There are 33 murals in Ashland County and many will be on display via a trolley tour during Ashland’s MuralFest.
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King Arthur’s sword has been missing from the Spirit of Service monument in Juneau Park since at least 1947.
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At age 64, Madison poet and novelist Jesse Lee Kercheval picked up a pencil set and started to draw. In her first solo exhibition, “Drawn Lives,” dozens of Kercheval’s pastel works are on display at Edgewood University Gallery in Madison.
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Over $1 million in film tax credits have been awarded to six productions so far.
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Appleton based artist and musician Julia Blair recently debuted a play she created from the ground up, including building the puppets and scoring the music. “The Lonely Marsh” and its characters are based on wetland habitat.
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Wisconsin’s newest art supply thrift store, 414 Art Revival in West Allis, opened late last month to a massive crowd of customers. Co-owner Junianna Jackson calls the shopping experience a “treasure hunt.”
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A few days back, Smart teased its Fortwo successor with artistic murals splashed across big cities worldwide, all building toward a global premiere at the Paris Motor Show in October. So much for the slow tease. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology just published regulatory filings that lay the whole EV bare, months early and free of charge.
The Smart #2 signals the brand’s return to the city car segment after a short hiatus. The new model was developed under the joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely, and it will be sold exclusively in fully electric form.
More: The World’s Biggest EV Market Just Went Into Reverse After Years Of Growth
The styling of the production car stays very close to the Concept #2 that debuted in April 2026, penned by Mercedes designers. The tweaks are focused on the smaller wheels with regular tires, the simplified grille and bumpers, a new shut line on the hood, the toned-down LED graphics on the headlights and taillights, the license holder on the tailgate, and conventional door handles. The result is instantly recognizable, if slightly more aggressive than earlier iterations.
Buyers will be able to personalize their cars with various options, including bi-tone paint schemes, a concept-style grille cover that resembles a suitcase, aero add-ons along the lower bodywork, and a choice of wheel designs.
More: Smart Thinks Its E-Class-Sized Sedan Looks Like A Shark, And Stands By It
Dimensions shift slightly across trim levels, with length landing between 2,751 and 2,764 mm (108.3-108.8 in). That makes the #2 some 56-69 mm longer than its predecessor, while the wheelbase stays nearly identical at 1,875 mm (73.8 in). The company says the new generation will match the 6.95 m (22.8 foot) turning circle of the EQ Fortwo.
Powertrain And Range
The Smart #2 rides on a bespoke Electric Compact Architecture (ECA) engineered by Geely, with an independent suspension setup. Power comes from a rear-mounted electric motor rated at 80 hp (60 kW / 82 PS), good for an electronically limited top speed of 140 km/h (87 mph). The Chinese-spec version has a curb weight of 1,130 kg (2,491 lbs) and a gross weight of 1,315 kg (2,899 lbs).
Energy is stored in a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack, with cells produced by CATL and assembly handled by Geely. Smart has confirmed a targeted WLTP range of 300 km (186 miles) and a CLTC range of 400 km, well beyond what the discontinued EQ Fortwo managed. The #2 also supports Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality and DC fast-charging, taking the battery from 10 to 80 percent in under 20 minutes.
More: You Can Buy A Used Mansory Smart With Less Power Than A Base Corolla For Just $80,000
We have yet to see the interior of the production version, but the automaker teased the cabin with the concept that featured upmarket materials and high-tech features. The city car is expected to have a floating infotainment screen, a digital instrument cluster, and circular climate vents. Whether the road-going model keeps the concept’s bench seat is still an open question.
Production of the Smart #2 will take place in China. The EV will roll out across various global markets, Europe included, following its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show in October. Pricing will be announced closer to launch and will likely vary by region thanks to import tariffs.
A Wisconsin festival featuring glass art is still on for this Saturday — after a very close call with a tornado and a quick change of location.
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Children at a Sun Prairie Head Start center operated by Reach Dane gather in a circle with their teachers for a story. (Photo courtesy of Reach Dane)
The federal government announced a proposed federal rule Thursday that rewrites or eliminates many regulations for Head Start early education programs nationwide.
The Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services said the proposed change would provide more flexibility and help expand Head Start enrollment.
