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Tommy Thompson announces he will not run for governor

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Voters will not see Tommy Thompson’s name on the Republican primary ballot for Wisconsin governor this fall.

The popular four-term former governor announced Monday that he won’t run again, after publicly floating the idea as he wrapped up his time as interim UW System president earlier this year. A campaign would have put the 80-year-old Thompson on the ballot for the first time in a decade, and 24 years after his last electoral win.

“This is a very difficult conclusion. After a full life of service and leading and growing businesses, I know I have the vision, drive and vitality to serve another term as governor,” Thompson said in a statement.

Thompson was elected to four terms as governor starting in the 1980s. Thompson’s entry would have shaken up an already crowded Republican field that includes Rebecca Kleefisch, business consultant Kevin Nicholson, and state Representative Timothy Ramthun. The winner of the August 9th primary will advance to likely face Democratic incumbent Tony Evers.

State Supreme Court hears oral arguments over absentee ballot drop boxes

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There were some pointed questions to the head of the group arguing against absentee ballot drop boxes from members of the State Supreme Court.

During oral arguments on Wednesday, Justice Brian Hagedorn tried to figure out where the preferred limits were from Wisconsin Insitute for Law and Libert president Rick Esenberg. “Imagine a mail slot connected to the clerk’s office, but the staff is not there. So, whenever the buildings open, you can walk in, can you drop a ballot in that slot that goes directly to the clerk’s office is that okay?” Esenberg responded, “At this point, we are now outside the presence of the clerk.”

Justice Rebecca Dallet asked Esenberg about other possible ways to deliver a ballot. “Why can’t I hand it to my municipal clerk as I see them walking down the street in a small town? Oh, I meant to mail my ballot. I see you I’m gonna hand you my ballot.”

Under the current language of the statutes, a ballot must be delivered to the clerk, but it does not state how that must be done. Esenberg and WILL say that other parts of the statutes contradict that and that a person should only be allowed to mail a ballot personally or deliver it to a clerk themselves. 

Voting and disability rights advocates say that restrictions on who can help someone deliver a ballot will disenfranchise disabled and elderly voters.

A decision is expected this summer before the fall election season.

Evers unveils funding for school mental health services

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Governor Tony Evers (PHOTO: Larry Lee, Brownfield)

School mental health services in Wisconsin have received a financial boost. Governor Tony Evers announced at locations around the state  this week that nearly every K-12 district in Wisconsin will be awarded funding through the 15 million dollar “Get Kids Ahead Initiative.”

The funds are from Wisconsin’s share of the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

Schools will be able to use the funds for a variety of mental health support services for students and families. Every public school district in the state was eligible to opt in and was guaranteed a minimum of $10,000 dollars, with the remainder of the money allocated on a per-pupil basis.

Aimee Burazin, staff psychologist at Stevens Point Area High School, said they’ll use some of that to expand mental health navigator services. “To help eliminate some of the barriers that our students have in getting connected with outpatient counseling, whether it’s the difficulties with outpatient counseling, whether it’s the difficulty navigating the insurance part or scheduling and who’s even available, since it’s been really difficult even with waiting lists.”

Burazin said some of the funding will also go towards expand professional development to teachers, “who are really our frontline people who are working with our students, and are the first to probably notice that something is maybe amiss with the student and the student is maybe struggling.”

Brownfield’s Larry Lee contributed to this report

 

Wisconsin’s Davis declares for NBA Draft

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The old saying, “All good things come to an end,” is fitting for the Wisconsin Badgers and their fans.  Sophomore guard Johnny Davis announced Thursday on ESPN’s NBA Today, that he is leaving Madison for the NBA.

Davis said, “I will forever cherish the experiences I had and the relationships I built during my time in Madison and I am so thankful I chose to be a Badger.  With that being said, I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to pursue a lifelong dream and will be declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft.  I am so grateful for the support everyone has given me, for the opportunities basketball has brought into my life, and for the chance to continue to play the game I love.”

A projected lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, Davis looks to become the first Badger drafted since Frank Kaminsky (9th overall) and Sam Dekker (18th overall) were each selected in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Davis averaged 19.7 points and 8.2 rebounds a game this season and led the nation in scoring against top-25 opponents during the regular season (24.1).

Davis won Big Ten Player of the Year honors and is a finalist for both the Naismith Award and the Wooden Award.

The NBA Draft Combine is scheduled for May 16-22 and the NBA Draft Lottery is set for May 17, both in Chicago.  The NBA Draft will take place Thursday, June 23 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

BREAKING: SCOTUS rejects Wisconsin Supreme Court decision on Governor Evers’s state legislative maps

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A ruling by the US Supreme Court means that Wisconsin’s Supreme Court will have to take another look at state legislative maps.

