NFIB: New data: Wisconsin Small Business Optimism falls below national index
MADISON, WI (July 20, 2026) – A new Wisconsin Small Business Economic Trends (SBET) report, produced by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Research Center and released today, highlights responses from Wisconsin small business owners on a variety of issues compared to national averages from the NFIB’s monthly SBET surveys throughout the year. The Small Business Optimism Index for Wisconsin small businesses in Winter (October-March) 2025-26 was 98.8, 0.3 points above the national average.
Dave Cieslewicz: Disarray
My party is being very much my party. Just as its crowded gubernatorial primary was coalescing around the candidate most likely to win in November, that candidate’s campaign stumbled hard, her less electable opponents pounced and, just like that, somebody else will get the nomination.
Gregory Humphrey: All were talking about the powerful political play of the week in Wisconsin
There was a unity of sorts as collectively we gawked at a political plot twist so strange, so unexpected, and so oddly compelling that everyone from the most dyed‑in‑the‑wool conservative in Waukesha to the most caffeinated liberal on Madison’s isthmus paused and said, “Wait… what?”
Jessica McBride: Tony Evers plays King Lear, governor’s race musical chairs and Democratic palace intrigue erupts
This is positively Shakespearean. What a wild ride of a governor’s race. You have Gov. Tony Evers as the aging King Lear, who fatally miscalculated when deciding how to divide his kingdom upon retirement, possibly pushing a guy who already quit back into the race over his former lieutenant governor, Mandela Barnes.
Rolf Lindgren: Why Jon Aleckson can pull off a victory in the 50th Assembly district
New-on-the-scene businessman Jon Aleckson is making a serious challenge to win the 50th AD.
Kyle O’Brien: Don’t be fooled by headlines on hospital transparency
As the head of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, I can personally guarantee that you will find a “Price Transparency” link on the front page of every Wisconsin hospital website.
Scott Gordon: UW-Madison’s unions were key to Flock camera removal
The decision to remove Flock cameras from the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus demonstrates that Wisconsin’s public-sector unions can still have an impact, even with Act 10 still on the books.
Lorenzo campaign: Lorenzo Santos warns the Trump Administration fits the definition of a domestic terrorist organization and will attempt to interfere with 2026 midterm election
As a Homeland Security practitioner, a veteran of our military and an emergency manager trained to handle crises ranging from terrorist attacks, pandemics to natural disasters, it is my job to assess risks and plan for them. In doing so,
Bill Kaplan: Endless war, lawlessness and stupidity
Trump has restarted and escalated his endless Iran War in a flurry of death, lawlessness and stupidity.
James E. Causey: Trump can’t pardon the Exonerated Five. He can apologize.
The Exonerated Five have long been cleared in the eyes of the law, but accountability also means acknowledging the rhetoric that helped shape one of the nation’s most infamous wrongful convictions.
Dave Zweifel: Ron DeSantis’ cruel execution campaign
Florida has long had a high execution rate, but in January 2025, DeSantis, a Trump acolyte, began signing death warrants at an accelerated rate. What followed, Times reporter Pamela Colloff tells us, was the busiest period of executions in more than eight decades.
Lester Pines: Todd Blanche must be disbarred
Apparently, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was so entranced by the prospect of being able to shovel “real money” to his boss, patron and former client Donald Trump, that he ignored the ethical obligations that govern his conduct as a lawyer.
ACLU of Wisconsin: ACLU of Wisconsin files brief advocating for transgender students to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity
NEW RICHMOND – The ACLU of Wisconsin filed a brief last Friday at the Western District of Wisconsin concerning a case in which a parent-led organization, New Richmond Parents for Strong Schools, are trying to push the New Richmond School
Dept. of Workforce Development: DWD warns of sophisticated email scams targeting injured workers
MADISON – The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) is alerting the public about a possible multi-state fraud scheme targeting injured workers in which fraudsters trick individuals into participating in fake worker’s compensation hearings, leading the injured worker to believe
Gov. Evers: Announces more than 23,400 State Park passes sold since launch of new Evers Administration partnership between WisDot and DNR
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today announced more than 23,400 Wisconsin State Park passes have been purchased while Wisconsinites renewed their annual vehicle registration online under a new cross-agency initiative announced by the governor and the Evers Administration just last month. Thanks