Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson Talks with Secret Service About Protesting Zone for Milwaukee GOP Convention
MILWAUKEE, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- Concerns from the nation's capital about protesting at Milwaukee's Republican National Convention. Wisconsin U.S. Senator Ron Johnson discussed those with the head of the Secret Service Tuesday. Johnson says demonstrations for this July's convention will differ from when Milwaukee was slated...
May 15, 2024
Dem Press Conference Slams Senate Veto Override Session
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- At the Capitol on Tuesday, state Senate Republicans overrode several of Governor Tony Evers vetoes - and then called it a day. They were blasted by Democrats in a post session press conference. Minority Leader Diane Hesselbein wanted the chamber to take up bills passed by the Assembly "Th...
May 14, 2024
Wisconsin Gears Up for Near-Record Memorial Day Travel, Second Highest Since 2019
(WTAQ-WLUK) -- Wisconsinites will be hitting the road for the unofficial start of summer. AAA forecasts near-record numbers for this year's Memorial Day weekend with more than 816,000 Wisconsin residents traveling 50 miles or more. That's over 30,000 more holiday travelers than last year, and second only to the all-tim...
May 14, 2024
UW-Madison Professor Says Non-Compete Clause Ban from FTC will Strengthen Economy
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- A ruling by the Federal Trade Commission that would ban non-compete clauses could mean better wages for workers. UW-Madison management professor Martin Ganco says non-competes allow companies to lock employees in place without offering competitive wages. "We know based on research, that i...
May 14, 2024
SCOWIS Hears Drop Boxes Arguments
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- Ballot drop boxes may be back in Wisconsin elections. The 4-3 liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court appears willing to overturn a ruling restricting their use. That decision was handed down in 2022, when conservative justices held a 4-3 majority on the court. That ruling allowed for ...
May 13, 2024
Evers Sues Legislature to Release Student Literacy Funding
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- Governor Tony Evers is once again suing the Wisconsin State Legislature. The governor is making the move over what he calls a refusal to release a critical investment aimed at improving K-12 student literacy. According to Evers, The move comes as Republican lawmakers on the Republican-controll...
May 13, 2024
Pro-Palestinian UW-Milwaukee Students to Meet with UWM Foundation
MILWAUKEE, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- Pro-Palestinian protesters at UW Milwaukee expect to meet with the UWM Foundation Tuesday. Student organizers say that meeting is meant to achieve disclosure of UWM investments in, and connections, to Israel. "We're going into this meeting with intentions with full disclosure, and if we...
May 13, 2024
Pro-Palestinian Protesters to Clear Encampment after Reaching Agreement with UW-Madison
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) -- Nearly two weeks after demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war began at the University of Wisconsin, a resolution has been reached between campus leaders and protest organizers. On Friday, the university announced details of the agreement that will end the encampment on Library Mall which be...
May 10, 2024
Chrystul Kizer Pleads Guilty to Reduced Charge in 2018 Murder
KENOSHA, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- A woman reaches a plea deal in the death of a man she claims sex trafficked her. Chrystul Kizer avoids a life sentence after pleading guilty to a charge of second degree reckless homicide in Kenosha County Court Thursday. Four other charges are dismissed. The 23-year-old Milwaukee woman was ch...
May 09, 2024
UW Leaders Meet with Madison Anti-War Protestors
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and anti-war protestors met once again on Thursday. Administrators say UW has limited ability to divest from certain investments as protestors are requesting but did agree to set up meetings between the protestors and directors of university endowment fun...
May 09, 2024
Names of Fallen Wisconsin Law Enforcement Officers to be Added to National Memorial
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTAQ-WLUK) -- Five fallen Wisconsin law enforcement officers will be remembered next week. Those officers will be among the 282 names placed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. They include Chetek Police officer Emily Breidenbach, Milwaukee police officer Peter Jervin...
May 09, 2024
Study Ranks Wisconsin Worst in Nation for Black Residents
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- A new study again ranks Wisconsin worst in the nation for its Black residents. The study from 24/7 Wall St. analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau and other sources. According to the study, the median household income for Black individuals in Wisconsin of just over $38,000 is only 51% of th...
