As electric vehicles continue their steady march toward becoming a dominant force on global roads, one country has pulled far ahead of the rest- and it didn’t happen by accident.

By now, it’s widely understood that Chinese automakers have taken a commanding lead in the EV race, while many Western legacy brands are still scrambling to catch up. It’s also well known that Chinese battery companies are driving much of this momentum, leading with rapid innovation and serious scale. But how did they manage to surge ahead so dramatically in such a short time? The answer is fairly straightforward: money. More precisely, billions in government subsidies every single year.

Read: CATL’s New EV Batteries Give You A Full Charge In Minutes

Fresh data from Nikkei Asia shows just how significant this financial support has been. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., better known as CATL, the world’s largest EV battery manufacturer, has been raking in the kind of government funding that would likely make Elon Musk reconsider his next big tax tweet.

While CATL has not reveal full-year details of the government help it received in 2024, it has disclosed that in the first half it got 3.84 billion yuan ($532 million) in state subsidies. This made it one of the largest beneficiaries of the Chinese government’s policy, only behind state-owned oil company Sinopec, which received 4.06 billion yuan ($563 million). Importantly, however, that’s how much Sinopec received for the full 2024 calendar year, whereas CATL’s figure is only for the first six months of 2024 – thus, it total, the latter’s figure far exceeded Sinopec’s.

The subsidies CATL has received appear to have jumped in the second half of 2024. As noted by Nikkei Asia, in 2023, it disclosed its subsidies under ‘other income’ in its financial reports. In 2023, ‘other income’ totaled 6.26 billion yuan (~$868 million), and of this, 5.72 billion yuan (~$793 million) were subsidies. In 2024, its full-year report revealed 9.96 billion yuan (~$1.3 billion) in ‘other income,’ but didn’t specify how much of this was subsidies.

Of course, it’s not just CATL that is benefiting from this practice Full-year data from 2024 reveals that BYD received almost 3.8 billion yuan (~$527 million) in subsidies last year, no doubt playing a significant role in the firm’s ability to release so many new models so frequently.

Great Wall Motor was the fourth-largest recipient of subsidies, earning a touch under 3 billion yuan (~$416 million). SAIC Motor closely trailed GWM, receiving more than 2 billion yuan (~$277 million) in subsidies for the year.

All this answers the questions we posed at the beginning. There’s no secret sauce at play here; the Chinese managed to leapfrog the competition and undercut their rivals at the same time simply due to immense state help. No wonder, then, that the US and the EU are seething as they watch their own brands trying to compete in an uneven playing field.

In a move that could reshape the future of clean transportation policy in the U.S., Senate Republicans just voted to strip California of its long-standing authority to set its own vehicle emissions rules, including blocking its plan to stop sales of gas-powered vehicles.

The decision targets California’s ambitious clean-air mandates, which critics say are too aggressive for the current market to handle. Supporters of the state’s standards, however, argue that this vote undermines state rights and sets a troubling precedent for federal overreach.

More: Major US Dealers Launch War On New EV Sales Model

California has long set its own rules regarding air pollution standards. These included regulations on heavy-duty trucks, trains, and cars. It had even declared that it wouldn’t allow the sale of gas-powered new cars and trucks after 2035. But that authority was just revoked using the Congressional Review Act, or CRA.

This happened despite warnings from two nonpartisan agencies, the Senate parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office, both of which warned the Senate that this move was likely illegal. Nevertheless, the Senate voted 51 to 44 to overturn the waiver that grants California the power it had to set its own rules.

A Shift With National Consequences

This is a huge move because California, by itself, equates to the fourth-largest economy on the globe. Automakers have largely followed California’s guidance on emissions to keep selling cars there. Several states have also taken up the same standards. Now, all of that is in question as Donald Trump’s signature will axe the waiver for good.

Reacting to the news, California Governor Gavin Newsom said, “The United States Senate has a choice: cede American car-industry dominance to China and clog the lungs of our children, or follow decades of precedent and uphold the clean air policies that Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon fought so hard for. Will you side with China or America?”

