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Business groups sue to block Port Washington residents from interfering with TIDs

4 February 2026 at 20:00

Business groups are suing the city of Port Washington, challenging the legality of a proposed ordinance that would give residents more power over local development incentives.

The post Business groups sue to block Port Washington residents from interfering with TIDs appeared first on WPR.

WisconsinEye resumes coverage at the State Capitol

3 February 2026 at 16:00
Several microphones on stands are next to a wooden podium, with logos on the microphones reading “WIS EYE,” “SPECTRUM NEWS 1” and “27 WKOW”
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Wisconsin’s version of C-SPAN is back online after going dark for about seven weeks due to a lack of funding.

In a vote tallied Monday, a state Legislature committee unanimously approved funding to the nonprofit public affairs network. 

WisconsinEye’s website was back up Monday morning, including its archive of old videos of hearings and legislative sessions. The nonprofit also livestreamed a press conference in the Capitol Monday and has plans to broadcast legislative activity Tuesday.

It comes after the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Legislative Organization voted 10-0 to approve $50,000 to WisconsinEye for operations costs to resume broadcasting for the Legislature for February. 

Those costs will be divided equally between the Senate and Assembly. The full Legislature does not need to vote on the funding.

WisEye went offline on Dec. 15. At the time, the network said it needed “consistent annual funding” to ensure the public doesn’t “lose the only reliable and proven source of unfiltered State Capitol news and state government proceedings.” In November, the network said it needed $887,000 in donations to cover its operation budget for one year.

During WisconsinEye’s absence, Republican state lawmakers enforced rules banning members of the public who are not credentialed media from recording legislative hearings inside the State Capitol. 

In late January, leaders from both political parties announced they reached a deal to fund the public affairs network.

WisEye has created a GoFundMe with the goal of raising $250,000, or three months of its operating budget. As of Monday morning, the campaign had raised more than $56,000.

WisconsinEye CEO Jon Henkes did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday. He had previously asked the Legislature and governor to remove a matching provision for roughly $10 million in state funding for the network that was included in the most recent state budget.

While WisEye may still face long-term funding challenges, Bill Lueders, president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, said it’s good news for Wisconsinites that the network is broadcasting again.

In addition to providing live coverage of legislative meetings for residents who can’t make it to Madison, Lueders said WisEye’s archive of past meetings is important for historical purposes because it provides a record of the debates and discussions that took place in state government.

“WisconsinEye has long been a tremendously important resource for Wisconsin and advances the cause of transparency in government by letting people see the process of laws being made,” he said. “It was a very sad thing that it was forced to go offline for about six weeks or so. I’m glad that they found a way to bring it back.”

This story was originally published by WPR.

WisconsinEye resumes coverage at the State Capitol is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Federal court ruling helps Wisconsin preserve $62M in federal EV funding

30 January 2026 at 11:00

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul announced that a multi-state coalition secured a victory against the administration’s efforts to block billions of dollars in funds for electric vehicle charging stations.

The post Federal court ruling helps Wisconsin preserve $62M in federal EV funding appeared first on WPR.

PSC analysts, groups say We Energies’ proposed data center rates pose risks to customers

29 January 2026 at 11:00

Analysts for state utility regulators and interest groups say a proposal from We Energies for special electric rates charged to data centers could pose risks for other customers’ utility bills.

The post PSC analysts, groups say We Energies’ proposed data center rates pose risks to customers appeared first on WPR.

Muskego man fights court case over writing ‘Jan. 6’ on sidewalk with chalk

26 January 2026 at 11:00

Jim Brownlow wrote "Jan. 6" on the sidewalk outside of of his local post office on the anniversary of the attack in 2025. A month later, police showed up to arrest him for criminal damage to property. He's still fighting the case in Muskego Municipal Court.

The post Muskego man fights court case over writing ‘Jan. 6’ on sidewalk with chalk appeared first on WPR.

UW-Stout engineering students design pallet stacker for Ashley Furniture

23 January 2026 at 11:00

A group of senior engineering students at the University of Wisconsin-Stout developed a custom pallet stacker for Wisconsin-based Ashley Furniture as part of a capstone project last year.

The post UW-Stout engineering students design pallet stacker for Ashley Furniture appeared first on WPR.

Data centers could cost Wisconsin’s energy system billions, increase reliance on fossil fuels

22 January 2026 at 11:00

Spiking energy demand driven by data center development could lead to between $113 billion and $130 billion in total electricity system costs for Wisconsin by 2050, while increasing the state’s reliance on fossil fuels.

The post Data centers could cost Wisconsin’s energy system billions, increase reliance on fossil fuels appeared first on WPR.

Trump campaigned on lowering prices, but many Wisconsinites still feel pinched

22 January 2026 at 11:00

In his 2024 campaign to return to the White House, Donald Trump stood in front of a crowd in Green Bay in October wearing a bright orange work vest, pledging that if he won the presidency again, he would reduce prices and end inflation. But more than a year later, some Wisconsin consumers say that relief hasn’t materialized.

The post Trump campaigned on lowering prices, but many Wisconsinites still feel pinched appeared first on WPR.

Midwest grid operator selects out of state firms to build Wisconsin transmission projects

15 January 2026 at 11:00

The Midwest electric grid operator selected a pair of out of state companies to build two major transmission line projects in Wisconsin.

The post Midwest grid operator selects out of state firms to build Wisconsin transmission projects appeared first on WPR.

Children’s Wisconsin, UW Health stop providing gender-affirming treatments for minors

12 January 2026 at 23:42

Children’s Wisconsin and UW Health have stopped providing gender-affirming care treatments to minors, citing recent federal policy changes.

The post Children’s Wisconsin, UW Health stop providing gender-affirming treatments for minors appeared first on WPR.

The NFL’s oldest rivalry is set for its most consequential matchup in over a decade

9 January 2026 at 20:20

The Green Bay Packers will go on the road to take on the Chicago Bears in the NFL Playoffs for just the third time in the century-old rivalry.

The post The NFL’s oldest rivalry is set for its most consequential matchup in over a decade appeared first on WPR.

Mysterious land offers in rural Brown County raise concerns about possible data center

9 January 2026 at 11:00

A community in rural Brown County is raising the alarm on a possible data center development after several people received offers to purchase their property from a local realtor on behalf of a Delaware-based limited liability company.

The post Mysterious land offers in rural Brown County raise concerns about possible data center appeared first on WPR.

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