Republican lawmakers take another shot at legalizing medical marijuana (MADISON)
At the Capital, a group of Republican lawmakers are once again trying to pass a medical marijuana bill. Wausau assemblyman Pat Snyder says it’s important to get people talking about the issue, despite the fact that the bill has never made it to the floor for a vote. He says people who need alternatives to harder medications for pain relief and cancer recovery deserve a hearing on medical use. Snyder, alongside Senators Mary Felzkowski and Pat Testin, have altered last year’s attempt by removing state based dispensaries and leaving sales to private businesses.
Madison priest stands mute on child sex charges (WAUPACA)
A Madison-area priest accused of child sex crimes stood mute in Waupaca County court Tuesday. 37-year-old Andrew Showers had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on charges of attempted child enticement, and attempted second degree sexual assault of a child. Showers is accused of driving to Clintonville to meet up with a 14-year-old girl for sex, but that girl was in fact an undercover police officer. Showers had been serving at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Madison, but has since been barred from all church ministries by the Diocese of Madison.
Fox 6: Paper company that took jobs grants closing facility (RANDOM LAKE)
A business that took job creation grants from Wisconsin is closing down a plant in Sheboygan County. Fox 6 reports that Minnesota based paper printing company Sheridan will close its Random Lake facility, putting 104 workers out of a job by February. Sheridan recently was awarded a nearly 300-thousand dollar grant from the Department of Workforce Development to hire unemployed workers and give raises to employees. It’s unclear if this closure violates the grant, because Sheridan still operates a plant in Stevens Point at what used to be Worzolla Printing. So far Sheridan has received about 61-thousand dollars, and state officials tell Fox 6 they’re investigating the situation, calling it unprecedented.
Wisconsin nuclear plant receives license renewal (MANITOWOC COUNTY)
Wisconsin’s sole nuclear power plant secures federal approval to continue operating for years to come. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved subsequent license renewal for Point Beach Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 2, extending operations through 2050 and 2053, respectively. The approval ensures Wisconsin’s only remaining nuclear plant will continue to generate power for the next three decades. The plant is operated by Nextera Energy on a 1200 acre site along the Lake Michigan shore about ten miles north of Two Rivers. Point Beach supplies approximately 14% of Wisconsin’s total electricity and has been operating for more than 50 years. Unit 1 went online in 1970, Unit 2 in 1973.
Report details alcohol-induced deaths in Wisconsin (MADISON)
A new report finds alcohol induced deaths in Wisconsin declined since increasing during the COVID pandemic. The Wisconsin Policy Forum report examined deaths defined by the Centers for Disease Control as “alcohol-induced” — directly attributable to excessive drinking such as alcohol poisoning and certain liver, neurological, digestive, or other diseases. That excludes many deaths to which alcohol use may have contributed, like motor vehicle crashes, falls, cancers, suicide, or violence. Wisconsin recorded 1,076 alcohol-induced deaths in 2024 according to provisional CDC data, for a mortality rate was 18.2 per 100,000 residents. That’s down from the pandemic but well above levels dating back to 1999. In addition, Wisconsin’s rate of alcohol-induced deaths has risen well above the national average. And the rate of alcohol-induced deaths among Black Wisconsinites that far exceeds that for all Black Americans.
Five Wisconsin locations among close Starbucks (UNDATED)
Your favorite Starbucks location may have closed. Starbucks has closed about 1% of its company-operated North America stores as part of a $1 billion restructuring plan, and at least five are in Wisconsin, in Ashwaubenon, Rothschild, Fox Point, Wauwatosa and Madison. Starbucks did not provide a list of closings but it’s estimated “about 1%” is approximately 430 to 520 stores. That means there are still plenty of locations to purchase your favorite brew. In Madison, there are 20 – including one that opened just over a year ago on the site of a former Arby’s restaurant on the south side.
Lucky kitten saved from cars engine at FVTC (APPLETON)
A very lucky kitten is getting adopted after being found inside the hood of a car at Fox Valley Technical College. Campus security reports the kitten was first spotted inside the engine compartment of an employee’s vehicle while he was driving to campus. He quickly contacted campus safety, who were able to catch the kitten after it scampered inside a second vehicle. The owner of that vehicle, a student in the college’s bakery program, adopted the little kitten on the spot following the rescue, naming her Pumpernickel. It can be common to find wild kittens in strange places this time of year, after they leave their mothers following the usual surge of spring and summer births.