Latest Wisconsin state government News

Wisconsin lawmaker says his bar where overdose victims bought drugs isn't 'bad establishment'

May. 25, 2023 15:56 PM EDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Police in Wisconsin say the fentanyl-laced drugs that killed one person and caused three more to overdose in a village north of Milwaukee were bought at a state lawmaker's tavern that has been the subject of multiple calls to police in recent years. Republican...

Milwaukee faces bankruptcy, police cuts if aid deal can't be reached

May. 23, 2023 11:49 AM EDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Not reaching a deal on a massive bill increasing state aid to Wisconsin's local governments will only increase the chances that Milwaukee runs out of money, forcing deep cuts to police and fire protection, while smaller communities around the state will also struggle to pay...

Editorial Roundup: Wisconsin

May. 17, 2023 13:54 PM EDT

Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. May 14, 2023. Editorial: A bill worth watching There’s an interesting discussion taking place in Wisconsin’s southern neighbor. The Illinois Legislature is considering a bill aimed at protecting children on social media. ...

Wisconsin Republicans propose raises for public defenders, prosecutors

May. 16, 2023 13:42 PM EDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Starting pay for Wisconsin public defenders and assistant district attorneys would increase to $36 an hour, or about $75,000 a year, under a Republican-authored plan passed unanimously Tuesday by the Legislature's powerful budget-writing committee. The Public...

Wisconsin Supreme Court: Marsy's Law was valid ballot question, law stands

May. 16, 2023 13:12 PM EDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — An amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution expanding crime victims’ rights was properly worded in a statewide referendum and legally adopted, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The court voted 6-1 to overturn a Dane County judge's decision that the ballot...

Editorial Roundup: Wisconsin

May. 10, 2023 15:01 PM EDT

Kenosha News. May 3, 2023. Editorial: ‘That’s not fair!’ Yeah, we hear that a lot these days. We heard it last week on Milwaukee talk radio and we read about it in various conservative newspapers. They were talking about the Biden...

Wisconsin election officials want to revive 'critical' plan

May. 08, 2023 10:20 AM EDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Election officials in battleground Wisconsin hope to revive a bipartisan plan they say is critical to rebuilding confidence in elections but that was killed last week by Republicans without debate. The state's chief elections official said a new division...

Wisconsin lawmakers unveil bipartisan election overhauls

May. 04, 2023 16:53 PM EDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin lawmakers unveiled bipartisan plans on Thursday to address problems that have disrupted how elections have been administered in the presidential battleground state since 2020. Among other changes, the proposals would prevent last-minute polling site...

GOP prosecutor urges judge to toss Wisconsin abortion suit

May. 04, 2023 15:42 PM EDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Attorneys for a Republican prosecutor urged a judge Thursday to toss out a lawsuit seeking to repeal Wisconsin's 174-year-old abortion ban, arguing that a newer state law permitting pre-viability abortions complements the ban rather than supersedes it, as Democrats maintain....

Wisconsin Supreme Court won't order ivermectin use for COVID

May. 02, 2023 15:03 PM EDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's conservative-controlled Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a hospital could not be forced to give a deworming drug to a patient with COVID-19, saying a county judge did not cite a legal basis for ordering the facility to administer ivermectin. ...