Schimel: Current Supreme Court majority is dangerous
Former AG: No check on justices if they decide to ignore the law
In announcing his intention to seek a seat on the state Supreme Court earlier this year, Waukesha County circuit judge and former state attorney general Brad Schimel said his mission was to restore objectivity and integrity to the high court, something he said was lacking with the current majority.
Solbergs unveil new foundation to benefit community
Trig and Tula Solberg, whose philanthropic commitment to the community has helped so many over multiple decades, have announced yet another endeavor, a mutual creation they see as the culmination of a lifelong dedication to meaningful causes — a new community foundation to support the needs of the area’s population and to build a thriving future for the Northwoods.
Oneida zoning orders Bangstad to cease outdoor activities
The Oneida County zoning department on Monday ordered Kirk Bangstad to cease all business activities associated with a conditional use permit that the county revoked earlier this year, a directive that effectively shuts down all outdoor activities at Bangstad’s Minocqua Brewing Company.
National constitutional carry legislation introduced
Tiffany is original co-sponsor of bill to protect Second Amendment rights
Saying that multiple states and local governments have enacted gun control laws that are inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) recently introduced a national constitutional carry bill to protect the right of citizens to carry firearms publicly throughout the country.
Teamsters say they won’t endorse in presidential race
Internal member surveys show Trump far ahead of Harris
After reviewing internal polling of its members that showed overwhelming support for Republican presidential nominee and former president Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, the executive board of the Teamsters International union has announced it will make no formal endorsement in the race.
Rideout appointed as new Oneida County Human Services director
Board also approves funding for new jail access system
As of January 1, 2025, Oneida County will have a brand new Department of Human Services, and on that same day that department will have a brand new director: Mary Rideout, the current director of the county’s Department of Social Services. Rideout was the unanimous choice of everybody—the county social services committee, the county’s executive committee, and, this week, by a 17-0 vote, by the county board of supervisors.
Walker seeks lien, potential sale of MBC
Court action sought to ensure payment of judgment
Lakeland Times and River News publisher Gregg Walker has filed a motion for a charging order with circuit judge Leon Stenz that would place a lien on Kirk Bangstad’s interest in the Minocqua Brewing Company to ensure the payment of defamation judgements against Bangstad and the company and that would force the sale of the company if the judgment is not paid in a reasonable time period.
Appeals court denies Bangstad bid to delay paying debt
A state court of appeals has denied a bid by Kirk Bangstad and Minocqua Brewing Company to delay payment of two money judgments against them for defamation — a judgment of $759,428 against Bangstad and a joint and severable judgment against Minocqua Brewing Company for $329,428.
Schimel promises transparency if elected to high court
But as attorney general his office defended DOJ secrecy
When he was state attorney general, Waukesha County circuit judge Brad Schimel touted his record on open government — among other things he created the Office of Open Government within the Department of Justice (DOJ) — and, now that he is a candidate for the state Supreme Court, he says he will take that same commitment to transparency to the state’s highest tribunal.
Case contesting Minocqua’s regulation of riparian rights moves slowly
Trial date still not set, after more than a year-and-a-half
A long-running dispute between riparian property owners and the town of Minocqua has now become a long-running lawsuit between the parties, with no trial date yet set more than a year-and-a-half after the complaint was filed in February 2023.
Kennedy sues to get off Wisconsin ballot
Former candidate says WEC misreads law, violates First Amendment
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who has suspended his presidential campaign and is asking his supporters in all 50 states to vote for Donald Trump for president, has sued to remove his name from the November ballot in Wisconsin.
In long run for high court, Schimel wants to restore objectivity
Former attorney general blasts justices who prejudge cases
Since last spring, in a long-haul effort designed to build grassroots support, former Wisconsin attorney general and current Waukesha County circuit judge Brad Schimel has been running for the state Supreme Court, for a seat now held by retiring justice Ann Walsh Bradley.
Dems fail to remove Green Party candidate from ballot
Kennedy can’t get his name off the ballot
One presidential candidate in Wisconsin wanted to stay on the ballot and one candidate didn’t. One candidate got her way last week and one didn’t.
The Ghost of Richard Nixon: Harris’s price control plan spurs debate
1971 price controls caused shortages, then sent prices skyrocketing
News analysis The last time a president tried price controls in the United States was 1971, when President Richard Nixon imposed a multi-phased wage-and-price control scheme to tamp down runaway inflation, which had then climbed to 5.8 percent.
Highway department facing $9.5M three-year shortfall
If Oneida County sticks with its current approach to funding its highways, the county’s highway department will face a funding shortfall of about $9.5 million for its capital renewal and replacement needs over the next three years.
Zuckerberg: Biden administration pressured Meta to censor
Won’t do it again, Facebook chief promises
In an August 26 letter to U.S. House judiciary committee chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the chief of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, alleged that the Biden administration pressured Meta and its companies, including Facebook, to censor its users, especially during the pandemic.
County board creates deputy position to help lead new department
On the first day of its existence, the newly formed Oneida County Human Services Department will become Oneida County’s largest government agency — a huge department employing more than 100 people —and this past week the county board of supervisors created a new deputy director position to help the agency’s director hold down the fort.
