TUE AM News: Brown County proposal on pausing data centers going before local committee; Trump to visit Wisconsin to tout support for farmers

June 2, 2026

— A Green Bay lawmaker is urging locals to back a proposed moratorium on data centers in Brown County, though a lack of county-wide zoning could undercut the proposal’s impact.

Rep. Amaad Rivera-Wagner, D-Green Bay, yesterday issued a statement encouraging county residents to “attend, testify, and make their voices heard” in support of the proposal from Supv. Christopher Welch. It’s the latest in a string of moratorium moves around tge state.

Rivera-Wagner argued “we can welcome economic development while still protecting the people” of Wisconsin, noting the proposal will only succeed if residents speak up.

“The question is not whether data centers should exist,” he said. “The question is whether they should operate without meaningful safeguards. The cost of reasonable regulation is small. The cost of getting this wrong could mean higher utility bills, greater strain on our resources, increased pressure on local infrastructure, and fewer protections for workers and communities.”

The county’s Planning, Development and Transportation Committee will take up the proposal from Welch this evening.

He’s calling for a vote on a “temporary pause” on data centers, barring data centers from purchasing land and permits in the county until “proper regulations, monitoring, DNR enforcement, energy infrastructure drain can be properly enforced and enacted” by the state Legislature.

In a communication included in tonight’s meeting agenda, Welch is seeking a pause on “any movement forward on data centers until the state can catch up and fully address it.”

But Jeff Flynt, deputy executive for Brown County, notes it doesn’t do county-wide zoning like some other Wisconsin counties. In an interview yesterday, he said this type of zoning regulation around data centers would be done at the municipal level, meaning the proposal likely wouldn’t have any teeth even if it ends up approved by the board.

Still, he said this evening’s meeting will give committee members the opportunity to discuss the topic and how to proceed, whether that means referring it to the county’s legal department to evaluate what can be done at the county level, or forwarding it to the full board to take up at its next meeting, June 17.

Flynt said there’s been a debate at the county level in the past over what he called feel-good resolutions, pointing to an effort in 2019 to pass a resolution expressing support for legalizing marijuana despite the move having no concrete impact.

Meanwhile, other locals are seeking to drum up support for the moratorium, posting details about the meeting in a neighborhood Facebook group with thousands of members.

Another post in a Facebook group called Stop the Northeast Wisconsin Data Centers is urging locals to attend the meeting or voice concerns to local officials, detailing specific points to mention in their comments. Group member and county resident Julie Carter referenced possible concerns over air pollution from construction dust or diesel generators, or about potential groundwater contamination and impacts on private wells.

“These are real, practical concerns that help supervisors understand how this project could affect the people who live here,” she wrote.

See the release and meeting agenda.

See more in a recent story on data center moratoriums in the state.

— Lambeau Field is typically the scene of intense competition between opposing football teams; the theme for the inaugural Wisconsin Drives Manufacturing Summit is about cooperation between the state’s academic institutions and its private manufacturing base.

The summit’s first day in Green Bay featured exhibits by scores of manufacturers in Lambeau’s Atrium level as well as theme-setting remarks by organizers. They were united by their belief that Wisconsin remains a manufacturing powerhouse that could be much stronger on a national and even global scale.

“Manufacturing is in our DNA,” UW-Madison College of Engineering Dean Devesh Ranjan, one of the event’s principal organizers, said yesterday. “But tackling today’s challenges requires more than tradition. Rather, our future success hinges on how we recruit, train and retain great people; how we embrace technologies that truly deliver value; and how we strengthen the systems that support American-made success.”

There was a consensus among speakers and some exhibitors on Day One of the summit that Wisconsin manufacturing could do more to adopt cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, even though AI adoption is up three-fold inside a year. Automation technology has also climbed in adoption. The summit continues today; about 700 attendees are registered.

The real secret, speakers said, is finding a way to keep well-trained university and technical college students from home.

“Automation technologists are vital to us,” said Jason Schuetz, vice president of global operations and advanced manufacturing for Husco International Inc. “We can’t get enough of them.”

Husco was one of many companies on hand that have a global presence. Even with $600 million in annual sales and about 7,000 employees globally, Schuetz said, the company’s bread-and-butter for recruitment remains inside the state.

“Graduates from in-state institutions with which we work are more likely to stay (once hired),” Schuetz said. “They’ve got roots.”

Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich touted the city’s manufacturing roots and said per capita employment within the city is two times the national average. UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Thomas Gibson took note of the university’s Connected Systems Institute, which was launched nine years ago and has become one of four leading academic partnerships with Microsoft.

