We have some important news in the world of sports, and continuing coverage of the political news that continues to dominate the headlines and airwaves this Summer.
Let’s get right to it.
This should lead to more responsible consumption of alcohol and a boatload of revenue for the UW. It is believed the move will deter pre-game binging and illegal carry ins. This should have happened long before this season. Better late than never.
Camp Randall Stadium to begin alcohol sales in 2024 season | UW Madison Athletic Department
Beginning with the football season home opener on Friday, Aug. 30, Wisconsin Athletics will begin selling alcoholic beverages in the general seating areas at Camp Randall Stadium. Athletics will offer beer, wine and pre-packaged alcoholic products such as hard seltzers. Sales will also begin at the UW Field House, home to the Badger women’s volleyball and men’s wrestling teams.
With the change, the University of Wisconsin–Madison will become the 16th school in the Big Ten to sell alcohol in the football stadium’s general seating area.“The option to purchase alcohol is common at collegiate athletic venues all over the country and we’re glad that we can now offer it as part of the fan experience at Camp Randall,” says Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin. “I appreciate the work our athletic and administrative teams have done to put together a plan that balances this opportunity with public safety.”
As at the Kohl Center and LaBahn, fans at Camp Randall will be limited to purchasing only two drinks at a time per person, the University of Wisconsin Police Department will provide increased on-site presence, and fans will continue to have access to a text line to report any problems they may encounter. Additionally, ID policy at the stadium will mirror that at the Kohl Center and LaBahn: Anyone who appears under the age of 40 will need to show ID, which will be verified by an electronic scanner.
“We were pleased with how well alcohol sales went during the basketball and hockey seasons at the Kohl Center and LaBahn Arena last season and we expect much of the same at Camp Randall this fall,” director of Athletics Chris McIntosh says.
A portion of the revenue from alcohol sales will provide financial support for existing and future campus-led efforts to promote student wellness and to encourage responsible behavior around the use of alcohol, such as offering alcohol-free programming for students and supporting students experiencing challenges related to high-risk behaviors.
State agencies can’t circumvent the legislative process by simply calling something an emergency.
Wisconsin lawmakers strike down three emergency election rules | The Center Square
The fight over who writes the rules for elections in Wisconsin continues.
The Legislature’s rule making body, the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules, on Monday voted to suspend three proposed emergency rules from the Wisconsin Elections Commission that dealt with uniform rules for absentee voting, challenges to candidates and challenges to nominating paperwork.
Attorney Sklyar Croy, with the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, told lawmakers none of the solutions that WEC is looking to make permanent are true emergencies.
“The Commission issued scope statements in September 2023. It then took until late spring 2024 for Gov. Tony Evers to approve the emergency rules. The commission waited until six months before the beginning of the 2024 election cycle to begin emergency rulemaking, and then took several months thereafter to finish,” Croy said. “This committee should not allow an administrative agency to just mouth the word emergency as a means of avoiding permanent rulemaking procedures.”
Croy said allowing WEC to use the emergency rule process for these three rules would allow the Elections Commission to side-step the lengthy review that comes with permanent rulemaking.
…The decision to suspend WEC’s proposed emergency rules doesn’t change much for Wisconsin’s pending elections.
The absentee ballot proposal would have been the most impactful, but without it, clerks across Wisconsin will continue to provide their voters with absentee ballot instructions. The proposed emergency rule would simply have prohibited those clerks from issuing any guidance that did not adhere to WEC’s suggested rules.
It didn’t take long for Wisconsin Democrats to fall in line.
Nearly all of Wisconsin’s DNC delegates endorse Kamala Harris | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler said 89 of the state’s 95 delegates had declared their support for Harris as of mid-afternoon on Monday. He said the party had either not been in contact with the outstanding delegates or those who had not yet pledged were “thinking through the timeline to make a public decision.”
…Wisconsin’s delegates held a call Sunday night to discuss next steps, multiple people told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and about 80 of the state’s delegates attended.
….On Monday, Wikler said the party’s governing body voted unanimously to officially endorse Harris. He said the party raised more than $140,000 from nearly 2,000 donors in the 24 hours since Harris announced her campaign, adding that state Democrats raised more than $300,000 in the last week.
Packers’ training camp is officially underway, and while Jordan Love isn’t participating yet, it’s not time to panic. In fact, the annual shareholders meeting was also held yesterday and people are feeling optimistic for the future.
Packers fans excited for what’s to come after Shareholder’s meeting | WBAY
Thousands of Packers shareholders packed into the Bowl of Lambeau Field to hear from President and CEO Mark Murphy.
…Murphy said Titletown is a success story on its own, touting a high occupancy rate for the flats and homes. He also mentioned a future gym, commercial and retail space they hope to have done just before the draft next April.
On Monday, he revealed they’ve raised $8.1 million of the needed $8.5 million for the draft. He’s confident they will make up the rest because of the strong community and its ties to the packers.
…“Here to get the spirit going for 2024, I am excited with the young talent and everything and I want to hear what they have to say about what we can expect,” said David Defoe.
Wisconsin sports fans have a lot to look forward to this season. (For the record, we’re referring to the current Brewers’ hot streak, the Packers’ upcoming march to the Super Bowl and the Badgers competing in the expanded, 18-team Big Ten Conference—not the cold beer at Camp Randall.)
Although, come to think of it….
