Scott Bauer, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - The Fitzgerald in a 1959 file photo, with a crew of 28 to 30 men, was carrying a load of 26,216 tons of taconite pellets. (AP Photo, file)

‘The legend lives on’: Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald still resonates 50 years later

November 1, 2025

November 10th marks the 50th anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, perhaps the most famous of all the estimated 6,500 ships that have gone down in the Great Lakes. The Fitzgerald is remembered while others are forgotten, thanks in large part to Gordon Lightfoot’s 1976 haunting folk ballad memorializing the wreck. The Fitzgerald was the largest ship ever to sink on the Great Lakes. All 29 members on board died. Family members of the crew and those still fascinated by the historic sinking gather each year for ceremonies at cities around the Great Lakes.

Wisconsin becomes the 36th state to limit cellphones in schools

October 31, 2025

Wisconsin has become the 36th state to limit cellphones and other electronic devices in school. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed the bill Friday. The bill was passed with bipartisan support. It requires districts to prohibit phone use during class time. Evers signed it despite some opposition from some Democrats in the Legislature who said controlling gun violence should be a higher priority than banning cellphones. This school year alone, new restrictions on phone use in schools went into effect in 17 states and the District of Columbia.

FILE - The Wisconsin Capitol is seen, Oct. 24, 2023, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer, File)

Wisconsin judge puts on hold ruling that required citizenship check of voters

October 31, 2025

A Wisconsin judge has put on hold his order that requires elections officials to verify the citizenship of all 3.6 million registered voters in the battleground state before the next statewide election in February. It now appears unlikely that the case will be resolved before elections in February and April. It may remain in limbo beyond the 2026 midterm election. The state Justice Department, headed by Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul, sought the stay while the case is being appealed. The attorney for two citizens who brought the lawsuit did not object while several other legal issues are pending.

FILE - Protesters are seen outside Planned Parenthood, Sept. 18, 2023, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

Wisconsin Planned Parenthood resumes offering abortions after a nearly monthlong pause

October 27, 2025

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has resumed offering abortions after a nearly monthlong pause due to federal Medicaid funding cuts in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill that took effect at the beginning of October. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said it was able to resume offering abortions as of noon on Monday because it relinquished its status as an “essential community provider.” The organization says by doing that, it no longer fits the definition of a “prohibited entity” under the federal law and can receive Medicaid funds. Abortion funding has been under attack across the U.S., particularly for Planned Parenthood affiliates, which are the biggest provider.

Wisconsin DOJ asks judge to pause voter citizenship verification order

October 6, 2025

The Wisconsin Department of Justice is asking a judge to immediately put on hold his order that would require elections officials to verify the citizenship of all 3.6 million registered Wisconsin voters before the next statewide election in February. The state justice department, which represents the Wisconsin Elections Commission, on Monday asked for a stay pending an appeal. The fight over verifying the citizenship status of voters in battleground Wisconsin comes as President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice has sought voter records from at least 26 states, including Wisconsin.

FILE - The entrance to the Wisconsin Supreme Court chambers is seen in the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., on March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Todd Richmond, File)

Conservative Wisconsin appeals court judge Maria Lazar is running for state Supreme Court

October 1, 2025

A conservative Wisconsin appeals court judge is running for an open seat on the battleground state’s Supreme Court. It is currently controlled 4-3 by liberals. Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar becomes the first conservative to enter the race. Liberal Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor, a former Democratic state lawmaker, is also running. The race is open after incumbent Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley announced in August that she would not seek another 10-year term. Conservative candidates for the court have lost each of the past two elections by double-digit margins. Both of those races broke national spending records. The liberal candidate won in April despite heavy spending by billionaire Elon Musk.

Wisconsin Republican Bill Berrien quits governor’s race amid fallout over sexually explicit links

September 26, 2025

Wisconsin business owner Bill Berrien has ended his Republican campaign for governor, days after it was reported that he followed numerous sexually explicit accounts online, including a nonbinary pornography performer. Berrien is a former Navy SEAL and one of three announced prominent Republican candidates. He issued a lengthy statement Friday saying, “I had no idea that running for political office could be almost as dangerous” as “hunting down war criminals in Bosnia.” Berrien said he concluded he could not win the Republican primary. Berrien’s departure leaves U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who got into the race on Tuesday, and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann as the only Republican candidates. There are numerous Democrats running.

