After Gov. Tony Evers finally relented and ordered TikTok banned from state government devices, Wisconsin’s Republican congressional delegation asked University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman to follow suit. A UW System spokesman on Wednesday said the schools will follow part of the lawmakers’ request and restrict TikTok from UW System-owned devices.
Read the full storyCategory: The Upper-Midwest
Threats of Violence Cloud Conservative Events in Wisconsin
The organizers of a Milwaukee-area event on the dangers of woke indoctrination say they’re working with local law enforcement after receiving a number of threats.
Meanwhile, a theater in suburban Chicago has canceled a “reforming sex education” event after reportedly being bombarded with threats.
Read the full storyMadison Schools Begin Gender Identity Week for Elementary Students
Elementary students in the Madison Metropolitan School District will be treated to a weeklong introduction to gender identity and sexual orientation curriculum as part of the so-called Welcoming Schools agenda. Parents in the district received an email last week advising them about this week’s lesson plan, part of the Health and Social Emotional Learning curriculum. Children will learn about “different identities, which include gender identity, sex assigned at birth, and sexual orientation.”
Read the full storyTwin Cities Legislators Introduce Bill to Block Mining Facility in Northeast Minnesota
More than two dozen DFL legislators — nearly all from the suburbs — have signed onto a bill that would attempt to put permanent brakes on a highly contentious, planned copper-nickel mining facility near Ely that could bring upwards of 2,000 new jobs to northeast Minnesota.
Critics of what would be Minnesota’s first copper-nickel facility, proposed by Twin Metals, argue that copper-nickel mining in the area would irreversibly pollute the environment in the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Supporters have said that Twin Metals has demonstrated its plant will use the best available technology to mitigate and prevent such pollution. The project remains up in the air as Twin Metals has sued the Biden administration over lease rights to the project.
Read the full storyMichigan Mayor Blames Residents for Crime
After being sued for violating the First Amendment, Eastpointe Mayor Monique Owens spent 15 minutes at Tuesday’s council meeting airing her grievances against the public.
Owens complained that at a previous meeting, her daughter heard a member of the public criticizing her.
Read the full storyWisconsin Supreme Court Election Ads Hit the Airwaves
Campaign ads are headed back to TVs across Wisconsin ahead of the election for a seat on the State Supreme Court.
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz’ campaign on Friday announced a $700,000 ad buy in the race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She’s one of four challengers trying to land the seat held by Justice Pat Roggensack, who has said she will not seek reelection.
Read the full storyCommentary: What Many Wisconsin Citizens Hope Governor Evers Says in His State of the State Speech
On Tuesday, Gov. Tony Evers will deliver his fifth State of the State speech before both chambers of the Legislature and the judiciary. Like many governors before him, a pronouncement that the state of the state is strong is all but to be expected. But is this truly the state of affairs in Wisconsin? Is state government serving the needs of its citizens and providing the services that we all expect? With a looming recession, is state government looking at how to help Wisconsinites — or at least not make things worse?
Here is what we hope the governor will say in his address.
Read the full storyStudy: Electric Vehicles Could Cost Michigan $95 Million Annually in Lost Tax Revenues
As the number of electric vehicles grows in Michigan, so does the revenue hole from missing gas taxes that fix the damn roads.
The newly formed Coalition on Electric Vehicles and Transportation Revenue says lawmakers need to replace road funding lost by a growing number of EV drivers who don’t pay state or federal gas taxes.
Read the full storyDemocrats Push Bill to Make Minnesota a ‘Carbon-Free’ State
Minnesota Democrats are attempting to push through the legislature a bill to make the state 100 percent carbon-free by 2040.
HF 7 was introduced at the beginning of the new legislative session on Jan. 4, with a hearing on the bill held Wednesday by the Minnesota House of Representatives’ Climate and Energy Finance and Policy Committee.
Read the full storyMinnesota State Agency Wants to Create Database to Track ‘Hateful’ Speech
One Minnesota lawmaker is voicing his concerns about a proposed bill he says would allow the state government to keep track of “bias” incidents and “hate speech” in which no crime may have been committed.
On Tuesday the Minnesota House of Representatives’ Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee held a hearing on HF 181, a bill introduced Jan. 9 that proposes an expansion of reporting “crimes motivated by bias,” an update in peace officer training standards, and the appropriate funding thereto.
