Wisconsin’s neighbor Minnesota may have become the 12th state in the country to legalize same-sex unions on Tuesday. But gay marriage is not on the legislative agenda in Wisconsin, and that’s not expected to change in the forseeable future.
“I just don’t think it’s very likely in this state anytime soon,” said Joe Heim, a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse political scientist, told Post-Crescent Media. “It’s pretty clear that public opinion in the United States is leaning toward gay marriage (but) I just don’t see Wisconsin joining that (group) anytime soon.”
Legislation that would sharply curtail the choices for Wisconsin residents using the state’s FoodShare program, also known as food stamps, passed the Wisconsin Assembly 68-26 on May 7. The bill’s sponsors said it would encourage recipients to eat more healthily but, according to out state Rep. JoCosta Zamarripa, D-Milwaukee, it would further stigmatize low-income Wisconsinites.
Reince Priebus
In March, Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman and former head of the Wisconsin party, issued a report he said was critical to the GOP’s future. Titled “Growth and Opportunity Project,” the report called for attracting minority voters, supporting immigration reform and embracing “welcoming and inclusive” attitudes on gay rights.
Gov. Scott Walker said his administration would not push for more extensive background checks for gun owners in Wisconsin, despite recent polls showing overwhelming public support for the concept both in the state and nationally.
State Rep. Jon Richards, D-Milwaukee. - Photo: Courtesy
Wisconsin’s domestic violence laws would be strengthened under measures pushed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers after a mass shooting by the estranged husband of an abuse victim.
Workers at some of Milwaukee’s largest fast food and retail chains walked off their jobs on May 15 as they demanded the right to form a union without fear of retaliation and wages of $15 an hour.
A news release from the Milwaukee Workers Organizing Committee said some employees at McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Simply Fashion and Taco Bell operations walked off the job. Milwaukee is the fifth city hit by low-wage worker strikes in five weeks. Workers at fast food restaurants and retail stores also have gone on strike in New York City, Chicago, St. Louis and Detroit.
LeRoy Butler.
Former Green Bay Packer LeRoy Butler will speak at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church this summer to deliver an anti-bullying message to area youth. The church extended the invitation to Butler after another church in the state canceled his scheduled appearance because he tweeted a message of support to NBA player Jason Collins for coming out as gay.
Former Green Bay Packer Leroy Butler says he was uninvited from delivering a speech at a Wisconsin church because he tweeted favorably about NBA player Jason Collins coming out as gay.
Collins, a free agent who ended the 2012-13 season with the Wizards, came out on April 29.
Surveys and data show dramatic changes in transportation needs in Wisconsin, especially as environmentally conscious residents increasingly leave the cars in park to take a hike or ride a bike.
Timothy Nelson as a young Franciscan shaking hands with Pope John Paul II in Rome. -Photo: Courtesy
Timothy G. Nelson was overjoyed to sign an agreement naming him president of the Regis Catholic Schools system in his hometown of Eau Claire.
Young gay and bisexual African-American men continue to be hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Wisconsin, according to the most recent data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
During 2012, 241 new cases of HIV infection were diagnosed in the state, with 70 percent occurring among gay and bisexual men. About 48 percent of the new infections were in Milwaukee.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, observed Earth Day with a message celebration the founder of the annual environmental holiday – Gaylord Nelson, who also was a Democratic senator from Wisconsin.
Baldwin said: "Today we celebrate the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day and its founder, Gaylord Nelson, a leader who exemplified the best of Wisconsin’s proud, progressive tradition. Gaylord was committed to making environmental protection and conservation a top priority for our country. His leadership showed the power of citizens to organize for change at the grassroots level.
American robins arrive earlier in the spring now than they did when Katie Thomas and her wife Paula Manning first picked up their binoculars 30 years ago.