Democrat Francesca Hong promises to be ‘wild card’ in Wisconsin governor’s race

September 17, 2025

A Democratic state lawmaker who is promising to be a “wild card” is joining Wisconsin’s open race for governor. Democratic state Rep. Francesca Hong, who joined the race Wednesday, says she will focus on a progressive agenda to benefit the working class. In addition to serving in the state Assembly, Hong works as a bartender, dishwasher and line cook. She joins a Democratic primary field that already includes Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and state Sen. Kelda Roys. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and suburban Milwaukee business owner Bill Berrien are the only announced Republican candidates. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is retiring after two terms.

FILE - Judge Rebecca Bradley speaks as she kicks off her campaign for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in Milwaukee, on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. (AP Photo/Greg Moore, File)

A conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court justice won’t run again, creating an open seat

August 30, 2025

A conservative justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court says she will not seek reelection, creating an open race for a seat on the court that’s controlled 4-3 by liberals. Justice Rebecca Bradley’s decision announced Friday not to run for a second full term comes after conservative candidates for the highest court in the battleground state have lost each of the past two elections by double digits. The open race, to be decided in April, comes as a number of high-profile issues could make their way to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in the coming months, including abortion, collective bargaining rights, congressional redistricting and election rules.

FILE - Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan leaves the federal courthouse after a hearing in Milwaukee on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, File)

Wisconsin judge accused of helping man evade ICE arrest loses a bid to drop charges

August 26, 2025

A federal judge is allowing a case to proceed against a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade U.S. immigration agents seeking to arrest him in her courthouse. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April and indicted on federal charges in May. U.S. District Judge Lynne Adelman on Tuesday rejected Dugan’s motion to dismiss the charges against her. A magistrate judge in July had recommended the case proceed. Adelman’s decision could be appealed. Attorneys for Dugan said Tuesday that if the case goes to trial, they expect to show she “simply treated this case like any other in front of her courtroom.”

FILE - Ryan Borgwardt appears in a Green Lake County courtroom Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Green Lake, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash,File)

Wisconsin missing kayaker who faked his own death is sentenced to 89 days in jail

August 26, 2025

A Wisconsin man has been sentenced to 89 days in jail for faking his own drowning to meet a woman in the country of Georgia. Ryan Borgwardt misled law enforcement for 89 days, prompting a judge to match his sentence to that duration. On Tuesday, Borgwardt changed his plea from not guilty to no contest and agreed to pay $30,000 in restitution. He was reported missing last August after telling his wife he was kayaking. Investigators later discovered he had traveled to meet a woman in Uzbekistan. Borgwardt returned to the U.S. in December and was charged with obstructing the search for his body.

FILE - Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez speaks at a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Little Chute, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, File)

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez enters 2026 governor’s race, calls Trump a ‘maniac’

July 25, 2025

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez is the first Democrat to officially enter the race for governor. She launched her candidacy Friday, the day after Gov. Tony Evers decided not to seek a third term. A second Democrat, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, says he is “taking steps” toward running. In her campaign launch video, Rodriguez called President Donald Trump “a maniac.” Several other Democrats are expected to run. On the Republican side, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and manufacturer Bill Berrien have announced their candidacies. This marks the first open governor’s race in Wisconsin since 2010.

FILE - Absentee ballots during a count at the Wisconsin Center, Nov. 8, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

Former Wisconsin clerk who failed to count ballots broke laws, the state’s elections commission says

July 9, 2025

An investigation by Wisconsin’s elections commission has concluded that unlawful actions by Madison’s former city clerk led to nearly 200 absentee ballots going uncounted in the 2024 presidential election. The report released Wednesday accuses Maribeth Witzel-Behl of violating five election laws, including mishandling absentee ballots. Whether she is actually charged with any crimes would be up to the Dane County district attorney. Two bags of uncounted ballots were discovered weeks after the election, but the clerk’s office delayed notifying officials. Witzel-Behl resigned in April. The commission will vote on the report’s findings and recommendations on July 17.

Wisconsin Supreme Court clears the way for a conversion therapy ban to be made permanent

July 8, 2025

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has cleared the way for the state to permanently enact a ban on conversion therapy. The court ruled Tuesday that a Republican-controlled legislative committee’s rejection of a state agency rule that would ban the practice of conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ people was unconstitutional. The 4-3 ruling from the liberal-controlled court comes amid the national battle over LGBTQ+ rights. The court’s ruling has a broad impact far beyond the conversion therapy issue. It takes power away from the Legislature to block the enactment of rules that carry the force of law by the governor’s office.

