Month: April 2015

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to make the Department of Natural Resources Board advisory only has been removed from his budget, signaling that that Gov. Scott Walker's proposal is unlikely to pass the Legislature this year. The Republican co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee say they were removing the proposal from the budget. That means it must be introduced as a separate bill, making it more difficult […]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Legislature's budget-writing committee has voted to remove $250,000 for a new study on the negative effects of wind power.  Gov. Scott Walker had called for spending the money on a study to look at the effects of noise and shadow flicker on people who live near wind turbines.  But the Joint Finance Committee on Wednesday voted to have the Public Service Commission review existing studies, […]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Legislature's budget committee has broken with Gov. Scott Walker and decided that a commission that investigates judges and court commissioners should remain independent. The Joint Finance Committee on Wednesday unanimously rejected Walker's proposal to move the Judicial Commission under control of the state Supreme Court.  Both Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and Justice Annette Ziegler, along with the executive director of the commission, had objected to […]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Secretary of State Doug La Follette says budget cuts to his office are "totally unthought out nonsense."  The Legislature's budget-writing Joint Finance Committee voted Wednesday to cut his office by more than half a million dollars and eliminate two of three fulltime positions.  La Follette says the move will cripple his office and leave him unable to process documents as required by law. He says it […]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A proposal that would have hid University of Wisconsin research from public view has been removed from Gov. Scott Walker's budget, making it more difficult to pass the Legislature this session.  The Republican co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee on Wednesday announced that the item was being taken out of Walker's spending proposal because it is a policy decision, not budget-related. Open records advocates had urged […]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge has denied an attempt by voters to intervene and stop a lawsuit brought by Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson challenging the timing of a recently approved constitutional amendment.  The amendment approved by voters April 7 allows justices on the Supreme Court to choose who will be the chief, rather than have it go to the most senior member. Abrahamson sued, arguing […]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker's proposal changing who does property assessments in Wisconsin has been removed from his budget. Co-chairs of the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee said Wednesday that Walker's proposal putting counties, rather than municipalities, in charge of doing assessments had been removed.

In conjunction with the Wis. Department of Natural Resources, the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for today until 8 p.m. for the following counties: Green Lake, Dane, Barron, Polk, St. Croix, Dunn, Chippewa, Pepin, Pierce, Taylor, Rusk, Marathon, Portage, Waushara, Waupaca, Marquette, Columbia, Sauk, Adams, Juneau, Wood, Jackson, Monroe, Vernon, Richland, Crawford, Grant, Iowa, Lafayette, La Crosse, Trempealeau, Buffalo, Burnett, Washburn, Douglas, Sawyer, Clark, Eau Claire […]

Two people were transported to the hospital with what were described as non life-threatening injuries following a two vehicle accident in Fond du Lac.  The collision between a car and pick-up happened shortly before 11:30am at the intersection of South Main and 9th Streets.