Wisconsin providers and childcare experts, however, say the proposed rule would roll back standards for classroom quality, teacher qualifications and health services.
The new rule would end supports for children with disabilities and children who speak languages other than English, as well as requirements that Head Start providers work closely with the families of children enrolled in the early education program, advocates say.
“The term ‘flexibility’ is being used to make it sound friendly,” said Jen Bailey, executive director of Reach Dane, which operates Head Start programs in 13 locations in Dane County and Green County. “We all like flexibility in our work.”
Bailey, who is president of the Wisconsin Head Start Association, spoke in an interview earlier this week, before the notice of proposed rulemaking was posted Thursday.
Bailey said existing rules already give Head Start programs flexibility to operate. “We’re designed to meet the needs of our local communities and kids and families,” she said. “I see this as a means to not fund the program, because if you eliminate many of the standards, then you can justify the flat funding we’ve been under the last couple of years. Flat funding is really a funding cut.”
Providers have been bracing for the rule change for several months following published reports from the Associated Press and other news outlets about early drafts of the document.
“Headstart, like childcare, is not just about making sure children are physically safe from dramatic harm,” said Jennie Mauer, executive director for the Wisconsin Head Start Association, which represents 39 Head Start programs across the state. “It’s really about nurturing their growth and development, so they come to the K-3 to 12 system prepared and ready to participate.”
About 12,000 children in Wisconsin are enrolled in Head Start, Mauer said this week.
Head Start was launched in 1965 to help children from low-income families become ready for school and currently serves about 670,000 children in the U.S., according to a new report from the Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University.
The report, a response to concerns about the program’s future that have been circulating since President Donald Trump took office, analyzes the potential impact of changes along the lines of those the federal government announced Thursday.
“Decades of research have found that children who attend Head Start show improved language, literacy, and social emotional outcomes after program participation and even improved rates of educational attainment and some intergenerational effects,” the ASU report states.
The report attributes those gains to national standards that Head Start has established for local providers to follow, drawn up to ensure higher quality early education,
Quality is important for all children in early education, the ASU report states, but “it is especially important to children who may have higher needs, such as children living in poverty, children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness, and children involved in the child welfare system — the very children Head Start prioritizes in its services and those who demonstrate the most benefit from these services.”
Some of the performance standards that the proposed new rule eliminates were updated in 2016 and 2024.
In some instances, the rule would replace Head Start standards with the standards set by childcare regulators in the Head Start provider’s state.
For example, the new rule eliminates a Head Start standard for the ratio between the number of children and the number of childcare teachers, deferring instead to the ratios prescribed in state regulations.
The current rule requires one adult caregiver or teacher for every four infants in a Head Start center. That aligns with Wisconsin state regulations and those of 34 other states and the District of Columbia, according to the ASU report.
But 15 states’ current regulations allow for more infants, and changing the Head Start standard would mean increasing the number of infants per adult in those states.
Head Start also requires one teacher for four 2-year-old children. Only three states also require that ratio, according to the ASU report. In 47 states — including Wisconsin — and D.C., local rules allow for a larger number of 2-year-olds.
“Changing the staff-to-child ratios is dangerous and a health and safety hazard,” said Bailey of Reach Dane. “We enroll many children with disabilities such as autism that need a lot of support to keep them safe.”
Because children growing up in poverty face additional adversities that require greater support, “It would be categorically unsafe to shift to different ratios in the name of flexibility,” Bailey said. “Children will be harmed.
The notice of the proposed new rule states that the agency is eliminating a number of provisions in the current standards because they’re already specified in the federal law that governs the Head Start program.
For example, the new rule eliminates requirements in the current standards for Head Start programs to evaluate children’s health, help families navigate the healthcare system, help pregnant women get access to healthcare and insurance, teach children about brushing their teeth and provide mental health supports for children and families.
“Head Start programs remain responsible for ensuring the provision of health, mental health, and related services per the Act and must also continue to comply with applicable state and local requirements,” the notice states.
Mauer said the standards are supposed to help local programs carry out the federal law’s requirements, however.
“I think it leaves a large set of unanswered questions about what some of the components mean if there’s no explanation of how to implement them,” Mauer said. “There’s a lot of missing detail.”
