Author: Benjamin Yount | The Center Square contributor, Washington Examiner

(The Center Square) – The latest budget battle at the Wisconsin Capitol has little to do with what’s going to be in the state’s next spending plan. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers over the weekend criticized Republicans after they voted to remove a wave of non-budgetary policies from his budget proposal. “Republicans on the state’s budget committee…

(The Center Square) – Home prices in Wisconsin continue to go up, and there continue to be fewer homes for sale. The March report from the Wisconsin Realtors Association shows a double-digit drop in home sales and a nearly 4% increase in the median price in the state. “Wisconsin home sales fell 10.2% compared to…

(The Center Square) – It is taking longer than first thought to deal with the lead in Milwaukee Public Schools. The city’s school district said Fernwood Montessori School will reopen Friday, instead of toady. “Working in partnership with the city of Milwaukee Health Department has allowed us to move forward on our lead remediation work…

(The Center Square) – There continues to be a lot of discussion around Milwaukee Public Schools’ lead paint cleanup, even though little of it is about the actual cleanup. The city’s school district has not said when it expects to have seven schools with dangerously high lead levels cleaned, or when it expects to test…

(The Center Square) – It once again looks like the race for Congress in western Wisconsin will be crowded. Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge filed the paperwork to run against current Congressman Derrick Van Orden. “It just seems like our current representative isn’t really listening or aware of the magnitude of the issues,”…

(The Center Square) – There is some good news in the latest report on Wisconsin’s healthcare workforce. The Wisconsin Hospital Association released its 2025 Workforce Report recently, and it said hospitals across the state have closed their employment gap over the past few years. “The health care workforce continues to stabilize,” the report noted. “But…

(The Center Square) – A new report says Wisconsin’s public school managers knew about Milwaukee Public Schools’ financial crisis months before parents, voters and some school board members but didn’t say anything. The Institute for Reforming Government released more than 650 pages of public records requests from State Superintendent Jill Underly and her Department of…

(The Center Square) – A new report from the University of Wisconsin’s La Follette School of Public Affairs says the state has excellent water quality, but the state’s water utilities do not have excellent finances. The new report cards from the Wisconsin Waterworks Excellence Project look at water quality, infrastructure and operations, finances and communications…

(The Center Square) – Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature will have fewer votes, but they will stay in control in the new year. Democrats flipped two Senate seats in Tuesday’s election. Republican Joan Ballweg lost in her newly redrawn district in central Wisconsin, and Republican Duey Stroebel lost in his new district in the WOW…

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s utility watchdog is asking people to speak up about the proposed rate hikes from We Energies and WPS. The Citizens Utility Board is asking people to “be heard” at We Energies’ rate hike meeting Thursday in Milwaukee, and WPS’ public hearing Oct. 10 in Ashwaubenon. “Now is the time for…