Wisconsin
Wisconsin Republicans ‘solidly unified’ behind Trump, hyped for convention
Republicans remain staunchly supportive of Donald Trump’s candidacy and platform as they prepare for their national convention in Milwaukee.
Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Brian Schimming emphasized Republican unity behind nominating Trump versus Democrats’ uncertainty around President Joe Biden, in a news conference Thursday.
“A week from today, Republicans will be nominating Donald Trump to be the next President of the United States,” Schimming said.
“Hosting the RNC will solidify the gains that we’re making here in Wisconsin. I just finished three days in Milwaukee at the Republican National Committee meeting; it is a group solidly, solidly unified behind Donald Trump.”
Schimming also expressed excitement about Trump’s vice president pick.
“The great thing for Republicans on the vice-presidential nomination is we have a lot of good choices, we have a lot of good options to be vice president of the United States,” said Schimming.
“Joe Biden has Vice President Harris, who polls just about as badly as he does.”
When asked about his position on the state Supreme Court’s decision regarding the use of drop boxes, Schimming said it was politically motivated interference with the Legislature’s authority over election laws.
However, he expressed confidence in Wisconsin’s election security measures overall.
“But I’m state chairman of the party, and I have to deal with the law as it is in the state, whether it’s on drop boxes or any other issue,” Schimming said.
“We’re going to do everything we can. And I feel confident because of our internal election integrity unit and all the efforts that we have statewide, we’ll be able to have confidence in the election results on Election Night. But if we end up in a recount situation, or there are other issues at hand, we’re going to deal with them.”
Democrat-supporting groups such as the Coalition to March have promised to protest near the convention.
“If Trump thought Milwaukee was ‘horrible’ before, he won’t be happy when he’s met by a counter-convention from Democrats on the ground who will expose his extreme Project 2025 agenda,” Democratic National Convention Communications Director Rosemary Boeglin said.
Schimming said he is not very concerned about disruptions from the anti-Trump protests, and he is excited for the RNC to start.
“The convention here is going to kind of showcase what’s happening around the country,” Schimming said.
“Wisconsin is oftentimes the most competitive of the swing states, particularly of the big seven swing states, but right now we feel confident about where we’re at.”
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
How Aleksas Bieliauskas has grown in first season with Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has high praise for Aleksas Bieliauskas about a month into the Lithuania native’s freshman season.
MADISON – One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s departing transfers is headed to an SEC program with some connections to the Badgers.
Ex-UW forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina, he announced on April 17.
Bieliauskas left the Badgers after appearing in all 35 games as a freshman and making 28 starts. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 points in 20.2 minutes, and highlights of his freshman year included his five 3-pointers in UW’s upset over eventual national champion Michigan.
He’ll join a program with plenty of Wisconsin ties. South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2010-17 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs. South Carolina assistant coach Tanner Bronson and director of video services Roman DiPasquale also are UW alumni.
Bieliauskas is the second of UW’s four departing transfers to commit to a new school. Reserve forward Jack Robison committed to North Dakota State on April 15. Starting guard John Blackwell and reserve forward Riccardo Greppi have not announced their next schools yet.
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