Wisconsin Right Now

  Less than 48 hours before arrival in North Carolina and just over two weeks until Election Day, Donald Trump has become the first to clear the margin of error leading a presidential poll in the battleground state. Trump leads Kamala Harris 51%-46% in the latest poll from Rasmussen Reports and American Thinker. The margin of error is +/- 3% with a 95% level of confidence in the sampling of 1,042 likely voters taken Oct. 9 through Monday. Trump is slated for a visit to the East Carolina University campus in Greenville on Monday afternoon, where he’ll speak from Minges Coliseum. Pitt County was a  53.96%-44.51% win  for the challenger Biden against the incumbent Republican in 2020, taking more than 47,000 of 87,573 votes. Pitt was one of 10 counties, and the southern-most sans one, east of Interstate 95 he captured. The Maine to Florida connector is recognized as a bit of a divider for the state, with more populous areas toward the western two-thirds and plenty of rural socioe...

  More than 2,100 have been rescued in North Carolina, the federal government said Thursday as the death toll from Hurricane Helene reached 204, fifth deadliest in the last three quarters of a century. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said 38 search and rescue teams are in operation, cellular connectivity is at 62%, and distribution of commodities, feeding and hydration is happening throughout western North Carolina. The Appalachian Mountain region from Virginia to South Carolina and Georgia absorbed 24 inches of rain in many places, and more than 30 in some locations. Buncombe County, home of the region’s largest city of Asheville at just under 100,000, has reported 61 deaths. Thursday marked the seventh day of search and rescue and eighth day since Helene crashed into the Big Bend of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 mph. Damage estimates for the Southeast range from $95 billion to $160 billion, pending the metrics of inclusion up to and i...

  With less than half a year until the 2024 presidential election, former President Donald Trump holds a sizable lead over incumbent President Joe Biden in several swing states. While the overall national polling varies and shows a tighter race, Trump holds significant leads in several swing states. According to Real Clear Politics , Trump leads in a slew of key battleground states like Arizona (+5.2), Georgia (+4.6), Michigan (+0.8), Nevada (+6.2), North Carolina (+5.4), Pennsylvania (+2.0), and Wisconsin (+0.6). Other polling has shown Trump with a dominant lead in the Sun Belt while performing less well against Biden in some rust belt swing states. “As the old saying goes, good gets better and bad gets worse, and it’s clear President Biden is in bad shape right now,” Colin Reed, a Republican strategist, former campaign manager for U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., and co-founder of South and Hill Strategies, told The Center Square. “Five and a half months is an eternit...

(The Center Square) – Less than two weeks after Milwaukee’s new sales tax took effect, city leaders are looking to spend some of that money on pay raises for themselves. A city council committee approved a 15% pay raise for the mayor, city council members and top city workers like Milwaukee’s police and fire chiefs. "The approval of these recommendations helps us move past being a stepping stone for other opportunities and instead a choice destination," Milwaukee Employee Relations Director Harper Donahue IV told city council members. The pay raises would bump Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s salary to more than $169,000 a year. The raises would also increase the base pay for city council members to more than $84,000 a year. Milwaukee’s police and fire chiefs would see their salaries jump to a little less than $200,000 a year, while the city’s public works boss would make more than $208,000. The city estimates the raises will cost $1.8 million for the rest of 20...

  More than 40% of U.S. small business owners say they couldn’t pay rent on time or in full for the month of November, the highest this year. The small business network group  Alignable released the survey, which found that the hardship varies by industry. A notable 57% of beauty salons said they couldn’t make rent as well as 45% of gyms, 44% of retail and 44% of restaurants. “Making matters worse, this occurred during a quarter when more money should be coming in and rent delinquency rates should be decreasing,” Alignable said. “But so far this quarter, the opposite has been true.” This latest report continues a steady increase in businesses that can't pay rent this year. “Last month, rent delinquency rates increased seven percentage points from 30% in September to 37% in October,” Alignable said. “And now, in November, that rate is another four percentage points higher, reaching a new high across a variety of industries.” Business owners cite a range of reasons for t...

Among more than 1,100 registered voters surveyed, 65% support school choice compared to 19% who oppose it, while 16% remain unsure. (The Center Square) – A majority of voters support school choice, a new poll from Echelon Insights shows. “Public support for school choice is nothing new,” American Federation for Children President and CEO Tommy Schultz said. “This year already, at least a dozen states have enacted new school choice programs or expanded existing programs because they're recognizing just how popular this issue is amongst K-12 families. We are grateful that lawmakers are listening to the needs of families, but millions of children are still waiting for better options. We will continue fighting for those kids and to empower parents with the funds meant to deliver a high-quality education." The findings were consistent across party lines, with 75% of Republicans, 60% of independents, and 61% of Democrats saying they strongly or somewhat support school choice....