Yes. A bill approved May 17, 2023 by the Wisconsin Assembly in a vote of 56 to 36 includes a provision that would require Milwaukee Public Schools to hire 25 school resource officers to be present at schools.
Author Archives: Tom Kertscher / Wisconsin Watch
Tom Kertscher joined as a Wisconsin Watch fact checker in January 2023 and contributes to our collaboration with the The Gigafact Project to fight misinformation online. Kertscher is a former longtime newspaper reporter, including at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who has worked as a self-employed journalist since 2019. His gigs include contributing writer for PolitiFact and sports freelancer for The Associated Press.
Posted inFact briefs
Would a Wisconsin bill hold teachers liable for using ‘obscene’ materials in school?
Yes. Lawmakers Rep. Scott Allen, R-Waukesha, and Sen. André Jacque, R-De Pere, announced May 9, 2023 that they are seeking co-sponsors for two bills on “obscene materials” in public schools in Wisconsin.
Posted inFact briefs
Is the closing Cardinal Stritch University ranked first among Wisconsin colleges based on alumni salary?
Yes. The most recent rankings by GradReports.com, released in March 2021, ranked Milwaukee-based Cardinal Stritch University first among Wisconsin colleges for alumni salary.
Posted inFact briefs
Has Paul Ryan endorsed Ron DeSantis for president?
No. Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan has not formally endorsed Florida Gov. DeSantis as of May 24, 2023.
Posted inFact briefs
Did a recent review of studies find that diet soda does not help long-term weight loss?
Yes. The World Health Organization on April 12, 2022 published a review of 283 studies on non-sugar sweeteners used in products such as diet soda.
Posted inFact briefs
Is Tom Tiffany rated Wisconsin’s most conservative US House member?
Yes. The latest annual legislative scorecard from the American Conservative Union ranked Rep. Tom Tiffany the most conservative of the eight-member Wisconsin U.S. House delegation.
Posted inFact briefs
Is the murder of a Milwaukee US Postal Service worker part of a larger trend of increased armed robberies against postal workers nationwide?
Yes. Robberies of postal carriers totaled 496 in 2022, quadrupling over a decade, the Associated Press reported on May 8, 2023.
Posted inFact briefs
Does a new law double the penalties for reckless driving in Wisconsin?
Yes. The bipartisan-sponsored bill, Assembly Bill 55, was signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers on May 10, 2023, doubling maximum fines and sentences for reckless driving violations.
Posted inFact briefs
Are some Democrats trying to recruit a former Marquette University basketball star to run for the US Senate?
Yes. Democratic donors in Florida are trying to persuade former National Basketball Association stars Dwyane Wade and Grant Hill to run for a Florida U.S. Senate seat in 2024, NBC News reported May 8, 2023.
Posted inFact briefs
Would Wisconsin have the lowest age in the US for serving alcohol if a bill allowing 14-year-olds to serve is made law?
Yes. On May 1, 2023, two Republican Wisconsin lawmakers, Sen. Rob Stafsholt and Rep. Chanz Green, circulated a bill that would change the law to allow people as young as 14 to serve alcohol in bars and restaurants.
Posted inFact briefs
Did the FBI under President Joe Biden label concerned parents who spoke at school board meetings ‘domestic terrorists,’ as a Wisconsin congressman claims?
No. Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents most of northern Wisconsin, said President “Joe Biden’s FBI labeled concerned parents who spoke at school board meetings as domestic terrorists.”
Posted inFact briefs
Is Tammy Baldwin rated one of the most vulnerable US senators up for election in 2024?
Yes. The Hill rated the seat held by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., as one of the eight most likely to flip from one party to the other in the 2024 elections, saying Wisconsin “remains a crucial battleground state with a propensity to swing wildly from one election to another.”