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Groups Say Walker Is Shortchanging Expansion Of Medicaid

December 14, 2012 - 12:35pm

Health care advocacy groups say the Walker administration is downplaying the financial benefits of the Affordable Care Act as the Governor decides whether to expand Medicaid in Wisconsin.

In testimony to a Republican-led Congressional committee yesterday, Health Services Secretary Dennis Smith said that the costs of the federal health care law...

Wisconsin Health Secretary Says Health Reform Comes With High Costs, Uncertainty

December 14, 2012 - 12:31pm

Wisconsin's Health Services Secretary has testified that the new federal health care law will cost the state money but that there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding how new program will work.

Secretary Dennis Smith told a congressional submittee Thursday that expanding Medicaid will cost the state because the federal government isn't...

Archdiocese Bankruptcy Case Nears Two-Year Mark

December 14, 2012 - 12:27pm

Clergy abuse victims say they're frustrated that the Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese keeps trying to get people thrown out of the church's bankruptcy case. The case started almost two years ago.

Archdiocese lawyers argued in court Thursday that about a half-dozen clergy abuse victims should be tossed from the bankruptcy case, mainly...

More Police Departments Paying Into State Pension Fund

December 14, 2012 - 12:18pm

More police departments in Wisconsin are paying into the state's pension system, even though they're not required to under Act 10.

Unions representing Eau Claire police officers and supervisors have agreed to pay 100% of the employee contribution to the Wisconsin Retirement System, even though state law doesn't require it....

Ski Resorts Report Increase In Ticket Sales

December 14, 2012 - 12:15pm

Much of Wisconsin has gotten only a little snow this season, but downhill ski resorts in the state are selling more season lift tickets than they did last year at this time.

Vicki Baumann is the general manger at Granite Peak Ski Resort at Rib Mountain State Park in Wausau. She...

Night Deer Hunt Ruling Could Come Next Week

December 13, 2012 - 5:30pm

There's no final decision yet in the legal dispute over whether Chippewa tribal members can legally hunt deer at night in the ceded territory. Federal Judge Barbara Crabb could issue a ruling in the case early next week.

Testimony in the federal court hearing in Madison today focused on the state's...

Kohl Delivers Final Senate Speech

December 13, 2012 - 5:11pm

Outgoing Wisconsin US Senator Herb Kohl thanked his colleagues, his staff and his constituents during a farewell speech on the Senate floor this morning.

Kohl thanked the people of Wisconsin for taking a chance on him in his first election 24 years ago and re-electing him three more times.

"Thank you...

Bugle Alert: More Elk May Be Headed To Wisconsin

December 13, 2012 - 5:08pm

Within two years, more elk could be brought to the Clam Lake area, and a small elk herd would be started near Black River Falls. Those are a couple of possibilities under a management plan approved by the DNR Board.

There are currently about 150 elk near Clam Lake. The revised...

Smith Critical Of Affordable Care Act Costs

December 13, 2012 - 5:03pm

Governor Scott Walker's Health Services Secretary will tell a Republican-led Congressional committee Thursday that the Affordable Care Act will drive up costs for Wisconsin. But, he won't put a number to it.

For the first few years that it's on the books, the federal health care law will reimburse states for...

Walker Says He Won't Sign End To Same-Day Registration

December 13, 2012 - 4:43pm

Governor Scott Walker says he won't sign a bill that would end Election Day voter registration in Wisconsin, saying it would cost the state too much money.

Walker initially raised the prospect of ending same day registration when speaking to a Republican audience in California several weeks back. But after...

Sewer Overflows To Eventually Shrink?

December 13, 2012 - 4:32pm

The DNR Board has passed a rule that department staff say will eventually lead to cleaner lakes and rivers.

State and federal laws already ban most sanitary sewage overflows into lakes and rivers. But some exceptions are allowed. The rule passed by the DNR Board Wednesday will make communities that own...

Night Deer Hunting Hearing Continues

December 13, 2012 - 4:28pm

A federal court hearing about the right of Chippewa tribal hunters to hunt deer at night continues today. At issue is whether new tribal regulations include enough safety precautions, and whether the tribes have the right to enact the rules without consulting state wildlife officials.