The Conservative Pushback

Those on the other side of the political aisle obviously have a different view. “California has imposed the most ridiculous car regulations anywhere in the world, with mandates to move to all electric cars,” Trump said during his campaign, reports The Guardian. “I will terminate that.”

“The fact is, these EV sales mandates were never achievable,” John Bozzella, president and chief executive of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, said in a statement. “There’s a significant gap between the marketplace and these EV sales requirements.”

How did the party of small government justify stepping in and imposing its will on a state this way? It says that since California has such a large sway on the auto industry that it was effectively setting Federal policy all along. This move stops that ability and returns that power to the Federal level alone.

“Over the past two decades, California has used its waiver authority to push its extreme climate policies on the rest of the country, which was never the intent of the Clean Air Act,” Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Republican of West Virginia, said to the New York Times.

The Hard Numbers

As we recently pointed out, data does seem to indicate that California’s goals surrounding the end of gas-powered new car sales are too ambitious. While EVs are gaining traction around the world, the U.S. is one of the slowest markets concerning adoption.

No doubt, that’s the result of several factors like distance between destinations, charging infrastructure, and pricing. Regardless of why the uptake is slower, it still makes California’s goals tough to imagine coming true. This new move from the Senate makes it appear altogether impossible now. 

Autonomous driving may be the future, but the present still has a lot of explaining to do. Especially when cars with so-called “Full Self-Driving” capabilities start careening off the road for no obvious reason.

That said, it’s rare to see what we just have in a newly released set of videos involving a Tesla. According to the title, it shows a crash while running what Tesla calls its autonomous system, Full Self-Driving (Supervised). What’s worse, though, is that it seems to do so without rhyme or reason in broad daylight with no traffic on a straight road.

More: Tesla Stiffs Cybertruck Owners On Another Promised Feature

Tesla famously uses vision-based software and hardware to run its semi-autonomous Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software. In theory, it makes complete sense since we humans also drive almost entirely via vision-based mechanics. In practice, though, there are some major concerns, and this video highlights them. We’ll circle back to that.

The Incident: Straight Road, Sharp Left Turn

A YouTube channel recently uploaded four videos showing each side of a car during a crash. They say this is a Model 3 and that it’s running FSD 13.2.8, which is almost the latest available version. On May 11, Tesla released 13.2.8, but this crash happened on February 26 so indeed, it was up to date given that information.

That said, what the video shows is the most shocking part of this entire situation. Across three of the four clips, we see the car moving for 45 seconds. In all of them, everything appears totally normal for the first 31 seconds as the car trundles down a two-lane road. Then, just as a car passes going the opposite way, all hell seems to break loose.

The car turns hard to the left, goes across the opposing traffic lane, goes off the road, and hits a tree before rolling over. From the moment it begins to turn to the moment it impacts the tree is less than three seconds. While that’s tough to swallow, it’s the conditions that really make this a bad deal for Tesla.

The road was perfectly straight. This appears to be at some time in the relatively early or later part of the day as the shadows cast on the ground are long. Despite that, the sun is bright and seemingly unobstructed by clouds, so there’s no lack of lighting in the scene. Finally, there’s no complex traffic situation here with markings, other cars, or road signs.

Still, for whatever reason, it appears as though this car allegedly on FSD just decided that it needed to leave the roadway and did exactly that. Adding even more confusion to this crash are videos of YouTubers testing FSD against inanimate objects on the road. In almost every case, the technology focuses on slowing itself down, stopping even, to avoid an obstacle. Very rarely does it try this sort of hard steering input at speed.

The Lidar Elephant in the Room

And this brings us back to vision-based autonomous driving systems. Again, we humans use vision to determine how to control our cars. Tesla is trying to do that too, but it’s caught flack, and I suspect is about to catch far more, over its choice to skip using lidar and radar tech.

While vision can work, and obviously does for most people on most days, Lidar and radar offer the ability to easily see through bad weather conditions like fog or haze. They could simply be used as a redundancy to confirm what a vision-based system thinks it sees too. Nevertheless, Tesla ditched it years ago and its CEO Elon Musk appears committed to never bringing it back.

