Unions challenge constitutionality of Act 10
Law ended collective bargaining for most public employees
As expected with a new liberal state Supreme Court majority, public employee unions have challenged the constitutionality of a 2011 law known as Act 10 that effectively ended collective bargaining for most Wisconsin state public sector workers.
Hall named permanent editor of The Lakeland Times
Greene tabbed as assistant editor
Two veteran Lakeland Times editorial staff members have new official titles, as Dean Hall was named the permanent editor of the newspaper after a successful stint as interim editor and reporter Trevor Greene was promoted to assistant editor after his own productive stretch of reporting and providing editorial support.
Pfeifer: No power to prosecute systemic open records violations
Walker calls for new legislation, criminal penalties for records infractions
Saying she understood the newspaper’s frustration, the Oneida County district attorney has nonetheless declined a request by Lakeland Times publisher Gregg Walker that the district attorney’s office investigate Oneida County’s open records policies.
Johnson: LdF will not tolerate abuse of tribal members or land
Tribal president says Felzkowski is uninformed, judgmental
Lac du Flambeau tribal president John Johnson Sr. has sent a clear message to members of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, which has denied the tribe allocated revenues: The tribe and its members will no longer tolerate what Johnson calls ongoing abuse of the Lac du Flambeau people and of tribal lands, and will do what it takes to defend its sovereignty.
Supreme Court denies school choice petition
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has denied a petition for it to take original jurisdiction on a lawsuit challenging the state’s school choice programs, routing the case to lower courts for adjudication if it is to move forward.
Shipping container ordinance won’t set sail again
What if zoning sent out a survey and no one answered it?
A little more than a year ago, the Oneida County board of supervisors narrowly grounded a proposed ordinance that would have imposed countywide zoning regulations for shipping containers, with the effort failing on a no-margin-for-error 8-8 tie vote.
Schimel launches campaign for state Supreme Court
Former AG gets 7-month head start
If the early bird gets the worms, former state attorney general Brad Schimel must have a mouthful, launching a bid for the Wisconsin Supreme Court a full 17 months before the April 2025 election.
Judge grants insurance companies’ motion to intervene in Bangstad defamation
Companies claim noncooperation by Bangstad
In a court hearing December 4, Forest County circuit court judge Leon Stenz granted a motion by two insurance companies to intervene in the ongoing defamation case against Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad.
JFC again denies release of funding to tribes
The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee has once again denied the release of allocated funds to the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians and to the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.
Times calls for probe of Oneida County’s records practices
Pfeifer gives Rio 30 more days to respond to records request after apology
The Oneida County district attorney has given Oneida County supervisor Anthony Rio 30 more days — from December 1 — to comply with a Lakeland Times open records request, after Rio apologized and indicated that he is working on fulfilling the request.
ObamaCare is back in the headlines
The question is whether voters care
Former president and GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump ignited a firestorm this past week when he vowed to get rid of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) if elected, resurrecting an issue that no one has talked about lately — especially in the GOP — and prompting Democrats to proclaim it a political gift from Heaven.
Times files open records complaint against Rio
After waiting more than a month for requested records that as of this writing have not been released, Lakeland Times publisher Gregg Walker has filed an open records complaint against Oneida County supervisor Tony Rio.
Vos, Evers administration: High court should reject school choice lawsuit
It’s rare that the administration of Gov. Tony Evers and Assembly speaker Robin Vos join forces, but somehow Kirk Bangstad has managed to unite them, with both parties aligning against Bangstad’s bid to have the Supreme Court bypass lower courts and directly take up his challenge to the state’s school choice programs.
Marshfield Clinic cuts executive pay by 15%
System says compensation cuts temporary as financial woes continue
Marshfield Clinic Health System has announced what it calls a temporary pay and benefits cut for employees, including executive staff, as it continues to try and cope with ongoing financial difficulties.
Oneida County mulls new organizational structure
While the Northwoods of Wisconsin has a strong identifiable character that has pretty much persisted for the entirety of the state’s existence — its forests, its lakes, its lumberjack lore — the same cannot be said of Oneida County government, which every decade or so goes through some soul searching to try and find its true self.
Bangstad’s insurance companies move to drop him as client
Firms say malicious defamation, noncooperation violates terms of policies
The two insurance companies representing Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad during his recent defamation trial have filed a complaint to intervene in the case, saying he violated the terms of his policy and thus they have no obligation to defend him or pay the costs of the verdict or the judgment against him.
County approves creation of panel to oversee HSC transition
Supervisors: HSC board says the sky is falling but it isn’t
On a 16-2 vote last Tuesday, the Oneida County Board of Supervisors voted to create a tri-county panel to oversee the transition of services now provided by the Human Services Center to another delivery structure.
WILL wins nationwide injunction against pistol brace rule
Rule reclassification could affect millions of veterans
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) has won a major Second Amendment legal victory, securing a nationwide injunction against a proposed Biden administration rule that would require millions of Americans, including many disabled veterans, to register and pay taxes on up to 40 million pistols with stabilizing braces.
