MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Democrats are joining their rival Republicans’ call for University of Wisconsin System officials to freeze tuition.
A Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo released last week shows the system finished the 2012 fiscal year with nearly $650 million in reserves, including $414 million in surplus tuition dollars. Republicans are questioning how the Board of Regents could justify raising tuition for six straight years in light of the massive reserves.
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Republicans have vowed to freeze tuition in the upcoming state budget. Democratic legislative leaders, typically among the system’s staunchest supports, sent a letter to system President Kevin Reilly and the board Wednesday calling the surplus unjustifiable and asking the regents to freeze tuition for two years.
A system spokesman says it’s difficult to comment because the budget is still in flux.
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Building Commission agreed Wednesday to delay voting on rescinding a $250,000 grant to help create a Native American cultural center after the Republican lawmaker pushing for it said he was hopeful a compromise could be reached on walleye spearfishing limits.
Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, proposed taking away the money given to the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa as retribution for the six Chippewa tribes raising their walleye spearfishing goals by about 5,300 walleye. That resulted in state wildlife officials imposing a one-fish limit for other non-tribal anglers on nearly 200 northern Wisconsin lakes.
Kaufert, chairman of the Assembly’s tourism committee and vice chairman of the Building Commission, said such a limit would be devastating for tourism in the north woods. But he backed away from seeking to reclaim the cultural center grant money after speaking with state Department of Natural Resources Secretary Cathy Stepp.
She plans to meet Monday with tribal leaders to discuss reaching a deal, perhaps by increasing the number of walleye released from fish hatcheries, Kaufert said.
Stepp’s spokesman, Bill Cosh, confirmed that a meeting was taking place on Monday but did not say what proposals Stepp would be offering.
“We’re going to continue our efforts to meet with the tribes and move forward on common ground, which is we all agree we want more fish in the north,” Cosh said.
Gov. Scott Walker, a member of the Building Commission, said he opposed taking back the cultural center money as Kaufert originally proposed.
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Unemployment rates dropped in most Wisconsin cities and counties in March.
The state Department of Workforce Development reported Wednesday that rates decreased in 31 of the largest cities. They went down in 70 of the 72 counties as well.
Unemployment was highest in Racine for the month at 13.3 percent. Caledonia had the lowest rate at 3.9 percent.
Menominee County’s unemployment rate ranks highest at 14.6 percent. Dane County was the lowest at 5.1 percent.
The statewide unemployment rate for March was 7.1 percent.
The data are based on monthly unemployment insurance claims and a survey of about 1,450 households. The numbers are not seasonally adjusted and are subject to significant revision.
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A handful of animal lovers tore into a bill that would establish a Wisconsin woodchuck hunting season, blasting the measure as unnecessary during a hearing Wednesday and calling it another sign that legislators are obsessed with killing wildlife.
Only eight people addressed the Assembly Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage Committee about the bill. One was the measure’s author, Rep. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere. Another was a Department of Natural Resources wildlife ecologist. The others all spoke against the proposal.
“I think the primary (motivation) here is thrill kill,” said Randy O’Connell, 59, of Omro, who described himself after the hearing as a recovering hunter. “This culture, not a heritage, needs to come to an end.”
Woodchucks, also known as groundhogs or whistle-pigs, are beaver-like creatures known for burrowing and gobbling up plants at a manic pace. They’ve been on the state’s protected species list for decades. Property owners can kill nuisance woodchucks but anyone else needs a license.
DNR ecologists don’t have any estimates on how many woodchucks live in Wisconsin, but they say they’re abundant and it’s not clear why they were ever placed on the protected species list. Some experts have speculated wildlife officials wanted to ensure woodchucks continued to burrow because the holes can provide shelter for other animals.
Jacque introduced a bill earlier this month that would remove woodchucks from the protected species list and establish a hunting and trapping season from March 1 through Dec. 31. The bill would prohibit the DNR from setting any bag limits.
Hunters already can kill a wide range of animals in Wisconsin, including deer, bears, wolves, mourning doves, coyotes, squirrels, rabbits and wild pigs. Legislators also have contemplated feral cat and sandhill crane seasons in recent years.
