State of the Tribes Address is Tuesday (MADISON)
The annual State of the Tribes Address is today at the Capitol. The Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council selects a tribal leader to deliver the annual address on behalf of Wisconsin’s 11 federally recognized tribes. St. Croix Chippewa Tribal Chair Thomas Fowler will deliver the 21st annual address to a joint session of the Wisconsin Legislature and other elected officials in the Assembly chambers beginning at 11:00 AM Tuesday. The Assembly is also scheduled to vote on legislation relating to tribal members attending K-12 schools in Wisconsin. One bill requires districts to report information on Native American students, another allows Native students to wear tribal regalia at graduation ceremonies or other school sponsored events.
Alleged congressional office arsonist seeks incompetence plea (FOND DU LAC)
A man accused of setting a fire at a Wisconsin congressman’s office will receive a psychiatric evaluation. 19-year-old Caiden Stachowicz is pleading not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect on arson and attempted burglary charges. Police say Stachowicz ignited the outside of Congressman Glenn Grothman’s Fond du Lac office in January because he was upset about a pending ban on social media platform TikTok. A Fond du Lac County judge ordered Stachowitz be evaluated before his next court date in May. No trial dates have been set.
Musk sets Ashland BIA office for closure (ASHLAND)
Elon Musk wants to close a Wisconsin branch of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency announced plans earlier this month to close federal offices across the country. That now includes the BIA office in Ashland. FOX 11 Green Bay reports the Ashland lease is set to be terminated at the end of August. The office employs 40 people working with Wisconsin’s 11 federally recognized tribes on issues including real estate management and law enforcement support. Tribal leaders say the proposed closure creates more uncertainty for people seeking to communicate with BIA and could force them to travel further to receive services. The Ashland office is one of 200 BIA locations nationwide slated for closure.
UW under investigation by Dept. of Education (MADISON)
A Friday memo from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights says UW – Madison is being investigated for its ties to a group called “The Ph.D. Project”, a non-profit that helps students from underrepresented groups obtain degrees in business. In the memo, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon says students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. A spokesperson said Monday that the UW hasn’t been formally notified of a complaint related to the Ph.D. Project, but will cooperate with any investigation.
State Senate takes up DPI standards bill (MADISON)
The Republican authored bill would revert the state’s testing standards to what they were in 2019-2020, undoing changes made by the Department of Public Instruction last year. It would also align grades 3-8 with national standards and restore high school testing standards to levels set in the 2021-22 school year. Supporters of the legislation say the changes made by DPI mask poor performance. Current State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly has defended the changes, saying standards weren’t lowered and that the changes were made through a transparent process with input from educators. Underly is up for reelection and faces education consultant Brittany Kinser in the April 1st election.