Latest news with #TonyEvers
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Evers continues annual statewide 'Pothole Patrol' Tour in Oshkosh
OSHKOSH, Wis. (WFRV) – Gov. Tony Evers made a stop in Oshkosh as part of his annual 'Pothole Patrol' tour, highlighting the need for continued investment in Wisconsin's roads, bridges, and infrastructure in the upcoming state budget. Now in its fifth year, the 'Pothole Patrol' tour gives the governor a chance to meet with local public works crews and transportation leaders, while also drawing attention to the state's ongoing infrastructure needs. This year's visit was joined by representatives from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and local officials. Cops, kids & kindness: 'Lemonade With The Law' kicks off in Oshkosh Since taking office in 2019, Gov. Evers has made infrastructure a top priority, overseeing improvements to more than 8,600 miles of roads and 2,000 bridges across the state. To put that in perspective, that's enough road to drive from Wausau, Wisconsin, to Disney World in Florida and back, three times. 'Infrastructure isn't just about fixing potholes. It's about making sure our communities can grow and thrive,' Gov. Evers said. 'We've made historic progress, but there's still more work to do.' In his 2025-27 Executive Budget, Gov. Evers proposed over $2.6 billion for the State Highway Rehabilitation Program, marking a $397 million increase from the previous cycle. Other key transportation proposals in the budget include: $100 million for the Local Roads Improvement Supplement Program; $50 million for the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP); $790 million for major highway development, including I-41 and I-43 expansions; More than $300 million to continue work on the I-94 East/West project; Increases to general transportation and county forest road aid programs. Camper in Door County a complete loss after fire, owner's call to 911 fails several times due to Cellcom outage However, many of these proposals were recently stripped from the budget by the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee. Among the cuts were funds for ARIP, transit capital assistance, expressway policing, and local traffic calming grants. 'We're doing everything we can to keep moving forward, but these cuts are a step in the wrong direction,' said Evers. 'Strong infrastructure means safer roads, more jobs, and better opportunities for families and businesses across Wisconsin.' The governor's visit in Oshkosh is part of a broader push to rally public support for restoring these investments in the final budget. With infrastructure shaping up to be a key issue in the upcoming legislative session, the 'Pothole Patrol' is once again putting Wisconsin's roads, and those who depend on them, front and center. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Why are the flags at half-staff in Wisconsin on May 24?
Gov. Tony Evers has ordered flags to fly at half-staff in respect for emergency medical service professionals who have given their lives in the line of duty. 'EMS professionals play a critical role in ensuring the health and safety of Wisconsinites across our state, as well as the safety and security of our communities. No matter the emergency or the danger of the situation, we count on first responders to be there and care for us when we need them most,' said Gov. Evers in a statement. Evers also announced that National EMS week will run throughout Wisconsin May 18-24. 'National EMS Week is an opportunity for us to reflect on and acknowledge this difficult and even dangerous work and all of the folks and their families who make these daily sacrifices while honoring those who have lost their lives in service of the health and safety of others," Evers added in a statement. Flags will be at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on May 24, 2025. The U.S. flag and Wisconsin flag will be flown at half-staff at all buildings, grounds and military installations of Wisconsin, according to the release. Flags are usually flown at half-staff after national tragedies or deaths of government officials, military members or other first responders. Flags can also be at half-staff for Memorial Day or other national days of remembrance, according to RELATED: These are the top 10 cheapest Wisconsin gas stations ahead of Memorial Day weekend RELATED: Things to do in Milwaukee during Memorial Day weekend 2025 This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why are the flags at half staff in Milwaukee, Wisconsin today?
