Wednesday News Roundup

Transcript

Wednesday News Roundup

WFHR News · Wed Oct 7, 2026

97.5 WFHR and 105.5 WIRI.

Your Wisconsin Rapids home for locally grown radio.

Here's your daily news roundup.

For Civic Media News, I'm Connie Feldman.

A UW-Madison physics professor has just put the Badger State on the global map.

Professor Francis Halson is the latest Nobel Prize winner in physics.

UW-Madison officials say Halson was honored for his understanding of the astrophysical particles known as neutrinos, which are produced by the universe's most energetic events.

Halson credits the university in large part for the award, saying he's fortunate to be at UW where unconventional ideas can thrive.

He said it's hard to imagine his project happening anywhere else.

Halson is the first Nobel Prize winner from Wisconsin in nearly four decades.

Nine wolves were killed up north in Wisconsin by federal wildlife officials following what the Wisconsin DNR says were repeated threats to human safety.

According to Wisconsin Public Radio, the incidents were reported in rural Price County.

The wolves are trapped and euthanized.

Before the wolves were killed, the agency says it recommended several non-lethal measures, including removing potential bait, using noise to scare the wolves away, and increasing activity around the area.

But the DNR says those efforts didn't work and the wolves became more used to people and

less likely to be scared away.

Wolves have come into conflict with rural and farming communities in Wisconsin killing livestock and pets and triggering a campaign to restart Wisconsin's wolf hunt, but the wolf is also a powerful symbol to many of Wisconsin's tribal populations who condemned the recent wolf killings.

The debate over whether wolves should be hunted is a hot topic in Wisconsin and the laws are confusing.

Right now, gray wolves are once again federally protected in Wisconsin, although there was a wolf hunt in 2021.

That's because Wisconsin is legally required to have a hunt if gray wolves are removed from the endangered species list, which they were briefly in 2020.

Just a year later, wolves were back on the federal endangered species list.

But now, just a few days ago, in fact, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to take wolves back off the list nationwide.

Nearly 100 Wisconsin workers will be out of a job less than a month before Christmas Day, as a Milwaukee steel plant announces layoffs.

According to a press release, Maynard Steel has experienced what they call unforeseeable business circumstances, forcing them to fire all 77 workers at its Milwaukee facility.

In addition to being laid off on December 4th, workers' health care benefits will also end that day.

Wisconsin's controversial Anti-Union Law Act 10 faces a critical showdown this fall to the November 3rd election and a lawsuit heading to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Passed under former Republican Governor Scott Walker, the law severely restricted collective bargaining for most public sector employees.

Public sentiment remains deeply divided.

According to a recent Marquette University Law School poll, 54% of registered voters supported restoring collective bargaining to pre-act 10 standards.

while 43 prefer to keep the current law in place.

The debate showcases a sharp divide between Wisconsin's two candidates for governor also.

Republican Tom Tiffany strongly defends the anti-union law, maintaining that it protects taxpayers, while Democrat David Crowley supports a full repeal of Act 10 and the state's right to work laws, arguing that all public workers deserve the right to negotiate fair wages and working conditions through collective bargaining.

Madison's interim independent police monitor is pushing back against a city employment review that accuses her of ignoring multiple rules and delaying key duties.

Arameek Glass described the review to News 3 Now as illegitimate, saying only the police civilian oversight board has the authority over her position.

However, Common Council President Sabrina Madison and former Alders defend the report, citing emails where Glass allegedly claimed she only follows city rules when comfortable doing so.

The ongoing dispute highlights growing friction over civilian law enforcement oversight in Madison.

And that's your state news update.

I'm Connie Feldman for Civic Media News.

It's the Padres and the crew again.

Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with Sports Baseball.

The Brewers and Padres in game four tonight in the best of five series for their National League Playoff Series.

The Brewers losing four to three last night.

Milwaukee's now lost playoff games on the road 12 times in a row over the years.

That ties a major league record.

Pat Murphy.

Yeah, tough to win on the road in playoff situation obviously.

We've done a pretty good job at home I'd say but you know you're you're right.

It's um

Yeah, it's never fun.

The Padres, Manny Machado, and getting another chance to play in front of their hometown crowd at Petco Park.

You know, we play well at home, sleeping in your own bed, coming to this ballpark, the energy that these fans bring.

You know, there was a moment there that we were kind of down.

It was kind of like a little battle.

You know, and once we kind of got that, we scratched away some good at bats, the crowd got into it and, you know, we feed off of that, man.

We feed off of that energy.

NFL, the Packers getting ready to host the Bears on Sunday.

The Wisconsin Badgers football team has the week off.

They travel to UCLA.

next week with Sports on Mike Clemens.

It is going to be an absolutely gorgeous day today.

Sunshine with a high in the low 70s this afternoon.

Tonight mostly clear with a low dropping into the upper 40s to near 50 and then tomorrow another sunny day with highs in the mid 60s.

I'm meteorologist Sean Cable.

That's your Wisconsin Rapids News Roundup from WIRI and WFHR locally grown radio.

Find more news anytime at wfhr.com and wiri.fm.

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