Wisconsin

Wisconsin judicial race: contenders chosen in pivotal election for 2023

Published

2 years ago

February 22, 2023

Wisconsin judicial race: contenders chosen in pivotal election for 2023

Wisconsin voters on Tuesday selected one liberal and one conservative candidate to face off in a race to find out management of the state supreme court docket in what is probably going a very powerful election of 2023.

Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal Milwaukee circuit court docket decide, might be on the poll in opposition to Daniel Kelly, a conservative former supreme court docket justice, within the state’s 4 April common election. Protasiewicz, who acquired 46% of the statewide vote, and Kelly, who acquired 24% of the statewide vote, superior from a four-member area that included Everett Mitchell, a liberal decide in Dane county, and Jennifer Dorow, a conservative decide in Waukesha county.

Conservatives at present have a 4-3 majority on the court docket, but when Protasiewicz wins, the stability of the court docket would flip.

That may have monumental influence in Wisconsin, probably the most politically aggressive states in America that always determines the end result of the presidential election. The court docket is predicted to have a say within the close to future on a variety of main voting rights and abortion choices.

In 2020, the state supreme court docket narrowly turned away a lawsuit from Donald Trump searching for to throw out votes. It’s more likely to weigh in on a variety of election disputes forward of the 2024 election in Wisconsin, the place races are commonly determined by razor-thin margins. A shift within the stability of the court docket would additionally doubtless immediate a request asking the justices to rethink hanging down the state’s legislative maps, that are so severely gerrymandered in favor of Republicans, it’s just about not possible for Democrats to ever win management of the state legislature.

The court docket will doubtless in the end determine whether or not the state’s 1849 abortion ban is authorized. A shift within the stability of the court docket can also immediate one other lawsuit asking the excessive court docket to contemplate hanging down the state’s legislative maps, that are among the many most gerrymandered within the nation.

“Every part we care about goes to be decided by who wins this election,” Protasiewicz mentioned in victory remarks on Tuesday night.

“By no means earlier than has a judicial candidate brazenly campaigned on the precise intent to set herself above the legislation, to position her thumb on the scales of justice to make sure the outcomes fulfill her private curiosity reasonably than the instructions of the legislation,” Kelly mentioned in his victory speech.

The race is already projected to shatter the $10m spending document for a state supreme court docket race, which was set in 2020. There have been almost $7m in political advert orders positioned within the major, in keeping with the Brennan Heart for Justice, which is monitoring that spending.

Spending within the race is predicted to be dominated by exterior teams. Truthful Courts America, a Tremendous Pac backed by GOP megadonor Richard Uihlein, has pledged tens of millions in help of Kelly. The anti-abortion group Susan B Anthony Professional-Life America has additionally pledged six figures in help of Kelly. A Higher Wisconsin Collectively, a liberal group, additionally spent almost $1.8m to date, in keeping with the Brennan Heart’s database.

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Wisconsin

“Factory enhanced” snow causes crashes and spinouts in Wisconsin

Published

4 hours ago

November 29, 2024

Press Room

“Factory enhanced” snow causes crashes and spinouts in Wisconsin

Western Wisconsin got hit with “factory enhanced” snow Thursday afternoon

02:02

Menomonie, Wis. — A murky day for turkey day. In this part of western Wisconsin, “murky” is an understatement.

A narrow band of snow quickly dropped three inches on drivers — even sending a semi sliding into a ditch.

The National Weather Service says it’s likely because of a glass manufacturing company near Menomonie.

“That steam rises into the deck of clouds that are above it, and the steam acts as little particles that the water droplets can latch onto and create snow crystals” said Meteorologist Caleb Grunzke of the National Weather Service. “Everything came together perfectly for several inches of snow and major traffic problems.”

The Wisconsin State Patrol reported 16 crashes in a 5 hour span, including a six-car pile-up.

“We kind of drove in and out of the snow very dramatically” said Dave Erickson, who was making the trip back to the Twin Cities from Milwaukee.

“Drive safe, happy Thanksgiving” Erickson added.

Frankie McLister

Frankie McLister, originally from Middletown, Maryland, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.

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Wisconsin

Need a Christmas tree? Here’s how to harvest one from Wisconsin’s state forests

Published

12 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

Need a Christmas tree? Here’s how to harvest one from Wisconsin’s state forests

Need a Christmas tree now that Thanksgiving is over? Well, look no further than Wisconsin’s public forests.

Many state forests allow you to cut down a tree for personal use — provided you have a permit and follow a few rules.

Here’s how to avoid the naughty list at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Where are the public forests?

Trees can be cut down in the Brule River, Flambeau River, Governor Earl Peshtigo River, Governor Knowles and Northern Highland-American Legion state forests.

Brule River State Forest in Douglas County is home to a lot of balsam fir, a Christmas-tree favorite with its short needles that last long and smell great. Evergreens in this forest also include white pine and white spruce. Mound ranger station, W10325 Highway 12, (715) 284-4103.

Flambeau River State Forest, Winter: Look for white and black spruce, red and white pine, and balsam fir at this forest in Sawyer and Rusk counties just south of the CNNF. W1613 County Road W, Winter, (715) 332-5271.

Governor Earl Peshtigo River, Crivitz: Red, white and jack pines are the predominate evergreens in this forest in Marinette and Oconto counties in northeastern Wisconsin. N10008 Paust Lane, Crivitz, 715-757-3965

Governor Knowles State Forest, Grantsburg: Find jack, white and red pines in this forest along the St. Croix River in northwestern Wisconsin. 325 Highway 70, Grantsburg, (715) 463-2898.

Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest, Woodruff: Permits for this forest allow you to harvest a balsam fir, but not within sight of a public road, trail or body of water. Permits are available at the Clear Lake Visitor Station, 8282 Woodruff Road, Woodruff, (715) 356-3668; and the Crystal Lake Visitor Station, 3237 Crystal Lake Road, Boulder Junction, (715) 542-3923.

Holiday tree cutting is not offered at other DNR properties. However, some county forests allow non-commercial harvest of holiday trees, as does the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Contact the forest where you’d like to cut a holiday tree before venturing out so that you know harvesting guidelines.

How much is a permit?

Purchase a permit at the headquarters of each forest. The price may vary slightly from property to property, but the average cost is $5 per tree.

Where can I cut a tree down?

Harvesting is prohibited within 100 feet or visual distance of roads, trails and water, and there is no harvesting from campgrounds or recreation areas, according to the DNR.

Trees must be cut at ground level with a maximum height of 30 feet. Trees taken from state forests cannot be resold.

Check the spongy moth map

Check the spongy moth quarantine map maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to ensure you don’t travel with your tree out of the quarantined area. The area prohibits items from being shipped that could have the insect or its eggs.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin Vs Minnesota Game Predictions

Published

20 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

Wisconsin (5-6) will take on Minnesota (6-5) in their final game of the season in a battle for the Axe, as well as bowl eligibility. The Gophers are a team who seem much better than their record after losing by just one point to No. 4 Penn State last week. It’s a rivalry game of course, so the tensions will be high, but it also has many more implications for the Badgers moving forward. So how do we see this one ending up?

Cameron (9-2)	Andrew (8-3)	Ericka (9-2) Advertisement	Trevor (10-1)	Braulio (1-2)
24-20 Minnesota	23-17 Minnesota	28-14 Wisconsin Advertisement	27-21 Minnesota	20-17 Wisconsin

After everyone went all in on Wisconsin last week, not all the writers are so quick to choose the Badgers this time around. After an utterly disgustingly display against Nebraska, Wisconsin now has one final chance to reach six wins for the season and become bowl eligible. The stakes are high, but yet our confidence is low, with most of us deciding to go against Wisconsin this week and opt for the Gophers instead.

A loss, and the Badgers will end the season with a losing record and no bowl game, something that hasn’t happened in 23 years. Commitments and jobs will certainly be up in the air if Wisconsin fails to retain Paul Bunyan’s Axe. A win though, and the Badgers will keep the bowl-streak alive. Still, it feels like the season fell a little short of expectations regardless of the outcome in this one, but a win will fix a lot.

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