Reports From The Driver

According to the person who posted the videos on Reddit, he was going around 55 mph when the crash happened. He says of the experience, “I loved the FSD until this happened. I was a full believer in autonomous vehicles until this happened to me. Lesson learned.” Thankfully, the only injuries he suffered included a cut on his chin, some lower-back discomfort, and “emotional damage,” as he calls it.

It’s worth pointing out that there are many unknowns here. While there appears to be no reason to suspect these videos and their description are inaccurate, there could be more to the story that we’re not being told. If that doesn’t end up being the case, though, Tesla is likely in a lot of hot water over this. The owner has submitted requests for all of the data relating to the crash so hopefully more of that sees the light of day.

Previous crashes involving the software typically offered some sort of purchase for Tesla defenders to cling to. Based on everything available in the four videos here, it appears as though FSD just made its most blatant mistake in the public sphere.

If this is possible with the hardware and software running Tesla’s planned Robotaxi service, it might have to be even more careful than it’s already planning on being. When asked if he’d ever buy another Tesla, the owner of this car’s words were damning. “I want another but would NEVER use FSD again.” Yeah, I think we can all understand why.

The electric SUV game just got a little more interesting. Xiaomi gave us our first look at the stylish YU7 last year, and now the crossover has officially been launched in China. It’s big news as the YU7 is the company’s second model and their first SUV, following the SU7. That sedan has been a runaway success in its home market, racking up 258,000 sales in just 14 months, including 28,000 deliveries in April alone.

The crossover follows in the footsteps of the SU7 and is a high-performance luxury SUV with an impressive design. It features a shark nose front end that is flanked by “waterdrop” headlights, which have channels that direct air out through the hood. Speaking of which, the crossover has the largest clamshell aluminum hood among mass-produced vehicles.

More: Xiaomi YU7 SUV Looks Like A Ferrari Purosangue And McLaren Rolled Into One

Aerodynamics played a huge role in the YU7’s development and the production model has “10 through-flow air channels and 19 optimized vents to manage airflow precisely.” They’re joined by aerodynamically optimized wheels and an active grille shutter system. Thanks to all this attention, the model has a drag coefficient of 0.245.

Since we’ve already seen the crossover before, we’ll just briefly mention a few highlights including flush-mounted door handles and a standard panoramic glass roof. They’re joined by a distinctive rear end with “halo” taillights and two spoilers. The model is being launched in three eye-catching colors – Emerald Green, Titanium Silver, and Lava Orange – and they contrast with gloss black accents.

In terms of size, the YU7 measures 196.8 inches (4,999 mm) long, 78.6 inches (1,996 mm) wide, and 63 inches (1,600 mm) tall with a wheelbase that spans 118.1 inches (3,000 mm). That means the crossover is 2.3 inches (58 mm) shorter than the Tesla Model X and has a 1.4-inch (35 mm) longer wheelbase.

Minimalist Interior, Maximalist Screens

While the exterior is stylish and expressive, the cabin is overly minimalist. It’s dominated by a 16.1-inch infotainment system and a HyperVision Panoramic Display, which sits at the base of the windshield.

The latter echoes BMW’s Panoramic iDrive Display and spans 43.3 inches. It’s customizable, but can act as a speedometer, a navigation display, and a front passenger display.

Putting screens aside, the crossover has Nappa leather zero-gravity front seats with one-touch recline and a 10-point massage function. They’re joined by power-adjustable rear seats with backrests that can tilt from 100° to 135°.

Rear seat passengers will also find dedicated climate controls and a dual-screen entertainment system. Other highlights include a wireless smartphone charger, hidden air vents, and soft-touch materials throughout.

The crossover can accommodate 23.9 cubic feet (678 liters) of luggage and that can be expanded to 62.1 cubic feet (1,758 liters) by folding the seats down. There’s also a small frunk, which provides 5 cubic feet (141 liters) of space.