May 08, 2024
Biden Rips Trump, Touts Microsoft Project in Racine Visit
RACINE, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- President Joe Biden touts Microsoft's $3.3 billion investment to build an AI data center on the Pleasant Prairie campus of the failed Foxconn project. And as expected, Biden's remarks over the noon hour in Racine on Wednesday included digs at his predecessor. "He and his administration pro...
May 08, 2024
Madison City Council Deadlocks on Resolution in Support of UW Protest Encampment
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- A resolution of support for UW protesters fails to pass in Madison Tuesday night. On an 8 - 8 vote, Madison's city council deadlocked on a resolution that called on UW Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin to allow the encampment on Library Mall to continue. So it failed. The UW's stance has bee...
May 08, 2024
Rothman says UW System will Cooperate with DEI Audit
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- An audit of diversity, equity and inclusion practices at state agencies and the UW System will proceed. UW System President Jay Rothman on Tuesday told the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee that he's not clear on what exactly will be audited. "So I'm struggling with what the standards...
May 07, 2024
Biden in Racine Wednesday, Harris to Milwaukee Next Week
RACINE, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- President Joe Biden returns to Wisconsin Wednesday. Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks at Gateway Technical College in Sturtevant at noon. He's expected to highlight the scaled up Microsoft data center development in Mount Pleasant, and perhaps contrast that with the underperforming Foxconn ...
May 07, 2024
Joint Finance Committee Approves Spending $36 Million on Opioid Settlement Funds
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee on Tuesday approved spending $36 million in opioid settlement funds. Committee co-chair Senator Howard Marklein says that will include money for education and prevention. "Many of us can remember the public service campaigns like just say no. This...
May 07, 2024
Joint Finance Committee Takes a Pass on Releasing PFAs Funds
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- At the Capitol, the legislature's budget committee met on Tuesday. But the committee's Republican majority did not take up "forever chemicals" or health care funding for western Wisconsin, as requested by Governor Tony Evers. "We will not be discussing PFAS or HSHS today," ...
May 07, 2024
Wedding Barns Sue over New Liquor License Law
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- A pair of wedding barn owners is suing the state over its new liquor license laws. The barns, represented by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, say the new law unfairly targets their establishments by requiring them to get formal liquor licenses to host weddings with alc...
May 07, 2024
Evers Again Requests Joint Finance Committee Special session
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- Governor Tony Evers is again calling a special meeting of the legislature's Joint Finance Committee, to approve funding to address hospital closures and PFAS contamination. The Democratic governor can call a special meeting of the Republican controlled budget panel but he can't force the commi...
May 06, 2024
Non-Protesting UW Students Issue Requests
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- Non-protesting UW Madison students meet with campus officials. The Daily Cardinal first reported that students on the Madison campus met with Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and other members of the administration on Monday. In the meeting, students shared personal experiences of intimidation, har...
May 06, 2024
Rothman Response to UW Encampments
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- Pro-Palestinian protesters say their UW campus encampments will remain until their demands are met. Among those demands, getting police off campus. On WISN's "UpFront" on Sunday, UW System President Jay Rothman was dismissive of that. "Getting cops off of campus? No, I mean, tha...
May 06, 2024
President Biden Coming to Racine
RACINE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) - President Joe Biden will be in Wisconsin this week. The president will be in Racine on Wednesday to deliver remarks on his Investing in America agenda and participate in a campaign event. The details of where and what time are yet to be announced. Afterwards President Biden will go to Chicago f...
May 03, 2024
Mount Horeb Classes Resume Monday; Student Shooter Named
MOUNT HOREB, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- Classes in the Mount Horeb School District are expected to resume on Monday. On Wednesday, police shot and killed a 14-year-old student outside the middle school in the Dane County community. No one else was physically injured but counseling is being made available to students and staff. T...
May 03, 2024
Police and Protesters Clash at UW Madison
MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WRN) -- A chaotic confrontation between protesters and police at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Wednesday morning. After repeated warnings that the tents were there illegally, UW Madison police and other law enforcement agencies, including the State Patrol, moved onto the Library Mall and forcibl...
May 01, 2024