Baldwin says Trump tariff and trade policies are chaotic (CHIPPEWA FALLS)
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin says President Trump’s tariff and trade policies are chaotic and harmful. The Wisconsin Democrat cited an example during a tour of Peck Family Farms in Chippewa Falls on Wednesday, noting that the president said he was going to impose a 50% tariff on the European Union only to back off days later and defer them by more than a month. Baldwin said the authority to implement trade policy lies with Congress, not the executive. She said it’s her impression that Trump is talking about “handshake agreements.” Baldwin said Trump’s chaotic trade war with China, Mexico and Canada – the nation’s three largest trade partners – makes it harder for Wisconsin farmers and producers to plan for the future.
Johnson digs in his heels on Big Beautiful Bill (MILWAUKEE)
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson says the House passed Big Beautiful Bill budget reconciliation contains unacceptable spending, and he’ll continue to dig his heels in to oppose it. During an appearance at the Milwaukee Press Club on Wednesday, the Wisconsin Republican said he’ll put pressure on House and Senate leadership and President Trump ” to get serious about reducing spending because you don’t defeat the deep state deep state by continuing to fund it at President Biden’s levels.” Johnson said he doesn’t talk about cuts, but about returning to “reasonable pre-pandemic levels” of baseline spending using the same expenditures that President’s Clinton, Obama and Trump in his first term laid out. He said “that’s just returning to a reasonable spending level.” Johnson and fellow Republicans Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are opposed to the House bill, and Johnson said he believes more Republican Senators are opposed as well.
Get ready for the hot weather this summer (UNDATED)
As warmer weather approaches, make sure to pay close attention to the health of you and your loved ones. The Department of Health Services is urging you to be aware of the heat this summer and know the signs of exhaustion or heat stroke. Those include confusion, rapid breathing and heartbeat, body temperature above 104 degrees, or nausea and vomiting. You can beat the heat by remaining inside air-conditioned buildings during the hottest part of the day and drinking plenty of fluids. And never leave a child or pet unattended inside a car. More than 668 Wisconsinites visited emergency rooms for heat-related illnesses last year. More tips can be found on the DHS website.
Elkhorn woman sentenced for crash that killed four (ROCK COUNTY)
Prison time for a woman who had THC in her system at the time of a Rock County crash that killed four people. A Rock County judge on Tuesday sentenced 25-year-old Lexus Boedecker to 16 years in prison and four years extended supervision. Boedecker pleaded guilty in February to four counts of homicide by vehicle – use of a controlled substance. She was driving a group home vehicle in April of last year when she went through a stop sign. The resulting crash involved an SUV and a semi-truck and killed the four passengers in Boedecker’s vehicle, all adults with cognitive disabilities who were not wearing seatbelts. Along with having THC in her system at the time of the crash, Boedecker was 23 weeks pregnant and was not authorized to drive the vehicle.
6-year-old shoots self in head (MADISON)
Madison Police say a 6-year-old accidentally shot himself. The child is in serious condition from the Monday incident at Harmony Apartments on the city’s east side. Madison police say the boy allegedly got hold of a holstered, but unsecured handgun and shot himself in the head. Police arrested the boy’s caregiver, who was also the gun owner, on recklessly endangering safety, felony neglect, and negligent handling of a weapon charges. Harmony Apartments, the site of two gun deaths in 2023, was declared a nuisance property before new owners took over the complex.
Wake boat owners sue NW Wisconsin town over ban (TOWN OF SCOTT)
A group of wake boat owners sues a northwest Wisconsin town over its ban on the activity. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports plaintiffs from Texas and Florida claim the Burnett County Town of Scott is depriving them of use of their wake boats by not allowing their use on four lakes with the majority of their shoreline within the town. The wake boat owners have property on one of those lakes. It’s the first challenge against local wake boating ordinances in Wisconsin, which have been enacted after repeated attempts to regulate them failed at the Capitol. Wake boats carry powerful motors and ballast tanks, producing waves large enough to allow a surfer to follow behind without a tow rope. Critics say the heavy waves damage shorelines and lake bottoms.
Cellcom provides service update (GREEN BAY)
The latest update from Cellcom says service is slowly returning to normal. The Green Bay based regional carrier says voice and data service is “performing well” for most customers though they are still working to stabilize the network following a cyber incident, which began on May 14th and led to a widespread outage that took down service for nearly all customers for more than a week. Customers may still see occasional outages as the network continues to recover, and anyone who is still experiencing lengthy outages should restart their devices before calling customer service. Optional tag: Customers who stayed with Cellcom through the outage will receive a bill credit.