Read the full storyWisconsin Flat Tax Proposal Overshadows Zero Tax Idea
Tax reform is top of mind for Republicans this legislative session. But while a flat tax measure has taken center stage, another proposal by one legislative leader to eliminate Wisconsin’s personal income tax has seemingly disappeared from the tax cut discourse.
A new State Policy Network (SPN) survey shows a good deal of support for nixing the state income tax.
Read the full storyUniversity of Michigan Medical School’s Anesthesiology Department Hosts Critical Race Theory Seminar to Mark MLK Day
The University of Michigan Department of Anesthesiology hosted Monday a screening of the video “Critical Race Theory: American Law and Racism” as part of the university’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day symposium.
Kimberly Ward, the department’s DEI administrative specialist, joined Kristen Howard, senior director of the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion, to screen the pre-recorded video, in which Columbia law professor and coiner of the term “intersectionality” Kimberlé Crenshaw gave a rundown of critical race theory history and significance.
Read the full storyMinnesota House Passes ‘Most Extreme’ Abortion Law in Nation
The Minnesota House passed the DFL’s keystone “Protect Reproductive Options Act” in a 69-65 vote after four hours of emotional debate Thursday night.
The bill will grant Minnesotans a “fundamental right” to abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, via any method and for any reason, with no age restrictions.
Read the full storyFBI Offers $25,000 Reward for Information on Pro-Abortion Terrorists Behind Pro-Life Center Attacks
More than eight months after Wisconsin Family Council/Action’s Madison headquarters was firebombed by pro-abortion extremists, the FBI is now offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the “identification, arrest, and conviction” of the individuals involved in the attack. “It’s about time,” said Julaine Appling, president of Wisconsin Family Council/Action, a pro-life organization that advocates for religious liberty and traditional family values.
Read the full storyWisconsin Bail Reform Amendment Goes to Voters
A constitutional amendment proposal to reform Wisconsin’s cash bail system is now headed to voters in April’s election. Following the Republican-controlled Senate’s approval of the measure earlier this week, the GOP-dominated Assembly on Thursday passed the resolution.
Read the full storyLiberal Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate Protasiewicz Learned from ‘Progressive Justice’ DA John Chisholm
Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court justice candidate Janet Protasiewicz says she’s not hiding from the “progressive label.”
The Milwaukee County judge has surrounded herself with liberal legal activists, perhaps none more controversial than her old boss, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm.
Read the full storyReport: Michigan Legislature Gave Private Company $4 Million
The Michigan Legislature is supposed to make laws and spend taxpayer money wisely and transparently.
But a report from the Detroit News says the GOP-led Legislature gave $4 million to a for-profit company, with an unclear return on investment for taxpayers. The details of the corporate handout weren’t discovered until months after the appropriation.
Read the full storyNew Survey Shows Wisconsin Businesses See Recession Ahead
Battered by ongoing high inflation, a majority of Wisconsin businesses see a recession ahead, according to Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce’s latest Wisconsin Employer Survey.
WMC’s survey finds 60 percent of businesses believe the Badger State economy is headed for a recession this year. On the surface, the number appears to be an improvement from last summer’s survey when 71 percent of respondents worried a recession was looming. But Nick Novak, WMC’s vice president of communications and marketing, said more employers moved from being sure about a recession to uncertain about the economy.
Read the full storyCurriculum Used in Minneapolis Schools Teaches Kindergarteners About ‘Gender Identity’
A handful of Minneapolis schools use a curriculum that exposes kids as young as five to the concepts of “gender identity and expression” and teaches that kids “begin to develop and express gender identity” at age three.
AmazeWorks is one of the most controversial curriculums for elementary and middle-school students because it uses content on gender identity from an early age, according to Cristine Trooien, executive director of Minnesota Parents Alliance.
Read the full storyWisconsin Rep. Gallagher Says U.S. Universities ‘Addicted to CCP Money’
As influence-peddling allegations dog President Joe Biden, the University of Pennsylvania and their think tank offspring, the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy & Global Engagement, the head of the House’s new committee on China is again warning U.S. higher education is “addicted” to Communist China money. U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI-08) has long been monitoring the Biden administration’s lax enforcement of Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, which requires colleges and universities to publicly disclose any foreign gift greater than $250,000.
Read the full storyMadison Schools Faces Open Records Lawsuit amid Race-Based Teaching Allegations
The Madison Metropolitan School District faces a lawsuit amid charges the district pushed a policy that teachers must “prioritize…African American students.” The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) accuses the district of violating public records law.
