Wisconsin
Wisconsin official urges lawmakers to act on $70M to bolster FoodShare
Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Kirsten Johnson on Jan. 21 urged the state Legislature to take up a nearly $70 million measure to shore up the state’s food assistance program, following months of discussions.
The state faces the possibility of tens of millions in extra costs from changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, made by the sweeping tax and spending law, called the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” that President Donald Trump signed last summer.
The law imposed new work requirements on some people who receive benefits through the food assistance program, which is called FoodShare in Wisconsin. It also shifted more of the administrative costs of the program onto states and will force states to foot potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in benefit costs if they make too many overpayment or underpayment errors.
“Due to federal red tape and changes made over the summer, Wisconsin needs to act now to protect this vital program,” Johnson said in comments to reporters. “We needed these resources yesterday and delaying this investment hurts Wisconsin.”
As part of the nearly $70 million measure, Gov. Tony Evers’ administration has proposed spending $16.2 million in state funds over the 2025-27 biennium to hire dozens more quality control staff to ensure error rates remain low and the state does not incur penalties. Additional administrative costs beginning in October are expected to cost the state $32.3 million in its next fiscal year. Plus, state officials anticipate having to spend about $20.7 million over the biennium to cover increased enrollment in a job training program for FoodShare recipients, according to the state Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
The Evers administration made its initial request for the nearly $70 million in August, Johnson said, and discussions are ongoing between the Democratic governor’s office and the Republican-controlled Legislature.
In a December interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he was “optimistic” about negotiations to reach a deal.
“I feel like it’s a decent package. I feel like the Assembly Republicans are there,” he said at the time. “We just have to kind of keep working with all of our colleagues to see if we can get everybody across the finish line.”
A spokesman for Vos did not immediately return a request Jan. 21 for comment. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu did not immediately respond to a separate request.
Republican legislative leaders have floated the idea of attaching the funding to a bill that would bar FoodShare recipients from using benefits to purchase sugary foods like soda and candy.
Johnson did not comment on whether she supported the idea. She called for urgency in addressing the funding shortfall, saying her biggest concern was the possibility of the state’s error rate getting too high and costing taxpayers.
The state faces tens, or even hundreds, of millions of dollars in additional costs if county and state workers commit too many errors in calculating FoodShare payments.
State officials expect the state’s error rate to be above 6% for federal fiscal year 2025 because of a change in how errors are counted, according to an October memo from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
If the state does not bring its error rate below 6% this year, taxpayers would be on the hook for anywhere from $68 million to $205 million in federal fiscal year 2028, according to the memo.
Under Trump’s tax and spending law, the higher a state’s error rate, the more it owes in benefit costs. Previously, the federal government covered the full cost of benefits for the food assistance program, while splitting administrative costs evenly with the states. Trump’s tax and spending law cut the percentage of administrative costs covered by the federal government from 50% to 25%, beginning in October.
Under Evers’ proposal, the state would add 56 employees and would increase funding for counties to hire an additional 76 workers to review FoodShare cases for accuracy and avoid errors, the memo says.
Last year, nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites per month relied on Foodshare benefits to pay for groceries, according to state data.
Addition of work requirements make FoodShare verification more difficult
New work and eligibility requirements for some FoodShare recipients also have complicated the process for reviewing cases and ensuring accuracy.
Work requirements that previously only applied to adults up to 54 years old without children now extend to all adults up to 64 years old without a child under age 14 in the home. The law also removed exemptions for veterans and homeless people.
State and county workers who determine eligibility for FoodShare have struggled to phase in the new work and eligibility requirements imposed by last summer’s law, amid a tight timeline to comply, confusing federal guidance and the interruption caused by last fall’s federal government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history.
Last fall, Wisconsin and other states sued the Trump administration over eligibility guidelines for the food assistance program related to non-citizens and argued the timeline for implementing the changes was unrealistic and inadequate.
“We have begun working with our counties to implement the work requirements and continue to update them as we get new information,” said Wisconsin Medicaid Director Bill Hanna. “It’s an ongoing process.”
In Dane County, older adults will be expected to comply with work requirements to remain eligible for FoodShare as soon as February, said Tanya Andersen, a spokesperson for Dane County Human Services.
Meanwhile, Brown County officials say they are awaiting more guidance.
“Trying to do this as fast as has been requested has been a challenge,” said Erik Pritzl, executive director of Brown County Health and Human Services.
Brown County leads the Bay Lake Consortium, which processes FoodShare applications for residents of Brown, Door, Shawano, Oconto and Marinette counties.
“It’s complicated work and our specialists go through a lot of intense training to do this. They have to be accurate about benefits, assess who’s eligible, and make sure people are getting the right amount of benefits,” Pritzl said. “Changes have to be implemented carefully and we want to get it right.”
Reporter Jessie Opoien, of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, contributed to this story.
Reporter Sarah Volpenhein can be reached at svolpenhei@usatodayco.com or at 414-607-2159.
Natalie Eilbert covers mental health issues for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. You can reach her at neilbert@gannett.com.
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 May 9, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 9 drawing
15-41-46-47-56, Powerball: 22, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 9 drawing
Midday: 2-4-4
Evening: 8-4-5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 9 drawing
Midday: 7-3-4-7
Evening: 3-3-5-1
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning All or Nothing numbers from May 9 drawing
Midday: 03-04-05-06-07-09-12-13-14-16-19
Evening: 03-08-09-12-13-14-15-17-20-21-22
Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Badger 5 numbers from May 9 drawing
05-14-18-25-27
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning SuperCash numbers from May 9 drawing
02-09-16-28-32-35, Doubler: Y
Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Megabucks numbers from May 9 drawing
02-20-36-39-40-41
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.
That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **
WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots
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.
Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office
FOND DU LAC COUNTY, Wis. – Two people from Illinois were arrested following a police chase that started in Fond du Lac County and ended in Winnebago County on Friday, May 8.
Initial traffic stop
What we know:
According to the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, just after 1 p.m. the sheriff’s office got an alert for a stolen vehicle out of Illinois heading northbound on I-41 from County Road Y.
It was learned that the vehicle was involved in two different police chases in the past week in Illinois, but had eluded officers each time.
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A short time later, a deputy spotted the vehicle on I-41 near Winnebago Street. The deputy continued to follow the suspect vehicle northbound, waiting for more deputies to get into position to attempt a high-risk traffic stop. Once those deputies were in position, a high-risk traffic stop was conducted. The vehicle initially pulled over and stopped, but right after deputies got out of their squad cars and started telling the people to get out of the vehicle, it instead fled northbound on I-41.
Chase into Winnebago County
What we know:
The chase went into Winnebago County, with the vehicle failing to pullover and instead speeding up. As the chase continued, the vehicle continued driving recklessly, passing by other vehicles on the interstate, including passing on the shoulder and weaving between vehicles, all at a high rate of speed.
The vehicle exited I-41 and ran three red lights. The chase continued southbound on State Highway 26, with the vehicle continuing to pass vehicles at a high rate of speed on the two-lane highway.
The vehicle then went off the road and drove through the yard of a home before circling around in the yard, traveling through the ditch, and reentering the highway going northbound. It then went into a field near County Road Z and Clay Road.
As a sergeant with the sheriff’s office was moving in to perform a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT Maneuver), the suspect vehicle went into reverse and rammed the front of the squad. The vehicle then attempted to leave the field by traveling through a ditch and back up onto the road, where another sheriff’s squad ended the chase by intentionally striking the vehicle and pushing it off the road and back into the ditch.
The vehicle rolled over in the ditch, came to rest upright, but was then disabled and could not move. Two people got out of the vehicle and were taken into custody. The vehicle started on fire and a fire department had to respond to extinguish the fire. Both people from the vehicle were evaluated by medical personnel on scene.
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Facing charges
What we know:
The driver of the vehicle was identified as a 23-year-old man from Des Plaines, Illinois. He was taken to the Fond du Lac County Jail on the following charges:
- Fleeing/Eluding an Officer
- 1st-Degree Reckless Endangering Safety (2 Counts)
- Resisting/Obstructing Officer
- Delivering Illegal Articles by Inmate (Ecstasy Pills).
The driver’s criminal history in Illinois was flagged as armed and dangerous with previous weapons offenses, dangerous drug offenses, and criminal damage to property.
The passenger of the vehicle was identified as a 23-year-old woman from Franklin Park, Illinois. She was taken to the Fond du Lac County Jail on the following charges:
- Fleeing/Eluding—Party to a Crime
- 1st Degree Reckless Endangering Safety—Party to a Crime
- Possession of THC
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
- Resisting and Obstructing an Officer
The Source: The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office sent FOX6 a press release.
Wisconsin
Stepmom from hell accused of starving 35-pound teen daughter enters plea — could spend the rest of her life behind bars
The Wisconsin stepmother from hell accused of abusing her 35-pound 14-year-old daughter by depriving her of food and water has entered a no-contest plea in the twisted case.
Melissa Goodman, 52, now faces up to 46 years in prison if she’s handed the maximum sentence for charges of chronic neglect causing great bodily harm, chronic neglect causing emotional damage and false imprisonment.
She’s set to be sentenced on July 1.
Goodman, along with husband Walter Goodman, has been accused of starving her autistic stepdaughter.
Goodman’s daughter Savanna Goodman and her girlfriend Kayla Stemler were also charged over the alleged abuse, People reported.
The family is accused of locking the teen in a bedroom without a mattress, restricting her to only her room for years and depriving her of food and water, according to Wisconsin prosecutors.
The mobile home they lived in became a house of horrors for the teenager, who was mistaken for a 6-year-old when she was found by cops in August 2025 and rushed to the hospital.
Walter Goodman, the victim’s father, called 911 to report that his daughter was lethargic and ill.
Responding officers found her weighing just 35 pounds; she was hospitalized with multi-organ dysfunction, including respiratory failure and pancreatitis.
From 2020 until August 2025, the victim, whose name is not disclosed because she is a minor, was allegedly isolated in a trailer on Hattie Lane, in Oneida, Wisconsin.
Extended family members were told she was away on vacation or with other relatives to explain her absence.
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