Table of Experts: Dealing with uncertainty
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Monday, September 30, 2024
We Energies rate increase hearings coming to Milwaukee and Racine. Typical bill would rise to $152
From JSOnline:
We Energies rate increase public hearings could focus on affordability and clean energy.
Rick Barrett
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Proposed electricity rate hikes, hitting low-income households especially hard, are the subject of public hearings this week in Milwaukee and Racine.
For 2025, We Energies has sought a 9.2% rate increase for most residential customers, followed by an 8.5% increase in 2026. If the increases are approved by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, the typical monthly residential electric bill would rise from around $128 to $152.
The Racine public hearings are Tuesday, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Cesar Chavez Community Center Gym, 2221 Douglas Ave. The Milwaukee public hearings are Thursday, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., at the Drury Plaza Hotel, 700 N. Water St.
Participation by Zoom is available for both sets of hearings. People who can't make it to one of the Milwaukee or Racine hearings can submit a comment online anytime through Oct. 7.
We Energies has sought an additional $418.6 million from its customers over the next two years to cover rising costs associated with building new sources of power generation; grid improvements, inflation and labor.
It amplifies a two-decade trend in which residential electricity cost increases have risen at more than twice the rate of inflation since 2005, according to an analysis by Wisconsin Citizens Utility Board, a nonprofit watchdog group.
“These proposed increases are outrageous and must be viewed in the light of (We Energies') authorized increases over the past few years,” Milwaukee Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic said in written testimony submitted to the commission.
Rate increases are especially hard on low-income families where energy costs can consume as much as 20% of a household budget, according to an analysis by the Sierra Club – Wisconsin Chapter.
Rate increase unsustainable, Bay View alder says
“This is not sustainable,” said Dimitrijevic, whose 14th Aldermanic District includes the Bay View neighborhood.
“The city is home to thousands of moderate and low-income residents who can least afford another We Energies rate increase and certainly not one of this magnitude,” she added.
Investments in renewable and clean energy have been the primary driver behind rate increases.
Looking at 2025 alone, 70% of the new revenue sought, or $167 million, is to begin payments for newly completed solar power projects and the purchase of a share of the generating capacity of Alliant Energy's West Riverside natural gas plant.
Bills are also coming due on We Energies' efforts to improve the electric grid's reliability and resilience to storm damage.
Burying power lines, more aggressive removal of dead and dying trees, and other improvements authorized by the commission in 2022 account for about $71 million of the new costs the utility has sought to recover.
We Energies says it needs to meet demand
We Energies said its financial needs reflect a commitment to meeting energy demand, maintaining a reliable electric grid, and the transition to renewable energy in order to avoid spending billions on pollution controls for burning coal, which it plans to stop using by 2032.
The utility industry is undergoing a vast amount of rapid change, at a time when customer affordability and the ability to make ends meet are already in the spotlight, according to Tom Content, executive director of Wisconsin Citizens Utility Board.
“The affordability challenge cries out for more balance between shareholders and customers, and close consideration of utility returns to shareholders and of stranded costs, which exist when power plants shut down before the end of their projected retirement dates and/or useful lives,” Content said in written testimony.
Environmental groups are expected to have a strong presence at this week's hearings.
Several groups have warned that powering a massive Microsoft data center in Mount Pleasant with methane gas power plants would push Wisconsin backward in the quest for clean energy.
Environmental groups calls for clean energy
In an open letter to Microsoft, Sierra Club Wisconsin, Clean Wisconsin, Action for the Climate Emergency and other groups called on the company to power its planned data center with local clean energy.
"Right now, We Energies is planning to meet energy demand for the Microsoft data center by spending billions of dollars to build new methane gas power plants and pipelines," the letter said.
"It's a massive buildout that will push our state's climate goals out of reach, locking us into 30 more years of fossil fuels at a time when we all know we must rapidly transition to clean energy," it said.
Microsoft's recently announced plan to help fund a 250-megawatt solar energy project in Wisconsin is a good start but would represent only a fraction of the data center's energy needs, according to the groups.
"There must be more. Other plans to buy out-of-state carbon credits to offset energy use in Wisconsin may technically meet your company's climate goals, but they do nothing to support the badly needed transformation to clean energy here in your new home," their letter says.
In addition to the public hearings in Milwaukee and Racine this week, the PSC has scheduled Oct. 10 hearings, at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., at the Ashwaubenon Community Center, 900 Anderson Dr., Ashwaubenon.
Residents express mixed opinions about county sales tax during listening sessions
From The Journal Times.com:
Holly Gilvary , Scott Williams
Holly Gilvary , Scott Williams
 |
John Dahms of Union Grove was one of the residents who attended a listening session Sept. 23 seeking public input about a Racine County sales tax proposal. |
RACINE — Racine County residents have expressed mixed opinions about the 0.5% county sales tax proposal during listening sessions.
