State News

(Madison, WI)  —  A state appeals court has ordered the release of notes about primate research at UW Madison. The Fourth District Appellate Court on Thursday reversed a decision from a Dane County judge who said the notes could be withheld because they were for a writer’s personal use. The Animal Legal Defense Fund filed More >

(Madison, WI)  —  The state DNR is settling a lawsuit from a dairy group that accused the agency of bureaucratic overreach. The Dairy Business Association of Green Bay filed suit in late July, claiming the DNR should have gone through the public rulemaking process before it started overseeing calf hutches, and banning the flow of More >

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The daughter of a Wisconsin legislator was formally charged Thursday with causing the overdose death of a pregnant woman. Cassandra Nygren, 28, of Green Bay was charged in Brown County court with two felony counts of reckless homicide – one by delivering drugs and another involving the death of an More >

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s unemployment rate ticked up in September, increasing from 3.4 percent to 3.5 percent. The state Department of Workforce Development reported the employment information on Thursday. It remains below the national unemployment rate of 4.2 percent. The state gained 5,900 private sector jobs between August and September. Workforce Development Secretary Ray More >

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — It would be a felony to have sex with an animal in Wisconsin under a bill circulating in the Legislature. Under current law, having sex with an animal is a misdemeanor. Republican state Rep. Andre Jacque, of De Pere, circulated a bill Thursday to increase the penalty. He referenced a case More >

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The head of Wisconsin’s prison system is telling lawmakers that additional capacity is needed to deal with an aging and growing inmate population. Department of Corrections Secretary Jon Litscher tells a Senate committee Thursday that since he took over in March 2016 the inmate population has increased by 700, or 35 More >

WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — Authorities say the search for a missing boater in a Waukesha County lake is now a recovery mission. First responders went to Upper Nashotah Lake Wednesday afternoon after someone reported distress calls coming from the water near Seminary Ridge in Delafield. Officers found a capsized sailboat with no one in sight. WTMJ-TV reports More >

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson has won the endorsement of the tea party conservative group FreedomWorks for America. The group said Wednesday it was picking Nicholson over GOP rival state Sen. Leah Vukmir because Nicholson “has indicated he would oppose Mitch McConnell’s failed leadership.” Former White House strategist Steve Bannon is More >

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Authorities say a crane operator was killed at a metal business in Milwaukee when he was crushed by a 5,000-pound piece of metal. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office identifies the victim as 42-year-old Kelvis Price of Milwaukee. Price was lifting the large steel plate with a magnetic crane that he operated More >

WHITEHALL, Wis. (AP) — Trempealeau County officials are raising concerns about the job performance of the county’s district attorney. The county’s Executive and Finance Committee has sent a letter asking Gov. Scott Walker for help with DA Taavi McMahon. According to the Oct. 5 letter, the committee of county board members believes McMahon, an elected More >