Weekend Roundup: State Capitol Set To Reopen On Monday

The Wisconsin state Capitol, closed to the public since late March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, will reopen on Monday.

Gov. Tony Evers’ administration announced the reopening on Friday.

The Capitol will be opened for limited hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and only weekdays. Before the pandemic, the building stayed open until 6 p.m. during the week and was also open on weekends.

There will be no public tours of the Capitol, but the tour desk will be staffed for visitors to get information. Only one entrance to the building will be open to the public.

Refugee Agencies In Wisconsin Anxious For Action To Expand Resettlement

Three months ago, President Joe Biden said he would raise the annual cap on the number of refugees admitted into the U.S.

Wisconsin resettlement agencies are still waiting: “Biden’s delay in raising the refugee cap is prolonging an anxious wait for some of the agency’s clients who have already resettled in Wisconsin who are anticipating the arrival of loved ones who have yet to join them,” reports Will Cushman with PBS Wisconsin.

Cheese Fraud: Elroy Woman Sues Over Bagel Bites Pizza Snacks Packaging

Kaitlyn Huber, of Elroy, has sued Kraft Heinz over the company’s Bagel Bites Pizza Snacks packaging.

Huber claims, in a federal lawsuit, that the packaging amounts to fraud, as it includes the Real Dairy seal. She says the labeling of mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce is “false, deceptive and misleading,” reports the Journal Sentinel.

“Wisconsin consumers want real mozzarella cheese in pizza because they value (1) its soft, moist texture, (2) its milky, yet tangy taste and (3) its high protein and relatively low calories and sodium compared to other cheeses,” the suit states.

White Farmers Sue Biden Administration Over Program For Farmers Of Color

Two Wisconsin farmers, who are white, join others in the Midwest (four farmers total, plus the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty) in suing the Biden administration over a loan forgiveness program that provides relief to agriculture producers of color.

They say the program is unconstitutional and should be available to white farmers, too. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it is reviewing the complaint with the Department of Justice.

High Rate Of Rearrests For Bailed Out Activists In Dane County

In Dane County, 25 of 70 people who have been bailed out of jail since May 2020 have been rearrested — a rate that’s much higher than what’s typically seen among people released on bail nationally, reports the reports the Wisconsin State Journal.

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Wisconsin Voters Remark On Biden’s First 100 Days

Voters throughout the state have shared their thoughts on President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office with the Associated Press.

The November 2020 election was tense all across the country, but particularly in the swing state of Wisconsin where President Joe Biden won by less than one percent — or 20,682 more votes than former President Donald Trump.

“I’m still exhaling,” Waukesha County resident Laura Hahn said. “It’s been exhausting.”

PSC Approves $250M Solar Farm In Grant County

The Public Service Commission voted Thursday in approval of a $250 million Grant County solar farm.

The 200-megawatt plant, to be built by NextEra Energy, is one of six solar farms owned and operated by Alliant Energy as part of the utility’s plan to replace its coal-fired generators.

Madison Block Party Shows Gap In Local Policing

Hundreds of Madison college students gathered for the Mifflin Street Block Party last weekend, an event that’s received criticism this year for noncompliance with COVID-19 restrictions and double standards in interactions with local police.

Vehicles were violently damaged while students cheered, and pandemic protocol such as wearing masks and social distancing were not enforced. Some police officers, allegedly, even joined in on games of beer pong with students.

“While cops played ping pong with one group, the other was sprayed with tear gas — that is an unnervingly clear & divisive message,” Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, tweeted. “It is beyond discouraging to see such a discrepancy in protocol under MPD, and a discrepancy in treatment based on race and class.”

1) The restraint Madison Police showed during the Mifflin block party this past week is a testament to law enforcement’s capacity & will to de-escalate situations when they want to. Rampant underage drinking, property damage, overwhelming congregation during an ongoing pandemic

— Rep. Francesca Hong 홍윤정 (@StateRepHong) April 26, 2021

Report: State Job Loss At 5.2 Percent

A report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum released Thursday found that the state saw a 5.2 percent drop in jobs between September 2019 and September 2020. That rate is better than those of neighboring states, such as 7.8 percent in Illinois and 7.9 percent in Michigan.

Tech Giants Keep Growing, Especially Amid Pandemic

The tech companies Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc., Facebook Inc., and Google-parent Alphabet Inc. recorded revenue growth near or above their fastest pace in years, according to the Wall Street Journal. Particularly, Apple and Google both have broken previous records, yet again.

Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this report.