E&E News
23-05-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Wisconsin OKs gas-fired power to offset coal closures, serve data centers
Wisconsin's largest utility received approval from state regulators Thursday to add almost $1.5 billion of new gas-fired generation to supply new data center demand as it shutters existing coal plants. The three-member Public Service Commission, all appointees of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, voted unanimously to conditionally approve the projects proposed by Milwaukee-based We Energies over opposition from consumer advocates and environmental groups who argued that the utility was overlooking cheaper, cleaner options. The issue before the PSC highlights a tension across the country. States have established emissions reductions goals, yet face political pressure to attract economic investment, specifically 'hyperscaler' data centers like the ones proposed along Wisconsin's Interstate 94 corridor. Advertisement Such is the case in Wisconsin, where Evers during his first term laid out a goal of achieving 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2050. But the governor sees data centers — and especially a $3.3 billion Microsoft data center campus in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, outside Milwaukee — as a huge economic win for the state.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maybe we don't need a tax cut
Gov. Tony Evers celebrates "historic" tax cuts in the last state budget. Schools are still facing austerity. Photo via Gov. Evers' Facebook page As Republicans in Congress struggle to deliver President Donald Trump's massive cuts to Medicaid, food assistance, education, health research and just about every other social good you can think of, in order to clear the way for trillions of dollars in tax cuts to the richest people in the U.S., here in Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and state lawmakers are working on the next state budget. The one thing our Democratic governor and Republican legislative leaders seem to agree on is that we need a tax cut. After throwing away more than 600 items in Evers' budget proposal, GOP leggies now say they can't move forward with their own budget plan until Evers makes good on his promise to meet with them and negotiate the terms for the tax-cutting that both sides agree they want to do. Evers has expressed optimism that the budget will be done on time this summer, and said the tax cuts need to be part of the budget, not a separate, stand-alone bill. Evers wants a more progressive tax system, with cuts targeted to lower-income people. In the last budget, he opposed expanding the second-lowest tax bracket, which would have offered the same benefits to higher earners as the lower middle class. But what if we don't need a tax cut at all? It has long been an article of faith in the Republican Party that tax cuts are a miracle cure for everything. Trickle-down economics is a proven failure: The wealthy and corporations tend to bank their tax cuts rather than injecting the extra money into the economy, as tax-cutters say they will. The benefits of the 2017 tax cuts that Congress is struggling to extend went exclusively to corporations and the very wealthy and failed to trickle down on the rest of us. In the second Trump administration, we are in new territory when it comes to tax cutting. The administration and its enablers are hell-bent on destroying everything from the Department of Education to critical health research to food stamps and Medicaid in order to finance massive tax breaks for the very rich. If ever there were a good time to reexamine the tax-cutting reflex, it's now. Evers has said he is not willing to consider the Republicans' stand-alone tax-cut legislation, and that, instead, tax cuts should be part of the state budget. That makes sense, since new projections show lower-than-expected tax revenue even without a cut, and state budget-writers have a lot to consider as we brace for the dire effects of federal budget cuts. The least our leaders can do is not blindly give away cash without even assessing future liabilities. But beyond that, we need to reconsider the knee-jerk idea that we are burdened with excessive taxes and regulations, that our state would be better off if we cut investments in our schools and universities, our roads and bridges, our clean environment, museums, libraries and other shared spaces and stopped keeping a floor under poor kids by providing basic food and health care assistance. Wisconsin Republicans like to tout the list of states produced annually by the Tax Foundation promoting 'business friendly' environments that reduce corporate taxes, including Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska and Florida. They also like to bring up ALEC's 'Rich States, Poor States' report that gave top billing last year to Utah, Idaho and Arizona for low taxes and deregulation. What they don't track when they lift up those states are pollution, low wages and bankrupt public school systems. I'm old enough to remember when it was headline news that whole families in the U.S. were living in their cars, when homelessness was a new term, coined during the administration of Ronald Reagan, the father of bogus trickle-down economics and massive cuts to services for the poor. Somehow, we got used to the idea that urban parts of the richest nation on Earth resemble the poorest developing countries, with human misery and massive wealth existing side by side in our live-and-let-die economy. Wisconsin, thanks to its progressive history, managed to remain a less unequal state, with top public schools and a great university system, as well as a clean, beautiful environment and well-maintained infrastructure. But here, too, we have been getting used to our slide to the bottom of the list of states, thanks in large part to the damage done by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker. We now rank 44th in the nation for investment in our once-great universities, and the austerity that's been imposed on higher education is taking a toll across the state. Our consistently highly rated public schools have suffered from a decade and a half of budget cuts that don't allow districts to keep pace with inflation, and recent state budgets have not made up the gap. Now threats to Medicaid, Head Start, AmeriCorps, our excellent library system, UW-Madison research and environmental protections do not bode well for Wisconsin's future. In the face of brutal federal cuts, we need to recommit to our shared interest in investing in a decent society, and figure out how to preserve what's great about our state. Tax cuts do not make the top of the list of priorities. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why are the flags flying at half-staff in Wisconsin on May 23?
Gov. Tony Evers has ordered flags across Wisconsin to fly at half-staff on May 23 in remembrance of former Wisconsin Rep. James Rooney, who died May 3 at age 89. "Former Rep. Rooney led an extraordinary life of selflessness, serving his community and our state with humility, perseverance, and compassion over his decades of dedicated public service," Evers said in a statement. "Kathy and I extend our deepest condolences to Rep. Rooney's friends, family, loved ones, and the Racine community as they honor his memory and mourn his passing." The Racine native served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956, according to the release, and was later elected to Wisconsin State Legislature in 1972. He served the 61st Assembly District and later the 20th Assembly District for more than a decade. Aside from his role in various committees, Rooney also aided in creating the Wisconsin Waterways Commission, serving as its chair for over three decades, the release said. Services for Rooney are scheduled on May 23 in Racine. Flags across Wisconsin will fly at half-staff until sunset on May 23. Per Evers' order, the American flag and the Wisconsin state flag will fly half-staff at all buildings, grounds and military installations belonging to the state of Wisconsin. Flags are usually flown at half-staff after national tragedies or deaths of government officials, military members or other first responders. They may also be at half-staff for Memorial Day or other national days of remembrance, including 9/11, according to "The United States flag flies at half-staff or at half-mast when the nation or a state is in mourning," says. "The president, a state governor, or the mayor of the District of Columbia can order flags to fly at half-staff." This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why are flags at half-staff in Wisconsin on May 23?
