Congressman Derrick Van Orden remains a perpetual presence on social media, frequently lashing out at anyone who dares to criticize him. Occasionally, the Prairie du Chien Republican likes to single out some of his own constituents for scorn. On Monday, Van Orden posted employment information about a woman who criticized him.

UpNorthNews Founding Editor Pat Kreitlow offers up another reminder that members of Congress have better things to do than post dozens of times per day, sling mud in social media comment sections, insult their own constituents, and spread false information.

Sen. Ron Johnson is squarely on the side of President Donald Trump in wanting to see a Milwaukee County judge put in prison for the way she handled efforts by federal immigration officers to disrupt her court.

Long before any kind of a trial is held to weigh the evidence, Johnson told WISN-TV he thinks Judge Hannah Dugan should be convicted and given the maximum prison sentence to “set an example.”

Dugan was indicted by a grand jury after sending an undocumented man out a different exit of her courtroom, having expressed to ICE officers her unhappiness that they had gathered outside her court to arrest a defendant in one of her cases.

The man was followed by officers down the hall and arrested outside after a brief foot chase.

Her legal team — and nearly 140 retired judges — are pushing to have the case dismissed, citing immunity for acts taken as an official, the same claim made by Trump in his felony cases last year.

Johnson said that defense is “outrageous” and accuses Dugan of obstructing justice.

Two out-of-state residents with property on a lake up north are suing a Burnett County town over a ban on wake boats—vessels designed to make waves that are large enough to surf.

The pair say the town board in Scott rushed to pass a ban last November before they could make their case.

Wake boats are an unwelcome addition to some lake residents, who are concerned about the noise and the impact on shoreline erosion and the bottoms of shallow lakes.

Founding Editor Pat Kreitlow says small towns trying to protect their natural resources run the risk of large legal bills unless the state legislature steps in and puts rules in place to establish where and how these large-impact boats can operate.

A whole lot of Wisconsinites are cheesed off over how the state budget is coming together.

Here’s the deal:

The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee — made up of the senators and representatives who will write a state budget bill — recently held four, day-long public hearings across Wisconsin.

The overwhelming amount of public comments supported funding for programs that have bipartisan support, but are not likely to be included by majority Republicans in the final bill.

In response, a coalition of groups sponsored a lobbying day at the Capitol to remind lawmakers of what they should be supporting and to ask Gov. Tony Evers to veto the full budget bill if the GOP version fails to provide adequate support for things like public schools, health care, child care, and more.

“Stop playing political games” — that’s the message Heather DuBois Bourenane delivered to the Wisconsin Legislature on our radio show this week.

DuBois Bourenane spoke to us after a few hundred citizen-lobbyists roamed the state Capitol on Tuesday with messages of support for public schools, health care, child care, and other priorities that were repeatedly mentioned during last month’s public hearings before the Joint Finance Committee.

A coalition of groups organized the event, centered on a request of Gov. Tony Evers: If the Republican version of a state budget bill doesn’t adequately fund these important public services, veto the entire budget bill instead of trying to fix it with partial vetoes.