In a 7 to 2 decision on Wednesday, the US Justices rules that State Justices didn’t properly address the requirements of the Voting Rights Act when picking legislative maps drawn by Governor Tony Evers. UW-Madison Law School professor Robert Yoblon says that’s because maps from Evers created a new majority-black voting district in Milwaukee. 

“In order for that law to kick in, certain preconditions have to be met. And what the US Supreme Court said today is that the Wisconsin Supreme Court hadn’t done enough to confirm that it really was necessary to apply the Voting Rights Act.”

Yoblon says that likely means a new round of hearings. “It’s likely that the court will ask for further guidance from the parties about what they think should happen next. And then the court might issue a plan going forward? There are a few different options that the court has.”

However, the court left in place federal congressional maps drawn by Governor Evers. That will affect the placement of districts for members of the House.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court will need to hurry in order to make a decision ahead of the fall elections.

DHS launches Thank You Tour honoring frontline health care workers

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The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is honoring all those who worked on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An event in Madison on Monday kicked off a statewide “thank you tour” to celebrate health care workers and those who helped over the past two years.

“Our healthcare workers have shown up every day, and have cared for the people in our community who needed care. They have held our loved ones hands, when we couldn’t hold them ourselves,” said Janel Heinrich, Director of Public Health Madison & Dane County.

Wisconsin National Guard. Adjutant General, Major General Paul Knapp also spoke at Monday’s event.

“In the National Guard we have a motto – ‘always ready, always there.’ Never have I seen our motto proven so true. I am proud to say the adaptability and professionalism of our service members was on full display over the past two years as well,” Knapp said.

COVID-19 has been a trying time for the state’s public health workers, some of whom have been ostracized and even threatened over their efforts to keep communities safe.

Governor Tony Evers grew emotional, relating a conversation he had during the depths of pandemic. “One of the public health officers said, ‘the worst thing that happened to me, was I was disinvited to my granddaughter’s birthday.’ Think about that.”

Evers called health care workers the heroes of the pandemic. “For all the things that you have done well, and all the things that happened to you, that you just kept to yourselves.”

The “Thank You Tour: Moving Forward Together” will recognize community efforts to fight COVID-19. DHS has also launched a webpage where people can post notes of appreciation.

 

BREAKING: State Supreme Court sides with Governor Evers on redistricting maps

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The State Supreme Court has sided with Governor Tony Evers on new legislative districting maps.

In a 4 to 3 decision on Thursday, State Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn sided with the court’s liberal justices in picking maps supplied by Governor Tony Evers.

The maps were a late addition to the battle, made after the Supreme Court announced they wanted maps with as few changes as possible. The maps will still leave conservatives with a majority in the legislature, but less so than they currently have.

The new maps will go into effect for the fall elections.

Death toll now at six inside Milwaukee home

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The death toll has risen after police discovered bodies inside a home in Milwaukee.

Milwaukee police are investigating after six people were found dead inside a home. Five of those bodies were discovered on Sunday, while another was found on Monday. The names and ages of the victims have not been released, but police say the dead are five men and a woman.

The case is being treated as a homicide, but police say there’s no immediate threat to the community.

The bodies were found following a welfare call to the house, and police haven’t said how long the victims have been dead. Autopsies are scheduled for Monday.

Assembly Dems call for immediate end to Gableman elections probe

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Democrats in the Wisconsin Assembly say it’s time to pull the plug on Speaker Robin Vos’ partisan probe of the 2020 presidential election.

“We’re trying to eliminate the office of special counsel, and fire Michael Gableman and all the people that work for him, and end the spending of taxpayer dollars on this sham investigation,” Representative Mark Spreitzer of Beloit said on Wednesday. He’s among the authors of a resolution calling for an end to the investigation by the former state Supreme Court Justice, which is embroiled in litigation over multiple subpoenas Gableman has issued.

“There’s a lot of people – our clerks, people on the elections commission – who are being unfairly impugned by this investigation,” said Representative Gordon Hintz of Oshkosh. “Enough. It needs to stop. I think it’s been highlighted over again that they’re really just promoting the big lie. Donald Trump lost, let’s move on.”

“I don’t know where the spending of taxpayer money ends, unless we say that it ends right now,” Spreitzer said.

Also on Wednesday, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin called out Gableman in her comments on the Senate floor. “Gableman has issued wide-ranging subpoenas to local officials in Wisconsin’s largest cities, and even threatened to jail them if they fail to comply with this taxpayer-funded promotion of Trump’s big lie,” the Wisconsin Democrat said.

 

 

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson will seek third term

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Stating that he “believes America is in peril,” Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson is officially running for re-election to the U.S. Senate. The Oshkosh Republican announced his campaign with a Sunday op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, citing “Democrats’ complete takeover of government” as one reason for running again.

The news has been expected despite Johnson’s earlier pledge to serve only two terms. He’s been criticized for promoting misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines, and for downplaying the severity of last year’s violent assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump.

Several Democrats are competing to challenge Johnson, including Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry, and Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson.