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Campaign Ads, Courts, Daily Bread, Elections, Wisconsin

Daily Bread for 5.12.25: $100M Wisconsin Court Elections

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Good morning.

Monday in Whitewater will be partly sunny with a high of 81. Sunrise is 5:35 and sunset is 8:08, for 14 hours, 33 minutes of daytime. The moon is full with 99.9 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

The Whitewater School Board moves into a closed-session meeting shortly after 5 PM. Whitewater’s Plan and Architectural Review Commission meets at 6 PM.

On this day in 1949, the Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin.

Wisconsin’s elections to her high court have come to cost about nine figures in total. Jay Heck asks Will $100M Supreme Court elections be the new normal in Wisconsin? and Tim Connor writes Record $100M spent on Wisconsin Supreme Court race raises concerns over judicial independence.

The last Wisconsin Supreme Court elections were expensive races (2024 @ $53 million and 2025 @ over $100 million).

There’s a reasonable prediction on spending: while there is enough money in America to make every Wisconsin Supreme Court race a $100 million dollar contest, there’s only the willingness to do so while Wisconsin remains a swing state and in the absence of more compelling swing-state priorities.

The 2024 contest was one of many spending priorities across the country; the 2025 contest stood by itself in April of an off year. In both cases, Wisconsin was a swing state, but in one case a swing state competing with the attraction of other swing-state races across the nation.

There’s also a difference between changing the balance of a court and spending money knowing the ideological margins won’t change even after a barrel of money. The 2026 race will not flip the court. (Rebecca Bradley, if she says in the race rather than receiving and accepting a U.S. Court of Appeals appointment, would be running in Wisconsin only to remain in the minority.)

Rush-hour traffic:

Adventure, Cats, Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 5.11.25: A Spring Walk

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Good morning.

Mother’s Day in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 75. Sunrise is 5:36 and sunset is 8:07, for 14 hours, 31 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 98.8 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1997,  Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer, defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of a rematch, becoming the first computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic match format.

Canadian adventure cat Fitz takes a Spring walk:

The ‘Cosmic Cliffs’ of the Carina Nebula Complex – 3D tour of Webb imagery:

Take a 3D tour of James Webb Space Telescope’s view of the ‘Cosmic Cliffs’ of the Gum 31 nebula (part of the Carina Nebula Complex).

Bad Ideas, Business, Daily Bread, Tariffs, Taxes/Taxation

Daily Bread for 5.10.25: The Dubious Prospects for Onshoring

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Good morning.

Saturday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 73. Sunrise is 5:37 and sunset is 8:06, for 14 hours, 28 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 95.9 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1773, the Parliament of Great Britain passes the Tea Act, designed to save the British East India Company by reducing taxes on its tea and granting it the right to sell tea directly to North America:

The Act granted the Company the right to directly ship its tea to North America and the right to the duty-free export of tea from Britain, although the tax imposed by the Townshend Acts and collected in the colonies remained in force. It received the royal assent on May 10, 1773.

Colonists in the Thirteen Colonies recognized the implications of the Act’s provisions, and a coalition of merchants, smugglers, and artisans similar to that which had opposed the Stamp Act 1765 mobilized opposition to the delivery and distribution of the tea. 

So there’s a claim that if you impose tariffs (they’re taxes) on imports from foreign manufacturers, then out from the ground will spring domestic manufacturing. It’s a dubious claim. Consider textiles:

Iris Acevedo of Milwaukee researches sustainable textile materials, like plant-based fibers, to teach students at  Mount Mary University and Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design how to create low cost, high quality clothing. 

On “Wisconsin Today,” she said tariffs in the textile and apparel industry are concerning, as China is the leading exporter of denim in the world. Meanwhile, the U.S. is the top consumer of denim.

In 2023, America imported about $31 billion in apparel from China and Vietnam, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Last month, President Trump imposed a 145 percent tariff on Chinese imports, while there’s a 125 percent retaliatory tariff by China on U.S. goods.

“We do a lot with China,” she said. “I know [U.S.] cotton producers who export to China for manufacturing are concerned.”

….

Acevedo said it would be a great time to think about reintroducing domestic production to reduce the cost of shipping jeans overseas — effectively a tax due to the tariffs.

However, that comes with costs of building infrastructure that could replace the supply coming from China, as well as labor to produce the apparel. 

….

And despite small-scale businesses like Acevedo’s and growing interest in the textile and apparel industry, there’s simply no quick, straightforward transition away from the current global market.

