Wisconsin hunters will have a better chance to harvest black bears this fall due to a record number of licenses and higher quota approved Wednesday by the state’s Natural Resources Board.
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The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board advanced PFAS limits that mirror federal standards, which the EPA is planning to weaken.
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Wisconsin and tribes would have less power to protect waterways under the Clean Water Act if the Environmental Protection Agency adopts proposed changes to how it treats energy and infrastructure projects.
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Protesters across the state gathered Sunday to speak out against the fatal shooting of a former Wisconsin man by federal immigration officials in Minneapolis.
Alex Pretti, 37, was an ICU nurse at a Veterans Administration hospital. He was killed as he protested the presence of thousands of agents with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol in the Twin Cities. His death Saturday morning came just weeks after federal agents shot and killed Renee Macklin Good.
Pretti was a graduate of Preble High School in Green Bay. At a rally on the steps of the state Capitol on Sunday, Pepe Barros of Madison told the crowd of about 400 people that he had been on a bicycle racing team with Pretti.
“Until yesterday, I was choosing to think that what ICE and the current administration was incorrect, but I was … thinking that was not my problem,” Barros said. “Until it became my problem. Until it was so close that I couldn’t dodge it anymore.”
In addition to direct ties to Pretti, many in Wisconsin have close ties to neighboring Minnesota. Libby Meister of Madison said she attended the protest to show support for loved ones.
“I have friends and family that live there,” she said. “I’m scared. I’m scared for them and for me.”
Amanda Husk of Madison carried a sign that read “Nurses against ICE.” For her, the fact that Pretti was also a nurse made his death resonate.
“As nurses we do everything we can to care for our patients and Alex was absolutely out there caring for the woman that fell,” she said. “He was trying to care for her and his life was taken in a very criminal and inhumane way.”
In videos that circulated on social media, federal agents surrounded Pretti after he checked on a woman who had been pushed to the ground by an agent. Pretti was legally carrying a handgun, which an agent appeared to take from him before two other agents shot Pretti while he was facedown on the ground.
Trump administration officials said agents acted in self-defense and called Pretti a “domestic terrorist” who intended to “massacre” officers. Videos and eyewitness accounts contradict these claims.
For Husk, the goal of the protest is to tell the Trump administration that its approach to immigration enforcement is wrong.
“It is bringing terror; it is harming communities,” she said. “People are being killed. They need to hear that this is not OK, and it has to stop now.”
In Oshkosh, protesters gathered at the Opera House Square. A woman wearing a pink bikini stood along the street, holding a sign that read “It Was Murder.” Other signs read “No ICE” and “ICE = Murderers.”
Emily Tseffos, chair of the Outagamie County Democratic Party, estimated at least 500 people also turned out to protest in Appleton.
In Superior, around 150 protesters gathered at the Douglas County Courthouse. Cars honked their horns as people rang cowbells and held up signs that read “ICE out of Minneapolis” and “Immigrants Belong.”
Ron Petite, who lives on the south shore of Lake Superior, held a sign that read “In Honor of Pretti and Good, Killed By ICE!” His voice shook as he described his reaction to Saturday’s shooting.
“Pretti … was trying to help a lady, for crying out loud. I don’t understand,” he said. “I’m just very upset that our country has come to this.”
Other protests took place Saturday in Green Bay, La Crosse and West Allis. Wyatt Molling, chair of the La Crosse County Democratic Party, said on social media that what’s happening in Minnesota is scary.
More demonstrations are set to be held this week. Earlier this month, hundreds of Wisconsinites in Madison, Milwaukee, Ashland, Green Bay and La Crosse joined thousands in Minneapolis to protest the fatal shooting of Good.
In a statement to CNN, Pretti’s family said they were “heartbroken but also very angry” and called the Trump administration’s statements about Pretti “reprehensible and disgusting.”
“Please get the truth out about our son,” they wrote. “He was a good man.”
Several people who knew Pretti told WPR on Sunday they remembered him as a kind person who cared about helping others.
Michael Waak, 37, was a year behind Pretti at Preble High School. Waak, a civil engineer who immgrated to Norway in 2018, said he was a lab partner with Pretti in a biology class.
“He was a very charismatic guy, and also just a very genuine and positive person,” Waak said.
