— Statewide home sales declined 9.2% over the year in November, signaling a “cooling market” as the year comes to a close.
That’s according to the Wisconsin Realtors Association, which is rolling out their latest monthly housing report today. A total of 5,093 homes were sold in the state last month, compared to 5,612 in November 2024, the report shows.
The group notes that’s the first monthly decline the state has seen since May.
Meanwhile, total listings continue on an upward trend with a 3.7% year-over-year increase in November. That’s the 26th month in a row where listings have risen on an annualized basis, WRA says.
“Although new listings have been somewhat variable this year, the trend of growth in total listings is now moving into its third year, which is a good sign that the total supply of homes has been steadily improving,” said Chris DeVincentis, chair of the WRA board of directors.
Still, prices continue to rise, with the state’s median home price increasing 4.8% to reach $325,000 in November, the report shows.
WRA President and CEO Tom Larson says affordability remains an issue in Wisconsin though he points to “some promising trends” over the year.
“Mortgage rates continue to trend downward, and the annual rate of home price appreciation averaged just 5.5% through the first 11 months of the year,” he said. “We hope these trends continue and lead to sustained improvements in affordability in 2026.”
See the report.
— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin says the Trump administration “must do more” to address the ongoing outbreak of bird flu after the disease was recently found in a Wisconsin dairy herd for the first time.
The Madison Dem yesterday sent a letter to the leader of the USDA on the issue. She raised concerns about the federal agency’s response to the bird flu and called for the administration to follow through on an earlier commitment to establish a national bird flu vaccination policy.
“Migrating birds continue to carry the infection to both domestic poultry flocks and dairy cattle, making clear that existing containment strategies are insufficient,” she wrote. “Simply put, the Administration must do more to mitigate the outbreak of avian flu.”
Baldwin is accusing the administration of having “dragged their feet” on rolling out its plan for addressing the bird flu outbreak, outlined in the USDA’s Five-Pronged Approach document from February.
That plan included expanding biosecurity measures and audits, deploying more epidemiologists, some cost-sharing for related efforts, boosting relief to farmers, reducing regulatory burdens, exploring strategies for protecting chickens such as vaccines, and more.
Baldwin argues any bird flu vaccination programs should be paired with “sustained investments” in surveillance capabilities and sufficient staffing, as well as enough lab capacity at the National Animal Health Laboratory Network to respond to outbreaks.
See the release.
— State regulators would have to consider the “social cost of carbon” when evaluating proposed utility projects under legislation being circulated by a group of Dem lawmakers.
In a recent co-sponsorship memo seeking support for the change, bill authors note the social cost of carbon has been calculated as a dollar figure, representing the “damage incurred” by emitting one metric ton of carbon dioxide.
“The social cost of carbon is meant to be a comprehensive estimate of damages resulting from the current state of climate change, including changes in net agricultural productivity, human health, property damage from increased flood risk, and changes in energy system (heating and cooling) costs,” they wrote.
The bill would set this cost at $185 per metric ton or more, based on a model from UW-Berkeley and the nonprofit Resources for the Future. Under the legislation, the state Public Service Commission would be required to consider this cost in decisions on building new utility-scale energy generation, high-voltage transmission lines and other projects.
“By fully accounting for the impact and damages caused by carbon pollution, we can better understand the real cost and value of new utility-scale energy proposals to Wisconsin energy consumers,” authors wrote.
The legislation would also add new requirements for the PSC when the agency takes up rate cases, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau.
The agency would have to ensure any costs for infrastructure needed to expand fossil fuel-based energy production and distribution would be recovered “only from customers that receive the primary benefit” of the infrastructure. And it would have to ensure costs incurred from transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable resources aren’t recovered from any customer, LRB says.
The bill is from Reps. Angelina Cruz of Racine, Francesca Hong of Madison, Ryan Clancy of Milwaukee and Supreme Moore Omokunde of Milwaukee, as well as Sens. Kelda Roys of Madison and Chris Larson of Milwaukee.
The co-sponsorship deadline is 5 p.m. Jan. 9.
See the bill text.
— Legislation from GOP authors would allow any pharmacy in Wisconsin to operate as a “remote dispensing site” or telepharmacy, under the oversight of an offsite pharmacist.
Sen. Jesse James of Thorp and Rep. Nancy VanderMeer of Tomah this week began circulating a co-sponsorship memo for LRB-2166 and LRB-5797, which they say would “modernize” pharmacy practice in Wisconsin while supporting the rural health workforce.
They note rural and other underserved communities in the state are facing local pharmacy closures, reduced hours and workforce shortages, making it harder for patients to get access to essential medications.
“In many small towns and lower-resource regions, the challenge is not whether a pharmacy wants to stay open — it is whether they can,” authors wrote. “Some cannot attract full-time pharmacists; others simply cannot afford one due to low prescription volume or reimbursement realities … Telepharmacy is a way to prevent pharmacy deserts and keep care within reach.”
Under current state law, remote pharmacy supervision is allowed for pharmacies located within certain facilities including practitioner clinics, correctional facilities and hospitals. In this model, the pharmacy is remotely staffed by a pharmacist while pharmacy technicians do the in-person work.
