Wisconsin
Wisconsin in drought, raising fire danger
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) – Eight counties in Wisconsin are now in a severe drought, while much of the rest of the state is in a moderate drought.
We’ve been following the dry conditions all week on Action 2 News This Morning. The dry conditions are also leading to an increased fire danger.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says most of the state has a moderate fire risk Friday while some counties in Northeast Wisconsin are at a high risk, including Menominee, Shawano, Oconto, and Marinette.
The fields are dry and winds are going to pick up this weekend. One spark to dry vegetation could set off a huge fire.
That’s why the DNR is asking you to be extremely cautious.
The DNR says gusty winds plus the lack of significant rainfall during the past month are behind the elevated fire risk.
Forest rangers say we typically see conditions like these in spring, not October.
In our area, Door, Kewaunee, Oconto and Shawano counties are considered to be in a “D2,” or severe drought.
“What we may be able to do is adjust to the weather,” Gene Schriefer, Wisconsin Farm Service Agency executive director, said. “I’m fond of, maybe it’s a bit of a cliche, but it’s not how much rain you get, it’s how much rain you keep. I think of this in terms of, if I get a three-inch rain can I capture it or do I get a three-inch rain and two-and-a-half inches of it runs off? That’s the difference in making a farm more drought resilient. If it does flood, does my field drain quickly?”
It’s less than ideal for farmers, but the executive director of the Wisconsin Farm Service Agency says he’s trying to stay optimistic.
“It’s a lot of year ahead of us. We’re currently in a dry pattern. The two-, three-, four-week forecast is warmer than normal and a little drier than normal, but drier than normal doesn’t mean no rain, it just means the odds of something happening are less that what we’d normally expect this time of year,” Schriefer said.
Conditions could change in the next few months.
The National Integrated Drought Information System predicts that through the end of the year the drought conditions will improve and we could come out of it completely.
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Wisconsin
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Wisconsin
President Trump endorses Tom Tiffany for Wisconsin governor
President Donald Trump has endorsed U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, in his bid to be the next governor of Wisconsin.
Trump announced the endorsement Tuesday night, writing on his social media platform Truth Social that Tiffany had his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”
“He will fight to advance Common Sense Values, and put WISCONSIN, AND AMERICA, FIRST,” Trump wrote.
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The endorsement puts to bed the questions of whether — and when — Trump would weigh in on the GOP primary for governor.
Tiffany, who has represented northern Wisconsin’s 7th District in Congress since 2020, was considered an early favorite to clinch the Republican nomination against Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, but recent fundraising numbers suggested Schoemann could put up a fight.
The backing from Trump has proven critical in Republican primaries across the country, and it’s almost certain to give Tiffany a boost. Four years ago, Trump’s endorsement helped propel businessman Tim Michels over former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch in the 2022 GOP primary for governor.
But whether the president’s nod is a help or a hindrance in the general election is an open question, especially in a cycle that polling suggests could favor Democrats. Four years ago, Michels lost to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in the general election. And almost immediately after Trump’s endorsement Tuesday, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin looked to seize on the president’s support of Tiffany as a condemnation.
“We agree with Donald Trump—Tom Tiffany has been by his side for all of it: ICE murdering Americans in the streets, the Big Ugly Bill, ending funding for the Affordable Care Act, invading Greenland, and raising every day costs,” read a statement from state Democratic Party Chair Devin Remiker. “Donald Trump just made Tom Tiffany the general election nominee, and we will stop him from bringing his chaotic and dangerous agenda in November.”
At least seven candidates are running in the Democratic primary for governor, where many of them have made attacking Trump central to their campaigns. The winner of the general election will replace Evers, who is not seeking a third term.
Trump’s announcement came as part of a slate of endorsements posted to his Truth Social platform late Tuesday evening. He also endorsed Michael Alfonso, who is running for Tiffany’s soon-to-be-vacant seat in Congress.
Alfonso is the 25-year-old son-in-law of U.S. Treasury Secretary Sean Duffy, who represented the 7th District before Tiffany. He’s one of four Republicans running to replace Tiffany.
Trump called Alfonso “a young ‘STAR’.”
In a post on X, Alfonso wrote that it is his “greatest honor to accept this endorsement from President Donald J. Trump,” and pledged “to be a steadfast MAGA warrior.”
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2026, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
Wisconsin
Polaris to lay off 200 Wisconsin workers, close facility in Osceola
The move comes after Polaris announced it was separating from Indian Motorcycle.
Powersports company Polaris has announced it plans to wind down the operations at its facility in Osceola which specializes in manufacturing Indian Motorcycle.
The move impacts roughly 200 Wisconsin workers at the facility.
On Jan. 27, during a fourth quarter and full year earnings call for 2025, Polaris said the company expects to sell Indian Motorcycle by the end of the first quarter of 2026 to Carolwood, a private equity firm based in Los Angeles. However the company plans to maintain some stake in the company.
Polaris officials said called the sale of Indian Motorcycle was a “difficult decision” and added it was a “move that we believe is best for Polaris and Indian Motorcycle.”
In a post on X, Wisconsin Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin said:
“We have seen this story in Wisconsin too many times – a private equity firm buys a company, hollows it out, & fires its workers, all to pad their profits. It’s simply wrong.”
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