They dissected a frog together and joked around in class. They weren’t close friends, Waak said. But he felt that Pretti, who was older and more popular, showed him kindness in multiple ways — including after Waak came out as gay.
“Alex never changed his behavior to me, he never stopped saying hi, never stopped being friendly,” Waak said. “This popular, well-known person kept on acknowledging me and being friendly to me. It was a small thing, but it’s something that’s always stuck with me.”
This story was originally published by WPR.
‘It has to stop now’: Wisconsin communities protest Border Patrol killing of Alex Pretti 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.
People across the state gathered Sunday to protest the fatal shooting of a former Wisconsin man by federal immigration officials in Minneapolis.
The post Gatherings across Wisconsin protest ICE shooting of Alex Pretti appeared first on WPR.
U.S. House Rep. Derrick Van Orden indicated Gov. Walz played a role in the death of Pretti in response to a post that said Minnesota officials are fueling tensions with ICE.
The post Wisconsin GOP lawmaker blames Minnesota’s Walz for shooting. Democrats denounce killing. appeared first on WPR.
A paper company that’s been named responsible for PFAS contamination is launching a bottled water program for residents in the northern Wisconsin town of Stella.
The post Paper company named responsible for PFAS pollution offers bottled water to Stella appeared first on WPR.
At least 100,000 gallons of manure spilled at a large dairy farm in central Wisconsin, flowing into an unnamed tributary of Black Creek.
The post Around 100K gallons of manure spilled from large farm in central Wisconsin appeared first on WPR.
One year later, the DOGE project failed to reduce federal spending, and workers in Wisconsin say they've had to move on from federal employment or find ways to continue their work under challenging conditions.
The post Under Trump and DOGE, Wisconsin lost 2.4K federal workers — while spending increased appeared first on WPR.
Microsoft Corp. is proposing to build 15 more data centers in Mount Pleasant as part of two new data center campuses with a total taxable value of more than $13 billion.
The post Microsoft wants to build 15 more data centers in Mount Pleasant appeared first on WPR.
After the closure of Northland College in Ashland last year, a newly formed nonprofit group is exploring creation of a microcollege to continue its mission.
The post Former Northland College faculty explore creation of a microcollege appeared first on WPR.
A new project seeks to expand access to a vast collection of aquatic insects that can be used to track the health of waterways across Wisconsin.
The post New bug-tracking project aims to help monitor health of Wisconsin waterways appeared first on WPR.
Tribes in Wisconsin and beyond are opposing the Trump administration’s proposal to end protections for millions of acres of roadless areas on national forest land.
The post Wisconsin tribes oppose ending protections for roadless areas on national forests appeared first on WPR.
More drilling for copper, gold and other metals in northern Wisconsin could begin next month under a mining company’s plans.
The post More drilling for copper and gold in northern Wisconsin may begin next month appeared first on WPR.
The former president and CEO of an Oneida Nation group of small businesses has been ousted following fallout over one company’s contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The post Head of Oneida Nation’s business group replaced over ICE contracts appeared first on WPR.
A Monroe County dairy farm will pay $120,000 under a settlement over alleged violations of the state’s environmental laws.
The post Monroe County dairy agrees to pay $120K fine tied to manure spill appeared first on WPR.
State Republican lawmakers are floating a new bill to pave the way for self-driving cars on Wisconsin roads.
The post Proposal seeks to bring driverless cars to Wisconsin communities appeared first on WPR.
Preliminary findings from researchers show a decline in antibody levels among Wisconsin eaglets with high PFAS levels in their blood, potentially reducing their ability to fight off infections.
The post High PFAS levels in Wisconsin eaglets may reduce their ability to fend off illness appeared first on WPR.
Bear complaints in Wisconsin have been on the rise in recent years, and a new study seeks to pinpoint whether there is widespread use of birdshot to deter problem bears.
The post Wisconsin bear complaints are up. Are shotgun pellets making things worse? appeared first on WPR.
Only 13 percent of Wisconsin’s wetlands would fall under federal protection under proposed changes to the “waters of the United States” rule unveiled last month, but most would still be protected under state law.
The post Most Wisconsin wetlands would lack federal protection under EPA’s proposed rule appeared first on WPR.
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