Biden’s infrastructure plan targets lead pipes that threaten public health in US

May 4, 2021 10:16 am Leave a comment

Lead pipes, such as this one in a Madison home, are blamed for putting dangerous lead levels in drinking water. Madison replaced all of the lead service lines leading from water mains into buildings, and is thought to be the first U.S. city to do a “full” lead pipe replacement. (Photo courtesy of the Madison Water Utility)

President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan includes a proposal to improve the U.S. drinking-water system by removing and replacing dangerous lead pipes.

OP-ED: How owners, contractors can deal with price increases, supply interruptions

April 29, 2021 2:42 pm Leave a comment

The construction industry is now experiencing an unprecedented mix of steeply rising materials prices, snarled supply chains and staffing difficulties.

Listing your home in 2021? Here’s what to know

April 26, 2021 7:43 am Leave a comment

It's a good time to be a home seller — homes are selling fast and for a premium — but that doesn't mean you can jump into the market ill-prepared. Knowing what to expect can position you to make the most of this seller's market.

Wait and see right approach on Foxconn

April 21, 2021 7:55 am Leave a comment

Work continues at Foxconn Technology Group's factory in Mount Pleasant on Thursday. (Mike De Sisti and Jim Nelson/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Monday’s announcement that Gov. Tony Evers had negotiated a new deal with Foxconn wasn’t entirely a shock. The state had long expressed dissatisfaction with the company’s follow-through on its original deal, and there had been strong signals it would be significantly altered.

Tagged with: Eau Claire Foxconn Gov. Scott Walker Gov. Tony Evers

Infrastructure? Or jobs? Controversy over name of Biden proposal highlights long tradition in politics

April 15, 2021 8:41 am Leave a comment

Cars travel Madison’s Beltline highway in July 2018. Assembly lawmakers have postponed until Thursday a vote on legislation that would require the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to use the state's new design-build system on at least six road projects in the next six years. (File photo by Kevin Harnack)

President Joe Biden caught flak this month when he released his infrastructure plan and named it the American Jobs Plan.

Technology innovation gives government ability to drive down emissions fast. Here’s how

April 9, 2021 8:21 am Leave a comment

Solar cells capture energy from the sun on a storage building in Decatur, Georgia. A Wisconsin task force is calling on Gov. Evers and state lawmakers to incorporate stricter energy-efficiency standards in state building codes to help the state weather the effects of climate change. (Photo courtesy of the Associated Press)

To avert the worst effects of climate change, global greenhouse-gas emissions should fall at faster rates than they have risen for over a century. Economies must essentially turn on a dime and then move quickly toward a carbon-free future.

Tagged with: clean energy infrastructure Joe Biden

How to make sure Biden’s infrastructure plan can hold up to climate change – and save money

March 31, 2021 8:42 am Leave a comment

Work proceeds in 2015 on a rehabilitation of a historic bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Transportation recently completed the project, the first the state has delivered using the construction manager-general contractor method. (Photo courtesy of MnDOT)

The Biden administration is proposing a massive infrastructure plan to replace the nation's crumbling bridges, roads and other critical structures.

Tagged with: infrastructure Joe Biden Transportation

Affordable housing is statewide need

March 30, 2021 10:37 am Leave a comment

The Westlawn Gardens affordable-housing project, composed of two building with 156 townhouse-style apartments and 94 single-bedroom apartments, stands on W. Silver Spring Drive, between N. 60th and N. 68th streets, on Milwaukee’s northwest side. A University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher told state lawmakers on Wednesday that so-called workforce housing remains in short supply in this state. As reasons for this shortage, the researcher noted that projects continue to be built at a slow pace following the Great Recession and that home prices have been rising faster than wages. (Submitted photo)

There are some reactions that we know we’re going to get when certain stories run.

Tagged with: affordable housing

Employee benefits: Some relief has expired, but new options exist

March 26, 2021 10:27 am Leave a comment

Gabrielle Hansen is an attorney with Barran Liebman LLP. She represents employers in a variety of benefits and employment matters. Contact her at 503-276-2112 or ghansen@barran.com.

States and the federal government continue to pass laws that provide relief in light of the challenges that the coronavirus pandemic has created in various areas of life.

Tagged with: benefits employees

Editorial: It’s about time doors to vaccine are opened

March 24, 2021 9:36 am Leave a comment

Gov. Tony Evers speaks on Aug. 27 during a news conference in Kenosha. Wisconsin Supreme Court was hearing arguments Monday on whether to strike down the state's mask mandate being challenged by conservatives as an unconstitutional overreach of power by Gov. Evers. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

In case you didn’t notice, Gov. Tony Evers is throwing open the doors to COVID-19 vaccine for almost every Wisconsin resident ages 16 and older starting Monday.

Tagged with: coronavirus