Dane County judge keeps GOP state senate candidate on ballot (MADISON)
A Dane County judge declines to take a Wisconsin state senate candidate off the November ballot. Judge Jacob Frost on Thursday ruled there was not enough evidence to prove that Eau Claire County Board member Michele Magadance Skinner was not a Wisconsin resident. The State Senate Democratic Committee challenged the Republican’s residency after voting records showed Skinner had voted in both Wisconsin and Georgia in 2021. Skinner said she had been bouncing between Wisconsin and Georgia at the time, trying to decide which place she would ride out the COVID pandemic. The ruling keeps Skinner on the general election in November. If she had been removed, Republicans would have had to scramble to replace her by next Tuesday.
Janesville packaging plant fined $350,000 for fatal explosions (JANESVILLE)
A Janesville food packaging plant is fined for two explosions which killed and injured workers. The Operational Safety and Health Administration cited Naturpak for multiple violations in connection with the February and March explosions that killed three people and seriously injured two more. In both incidents industrial steam kettles used to prepare food for packaging failed, scalding workers. The penalties total over 350-thousand dollars. Naturpak now has 15 days to respond to the citations.
National Guard finishes recovery assistance in Fox Valley (MENASHA)
The Wisconsin National Guard is wrapping up disaster recovery service in the Fox Valley. Governor Tony Evers deployed the Guard to the Menasha and Appleton area after last month’s tornado devastated the area. Guard personnel have been on site for just over two weeks, helping with traffic control, security and debris collection. In total 85 soldiers assisted in recovery efforts.
UW-Madison still high in the rankings for party schools, says USA Today (UNDATED)
The latest party school rankings are out. UW Madison is one of the top 25 party schools in the nation according to USA Today. UW Madison is in the 5th spot, behind Georgia, Florida State, Alabama and number 1 Tulane. USA TODAY ranked the top party schools by averaging the results of seven different online lists, including The Wall Street Journal. Penn State comes in at number 9 while Indiana ranks 13th. Elsewhere in the midwest, the University of Illinois is 18th, Michigan State is 20th, Iowa is 21st and The Ohio State University just makes the cut in the number 25 spot.