7/23/2026

N. WISCONSIN - Three public forums on data centers and their potential impact on rural northern Wisconsin are set for this month. Hosted by UW-Madison Extension, the sessions will help Ashland and Bayfield County residents and officials understand potential impacts, including land use, water, energy and taxes. Officials say there are no current data center proposals, but they want communities prepared if one is submitted. The Ashland Daily Press reports those forums are scheduled at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, near Ashland, on the 27^th from 6 to 8 p.m. and the 28^th from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. No registration is required. Additional presentations are planned for the Ashland County Board at 9 a.m. on the 28^th at the Ashland County Courthouse, and the Bayfield County Board at 6 p.m. on the 28^th at the Bayfield County Courthouse in Washburn.

7/23/2026

UPPER MICHIGAN - Michigan correctional officers are calling Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s recent veto of two pension bills a major setback in efforts to address chronic staffing shortages. The measures would have moved eligible officers into the State Police Retirement System and established a hybrid pension plan – benefits their union says could help recruit and retain officers. Byron Osborn, president of the Michigan Corrections Organization, warns persistent vacancies and mandatory overtime are creating dangerous conditions inside Michigan prisons, including inmates being housed in facilities that don't match their security classifications.

                    0:14  "With the short staffing, we've still got this massive problem with the MDOC not having enough high security facilities to house problematic and assaulted prisoners. So we're still seeing a lot of assaults on staff, assaults on other prisoners."

M-D-O-C stands for the Michigan Department of Corrections. Governor Whitmer said the pension bills had been delayed too long to be put into effect as written. She said she would consider updated legislation; however Osborn says the union doubts new bills can advance before she leaves office.

7/23/2026

MICHIGAN - Michigan elementary school teachers will be required to take literacy training by the 2031-2032 school year under a new law signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The law mandates K-5 reading or language arts instructors to receive training, with the state Department of Education selecting at least two vendors annually. The law builds on previous requirements for evidence-based teaching and dyslexia screening. Training typically takes two years.