Wisconsin unemployment drops to 8.5%, below national rate

MADISON — Wisconsin's unemployment rate dropped to 8.5% in June — a bit of good news that came Thursday as Democratic lawmakers released proposals to remove obstacles and broaden access to unemployment benefits.The jobless numbers also came as Gov.

Face masks made mandatory on all UW campuses this fall

MADISON — Face masks will be mandatory inside all University of Wisconsin campus buildings statewide under a policy adopted unanimously Thursday, July 9 by the Board of Regents after interim President Tommy Thompson said there was no way to open safely amid the coronavirus pandemic without the mandate.Thompson, the former Republican governor and U.S. Department of Health Services secretary, strongly advocated for the mandatory mask policy at his first regents meeting since taking the job last week.

Wisconsin Supreme Court OKs GOP-authored lame-duck laws

MADISON, Wis.  — The conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday upheld Republican-authored lame-duck laws that stripped power from the incoming Democratic attorney general just before he took office in 2019.The court rejected arguments that the laws were unconstitutional, handing another win to Republicans who have scored multiple high-profile victories before the conservative court in recent years.The ruling marks the second time that the court has upheld the lame-duck laws passed in December 2018, just weeks before Gov.