Appeals Judge Maria Lazar enters state Supreme Court race (WAUKESHA)
A second judge enters the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court. Conservative Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar announced her candidacy on Wednesday in a four-minute-long video, in which she said “we need to draw a line in the sand and stop the destruction of our courts, especially our state Supreme Court.” The only other announced candidate for the open Supreme Court seat is liberal Appeals Judge and former Democratic state lawmaker Chris Taylor, who Lazar referred to but did not name. Voters go to the polls next April to elect a successor to Justice Rebecca Bradley, who decided against seeking another 10-year term. The court currently has a 4-3 liberal majority.
MU Poll finds partisan divide over political violence (MILWAUKEE)
Concerning poll findings regarding political violence in the U.S. A new Marquette Law School national poll finds Americans deeply divided over political violence. The poll taken after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk did show 58% of respondents saying it is always unacceptable to be happy about the death of someone they oppose; and 89% saying political violence is always unjustified. But the poll showed partisan divides. Among Republicans, 57% say left-wing violence is the bigger problem, while 50% of Democrats see right-wing violence as the bigger problem.
Democrats propose Abortion Accessibility Act (MADISON)
Democratic state lawmakers are proposing an Abortion Accessibility Act, following Planned Parenthood’s pause on providing abortion services in Wisconsin. Representative Lisa Subeck of Madison says the bill would remove various restrictions, but does not change the Planned Parenthood situation. She said the medically unnecessary restrictions put in place by Republicans mean that many providers are either unable or unwilling to provide abortions.
Subeck announced the bill Wednesday along with State Senator Kelda Roys of Madison.
Shutdown to impact 18,000 federal employees in Wisconsin (WASHINGTON)
A partial government shutdown means uncertainty for federal employees in Wisconsin. There are some 18,000 civilian federal workers in the state. The partial shutdown went into effect just after midnight, the first since 2018, meaning hundreds of thousands of what are deemed nonessential federal workers across the nation will be without pay, possibly for weeks. In addition, President Donald Trump has suggested using the shutdown to facilitate permanent firings. Essential services including Social Security and the US Postal Service won’t be impacted, but federal grant funding to various state agencies could be.
Board suspends veterinarian’s license (MADISON)
Action taken against a lead veterinarian at a southern Wisconsin dog breeding facility. The Veterinary Examining Board of the Wisconsin Department of Ag, Trade and Cosumer Protection took a unanimous vote Tuesday to suspend the license of Doctor Richard Van Domelen. Van Domelen was previously allowed to keep practicing under certain conditions but the board held an emergency vote to suspend him after a surprise inspection found issues with record keeping. The breeding facility, Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, has been under scrutiny for years on allegations of mistreatment of animals.
Ascension, UnitedHealthcare fail to broker new contract (UNDATED)
People who get their medical insurance with UnitedHealthcare will no longer be able to get treatment at Ascension Wisconsin hospitals. A contract between the two companies expired October 1st after United and Ascension were unable to come to terms on a new contract. Ascension said UnitedHealthcare’s offer wasn’t enough to cover increasing costs of health care and that the insurer was trying to profit off services Ascension was providing, while UnitedHealthcare said it was offering a “market-competitive rate” to the hospital network.
WI Soybean Association urging action on tariffs as farmer search for soybean buyers (UNDATED)
Wisconsin soybean farmers are struggling to find buyers as tariffs with China continue to stymie the market. A statement from the non-partisan Wisconsin Soybean Association says the organization is extremely concerned for the state’s farm economy after President Trump declared the U.S. trade deficit a national emergency and slapped tariffs on many of the US’s largest trading partners. Wisconsin farmers typically grow around 1 point 3 billion dollars worth of soybeans a year, with two thirds of that exported. China has refused to buy any U S grown soybeans this year due to the tariffs. A similar situation arose during Trump’s first term when a looming trade war with China cost the agricultural industry 27 billion dollars in losses. The American Soybean Association is urging the President to work out a deal with China before farmers again see major losses.
WI DNR cites former Wausau Paper mill in Rhinelander as source for massive PFAS contamination (UNDATED)
A new report from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources cites a northern Wisconsin papermill as being responsible for extensive PFAS contamination in Oneida County. The agency is completing an investigation into the contamination in Stella and Starks, just east of Rhinelander, to see if it qualifies as an E P A Superfund site. Officials say waste from the Rhinelander papermill, now owned by Ahlstrom and formerly owned by Wausau Paper, is to blame. The D N R says Wausau Paper spread waste from making microwave popcorn bags on fields in Starks going back to 1996. The agency is calling on Ahlstrom and Wausau Paper’s current company Essity to submit documentation on how to remediate the area. Testing of wells in the affected area found PFAs levels thousands of times higher than federal drinking water standards.