The Great Lakes Indian Fish and...

Dairy Industry Facing Its Own "Cliff"

December 13, 2012 - 4:01pm

The dairy industry could be in for a rough ride if Congress fails to pass a new Farm Bill by the end of the year. Milk prices could skyrocket.

Forget a "fiscal cliff": The nation could be on the verge of a "dairy cliff." Without a Farm Bill of some...

Another Small Community’s Music Ordinance Ruled Unconstitutional

December 13, 2012 - 3:58pm

Another ordinance that curtailed live music in a small town has been ruled unconstitutional by a federal court judge. Now, the court is considering what damages to award to the club owner.

Last week a judge awarded a Hayward nightclub operator $628,000 after overturning a music ordinance that stopped live music...

DNR Closes Enforcement Conferences To Public

December 13, 2012 - 11:58am

The DNR says it's shutting out the public and the media from the agency's enforcement conferences with alleged polluters.

After the DNR issues a notice of violation in a pollution case, the department schedules a meeting with the alleged violator. At the enforcement conference, the company is allowed to present any...

Tribes Argue Night-Hunting Of Deer Is Safe

December 12, 2012 - 1:55pm

A federal judge is hearing arguments in the dispute over whether Wisconsin's Indian tribes can legally hunt deer at night in the ceded territory.

A group of tribes organized under the umbrella of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission recently amended their hunting rule to allow for the spotlighting...

Ending Same-Day Registration Would Cost Millions

December 12, 2012 - 1:36pm

A report from the state's elections agency says ending same-day registration would cost the state more than $5 million the first year. The memo comes as majority Republicans are weighing an end to the decades-old law.

The Government Accountability Board memo notes that if Election Day registration is eliminated in Wisconsin,...

Wisconsin's Hate Crimes Decline

December 12, 2012 - 1:32pm

The number of hate crimes reported in Wisconsin is down according to the latest report from the FBI. But one expert cautions that the numbers don't necessarily represent a trend one way or the other.

The FBI report covers hate crimes reported in 2011 and shows Wisconsin with a total of...

Musician Wins Settlement Over Hayward's Live Music Restrictions

December 12, 2012 - 1:09pm

A far northern Wisconsin town will have to pay more than $600,000 to a former club owner who challenged the local music ordinance as being unconstitutional.

Molly Otis's Pavilion Wine Bar was raided by Hayward police in 2007 because they were playing live music after 10 p.m. Last January, a...

Wisconsin's Health Insurance Costs Continue Climbing

December 12, 2012 - 12:43pm

A new report says the cost of health insurance coverage in Wisconsin has continued to rise in the past decade.

Health insurance premiums have increased 62-percent for the average Wisconsin family since 2003 according to the Common Wealth Fund, a non-profit dedicated to improving access to health care. That...

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Groups Say Walker Is Shortchanging Expansion Of Medicaid

Wisconsin Health Secretary Says Health Reform Comes With High Costs, Uncertainty

Archdiocese Bankruptcy Case Nears Two-Year Mark

More Police Departments Paying Into State Pension Fund

Ski Resorts Report Increase In Ticket Sales

Night Deer Hunt Ruling Could Come Next Week

Kohl Delivers Final Senate Speech

Bugle Alert: More Elk May Be Headed To Wisconsin

Smith Critical Of Affordable Care Act Costs

Walker Says He Won't Sign End To Same-Day Registration

Sewer Overflows To Eventually Shrink?

Night Deer Hunting Hearing Continues

Dairy Industry Facing Its Own "Cliff"

Another Small Community’s Music Ordinance Ruled Unconstitutional

DNR Closes Enforcement Conferences To Public

Tribes Argue Night-Hunting Of Deer Is Safe

Ending Same-Day Registration Would Cost Millions

Wisconsin's Hate Crimes Decline

Musician Wins Settlement Over Hayward's Live Music Restrictions

Wisconsin's Health Insurance Costs Continue Climbing

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