Power, Range, and Charging Speed

Three different configurations are available and the entry-level YU7 has a single electric motor producing 316 hp (235 kW / 320 PS) and 389 lb-ft (528 Nm) of torque. It enables the model to accelerate from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 5.9 seconds, before hitting a top speed of 149 mph (240 km/h). Buyers will also find a 96.3 kWh battery pack that delivers a CLTC range of 519 miles (835 km).

The mid-level YU7 Pro has a dual-motor all-wheel drive system producing 489 hp (365 kW / 496 PS) and 509 lb-ft (690 Nm) of torque. This cuts the dash to 62 mph (100 km/h) to 4.3 seconds, but the top speed remains unchanged. Unfortunately, the range drops to 472 miles (760 km).

The range-topping YU7 Max has an upgraded dual-motor all-wheel drive system with 681 hp (508 kW / 690 PS) and 639 lb-ft (866 Nm) of torque. 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) comes in a blistering 3.2 seconds and drivers will eventually hit 157 mph (253 km/h) if they keep their foot planted on the accelerator. The Max is also notable for having a larger 101.7 kWh battery, which delivers 478 miles (770 km) of range.

When the battery is low, owners can go from a 10% to 80% charge in as little as 12 minutes. After 15 minutes, they can get up to 385 miles (620 km) of range.

The YU7 has a double wishbone front and five-link rear suspension with air springs. The latter provide five levels of adjustment, meaning the crossover can provide up to 8.7 inches (222 mm) of ground clearance. Other highlights include continuous damper control and a high-performance braking system with four-piston Brembo calipers.

Xiaomi also confirmed the crossover will have advanced driver assistance technology. This is made possible by a roof-mounted LiDAR sensor, a 4D millimeter-wave radar, 11 high-definition cameras, and 12 ultrasonic radars.

Pricing and Availability

While pricing details haven’t been released yet, Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun dismissed earlier rumors suggesting a starting price around 200,000 yuan ($27,800). “The Model Y starts at 263,500 yuan ($36,600), and based on these (YU7) configurations, this car should cost 60,000 to 70,000 yuan ($8,300 to $9,700) more,” Lei said during the presentation, according to Reuters. “But we’ll talk about the price in July.”

As automakers worldwide scramble to future-proof themselves in the electric era, China has been comfortably in the lead, cranking out next-gen EVs packed with cutting-edge tech and advanced battery systems one after the other at record pace. But behind the buzz and impressive new models, there’s a financial reality dragging at the wheels: most of China’s EV brands are still burning cash, not banking it.

Read: Seres 5 Crushes Tesla Model Y In Comfort But Loses The Battle Where It Counts

At last count, there were around 50 EV brands competing for space on Chinese roads. Out of those, just three of them are thought to be profitable. These include BYD, Li Auto, and Seres. Despite this, brands continue to offer generous discounts to grow their footprint, forgoing financial security in the pursuit of sales.

Discounts Keep Climbing

According to a JP Morgan study cited in a South China Morning Post report, industry-wide discounts averaged a record high 16.8% in April, up from an already steep 16.3% in March. The China Passenger Car Association puts the average discount for 2024 at 8.3%. To top it off, average EV prices were trimmed by 10% back in December. That’s not just aggressive, it’s unsustainable.

Last year, the difference between the selling price of an EV and an automaker’s costs, including raw materials, labor, and logistics, known as the vehicle margin, dropped to 10%. This is down from approximately 20% just four years ago. Analysts believe that most of China’s smaller EV manufacturers will be forced out of the market or will be acquired by larger rivals over the next couple of years.

“Nearly all of them were the victims of price competition,” said Phate Zhang from CnEVPost. “But if any of them chooses to exit the price war, their sales will decline and make it more difficult to post a net income.”

Looking Beyond China’s Borders

One potential lifeline is exports. Chinese carmakers have begun shipping more EVs abroad, where they can command better margins. According to JPMorgan’s Nick Lai, international sales are proving to be more profitable and could provide the breathing room these companies need.

