State government reporter Mitchell Schmidt's top stories of 2021

Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Ralph Ramirez issued the order during a scheduling hearing Friday, scheduling the matter for Jan. 21.

The state last reported a 3% unemployment rate back in November 2018, while preliminary estimate's have trended as low as 2.8% before revisions. DWD will update the state's official unemployment rate for November next month.

Ultimately, a continued push for increased vaccinations remains the key tool to mitigating the virus' spread, Evers said.

State Sen. Lena Taylor will join seven other candidates who already are in the race to replace Tom Barrett, who resigned as Milwaukee mayor last week to become U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg.

Republicans contend without evidence that both policies invite fraud.

The state's high court last year decided 4-3 to follow Republicans’ request for a “least-change” approach to creating new maps.

SSM Health announced Friday it is no longer using race as a determining factor for COVID-19 treatments — guidance that was challenged this week by a conservative law firm, which claimed the use of such criteria is discriminatory.

The package of seven bills, which appear likely to be vetoed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, would tie the number of weekly unemployment benefits an individual could receive to the state's overall unemployment rate.

"It is far from clear that Mr. Gableman has any authority to act for the Legislature at this point," Jeffrey Mandell told Circuit Judge Ralph Ramirez.

Gov. Tony Evers announced Friday that prison guards, psychiatrists and supervisors will be getting a $3-an-hour raise beginning Sunday. 

Evers also asked the court to consider making a change to his map to reduce the number of Black-majority Assembly districts from seven to six.

The leader of the state veterans policy board is refusing to step down as he fights child pornography charges, creating another appointment headache for Gov. Tony Evers.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced Friday it will issue a permit that will make it harder for a Kewaunee County factory farm accused of contaminating drinking water to expand.

Conservative candidates picked up school board seats in Waukesha, Wausau and Kenosha, but lost races in Beloit and the western Wisconsin cities of La Crosse and Eau Claire.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz announced Wednesday that she will run for the Wisconsin Supreme Court next year to fill a seat currently held by the conservative former chief justice.

Wisconsin's top legislative Republican said Thursday that he is open to the idea of arming teachers following the latest school mass shooting in Texas.

The state Department of Justice has agreed to pay an agency administrator $46,276 to resolve her discrimination complaints.

WMC filed the lawsuit in 2020 after the state announced plans that summer to release information pertaining to positive COVID-19 cases at businesses in order to comply with public records requests from media outlets.

Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor Tim Michels is standing by his opposition to same-sex marriage.

Michels' spokesperson said Michels was unaware of the lobbying being done by the group, which represents road builders in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin’s secretary of state has no role in elections, but that could change if Republicans are able to flip the seat this year and pass a law that would empower the office with far more responsibilities.

Barnes' increased use of security was an issue early in his term as lieutenant governor as well.

Eric Toney voted for Trump in 2020, even though he privately referred to him as “dumb dumb Donald,” and unlike some Republicans, Toney has said President Joe Biden's election was legitimate and there's no way to overturn the results.

With democracy itself in the balance, both parties are entering the final weeks before the Nov. 8 election prepared to spend unprecedented amounts of money to win seats for governor. 

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that a vacancy must exist before a governor can fill it — and a vacancy occurs only if the incumbent dies, resigns or is removed.

Wisconsin attorney general candidates Eric Toney and Josh Kaul are scheduled to debate at the State Bar of Wisconsin headquarters in Madison later this month.

Election officials across the country are bracing for confrontational poll watchers fueled by lies about the legitimacy of the 2020 election spread by former President Donald Trump and others.

Outside special interest groups spent at least 50% more than the previous record high in the midterm election in Wisconsin this year, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign reported Monday.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Democratic state Rep. Kalan Haywood discussed how they would like to see the Legislature handle the state's projected $6.6 billion budget surplus on Friday.