Oneida County board makes good on passing tax-increase budget
Holewinski issues warning on skyrocketing wage increases
Without an amendment, at least not a successful one, and without a discouraging word, at least not many of them, the Oneida County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Tuesday a 2024 budget that will raise taxes by 5 percent.
Hartman asserts authority to enforce county code
Sheriff won’t issue citation for parliamentary violation
Pushing back against some county officials, Oneida County sheriff Grady Hartman says he has full authority to enforce the county code — authority in fact given to him by the county code — but has decided against issuing a citation to zoning committee and county board chairman Scott Holewinski, who has acknowledged violating the code by breaking parliamentary procedure.
GOP bill would prohibit race-based UW grants and loans
Republicans shift admissions from race to need, protect free speech
On votes taken largely along party lines, the state Assembly last week passed several measures related to the UW System, including a bill to prohibit race-based higher education grants and loans, redirecting such programs as the minority teacher loan program and Lawton grants to favor disadvantaged students rather than minority students.
Proposed budget would boost OC property taxes by 5 percent
Inflation has ripped through the economy, wreaking havoc on residents’ pocketbooks, and the ripple is causing consumers to pay more not only for private sector goods but for public sector services, through higher property taxes to pay for those services’ ever rising costs.
Group wants to end tax on overtime pay
IRG: Tax reform needed as residents flee to lower tax states
Sometimes, when you’re unable to make off with the whole enchilada, you do the best you can and take half the enchilada — or whatever portion you can get.
DNR secretary Payne’s resignation signals turbulent times at agency
New NRB fights loom as Evers appoints Todd Ambs
The abrupt resignation of Department of Natural Resources secretary Adam Payne after less than a year on the job is emblematic of larger issues inside the vast agency, and a hint that ongoing fissures inside the agency have been settled in favor a more partisan and bureaucratic agenda.
Walker wins massive defamation award in lawsuit against Bangstad
Bangstad’s conduct was on trial… in and out of court
As stunning in scope as the verdict last week was against Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad — a jury unanimously awarded Lakeland Times publisher Gregg Walker $750,000, more than his attorney had asked for in defamation claims against Bangstad — it did not exceed other courtroom surprises, specifically the behavior of Bangstad himself.
Jury unanimously finds Bangstad defamed Walker
Awards $750,000 to Times publisher for multiple defamation counts
After a week-long trial, an Oneida County jury has found Kirk Bangstad and his Minocqua Brewing Company committed multiple counts of defamation against Lakeland Times and Northwoods River News publisher Gregg Walker, awarding Walker one of the largest defamation awards in state history —$750,000, including $430,000 in punitive damages.
County passes 180-day campground moratorium
Two towns say large campgrounds pose safety threat
There will be no large-scale campground development in Oneida County for at least six months — no small-scale campgrounds, either, for that matter — now that the Oneida County Board of Supervisors has enacted a 180-day campground moratorium.
New lawsuit challenges constitutionality of state’s school choice programs
Conservatives assail Bangstad’s ‘vanity project’
A group of Wisconsin citizens, backed financially by the liberal Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC, filed a lawsuit earlier this month challenging the constitutionality of Wisconsin’s school choice programs, asking the state Supreme Court to take original jurisdiction.
Walters solicited Wisconsin voter registration from permanent Illinois residents
But candidate says she never suggested temporary voter registration
A retired Illinois police officer who is only a part-time resident of Presque Isle has signed a notarized affidavit saying Lorine Walters, a candidate for Presque Isle town chairperson in a November 14 special election, solicited his and his wife’s votes in late September, telling them they could give up their Illinois registration, live in Presque Isle for 28 days, register and vote in the upcoming town election, and then re-establish their Illinois registration at a later time.
Tiffany introduces bill to prohibit U.S. entry of Palestinian refugees
Following the attack on Israel by Hamas and with Israel declaring war on the terrorist group, Northwoods U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wisconsin-7) has introduced legislation to ban the Biden administration from allowing refugees fleeing the Gaza Strip into the country.
County board to take up campground, RV park moratorium
After a September 20 public hearing held by the county’s zoning committee, the Oneida County board of supervisors is set to take up today a proposed moratorium on conditional use permits for campgrounds and recreational vehicle parks.
State Supreme Court will hear redistricting challenge
Protasiewicz refuses to recuse herself from case
On a 4-3 vote along ideological lines, the Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the state’s legislative district maps, scheduling an oral hearing for later this month.
Tourist rooming house gets its license back
Can TRHs be regulated at all?
A Crescent Lake tourist rooming house that had its license suspended August 2 for multiple and ongoing violations has its license back now that the 60-day suspension has run its course and the Oneida County zoning committee declined to extend the suspension or pursue revocation.
