Once again, we’ve scoured the web to save you time and keep you informed. Gas prices have gone up significantly here and some national experts are forecasting a surge may be on the way. As we monitor this potential economic back breaker, here’s the latest news from around the state.
Within hours of publishing yesterday’s Key Reads wherein we discussed the dangerous and chaotic environment at Wisconsin’s prisons, there was news of yet another inmate death. No word from the Governor’s office on the process or timeline for the nomination of a new Secretary of the Department of Corrections.
Another inmate found dead at troubled Wisconsin prison | Associated Press
Maier is the fourth Waupun inmate to die at the facility since June 2023. Dean Hoffmann killed himself in solitary confinement that month. Tyshun Lemons died at the facility on Oct. 2. Cameron Williams died there on Oct. 30. Their deaths remain under investigation.
The Department of Corrections instituted lockdowns at Waupun as well as at prisons in Green Bay and Stanley last year due to a shortage of guards.
The new Secretary, whenever he or she is named, will have their hands full.
Should Madison bureaucrats be solely responsible for zoning decisions regarding large solar projects? Some lawmakers are pushing for greater local control over these developments. You can’t convert farmland into a strip mall or a subdivision of houses without local input, but non elected Madison bureaucrats are currently the sole decision makers when it comes to the siting of sometimes massive solar energy farms.
Republican lawmaker wants local voice on wind, solar projects | The Center Square
State Rep. Ty Bodden, R-Stockbridge, has introduced a plan that would require local leaders to sign off on wind and solar farms before regulators at Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission could move forward.
“This bill will give local municipalities a voice and provide local elected officials the final say on whether or not a wind or solar project can be constructed within their city, village or town,“ Bodden said in a statement.
Currently, the PSC makes the decisions about wind and solar farms in Wisconsin…
Bodden’s plan would stop the PSC from issuing a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity or a Certificate of Authority for any project unless local leaders are on-board…
The new legislation comes after Bodden signed on to a plan earlier this session that would give local leaders more control over wind projects.
That plan was bottled up in the Senate and never went anywhere. Bodden’s current plan is also expected to fall flat.
As the state’s largest school district prepares to ask taxpayers for a whopping quarter billion dollars in new tax revenue, former heads of Milwaukee Public Schools are wondering why the current administration isn’t considering cost saving measures like closing some buildings.
Former MPS superintendent critical of $252 million referendum | Badger Institute
At 75 and living in Arizona, Andrekopoulos, one of the longest-serving superintendents in recent MPS history, says he stays current with the affairs of MPS through old district colleagues and daily news outlets.
He acknowledges disappointment that his successors in the superintendent’s office have lacked the energy and political will to continue what he calls “right-sizing” the district.
Enrollment in schools under MPS’ control has dropped to 58,522 in the 2022-23 school year, from a little more than 100,000 in the school year that ended in 1998.
It isn’t only the enrollment decrease at issue. The district doesn’t often discuss the excess capacity of schools, Andrekopoulos says.
Milwaukee Public Schools operated 136 school buildings in 2023, according to figures from City Forward Collective, up from 132 in 2015. Many of those schools are operating at less than 70% capacity, according to a report MPS was required in August to submit to the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance.
At least 14 schools are at less than half capacity, according to the building inventory report cited by CBS 58. Madison High School has a capacity of 1,629 and an enrollment last year of 762, according to the report. North Division can hold 819 and enrolled 489 a year ago. Morse Middle School’s capacity is 1,012 but served 491 last year. GreenTree Preparatory Academy has room for 860 students and had an enrollment last year of 355.
Wisconsin’s technical colleges are in need of a new leader.
Wisconsin Technical College System President Foy announces retirement | GMToday
On Tuesday, Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) President Morna K. Foy announced her plans to retire later this year.
“It’s been my honor and an absolute blast to lead such an amazing organization,” Foy said. “I want to thank the WTCS Board for their trust and support. I’ve had the chance to work with so many talented educators, state and local policymakers, and workforce development partners to realize the technical colleges’ promise of excellence for students, employers, and communities across Wisconsin. I am confident that my WTCS colleagues will continue this tradition of innovation for years to come.”
Foy has been with WTCS for more than a quarter Century. Her replacement will play a key role in workforce preparedness for the next generation.
We’ll monitor this search for her replacement, and all the developing stories across Dairyland to keep you informed. We’ll be back with Key Reads tomorrow and watch the site and our social feeds for any important breaking news.
