Evers: DNR completes Pelican River Forest easement purchase
Administration bypasses legislature; governor ignores local opposition
Gov. Tony Evers used his State of the State address last week to announce that he had completed the largest land conservation easement purchase in Wisconsin history, despite opposition not only from Republicans in the legislature but from impacted counties and towns.
Biden bets the bank on Bidenomics
News analysis It’s an age-old question when presidential elections roll around: Are you better off than you have been?
OC board torpedos HIPAA compliance software
Fried: Ensuring compliance is part of the job
On a 11-6 vote this month, the Oneida County board of supervisors shot down a request by three county agencies to purchase software they billed as a tool to help keep them compliant with federal HIPAA laws, or medical privacy regulations.
Republicans join liberals to push Final Five, ranked-choice voting
Conservatives push back, say it’s a Trojan horse
Never let it be said that there’s no such thing as bipartisanship — not only have some Wisconsin Republicans teamed up with liberal Democrats to do away with the state’s one-person, one-vote tradition of voting but it’s the Republicans leading the way on a idea mostly conceived by Democrats.
County board nixes attorney language in records requests
Supervisors cut ‘insinuation’ that counsel review all records requests
The Oneida County board of supervisors unanimously amended the public records provisions of the county code Tuesday, striking language that injected the county corporation counsel into the process of responding to public records requests.
Assembly Republicans offer medical marijuana bill
Rep. Felzkowski concerned about government running program
State Assembly Republicans have unveiled a medical marijuana proposal they brag will be the most restrictive in the country while providing relief to seriously and terminally ill patients, but, after the details were released, its prospects for passage were about as clear as a thick cloud of smoke.
Essentia Health ends merger talks with Marshfield Clinic
Minnesota-based Essentia Health has ended its merger talks with Marshfield Clinic, saying Marshfield’s ongoing financial woes prompted the Minnesota health care giant to nix the planned union.
Essentia Health ends merger talks with Marshfield Clinic
Minnesota-based Essentia Health has ended its merger talks with Marshfield Clinic, saying Marshfield’s ongoing financial woes prompted the Minnesota health care giant to nix the planned union.
Supreme Court majority: Legal contiguity is a fiction
Bradley says liberal majority rides a Trojan horse
Republicans vow that the U.S. Supreme Court will have the last word on state legislative redistricting, but for now the liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is holding the floor with its unsurprising 4-3 decision to toss out the state’s legislatively-drawn district maps.
Counties demand pause in funding for Pelican River Forest easement
Local officials are seeking a seat at the table over the ongoing proposal for the DNR to purchase an easement in the Pelican River Forest, and, until the officials get input, they want the federal government to halt a federal payout designed to help pay for the purchase.
Wisconsin Supreme Court invalidates current legislative maps
Reaction from both sides is partisan and predictable
On a predictable 4-3 vote on the Friday before Christmas, the Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out the state’s current legislative maps, ruling them to constitute unconstitutional gerrymandering.
Tiffany joins conservatives in voting against NDAA
Extension of warrantless surveillance of Americans comes under fire
With both the U.S. House and Senate signing off with large bipartisan support, Congress passed and sent to the White House its annual National Defense Authorization Act, a massive bill that will spend $886 billion on the military and includes a 5.2-percent raise for service members.
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.
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 massive judgment against him.
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.