4/21/2025

N. WISCONSIN - Cuts by the Trump administration of funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may have a serious impact on climate, weather and water related research in Wisconsin and the Great Lakes. Cuts of more than 25% of NOAA’s budget would mean funding for research would drop by almost 65%. Michael C. Morgan, former assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and prediction at NOAA until this year and atmospheric and oceanic sciences professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has said the cuts would affect the the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies housed within the university’s Space Science and Engineering Center, which translates satellite data in weather observations used to predict severe weather in the state and nationwide, including NOAA’s Hurrican Research Division. The effects at the state level would be devastating, affecting everything from real-time data collection and observation of the Great Lakes to tracking groundwater quality affected by chemicals used in manufacturing.

4/21/2025

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Democratic governor of Wisconsin’s creative use of his uniquely powerful veto to lock in a school funding increase for 400 years may be “attention grabbing,” but it was constitutional, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday.  The 4-3 ruling from the liberal-controlled court affirms the partial veto power of Wisconsin governors, which is the broadest of any state and has been used by both Republicans and Democrats to reshape spending bills passed by the Legislature. Wisconsin is the only state where governors can partially veto spending bills by striking words, numbers and punctuation to create new meaning or spending amounts. In most states, governors can only eliminate or reduce spending amounts.  Gov. Tony Evers in 2023 issued a partial veto that increased how much revenue K-12 public schools can raise per student by $325 a year until 2425. Evers took language that originally applied the $325 increase for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years and instead vetoed the “20″ and the hyphen to make the end date 2425

4/18/2025

IRONWOOD - The new Ironwood pump station for the city is online and all adjustments to the new system have been made. City Manager Paul Anderson says the city will now continue to use the new station. Now that the work on the $11 million Phase 1 of the Water Plant project is complete, as soon as the weather settles, Phase 2 is scheduled to begin, which includes installation of a 250,000 gallon clear well, expected to be completed by 2026. Phase 2 of the water plant project also comes in at around $11 million.