If a tree falls in the forest, can it sue for physical, mental and emotional harm? 

Not in Wisconsin, and two state lawmakers want to make sure the door isn’t opened to the possibility. 

State Rep. Joy Goeben (R-Hobart) and state Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) have introduced a bill that “prohibits a city, village, town, or county from enacting a “rights of nature ordinance” that confers “legal rights to a natural resource to exist, to be protected against pollution, or to maintain a healthy ecosystem.” 

In short, an ordinance that would grant to the falling tree the same rights as that of a human being. 

Despite low unemployment and indications of a recharging economy, business leaders and educators are concerned about the future of the workforce in the Badger State — and are debating whether many young Wisconsinites are just lazy.

In 2000, roughly 66.5 percent of people aged 16 to 19 were in the Wisconsin workforce. By 2022, that figure stood at 56.5 percent, according to a University of Wisconsin Extension study. The number of people that age in the workforce and in school dropped from 31 percent in 1998 to 17.6 percent by 2020, the study said.

Kurt Bauer, president and CEO of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s chamber of commerce, is the rare business leader willing to say what many business owners will only disclose in anonymous surveys: Wisconsin doesn’t work as hard as it used to and younger workers are the reason.

Kenosha and Dane counties led the state in the rate of new construction in 2024, data collected by Forward Analytics show.

The measure of “net new construction” tracks the growth in a county’s property value that is attributable to the construction of new buildings. It serves as an indicator of economic development in an area.

Kenosha County’s total property value grew by 2.73 percent from new building construction, the researchers found, while Dane County’s grew by 2.62 percent.

With an average annual salary of $47 million, Micah Parsons will earn $2.7 million per regular-season game.

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