If approved by the Board of Supervisors, the sales tax would go into effect on April 1, 2025, according to the county.
In Caledonia, members of the public questioned the sales tax but did not outwardly oppose it during a listening session Sept. 19. Some even supported the idea.
Bill Streeter of Caledonia said he wants the board to approve the sales tax in order to continue providing resources to county residents.
“Why has Racine County dragged its feet adopting this common sense measure?” Streeter asked.
During a listening session at the Racine County Courthouse on Sept. 26, most residents who spoke supported the sales tax but expressed concern about the benefit to non-property owners, who would not directly receive property tax relief.
However, Colin McKenna of Racine said he does not support the sales tax, claiming it could negatively impact small business owners.
“People are on a tight budget,” McKenna said.
About 20 people turned out at the Union Grove Municipal Center to discuss the tax idea with County Corporation Counsel Michael Lanzdorf and Supervisor Scott Maier.
Members of the public said the county should cut needless services, if necessary, to avoid the sale taxes, or set a sunset date to ensure the sales tax does not become permanent.
Darren Slotty of the Town of Norway said the sales tax would place an added burden on Racine County residents at a time when consumers already face rising prices, school referendums and other tax increases.
“It all adds up,” Slotty said. “And it sucks.”
John Dahms of Union Grove said the public should have more information about the financial situation that county officials are citing as justification for the sales tax.
Dahms said Union Grove taxpayers already are facing possible tax increases in a school referendum and a firehouse referendum.
“Where are we going with this?” he said. “It’s a bottomless pit.”
Jim Fox of Yorkville said that if the county imposes a sales tax, it should be temporary — until any current financial crisis has passed.
But he also asked how the county would respond the next time finances are in a pinch.
Bice: Tammy Baldwin raises campaign funds from food companies while ripping price gouging
From JSOnline:
Daniel Bice
Daniel Bice
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Sen. Tammy Baldwin has been an outspoken voice in favor of cracking down on corporate price gouging and consumer product shrinkflation.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, may even have borrowed some of those ideas.
Yet despite these efforts, Baldwin, a second-term Democrat, has collected $33,500 in campaign cash from major food and consumer product companies over the years, including $12,000 this year. She is running for re-election against Republican candidate Eric Hovde.
Indeed, since announcing her latest plan in February to hold down costs on consumer goods, Baldwin has accepted $4,000 from General Mills' political action committee and $1,000 from Hershey's PAC.
General Mills came under criticism last year from U.S. Sen. Bob Casey for hiking its prices five times in 2021 and 2022. The Hershey Co. reduced the size of such products as Dot's Pretzels and Hershey's Kisses in the past.
Zach Bannon, a spokesman for Hovde, accused Baldwin of duplicity for, in effect, saying one thing about price gouging in the Senate and doing another with her campaign fund.
“Sen. Baldwin’s lack of understanding of the economy is only outmatched by her hypocrisy," Bannon said. "After living in D.C. for 26 years, and now spending most of her time in New York City with her Wall Street partner, her commitment to the people of Wisconsin is secondary to her personal gain."
A spokesman for Baldwin pushed back on the criticism.
"Tammy Baldwin will stand up to anyone on behalf of Wisconsin families," said Andrew Mamo, spokesman for Baldwin's campaign. "She is proud to fight corporate price gouging so everyone in Wisconsin can afford to live a good life in our great state."
Baldwin began raising concerns about price gouging in 2022 when she joined other Democrats in sponsoring federal legislation to authorize the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to enforce a federal ban against excessive price increases.
The Democrats accused large corporations of using the pandemic to boost prices and collect record profits.
The measure did not pass.
Records show Baldwin has received $19,000 from food and snack companies since cosponsoring that legislation. That includes PACs run by Conagra Brands, the Snack Food Association, the Kraft-Heinz Co., Archer Daniels Midland, General Mills and Hershey's.
In February, Baldwin joined other Democrats in reintroducing the measure this term, saying large corporations were using inflation and supply-chain disruptions to justify raising the cost of consumer goods.
harris"Big corporations are price gouging Americans, taking in record profits, and giving their executives lavish bonuses, all while Wisconsin families struggle to get by," Baldwin said in a news release. "It’s wrong and we need to do more to hold these big corporations accountable and give Wisconsinites some breathing room."
The same month, Baldwin also backed a bill aimed at stopping shrinkflation, the practice of reducing the size of products without lowering the prices. The measure would direct the FTC to draft regulations declaring shrinkflation a deceptive act and give state and federal officials the power to take civil action against manufacturers who do this.
Interestingly, Baldwin criticized General Mills in a news release for trimming the “family size” of Cocoa Puffs cereal from 19.3 ounces to 18.1 ounces while charging the same price. Over the years, General Mills' PAC has donated $15,000 to Baldwin's campaign.
