Wisconsin Today: Morning News

Two towns in Marathon County are being sued after they passed ordinances that would make it hard to create wind energy projects. A judge will decide whether voters with disabilities can legally use screen readers to vote electronically. And a warning for those who want to take cicadas home with them from public parks.

The National Weather Service confirmed five tornadoes formed in southern Wisconsin Saturday night during severe storms. Today marks the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Coert's Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and legal fights over abortion in Wisconsin are ongoing. And, the head of Wisconsin's utility regulator says natural gas power plants will be a significant part of the state's energy mix through a transition to clean energy.

The federal government is hoping to give away a Lake Superior lighthouse built more than a century ago. Fired UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow told a committee considering whether he can remain in a tenured teaching position that he did not use university computers to access pornorgraphic material. And the Madison school district could face a significant budget shortfall next week unless voters approve a property tax hike this fall.

A former UW La Crosse chancellor was fired after university leaders found out he made and appeared in porn videos online. Now, a committee is considering whether to take away his tenured teaching post as well. This week the Wisconsin Supreme Court renamed the state law library in honor of the first woman to practice as an attorney in the state. But even that symbolic move was tied up in the ongoing political divisions on the court. And Summerfest kicks off today at Milwaukee's lakefront. It's the 56th year for what was once called the world's largest music festival.

Former President Donald Trump was campaigning in Racine Tuesday afternoon. He pushed back on reports that he called Milwaukee a, quote, "horrible city."

The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health is hoping that an infusion of federal money will help place more OB/GYNs in rural hospitals across the state.

Six state universities are projected to have deficits next school year, but that's still not as many as last year. All four of the liberal justices on the state Supreme Court have endorsed a Dane County Judge's 20-25 Wisconsin Supreme Court campaign. Members of the Ho-Chunk nation have completed a five-day voyage in a dugout canoe along parts of the Mississippi River.

First lady Jill Biden told seniors in Green Bay that former president Donald Trump is a threat to Social Security and Medicare. The Universities of Wisconsin is losing another two-year branch campus, this one in Menasha. Milwaukee County is purchasing its first facility to provide emergency housing for people experiencing homelessness.

Baraboo's school superintendent says his school district will be focusing on safety after he was pushed during a graduation ceremony. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has appointed a committee to brainstorm solutions for the state’s attorney shortage. And, the 2024 high school graduates started their journey in a pandemic. We'll hear from some of them on how COVID-19 changed their experience.

The lone Republican challenging Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in the August primary has withdrawn from the race. Dairy cows being shown at state county fairs and other exhibitions will be required to undergo testing for avian flu. And, residents in southeastern Wisconsin are concerned about organic material from a private project being dumped on public land.