See Courtney Everett, Facing tariffs, Wisconsin clothing makers consider what onshoring production would take, Wisconsin Public Radio, May 9, 2025.

Under tariffs, Americans will pay more or go without for years in the hope that more expensive domestic options will eventually arise. Tariffs are an imposition on consumers and a reallocation of wealth that could be better applied where Americans are already more efficient than foreign producers.

They’re an ignorant person’s idea of being knowledgeable.

Everywhere:

(It’s a coyote not a wolf, but the person speaking on the recording is likely experiencing a coyote invasion for the first time and so does not identify this invader accurately. He’ll become more experienced after many thousands of these animals conquer his borough block by block.)

Courts, Daily Bread, Gerrymandering, Law, Litigation, Wisconsin

Daily Bread for 5.9.25: Two Lawsuits Against Wisconsin’s Congressional District Maps

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Good morning.

Friday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 69. Sunrise is 5:38 and sunset is 8:04, for 14 hours, 26 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 91.6 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1974, the United States House Committee on the Judiciary opens formal and public impeachment hearings against President Nixon.

There are now two lawsuits filed against the current apportionment of Wisconsin’s Congressional districts. A story from WPR does a good job of summarizing the petitions (each filed in state court).

First, the story from WPR:

One of the petitions was filed by the Democratic firm Elias Law Group. It claims the state’s congressional map, endorsed by the court’s former conservative majority in 2021, violates several sections of the Wisconsin Constitution. 

The case claims the map violates Democratic voters’ rights to free speech and association under the state constitution because despite nearly equal numbers of Democratic and Republican votes in Wisconsin’s statewide elections, the GOP has been able to hold six of eight congressional districts. 

“This congressional map directly discriminates against Petitioners, who support Democratic candidates in Wisconsin and—because of that affiliation—are effectively silenced and shut out from casting a meaningful congressional vote,” the lawsuit states. “Wisconsin’s Constitution prohibits this injustice several times over. This Court should grant this original action and replace the adopted congressional map with a lawful alternative.”

….

The Campaign Legal Center’s challenge [petition here] claims the congressional map violates the state constitution’s guarantee of equality because it “does not equally apportion population among Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts.”

The suit also focused on the number of counties that were split when the current congressional map was approved by the court three years ago. It claims the former conservative majority erroneously put more importance on the “least changes” directive than “traditional redistricting” principles in the Wisconsin Constitution, like minimizing the number of counties that are split to form congressional districts. It alleges an “eight district map need only have seven county splits to achieve population equality” while the current map has 12. 

“Thus, in addition to being unequally populated, the current congressional map is an improper court-imposed remedy because it elevated ‘least change’ over Wisconsin’s traditional redistricting criteria of minimizing county splits, resulting in the needless splitting apart of counties (and therefore communities of interest),” the lawsuit states.

See Rich Kremer, 2 lawsuits challenging Wisconsin’s congressional map filed with state Supreme Court (‘The cases look to overturn Wisconsin’s congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterms’), Wisconsin Public Radio, May 8, 2025.

Second, while I’ve read both petitions, but have read only the accompanying memorandum of law in the Campaign Legal Center’s filing, I’ll not offer an opinion on the relative strengths of the respective cases. (Proper practice is to see both petition and memorandum from each.)

Easiest, most obvious contention, however: there’s much ahead, in state (and likely federal) court.

Underwater volcano off Pacific coast could soon erupt:

A massive underwater volcano located nearly 300 miles off the coast of Oregon is showing signs of activity and could soon erupt. KING’s Brady Wakayama reports.

City, Film

Film: Tuesday, May 13th, 1:00 PM @ Seniors in the Park, Sing Sing

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Tuesday, May 13th at 1:00 PM, there will be a showing of Sing Sing @ Seniors in the Park, in the Starin Community Building:

Docudrama/Prison drama

Rated R (language)

1 hour, 47 minutes (2023)

Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he did not commit, finds purpose by acting in a theater group with other incarcerated men and an unforgettable ensemble cast of actual, formerly incarcerated actors. Nominated for three Oscars, including Best Actor, Song, and Screenplay.

One can find more information about Sing Sing  at the Internet Movie Database.




Birds, Daily Bread, Nature

Daily Bread for 5.8.25: Midwest Migration is Underway

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Good morning.

Thursday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 69. Sunrise is 5:39 and sunset is 8:03, for 14 hours, 24 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 85.1 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 1945, the German Instrument of Surrender signed at Berlin-Karlshorst comes into effect.

