A small plane crash in central Illinois killed four people from Menomonie, the Coles County coroner confirmed.
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Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler said he is not running for a fourth term on Thursday. Wikler speaks at a climate rally outside of Sen. Ron Johnson's Madison office on June 8, 2021. (Henry Redman | Wisconsin Examiner)
Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler, who is credited for rebuilding the state party over the last six years, announced Thursday that he will not run for another term in the leadership position, saying it is time for him to “pass the torch” and find a new way to contribute to the “fight.”
The announcement comes a little over a week after a crucial Wisconsin Supreme Court election where the party’s preferred candidate, Justice-elect Susan Crawford, prevailed over Waukesha Judge Brad Schimel, who had the backing of Republicans and billionaire Elon Musk.
Wikler said that the party is in “extraordinarily strong shape” with a liberal majority on the state Supreme Court for at least the next two years and Democrats in the position to potentially win a both houses of the Legislature and retain the governor’s office in 2026.
“Now is the right time for me to take a breath, and to find new ways to advance the fight for a country that works for working people, and one that honors every person’s fundamental freedom and dignity,” Wikler wrote in a letter. “When my third term as chair ends this June, I will be passing the torch.”
Wikler said he would be taking some time to “figure out what’s next” and to spend time with his family.
The prospect of Wikler stepping down was broached earlier this year as he ran for Democratic National Committee chair. But he lost the race to Ken Martin, who was serving at the time as the Minnesota DFL Party chair.
Wikler, who grew up in Wisconsin, moved back to the state in 2018 and started volunteering on campaigns. He was elected to be chair in 2019 in a moment where Democrats hadn’t had consistent success in the state for many years, but had just elected Gov. Tony Evers, putting a Democrat in the governor’s mansion for the first time in eight years.
Under his leadership, Democrats reelected Evers in 2022 by a bigger margin of votes than his first term, clawed back seats in the state Legislature under new legislative maps and flipped control of the state Supreme Court.
In his letter, Wikler noted that the statewide races the Democrats have lost have been “agonizingly close.” This includes former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes’ loss by one percentage point to U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in 2022 and former Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss in Wisconsin by less than 30,000 votes to President Donald Trump last year.
Wikler also helped grow the state party’s fundraising efforts during his time at the helm, including raising more than $63 million during the 2024 election cycle — the most of any state party across the country.
“This is a wrenching time for our country,” Wikler wrote in his announcement. “But in Wisconsin’s path over the last 15 years, we can see what we need to do to fight through it. It’s on all of us to find ways to contain the damage, look out for one another, and build the strength to end the destruction — and then rebuild. I’ll be looking for new ways to contribute to that vital work. As I do, I know the labor of building a great Democratic Party — the last line of defense of our battered but immeasurably valuable democracy — will continue. We will not let our country fall, and we will continue to write the story of Wisconsin’s resurrection as a bastion of progress.”
Wisconsin Democrats acknowledged Wikler’s impact on the party after his announcement.
Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein said in a statement that “nobody could have dreamed about the lasting, meaningful infrastructure he would go on to build at WisDems.”
“Through innovation, grit, and a ton of hard work, he transformed our State Party into a national powerhouse – with the results to show for it,” Hesselbein said.
During Wikler’s time in office, Wisconsin implemented new legislative maps that have given Democrats a chance to control the Senate and Assembly for the first time in 15 years. “While he won’t be at the helm in 2026 when we flip the Legislature, it will be because of Ben’s efforts that we are able to do so,” Hesselbein said.
The next chair will be chosen at the state party’s convention in June in Wisconsin Dells and will lead the party through a number of crucial elections, including the 2026 gubernatorial election, another round of state legislative elections and another state Supreme Court race. Some Democrats are already throwing their hat into the ring or announcing that they’re considering a run.
Devin Remiker, the former executive director of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, quickly announced his campaign for the top position, saying that “now isn’t the time to hit pause or rebuild, it’s time to fight tooth and nail.” Remiker said in a statement that he is grateful for Wikler’s leadership and that he has learned from him and hopes to build on his legacy.
“I will be ready on Day One to double down on our successes and make needed changes,” Remiker said. “I have the experience working with local party leaders and grassroots activists to provide the partnership they desperately need on the frontlines of this fight.”
Remiker, a Two Rivers native, has worked for the state party since 2018, including as executive director and currently as a senior advisor. He previously managed western Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Ron Kind’s reelection campaign in 2016.
Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki, a Milwaukee native, said in a statement that in conversations about the party’s future he has heard that “Democrats have got to do better when it comes to how we communicate our message.”
“We need more effective communicators, period. I’ve given long, serious thought to how we do that and up our game,” Zepecki said. He said he will spend the next week speaking with party members and leaders “about that vision to see if they’re ready to shake things up.”
Zepecki founded his own company, Zepecki Communications, in 2016, and has worked on three presidential campaigns as well as statewide campaigns for governor and U.S. Senate.
