Google+

Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for Raymond Neupert

Speaker Vos downplays Governor Evers plan to renegotiate Foxconn deal

By

Speaker Robin Vos says there is no need to change the Foxconn deal.

This after Governor Evers said the company won’t hire a promised 13-thousand people. Vos tells WISN’s Jay Weber that if Foxconn doesn’t hire that many people, the company already won’t get its full set of tax breaks.

“It is beyond my level of understanding to think that a Governor of Wisconsin is rooting for the failure of the largest economic development project in our state’s history!”

He says that if the governor is worried about Foxconn not hiring 13-thousand people, then he should leave the contract with the company as-is.

“Might it take longer, might it happen another way, might they do it in a way that creates higher paying jobs? I mean, all of those are potential scenarios, but I have certainly have never had them say we’re going to only have half the jobs we promised.”

Vos says Democrats may be trying to sabotage Foxconn in Wisconsin — to pin the blame on President Trump.

 

State Democrat introduces bill to legalize marijuana

By

Another attempt at making marijuana legal is headed to the state legislature.

State representative Melissa Sargent is taking another try at marijuana legalization. She says legalizing the plant will save the state millions of dollars in law enforcement hours, as well as ease the burden on the state prisons.

“According to an estimate by the ACLU, Wisconsin stands to save over 44 million dollars, through the legalization of a plant.”

Sargent says legalization will also save the state money and generate revenue through increased taxes. 

“Legalization provides true economic benefits at no costs to taxpayers, with real proven results, unlike the unsuccessful tax giveaways and empty promises that we’ve seen with corporations like Foxconn.”

Part of the measure would also release people in prison for non-violent marijuana convictions, and make it easier to get those crimes expunged from your record.

“Although as African Americans use marijuana at the same rates as white individuals, they are almost 4 times more likely to be arrested on non violent marijuana possession charges nationally, and almost six times more likely to be arrested in our great state.”

Republicans in the Legislature are unlikely to pick up the bill and stand opposed to full legalization.

UW researchers get major grant to create dairy drinks of the future

By

Wisconsin’s dairy farmers and state government want to create the dairy drink of the future.

Governor Tony Evers told a dairy conference in Madison that the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will invest $750,000 towards the project.

“To establish the Beverage Innovation Center, a new center for excellence that would be housed in the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin campus.”

Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin CEO Chad Vincent says farmers are contributing another $250,000.

“The Center for Dairy Research and the innovation is critical, and it’s one of the best investments that we make.”

The goal of the project is to create a new technology for dairy drinks that don’t require refrigeration, and will allow for a wide scale of different tests and prototypes to find what they’re looking for. Dr. John Lucey with the Center for Dairy Research says this will allow them to purchase equipment for small batches to test many new potential dairy-based beverages.

“Looking for long shelf life, because people want convenience, and they want to be able to have this anywhere.”

That research would be made available to manufacturers and producers once it’s complete.

Foxconn founder eyes Taiwanese presidential run

By

The future of Foxconn’s Wisconsin project is in question as its founder eyes a presidential run.

Bloomberg reports that Foxconn founder Terry Gau has announced his candidacy for the Taiwanese presidency. This came after rumors that he’d be stepping down as CEO of the technology company.

Gau was crucial in the debate and planning of the project, personally making the trip to the US multiple times to meet with Governor Walker and President Trump in order to work out the deal to build a factory in the state. Those plans have since been scaled back, and it appears that Foxconn will not open a full LCD construction facility in the state, but rather use Wisconsin as a research hub instead.

There’s no clear successor in the path if Gau does step down to run Taiwan, leaving more doubt in the proposed construction of the Foxconn plant in Racine.

Former Milwaukee County register of deeds under investigation for fraud

By

The FBI is investigating Milwaukee County’s former register of deeds.

The Journal Sentinel reports John La Fave, who retired abruptly last week, is under investigation, accused of stealing almost three million dollars from county taxpayers.

Newly-released federal court documents say La Fave created false invoices with a Brookfield-based internet service provider called Superior Support Resources, for work that was never done. La Fave is also accused of a similar scheme with an Iowa-based firm.

La Fave’s lawyer had no comment.

Governor Evers creates new task force to fight shady hiring practices

By

Governor Evers is moving forward with a plan to crack down on employers failing to pay workers fairly.  

The Department of Workforce Development is getting more resources to stop employers from falsely claiming actual employees as independent contractors. State unemployment administrator Mark Riehl says the state wants to protect both taxpayers and employees.

“Employers who misclassify are not paying their unemployment insurance taxes. Usually they don’t have workers compensation.”

Riehl says that also means taxpayers are likely not seeing any income taxes or business taxes on work that’s being done, costing everyone else in the state more per year. The practice can also unfairly depress wages for everyone else. 

“What we have to have here is a level playing field, so that everyone can compete by the same rules.”

Riehl says the issue is a national one, but with very real implications for Wisconsin workers.

“I don’t think that this has had the same priority at the federal level, and so I think it’s up to the states, really, to address this problem.”

 

UW-Stevens Point ends plans to cut majors because of staff reduction

By

Plans to scrap several humanities majors at UW-Stevens Point have been cancelled because staff have quit.

UWSP spokesperson Nick Schultz said on Wednesday that nearly 90 staff and faculty have left the campus over the last two years.

That’s freed up enough of the budget to keep several language majors, a history and geoscience major, and two art majors.

The campus had been considering more cuts over the past several years due to declining enrollment and budget deficits.

Governor Evers’ cabinet pulled into political fight over Lame Duck Session appointees

By

The legal fight over political appointees has dragged Governor Evers’ cabinet into the mix. 

An appeals court in Wausau ruled on Tuesday that the Governor was entirely within his right to pull a raft of Walker appointees that were voted in during last year’s lame duck session after a Dane County judge struck down the session, but before the appeals court issued a stay on the ruling.

Evers spokeswoman Melissa Baldauff said the decision only reinforces the Governor’s position. “In their unconstitutional attempt to override the will of the people, Republicans hastily and recklessly confirmed 82 appointments with no hearing or public input. Wisconsin deserves better. As the governor has repeatedly said, he acted properly and within the law to withdraw those improper appointments and make his own valid appointments.”

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said earlier in the day on Tuesday that he won’t allow Evers cabinet to come up for confirmation until the legal process was over in the case. 

Tax filing deadline quickly approaching

By

You’ve now got less than a week to file your state and federal income taxes.

State revenue secretary Peter Barca says e-filing your taxes is the way to go, if you haven’t started yet. 

“We have an e-file service that people can use to help you prepare your taxes, and of course there’s all sorts of products like TurboTax and dozens of others that we’ve approved. We have those links on our website as well.”

Barca says anyone who needs help to file can get it from a number of places, including his department.

“You know, last week we had 13-thousand phone calls alone, and so far, just this year, we’ve have over 150-thousand calls.” \

You can find links to e-filing services and state tax assistance online at http://revenue.wi.gov.

State Supreme Court race too close to call, likely headed for a recount

By

There’s likely to be a recount coming for the State Supreme Court race.

Judge Brian Hagedorn holds a very slim margin over Judge Lisa Neubauer in the unofficial totals from last night, with just tenths of a percent separating the two.

Justice Rebecca Bradley told a crowd of Hagedorn supporters that they are expecting a win. A statement from Neubauer’s campaign says they will be asking for a recount.

The last recount for a State Supreme Court race was between former Justice David Prosser and former state attorney general JoAnne Kloppenburg.