Wisconsin Right Now

Some of the messaging throughout the Democratic National Convention in Chicago seems to focus on characterizing former President Donald Trump as a racist and misogynist. A Black Republican from Chicago says those are lies. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has long used terms like “racist” and “misogynist” in verbal attacks against the Republican presidential candidate. Throughout the week in Chicago, from the main convention stage to the Illinois delegation breakfast, speakers have echoed similar characterizations. Asked if it’s fair to characterize a person who half the country supports in such terms over policy differences, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said party leaders aren’t saying that Trump supporters are racists and misogynists. “I am characterizing their candidate Donald Trump as a misogynist and a racist,” Raould said Wednesday after the Illinois Democrats’ breakfast. “I’m speaking for myself, I’m characterizing him as a misogynist and a racist based on the words

The Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections and the Senate Committee on Shared Revenue, Elections and Consumer Protection held a hearing Thursday with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, some local election clerks and Fond du Lac County’s district attorney. “We're not trying to get anybody into a bad spot here, or in a corner, or make accusations on that level,” Sen. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, said. “We want our clerks, who are already stressed enough, to know that we are here to be there as an assist to them.” Rep. Scott Krug, R-Nekoosa, said he wants to make sure voters have faith in Wisconsin’s electoral process. “This is one of the topics that hit our inboxes quite a bit the last three months or so,” Krug added. “We thought it’s pretty important just to vet it out, to get all the information out to the public.” The Wisconsin Elections Commission was invited to Thursday’s meeting but didn’t attend because commissioners were having a meeting of their own. Bu

Some of Wisconsin’s Republican congressmen say there is a problem with Gov. Tony Evers’ latest problems with the state’s political maps. Evers this week asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to take a look at the state’s congressional maps. "MONDAY: I signed fair maps for Wisconsin’s Legislature," Evers tweeted Wednesday. "NEXT UP: fair maps for our congressional districts." The liberal law firm The Elias Group has already asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to reconsider the state’s congressional maps, just like the court reconsidered the state’s legislative maps. The high court tossed those state maps back in December. But Wisconsin lawmakers ended the court’s review and replacement by passing Evers’ preferred maps for Assembly and Senate districts. Western Wisconsin Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden on Wednesday pointed out the Congressional maps are also Evers’ own. “The maps are a 100% product of the Dems,” Van Orden said in a tweet. “Evers drew

Democrats at the Wisconsin Capitol want the state to help save local newsrooms. Two Democratic lawmakers, Rep. Jimmy Anderson, D-Fitchburg, and Sen Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloint, introduced three pieces of legislation they hope will save local journalism. The first would be a local journalism fellowship that would pay a handful of young reporters $40,000 to start their career in a local newsroom. The lawmakers are also pitching a 50% tax credit for newspaper subscriptions and a Wisconsin Civic Information Consortium. “The Civic Information Consortium will boost local news coverage and civic engagement across the state, with a focus on addressing information gaps in communities long underserved by the commercial news market,” Spreitzer said. “A similar model in New Jersey has already allocated more than $6 million over just the past few years, uplifting Innovative new approaches to civic media and supporting news coverage in pockets of the state that have long been ignored by mainst

Some law enforcement groups and police experts are blaming rising violent crime on a “toxic trio,” pointing the finger at anti-police rhetoric, lax prosecutors and the “defund the police” movement. “Defaming and defunding police has cops running for exits, as violence surges and we need them now more than ever,” said Jason Johnson, president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund. “This should be a wake-up call." The comments come after recently released FBI crime statistics showed homicides increased in 2021, despite the fact that 2020 was a record-high year. Rape also increased, and vehicle thefts have risen more than 20% since 2019. Murder is up nearly 40% since 2019, the most significant increase since crime statistics of this kind have been tracked. "This report confirms there are two inextricably like public safety crises happening,” Johnson said. “Crime, especially murder, has risen precipitously since the summer of 2020 while law enforcement has been demoral

Kiel Schools had been investigating three eighth-grade boys whose parents said they refused to use they/them pronouns for another student. There are unanswered questions about the end of the misgendering investigation in Kiel Schools. The school district Thursday sent a letter to parents explaining that it has closed the case. “We are writing to share with you that consistent with our Board policies and procedures, we have issued clear directives and expectations to all students involved in this matter for the purpose of preventing bullying and harassment and ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment for all of our students,” the district wrote in its letter. “Based on these actions, and pursuant to District policies and procedures, the School District considers this matter closed.” Kiel Schools had been investigating three eighth-grade boys whose parents said they refused to use they/them pronouns for another student. School leaders framed the investigation as a

While some crimes diminished in the unusual, COVID-shutdown year, homicides rose nearly 30% and aggravated assaults rose more than 12% in one year, the first time in four years that violent crime increased from the previous year. (The Center Square) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation released crime data Monday showing a sharp spike in homicides in 2020. “In 2020, there were an estimated 1,277,696 violent crimes,” the FBI said. “When compared with the estimates from 2019, the estimated number of robbery offenses fell 9.3 percent and the estimated volume of rape (revised definition) offenses decreased 12.0 percent. The estimated number of aggravated assault offenses rose 12.1 percent, and the volume of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses increased 29.4 percent.” There were about 21,500 murders reported in 2020, the highest figure in decades. “The 2020 statistics show the estimated rate of violent crime was 387.8 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, and the estimated ra