Midwest migration is underway:

More than 300 bird species, from warblers to waterfowl, songbirds to raptors, migrate from Mexico, Central and South America, flying north to the U.S. and Canada to breed and nest for the warmer months each spring. Then, as the leaves begin to turn and drop for autumn, these same travelers head back south to warmer climates for the winter.

During these long journeys, many migrating birds follow a path in the sky known as the Mississippi Flyway, which roughly follows the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio rivers. As birds follow the Flyway, they need to find places where they can rest, eat and shelter, seeking out rivers, wetlands, prairies, forests and other Midwest habitats to take their sanctuary.

See Midwest Migratory Birds (‘Millions of migratory birds are using TNC sites to rest and refuel as they migrate through the Midwest’), The Nature Conservancy, April 23, 2025.

As it’s meant to do:

Valencia’s Las Fallas Festival is one of Spain’s most fiery art traditions, a celebration of Saint Joseph where towering handcrafted sculptures, or ninots, are built over months, only to be set ablaze. Blending satire, art, community, and centuries-old custom, it’s a spectacle like no other. In this video, we follow artists Pepe and Marina Puche as they complete their monumental falla, Cupid’s Problems, before it meets its fiery end…

Business, Daily Bread, Economy, Tariffs

Daily Bread for 5.7.25: Small Businesses Face Tariff Shock

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Good morning.

Wednesday in Whitewater will be partly cloudy with a high of 69. Sunrise is 5:40 and sunset is 8:02, for 14 hours, 22 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 78.4 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Starin Park Water Tower Committee meets at 6 PM, and the Landmarks Commission at 7 PM.

This day in 1718 is the traditional date on which Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville founds the city of New Orleans,

John Imes, Village President of Shorewood Hills, writes of the damage that tariffs will do to small businesses:

The sweeping tariffs imposed by the current administration are already fueling inflation, disrupting supply chains, and pushing small businesses to the brink. Local retailers, independent producers and small manufacturers — the very backbone of our neighborhoods — are being hit hardest.

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The problem is clear and devastating: suppliers can’t get the goods they need, vendors are questioning whether they can stay afloat and customers — grappling with rising prices and financial anxiety — are pulling back from shopping locally. Sales reps are going unpaid as orders are canceled, and stores of all sizes are bracing for empty shelves. In short, the social fabric that binds our communities is beginning to fray under the weight of uncertainty.

The National Retail Federation recently warned that these tariffs threaten the American dream — and they’re right. Small businesses aren’t just part of our economy; they’re central to our national identity, job creation, innovation and the strength of our local communities.

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The stakes couldn’t be clearer. Without immediate action, we face shuttered storefronts, lost jobs and an avoidable recession. According to Gallup, Americans’ economic outlook is now worse than at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic or the global financial crisis — a sobering indicator of just how fragile the moment is.

This is not a partisan issue. It’s a matter of economic survival, community resilience and protecting the American dream for generations to come.

See John Imes, Small businesses are the backbone of America — but right now, tariffs are breaking their backs, Wisconsin Examiner, May 7, 2025.

How big are these tariffs? Here’s hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones commenting on their magnitude:

Trump’s tariff strategy has become a cornerstone of his economic policy — and a lightning rod for criticism. In recent months, his administration has slapped a staggering 145% tariff on Chinese imports, escalating an already tense trade war. China quickly retaliated with its own tariffs of 125%.

According to Jones, even if the White House walks those tariffs back to 40% or 50%, the damage is already done. 

“Even when he does that … it’d be the largest tax increases since the ’60s,” Jones said. “So you can kind of take 2%, 3% off growth.”

(Emphasis added.)

See Shannon Carroll, A billionaire hedge fund manager has a chilling stock market warning (‘Paul Tudor Jones said that even if Trump walks back his tariffs, markets are headed “to new lows”‘), Quartz, May 6, 2025.

N.B.: I’ve no personal financial complaint in this: this is a community loss, a statewide loss, and a national loss.

Sh2-46 nebula captured by the VLT Survey Telescope – 6,000 light years away:

The Sh2-46 nebula has been captured by the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. The nebula is 6000 light years away from Earth.

City, Police, School District

Update on School Resource Officer Discussions Between the Whitewater School District and the City of Whitewater

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There’s a positive development today in a joint press release from the Whitewater Unified School District and the City of Whitewater over a possible new agreement for a school resource officer. The release from the Whitewater Unified School District’s board president, on behalf of the district and the city, appears below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, DIRECTLY FROM SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT: May 6, 2025

Whitewater, WI – Joint Statement from the Whitewater Unified School District Board President Stephanie Hicks and Whitewater Common Council President Patrick Singer

We acknowledge and appreciate the concerns expressed by parents, students, educators, and community members regarding the School Resource Officer (SRO) contract. Our students’ safety, well-being, and success are a shared responsibility, and we remain committed to working together to ensure our schools are secure, safe, and supportive.

