Wisconsin Gazette

To inform, engage and empower Wisconsin's progressive community.

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Enzi regrets saying guy in tutu ‘kind of asks for it’

Enzi regrets saying guy in tutu ‘kind of asks for it’

A Republican senator from Wyoming said he regrets his poor choice of words after telling students a man who wears a tutu to a bar and gets into fights “kind of asks for it.” U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi said in a statement that his comments at Greybull High School and Middle School last week were about respect, tolerance and the dangers of bullying. “I regret a poor choice of words during part of my…

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Report: States lack protections for transgender youth

Report: States lack protections for transgender youth

Most states lack anti-discrimination policies and staff training needed to protect transgender youth in foster care, juvenile detention facilities and homeless shelters, according to a new report. There are clear federal standards for the treatment of such youth, but states and communities don’t always follow such rules, said Currey Cook of the civil rights organization Lambda Legal, which helped…

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Sondheim an honoree, Trump a target at annual PEN gala

Sondheim an honoree, Trump a target at annual PEN gala

Stephen Sondheim, whose fellow honorees at this week’s gala for PEN America included an imprisoned Ukrainian filmmaker and the organizers of the women’s marches in January, was in a humble mood. “I write songs for musicals, for god’s sake. Musicals, the runt of the arts,” Sondheim said as he accepted a Literary Service Award from the literary and human rights organization. “But then I thought if…

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Fox sued, complaint alleges 'plantation-style management'

Fox sued, complaint alleges ‘plantation-style management’

An expanded lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses Fox News Channel of racial discrimination “that appears more akin to Plantation-style management than a modern-day work environment.” The lawsuit adds eight former and current Fox employees to a case involving three former Fox workers and their accusations against a since-fired Fox financial executive. It also expands the case to include Dianne Brandi,…

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Moore: Trump tax proposal for special interests, super wealthy

Moore: Trump tax proposal for special interests, super wealthy

In response to the release of the Trump Administration’s 2017 tax proposal, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, issued this statement: The Trump administration’s long-awaited outline for tax reform highlights the president’s allegiance to special interests and the super wealthy through massive tax cuts for powerful corporations. Despite claims from the White House’s chief economic advisor that…

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Amid wall-to-wall blockbusters, sands of summer are shifting

Amid wall-to-wall blockbusters, sands of summer are shifting

The summer movie season was once an air-conditioned oasis that drew lines around the block of audiences eager for the roller-coaster ride of Indiana Jones, the shark bite of Jaws and the buzz of a lightsaber. But in a time where the mega-movie business is year-round, that once hallowed season of moviegoing — maybe the quintessential big-screen, popcorn-eating experience — no longer means the same…

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Summer movies: Aliens, pirates, superheroes, a mummy and more

Summer movies: Aliens, pirates, superheroes, a mummy and more

This summer at the movies there will be aliens, evil and friendly, pirates, scantily-clad lifeguards,  a few classic superheroes in fresh suits, an evil mummy, two King Arthurs and a few very different war films. Here’s a monthly rundown some of the summer’s highlights. Dates are subject to change. MAY “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (May 5) “Risk” (May 5) “The Dinner” (May 5) “Chuck” (May 5)…

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Petitioners renew call to ‘fire’ Milwaukee County Sheriff Clarke

Petitioners renew call to ‘fire’ Milwaukee County Sheriff Clarke

Voces de la Frontera, Wisconsin’s leading immigrant rights group, announced April 26 the filing of a petition signed by 10,000 people calling for Gov. Scott Walker to “fire” Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke. The following is the petition letter sent to the Republican governor in both English and Spanish: Governor Walker, Fire Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke! According to the Wisconsin…

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New gun safety coalition formed by Wisconsin Democrats

New gun safety coalition formed by Wisconsin Democrats

Assembly Democrats this week announced the creation of a new gun safety advocacy coalition to counter GOP efforts to relax gun regulations. State Reps. Terese Berceau, Melissa Sargent and Lisa Subeck, who all hail from Madison, held a news conference at the state Capitol to announce the formation of the Wisconsin Coalition for Gun Safety. The coalition includes: The Wisconsin chapter of the…

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Creatives band together to benefit art programs in Milwaukee schools

Creatives band together to benefit art programs in Milwaukee schools

By Joey Grihalva Milwaukee’s largest locally-focused music and arts festival — Arte Para Todos (“Art For Everyone”) — returns this weekend. In its third year, the festival hosts nearly 100 Wisconsin musicians who perform at 26 venues from Thursday, April 27, to Sunday, April 30.   The festival was founded in 2015 as a response to the underfunding of art and music programs in Milwaukee schools.…

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Wis Dems: GOP’s push to eliminate prevailing wage threatens middle class

Wis Dems: GOP’s push to eliminate prevailing wage threatens middle class

Democrats and unions say a GOP push to eliminate prevailing wage requirements on public projects would send skilled workers out of state and further erode the middle class. Republican state lawmakers say their proposal would save the state hundreds of millions of dollars. The Wisconsin Senate Committee on Labor and Regulatory reform held a public hearing in April on a proposal to end minimum…

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Zoological Society of Milwaukee holds ‘Zootastic’ fundraiser April 28

Zoological Society of Milwaukee holds ‘Zootastic’ fundraiser April 28

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UW-Madison presents Threads Fashion Show on April 30

UW-Madison presents Threads Fashion Show on April 30

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Managers of state pension funds get $14 million in bonuses

Managers of state pension funds get $14 million in bonuses

Wisconsin pension fund managers and those who work directly with the state’s investments will receive bonuses totaling nearly $14 million this year. This is the highest total ever, as a reward for strong returns, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board announced. The $13.8 million in bonuses was approved for 152 of 163 board employees, exceeding the $11.1 million handed out last year, the board…

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Signs go up in Racine marking Frank Lloyd Wright Trail

Signs go up in Racine marking Frank Lloyd Wright Trail

Signs have gone up in Racine to guide visitors to buildings designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The signs are part of the state-sponsored Frank Lloyd Wright Trail, which highlights Wright-designed buildings throughout his home state of Wisconsin. The Racine Journal Times reports the buildings highlighted in Racine County include the administration building at the global headquarters of the…

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Wisconsin tribes clash in casino expansion fight

Wisconsin tribes clash in casino expansion fight

At 85, Betty Putnam-Schiel has trouble standing, but she gets along well enough in her home on the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans’ northern Wisconsin reservation thanks to tribal assistants who do everything from shovel her snow to change her lightbulbs. But maybe not for much longer. Another tribe, the Ho-Chunk Nation, is expanding its nearby casino into a full-fledged resort that would…

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Widow of slayed Racine man wants ban of hollow-point bullets

Widow of slayed Racine man wants ban of hollow-point bullets

A southeast Wisconsin woman whose husband was killed while delivering food wants to pursue a ban on the hollow-point bullets that police say contributed to his death. James Norris was gunned down in March 2016 while delivering food in Racine, The Journal Times reported. Twenty-eight-year-old Alex Adams is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and armed robbery in the incident.…

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