polco, coronavirus, voter registration, presidential debates, covid-19

Poll: Should colby be the official state cheese of Wisconsin?

Jul. 7, 2021

A new poll question about whether colby should be named the official state cheese of Wisconsin is available to be used by WNA members. We are asking the question in light of a recently introduced bipartisan bill that would give the honor to the cheese, which was created in 1885 in the central Wisconsin city of Colby.

Poll questions are available through a WNA partnership with Polco aimed at helping newspapers better engage readers and access enhanced data and insights. WNA members who have signed up for an account with Polco can access their local version of the new question, as well as local poll results, on their dashboards. Those who have not signed up can do so here for their own dashboard.

wisconsin capitol, civics education

Evers vetoes bill eliminating personal property tax

Jul. 6, 2021

Assembly Bill 191, which eliminates Wisconsin's personal property tax, has been approved by the state Legislature and now heads to Gov. Tony Evers for his signature.

The WNA is among the many business associations that opposed the tax, levied on businesses for furniture and other miscellaneous office fixtures, as part of the Coalition to Repeal Wisconsin's Personal Property Tax. Its repeal ends a strong signal of support from the state to the business community, the coalition said in a statement.

WNA members are strongly encouraged to consider publishing an editorial supporting the repeal and/or reaching out to Evers to request he sign the legislation.

capitol report, wispolitics

Staffing vacancies up at youth, adult prisons

Jul. 6, 2021

Since mid-February, staff vacancy rates at the state’s juvenile correctional facilities have climbed twice as fast as those at Wisconsin’s adult institutions, according to records obtained by WisPolitics.com.

Tom Kamenick

Your Right to Know: No private email accounts for public business

Jul. 6, 2021

In Wisconsin, it’s perfectly legal for government officials to use their personal emails to do government work — even though a government entity may not have the ability to access personal accounts that can be used to hide conversations from the public.

In the latest "Your Right to Know" column for the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, Tom Kamenick argues that to remove barriers to public accountability and improve the efficiency of government operations, the legislature should prohibit the use of personal email accounts for government business at the state and local level.

Melissa Thorud

Pierce County Journal adds Melissa Thorud to reporting staff

Jul. 3, 2021

Melissa Thorud is the Pierce County Journal's newest reporter, the Ellsworth newspaper announced Thursday.

A 2021 UW-River Falls graduate, Thorud earned her bachelor's degree in journalism with a minor in political science. While in college, Thorud reported for the Student Voice and served as editor of the newspaper for two years.

Jason Joyce

Jason Joyce leaves Cap Times to become Isthmus publisher

Jul. 2, 2021

After eight years with The Cap Times, city editor Jason Joyce is leaving to become publisher of another Madison newspaper, Isthmus.

The move marks Joyce's return to the newspaper where he served as digital media director for nearly 15 years before joining The Cap Times in 2013 as news editor.

Joyce joins the Isthmus just as it returns to print after a hiatus of more than a year. In March 2020, the independent alt-weekly shut down indefinitely due to the pandemic. Five months later, it announced it would become a nonprofit news organization, rolling out a new membership program.

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