☀️ Good morning!

It’s Sunday, March 1, 2026

In Wisconsin, a thermometer isn’t always a straight up and down line. Sometimes it’s a roller coaster!

Over the past few days we got a break from winter one moment — with temps pushing 50 — but next thing you know, it’s back to the 20s. Whatever the weather this weekend, the Kent family of Pewaukee won’t soon forget their recent winter trip to New York. 

While the Big Apple was getting battered by a blizzard, and the streets of Manhattan were nearly empty, viewers of NBC’s Today Show saw Chris and Sarah with their 9-year-old twins and 6-year-old son, waving happily on the plaza. No crowds to fight. No obstructed views.  Just an on-air salute for being hearty Midwesterners! 

It’s a reminder that no matter how gloomy things get sometimes, we shouldn’t miss those occasional opportunities to be a ray of sunshine to others. Thank you, Kents, for the uplift!

Now don’t forget to scroll down for our Question of the Week about using property taxes to pay for schools in Wisconsin — and hop over to our “Do Something!” calendar of events to see what’s happening near you this week.

Have a great day — and remember to stay up to date with our social media posts.

1️⃣ School funding lawsuit – Educators, parents, and taxpayers are flat-out tired of saying “pretty please” to a Wisconsin Legislature that has been stubbornly and deliberately underfunding schools for 17 years. Several people and groups have just filed a lawsuit they hope leads to a court order that says the current school funding system is broken to the point of being unconstitutional.

WATCH: Green Bay school board president James Lyerly explains why his district is among the 19 plaintiffs suing the Legislature over a system that has them repeatedly going to referendum, seeking higher property taxes to make up for the lawmakers’ shortfall. 

2️⃣ Line 5 appeal – The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is asking a court to step in and overrule a Department of Natural Resources decision to allow permits for an Enbridge petroleum pipeline around their reservation. Currently, Enbridge’s Line 5 goes through the reservation but the company is rerouting it. The tribe says that’s not good enough because the pipeline will still threaten sensitive areas of the Bad River watershed, which drains into Lake Superior not far from Ashland. 

WATCH: The executive director for Midwest Environmental Advocates points to multiple instances of Enbridge pipelines leaking in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan as proof that there can be no guarantee against an ecological disaster and so the pipeline should not only not be rerouted but should be shut down.

3️⃣ What is bipartisanship? – Rep. Christian Phelps (D-Eau Claire) understands that there’s more than one way to pursue bipartisanship in the Legislature. The first one is easy: the low-hanging fruit that everyone agrees on, like motherhood and apple pie. But it’s the second kind that’s currently in short supply in Madison: getting Republican lawmakers to come along on issues that have clear bipartisan support in the general population. For example, concern about data centers.

WATCH: Rep. Phelps explains how he’s trying to attract bipartisan support for an idea that people of all political stripes agree on: figuring out the impact of Artificial Intelligence as more companies use AI to eliminate jobs.

Have you ever done this — walked confidently into your voting booth, knowing you’re ready to vote in the best-known races, but then you realize that when it comes to the local races down-ballot (county board, school board, etc.) you have absolutely no idea who these people are?

And yet these local elected leaders make big decisions about the direction of local government and schools. It’s what motivated Kristin Hansen to start Blue Sky Waukesha County seven years ago. It’s a Republican-dominated county, but she said last year — after doing some research — the group made recommendations in dozens of races and posted a 62% win rate.

The trick, Hansen said, is understanding that progressive voters may not see a progressive candidate on the ballot, but their research shows which conservative is more likely to be independent minded, geared toward public service, and not beholden to a MAGA agenda of conspiracy theories.

Hansen urges others to start local groups, even with only about five weeks left until the April 3 election. Look up Facebook pages, websites, news coverage, and share lists of recommended candidates.

“People appreciate the help.”

WATCH: Kristin Hansen talks about Blue Sky Waukesha County

READ the full story on our website

⏮️ Last Week: Life after Evers and Vos

How do you feel Wisconsin state government will work next year when Tony Evers and Robin Vos are no longer in their leadership roles and new, fairer maps are in place for all legislative seats?

13% said 🄰  Optimistic

57% said 🄱  Hopeful, but short of optimistic

18% 🄲  Mixed Bag 

12% 🄳 Pessimistic

Your Comments

Karen in Green Bay chose B – “I loved Evers and his focus on Education. We’re going to miss him. I wish he had had a legislature that would work with him. Vos leaving is the best thing that could happen. Hopeful, but there are still many “roadblock Republicans” left to mess things up.

Ahna chose C – “There are too many retired-in-place incumbents who appear oblivious to what their constituents want.”

Mike chose D –  “The Republican old guard will try to prove they are as staunchly anti-anything the left introduces.”

⏭️ This Week: How to fund K-12 schools in Wisconsin

Recently, there’s been a lot of debate over the way we fund a good K-12 education. The state share comes mostly from income taxes, which are progressive; while the local share comes from property taxes, which leads to widely varying tax bills across a state with many different land uses and values.

Which model is closest to how you’d design a system? Remember, this isn’t a statement on the current situation — it’s what you think is the best way to fund schools if you were starting over.

Click the blue box (above) containing this week’s response options and you’ll be taken to a page on our website where you can press the specific option for your answer and leave more comments. 

If you get a pop-up window asking for your email address, go ahead and enter it even though you’re clearly already a subscriber. And please leave a comment, including first name and hometown. Or email me directly at pat@couriernewsroom.com. Thank you!

Here’s a small sample of what you need to know about next week.

Tuesday [Mar 3]

League of Women Voters of Greater Chippewa Valley: Public School Funding: Facts and Challenges for the Chippewa Valley, (Eau Claire, 6-7:30 p.m.) Hear from public education leaders in the Chippewa Valley.

Indivisible: Congressional Candidate Congressional District 7 Forum, (Rhinelander, 6-7:30 p.m.) A forum to meet and hear from the three Democratic candidates for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District—the seat being vacated by Rep. Tom Tiffany. Candidates include Chris Armstrong, Ginger Murray, and Fred Clark. Seating is limited to the first 100 registrations.

Wednesday [Mar 4]

WisDems: City of Middleton Candidate Forum, (Middleton, 6:30-8 p.m.) A forum to meet and hear from the candidates for Middleton Mayor and Middleton City Council.

📱 Remember, you can stay up to date all day with all of our team’s work through our social media feeds, including Instagram and TikTok.

🏁 Thanks for reading our update.

Have a great week!