The Administration for Children and Families said in its announcement Thursday that the new rule “restores flexibility to programs to meet local needs, reduces regulatory burden and administrative costs, and aims to increase available slots and services for families. It is projected to preserve or expand as many as 236,000 Head Start slots nationwide and save $2.2 billion .”
Mauer said that the proposal to serve some 200,000 more children nationwide “leaves a big unanswered question of how do they intend to get there.”
While the rule appears to give Head Start programs permission to continue to offer the comprehensive services that are outlined in the current standards, there’s no new money being allocated for Head Start, Mauer said.
“The math doesn’t math to me,” Mauer said. “It demonstrates to me a fundamental misunderstanding of what it takes to operate a classroom with small children.”
The federal proposal announced Thursday drew protests from a range of Head Start advocates and supporters. Some linked it to the Trump administrations’ past actions that delayed Head Start funding, closed federal offices that served local Head Start programs and at one point proposed zeroing out Head Start funding in the next budget year. The program was subsequently added back in.
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, drawn up prior to Trump’s election in 2024 as a proposed blueprint for the next president, called for eliminating the program.
The new proposal amounts to “undoing the safeguards that have helped make Head Start one of the nation’s most effective public investments in young children and families,” the Wisconsin Early Childhood Association said in a statement.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) condemned the proposal, saying it “puts kids’ wellbeing and safety on the line and is all part of the President’s plan to shut down Head Start entirely, and it’s shameful.”
Preschool children line up to go outside at the Ralph Hawley Head Start Center in Emeryville, Calif., in December. The Trump administration has proposed major changes to the Head Start program. (Photo by Florence Middleton for CalMatters)
The Trump administration appears poised to gut the central policies that shape Head Start, a popular and long-established early childhood education program that serves the country’s neediest children.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced the changes Thursday.
The federal Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs posted a notice that it intends to “significantly reduce regulatory requirements” for Head Start, effectively stripping the program of the unique features that have defined it since its creation in the mid 1960s.
That announcement came in late May and will likely go through a review process before becoming official in 2027.
The agency doesn’t specify what exactly it plans to cut, but reports indicate that it could be most of the program’s standards and guidelines. That may include low student-to-teacher ratios, minimum teacher qualifications, and stipulations that Head Start accept all income-eligible children regardless of whether they’re disabled or if their parents are citizens.
The agency also suggested it wants to shift Head Start funding to the states, although it didn’t specify how or when this would happen.
“The complete gutting of these goals ignores what we know really works in early childhood education,” said Deborah Stipek, a former dean of the Stanford School of Education who’s researched the topic. “If you’re going to spend money on something, wouldn’t you want it to have positive effects?”
The agency said in its announcement it expects the cuts to be “well-received by Head Start programs, since they will welcome reduced (administrative) burden and increased flexibility.”
It also said it would allow local Head Start programs to keep policies that “best address the needs of their communities.” But individual Head Start programs are unlikely to comply with standards that aren’t required, particularly if they’re facing pressure to serve more students, said Melanee Cottrill, executive director of Head Start California, a nonprofit that advocates for California’s 1,813 Head Start centers.
In the same announcement, the agency said it also planned to boost the nutrition and physical exercise components of Head Start, but didn’t offer further details.
So far, Head Start has evaded major budget cuts, and the federal government doesn’t appear poised to slash funding now. A handful of California Head Start programs shuttered during the government shutdown last fall, but reopened when legislators returned to work.
But a reduction in standards would, eventually, have a significant impact, Cottrill said. It’s likely Head Start will have less qualified teachers, larger class sizes and fewer opportunities for parent involvement, she said.
“Those standards are what make Head Start a high quality program,” Cottrill said. “Head Start will still exist, but it will be very different from what it is today.”
Head Start, launched in 1965 as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, is a federal childcare program that serves the country’s lowest-income families – those earning less than $33,000 a year for a family of four. The federal government issues grants directly to school districts, nonprofits or other organizations that run Head Start programs, sometimes in combination with other funding sources.
Head Start offers health screenings, meals, curriculum focused on literacy and math, and resources for parents such as parenting classes. Children who attend Head Start are more likely to go to college and hold professional jobs later in life, a 2022 study found.
