The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) voted 5-0, with one abstention, to reject the recall petition against Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) Thursday. After confusion over which district the recall petition signatures should come from, the commission decided that the recall organizers did not have enough valid signatures from any of the districts that could have possibly been involved.
Recall organizers began the effort to remove Vos, the longest-serving Assembly Speaker in state history, from office over complaints that he was not doing enough to advance their belief that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump and that the election officials involved in that election should be punished. The petition began after Vos refused to move forward with an effort to impeach WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe.
The recall effort began as the state’s political maps were in limbo, however. In December, the state Supreme Court struck down the previous maps and Gov. Tony Evers signed new maps into law in February, but those maps don’t go into effect until the election this fall.
With the previous maps declared unconstitutional and the new maps not yet in effect, it was unclear which district recall organizers should collect the required number of signatures. Old Assembly district 63 contains the voters that elected Vos in the first place, but it doesn’t technically exist any more. The new Assembly districts 33 and 66 contain some of those voters, but also many who did not put Vos into office. The WEC and state Department of Justice had sought clarification from the Supreme Court on which district should apply, but the Court declined to weigh in.
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Last month, the recall organizers filed thousands of signatures as part of their recall petition, but those petitions included signatures from all three of the potential districts, as well as many others that appeared to be forged or from voters who didn’t live in any of the districts. While the legal questions surrounding the petition worked through the Court, the statutory deadlines of a recall effort continued. No matter what district was used, Commission staff determined there were not enough valid signatures to force a recall election this summer.
On Thursday evening, the commission met to decide on Vos’ challenge to the validity of the petition signatures. Vos’ attorney, Matthew Fernholz, said the commission should take the easy option and reject the recall petition, while adding that there should be a formal investigation into the alleged forgeries in the petitions.
“So based on the review of all the signatures, and the challenges that have been sustained, the easiest thing and most straightforward path for WEC today is simply to reject and deny the recall petition,” Fernholz said. “They’re woefully short, regardless of whether we’re operating under the old 63rd Assembly district or the new 33rd Assembly district.”
Commissioner Ann Jacobs told Fernholz that the body is statutorily prevented from initiating investigations, adding that if Vos would like an investigation completed, he needs to submit a complaint to the agency.
The recall organizers were represented at the hearing by former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. Gableman was hired by Vos following the 2020 election to investigate allegations of fraud. After being allowed to continue his review for over a year without any results, Vos fired the former judge. Gableman has since turned on Vos, frequently appearing at anti-Vos events and supporting his 2022 primary opponent.
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Gableman spent about 30 minutes arguing with commissioners and WEC staff over whether or not a staff member told the recall organizers that the signatures should come from the 63rd District. At one point in the argument, Jacobs asked for a point of order after Gableman started insulting the agency’s attorney.
“Well, you managed to be arrogant, condescending and wrong in a matter of about 20,” Gableman said before Jacobs cut him off.
Gableman also refused to say whether or not the recall petitioners had gathered enough signatures from any of the districts because he doesn’t “know the basis for all the removals of the signatures.”
Twice, Gableman mentioned that the recall organizers had met with the FBI about potentially investigating the alleged forged signatures, and he discussed what the petitioners are calling “recall 2.0”— their second attempt at forcing a recall election. Much of the argument between Gableman and the commissioners centered around his request that they declare which district the signatures should come from and their refusal to do so because a request for an official advisory opinion from the commission has not been made.
The Commission ultimately approved a motion that rejected the recall on the grounds that there weren’t enough signatures from the old 63rd or new 66th districts and that the new 33rd district should not be used. Commissioner Mark Thomsen abstained from the vote after arguing for an amendment to the motion to narrow it to include just the lack of valid signatures from the 63rd district.
Wisconsin transfer guard A.J. Storr saw increased playing time in No. 7 Kansas’ loss to No. 2 Iowa State on Wednesday.
The former Badger saw 10 minutes of action in the 74-57 defeat and totaled five points, two rebounds, two assists and a block on two-of-six shooting and zero-of-two from three.
Takeaways from Wisconsin basketball’s narrow win over Ohio State
The performance is a step forward for Storr, whose role had dwindled significantly over the last several weeks. Head coach Bill Self called him out publicly after a Dec. 31 loss to West Virginia, which preceded the star transfer playing just four minutes in the Jayhawks’ 19-point win over Arizona State on Jan. 8.