This is to notify you that diplomatic conversations on the Student Resource Officer agreement are ongoing between leadership governance groups, the Common Council, and the School Board.

We aim to rebuild trust, support our educators and law enforcement professionals, and ensure every student feels secure and safe in our schools. By working together in good faith, we aim to strengthen relationships across our institutions and ensure a thoughtful and responsive outcome.

We also want to appreciate the hard work contributed by the staff of both institutions in this complex situation, and their service to the Common Council and the School Board.

This is the sensible course, either through a brief contract extension first or via an amended agreement before the expiration of the current agreement. See Discussion of Whitewater’s School Resource Officer Merits a 120-Day Contract Extension (from 4.30.25) and More on a Whitewater School Resource Officer (from 5.1.25).

Negotiations in good faith toward a mutual agreement will serve the community well.

Business, Daily Bread, Tariffs

Daily Bread for 5.6.25: Tariffs and Supplies

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Good morning.

Tuesday in Whitewater will be sunny with a high of 75. Sunrise is 5:42 and sunset is 8:01, for 14 hours, 19 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 70 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

The Whitewater Unified School District’s Finance Committee meets at Noon. Whitewater’s Alcohol Licensing Committee meets at 5:30 PM, and the Whitewater Common Council meets at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1937, the German zeppelin Hindenburg catches fire and is destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six people are killed.

By Sam Shere – Zeppelin-ramp de Hindenburg / Hindenburg zeppelin disasterBetter photo (JPEG Image, 1404 × 1080 pixels) , Public Domain, Link.

Tariffs are taxes, and those taxes will affect the demand for goods, and so affect the supply of goods, and the ability to supply them:

Stock markets plunged for days after President Donald Trump announced steep tariffs on imports from around the world. The sell-off ebbed only when he suspended most, but not all, of the new measures for 90 days. The ticker tape is just one indicator of an economy, and other signs are growing more and more ominous—including at the Port of Los Angeles, where high tariffs on China are crushing maritime traffic. “Essentially all shipments out of China for major retailers and manufacturers have ceased,” Eugene Seroka, the executive director of the port, said on April 24.

The economy, and the supply chains that allow it to function, can adjust fairly quickly to certain shocks, including weather disasters and even a pandemic. Early in the COVID shutdowns, toilet paper was in short supply as Americans spent more time at home and less at workplaces and schools. The problem eased as manufacturers ramped up production, transportation systems adapted, and consumer anxiety decreased.

But Trump’s trade war is different because it is unpredictable and indefinite. Even if he were to renounce tariffs tomorrow, Trump has already shaken global confidence in American economic-policy making. No one can comfortably make business decisions based on what he does.

….

Tariffs don’t just reduce the flow of goods coming into the country; they also cause an atrophying of the logistics system that moves products into, out of, and around the United States. “Less cargo volume, less jobs. That’s the rule here,” Mario Cordero, CEO of the Port of Long Beach, said recently, describing how one in nine jobs in the greater Los Angeles region arises directly or indirectly from its ports. “Port complexes are like your baby toe on your foot,” Peter Neffenger, the former commander of the Coast Guard sector that includes Los Angeles and Long Beach, told me. “You don’t think about it until you break it one day and realize, ‘I can’t walk.’”

See Juliette Kayyem, Don’t Look at Stock Markets. Look at the Ports (‘A drop in maritime traffic suggests that the worst is yet to come’), The Atlantic, May 3, 2025.

It’s not true that with tariffs all items will be available at a higher price (or that consumers will bear those prices); some items won’t be available.

A successful bald eagle release:

Business, Daily Bread, Tariffs, Wisconsin

Daily Bread for 5.5.25: Solar Takes a Tariff Hit

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Good morning.

Monday in Whitewater will be cloudy with a high of 62. Sunrise is 5:43 and sunset is 8:00, for 14 hours, 17 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 60.3 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

The Whitewater Unified School District Board meets in open session at 6:30 PM, then enters closed session at 6:50 PM.

On this day in 1862, commemorated as Cinco de Mayo, troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla in Mexico.