Trump leads Biden in new Marquette poll
Politico: Kennedy poised to be strongest independent since Perot
Recent polls show that nonvoters overwhelmingly support Donald Trump over Joe Biden for president — with potentially strong backing for an independent candidate — and a new Marquette Law School Poll national survey buttresses parts of those findings, showing Trump with a massive lead among those less than certain to vote, while Biden leads slightly among those certain to vote.
Oneida zoning approves Bangstad permit
All conditions must be met before serving outside
The second — or maybe the third or fourth or fifth, depending on how you look at it — time around was the charm for Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad last week, as the Oneida County zoning committee approved a conditional use permit for an outdoor beer garden at his Front Street retail location.
Zoning panel ships shipping container issue back to towns
Oneida County towns will once again be asked to weigh in on the years-long debate about the use of shipping containers for such things as storage sheds, boathouses, and residential homes, after county supervisor Billy Fried asked the Oneida County zoning committee if it would consider resurrecting the issue.
Evers’s NRB appointees face rough road
Senate committee votes against confirming four provisional members
Last week the state Senate’s Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage Committee voted against confirming four of Gov. Tony Evers’s appointees to the state Natural Resources Board, setting up possible dismissal by the full Senate and underscoring ongoing conflicts between Democrats and conservatives over such issues as wolf management and PFAS regulation.
Oneida supervisors vote to withdraw from Human Services board
Deficient services, lack of cooperation cited
By a 19-2 vote, the Oneida County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution last week to give notice to withdraw from the current Tri-County Human Services Board effective December 31, 2024.
Bangstad fan cited for phone harassment of newspaper
Caller calls white deputy a ‘black Nazi’
An Arena, Wisconsin, man has been cited for telephone harassment of The Lakeland Times after making an early morning call to the newspaper and leaving a message loaded with obscenities.
Oneida County board votes to withdraw from Human Services Board
Rideout: All services will continue
On a 19-2 vote, the Oneida County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution Tuesday to give notice to withdraw from the current Tri-County Human Services Board effective as of December 31, 2024.
House panel considers constitutional amendments for term limits, fiscal restraint
Common Cause warns against constitutional convention
A U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on proposed constitutional amendments heard a loud call for term limits and fiscal restraint this past month, as well as a warning against holding a constitutional convention to achieve those objectives.
Jennrich drops ball on TRH suspension
It’s been seven weeks since the Oneida County zoning committee suspended a Crescent Lake tourist rooming house permit for multiple and ongoing violations and directed zoning staff to come up with a list of proposed house rules to address the concerns of upset neighbors, but, with the 60-day suspension fast approaching an end, no such list exists.
Felzkowski, Swearingen raise concerns about proposed wolf plan
Two Northwoods lawmakers, state Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R-Irma) and Rep. Rob Swearingen (R-Rhinelander), are expressing concerns about the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) revised wolf management plan, especially the addition of circular buffer zones around tribal lands that call for reduced wolf harvests within them.
Oneida County closed 2022 in strong financial position
For every $1 in revenue, the county spent 91 cents
Oneida County had a very good 2022 fiscally, hauling in $4.9 million in net revenue, according to the county’s annual financial report for the year ending last December 31.
2022 Nobel winner: Climate change orthodoxy is dangerous corruption of science
Despite media claims that climate change is settled science and represents scientific consensus, the number of prominent scientists breaking from the consensus continues to grow, with the 2022 winner of the Nobel Prize for physics signing onto a World Climate Declaration decrying the existence of any climate emergency.
Talk of impeaching Protasiewicz grows
Judicial commission throws out ethics complaints; Dems go on the offensive
The state’s polarized politics has been put on dramatic display over newly seated justice Janet Protasiewicz, both inside and outside the state Supreme Court, as impeachment talk grows at the capitol and liberal and conservative justices duke it out internally for control.
Oneida County zoning hammers Minocqua businesses
Even as the Oneida County zoning committee has given downtown Minocqua business owner Kirk Bangstad more time to fashion an acceptable conditional use permit application for an outdoor beer garden despite more than a year of infractions of his now-revoked permit, the county zoning department has lowered the boom on 12 other downtown businesses for alleged noncompliant outdoor activities, ordering immediate compliance and/or the payment of large after-the-fact permit fees.
At public hearing, DNR management of deer herd is criticized
Walker says setting population goals is essential; DNR numbers questioned
At a joint public hearing last week, state lawmakers heard again that the state Department of Natural Resources is not managing the state’s deer herd as it needs to be, and that the situation represents a looming crisis.
Oneida County adopts resolution allowing prayers at board meetings
County board chair has discretion to allow prayer or not
After a debate that revived old and lingering questions about prayer at government meetings, the Oneida County Board of Supervisors at its most recent meeting took what might or might not be called decisive action.
Sheriff’s department, DA find Oneida zoning violated procedure
DA says no open meetings violation
The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and the Oneida County district attorney both say the Oneida County zoning committee violated the county’s mandated parliamentary procedures when it adjourned a public hearing in the middle of the vote, but neither entity has taken any action against the officials after the findings.