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The acquisition of Trans/Air Manufacturing by Lippert Components brings added resources and technology necessary to both companies at a time when increased U.S. tariffs could impact the global air conditioning supply chain, while also staying true to the 45-year history of the family company.
Those were two the reasons the deal announced March 31 — terms were not disclosed at this report — made sense to Rick Lehnert, Trans/Air’s long-time president and son of co-founder Dick Lehnert. Rick Lehnert went to work for his dad and uncle Ed Lehnert not long after the company opened in 1979, to provide air conditioning for buses and refrigeration for trucks. The company has since developed a full product line of evaporators, compressors, condensers, hoses and fitting systems, electronic controls, and custom-designed drive kits.
Lippert plans to maintain the Trans/Air brand, now known as Trans/Air by Lippert, a company spokeswoman confirmed. Lehnert added he plans to stay on as director of operations for the next three years to ensure a smooth transition.
It is the latest acquisition by Lippert, a subsidiary of LCI Industries, a $4 billion revenue company with 13,000 employees worldwide. The company is known for its diverse manufacturing capabilities for the recreation and transportation markets with shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange with ticker symbol LCII.
But the company also has its roots as a family business. Jason Lippert is president CEO, the grandson of Larry Lippert, who founded the company in 1959. His brothers are Jarrod Lippert, the chief marketing officer, and Jayde Lippert, director of customer care.
That was important to Lehnert, he told School Transportation News. The decision, an emotional one he added, to sell after years of being approached by other interested parties had to be the perfect fit.
“It checked all the boxes for me. It was good for customers, suppliers, employees and the family. They have the resources and technology and the cultural fit,” Lehnert said Wednesday. “I didn’t want to sell to somebody that would just swallow up and slice up the business but somebody that would give us what we needed to fuel the growth and expansion of the business. If you look at the Lippert organization, you can see all the different business units that they have, and some of the products are complimentary. They sell windows to a lot of the bus manufacturers in addition to other bus parts.”
Among the “significant advantages” of becoming a Lippert brand include the company’s extensive manufacturing resources and technological capabilities, Lehnert added. It also has a wide supplier network that provides potential benefits for any supply chain challenges that arise from the \tariffs imposed on imported components.
“They’re unique in that they do import [components] from overseas, as we all do in this global supply chain, but they make a lot. There’s a lot of expertise, systems and processes that they have that will really help Trans/Air [and] boost us,” Lehnert said.
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The post Trans/Air Says Acquisition a Strategic Business, Culture Move for Family-Run Company appeared first on School Transportation News.
If you happen to own a Lucid Air equipped with the optional all-weather floor mats, you might want to brace yourself for some unexpected news. The carmaker is issuing a recall notice, as there’s a chance these floor mats could shift out of position and interfere with the throttle pedal, raising the risk of an accident.
Read: Lucid Tries To Snag Tesla Owners Fed Up With Musk With Up To $4K Off
Sound familiar? It’s eerily reminiscent of Toyota’s infamous floor mat debacle from over a decade ago, where improperly secured mats were blamed for a series of unintended acceleration incidents.
According to Lucid, its Model -00 all-weather floor mats are only secured in place by small nibs on the underside, rather than any proper anchors. This means they’re prone to slipping forward, and this can lead to unintended acceleration. That doesn’t just put occupants inside a Lucid at risk, but could also endanger other road users.
How Did This All Happen?
Lucid first became aware of a potential issue in August last year when a sales associate was driving an Air with the floor mats in Europe suspected the mat had slipped forward and caused the accelerator to stick. The company later became aware of 13 other cases of the floor mats moving, but there were no reports of it interfering with the accelerator.
However, on February 27, 2025, a U.S. customer reported an issue: while accelerating, the throttle pedal didn’t return to its normal position after being released. Lucid determined that the potential for the floor mat to shift and interfere with the pedal posed an unreasonable safety risk.
As a result, the company has stopped selling the problematic all-weather floor mats and now only offers mats that feature holes to attach to anchors in the carpet, as you’ll find in most vehicles.
Owners of Lucid Air models with the affected mats are being instructed to remove them and will receive a full refund for their purchase. If you’re unsure whether your mats are the faulty ones or the newer, anchor-secured type, simply take your vehicle to a Lucid facility for a free inspection.
Kenosha County courthouse. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)
Nearly four years ago, Justin Blake joined a group of peaceful protesters outside the Kenosha County Public Safety Building after learning that the Kenosha officer who shot and paralyzed Blake’s then-29-year-old nephew Jacob — triggering protests and riots in 2020 — was returning to work. At the April 25 2021 protest, Justin Blake was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting/obstructing an officer. A jury found Blake not guilty earlier this week. Now he is seeking justice for the “torture” he allegedly endured at the hands of sheriff’s deputies, as described in an ongoing federal civil rights lawsuit.
“Our big brother and our family were infuriated, and the community at large,” upon hearing that officer Rusten Shensky was back on duty, Blake told Wisconsin Examiner. It was a decision the Kenosha Police Department (KPD) made without informing the family or community, said Blake. “So in order to bring light to this, we elected to protest peacefully.”