Oneida County board shoots down mining resolution
But both yes and no votes preserved the status quo
It was a politician’s dream on Tuesday when the Oneida County Board of Supervisors took a vote that didn’t matter how supervisors voted — voting yes yielded the same result as voting no.
Harris unveils plan to fight inflation: Price controls
Democrat to push laws, regs to end ‘gouging’
The Harris for President campaign took aim at lingering inflation this past week, with the campaign announcing that the presumptive Democratic nominee, if elected, would propose the “first-ever federal ban on price gouging on food and groceries.”
Voters defeat both constitutional amendments in another win for Democrats
Wisconsin continued to gallop back toward its historic standing as part of the Democratic Party’s midwestern Blue firewall as Democrats celebrated the defeat by wide margins Tuesday of two major constitutional amendments the party had opposed.
Latest Marquette poll: Harris surges to lead
Harris opens wide 8-point lead among likely voters, with other candidates included
The latest Marquette Law School Poll national survey shows Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris leading the presidential race nationally, with 52 percent of support among of registered voters to 48 percent for former President Donald Trump.
On the ballot Tuesday: Two constitutional amendments
Control of federal monies and appropriations take center stage
One thing Gov. Tony Evers can’t veto is the will of the voters, and that’s why the Republican-controlled state legislature has put two proposed constitutional amendments on next Tuesday’s ballot.
Judge approves historic $1.5 billion payday loan settlement involving LdF tribe
Decision, if made permanent, would bring relief for nearly 1 million borrowers
A judge has given preliminary approval to a proposed settlement of a gigantic payday loan lawsuit that, if approved permanently, would forgive $1.4 billion in outstanding loans to nearly a million payday loan borrowers who took loans from the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (LDF) tribal corporation and its subsidiaries.
Survey says: Wisconsin’s economy among the worst in nation
WalletHub analysis runs against the grain of Evers’s claims
The administration of Gov. Tony Evers likes to tout what he calls a robust Wisconsin economy, featuring lower-than-national-average unemployment and higher-than-national-average labor force participation rates, but a new study from the personal finance company WalletHub actually puts the state’s economy near the bottom of the pile.
Biden-Harris Title IX transgender rules blocked in 21 states
But rules took effect this week in Wisconsin
A federal court last week blocked the Biden-Harris administration’s new Title IX transgender regulations in six more states, bringing the total to 21 which have won reprieve from the rules.
Judge dismisses Bangstad motions in zoning cases
Zoning panel revokes CUP; Bangstad heads to appeals court
It was a double whammy in Oneida County circuit court last week for Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad, as circuit judge Michael Bloom thwarted Bangstad’s efforts to have a major zoning complaint against him dismissed and to have the circuit court issue an injunction prohibiting the county from shutting down his business by revoking his conditional use permit.
Court decision squashes legislative oversight of Stewardship purchases
Ziegler: Decision could aggregate power in the executive branch
A state Supreme Court decision earlier this month booted a key tool that the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee has used to oversee the state’s Stewardship land acquisition program, nullifying the committee’s power to block specific program projects.
Biden out, Harris in: Wisconsin reacts
The response by state politicians to last Sunday’s announcement that President Joe Biden had withdrawn from the presidential race was generally standard fare — Democrats heaped praise on the president and called him a “consequential” leader for the ages; Republicans criticized what they called a Democratic cover-up of Biden’s cognitive decline — but there were a few new wrinkles, from subtle language to turn-about proposals.
They’re back: Ballot drop boxes are in for November
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has reversed its own decision from two years ago, ruling 4-3 to reinstate the use of ballot drop boxes as a legal and legitimate way to vote in the state.
Marshfield Clinic, Sanford Health aim for year-end merger
Health care systems pursue swift union amid past hurdles
After two previous failed merger attempts, Marshfield Clinic Health System is hoping the third time will be the charm, as the ailing health care giant recently announced a merger with Sanford Health, which has a number of failed mergers under its belt as well.
CUP approved over neighbors, town’s objections
A Lake Tomahawk couple secured a conditional use permit for a large home in Lake Tomahawk last week, overcoming objections from neighbors and the town board.
County schedules another permit revocation hearing for Bangstad
New allegations trigger hearing
For the second time in just more than a month, the Oneida County Planning & Development Committee has scheduled a revocation hearing after complaints that Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad has continued to violate conditions of his conditional use permit to operate an outdoor beer garden at his Minocqua Brewing Company location.
Wisconsin Supreme Court tosses injunction against pro-life protester
Late last month, the Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously struck a blow for free speech, concluding that a court order prohibiting an anti-abortion protester from being near a Planned Parenthood worker violated his First Amendment rights.
Door County judge grants relief to short-term rental owners in Sister Bay
Judge pins injunction on village’s procedural violations
In a case that could ultimately have ramifications for short-term rentals around the state, a Door County judge has issued a temporary injunction against the village of Sister Bay, allowing a short-term rental cottage to resume rentals while the owners of the cottage appeal a decision to deny them a license.