Baldwin officials said her legislation shows her Senate work is not influenced by campaign donations.
These proposals gained national attention when Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, announced she would authorize the first-ever federal ban on corporate price gouging on food and groceries if elected.
Harris' plan came under immediate criticism. Her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, and other Republicans accused Harris of pushing "communist-style price controls." Her proposal has also alarmed food industry officials and even some left-of-center economists, who’ve warned such policies can hurt more than they help.
Among other things, critics have said, price gouging does not cause inflation and such a proposal could be harmful to supermarkets, which operate on narrow profit margins.
"This is not sensible policy, and I think the biggest hope is that it ends up being a lot of rhetoric and no reality," Jason Furman, a top economist in the Democratic President Barack Obama's administration, told the New York Times. "There’s no upside here, and there is some downside."
But Baldwin has not backed down from her proposals.
In a recent piece in the Journal Sentinel, she said "greedflation" — the practice of raising prices on consumers while inflation is high to pad a corporation’s bottom line — continues to be a major problem.
From 2020 to 2022, Baldwin said, core inflation rose but corporate profits soared by 75%, five times faster than inflation. She said grocery store price hikes are largely due to corporate greed.
Baldwin wrote: "I’m proud to be helping lead the Price Gouging Prevention Act, which would ban this price gouging and put a cop on the beat to hold corporations accountable for their greedy profit-over-people practices."
Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 313-6684 or dbice@jrn.com. Follow him on X at @DanielBice or on Facebook at fb.me/daniel.bice.
57-year-old Racine man faces more than a dozen child pornography charges
From The Journal Times.com:
Annie Pulley
Annie Pulley
RACINE — A 57-year-old Racine man faces more than a dozen felony charges after investigators searched his home and reportedly found devices containing images of child pornography.
The charges come amid a wave of similar cases investigated and prosecuted in Racine County.
Tony Radunz was charged with 14 counts of possessing child pornography. If convicted, he could be fined up to $100,000, sentenced to up to 25 years in prison, or both. The court also can impose a $500 surcharge for each image or copy of an image recovered.
Radunz is in custody, and the court set his cash bail at $100,000.
According to the criminal complaint, the Racine County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation after being assigned to a cyber tip by the state DOJ’s Division of Criminal Investigation on July 30.
Investigators searched Radunz’s residence in the 700 block of Aruther Avenue on Sept. 25.
According to the complaint, Radunz allegedly admitted to viewing child pornography and to storing images on a USB drive.
Radunz is scheduled to appear in Racine County Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing Oct. 2.
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Golden Retriever Helps Raise Kitten | The Dodo
I subscribe to The Dodo. They post a few videos a day on pets and pet topics. It's all done with love. I need the good vibes from this and other pet-related sites to counteract all the negative feed I get from videos on politics, bad cops, and bad government.
Donald Trump schedules campaign stops in Wisconsin Democratic strongholds
From JSOnline:
Hope Karnopp
Hope Karnopp
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Former President Donald Trump will return to Wisconsin Tuesday with stops in Dane County and Milwaukee, two of the most Democratic areas of the state.
Some Republicans in the swing state, most notably former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, have encouraged Trump to come to the blue areas to counter Democrats’ margins and reach more voters.
Trump will deliver remarks at Dane Manufacturing in Waunakee, about 13 miles north of Madison, at 1:30 p.m. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde, who is challenging incumbent Tammy Baldwin, recently held a campaign appearance at the metal fabrication facility.
Trump will then speak at Discovery World, a science museum along Lake Michigan, in Milwaukee at 5 p.m. Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance gave a speech at the same venue during the Republican National Convention
Trump is in Prairie du Chien this weekend as both campaigns ramp up travel with less than 40 days until Election Day. He is expected to deliver remarks on immigration Saturday and focus on the economy in his stops next week.
Doug Emhoff, the husband of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, will also campaign in Milwaukee on Tuesday. No location has been announced yet for his visit. Harris held a rally in Madison on Sept. 20.
"If Trump is reelected, his extreme Project 2025 agenda would give him virtually unchecked power to do whatever he wants, including his plans to enact a Trump Sales Tax that would spike costs for families by nearly $4,000 a year," said Wisconsin Democratic Coordinated Campaign Rapid Response Director Kristi Johnston in a statement Saturday.
"Vice President Harris is offering a new way forward instead of Trump’s extremism: She’s fighting to lower costs for middle-class families, protect our fundamental freedoms, and keep our communities safe," Johnston said in the statement.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Racine man facing child porn charges pleads not guilty
From The Journal Times.com:
Annie Pulley
Annie Pulley
RACINE — A Racine man facing child pornography charges after a search of his home pleaded not guilty Thursday.
Mark Temby, who is 58, was charged Aug. 26 with 15 felony counts of possessing child pornography.