“Price competition has turned fiercer this year. Unfortunately, we have not seen a jump in [EV] demand so far,” Lai noted. The domestic market, while massive, isn’t growing fast enough to offset the steep discounts.

Still, exports are trending upward. In the first four months of 2025, EVs made up roughly 33% of China’s total vehicle exports, up from about 25% over the past two years. It’s not a total solution, but it’s a glimmer of hope for brands looking to survive the increasingly brutal home turf battle.

A small but growing number of automakers are figuring out how to make EVs weird in all the right ways. Among them is Chery’s iCar brand, which has a few unconventional offerings, but none more intriguing than the V23. This chunky SUV looks like someone merged a Land Rover Defender with a Suzuki Jimny in a design studio that really loves straight lines. And now, it’s gotten even more eccentric with a retro-styled body kit.

The standard V23 already plays the retro card well, thanks to its squared-off profile, upright front and rear ends, and pronounced fender flares that give it a solid presence. But the new ‘Retro Emotion Package’ takes it further with a matte green wrap that feels perfectly suited to its aesthetic. It might look slightly out of place in a downtown traffic jam, but out in the wild, it fits right in.

Read: Chery’s iCar Expands Its Lineup With Rugged Minivans And Tougher SUVs

Complementing the special wrap is a unique front grille and a blacked-out front bumper. iCar has then added a large spotlight on the hood. Admittedly, it looks a little cheap, and the brand perhaps would have been better to add a set of more traditional circular spotlights to the front end.

Adding to the visual makeover are black rocker panels, side steps, and a set of 19-inch wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires. So yes, it’s dressed to look like it could leave the pavement behind, whether or not it ever will.

Apparently, iCar was quite serious about developing an upgrade kit that doesn’t just look the part but serves some purpose. According to a report from China’s Ithome, that the matte green wrap has a special anti-glare treatment to meet military vehicle concealment standards. Additionally, the front grille can be quickly and easily removed and replaced by owners.

Considering how affordable most EVs are in China, it’s no shock that this upgrade kit follows suit. Depending on the configuration, it’s priced between 4,000 and 10,500 yuan, or roughly $550 to $1,450 at current exchange rates. As for the V23 itself, pricing starts at 109,800 yuan (about $15,000) and tops out at 149,800 yuan (around $20,500), which keeps the whole setup firmly planted in the budget EV bracket.

To put that in perspective, the base version costs about the same as a used 2021 Nissan Versa with 65,000 miles on the clock – and considerably less personality, if we’re being honest.

Performance-wise, entry-level models come with a 136-horsepower motor driving the rear axle. Higher trims get a dual-motor setup with a total output of 211 horsepower, both modest numbers, but likely enough to keep this small SUV feeling sprightly on back roads and city streets alike.

Tesla boss Elon Musk has made plenty of wildly ambitious – and frequently inaccurate – claims about Tesla’s upcoming fleet of robotaxis. But now, after years of eyebrow-raising promises, the first of them is actually set to hit public roads next month. As part of a pilot program in Austin, Texas, Tesla will finally launch its long-hyped robotaxi service in a bid to close the wide lead Waymo currently holds in the autonomous vehicle race.

In 2019, Musk infamously claimed that by the end of that year, Tesla would have 1 million robotaxis on US roads. It does not currently have a single one, but next month, it will deploy approximately 10 robotaxis in Austin, and, if all goes well, could dramatically expand this to thousands of vehicles. Importantly, these will not be Tesla’s Cybercab, but rather versions of its current models equipped with the new Unsupervised Full-Self Driving system.

Read: Waymo’s Driverless Cars Kept Hitting Objects You See But They Don’t

During a recent interview with CNBC, Musk said it will be prudent for the company to be cautious in its roll-out of the system and that Tesla employees will monitor the fleet of robotaxis remotely.

“It’s prudent for us to start with a small number, confirm that things are going well and then scale it up,” Musk said. “We’ll be watching what the cars are doing very carefully and as confidence grows, less of that will be needed.”

