Wisconsin Right Now

The newly passed SAFE-T Act in Illinois all but abolishes cash bail. Critics say this means that some charged with serious crimes like second-degree murder or kidnapping will be freed without a hearing. Voters largely support policies allowing police to detain suspects charged with violent crimes, a new poll shows. That's in contrast to recent policies being enacted in Illinois. Convention of States Action, along with Trafalgar Group, released the poll , which found that the vast majority of surveyed Americans do not support policies that keep law enforcement from detaining those accused of violent crimes. The poll found that 95.6% of those surveyed “say they are less likely to vote for a candidate who supports policies which prevent police from detaining criminals charged with violent crimes, such as kidnapping and armed robbery.” “Crime is the beneath-the-iceberg issue for voters in 2022, it’s absolutely clear in these numbers,” said Mark Meckler, president of the Conven...

Since 2019, Gov. Tony Evers' Parole Commission has released hundreds of convicted criminals, freeing them early on parole mostly into Wisconsin communities, including more than 270 murderers and attempted murderers, and more than 44 child rapists. Todd York was one of them. His release was discretionary. 17th in the series . Todd York's parents Wanda and William were talking about putting him in a treatment center, so he got his father's rifle and shot them both in the head in the family's home. York returned to the home to shower over the next few days, with the decomposing bodies of his mom and dad lying inside the family's Spooner, Wisconsin, home. His dad was found dead in the dining room and his mom in the kitchen. After shooting them, York  "proceeded to travel, party, and use drugs." He even joked to a friend that his parents were probably "laying around the house.” Evers' Parole Commission Freed Todd York Early ...

Tim Michels says Wisconsin’s State of Education speech was more of a political stump speech than a report card on the state’s schools. Michels, who is running for governor against incumbent Gov. Tony Evers, told The Center Square Friday that State Superintendent Jill Underly’s focus on Pride flags and pronouns is frustrating parents across the state who want their kids to get back to the fundamentals. “A lot of parents believe there’s too much indoctrination happening in schools,“ Michels said Friday. “Parents want their sons and daughters to be taught the ABCs. To get the life skills that are necessary to get a job and be a productive member of society,” Underly mentioned parents in her speech just a handful of times, and never in a way that suggests moms and dads should have a say in what their kids are learning. Michels said parents must be involved in their kids’ education. “Educrats in Wisconsin think they know what is best for students, they think they know what is best f...

Since 2019, Gov. Tony Evers' Parole Commission has released hundreds of convicted criminals, freeing them early on parole mostly into Wisconsin communities, including more than 270 murderers and attempted murderers, and more than 44 child rapists. Raul Ruiz was one of them. His release was discretionary. 16th in the series . Richard Woten, 17, was a completely innocent victim. He had gone to a Kenosha tavern to cash a check and to look for his friend, whose parents' owned the Zimmerman's Bar. Richard's dad owned a custom car business in Kenosha. "Why me? Why me?" Woten asked Ruiz, then 29 of Racine, and his other killer, as the men kicked and beat him to death, according to court testimony. The fatal wound was a stabbing to the heart, according to newspaper articles from the time. Raul Ruiz and his associates had gotten into a fight in the bar earlier that night over game tables. This led to police being called, Ruiz punching a man, and him gett...

Wisconsin Right Now asked the gubernatorial candidates their opinions on the Wisconsin gas tax, indexing of the gas tax, their thoughts on how Scott Walker handled the transportation budget, and their opinion of the minimum markup law. We sent the campaigns the following questions: 1) What is your position on the Wisconsin gas tax? Do you believe it should be increased, decreased, or stay as is? If you do not believe the tax should be increased, how do you plan to fund the transportation budget? 2) Do you believe automatic indexing of the gas tax should be brought back? Why or why not? 3) What do you think of the way Scott Walker handled the transportation budget? What do they think Scott Walker should have done differently? 4) Do you think there is bloat in the transportation budget? Where and how much? 5) What is your position on Wisconsin's minimum markup law? Here are their responses: Rebecca Kleefisch "When I'm governor, money already paid by roa...

The Wisconsin GOP debate got pretty pointed. Republican gubernatorial candidates Rebecca Kleefisch, Kevin Nicholson, and Timothy Ramthun took the gloves off, slamming businessman Tim Michels for skipping a candidate debate in Green Bay and raising questions about his residency and ties to organizations that worked to raise the state's gas tax. The candidates also made news on other issues in the first full debate in the GOP primary; the three candidates were asked if they would remove pro-abortion district attorneys who won't prosecute Wisconsin's abortion law, like Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm. All three said they would fire them. Asked whether they thought the 2020 election in Wisconsin was stolen, only Ramthun said yes. Host Joe Giganti said the candidates needed to answer with a yes or no or they could not answer that question. Kleefisch would not answer yes or no but said the election "was rigged from the very beginning." Nicholso...

Michels was also board president of a group that opposed a bill that would have stopped companies that employ illegal immigrants from getting government contracts. For years, Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels and his family-run company have been involved in groups that pushed aggressively for increases in the Wisconsin gas tax and vehicle registration fees, Wisconsin Right Now has documented. Some of the groups have deep ties to Democrats and the Tony Evers' administration, which has supported increasing the gas tax. Evers' 2019-2021 budget proposal would have increased the gas tax and indexed it each year on April 1 to inflation. Indexing is an automatic increase in the gas tax. Michels himself once served as board president of the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association, and he was on the executive board of the Transportation Development Association. That group's president has directly advocated for increasing the gas tax and vehicle registra...