Wisconsin Right Now

There’s a warning about invasive carp in two western Wisconsin rivers. The Department of Natural Resources said silver carp have been found in both the lower Chippewa River and lower Black River. “In July, the DNR began receiving reports from anglers of jumping fish suspected to be invasive carp at the Dells Dam on the lower Chippewa River in Eau Claire. The Dells Dam in Eau Claire prevents further upstream passage of invasive carp in the Chippewa River System,” the DNR said. “On Aug. 1, DNR staff went to the dam and observed jumping fish but were unable to verify the species of fish.” The department said it confirmed silver carp in the lower Black River in September. “The dam in Black River Falls is a barrier to upstream fish migration, and no observations or other detections of invasive carp have been reported in the lower Black River at this time,” the DNR added. Silver carp are an invasive species in the Midwest and have done immense damage to other rivers where they’...

There’s going to be a building boom on some University of Wisconsin campuses across the state. Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday signed a new law that clears the way for a new engineering building at UW-Madison, as well as classroom renovations in both Madison and Whitewater. The new law also includes nearly $200 million for central plant renovations and demolition projects. “Investing in Wisconsin’s world-class higher education institutions, including our UW System, is critical for doing what’s best for our kids and helping us recruit, train, and retain talented students to help address the workforce challenges that have plagued our state for generations,” the governor said in a statement. In all, the UW will get $700 million for construction projects, The other part of the new law will send more tuition money to campuses. Currently, Wisconsin allows Minnesota students to attend UW school without having to pay out-of-state tuition. Some of the tuition dollars from those Minneso...

There’s a lawsuit in Green Bay that accuses the city’s election boss of not allowing poll watchers to actually watch people vote. The Republican National Committee filed the lawsuit Tuesday. It claims that Green Bay Clerk Celestine Jeffreys is partially blocking election observers. The suit says poll watchers can witness people sign in, register to vote, and pick up their ballot. But the suit says poll watchers are not allowed to see voters certify their ballots or return them to be counted. “Jeffreys has refused to afford the public with the ability to observe all public aspects of the in-person absentee ballot voting process," the lawsuit claims. Early voting began in Wisconsin last Tuesday. It will continue until the Sunday before Election Day. "This is unacceptable: Republicans are going to court to deliver Wisconsinites the ballot box transparency to which they are legally entitled," RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement Wednesday. Green Bay’...