Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s recent winter storms damaged a lot of trees. Here’s how you can protect them.
Drone view: Winter wonderland from the snow in the Milwaukee area
Check out a drone view of the winter wonderland from Thursday’s snow around the Milwaukee area.
Snow and ice covered Milwaukee and much of southeastern Wisconsin earlier this month with totals topping 10 inches further from Lake Michigan.
While snow might provide some much needed relief during drought conditions, especially as it melts, it can also result in broken and hanging tree branches littering roadways and damaging property.
Moreover, during Wisconsin’s most recent winter storms, heavy snow weighing down tree limbs, forcing them into contact with power lines, was largely blamed for widespread power outages across the greater Milwaukee area.
What are the signs of tree damage and how can you protect them during snowy and icy conditions? Here’s what you need to know:
What are the signs of tree damage?
Snow and ice can damage trees by breaking branches and treetops. But there are other, less visible signs of damage as some cells in the trunk of the tree could have ruptured—called ring shake. Some signs of ring shake can include a lean, large overgrown knots and bulges and burls near the base of the tree.
Tree roots emerging from the ground after its bent over are an indicator there’s a safety hazard, but also that the tree has a poor likelihood of surviving, said DNR Forest Health Specialist Bill McNee.
What you can do to protect trees from winter snow and ice damage:
If there are smaller trees on your property that are bent over, you can remove any snow or ice to help the tree straighten to its original position. The longer the tree is bent over, the more difficult it will be for it to return to its original position.
To knock off any snow and ice, you can use a pole pruner or other longer tool to brush off the snow and push the tree back up. Trees are also vary on how much snow or ice they can handle before breaking or bending. Trees like aspen and basswood are more likely to break than hickory, birch and oak.
If the tree has a lot of damage, you might need to remove the tree before it continues to degrade.
What to do for trees that are down or hanging:
For trees that are damaged, sick or diseased, of that are down or hanging, you can call the City of Milwaukee Call Center at 414-286-CITY (2489).
If you have any concerns about fallen branches or other safety concerns, you can contact a local arborist to assess the tree in your yard. To find a certified arborist, you can search the Wisconsin Arborist Association list of local arborists at www.waa-isa-.org or the International Society of Arborists at www.isa-arbor.com.
Wisconsin
WATCH: Wisconsin Badgers RB discusses ‘pretty surreal moment’ of being Hall of Fame inductee
MADISON, Wis. – What seemed like an ordinary chat with Chris McIntosh eventually took James White by surprise.
McIntosh, the University of Wisconsin athletic director, announced White among 11 other inductees for the UW Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2026 on Thursday. White played for the Badgers from 2010-13 and currently ranks sixth all-time in program history in career yards rushing (4,015), third in yards per carry (6.24, with a minimum of 300 attempts) and tied for fourth in career rushing touchdowns (45).
Up until Braelon Allen’s 96-yard touchdown run against Illinois State in 2022, White also held the school record for longest run – a 93-yard burst against Indiana in 2013.
“It’s a pretty surreal moment for me,” White said. “I still remember getting the phone call from Chris McIntosh, initially having a normal conversation with him, not expecting him to tell me that I’m gonna be inducted into the Wisconsin Athletics Hall of Fame.
“This place means a ton to me. It’s being far away from home, from South Florida, coming all the way out to Wisconsin. The best decision I ever made in my life, as far as not only football, but growing as a man, making friends for a lifetime, learning academics and everything that comes along with being a college student. It’s truly an honor.”
Watch and listen to White talk more with reporters Thursday about being inducted, if it’s weird being back in Madison now that he’s assistant running backs coach for Bret Bielema at Illinois, and if he talked to Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell.
Wisconsin’s Greg Gard proud of Garding Against Cancer’s impact
The Badgers coach spoke to reporters before the eighth-annual Garding Against Cancer fundraiser May 2 at the Kohl Center.
MADISON – The Wisconsin men’s basketball team will play at Fiserv Forum next season, but it won’t be against Marquette.
The Badgers announced May 29 that they will play an exhibition game against Oklahoma at Fiserv on Oct. 24. The start time and any broadcast information will be announced later.
The Sooners went 20-14 last season with a 6-12 mark in their inaugural season in the Southeastern Conference. Oklahoma coach Porter Moser was an assistant coach at UW-Milwaukee in 1995-96.
Tickets will go on sale June 2 through Ticketmaster.
The game was made possible by a proposal approved in January by the Division I Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee that allows teams to play up to two preseason exhibition games against any four-year school, including Division I programs. Dating to the Bo Ryan era, Wisconsin has used its one exhibition date to play a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference program (Division III) at the Kohl Center.
Previously these exhibitions required a waiver to be played and the proceeds were to be donated to charity. Schools can now allocate the proceeds from the exhibition games however they see fit.
Division I college teams have faced each other during the preseason for years, but those matchups were considered scrimmages that were required to be played in private and without official scoring.
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – More than 1,200 athletes from across the state will come together at UW-Whitewater for 2025 Special Olympics Wisconsin Summer Games.
It will take place Thursday, June 5- Sunday, June 7. This will be the third consecutive year that the summer games take place on the school’s campus.
Athletes, coaches and families will be welcomed into the games starting at 6:30 p.m. on June 5 with a parade and opening ceremony at Perkins Stadium.
On Friday morning, cornhole events will take place. Then on Saturday, competitions for powerlifting and tennis will start.
Competitions for soccer and track and field will also take place over both of those days.
For a full schedule of events, click here.
Special Olympics Wisconsin will also host a series of health-focused events while the games take place.
Organizers are looking for about 300 volunteers to help support the event. If you would like to volunteer, click here.
If you would like to learn more about the Summer Games and the Special Olympics Wisconsin, click here.
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Copyright 2025 WMTV. All rights reserved.
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