Organizers hope for massive turnout Saturday to oppose Musk and Trump (UNDATED)
Saturday will be a day of mobilization in Wisconsin and around the nation. A coalition of labor and stakeholder groups are hoping millions of people turn out to oppose what they call “the most brazen power grab in modern history,” by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Organizers at handsoff2025.com are casting a wide net in terms of issues and geographically. Wisconsin locations include the state Capitol in Madison, the Federal Courthouse in Milwaukee, Leicht Memorial Park in Green Bay, Civic Center Park in Kenosha, the Douglas County Courthouse in Superior and Phoenix Park in Eau Claire.
“Reasonably high risk” – Johnson has tariff concerns (UNDATED)
Senator Ron Johnson has concerns about President Trump’s new tariffs. In interviews with The Hill and NPR, the Wisconsin Republican said the U.S. has offshored at lot of critical manufacturing and has not been fairly treated by many trade partners. But Johnson said the tariffs are “reasonably high risk,” and could make Wisconsin manufacturers less comparative when they try to export. Wisconsin employs 19 percent of its workforce in manufacturing – twice the national average. Johnson said he also wants constituents to keep him “totally informed” about how tariffs are affecting them.
More analysis of Supreme Court election (UNDATED)
More analysis of Wisconsin’s record setting state Supreme Court election. Dane County Judge Susan Crawford defeated Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel in race with unprecedented. In fact, the Journal Sentinel reports that Schimel received more votes than the winner of last year’s Supreme Court election, Justice Janet Protasiewicz. Racine County flipped from supporting Protasiewicz’ opponent Daniel Kelly to Crawford. The Journal Sentinel also found six counties that went for Protasiewicz last year supported Schimel this time. But Crawford carried all but two of the state’s ten most populous counties to defeat Schimel by ten percentage points.
Nichols wins 5th term as mayor (MANITOWOC)
Manitowoc’s mayor won a fifth term this week. Incumbent Mayor Justin Nickels won the race with 60.8% of the vote against his opponent, according to unofficial numbers from the Manitowoc County Clerks Office. While this makes it one of the closest races in his political career, more people voted for him in this election than any before. Nickels was first elected Manitowoc’s mayor in 2009 at the age of 22, making him not only the youngest mayor in the city’s history, but at the time, the youngest mayor in Wisconsin. He was also first elected to the Manitowoc Common Council at age 18. At an event held in Manitowoc on Election Night, he thanked the residents that voted for him, and said he was humbled for their support for another four years.
SCOWIS tabs Walsh Bradley to serve as chief justice (MADISON)
The Wisconsin Supreme Court elects Justice Ann Walsh Bradley to serve as chief justice for the next two months. Bradley, who is retiring, will be succeeded July 1st by fellow liberal Justice Jill Karofsky who will serve the remainder of her term through April 30th, 2027. Bradley succeeds Annette Ziegler, who conservative members reelected as chief justice two years ago prior to liberals gaining the majority in the April 2023 election. It’s the first time a liberal has served as Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court since Shirley Abrahamson in 2015. Bradley opted not to run for another term this spring, opening the door for Dane County Judge Susan Crawford to win the open seat.
Not too late to file state taxes through Direct File program (UNDATED)
It’s not too late to file your taxes using the IRS’ Direct File program. After a successful pilot program involving 12 states last year, the IRS’ free, online filing program expanded to 25 states this year, including Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue says the tool makes filing taxes quick, convenient, and hassle-free. DOR will also be expanding its call center hours leading up to the April 15th deadline, with representatives available until 5pm April 7th – 10th and 14th – 15th. More information on the program can be found by visiting the IRS or DOR websites.
Update on missing Beaver Dam girl rescue (BEAVER DAM)
A tip from a concerned witness led to the rescue of a missing Beaver Dam girl. Police arrested 40-year-old Gary Day and rescued now 17-year-old Sophia Franklin late Wednesday night at a truck stop in Omaha, Nebraska. A woman who spotted Franklin checked a posted Amber Alert and called police. She said it was strange that a young pregnant girl would be at a truck stop with two older men. Day was taken into custody and child enticement and kidnapping charges are pending in Dodge County. He could also face charges in Nebraska and Arkansas. Police say the second man was not involved, and was not arrested.
Power still out in parts of northern WI (GREEN BAY)
Parts of Wisconsin are still without power nearly a week after a major ice storm. Wisconsin Public Service is still working to restore power to over 2000 customers in rural parts of northern Wisconsin after an ice storm blew through the area last weekend. 162,000 customers were without power at one point. A number of school districts have been closed for several days due to the outages, including Crandon, Wabeno and Laona.
BBB warns of increase of fake computer support scams, including ones targeting Apple users (UNDATED)
You need to be wary of popups or emails saying your computer is infected with a virus. Lisa Schiller with the Better Business Bureau says they’ve been seeing more customer support scams lately. One new wrinkle is an increase in scams targeting Apple users. Scammers have a new tool that can be used to access Apple accounts through Safari, so iPhone and iPad users should watch for bogus popups and unwanted apps.