Wisconsin Right Now

A Wisconsin lawmaker wants this to be the last school year that begins with cell phones in the classroom. Sen. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, released a column that outlines what he says is the need for a cellphone ban. “There is a push in several states to push cellphone restrictions in the classroom. From red to blue states, legislatures across the country are coalescing around the idea that too much screen time is a negative mental health outcome. More succinctly, they are a significant distraction in the classroom and lead to a loss in learning,” Knodl wrote. Currently, local schools set their own rules for cellphones in schools. Some school districts have district-wide policy, while others allow principals in individual schools to set their own rules. Green Bay Schools, for example, allow some high school students to use their phones when they are not in class. Waukesha Schools allow students to bring phones to school, but say they must be "stored out of sight" d...

Wisconsin’s governor wants abortion 100% legal or nothing at all. Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday told the crowd at the Rotary Club of Milwaukee that he would not sign a new law allowing for abortions in Wisconsin in cases of rape or incest. “I wouldn’t sign it because it leaves the underlying law in place,” Evers explained. The governor has made abortion the centerpiece of his re-election bid. He has spent millions of dollars, and seen millions more from outside groups spent on campaign commercials calling Republican Tim Michels “radical.” “[Abortion] shouldn’t be a politician's choice. And that’s where I absolutely disagree with my opponent,” Evers explained. Michels, for his part, said even though he is pro-life, he would sign a law allowing women who are the victims of sexual assault or incest to get an abortion. “I am pro-life and make no apologies for that. But I also understand that this is a representative democracy. And if the people, in this case, the legislature...