A Democratic state senator says a bill introduced last fall to address student loan debt would also help create jobs. Last fall state senator Dave Hansen and two other Demoratic legislators introduced the Higher Ed, Lower Debt Act that would create a state Student Loan Refinancing Authority allowing student loan borrowers to refinance loans at much lower interest rates just as homeowners do with mortgages. Hansen says crippling student loan […]
The good news is that Americans are saving more than ever for college. The bad news is that the average amount still isn't enough to cover one year at a four-year public university. The College Savings Plan Network says the average 529 college savings plan is worth about $20,671. That's almost double since 2008, when the country was in the grips of the recession. The size increase in 529 accounts […]
The Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance researcher says a new Legislative Fiscal bureau report behooves that lawmakers be more cautious when it comes to spending projected revenues. The fiscal bureau says the projected shortfall for the next two year state budget stands at nearly $1.8 million. Dale Knapp says that’s after tax cuts were enacted based on projected revenue that is not coming in as expected. "We had new projected revenues, essentially […]
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke is accusing Republican Gov. Scott Walker of being fiscally irresponsible after new estimates projected a $1.8 billion shortfall in the state budget by mid-2017. Burke said Tuesday during a news conference in Milwaukee that she has experience balancing budgets and if elected, she would make cuts that would put Wisconsin in the black. Burke previously worked for her family's company, Trek Bicycle […]
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jake Leinenkugel is stepping down as president of the brewery started by his great-great-grandfather and will be succeeded by his younger brother Dick Leinenkugel, who led economic development efforts in Wisconsin under former Gov. Jim Doyle. Sixty-two-year-old Jake Leinenkugel is familiar to beer drinkers as the star of ads promoting the Leinenkugel's brand. He was named president a year after the brewer's 1988 merger with Miller Brewing […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Fifteen insurance companies want to sell coverage to Wisconsin residents shopping for plans on the federally run online marketplace, up from 13 currently on the exchange. The state insurance commissioner's office released the list on Tuesday. If all are approved, they could be selling plans starting Nov. 15. All 13 insurance companies currently selling plans wish to continue doing so. The two new companies are All […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A group of female GOP lawmakers are demanding Emily's List retract its endorsement of Democratic attorney general hopeful Susan Happ. Happ, Jefferson County's district attorney, won the endorsement in March. The Washington-based group helps elect Democratic women who support abortion rights. Five female Republican legislators sent a letter Tuesday to Emily's List saying Happ doesn't deserve the endorsement. They pointed out Happ's office last year deferred […]
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a ruling that the state's gay marriage ban is unconstitutional. Van Hollen, a Republican, filed the request Tuesday. It's unclear when the high court might respond. Civil rights advocates sued the state in February, saying the gay marriage ban violates same-sex couples' equal protection rights. U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb declared the […]
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Health officials say there's no evidence that a severe respiratory illness that has sickened hundreds of children in more than 10 states has been found in Wisconsin. The illness may be caused by an uncommon virus similar to the germ that causes the common cold. Enterovirus 68 is a strain in a family of viruses that typically hit from summertime through autumn. Although no cases have been […]