ManpowerGroup issues AI tech challenge for startups

Milwaukee-based global staffing firm ManpowerGroup has issued a new challenge for startups, seeking AI-based tech that spurs cooperation with workers.  The company recently launched its 2026 VivaTech Startup Challenge, called Human First, Digital Always: Redefining the Future of Work. It’s

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Senate committee signs off on data center bills

Two bills regulating data centers passed out of a Senate committee Friday ahead of the final Senate floor period of the year. AB 840, which promises ratepayers protections from data center development costs, passed the Assembly largely along party lines

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Bankers group VP defends opposition to crypto staking bill

A speaker from the Wisconsin Bankers Association defended the group’s opposition to digital asset staking legislation, challenging federal guidance on how the technology should be classified.  The bill, from Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara, R-Fox Crossing, and Rep. Adam Neylon, R-Pewaukee, would

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WPF report lays out child care funding options

A new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum lays out options for putting additional funding into child care affordability, from new taxes to cost-sharing arrangements and more.  Most avenues for this support are at the state level, as local governments

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Evers signs into law changes to worker’s comp in Wisconsin

Gov. Tony Evers has signed into law dozens of changes to worker’s compensation in the state, from expanding PTSD coverage for some first responders to boosting certain disability benefit rates.  The Dem guv yesterday signed AB 651 at the Wisconsin State Council of Machinists Annual Conference, his office announced. The

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ManpowerGroup issues AI tech challenge for startups

Milwaukee-based global staffing firm ManpowerGroup has issued a new challenge for startups, seeking AI-based tech that spurs cooperation with workers.  The company recently launched its 2026 VivaTech Startup Challenge, called Human First, Digital Always: Redefining the Future of Work. It’s seeking submissions in two categories, unified by the idea that

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Energy consumers taking a hit from Iran conflict, panelists say

Energy consumers are bearing the brunt of the economic impact from the war in Iran, a panel of experts agreed, while natural gas producers and oil-producing U.S. states are expected to see some benefit.  Speaking yesterday during a WisPolitics-State Affairs virtual luncheon, Customers First! Coalition Executive Director Kristin Gilkes noted

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WPF report explores changes to federal housing tax credits, other policies

Recent federal changes have expanded housing tax credit programs that drive low-income rental developments in Milwaukee, but rising costs are holding back affordable housing growth in Wisconsin’s largest city.  That’s one conclusion from the Wisconsin Policy Forum’s latest report, which explores the impact of shifting federal housing policy on Milwaukee

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BMO report explores WI business outlook in constrained growth environment

Businesses in Wisconsin are “prioritizing efficiency and productivity” over hiring amid a tight labor market and tepid state-level economic growth.  That’s according to a new state business outlook report released today by BMO Bank, featuring insights from Dave Anderson, head of Wisconsin and Minnesota commercial banking for the Chicago-based bank. 

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Senate committee signs off on data center bills

Two bills regulating data centers passed out of a Senate committee Friday ahead of the final Senate floor period of the year. AB 840, which promises ratepayers protections from data center development costs, passed the Assembly largely along party lines in January.  Democrats fought for legislation with a defined regulatory

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Bill would guarantee legal counsel for renters facing eviction

Residential tenants facing eviction in Wisconsin would be guaranteed legal counsel under legislation being circulated for co-sponsorship.  A group of Dem lawmakers led by Sen. Kelda Roys of Madison and Rep. Ryan Clancy of Milwaukee recently sent a memo seeking support for LRB-1214. They note a single missed housing payment

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New details revealed for Meta’s Beaver Dam data center

Meta’s new Beaver Dam data center could use up to 220 megawatts of power, according to newly unredacted portions of a proposed service contract with Alliant Energy.  That’s less than other hyperscale data center campuses under construction in Wisconsin but well beyond the residential power needs of most of the

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New effort seeks to form cohesive plan for forest products industry

A newly launched $1 million initiative aims to develop a cohesive strategy for Wisconsin’s forest products industry.  “We want to have a plan for the future, not just respond to what’s happening or what we think will happen,” Wisconsin Paper Council President Scott Suder said yesterday in an interview. “We

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Talent access tops list of business challenges in Fox Cities survey

A recent survey of Appleton-area companies found access to talent was far and away the biggest challenge associated with doing business in the region.  The Fox Cities Chamber recently released the results of its 2026 Economic Outlook Survey, which revealed the business community in the northeastern Wisconsin region is “cautiously

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Bankers group VP defends opposition to crypto staking bill

A speaker from the Wisconsin Bankers Association defended the group’s opposition to digital asset staking legislation, challenging federal guidance on how the technology should be classified.  The bill, from Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara, R-Fox Crossing, and Rep. Adam Neylon, R-Pewaukee, would specify that digital asset staking and services enabling staking are

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WPF report lays out child care funding options

A new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum lays out options for putting additional funding into child care affordability, from new taxes to cost-sharing arrangements and more.  Most avenues for this support are at the state level, as local governments are relatively limited in their ability to raise additional revenue,

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