Protesters wanted to deliver a letter to local law enforcement leadership asking why Sheskey’s return to work hadn’t been publicized, and questioning why the officer hadn’t been reprimanded for breaking procedure when he shot Jacob Blake in August 2020. Sheskey was responding to a domestic dispute when he shot Blake seven times, as Blake walked away from him and attempted to leave in a vehicle. Blake’s family said he was unarmed, though police claim that a knife was found at the scene. After investigations by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the Kenosha County district attorney declined to file charges against Sheskey. Then-KPD Chief Daniel Miskinis said Sheskey acted “within the law,” that his behavior fell within policy guidelines and that he would not face internal discipline.
Court records show that a detective, sergeant and two sheriff’s deputies were called to testify about Justin Blake’s involvement in the April 2021 protest. Two of those Kenosha County sheriff’s personnel, Detective Allison George and Deputy Kyle Bissonnette, contributed narratives to the civil complaint filed against Blake for disorderly conduct in the Kenosha County Circuit Court. The complaint states that some participants in the protest, which it describes as peaceful, began obstructing access to the Public Safety Building to citizens attempting to report routine crimes or other complaints with the sheriff’s office, so that members of the public needed to be directed to alternative entrances by staff.
Blake and two other protesters were arrested during the protest. During the trial, attorney Kimberly Motley — representing Blake — successfully argued that aspects of the narrative deputies put in the civil complaint against her client did not match video and witness testimony.
According to a federal civil rights complaint filed in the Eastern District of Wisconsin court, Blake was placed in an “emergency restraint chair” after refusing to speak with deputies while he was in custody. The complaint alleges that some of the sheriff’s deputies knew who both Blake and his nephew were. At least eight sheriff’s deputies and one health care worker allegedly wrestled Blake into the chair, where his arms, legs and chest were tightly strapped for nearly seven hours.
“We should not have been detained, arrested. We had broken no laws, we were peacefully protesting,” Blake said. “We utilized the Constitution. We have the right not to talk, not to communicate.”
“This is why it’s so important that this case get more publicity,” Blake told Wisconsin Examiner. “Because they’re challenging people to say that you can’t even protest, not even peacefully. And that’s in the Constitution. So it’s imperative that people stand up and fight.” Blake’s father marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he said, in Selma, Washington, and in Chicago, where Blake is from. “We come from fighters, and by no means are we going to allow them to charge us with any kind of charge and not fight it.”
Blake feels that he and his family attracted the ire of law enforcement because they refuse to be silent. Over dozens of protests, rallies and marches, and hours spent contacting local elected officials, and building alliances with community activists, Blake said the attitude of law enforcement became clear. “They despised us,” said Blake, “and they wanted to put us in our place. And we believe that’s what this was about.” The Kenosha County Sheriff has yet to respond to a request for comment for this story at the time of publication.
Blake told Wisconsin Examiner that his family’s activism will continue, since few changes have been made in the Kenosha area since the unrest of 2020 and, he said, the underlying problems that triggered the protests in the first place have not been addressed.
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The Lucid Air is undeniably one of the finest EVs on the market today. However, its premium price tag is enough to send many buyers looking for a less wallet-punishing alternative. Fortunately, there’s a way to make it more attainable: leasing. For as little as $510 per month with $0 down over 36 months, the entry-level Air Pure becomes a much more reasonable option for those craving a luxury all-electric sedan.
Lucid’s Incentives and Bonuses
Lucid is offering a slew of bonuses and incentives to convince customers to lease the Air Pure. For example, the American automaker has a $2,000 Conquest Credit available to current owners or lessees of a number of all-electric, hybrid, and gas-powered cars.
Read: Lucid Introduces Its Most Affordable Car Yet, The $77,400 Air Pure RWD
These include models from brands like Tesla, Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Genesis, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Maserati, Porsche, Volvo, Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ineos, Rolls-Royce, McLaren, Mini, and Lotus.
In addition, those who select a Lucid Air Pure from the existing inventory at a sales studio will receive an additional $2,000 on-site bonus. Buyers can also make easy use of Lucid’s Referral Program and get a further $500 discount on an Air Pure if they use the referral code of an existing owner.
The single most generous offer is the Studio Select Discount, valued at $3,000. This is only available for certain inventory at select sales studios in the US, and may be hard to find for some.
The Fine Print and What You Need to Know
As noted by LeaseHackr that discovered this deal, Lucid’s online lease calculator might show a $3,500 downpayment, but that’s effectively erased if you stack the referral bonus and Studio Select Discount. With these incentives, it’s possible to lease the Lucid Air Pure for just $510 per month before taxes for 36 months—making it feel a little less like you’re splurging on a high-end tech gadget and more like you’re making a fairly smart financial move.
More: You Can Buy A New 470 HP Family Car With A 0-60 In 3.5 Seconds For $32K
These incentives, combined with the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, can effectively reduce the cost of an Air Pure from $69,900 to $52,470. It must be noted, though, that the $510 per month figure doesn’t include estimated upfront taxes, registration, and other fees.
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