March 2, 2019

Well, we finally know how much the Minnesota Jobs Coalition spent on the 2018 election

In the weeks leading up to the November election, millions of dollars poured into mailers and ads in the many competitive political races across Minnesota.

With the races decided on election night, the spending stopped, and groups that funneled money in had nearly three months to tally up their spending for the whole year and report it to the state — a requirement that helps Minnesota’s citizens know who’s spending money to influence the state’s elections.

Most groups followed the rules, filing with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board (CFB) before the deadline on Jan. 31.

But when the news stories came out in early February counting up what should have been a complete picture of the money spent trying to influence the election, there was a notable omission: the report from the Minnesota Jobs Coalition, a pro-business committee that tends to spend big in favor of Republican candidates.

Read more: https://www.minnpost.com/state-government/2019/03/well-we-finally-know-how-much-the-minnesota-jobs-coalition-spent-on-the-2018-election/

March 2, 2019

The billion dollar bummer: Why some Minnesota lawmakers are so conflicted about the state's not-

The billion dollar bummer: Why some Minnesota lawmakers are so conflicted about the state’s not-exactly-small projected budget surplus


When is news that your government has a $1 billion projected surplus bad news? When that excess is down by nearly one-third since the last time you checked.

Such was the odd math and harsh truth of the annual ritual that is the Minnesota Office of Management and Budget’s release Thursday of the February revenue forecast, which legislators will use to draw up plans for nearly $50 billion in two-year spending.

That forecast suggests — and let’s remember it’s only a forecast — that the state will have a little more than a $1 billion surplus into mid-2021. There are many qualifications: that carry forward budget doesn’t include much of the inflationary costs of state programs, and the projections are subject to uncertainties like global politics and trade policies.

Still, having a billion dollars to the good (it’s actually $1,052,000,000) is better than being in the hole. It was just eight years ago when a previous governor and a previous Legislature had to fight through a $5 billion deficit on a much smaller spending base of $32 billion.

Read more: https://www.minnpost.com/state-government/2019/03/the-billion-dollar-bummer-why-some-minnesota-lawmakers-are-so-conflicted-about-the-states-not-exactly-small-projected-budget-surplus/

March 2, 2019

Evers proposes minimum wage increase to $9 per hour by 2021

MADISON — Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' budget calls for increasing the minimum wage slowly over the next few years.

Wisconsin's minimum wage has stood at $7.25 an hour since 2009. The governor's budget would increase it to $8.25 an hour on Jan. 1, 2020, and to $9 in 2021. It would increase 75 cents per year in each of the next two years. Then it would grow annually at the rate of inflation.

According to documents Evers' administration released, the changes will enable minimum wage workers to earn nearly $6 million more in calendar years 2020 and 2021.

The budget also sets up a task force to study other ways to move toward a $15 per hour minimum wage.

Read more: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/evers-proposes-minimum-wage-increase-to-per-hour-by/article_0a3526bc-e5f1-5fc4-8401-0e0e8ec2a000.html

March 2, 2019

Appleton native Greta Van Susteren has a new TV gig.

Greta Van Susteren again has a new job.

The Appleton native will give local TV a try, having joined Gray Television, which owns stations in more than 90 markets across the country.

She'll be the chief national political analyst for the stations — which include WBAY (Channel 2) in Green Bay and WXAW (Channel 7) in Wausau — and is developing two nationally syndicated shows for the company.

She'll also be staying on as a host for Voice of America, which airs content outside the United States.

A veteran of cable news, Van Susteren left MSNBC after a six-month run in 2017. Before that, she was at Fox News Channel for more than 15 years.

Read more: https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/entertainment/2019/03/01/greta-van-susteren-appleton-native-joins-gray-television/3026914002/

March 2, 2019

Wellspring of Milwaukee nursing home now closed after chaotic week

Wellspring of Milwaukee, a nursing home and rehabilitation center, moved the last of its roughly 105 residents on Thursday after a chaotic day and week set off when its bank account was frozen.

The nursing home’s last day included police responding to angry former employees, who believed they would not get paid, gathering in the parking lot and a threat against the nursing home’s executive director.

It ended with the last residents’ being transported late Thursday afternoon and police escorting the nursing home’s executive director to the highway after she locked up the building.

Wellspring, 9350 W. Fond du Lac, had to find new homes for its residents after it learned on Monday that its bank account had been frozen. The nursing home previously had planned to close in mid-April.

Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/health-care/2019/03/01/last-105-patients-were-moved-new-homes-thursday/3032632002/

March 2, 2019

Shopko used borrowed money to pay dividends; owes Wisconsin $13 million in taxes, fees

GREEN BAY - Shopko borrowed $179.5 million from lenders to pay dividends to Sun Capital Partners, its private equity owner, and other investors between 2007 and 2015.

The retailer's payments to Sun Capital, which bought Shopko for $1.1 billion in 2005, were disclosed as part of an ongoing investigation into transactions that could give rise to claims of conflicts of interest as Shopko's bankruptcy case moves forward.

The findings of the investigation, led by two independent board members appointed by Shopko in November 2017, threaten to undermine some creditors' support for Shopko's bankruptcy reorganization plan just as its parent company, Specialty Retails Shops Holding Corp., is preparing to solicit proposals from buyers and investors.

The independent directors, referred to in bankruptcy filings as the Special Committee of Independent Directors, will determine whether Shopko might have claims against Sun Capital related to the dividend payments.

Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/2019/03/01/shopko-dividends-under-investigation-also-owes-wisconsin-13-5-million/2906336002/

March 2, 2019

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Kimmel Kartoon - Michael Cohen is Droopy the Dog

March 2, 2019

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Donald Trump Gives Guillermo Directions

March 2, 2019

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Donald Trump & Kim Jong Un Are Just Like Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper

March 1, 2019

Evers proposes 8-cent gas tax hike as budget checks off string of Democratic priorities

Gov. Tony Evers on Thursday issued a blueprint for reshaping state government after eight years of GOP control, proposing a boost in the minimum wage, the repeal of drug testing for those on food stamps and a goal of all electricity produced in Wisconsin being carbon free by 2050.

The Dem’s first state budget also would increase the state’s gas tax by 8 cents a gallon. His office estimated that would cost the typical driver $3 a month and contribute to a $520 million bump to the transportation fund over the next two years.

But he also coupled that hike with a call to eliminate the minimum markup on gas, which his administration said would largely blunt the impact of the gas tax increase.

Likewise, he is seeking to cap a tax credit for manufacturers, limit exclusions for capital gains and update the state’s tax code to match federal law. Those moves, combined with efforts to improve collections of what’s already owed the state, would generate $1.6 billion in additional tax money.

Read more: https://www.wispolitics.com/2019/evers-proposes-8-cent-gas-tax-hike-as-budget-checks-off-string-of-dem-priorities/