Read the full storyWisconsin State Senate Passes Bail Reform Amendment Measure
A measure calling for a state constitutional amendment on bail reform is one step closer to going to Wisconsin voters.
The Senate in session Tuesday passed the measure 23-9, sending it to the Assembly for a vote on Thursday. If the resolution passes, it will head to voters to decide in an April election that includes a Wisconsin Supreme Court race that could determine whether the court’s majority is controlled by conservatives or liberals.
Read the full storyDACA Recipient to Minnesota Lawmakers: ‘We Are Voting’
A DACA recipient had this to say to Minnesota lawmakers last week: “We are voting.”
“We are voting. Our people are voting. If you don’t pass this bill, people are going to vote you all out,” Angelico Bello, who said she is a DACA recipient, told the House Transportation Committee Jan. 10.
Read the full storyWisconsin Representative Introduces Bill Raising Mandatory Minimums for Fentanyl Crimes
As fentanyl continues to take its deadly toll, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) is introducing a bill that would put the synthetic opioid’s criminal penalties on par with another killer drug that has ravaged America.
Grothman and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Indiana), who served as Republican Study Committee chairman, have introduced the Standardizing Thresholds of Penalties (STOP) for Fentanyl Act. The bill would reduce the threshold for mandatory minimum penalties for fentanyl-related offenses, with quantity thresholds on par with methamphetamine.
Read the full storyMichigan to Begin $81 Million Opioid Settlement Distribution
Michigan’s government is expected to receive part of $81 million from two multi-state opioid settlements later this month.
“I am relieved the court ruled in accordance with the law, and I thank the judge for the keen attention she paid to this important matter,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. “It’s critical that communities throughout Michigan are indemnified for the harm they suffered due to the recklessness of the opioid manufacturers and distributors. The frivolous challenge by Ottawa County delayed millions of dollars from being put to good use to help Michigan residents our communities recover.”
Read the full storyWisconsin Schools Connect Kids to Site Described as ‘Pedophile’s Paradise’
TrevorSpace bills itself as an affirming place for LGBTQ young people. Several Wisconsin school districts encourage their students to check out the site. But is the social networking site little more than an online dating community putting kids as young as 13 at risk of sexual exploitation?
Read the full storyWisconsin Part of Flat Tax ‘Revolution’
Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) and state Representative Rob Brooks (R-Saukville) are set to introduce a tax reform proposal this week that would ultimately phase in a 3.25 percent flat income tax rate by tax year 2026. The measure would make Wisconsin part of a recent “flat tax revolution”, according to a national tax expert.
Read the full storyMinnesota Department of Corrections Expands Abortion Coverage for Inmates
The Minnesota Department of Corrections will now pay for any inmate’s abortion, regardless of the reasons for seeking the procedure, according to a new policy.
The new policy, adopted January 10, replaces a 2018 policy that limited the department’s coverage of abortion to cases where the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest or if the life of the mother was at risk.
Read the full storyBill Demands Elections Commission Cleans Up Wisconsin’s Voter Rolls
A bill released last week for co-sponsorship aims to remove ineligible voters from the state’s official voter registration list in a more timely fashion, a key election integrity concern that has dogged Wisconsin’s voter rolls for years. The legislation, authored by state Rep. Ty Bodden (R-59th Assembly District) and Sen. Andre Jacque (R-1st Senate District), would require the Wisconsin Elections Commission to clean up the WisVote database.
Read the full storyHennepin County DA Moriarty Faces Criticism for Dismissing Rape Case During First Week in Office
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is facing criticism after she dropped a rape charge involving a 14-year-old victim during her first week in office.
Moriarty was sworn in Jan. 3, replacing longtime county attorney Mike Freeman. She ran on a progressive platform of “restorative justice programs” and “alternatives to incarceration.”
Read the full storyMichigan Projects $9.2B Surplus, Which Could Trigger a Tax Cut
Despite a possible mild recession, Michigan’s fiscal experts project a $9.2 billion taxpayer surplus that could trigger a tax cut.
Nonpartisan fiscal agencies project Michigan will gather $32.4 billion in revenue for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
Read the full storyBillionaire Families Seek Nearly $800 Million from Taxpayers for Detroit Developments
Two of the state’s wealthiest families are seeking nearly $800 million from taxpayers for a brownfield program, tax abatement, and affordable housing for 10 Detroit developments.
