Email from 1000 Friends of Wisconsin Making an Impact View as Webpage - Jan. 2026 Data Center Webinar Tonight! The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) models is changing the way people interact with the internet. It is also changing the physical landscape of communities across Wisconsin. Our state has seen an influx of proposals to build “hyperscale” data centers that support AI in areas like Janesville, Beaver Dam, Menomonie, Port Washington, Kenosha, and Deforest. These facilities consume as much energy as mid- or large-size cities, use substantial amounts of water for cooling purposes, and can sit on hundreds or even thousands of acres. The implications are significant for Wisconsin’s health, economy, ratepayers, and environment. Tonight's (13th Jan.) webinar (6pm CST) will feature legal experts, health, and environmental scientists, as well as, local community speakers. It is meant to help Wisconsinites understand what hyperscale data centers are, what impacts they have, and what local communities and concerned citizens can do to protect themselves. The Sierra Club, Healthy Climate Wisconsin, Midwest Environmental Advocates, and Wisconsin Green Fire created this toolkit to help Wisconsinites understand what hyperscale data centers are, what impacts they have, and what local communities and concerned citizens can do to mitigate the worst impacts. Housing Stories That Inspire Change At 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, we believe that storytelling holds power to humanize complex policy issues in a way that builds bridges between people and creates new possibilities for change. Through our Madison for More Neighbors campaign, we've had the opportunity to meet many people who are navigating housing issues in different ways. In collaboration with Marlita Media Solutions, we recently produced four unique videos from the perspective of community members whose experiences and ideas can spark conversations and help us all think creatively and collaboratively to imagine new possibilities for housing in Madison. You can find all four videos linked at the bottom of our landing page of the Madison for More Neighbors campaign website! Photo: (Pastor Krystal Williams-Oby by Marlita Media Solutions)  Webinar: Transit Coalition Building and Advocacy In December, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law one of the most consequential pieces of transportation legislation in the country. The Northeastern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Act will transform the way Illinoisans travel around the state by investing an additional $1.5 billion annually in the state's local and regional transit systems. Almost half of this funding is being redirected from roads and highways. On top of this, the NITA Act reforms how transit is governed and operated in the Chicago region. For the first time ever, transit region-wide will operate with one time table, one fare, and one payment method significantly improving mobility for residents and visitors. On February 4, we're hosting a webinar with advocates from Illinois and Wisconsin to discuss this momentous legislation and share ideas for how we can achieve similar wins in Wisconsin. The webinar will include representatives from the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, (including Micheál Podgers, Midwest Policy Lead at Climate Cabinet), the Coalition for More Responsible Transportation, and more. Register here ... Policy Watch - Senate Bill 754 SB754, introduced by Sen. Kelda Roys, proposes the creation of Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) in federally defined metropolitan planning areas (i.e. where Metropolitan Planning Organizations [MPOs] already exist) and authorizes the creation of permissive RTAs in metropolitan statistical areas. SB754 is an ambitious step toward restoring legal authority of regional transit coordination in Wisconsin and advances conversations about more sustainable transit funding and governance. At the same time, advocates have raised equity and implementation questions around the bill's automatic creation of RTAs in all MPO regions, regardless of a demonstrated need or capacity to operate one. The approach may also unintentionally weaken the narrative that transit and transportation are essential to regional mobility, especially in smaller areas that operate transit on a local level with fewer resources. As conversations around RTA legislation continue, it will be key for policymakers to refine policy to ensure equitable impact and effective regional transportation coordination across Wisconsin's diverse regions. Read the full bill text here: [link removed] Photo: (Green Bay Metro bus by Susan Gaeddert)  The Deadliest Roads in America ~Between 2010 and 2023, yearly deaths caused by cars and trucks striking pedestrians rose 70 percent, an examination of federal data and other public records by The Washington Post shows.~ "City by city across the United States, the surge - from 4,302 deaths in 2010 to 7,314 in 2023 - largely occurred on roads with a few things in common. The deaths were concentrated on multilane roads, with the largest clusters occurring on thoroughfares that cut through economically distressed neighborhoods and had fading commercial strips, according to the Post investigation. Wide roads and fast-moving vehicles - especially when combined with signs of poverty, unhoused community members, drug and alcohol abuse, and a lack of pedestrian-focused roadway improvements - produced a pattern of death-by-vehicle that is uniquely American, according to the investigation, which draws on crash data, census records and thousands of pages of police reports, as well as interviews with current and former officials, engineering experts and victims’ families. More people in these areas lack cars and are forced to walk, while many of those killed tended to be impaired and were taking risks trying to cross, the review found. The country has become a global outlier, as fatality rates in such incidents have declined almost 30 percent in other developed countries in the decade ending in 2023." Read more of this Washington Post article ...  Unveiled: New Ho-Chunk Nation Dual Language Signs Gov. Tony Evers, together with Ho-Chunk Nation President Jon Greendeer and Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Secretary Kristina Boardman, celebrated the newest set of dual-language highway signs on Thursday, unveiled for placement on state highways as part of WisDOT’s Dual-Language Sign Program. The new signs identify Ho-Chunk Nation communities and the Mississippi River in both the Ho-Chunk and English languages. “Today, we honor our ancestors and celebrate our enduring presence on this land. These dual-language signs are more than markers along the highway — they are a restoration of our Ho-Chunk identity, our language, and our responsibility to future generations,” said President Greendeer in a press release. “By placing our Ho-Chunk names back onto the landscape, we ensure that our story continues to be seen, spoken, and remembered throughout Wisconsin and along the Mississippi River. This is a proud moment for the Ho-Chunk Nation, and we look forward to sharing it with all of our communities.” The sign unveiling took place at the Ho-Chunk House of Wellness in Baraboo and expands on a statewide dual-language sign initiative launched by WisDOT in 2021. Through WisDOT’s sign program, the department collaborates with Native Nations in Wisconsin to install road signs on Tribal lands in both English and Indigenous languages. The Ho-Chunk Nation is the ninth Tribe in Wisconsin to install dual-language signs, ... read more from Madison 365. Photo: (Ho-Chunk Nation Legislative Branch)  Madison's Beltline PEL Study Public Feedback Window Extended Did you happen to miss the online Beltline (Hwys 12/14/18/151 in & around Madison) PEL Study Public Involvement Meeting on 4th Dec. 2025? No worries! You can now provide input until 31st Jan. via this form. You can also find more info and sign up for updates on the Study web page here.  Supporters Make the Impact! As always, we couldn't have the impact we make throughout Wisconsin without the help of our supporters and members. Thank you to those that provided a gift last year and already this year. It's critical to our success and the resilience of our beautiful state! To further our reach with a gift: The quickest and easiest route: via Credit Card The next easiest: via mailing a check made out to "1000 Friends of Wisconsin" - P.O. Box 25, Stevens Point, WI 54481 Other, more impactful ways to give: qualified charitable distributions, CSW workplace giving, corporate donations, stock, and more Sincerely, Trevor Roark (Executive Director) Photo: (Trevor Roark & Sharon Johnson) 1000 Friends of Wisconsin 608-259-1000 | 1kfriends.org  We work remotely, so please contact us via email: Trevor Roark Address: 1000 Friends of Wisconsin PO Box 25 Stevens Point, WI 54481 Winter is ebbing & flowing! Let's try our best at walking/rolling, bicycling, and bussing when conditions are safe! 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