In California, about 70,000 children are enrolled in Head Start. The number would be higher but programs have had to turn away families because they struggled to hire staff. Early childhood educators sometimes earn less than fast food workers and turnover is high, Cottrill noted.
One Head Start standard that could be especially costly to eliminate is disability screening. Identifying and addressing disabilities such as dyslexia early can reduce the need for special education later on, potentially saving thousands of dollars, Stipek said.
Beth Meloy, an early childhood education consultant who worked on the federal government’s Head Start standards, said that simplifying and streamlining the standards is probably a good idea. Navigating too many standards may be overly burdensome for some local Head Start programs, she said.
But gutting them entirely would be a disaster, she said.
“Head Start is built around a mission of giving low-income children a path to sustained education and life outcomes,” Meloy said. “These changes lack the thoughtfulness that these children deserve.”
This story was originally published by CalMatters.
This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Wisconsin Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
Like a globetrotting dog with gastrointestinal issues, Smart has dropped #2s in cities across the world. They’re part of a teaser campaign, which is designed to promote the upcoming ForTwo successor.
Jokes aside, the murals – which have been created in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Paris, and Shanghai – effectively reveal the design of the model. The road-going city car follows in the footsteps of the #2 concept, but adopts a ventilated grille as well as a lightly revised shark nose front end. The hood has also been pushed further back, while the production model trades fancy lights for vertical air curtains.
More: Smart Teases The Production #2, The Two-Seater It Swore Off Years Ago
Moving down the sides, there’s curvaceous bodywork and rounded fenders. They’re joined by aerodynamically optimized wheels and what appears to be an available contrasting black roof. Elsewhere, we can see proper door handles and a hint of Toyota iQ.
Smart didn’t show much of the rear end, but we were able to get a better look by zooming in on a planning sheet. It reveals the #2 will have circular taillights and a pronounced spoiler. They’re joined by a more conventional liftgate, which features a mid-mounted license plate recess. We can also see a black bumper that trades a digital display for what appears to be a reflector.
As we’ve previously reported, the #2 will ride on the Electric Compact Architecture and have a roughly 35.7 kWh battery pack that provides around 186 miles (300 km) of range. When it’s low, a DC fast charger can take the battery from 10 to 80 percent in less than 20 minutes.
The model measures 109.9 inches (2,792 mm) long and will have a turning circle of just 22.8 feet (6.95 meters). This means the new car will be 3.8 inches (97 mm) longer than the second-generation ForTwo.
Getting back to the murals, they were jointly created by the Mercedes-Benz design team as well as local artists including Martín Ron, Georgia Laurie, Zhu Bin, and the group known as Parents Parents. The brand went on to note art is in their very name as Smart is a combination of Swatch, Mercedes, and Art (s+m+art).
The 21-year-old athlete has been twirling a baton since he could walk. He will be representing Team USA at the global baton twirling championships in Paris next week but says shame almost stopped him from competing
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The ForTwo used to define Smart, but it faded into the history books as the revamped brand decided to focus on crossovers and their first sedan. However, the company is finally returning to their roots with the electric #2.
Set to drop at the Paris Motor Show in October, the two-seat city car was previewed by a concept earlier this year. The road-going model closely echoes the show car, but adopts a revised grille and vertical air curtains.
More: Smart’s Smallest EV Just Grew Almost A Foot And Mercedes Is To Blame
Further back, we can see more conventional mirrors and side skirts. They’re joined by traditional door handles and a larger charging port door.
The rear end has been toned down a bit and there’s a new liftgate with a license plate recess. The production model also has a spoiler and a relatively plain rear bumper.
Smart noted the #2 is currently undergoing “rigorous pre-production testing and validation” to ensure the model offers “unmatched urban agility, driving stability, elevated NVH refinement, and uncompromising safety.” As part of this effort, prototypes have been subjected to a number of “real-world urban challenges,” while engineers have worked to continuously refine the model.
Smart also paid special attention to the tires, as they’ve tested multiple compounds on rough asphalt, grooved concrete, and high-speed straights. Their ultimate goal is to select a tire that has an “optimal balance between low rolling resistance for maximum range and exceptional noise reduction.”
