Investigative Reporter
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Oneida County opens budget hearings facing $1M deficit
Supervisors quickly reduce it by two-thirds; $3.6 million planned for capital improvements
Oneida County entered its 2026 budget hearings this week with a familiar problem and a conscious choice: an opening day gap of about $4.5 million between projected revenues and estimated expenditures. However, context matters. In fact, this year’s shortfall is driven largely by a deliberate decision to transfer $3.6 million from the general fund to pay for capital improvement projects (CIP).
Lazar enters Supreme Court race, drawing partisan fire
Another shoot-out likely at the Supreme Court Corral
With a liberal majority on the state Supreme Court guaranteed no matter who wins next spring’s open seat, much of the state’s attention has shifted toward the all-important governor’s race, but that doesn’t mean the high court campaign will be a sleepy affair, especially with appellate judge Maria Lazar jumping in this week.
Oneida County: On the cusp of borrowing?
Capital improvements might break the streak on long-term debt
Oneida County has avoided long-term borrowing for capital improvement projects for a long time now, but those days may be coming to an end, and sooner rather than later, according to one supervisor. The county’s executive committee last month preliminarily approved the 2026 capital improvement projects (CIP) budget, which includes a $3.6 million general fund transfer as well as a $490,000 general fund loan, and then started to look into the future at 2027 and 2028 proposed projects and estimated costs.
Berrien bows out of governor’s race
Tiffany emerges as GOP frontrunner
It ended not with a bang, or even with much of a whimper, but more like a summer breeze — that would be the gubernatorial campaign of Bill Berrien, the Navy SEAL-turned-businessman who promised to build the “Wisconsin Century,” only to drop out after 11 weeks.
White House targets Tylenol in sweeping autism change
In the most profound federal autism policy shift ever, President Donald Trump this week declared acetaminophen — commonly sold as Tylenol — to be a major risk factor for autism, if taken by women during pregnancy and given to very young children.
It’s official: Tiffany running for governor
College Republicans endorse right out of the gate
Congressman Tom Tiffany has made it official after months of speculation: He’s running for governor of Wisconsin. Tiffany, a Northwoods Republican who has represented the 7th congressional district since 2020, announced his candidacy on WISN’s Dan O’Donnell Show, rolling out a campaign launch laden with populist themes, withering assessments of the state’s Democratic leadership, and promises to steer Wisconsin with policies of economic prosperity benefiting farmers and small businesses.
Weekend rentals not dead yet in Oneida County
Supervisors decline to kill discussion of alternatives to seven-night minimum stays
After a debate that was at times circular and somewhat confusing, the Oneida County Board of Supervisors voted 12-3 on Tuesday to keep the door open for single-family housing rentals for less than a week, declining to pass a zoning committee resolution that recommended denial of an ordinance amendment to allow shorter-term stays.
House passes defense bill with pay increase for military personnel
Vote runs along party lines, Dems slam price tag, culture provisions
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a nearly $893 billion defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2026, advancing a bill heavy with cultural overtones but including a pay raise for those service personnel.
Potentially deadly disease identified in 8 southern states
Awareness important for snowbirds heading south for the winter
The brisk chill of autumn swept into the Northwoods this past week, a reminder that winter is not far away and prompting seasonal residents to circle calendar dates for their trips to warmer climates.
Kennedy takes heavy criticism as vaccine debate heats up
Administration cleans house at CDC; Trump puts Pfizer on notice
For anyone looking to preview the flavors of the 2026 midterm elections, right now it looks like the usual hot-button issues — crime, immigration, climate change, and forever wars — will remain at the center of the table, along with the economy, which is always the signature dish on the political menu.