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The legal wrangling over wolf hunting in Wisconsin is not ending. A judge in Madison is expected to issue an order later today that blocks this year’s hunt. Advocates and environmentalists have been fighting the hunt since the gray wolf was delisted last year. The judge says he’s stepping in now because the state’s Department of Natural Resources never finalized rules for the hunt. Instead, the judge says, DNR is still working off of an emergency order from 2012.

There are fewer Wisconsin counties “in the red” for the coronavirus. The state’s Department of Health Services yesterday said just eight counties are listed as having critically high coronavirus activity. That number was at 16 during the start of the week. Critically high activity usually means a positivity rate of over one percent, though many times it’s a reflection of low population. All of the critically high counties in Wisconsin are small counties. Most of the rest of the state has what DHS is

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is staying the same. The state’s Department of Workforce Development yesterday said the jobless rate for September was once again three-point-nine percent. That’s where it’s been since April. DWD says Wisconsin lost jobs last month, private sector employers cut about 100 positions.

Wisconsin’s attorney general is asking a judge to stop part of the investigation into last year’s election. Attorney General Josh Kaul yesterday asked a Dane County judge to declare the subpoenas from former Supreme Court Justice Mike Gableman unenforceable. Gableman subpoenaed the mayors of Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Racine, and Kenosha along with the head of the state’s Elections Commission as part of his investigation into the lead-up to Election Day. Kaul says the subpoenas are invalid because Gableman wants

Wisconsin’s governor doesn’t like the new political map from Republican lawmakers. Governor Evers yesterday said Republicans gerrymandered the new map, and are trying to pre-determine elections in the state. He says they must do better if they expect the governor to sign-off on the new map. The governor says he wants a “fair map.” Republican leaders released their map design this week, and say it meets all legal and constitutional requirements.

The search for Brian Laundrie is over.  The FBI is confirming that human remains found at a Florida nature reserve are those of Laundrie.  The FBI says they made the confirmation with dental records.  Reports say the FBI told Laundrie’s parents at their home in Florida.   Police have been searching for him as a person of interest in the Gabby Petito homicide for several weeks.  The area where the remains were uncovered was previously underwater in the dense and swampy

Hundreds of employees at the largest hospital system in Illinois and Wisconsin are out of a job for refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19.  Advocate Aurora Health says 440 workers have been fired.  Almost half of the staffers worked part time and the total number is less than one-percent of 75-thousand employees.  The health system announced in early August it would require its workers to get vaccinated.  The announcement coincided with a rise in cases over the summer attributed to the Delta

An officer-involved shooting is under investigation in Kenosha County.  Authorities say sheriff’s deputy shot and wounded a suspect at Benson Corners gas station in Bristol around 11:30 this morning.  The suspect was conscious when taken to the hospital by ambulance.  There is a report that a police K-9 was wounded but more information about that has not been disclosed.

A Madison man is charged with sexual assault after he is connected to the crime through a backlogged rape kit.  Kevin McDowell made his first court appearance yesterday where his bond was set at 100-thousand-dollars.  There is an ongoing effort in the state to process untested sexual assault kits which have accumulated over the years because they often lead to arrests in otherwise cold cases. 

The 10th Annual Wisconsin Science Festival is underway in Madison.  The festival runs from today through October 24th and features hands-on science experiments and live demonstrations.  Tomorrow, Science on the Square returns to Capital Square with a number of outdoor STEM activities on tap.  Madison Children’s Museum is also hosting demonstrations and offering free admission Friday night.