The automaker has previously revealed the #2 will ride on the new Electric Compact Architecture, which has been developed specifically for the EV. The model is targeted to have a 35.7 kWh battery pack that provides around 186 miles (300 km) of range. When it’s low, a DC fast charger can take the battery from 10 to 80 percent in less than 20 minutes.
We also know that the #2 will measure 109.9 inches (2,792 mm) long and have a tight turning circle of 22.8 feet (6.95 meters). This means the new model will be 3.8 inches (97 mm) longer than the second-generation ForTwo.
Eau Claire Artist Don Gaber created The Iron Hodag sculpture with metal pieces donated by Rhinelander area businesses and people.
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At Green Bay Fringe, touring acts and local artists take part in a four-day extravaganza of quirky, off-the-wall stage performances. The festival returns for its third year July 16-19.
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A large-scale art installation, “Zig and Zag,” will transform the facade of the Racine Art Museum with colorful fabric. Led by a New York artist, volunteer sewists from Racine will use donated materials to bring this community fabric project to life.
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Warren King, who was born and raised in Wisconsin, is exhibiting his “Homecoming” series in Milwaukee.
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With an online audience of more than 1 million followers and 30+ Guinness World Records under his belt, Adam “Crack” Winrich of Fall Creek might be the best whip-cracker in the world.
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Rev. Breanna Illéné speaks Tuesday at a press conference by a group of clergy from several faith groups in support of voting rights. (Photo by Erik Gunn/Wisconsin Examiner)
A multifaith group of clergy gathered at the state Capitol Tuesday to call for protecting voting rights and ensuring all votes are counted.
“Our theology teaches us and tells us that God created all of us in God’s image,” said Rev. David Hart, pastor of Sherman United Methodist Church in Madison, at a press conference on the Capitol steps, adding that all people “have this voice that deserves to be heard in the public square.”
The event Tuesday was one of three across Wisconsin, organizers said, and one of 15 similar actions held in nine states.
“We have seen the attacks on our election process,” said Rev. Breanna Illéné, director of Ecumenical Innovation and Justice Initiatives at the Wisconsin Council of Churches. “We are here today to celebrate our local poll workers, the city and county clerks who administer elections here in Wisconsin” — who she added, “are helping make our democracy function.”
The event took place as worries have grown about the possibility that President Donald Trump could deploy armed federal agents to polling places, and as Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers joined other governors in demanding that the Trump administration immediately withdraw a rule restricting the mailing of absentee ballots in states, including Wisconsin, that have refused to turn over sensitive voter data to the federal government.
On Election Day in November, clergy will show up at local polling places as poll chaplains — “a peaceful presence” to ensure voters’ rights are protected, and to bring “calm to the site,” Illéné said in an interview. “They are just another layer of trust that we hope to add to the election process.”
Rev. Christopher Ross of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Watertown cited biblical readings that support an egalitarian view of society, and with it, democratic participation.
Early Christians built a community that they viewed as “an alternative to the ways of empire,” Ross said. Alluding to attempts to make voting harder, however, he added, “But not everyone these days seems to want such a community.”
Other leaders pointed to democracy as a key tenet of their faiths.
“Jewish tradition teaches us that the process of choosing leaders is not a privilege but a collective responsibility,” said Rabbi Jonathan Prosnit of Temple Beth El in Madison.
“It comes down to a core yet simple belief. Democracy is strongest when every vote is counted,” Prosnit said. “Democracy suffers when voters are suppressed.”
For Unitarian Universalists, democracy is “a religious imperative” said Rev. Kelly Asprooth-Jackson, a UU minister. “It’s one of our core values and principles that people who are affected by decisions must be involved in the making of those decisions.”
Raising barriers to voting and reducing the power of some people’s votes “diminishes all of us because it diminishes the practice of democracy upon which all of us depend for our most fundamental rights,” Asprooth-Jackson said.
The participants also promoted a national letter, drawn up and sponsored by Faith in Us, a national multifaith group, opposing federal and state actions organizers say threaten voting rights. The letter calls on elected officials to safeguard voting rights and assure access to the ballot box for all voters.
It also criticizes President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting voting by mail — which a federal judge blocked late last month — and expresses outrage at redistricting actions that produced “rapid gerrymandering of racially discriminatory election maps in many states” after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down key key provisions in the Voting Rights Act.
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