Good morning.
Friday in Whitewater will be cold with a high of -5. Sunrise is 7:17 and sunset is 4:56 for 9 hours 39 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 23.1 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1957, American inventor Walter Frederick Morrison sells the rights to his flying disc to the Wham-O toy company, which later renames it the “Frisbee.”
It was probable that the Assembly majority would let the existing Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program expire, then replace that program with something less robust, and give it the same name as the original. Mission accomplished:
A pared-back proposal that will continue the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program, but without allowing for new land acquisition, passed the Assembly on Thursday, eliciting critical reactions from Democrats who said it won’t uphold the legacy of the program.
The Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship Program was initially created during the 1989-1990 legislative session and signed into law by former Gov. Tommy Thompson. With the goal of preserving wildlife habitat and expanding outdoor recreation opportunities throughout the state, the program has authorized state borrowing and spending for state land acquisition and for grants to local governments and nonprofit conservation organizations. It has traditionally received bipartisan support in Wisconsin as it has been reauthorized several times over the years.
Two GOP bills, coauthored by Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) and Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point), passed the Assembly in a 53-44 vote along party lines. The bills would extend the program for an additional two years, but in a limited form.
Under the amended proposal, the Knowles-Nelson program would be reauthorized until 2028, but the money set aside would mostly be for maintaining land that has already been purchased under the program.
The program’s land acquisition provisions have been essentially stripped in the legislation.
See Baylor Spears, Assembly passes pared down Knowles-Nelson stewardship bill that limits land acquisition, Wisconsin Examiner, January 23, 2026.
Bright aurora lights up Alaska sky: