State

In Wisconsin, the old fashioned cocktail comes with brandy, not bourbon. Now, state lawmakers have made it somewhat official. A resolution declaring the brandy old fashioned as the official Wisconsin state cocktail cleared the state Assembly on a bipartisan voice vote. It’s a resolution, not a bill, so even if it also clears the Senate, the brandy old fashioned won’t make it onto the list of other official state symbols that include milk as the official beverage, kringle as the official pastry and corn as the official grain. For the unfamiliar, the old fashioned cocktail in just about every place other than Wisconsin is traditionally made with a whiskey, like bourbon, sugar and bitters.

Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers says he will sign a bill that would allow elections officials to process absentee ballots the day before an election if the measure passes the Republican-led Legislature in its current form. The Republican-backed bill passed by the state Assembly in a bipartisan vote on Thursday is meant to make election night easier for local clerks as well as ensure that large numbers of absentee ballot results aren't reported late on election night. That often happens in large cities such as Milwaukee and Madison, and late-night reporting in 2020 prompted false claims of election fraud from former President Donald Trump and his supporters. The state Senate will next consider the bill.

Democratic governors across the country are sending a joint letter to leaders in Congress calling for additional funds for security at places of worship. The call comes as concerns rise over potential threats against Jewish and Muslim communities motivated by the Israel-Hamas war. Other national leaders, including President Joe Biden, have also asked for funds to be increased to the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program. The program is set to give $305 million this year to nonprofits to help secure their facilities against potential attacks. The letter was led by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and signed by 10 other governors.

The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Assembly has passed a bill that would ban Universities of Wisconsin officials from considering race and diversity when awarding state-funded financial aid. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is expected to veto the measure. He’s also expected to veto another bill that passed Tuesday in the Assembly that would penalize and withhold state grants from schools that repeatedly violate free speech rights on campus. The Assembly also passed a bill that would guarantee admission to UW-Madison for any high school graduate ranked in the top 5% of their class. UW-Madison is against the measure, saying it is “unworkable” and “does not serve our state or our shared goals.”

Republicans in the Wisconsin state Senate are proposing tweaks to their plan to help fund repairs at the Milwaukee Brewers stadium that would scale back the state's contribution and impose a surcharge on non-baseball event tickets. The Legislature's finance committee is set to vote on the changes Wednesday. The Assembly passed a bill in October that calls for the state to contribute $411.5 million. The Brewers were set to contribute $100 million. Sen. Dan Feyen's amendment would reduce the state contribution to $382.3 million, impose a $2 surcharge on non-baseball tickets. The team's rent payments would grow by about $10 million.