FILE - Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers gives the annual State of the State address, Jan. 22, 2025, at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

Wisconsin budget deal cuts taxes and boosts university funding

July 1, 2025

A budget deal brokered by Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republicans who control the state Legislature has cleared a key hurdle just hours after it was made public. The Legislature’s budget committee passed it on Tuesday. The budget cuts income taxes by $1.3 billion and increases funding for the Universities of Wisconsin despite a threatened cut. Democrats credited gains they made due to redistricting that forced Republicans to negotiate. The Legislature is scheduled to start voting on passing the budget on Wednesday. The deadline for a new budget was Monday, but current funding continues until a new spending plan is signed.

FILE - The entrance to the Wisconsin Supreme Court chambers is seen inside the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Todd Richmond, File)

Wisconsin Supreme Court refuses to hear challenges to the state’s congressional district boundaries

June 25, 2025

The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court has refused to hear challenges brought by Democrats seeking to throw out the battleground state’s current congressional district boundaries before the 2026 midterms. Democrats asked the court to redraw the maps, which would have put two of the state’s six congressional seats currently held by Republicans into play. But the court on Wednesday, for the second time in as many years, refused to hear the challenges. Republicans hold six of the state’s eight U.S. House seats, but only two of those districts are considered competitive.

Wisconsin Supreme Court sides with Republican Legislature in fight with governor

June 25, 2025

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has handed a victory to the Republican-controlled Legislature in a power struggle with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The court on Wednesday struck down his partial veto of a Republican bill in a case that tested both the limits of his broad veto powers and the Legislature’s ability to exert influence by controlling funding. The court also agreed with the Republican-controlled Legislature and said it can put funding for certain state programs into an emergency fund under the control of its budget committee. Evers had argued such a move was unconstitutional.

Staff search visitors entering the Wisconsin Senate gallery in the state Capitol just days after the killing of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Todd Richmond)

Lawmakers on edge as statehouse security tightens after Minnesota shootings

June 18, 2025

Anxious lawmakers are convening under heightened security in Wisconsin’s state Capitol, one of the most publicly accessible statehouses in the country. The session day Wednesday came less than a week after a legislator in neighboring Minnesota was shot and killed and other lawmakers were targeted. The tension playing out in Wisconsin and other states after the Minnesota killings pits those who want to keep state capitols as open and accessible as possible against those concerned about increasing threats and acts of violence against officeholders. Numerous states took action this week to protect personal information of lawmakers after the targeted shootings of two Minnesota state lawmakers.

Wisconsin dairy farmer sues Trump administration claiming discrimination against white farmers

June 16, 2025

A Wisconsin dairy farmer has alleged in a federal lawsuit that the Trump administration is illegally denying financial assistance to white farmers by continuing programs that favor minorities. The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the lawsuit Monday against the U.S. Department of Agriculture in federal court in Wisconsin on behalf of a white dairy farmer, Adam Faust. The lawsuit alleges that the government continues to implement diversity, equity and inclusion programs that were instituted under former President Joe Biden. Faust was among several farmers who successfully sued the Biden administration in 2021 for race discrimination in a USDA program.

FILE - Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan leaves the federal courthouse after a hearing Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, File)

Trump administration urges court not to dismiss case against Wisconsin judge

June 9, 2025

The Trump administration argues that charges should not be dropped against a Wisconsin judge indicted for allegedly helping a man who is in the country evade U.S. immigration agents seeking to arrest him in her courthouse. Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice urged a federal judge pn Monday to reject a motion filed by Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan seeking to dismiss the charges against her. Justice Department attorneys say dropping the charges would be “unprecedented” and allow judges to be above the law. A grand jury indicted Dugan on May 13 and she pleaded not guilty ahead of a scheduled July 21 trial.

FILE - Elon Musk speaks at a town hall March 30, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, File)

Elon Musk’s pullback from politics comes after his last big investment was a flop

May 20, 2025

Wisconsin could go down as billionaire Elon Musk’s last big spend on a political campaign. And it was a flop. Musk, the richest person in the world, said Tuesday that he would be spending less on political campaigns, an announcement that came just seven weeks after the candidate he backed in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race lost by 10 percentage points. Musk’s spending helped make it the most expensive court race in U.S. history. And it came just five months after Musk spent at least $250 million to help President Donald Trump win, reversing losses in Wisconsin and other battleground states four years earlier.

Scott Bauer.