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Those minute totals are back in double digits, first in a Jan. 11 win over Cincinnati and now against the Cyclones. He played well in the 10 minutes of action, even igniting a mini-run to cut Kansas’ deficit from 11 to five late in the second half. In succession, Storr blocked a layup attempt, grabbed the defensive rebound, then assisted a layup on the other end. One minute later, he missed a three-pointer that would have brought Kansas to within three points.
Storr stayed on the court for the last seven minutes of the game as Kansas dealt with foul trouble to its big men. In the end, his contributions weren’t enough to keep pace with an Iowa State team that seems poised for a deep run in March.
The former Badger’s performance, while a step in the right direction, did not help his season-long averages. Those totals currently sit at 17.7 minutes, 6.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists on 39.8% shooting and 29.7% from three. They are all lower than his production as a freshman at St. John’s, plus far from his outputs from a stellar 2023-24 campaign with the Badgers.
Storr and the Jayhawks are back on the court on Jan. 18 against Kansas State. He’ll look to carry momentum from this performance, continuing to battle for a consistent role in Kansas’ deep lineup.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
Manuel Franco claims his $768 million Powerball jackpot
Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis was revealed Tuesday as the winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot.
Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 15, 2025, results for each game:
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Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 15 drawing
08-41-52-53-58, Powerball: 07, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 15 drawing
Midday: 5-8-9
Evening: 7-4-4
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Pick 4 numbers from Jan. 15 drawing
Midday: 1-3-8-0
Evening: 6-8-4-5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning All or Nothing numbers from Jan. 15 drawing
Midday: 03-05-07-10-11-13-14-15-17-19-22
Evening: 01-03-04-07-08-10-12-13-15-19-21
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Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Badger 5 numbers from Jan. 15 drawing
01-04-09-15-26
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning SuperCash numbers from Jan. 15 drawing
06-07-12-14-20-27, Doubler: Y
Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Megabucks numbers from Jan. 15 drawing
01-04-08-17-26-44
Check Megabucks payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.
Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?
No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.
When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Most common and strangest items left at RSW, Fort Myers airport
Thousands of items are left behind at RSW every year. Here’s some of the most unusual!
Sixteen firearms were intercepted by Transportation Security Administration officers at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport security checkpoints in 2024, the agency said in statement Wednesday.
That’s the third straight year the number of guns caught at MKE, Wisconsin’s largest airport, has dropped.
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More: Flights canceled, delayed at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on one of its busiest travel days of the year
“Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is a careless, dangerous mistake that can be easily avoided,” Wisconsin TSA Federal Security Director Mark Lendvay said in the statement. “When individuals bring firearms to our checkpoints, they are introducing a risk to everyone in the area.
“These incidents also slow down the checkpoint screening process for other travelers because when a firearm is detected, all activity in the lane comes to a complete halt until police arrive. Unloaded firearms can be packed with checked baggage and declared to the airline.”
In 2023, 19 handguns were found at MKE security checkpoints, and 21 were seized in 2022. Twenty three firearms were caught at MKE security checkpoints in 2021.
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More: Traveling out of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport for spring break? Here’s how to do it best
How many people did TSA screen at Wisconsin airports in 2024?
At MKE, TSA screened nearly 3.6 million departing passengers and flight crews in 2024. Officers there discovered firearms in carry-on luggage at a rate of 4.5 firearms per million passengers screened.
This calculates to a rate of one firearm discovery for every 222,413 travelers screened.
TSA officers stopped a total of 29 firearms at Wisconsin’s commercial airports in 2024, which is down from the year before when 36 were intercepted, TSA data shows.
The other Wisconsin airport numbers were six firearms at Dane County Regional, three at Appleton International and Central Wisconsin Airport, and one at Green Bay Austin Strabel International.
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Nationally, the TSA screened more than 904 million passengers in 2024, and prevented more than 6,600 firearms from getting onto flights, down from 6,737 in 2023, the agency said in its statement.
The vast majority of the weapons caught last year – 94% of them – were loaded.
More: More than 250,000 people will travel through Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport this holiday season
What happens when someone is caught with a gun at an airport?
Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. But, in short: violators are subject to law enforcement action.
TSA fines passengers who bring a firearm to a TSA checkpoint also can face a civil penalty up to about $15,000, and can lose their TSA PreCheck eligibility for at least five years.
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More: For the next 10 days flyers are able to sign up for TSA PreCheck at Milwaukee’s airport
Here’s how you can fly with your gun
Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case. Guns need to be declared at the airline check-in counter.
Travelers should check for firearm laws in the jurisdictions they are flying to and from.
To learn more
TSA posts details on how to properly travel with a firearm on its website. Travelers should also contact their air carrier for any additional requirements for flying with firearms and ammunition.
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