Solar farms are controversial in many communities, as with the Whitewater Solar Project. There’s another aspect of solar projects to consider. Tariffs will make the projects more expensive:

President Donald Trump has slapped 145 percent tariffs on China, which accounts for an estimated roughly 80 percent of the world’s solar manufacturing capacity. Trump also implemented 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports.

Additionally, the Trump administration announced planned tariffs on Chinese solar products sold from southeast Asia, ranging from 41 percent to more than 3,500 percent depending on the country. Those tariffs still need to be finalized and would require a vote by the International Trade Commission.

….

Ismaeel Chartier, development director at RENEW Wisconsin, said the combination of tariffs could make some projects in the state “economically unfeasible,” especially if the tariffs on imports from southeast Asia take effect.

“They no longer ink out,” he said. “The return on investment is not a 10-year return on investment, it becomes a 30-, 40-, 50-year return on investment.”

The tariffs on steel and aluminum raise the costs of the metal racking used to mount solar panels, while the duties on China and the planned targeted solar tariffs would increase the costs of panels themselves, Chartier said.

See Joe Schulz, Trump tariffs expected to increase costs, limit options for Wisconsin solar
(‘Combination of tariffs on China, steel and southeast Asia could make some projects ‘economically unfeasible’ ‘), Wisconsin Public Radio, May 5, 2025.

I’ve no claim about whether tariffs will make the proposed Whitewater project too costly; they are likely to affect at least some of the nearly 20 Wisconsin projects either underway or awaiting approval.

Bats v. Mosquitoes:

Business, Daily Bread, Demographics, Tariffs, Wisconsin

Daily Bread for 5.4.25: Economics of Wisconsin’s Demographics

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Good morning.

Sunday in Whitewater will see a mix of clouds and sun with a high of 64. Sunrise is 5:44 and sunset is 7:59, for 14 hours, 15 minutes of daytime. The moon is in its first quarter with 50.3 percent of its visible disk illuminated.

On this day in 2007, Greensburg, Kansas is almost completely destroyed by the 2007 Greensburg tornado, a 1.7-mile wide EF5 tornado. It was the first-ever tornado to be rated as such with the new Enhanced Fujita scale.

Greensburg, KS May 16, 2007. By Greg Henshall/FEMA – U.S. National Archives, Public Domain, Link.

At Wisconsin Watch, Natalie Yahr interviews University of Wisconsin researcher Matt Kures on Wisconsin’s aging workforce. Two key questions from that interview appear below:

And how about when it comes to long-standing trends in Wisconsin’s labor market or demographics? Are there numbers you like to bring up that you think people don’t tend to know?

If you look at the working-age population declining from 2020 to 2030, and then kind of leveling off from 2030 to 2040, we’re just not going to have strong growth in the number of individuals who are working age in the state. That’s mostly true across the state, although there are some counties that will be projected to grow, like Dane and Eau Claire. 

And then also, the combination of individuals of retirement age or nearing retirement age that are going to either leave the labor force or change the types of work they’re doing. If we look at the manufacturing sector, for instance, we have almost 131,000 individuals in that industry who are aged 55 or older, or almost 28% of that industry. So in those large employment sectors in the state, how do we think about replacing the workforce or augmenting the workforce going forward due to retirements or just shifting abilities due to the aging population?

….

How are the challenges or opportunities different in different parts of the state, say in urban areas versus more rural areas?

Certainly many of the non-metro areas do have an older population and will continue to have an older population going forward, so they will most likely face some of the bigger challenges in terms of some of the population shifts by age group. In some of those areas too, you have some of the bigger challenges in developing housing … to try and attract a new labor force. So those challenges are a bit twofold.

….

Which Wisconsin industries rely more on older workers?

Wisconsin’s working-age population is declining, leaving industries with more workers nearing retirement age. This U.S. Census Bureau data shows which industries in the state most relied on workers ages 55 and older in early 2024.

See Natalie Yahr, Wisconsin’s workforce is aging. How can communities and employers prepare for the future?, Wisconsin Watch, April 25, 2025.

The demographic challenges, in industries where they are present, are a refutation and rebuke to those who say ‘let’s boost manufacturing through tariffs’: it will be more difficult and take more time — if it should work at all — than advocates of tariffs glibly contend. The pro-tariff crowd might as well say let’s build time machines out of DeLoreans.

May the 4th be with you:

“Star Wars” fans around the world are celebrating the space epic this weekend through an unofficial, fan-made holiday. A sly nod to one of the films’ most popular catchphrases, May the 4th is known as Star Wars Day and has been embraced by businesses and communities over the years. (AP Video: Haven Daley) Read more here: https://bit.ly/42WHZbo