A public hearing will be held Thursday night on a proposed 2015 Fond du Lac County budget. County executive Al Buechel says the budget includes a slight increase in the tax rate because of an increase in new construction. Buechel says there are no cuts planned in staff or services. He says the county’s equalized value is up for the first time in four years. The proposed 2105 Budget would include […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Governor Scott Walker tells his cabinet in their first meeting since his re-election victory that they are going to be "even more aggressive now" in pushing their agenda because of strong Republican support in the Legislature. Walker told his cabinet Wednesday that he wants to work closely with Republican legislative leaders to quickly pass a budget in 2015.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Assembly Republican Speaker Robin Vos is outlining his plan for the next two-year legislative session. Tuesday's elections gave the GOP at least 61 seats in the chamber, with Republicans leading Democrats in two other races that are too close to call. Vos told reporters Wednesday that he wants to start the session with a school accountability bill. A sweeping accountability proposal that included sanctions for failing […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Three Assembly Republicans are vying to become the chamber's new second-in-command. Republicans won at least 61 seats in the Assembly in Tuesday's elections, with Republicans leading Democrats in two other races that were too close to call. GOP members plan to meet on Monday to select their officers. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says he doesn't face any challengers. But gone is Majority Leader Pat Strachota, who […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democrats trailing in two state Assembly races are going to wait for the official results before deciding whether to seek recounts. Preliminary results from Tuesday's election show Republican Dave Heaton leading incumbent state Rep. Mandy Wright by 86 votes in the 85th District. Republican Todd Novak was leading Democrat Dick Cates by 59 votes in the 51st District. Wright and Cates would be entitled to a […]
Voter turnout in Fond du lac County was higher than projected. Fond du lac County Clerk Lisa Freiberg says locally more than 74 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. Freiberg says there were isolated incidents reported of election observers trying to talk with voters at the polling place. "Just a few places, the chief election inspector for the municpality called to make sure they had the right to ask them […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — About 54 percent of Wisconsin's voting-age population cast ballots in the midterm election, the highest turnout in at least 60 years for a non-presidential year but below what was predicted. Based on unofficial numbers, with 99 percent of precincts reporting, just over 2.4 million people voted in Tuesday's election in which Gov. Scott Walker defeated Democrat Mary Burke and Republicans maintained control of the state Legislature. […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — This year's Wisconsin state Capitol Christmas tree is a 40-foot balsam fir from a Pelican Lake farm. Gov. Scott Walker announced Wednesday that the tree to stand in the rotunda of the Capitol this December hails from the farm of Dennis and Kim Schoeneck. Walker says the theme of tree this year will be "Honoring Wisconsin's Veterans." School children across Wisconsin make the ornaments for the […]
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Democrat Doug La Follette has won a 10th term as Wisconsin secretary of state. The 74-year-old La Follette defeated Republican Julian Bradley in yesterday's election. La Follette was first elected secretary of state in 1974 and has been re-elected every four years since except for in 1978, when he ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor.