Author Archives | Rebecca Kemble

Rep. Kaufert Backs Down on Threat to Lac du Flambeau Community and Cultural Center

May 22, 2013  by Rebecca Kemble During today’s meeting of the Wisconsin Building Commission, Rep. Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah) agreed to not pursue reconsideration of a $250,000 grant from the Commission to the Lac du Flambeau tribe for construction of a community and cultural center. On March 26, 2013, Rep. Kaufert accused the Lac du Flambeau tribe […]

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Mining Heritage Argument Challenged

February 10, 2013  by Rebecca Kemble The O’Dovero-Flesia family farm lies in the shadow of the Penokee Hills in Ashland County, Wisconsin. Five generations have successfully farmed this land for 87 years.  Now a mountain top removal project proposed by Gogebic Taconite and a new law written to ease the way for its approval threatens […]

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Grothman to Mellen Residents: “Trust the Company”

February 9, 2013   by Rebecca Kemble Wisconsin’s north woods have been crawling with downstate legislators for the past few weekends as a controversial mining bill hurtles toward a final vote. AB1/SB1, a bill that would massively deregulate iron mining activities in the state, passed out of committee earlier this week. For the past two weekends, […]

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Mining Advocates’ Talking Points Fail

February 5, 2013  by Rebecca Kemble and Nicole Schulte On Monday, the authors of SB1/AB1, a bill that offers iron mining companies special exemptions from many of Wisconsin’s environmental protection rules and regulations, held a press conference in an attempt to put a bipartisan shine on several amendments they plan to introduce when Senate and […]

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Wisconsin Tribal Members Speak Out on Mining Bill

January 25, 2013  by Rebecca Kemble On Wednesday, January 23, 2013 a joint hearing of the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly mining committees was held in Madison as the one and only opportunity for the public to weigh in on a controversial mining bill being rushed through the legislature. The hearing was announced just four […]

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The Million Dollar Bill

January 24, 2013   by Rebecca Kemble Shortly after 9pm last night, Sen. Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) abruptly adjourned the one and only public hearing on a controversial mining deregulation bill after being called out as the second largest recipient of campaign donations by groups that lobbied for a similar bill last session. Of the nearly $1 […]

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Wetlands Deregulation Bill Passed Under False Pretenses

January 22, 2013    by Rebecca Kemble At a press conference unveiling Sen. Tim Cullen’s (D-Janesville) alternative mining bill today, Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) said the controversial wetlands deregulation bill he helped craft last year only passed because of assurances by Scott Walker’s administration and the Department of Natural Resources that the provisions in it […]

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Walker’s Back Alley Proclamation

January 21, 2013   by Rebecca Kemble Last November Scott Walker avoided several direct questions about his support for Wisconsin Right to Life policy agenda with a statement about how his administration has turned the state budget around and added, “I think people want us to focus on creating more freedom and prosperity for people in […]

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UPDATED: Jurors Not Allowed to Consider First Amendment in Political Dissent Case

January 17, 2013   By Rebecca Kemble Earlier today, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Julie Genovese approved the State of Wisconsin’s motion to prohibit Jason Huberty from giving instructions to a jury relating to the First Amendment. His case stems from an alleged administrative rule violation for  holding a banner that said “Solidarity” in the Capitol […]

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Occupy Madison Listening Session Yields No Answers

November 27, 2012 by Rebecca Kemble Madison and Dane County elected officials, Dane County staff, neighbors and members and friends of Occupy Madison, a community of homeless people, came together to discuss the recent eviction of the Occupy encampment from Lake View Hill during a tense, three hour meeting at the Dane County Human Services […]

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