Around Town
A COMMUNITY SURVEY has signaled strong public support for a proposed Iola-Scandinavia School District operational referendum. District officials are analyzing the feedback as they prepare for a potential ballot measure this November to address inflationary costs and state funding shortfalls. (Source: Waupaca County Post)
Around the County
THE WAUPACA FINANCE COMMITTEE voted unanimously to award a $146,183 contract to Somerville Inc. for a citywide facility assessment. The decision passed despite pushback from an alderperson who warned that using the firm currently building City Hall could pose a conflict of interest. (Source: WGBA)
DUKE JOHNSON joined the Clintonville Common Council on Thursday to officially represent District 3. Johnson filled a seat that municipal records show had remained vacant for several months following a prior resignation, restoring the governing body to full capacity ahead of upcoming budget votes. (Source: WAOW 9)
Around the State
Here are the top overnight news stories from across Wisconsin:
WISCONSIN SUPERINTENDENT Jill Underly warned Thursday that years of underfunding public schools will have consequences. In her sixth State of Education Address, Underly urged lawmakers to overhaul Wisconsin’s school funding system and voters to support leaders who invest in public education. She criticized a formula based on enrollment, district spending, and property values, arguing it should instead calculate what districts need to give every student an equal chance to succeed. (Source: Wisconsin Public Radio)
MADISON POLICE arrested two leaders of an unrecognized fraternity house on Langdon Street after breaking up an unlawful hazing event Wednesday night. Officers discovered roughly 30 partially clothed pledges covered in food and condiments in the basement, showing signs of physical assault. (Source: WMTV)
A CONSTRUCTION worker died Thursday on Madison’s east side after being struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run crash. Police are currently investigating the incident, which has sparked immediate concerns from local officials regarding pedestrian and worker safety along the roadway. (Source: Channel 3000)
REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL candidate Tom Tiffany blocked two reporters from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel from entering a campaign event Thursday. The decision to bar the journalists came just days after Tiffany publicly stated he would allow outlets access to his campaign. (Source: Wisconsin Examiner)
THE MILWAUKEE Fire Department released new investigation reports Thursday revealing potential causes for two separate fires at a local U-Haul storage facility earlier this year. Authorities continue to review the property’s structural safety and operational hazards following the incidents. (Source: FOX6)
GREENFIELD POLICE Chief Jay Johnson requested that all misconduct charges against him be dismissed, denying 67 allegations revealed in a city investigation. Johnson, who has been on leave for 17 months, claimed the city lacked just cause and pressured him to retire. (Source: FOX6)
WISCONSIN FIRST RESPONDERS and families will gather Saturday at the State Firefighter Memorial in Wisconsin Rapids for the 2026 Annual Final Alarm Ceremony. The public event will honor the state’s fallen firefighters and emergency medical professionals who died over the past year. (Source: WSAW 7)
MADISON OFFICIALS announced a $350,000 grant from the Madison Community Foundation to accelerate the deployment of police body-worn cameras. The funds will cover software and staffing, advancing the city’s goal to equip every officer with a camera by late next year. (Source: WKOW)
Today in History
Here are notable moments from Today in History:
1513—Spanish explorer VASCO NÚÑEZ de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama to reach the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first European to see the ocean’s eastern shore, which he claimed for Spain.
1789—The FIRST CONGRESS of the United States approved 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification; 10 became the Bill of Rights.
1897—American novelist WILLIAM FAULKNER was born in New Albany, Mississippi. The Nobel Prize laureate became renowned for his complex Yoknapatawpha County stories, including “The Sound and the Fury.”
1926—The FORD MOTOR Co. introduced the landmark five-day, 40-hour workweek for its automotive factory workers, keeping the standard $5 daily minimum wage to boost assembly-line productivity.
1965—The SATCHEL PAIGE baseball legend became the oldest player in Major League Baseball history, pitching three scoreless innings for the Kansas City Athletics against the Boston Red Sox at age 59.
1973—The THREE-MAN CREW of Skylab 3 safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, successfully concluding a record-breaking 59-day space research mission aboard the American Skylab space station.
1981—Justice SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR was sworn in as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, following her historic Senate confirmation.
1992—NASA LAUNCHED THE Mars Observer spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a mission to study the Martian atmosphere and surface, though communication was lost a year later.
2005—The POP SENSATION Mariah Carey topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with her hit single “We Belong Together,” marking its 14th non-consecutive week at the number one spot.
2016—Legendary GOLFER ARNOLD PALMER died from cardiovascular complications in Pittsburgh at age 87, concluding a historic career that popularized professional golf during the television era.