To help ensure the roll-out of the robotaxi fleet is as smooth as possible, vehicles will be geofenced to certain areas of Austin. As the robotaxi fleet expands, Musk predicted that by the end of 2026, Tesla will have “hundreds of thousands, if not over a million Teslas doing self-driving in the US.” Like with all predictions from the world’s richest man, we’ll have to wait and see if this becomes a reality.

Buying Uber?

During the same interview, Musk was asked why Tesla doesn’t buy Uber. Musk sees no need to make such a move, noting the brand already has a large fleet of vehicles and everything it needs to run a successful robotaxi service. This will include the ability for private Tesla owners to add their vehicles to the fleet, meaning they can be used as robotaxis whenever the owner doesn’t need their car.

“We have millions of cars that will be able to operate autonomously,” Musk said. “And I should say that it’s a combination of a Tesla-owned fleet and also enabling Tesla owners to be able to add or subtract their car to the fleet, so that existing Tesla owners will be able to earn money by adding their car to the fleet for autonomous use.”

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• People cannot send money to Wisconsin prisoners directly. They can instead transfer funds through a company called Access Corrections. 

• The private company’s website, app, phone and in-person delivery systems are no longer working across the state. 

• Access Corrections is part of the conglomerate that also runs the prison’s phone system, which has failed in recent months.

The online system Wisconsin prisoners rely on to receive money from loved ones recently crashed, leaving them unable to pay for items like extra food and hygiene products. 

The Wisconsin Department of Corrections contracts a private company, Access Corrections, to allow people outside of prison to transfer funds to those inside. Those transfers occur through the company’s app, website, phone system, mail and in-person options. But multiple people told WPR and Wisconsin Watch they could not make deposits beginning this week. 

The Access Corrections website and app display nothing more than a white screen and the message: “Sorry, the service you’re looking for is currently unavailable.”

Those who dial an Access Corrections phone number hear a recorded message saying the company can’t take deposits online or over the phone and that it is working to resolve the issue. 

In-person deposits at locations throughout Wisconsin are also unavailable, according to an affiliate’s website. It is unclear whether physical mail deposits still work. 

Access Corrections operates deposit systems nationwide, the Wisconsin Department of Corrections says on its website. The company is part of Keefe Group, a conglomerate that includes ICSolutions, which runs a glitchy prison phone system that has left Wisconsin families disconnected in recent months. 

A Department of Corrections spokesperson said she was working on a response, which did not arrive by this story’s deadline. 

The Keefe Group did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 

Robin Guenterberg typically sends his daughter at Taycheedah Correctional Institution $300 a month, with Access Corrections collecting a fee. 

His daughter, who he requested not be publicly named, uses most of that money to buy items  from the prison’s commissary. She has a chronic health condition and relies on commissary chicken and tuna packets to supplement regularly provided meals, Guenterberg said. 

The daughter has lost more than 20 pounds since entering prison late last year, Guenterberg said, adding that he and his wife purchase vending machine items during visits and make additional deposits to help their daughter maintain a healthy weight. 

If Access Corrections fails to quickly restart deposits, she may lack funds to place a commissary order for next week, Guenterberg said.

Sarah Liebzeit successfully added funds to her incarcerated son’s account late Monday night. But issues with his prison-provided electronic tablet have prevented him from spending it at Stanley Correctional Institution, she said.

“This is now another issue because the tablets have been just horrible,” Liebzeit said. 

Some incarcerated people work low-wage jobs inside their prison. Their pay falls short of covering phone calls, extra food, hygiene products and medical co-pays without outside deposits, multiple family members told WPR and Wisconsin Watch. 

Nicole Johnson said her incarcerated boyfriend earns $20 every two weeks at his Dodge Correctional Institution job. Wisconsin’s typical copay charge of $7.50 per face-to-face medical visit is among the highest in the country — more than half of his weekly earnings. 

Johnson said she tries to add $50 to her boyfriend’s account twice a month so he can purchase rice and beans to supplement regularly provided meals. 

“It’s just how I take care of him right now,” she said.

The Access Corrections crash, she added, “makes me sad because I don’t want him to be hungry all freaking week.”