Read the full storyState Senate Majority Leader Pitches Flat Tax for Wisconsin
by Benjamin Yount Wisconsin’s Senate majority leader says there is plenty of money available to reconfigure the state’s personal income tax rates. State Sen. Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, on Friday said Wisconsin’s record $6.6 billion surplus will help get the state over the hump. “So, for sure in the first two years of the budget we’ll have plenty of revenue,” LeMahieu said. His proposal would move Wisconsin from a top personal income tax rate of 7.65% to a flat rate of 3.25% for everyone by 2026. LeMahieu estimates that his plan will save taxpayers $5 billion. “It maybe looks a little daunting in years three and four,” Lemahieu said of the impact on state coffers. “When other states have done this, sales tax revenue goes up, and other revenue goes up because there’s more money in the system. It changes people’s spending habits.” LeMahieu said Wisconsin’s economy has grown over the past several years, and he expects that to continue. He also said lowering the tax rate to 3.25% would make Wisconsin the lowest among its neighbors. Minnesota’s income tax rates start at 5.35%, while Illinois, Iowa and Michigan all have flat taxes that are or would be higher than…
Read the full storyMinnesota State Senator Declines to State When an Unborn Baby Becomes a Person
The author of a bill that would create a “fundamental right” to abortion through all nine months of pregnancy refused to state when she thinks an unborn baby becomes a human person.
Minnesota Democrats are expediting their Protect Reproductive Options (PRO) Act through the Minnesota Legislature, emboldened by an election victory that saw them recapture the Senate and take full control of state government.
Read the full storyMichigan School Criticized for Taking Sixth-Graders to Lounge with Stripper Poles
In Michigan, a school district is facing backlash from parents after a school ended a sixth-grade field trip by taking the students to a lounge with stripper poles in plain sight.
The New York Post reports that on November 16th, students with the band and orchestra of Hart Middle School, located in Rochester Hills, visited Niki’s Pizza in Detroit after attending a performance by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The pizzeria operates jointly with the risque nightclub Niki’s Lounge.
Read the full storyDespite Projected $17 Billion Surplus, Minnesota DFL Pitches Payroll Tax Hike
Despite a projected $17.6 billion surplus, Gov. Tim Walz pitched a future payroll tax hike to fund paid family and medical leave in his soon-to-be released budget plan.
Walz said $1.7 billion of surplus seed money would start the program, funded in the future by a payroll tax.
Read the full storyMinnesota Licensure Board to Require All Teachers to Personally Affirm Critical Race Theory and Gender Ideology
Minnesota’s Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) has set new rules for aspiring teachers that require them to personally avow the tenets of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and gender ideology in order to be permitted to teach in government schools.
Governor Tim Walz’s (D) PELSB’s Adopted Permanent Rules Relating to Licensing and Academic Standards have been updated to require, as of 2024, that Minnesota teachers are committed to personally affirm what the licensure board considers the proper “diverse perspectives on race, culture, language, sexual identity, ability,” etc. with their students in order to maintain a license.
Read the full storyMinnesota Legislature Considers Bill to Give Driver’s Licenses to Illegal Immigrants
Minnesota Democrats are moving forward with a bill that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.
Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, DFL-Minneapolis, lead author of the bill in the Senate, said illegal immigrants were eligible for driver’s licenses in Minnesota until 2003, when Gov. Tim Pawlenty “unilaterally” established a requirement that applicants demonstrate proof of legal residence.
Read the full storyMichigan Legislature Sets Stage for Policy Battle
Michigan Democrats filed bills aiming to fulfill a 40-year pending wishlist, which include restoring the prevailing wage and repealing right to work.
Other bills filed include repealing the retirement tax, boosting the earned income tax credit, and repealing the 1931 abortion ban despite a constitutional amendment voiding the law.
Read the full storyGroup ‘Parents on Patrol’ Bring Anti-Transgender Activist Chole Cole to Wisconsin for ‘Stolen Innocence’ Event
Chloe Cole this week told a Washington, D.C. think tank that she was coerced into taking puberty blockers and having her breasts surgically removed.
She was 15 years old.
“It’s important to know how awful it really is,” Cole told the Heritage Foundation about her double mastectomy.”Really, it’s like Nazi-era experiments.”
Read the full storySchool Board in Wisconsin Affirms Parental Rights
The School District of Waukesha (Wisconsin) Board of Education this week passed a resolution recognizing parental rights with regard to political and gender issues.
