A space for civil discussion of Wisconsin (and national) politics. People who do not maintain a civil tone or who are threatening will be removed from this space. In this context consider politics in a wide sense - not just inter-party squabbling.
During the past two months, I traveled throughout the 31st Senate District and met with constituents to hear their thoughts on the budget introduced by Governor Tony Evers. I joined Governor Evers at listening sessions in Eau Claire, Oshkosh, Kenosha, Superior and sat alongside Joint Finance Committee (JFC) members in River Falls for a public hearing. These were opportunities to listen to the comments and reactions from hundreds of Wisconsinites.
So much can be said about mental health and yet so little has been done. We all know someone struggling with mental illness. So few receive the help they need.
It’s been eight years since anyone in our executive branch of government uttered the words “climate change.” Thankfully, Governor Tony Evers brought science, common sense and the term climate change back to Wisconsin.
The Governor's Budget Listening Tour rolled into Eau Claire on April 16 at the Western Wisconsin Technical College. This session was unusual in several ways for Wisconsin. For one, it has been a long time since a Wisconsin Governor has held open listening sessions where the public was invited. For another, the new Governor held this somewhat differently than normal. After an address from the Governor, Lt.
Recently a private corporation, ICA, requested a zoning change in New Richmond for the purposes of building an ICE detention center for immigrants. ICA already runs one detention center in Virginia and is under contract with ICE to hold immigrants there. The proposed 500-bed detention center received quite a lot of resistance in the community, especially in social media.
In a press release just sent out by the City of New Richmond, the city announced that ICA has withdrawn their request for rezoning for an ICE detention facility in the city. The city recently produced a staff report on the request, and after obtaining the report ICA withdrew. According to the press release
Turnout was very heavy at the JFC Budget Hearing in River Falls on Monday. The general tone of this hearing was very different than the hearings during the Walker administration, as almost all of the testimony this time around was in favor of the Evers budget, which is much more liberal in its spending plans.
The number of times I’ve heard people say, “We need to help young people engage in our community,” or “We need more young people in politics” is so common I won’t even venture to guess. It’s almost inevitable someone will say something like that at every meeting I attend.
The City of New Richmond released further information on the zoning process for the proposed ICE detention center this afternoon. The city will hold a community meeting on April 23 at 4:30 PM at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, New Richmond. This is an informal discussion and will not include any action on the part of the city.
