Baldwin & Johnson split on Iran war funding vote (WASHINGTON)
Wisconsin’s U.S. Senators split on a procedural vote on a bipartisan resolution to block the Trump administration from continued hostilities against Iran. Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked an effort by Kentucky Republican Rand Paul and Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine to force action on the measure. The vote to advance the resolution failed 47-53 with Madison Democrat Tammy Baldwin voting to move it forward, and Oshkosh Republican Ron Johnson joining all Republicans expect Paul to block it. Baldwin in a floor speech Monday called the war, which has led to the death of six American servicemembers in Kuwait, “reckless and illegal.” In an interview on Newsmax, Johnson said “there’s no way we can have 535 commanders in chief,” referring to House and Senate efforts to invoke a provision of the 1973 War Powers Act. The US House had a vote on war funding scheduled for Thursday.
Seven year prison term for man who set fire to Grothman office (FOND DU LAC)
A man who set fire to Congressman Glenn Grothman’s Fond du Lac office is sentenced to prison. Twenty-year-old Caiden Stachowicz read a statement prior to being sentenced Thursday. Stachowicz, who was angry over the Wisconsin Republican’s vote in support of a TikTok ban, said he was suicidal and planned on dying when he set the fire. Stachowicz who previously pleaded no contest to arson for the January 2025 fire, said he wants to turn his life around. He’ll have time to do that during his seven-year prison term. Stachowicz was also sentenced to seven years extended supervision.
Wisconsin joins lawsuit against Trump administration over newest tariffs (MADISON)
Wisconsin is joining more than 20 states in a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s newest round of global tariffs. Attorney General Josh Kaul says the tariffs are driving up costs for families, and he hopes this case moves faster than the one the U.S. Supreme Court struck down last month. Kaul says despite that ruling, the president quickly imposed a new set of tariffs—tariffs he argues the president doesn’t have the authority to enact. The coalition of states includes Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. The suit aims to block the tariffs and provide what Kaul calls “real relief” for consumers in Wisconsin.
No Wisconsin cheeses crack top-20 at World Championship Cheese Contest (MADISON)
Wisconsin cheese fans will have to wait at least two more years for another shot at the world title. The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association reports no cheeses from the state cracked the top twenty in this year’s World Championship Cheese Contest. Seven of the finalists come from Switzerland, including a Gruyere by three‑time champion Michael Spycher, who’s back again with a nearly perfect score. Two U.S. cheeses made the final cut: Beecher’s Flagship Reserve cheddar from Seattle, and Suncatcher— a washed‑rind hard cheese from Jasper Hill Creamery in Vermont.
WI’s high school graduation rate climbs again (UNDATED)
Wisconsin’s high school graduation rate has climbed again. New data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction shows 92 percent of high school students graduated on time in the 2024–25 school year, the highest since the state began using the four‑year adjusted cohort in 2010. Overall attendance rose to 92.6 percent, while chronic absenteeism fell to 17.3 percent, both better than last year. The information is part of new data released Thursday on the DPI’s WISEdash Public Portal, which includes multi‑year enrollment, graduation, and attendance trends for every public school district in Wisconsin.
Charges filed against wife in NW Wisconsin death (LADYSMITH)
Charges are filed in a man’s death in northwest Wisconsin. Bond is set at $25,000 cash for 55-year-old Elizabeth DuSell, who was formally charged with felony hiding a corpse on Wednesday in Rusk County Court. Elizabeth was married to 56-year-old Terry DuSell whose body was found Tuesday. Court records allege she and another man were having an affair, and the man allegedly told police he shot Terry in the head with Terry’s own handgun. He has not been formally charged but is being held on an unrelated probation hold.
WI DNR warns of unstable ice (UNDATED)
The Department of Natural Resources reminds you now’s the time to start moving equipment and shacks off the lake. As temperatures start to go above freezing and ice becomes unstable, the D N R reminds anglers and sportsmen that leaving vehicles and ice shanties on the lake could risk them falling into the water. Wardens say you should always be wearing a life jacket while on the ice at this time of year, to bring a cell phone with you in case of emergency, and to make sure someone knows where you’re going and when to expect you back.