A more political note was sounded by U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Glenbeulah, who criticized members of the Wisconsin Legislature who would like to repeal a state manufacturing tax credit. He noted twice he was the author of that credit during his tenure in the Legislature.

Grothman also said manufacturing companies are held back by high medical costs, citing a need for “transparency” in hospital costs. He cited the Wisconsin Hospital Association and its national counterparts as holding back progress.

Brett Peters, UW-Milwaukee’s dean of engineering and applied science, captured the mood of the summit when he said: “We must rally around what we can do as a manufacturing state… It’s time to make up some lost ground when it comes to ‘smart manufacturing’ in Wisconsin.”

— President Donald Trump will visit Chippewa County on Friday to tout his support for farmers, the White House told WisPolitics.

It will be the president’s first visit to Wisconsin of his second term.

Spokesperson Liz Huston said Trump will talk about efforts to lower costs, open new trade markets and reduce regulations. He’ll also promote the creation of Rural Opportunity Zones, which include tax incentives for those who invest in rural areas.

“Wisconsin families put their faith in President Trump in 2024, and he has spent every single day since taking office fighting and delivering for them,” Huston said.

The White House didn’t release details of where Trump will stop in Chippewa County, which is split between the 7th and 3rd congressional districts. The 7th is a key area for Republicans this fall as GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Tom Tiffany looks to goose turnout in his congressional seat to boost his statewide bid.

Meanwhile, GOP U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, of Prairie du Chien, will likely need a strong showing by Trump supporters in his western Wisconsin seat to help his bid for a third term representing the 3rd. Van Orden was the only GOP incumbent in Wisconsin’s House delegation to underperform Trump’s numbers in the November 2024 election.

State Dem Chair Devin Remiker said Tiffany and Van Orden would be “fools to stand with Trump” during the visit amid rising costs and growing disapproval of the president’s job performance.

“Will Tom Tiffany and Derrick Van Orden show up and stand by the cost crisis they helped to create, or will Tiffany betray Trump after begging for his endorsement earlier this year?” Remiker said.

— Cellectar Biosciences, a drug development firm that spun off from UW-Madison, is touting “compelling” new data on the effectiveness of its cancer therapy.

The company yesterday showcased the results in a presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago. The data came from its Phase 2 clinical trial for iopofosine 131, which is used to deliver a targeted radioisotope to treat specific cancers.

The results “demonstrated significant efficacy” for the 24-person study group, which included patients treated with Cellectar’s drug following a different treatment with post-Bruton Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor, or BTKi therapy.

Jarrod Longcor, chief operating officer for the company, says these patients “represent a distinct clinical population” within those with Waldenström macroglobulinemia, a rare form of blood cancer. They face limited treatment response and “rapid disease progression” following the end of BTKi therapy, according to Longcor.

“We are highly encouraged by these results … which demonstrate compelling efficacy and durable responses,” he said, noting they were seen even in this “particularly challenging patient population” that has progressed following earlier therapy.

Yesterday’s presentation highlighted the trial’s 100% clinical benefit rate and 87.5% overall response rate, as well as the 79.2% major response rate, indicating a partial response or better.

President and CEO James Caruso says the company plans to pursue accelerated approval in the United States and start a Phase 3 study later this year to confirm its findings.

“We remain committed to bringing iopofosine to the thousands of patients who may benefit from this therapy,” he said in a statement.

See the release.

— Gov. Tony Evers has appointed Weyco Group President and CEO John Florsheim to the WEDC Board of Directors.

The guv’s office yesterday announced the appointment, which fills the spot left by resigning member Jack Salzwedel.

In addition to leading the Glendale-based shoe company, Florsheim is a founding member of Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy.

“I’m honored and excited to join the WEDC Board and look forward to contributing to the important work WEDC does to support economic growth and strengthen communities across Wisconsin,” said Florsheim, who lives in Shorewood.

See the release.

— The Sustainable Business Council is seeking nominations for this year’s awards program, recognizing companies in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the upper Midwest.

The 2026 Sustainable Business Awards include categories for product and service of the year — focusing on environmental and social benefits as well as sustainability integration — in addition to leadership awards for individuals.

Nominations are open to council members with a presence in the upper Midwest region, and organizers are encouraging self-nominations and third-party nominations. They’re now accepting optional two-minute video submissions from applicants.

The nomination deadline is Aug. 7, and winners will be recognized in November at the 2026 SBC Conference in Madison.

See the release.

Manufacturer plans Kenosha assembly facility to meet data center demand

Donald Trump to tout rural initiatives in visit to Wisconsin

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