State Supreme Court will hear challenge to Evers’s 400-year veto
WMC: Four centuries of tax increases with no voter approval
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has accepted a petition to hear a challenge to Gov. Tony Evers’s veto last year that allows property taxes to increase for the next 402 years, filed by the WMC (Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce) Litigation Center on behalf of two taxpayers.
Affair roils Vilas County courthouse
Editor’s Note: On Tuesday, June 25 the Vilas County Board of Supervisors discussed a pair of resolutions supporting the recall of the officials named in this story. Ultimately, the board tabled the resolution with respect to Judge Daniel Overbey. The resolution related to Clerk of Court Beth Soltow failed on an 18-2 vote. A full story on the county board action will follow in our next edition.
Oneida County zoning suspends Bangstad permit for 90 days
Outdoor operations would trigger a new revocation hearing
Concluding that Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad has still failed to meet many conditions of his conditional use permit to operate an outdoor beer garden at his Minocqua Brewing Company location, the Oneida County zoning committee suspended the permit for 90 days on Thursday, June 20.
County to hire outside consultant, counsel to aid HSC transition
The Oneida County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously last week to retain outside counsel and to hire an outside consultant to aid in the transition of delivery of services from the soon-to-be-defunct Human Service Center to a newly created county human services department.
WILL challenges constitutionality of DNR gun rule
Says rule could lead to fines for law-abiding citizens
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) is taking on an administrative rule crafted by the state Department of Natural Resources, saying it violates the Second Amendment and could result in fines for law-abiding citizens this summer.
Judge denies temporary injunction against Bangstad
County says allowing law to be flaunted renders code ‘toothless’
Saying he was not judging the merits of the case, Oneida County circuit judge Michael Bloom on Monday nonetheless said Oneida County did not meet the criteria for a temporary injunction that would have immediately shut down Kirk Bangstad’s Minocqua Brewing Company.
Court grants contempt motion against Bangstad
MBC owner must meet court’s conditions or serve 120 days in jail
A Wisconsin circuit court judge has granted a motion for contempt against Minocqua Brewing Company (MBC) owner Kirk Bangstad for failing to show up at a court-ordered hearing, and he must meet an array of conditions — including paying legal fees and costs and providing certain financial records — or spend 120 days in the Oneida County jail.
Wisconsin tourism scores another record-breaking year
Hampered by mild December, Oneida, Vilas growth lags state
Wisconsin’s tourism industry delivered to the state another record-breaking year in 2023, generating $25 billion in total economic impact, according to newly released state data.
Lawmakers ask tough questions about ATF shooting of airport director
Northwoods congressman Tiffany decries ‘dual system of justice’
In multiple congressional hearings, lawmakers have asked tough questions about the recent shooting and killing of the Little Rock, Arkansas, airport director by federal agents as they executed a search warrant in a predawn raid of his house.
Oneida County schedules revocation hearing for Bangstad CUP
Committee says evidence shows multiple violations of permit conditions
The Oneida County zoning committee has scheduled a public hearing to consider revoking Kirk Bangstad’s conditional use permit for a Minocqua beer garden, after reviewing evidence pointing to a bevy of alleged violations of permit conditions.
Oops! ‘Secret group’ is secret no more
Butkus group monitors OC zoning
A secret (or maybe not-so-secret) group of environmentalists that has supposedly been suspected of monitoring the activities of the Oneida County zoning committee has been accidentally exposed by the organizer of the group, an activist with Wisconsin Lakes.
Wisconsin GOP passes resolution supporting income tax elimination
Idea has traction among grassroots; GOP leadership, not so much
It was pretty much a run-of-the-mill state Republican Party convention in May over in Appleton — notwithstanding some expected fireworks involving Assembly speaker Robin Vos — with the GOP passing resolutions that have become mainstream for the party but that Democrats call extremist.
DNR official cautions towns about enhanced wake regs
Multiple towns across Wisconsin are passing ordinances regulating artificial enhanced wakes on state waters, but many of them lack any evidentiary mechanism, and last week a state Department of Natural Resources administrative warden cautioned that towns could be headed for troubled legal waters of their own if they resort to ad hoc or citizen enforcement.
Trump, Biden run neck-and-neck with summer looming
April presidential polls have brought May …. more presidential polls, and the last batch looks eerily similar to all the others over the past half-year, with Donald Trump clinging nationally to an ever-so-slight lead over President Joe Biden, including the latest Marquette Law School poll released this past week.
Oneida County board taps Hartman for administrative coordinator
Oneida County has a new administrative coordinator, and it is one of the county’s own elected officials, Tracy Hartman, who is also the county clerk.
SCOTUS lets federal agency fund itself
Alito dissent: Consumer bureau ‘blatantly attempts’ to evade constitution
In a 7-2 vote, with four conservatives joining three liberals, the U.S. Supreme Court last week rejected a challenge to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau’s funding mechanism, which largely allows the federal consumer protection agency to fund itself with only a limited monetary cap and no congressional oversight.