going into the industry,” Skibbie told WCCO.
“We’re passing on knowledge and raising the bar for the quality of cheese,” Nilsson said.
If you want to try out these cheese that’s produced by students, it’s all available at the on-campus Freddy’s Dairy Bar.
To learn more about the course, visit the university’s website.
Wisconsin Badgers Perfect Class of 2026 Recruiting Class: Version 2.0
Below is the second look at what a perfect recruiting class could look like for Wisconsin in 2026. A perfect class doesn’t necessarily mean landing all the top players UW has offered. It is more realistic than that – it fills needs and gives fans the stars they desperately want. This is the best case scenario with players the Badgers have a legitimate chance with.
Twenty-three scholarship seniors are projected to graduate at the end of the 2025 season, but it’s difficult to project exactly how many spots will open up.
QUARTERBACK (1)
Wisconsin probably needs two quarterbacks in the 2026 class, but the Badgers are operating like one is the goal. Ryan Hopkins, who was in Madison this fall, is expected to visit in this spring and again in late May for an official. UW and Missouri are believed to be the two schools to watch moving forward. Travis Burgess is close behind after a junior-day visit earlier this month.
Others considered: Travis Burgess, Peyton Falzone, Brodie McWhorter
RUNNING BACK (2)
Wisconsin did not sign a running back in 2025, so the class will be a priority in 2026. Amari Latimer is a long-time target for the Badgers, who signed his older brother, cornerback Geimere Latimer, via the transfer portal. He is expected to visit during the last weekend in May. Jamal Rule is a relatively new offer who has already scheduled an official visit with the Badgers.
Others considered: Ryan Estrada, Taariq Denson
WIDE RECEIVERS (4)
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