Payday loan companies are one step closer to becoming regulated after a Senate committee passed a bill Wednesday meant to crack down on the industry. Payday loans are small, short-term loans borrowers then promise to repay out of their next paycheck. Wisconsin is currently the only state in the U.S.… Read more »

As the Milwaukee Common Council approved the lease of a city-owned building to a train manufacturing company Wednesday, one state legislator accused the selection process of being rigged. Rep. Robin Vos, R-Racine, released a letter written by France-based train manufacturer Alstom’s president, Roelof van Ark, that was sent to the… Read more »

A group of legislators sent a letter to Gov. Jim Doyle Tuesday expressing their concern over the lack of transparency in several state agencies, including all 26 UW System colleges, that failed to post information publicly online. In the letter, Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer, D-Manitowoc, and Sen.… Read more »

Hundreds of people registered to speak at a public hearing in Eau Claire Wednesday for a bill to remove the ban on the production and sale of unpasteurized milk. According to the bill, in order to produce and sell the unpasteurized milk, a farmer would have to obtain a raw… Read more »

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and other officials worked toward implementing tools to equip lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth with the ability to thrive in their schools and communities Friday at a statewide conference. According to Lawton, 340 people attended the event at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh titled, “Engaged… Read more »

The Wisconsin State Assembly passed a bill Thursday allowing taxpayers to receive federal tax credit for making investments in low-income neighborhoods. The bill states any individual who applies for commerce in any of the locations that are deemed “qualified community development entities,”— essentially low-income neighborhoods — may make a credit… Read more »

Lobbyists spent $36.2 million in 2009, up 5.2 percent from the first half of the 2007-08 legislative session, according to a report by the Government Accountability Board. The number one spender, according to the report, was the Wisconsin Education Association, which lobbied for a total of 7,239 hours and spent… Read more »