Vendor failure means Wisconsin prisoners can’t buy food or other items 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.

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A rural county in central Wisconsin has filed a lawsuit seeking to remove its county treasurer elected less than a year ago and replace her with the person she defeated in that election.

Adams County filed suit last week asking the court to declare that Treasurer Kara Dolezal “vacated” her position and her former opponent Kim Meinhardt is “entitled to hold that office.”

The suit is essentially seeking a judicial sign-off on a resolution the Adams County Board approved in late April. But state Rep. Scott Krug, a Republican who represents a portion of the county, argued during and after the meeting that the county followed an illegal process to remove an elected official.

Dolezal, a Republican, defeated Meinhardt, an independent, by more than 900 votes in November 2024. In April, Dolezal was reelected to her post as town treasurer for the town of Lincoln in Adams County, a position she held prior to being elected to county-wide office. 

In both the lawsuit and the county board resolution, Adams County has argued Dolezal vacated her county office by accepting a “legally incompatible” position with the town. 

In a statement, Adams County said it is “confident in its legal position.” The county said it’s taking the issue to court to bring “finality” to the situation.

“Understanding that a lot of interest in this issue has found its way into the media and on social media, the County is not going to comment on ongoing litigation or try the case outside of the courtroom,” the statement reads.

But Krug said it’s long been common in Wisconsin for people to hold similar offices for both their town and county.

He said he’s working with colleagues to introduce legislation to clarify it’s possible for the same person to hold positions as county and town treasurer at the same time if both are elected positions.

“We are specifically going to say that there is no contradiction or incompatibility between the role of county treasurer and town treasurer when both are elected by people in their community,” Krug said.

But he also said the lawmakers are trying to do so without interfering with the court’s process.

“We’re trying to be cognizant of the court process while we’re introducing legislation,” Krug said. “But at the same time … we still want legislation coming forward to protect those individuals from having to go through the same type of thing, and, on the flip side of it, trying to protect their communities from having to go through exorbitant legal fees.”

While Dolezal has continued to perform her duties as county treasurer following the county board’s vote, Meinhardt took the oath of office for the position on May 12, according to the suit.

Dolezal has held both offices since January and was never asked to resign from her post with the town, she told WPR earlier this month. In a May 3 statement, Dolezal said she didn’t view the two positions as “incompatible” and she was transparent about being a town treasurer when she ran for county office.

“The voters still elected me as their County Treasurer,” she stated. “I believe it sets a concerning precedent if County Board Supervisors can override the will of the voters.”

Dolezal’s attorney, Catherine La Fleur, was not available for comment Tuesday.

In the lawsuit, attorneys for the county said public officials cannot simultaneously hold incompatible offices, citing a past state attorney general opinion that says the duties of a local treasurer and county treasurer are “wholly inconsistent.” 

“A town treasurer collects property taxes on behalf of, not only the town, but the county, state, and other taxing jurisdictions in which the town is located,” the complaint states. “As a result, the town treasurer is subordinate to the county treasurer.”

After Dolezal took office with the county in January, the complaint states that disputes arose between Dolezal and local treasurers within the county during the property tax settlement process in the spring of 2025.

According to the complaint, the dispute was “regarding the treatment of certain property tax payments, resulting in the County directing an audit of the County Treasurer’s office.”

Mary Lou Poehler, treasurer for the town of Springville in Adams County, spoke in public comment at the county board’s meeting last month. Poehler said “financial issues” had arisen with the county since Dolezal took office.

“Being a town treasurer, I know of a lot of these,” Poehler said at the April 29 meeting. “And our town, for one, was shorted quite a bit of money.”

But Krug, the area lawmaker, said the county did not follow the proper process for removing an elected official, which requires a notice, public hearing and two-thirds vote.

Regardless of whether the county felt both offices were incompatible or had performance concerns, Krug said the board still should have followed the process outlined in state statute.

“You could just follow a simple state statute process to legitimize it,” he said. “When you take time to think and slow down, you could actually accomplish the same goal without looking like you’re trying to do something behind the scenes.”