If convicted, Temby could be made to pay a fine up to $100,000, serve a 25-year prison sentence, or both. The court can also impose a $500 surcharge for each image or copy of an image that depicts child pornography.
According to previous Journal Times reports, the investigation into Temby began in February 2019 when the Racine Police Department received a cyber tip associated with Temby’s residence in the 1500 block of Flett Avenue.
Investigators with the sheriff’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit and agents with the state Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation searched the Flett Avenue home Aug. 23, 2024, based on an additional three cyber tips received in 2023 and 2024.
Investigators reportedly found several electronic devices containing numerous images depicting child pornography.
Temby is scheduled to appear for a status conference on Dec. 9.
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Despite endorsement, Wisconsin Teamsters' rank-and-file not solidly behind Kamala Harris
From JSOnline:
Jessie Opoien
Jessie Opoien
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
MADISON – Days after Wisconsin's Teamsters Joint Council 39 broke with its national leadership and endorsed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters released a poll showing rank-and-file members in this battleground state may not be unified behind the decision.
Teamsters Joint Council 39 president Bill Carroll, who spoke at a recent Harris rally in Madison, questioned the methodology of the polling while acknowledging the union does have its share of members who support Republican former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
Carroll said there are differences of opinion within the union on a variety of issues but the local's endorsements are based on which candidates they think will be most supportive of organized labor.
The union has conducted several surveys of its members throughout the campaign, before and after Democratic President Joe Biden withdrew from the race.
In straw polls conducted between April 9 and July 3, Biden led in Wisconsin 73.5% to Trump's 15.3%. In an electronic poll conducted in Wisconsin between July 24 and Sept. 15, however, Trump led Harris 57% to 40.5%. The union's release of the poll did not share how many Wisconsin members weighed in.
According to the union, members were notified about the opportunity to participate in the electronic poll through the quarterly Teamsters Magazine mailed to all members in July, along with social media posts and postcards sent to members' homes. Nationwide, more than 35,000 members participated.
The labor union has been under fire since its national president, Sean O'Brien delivered a rousing speech to the Republican National Convention — the first time the union's leader had done so in its 121-year history. O'Brien's speech in Milwaukee was among the most talked about among convention attendees. He did not speak at the Democratic National Convention, but seven other major union presidents did.
Last week, the General Executive Board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters elected not to endorse any candidate for U.S. President.
"Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before big business.," O'Brien said in a statement. "We sought commitments from both Trump and Harris not to interfere in critical union campaigns or core Teamsters industries, and to honor our members’ right to strike, but were unable to secure those pledges.”
In response to the national Teamsters organization's decision not to endorse, Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the rank-and-file members prefer Trump.
"While the Teamsters Executive Board is making no formal endorsement, the hardworking members of the Teamsters have been loud and clear, they want President Trump back in the White House," Leavitt said in a statement. "These hardworking men and women are the backbone of America and President Trump will strongly stand up for them when he’s back in the White House."
Teamsters locals from Wisconsin, California, Nevada, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and others, however, have backed the Harris-Walz ticket.
Carroll introduced Harris at her Madison rally last week, praising her as "a champion for unions and working families."
"When we make our endorsement evaluation, it's pretty much solely on who is the candidate that is best for organized labor, and by extension, our membership," Carroll said. "We don't get in the weeds on guns or abortion or immigration or crime or any of those things. … There's no there's no question (about which slate to endorse). It's an easy answer."
Teamsters Joint Council 39 makes endorsements every election cycle, Carroll said. The only new element in this election, he said, is the International opting not to weigh in.
Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.
Fans run for exits after off-duty security guard accidentally shoots himself at Wisconsin Lutheran football game, officials say
From JSOnline:
Drake Bentley
Milwaukee Journal Sentine
An off-duty security guard accidentally shot himself at a Wisconsin Lutheran High School football game Friday night, sending the players and fans running for the exits, the school said in a statement.
The guard, who is not affiliated with the school, received medical attention and his injuries are not life-threatening, according to school officials.
Milwaukee police didn't immediately respond to a request for comment late Friday night. The incident took place at Zeitler Stadium, which is just south of the school located near North 84th Street and West Bluemound Road.
The finish of the game, between Wisconsin Lutheran and Milwaukee Lutheran, was called off as a result of the incident. Wisconsin Luthern was leading 42-0 at the time.
WISN-TV cameras were rolling at the football game when the incident took place. Following the "pop" sound, players on the field immediately ran for cover while students and parents in the stands scrambled for the exits.
The PA announcer can be heard saying, "Everybody hold tight."
The school said it would be reviewing safety protocols. "We pride ourselves on maintaining a safe environment for our students and all who are involved with our football program," the statement states.
About a year ago, shots erupted at a Milwaukee Lutheran football game against Pius XI Catholic, similarly sending people running for cover. No one was injured in the incident.
Zac Bellman contributed to this report.
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