Author: Todd Richmond

A gay pride flag rose over the Wisconsin Capitol on June 1 in a sign of support for the LGBTQ+ community as it weathers heightened attacks from conservatives across the country. Governor Tony Evers ordered the flag raised during a noon ceremony as dozens of spectators looked on. The flag will fly over the Capitol throughout the month of June in recognition of Pride month below the U.S. and the Wisconsin state flag. The Village People’s “YMCA” and Abba’s “Dancing Queen” played from speakers before the ceremony began. Spectators were decked in T-shirts that read “Be Kind” and “You...

The fight over racial equity and free speech on Wisconsin college campuses is intensifying, mirroring a national battle as Republicans work to close campus diversity offices and demand students and faculty treat conservative speakers with respect. Since the beginning of May, the state’s top Republican announced a push to defund the University of Wisconsin System’s diversity efforts — a move the Democratic governor lambasted as ridiculous. A student from UW-Madison posted racial slurs online, triggering bitter protests but no announced discipline. And a state medical college canceled a diversity symposium featuring Republican U.S. Senatpr Ron Johnson out of concerns...

Microsoft has agreed to buy a $50 million parcel of land in southeastern Wisconsin meant for Foxconn after the world’s largest electronics manufacturer failed to fulfill grandiose promises to build a massive facility that would employ thousands of workers. Microsoft plans to build a $1 billion data center on the 315-acre parcel in Mount Pleasant, a village of about 27,000 people in Racine County about 30 miles south of Milwaukee. It is unclear how many people the center might employ; Microsoft officials had no immediate comment when reached via email on April 19. The village already is home to...

A special election to fill an open Wisconsin Senate seat will determine whether Republicans gain a supermajority that would allow them to impeach Democratic Governor Tony Evers and other office holders as well as move the GOP a step closer to overriding gubernatorial vetoes. Voters on April 4 will pick Democrat Jodi Habush Sinykin or Republican state Rep. Dan Knodl to represent Milwaukee’s northern suburbs. The seat has been under Republican control for decades but came open in November after longtime incumbent Alberta Darling chose to retire after 30 years in the Senate. Evers scheduled a special election to...

Federal attorneys have filed a lawsuit alleging that the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs refused to pay a woman applying for a supervisor position as much as male candidates. The U.S. Department of Justice filed the action against the state agency in federal court in Madison. The lawsuit alleges that Michelle Hartness applied for a supervisory position within Wisconsin Emergency Management, a WDMA division, in 2016 after earning stellar reviews as a state emergency management director over the previous five years. The salary range for the supervisor position was listed as $79,040 to $91,250 in the job posting. The...