This story was originally published by WPR.

Adams County asks court to remove and replace elected treasurer 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.

It's the second lawsuit filed in the last year accusing the Verona-based software company of engaging in unlawful efforts to try to block competition.

The post Lawsuit: Epic Systems ran a ‘multi-prong scheme to destroy’ health IT competitor appeared first on WPR.

Wisconsin would lose about $314 million in food assistance from the federal government under the massive budget bill passed by the U.S. House early Thursday, according to an an analysis of the proposed cuts by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

The post Wisconsin would lose $314M in federal food assistance under ‘big, beautiful bill’ appeared first on WPR.

Leaders of Wisconsin colleges and universities are speaking out against pending cuts to federal financial aid after they cleared the U.S. House on Thursday.

The post Wisconsin higher education leaders speak out after House advances cuts to federal student aid appeared first on WPR.

Northland College has faced years of financial woes stemming from rising costs and declining enrollment. The college’s president and Ashland’s mayor recently reflected on the impact and legacy of the university.

The post Wisconsin’s Northland College is set to hold its final commencement address Saturday appeared first on WPR.

Manure runoff from a dairy farm in Monroe County has caused hundreds of fish kills in nearby waterways, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

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State regulators have paved the way for We Energies to spend about $1.5 billion to build two natural gas power plants in southeastern Wisconsin.

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The Universities of Wisconsin would have to provide students with around-the-clock access to virtual mental health providers under a new Republican proposal. 

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Hundreds of nurses at UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital in Madison say they'll go on strike next week, after months of contract negotiations.

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A new bipartisan bill would allow for local municipalities to decide whether to issue new tobacco bar licenses with indoor smoking for cigars and pipes.

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After 40 years of federal support, a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse program training teachers to provide physical education for students with disabilities will no longer receive a critical grant.

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Fiat is stepping up its game with two new models set to launch within the next year, aiming to freshen up its lineup with larger, more practical vehicles built on Stellantis’ cost-efficient architecture. These additions are designed to fill a gap in Fiat’s range while leaning into proven nameplates and concepts. The first of the two, currently referred to simply as the Fastback, is expected to debut before the end of 2024.

Read: Fiat Presents Five Retro Concepts Heading To Production

Instead of starting from scratch, the new Fastback will draw from familiar sources. It’s reportedly being developed as a mashup of the now-defunct Tipo, the existing Fastback sold in Brazil, and the Egea from Turkey. That blend should result in a practical compact crossover with broad appeal. Powertrain options haven’t been confirmed yet, but early indications point to a mix of internal combustion engines, hybrids, and likely a fully electric version as well.

GigaPanda: Fiat’s Bigger Bet

However, it’s probably Fiat’s second new SUV that will really turn heads. Currently known as the GigaPanda, it will be quite a bit bigger than the new Grande Panda. It will serve as a sister model to the new Citroen C3 Aircross and be offered in both five- and seven-seat guises.

A concept car previewed by Fiat in early 2024 provided us with a look at the new model. Painted in a bright shade of purple, that concept had a retro-themed exterior that includes large pixel LED lights, not dissimilar to those that Hyundai has been using for some of its EVs. Speaking with Auto Express, Fiat head of design François Leboine noted that some changes will be made for the production model.

“I cannot say we’ll do it [exactly] like this,” he said of the concept. But we’ve worked on this vehicle family and they are ready. The [Grande] Panda [concept] was a bit exaggerated, but all the cues were there. That’s more or less what will happen [with GigaPanda].”

Familiar Tech, Flexible Powertrains

Like the new Fiat Fastback, the GigaPanda will be offered with a selection of different powertrains. These could include the same 44 kWh and 54 kWh battery packs as available on the Citroen C3 Aircross, as well as Fiat’s 1.2-liter mild-hybrid system. More traditional petrol engines are also likely, as are potential ethanol options for markets like Brazil.

Whether either model will dramatically shake up Fiat’s position in the global market remains to be seen, but at the very least, they promise to bring some much-needed variety to a lineup that’s been running a little thin the past few years.