Authors say this system has proven to be “safe and effective” for more than a decade, but it remains out of reach for community pharmacies, which they say are “most vulnerable” to staffing problems. Under their bill, any licensed pharmacy in the state could operate under this model as long as it meets regulatory requirements set by the Pharmacy Examining Board, according to the memo.
The lawmakers argue the change would preserve “all existing guardrails” and wouldn’t weaken safety standards.
“Patients will continue to have the right to speak directly with a pharmacist, dispensing cannot occur without real-time pharmacist communication, and the same final check and drug utilization review performed in a traditional pharmacy will occur under remote supervision,” they wrote.
The co-sponsorship deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday.
See the bill text.
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— Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, says regulating the THC industry will be a top priority for the spring floor period.
But with three competing GOP bills, it won’t be easy.
LeMahieu told WisPolitics in a year-end interview that one of his top priorities is making sure that minors aren’t able to buy the products.
“You know, the concern is, potentially, if we do nothing, some of the good actors won’t produce it anymore, and all we have is bad actors in the state of Wisconsin, since it’s illegal federally,” LeMahieu said.
There are now three GOP-authored hemp bills introduced this session:
- AB 503/SB 499 seeks to bar the sale of hemp-derived products with THC.
- AB 606/SB 681 seeks to regulate hemp-derived products as the state does alcohol, with a three-tiered system for manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
- AB 747/SB 682 seeks to bar the sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products to those under the age of 21.
Dems have also introduced AB 680/SB 644, their own push to restrict the sale of intoxicating hemp products to those under the age of 21.
The state efforts to regulate the industry come with a federal ban on them looming. The 2018 farm bill removed hemp from the list of controlled substances, a move that was hailed at the time as a way to provide farmers a new crop that could be used in products such as paper and clothing.
But it also opened the door to products with low doses of THC, such as gummies and beverages. The continuing resolution President Donald Trump signed earlier this year includes a clause that bans the “unregulated sale of intoxicating hemp-based or hemp-derived products” in one year.
See the full story.
— Menards will pay Wisconsin more than $750,000 after an investigation into deceptive marketing practices and price gouging by the home improvement chain.
An investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice and nine other states into the Eau Claire-based retailer’s business practices has yielded a $4.25 million settlement, Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul announced yesterday.
Part of the investigation focused on Menards’ infamous 11% rebate, a popular promotion where consumers can receive that share of their purchase as in-store credit after mailing in a stamped form with their receipt.
Kaul said the retailer misled consumers to believe they were receiving a point-of-sale discount rather than a mail-in rebate.
“People shouldn’t have to go through an adventure to find out how much they have to pay for what they’re purchasing,” Kaul told reporters in a virtual press conference.
He said the retailer had agreed to clarify its advertising on the mail-in rebate, as well as look into offering consumers the opportunity to submit their receipts for the rebate online and allowing consumers up to a year to redeem their rebates.
The multi-state investigation also found that the retailer engaged in price-gouging when it raised prices on four-gallon water jugs at two of its locations in Onalaska and Johnson Creek.
While noting there was an “ongoing dispute” over the matter, Kaul said he’d like to see Wisconsin’s settlement funds go toward supporting DOJ consumer protection efforts.
Legislation shifting power over state settlements to the Legislature was among the slate of laws that Republicans passed during a lame duck session in 2018 limiting the power of the AG and then-incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
— The Wisconsin State Building Commission has approved about $185 million in projects around the state, including a new correctional facility in Fitchburg.
Gov. Tony Evers yesterday announced the commission’s approval of the projects, highlighting plans for building the state’s second Type 1 Juvenile Correctional Facility in Fitchburg. The guv’s office says it will help with converting existing juvenile sites to adult facilities by offering a “smaller, more central” youth facility in Dane County.
“Closing Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake schools and getting our kids closer to home and the support systems they rely on has been our prerogative since Day One, and I’m thrilled to see our administration and members of this Commission take another important step in getting this done and done right,” Evers said in a statement.
Other approved projects include work on the Department of Military Affairs’ Milwaukee Readiness Center, repairs at UW-Green Bay and various maintenance and repair projects at state agencies.
See more in the release.
— Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin is opening a new Madison training center to accommodate its growing apprenticeship program.
The group yesterday announced its plans for the new 36,000-square-foot facility, which will include classrooms, lab space and offices for instructors and others. Renovations on the existing space will begin early next year before it opens for classes in the fall.
ABC Apprenticeship Training and Trust recently bought the space, which is located next door to the group’s Madison quarters.
Kelly Tourdot, president of ABC-WI, says the group’s apprenticeship program is growing every year and breaking enrollment records. It has nearly 2,600 apprentices in training this year through positions with the group’s more than 1,100 member businesses.
“This growth requires more space,” Tourdot said. “When the building became available next door, it was clear that this was our perfect opportunity to expand.”
See the release.
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EDUCATION
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LEGAL
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MANUFACTURING
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NONPROFIT
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TOURISM
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PRESS RELEASES