The measure, which passed the board 8-0, furthermore affirms biological sex as determinative in allowing students to join sports teams and use bathroom facilities. Board President Kelly Piacsek said she drafted the resolution to address concerns that numerous parents brought to her and other school directors. She added that she is a parent of three students who attend district schools.
Read the full storyWisconsin Department of Natural Resources Slapped with a ‘Notice of Violation’ over Local Zoning Ordinance
The regulatory shoe is on the other foot for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, served with notice on that it has violated Winnebago County zoning code.
It appears the agency failed to secure conditional use and zoning permits before starting construction on a maintenance garage (cold storage building) in the county.
Read the full storyMinnesota’s Secretary of State’s Election Reform ‘Wish List’ Includes Automatic Voter Registration
Those applying for driver’s licenses — or utilizing a plethora of other state agency services — could also automatically be registering to vote at the same time, if newly re-elected Secretary of State Steve Simon’s legislative priority wish list comes to fruition in the coming months at the Capitol.
Simon, a DFLer elected to his third term in November, held a press conference Monday announcing his support for automatic voter registration contained in HF3/SF3 along with a handful of other election-related “Legislative Priorities to Strengthen Our Democracy” that he said would continue to build on “Minnesota’s success story and reputation as a leader in elections and voting” and further expand access to voting.
Read the full storyDetroit Charter Schools Tout College Enrollment Numbers
As Michigan Democrats holding a political trifecta aim to regulate charter schools, data from the graduating class of 2021 show that the top eight open-enrollment high schools for college enrollment in Detroit are all charter schools.
Researchers from Grand Valley State University’s Charter Schools Office analyzed which high schools had the most students enrolling in college within six months of graduation.
Read the full storyRetiring Justice Pat Roggensack Endorses Jennifer Dorow in Wisconsin Supreme Court Race
Jennifer Dorow’s bid for Wisconsin Supreme Court got a big boost.
Retiring Justice Patience Roggensack on Monday endorsed Dorow in the race for the court. Roggensack, whose seat Dorow is running to fill, heaped praise on her.
Read the full storyBill Lowers Threshold for Felony Theft in Wisconsin
Losses from retail theft have soared over the past several years, a problem exacerbated by soft-on-crime prosecutors and judges. Wisconsin has a Supreme Court justice candidate who, has suggested that shoplifters who steal from “big box” retailers shouldn’t be aggressively prosecuted.
State Sen. Andre Jacque says his bill lowering Wisconsin’s threshold for felony theft is in response to the increasing brazenness of criminals and the kid glove treatment they’ve gotten from some prosecutors and judges like Dane County’s Everett Mitchell.
Read the full storyMichigan Reading Scores of Fourth Graders Plummet
Reading scores are down in Michigan among fourth graders from low-income households.
Overall, the scores are 11th-worst in the country. For Black fourth graders in low-income households, it’s even worse: bottom five in the nation.
Read the full storyMinnesota Representative Wants to Make January 6 ‘Democracy Day’
Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota is one of three congressmen who intend to spearhead a bill enacting the observance of “Democracy Day” every Jan. 6.
According to a news release last Friday, Phillips will join Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado and Dan Goldman of New York in introducing a resolution to “permanently designate January 6th as ‘Democracy Day.’”
Read the full storyWisconsin and Illinois Congressmen Urges ESPN to End TikTok Relationship
U.S. Representatives Mike Gallagher (R-WI-8) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-8) sent a letter this week to the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) opposing its decision to let TikTok run commercials during recent college football halftime shows.
The two congressmen are sponsors of a measure to ban the video-sharing application from all Americans’ computing devices. Gallagher and other Republican members of Wisconsin’s U.S. House delegation this month successfully encouraged Democratic Governor Tony Evers to prohibit the app’s download or use on any state-owned computers or phones. Numerous other state governments as well as the federal government no longer permit the program’s download or use by public entities.
Read the full storyJames Bond Could Face Investigation at Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs
In announcing the appointment Monday of James Bond as his new secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, Gov. Tony Evers made sure to note that Bond would be the first “openly LGBTQ (gay) individual” to serve as a state cabinet secretary.
While Evers checked off an important liberal virtue signaling box, he failed to mention that Bond has been the No. 2 ranking official at a troubled state agency that has veterans deaths on its hands.
Read the full story