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PBS Wisconsin original
production.

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>> A Wisconsin senator
weighs in on Make America

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Healthy Again, and as
students pack back into the

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classroom, school officials
take stock of student

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enrollment and state budget
numbers. Good evening. I'm

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Zac Schultz filling in for
Frederica Freyberg tonight

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on "Here& Now". Senator
y Baldwin discusses

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changes to Medicaid and the
ACA school budget. C a

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reprieve under new special
education reimbursement

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rates.
t impacts on lakes

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stir up controversy. And
finally. Jobs and wages

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make gains. But there's
concern for workers. It's

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"Here& Now" for September
5th.

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[MUSIC]
& Now"

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is provided by the Focus
Fund for Journalism and

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friends of PBS Wisconsin.
>> It's been two months

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since Donald Trump signed
into law his big, beautiful

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bill. And while the cuts to
Medicaid included in the

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bill don't take effect
until 2027, Democrats are

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already sounding the alarm
on the overall impact.

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Joining us now is U.S.
Senator Tammy Baldwin.

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Thanks for joining us.
>> Thanks for having me.

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>> So you've been touring
the state to talk with

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providers and patients
about these cuts. What are

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you hearing?
en visiting

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critical access hospitals
in rural areas of the state.

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Their margins were thin to
begin with before the

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passage of this. Now
they're looking at

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heartbreaking decisions
about perhaps closing off

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certain departments because
they are not profitable,

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and to help them stay
afloat. And some we know in

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Wisconsin will be looking
at shutting their doors,

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particularly troublesome is
the decision some hospitals

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have made to stop having
obstetrics delivery,

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meaning that there are
places in Wisconsin where

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women have to travel
literally hours to get the

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services they need. And
it's harming the health and

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well-being of Wisconsin.
And it's not just one small

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example. You know, there
were big nutrition cuts in

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the bill. And so visiting
food pantries and those who

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are focused on food
security and recognizing

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the impact that those cuts
are going to have. And we

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also deal with an issue of
the premium tax credits for

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Affordable Care Act health
coverage. Those will end at

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the end of this year, and
we're going to see those

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impacts almost immediately.
All of us are going to pay

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more. And what's so ironic?
You know, this is Trump's

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signature legislation. He
came into office vowing to

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lower costs on everything.
Right. Groceries, but

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health care, etc. this bill
that has just passed, which

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is predominantly tax
legislation benefiting

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large corporations and the
very richest, it's going to

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bring costs up for everyone
and especially health care

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costs.
>> Republicans claim the

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bill only creates work
requirements for Medicaid.

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It doesn't push anybody off.
>> You can't cut $1

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trillion out of Medicaid
over ten years without

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kicking people off who are
eligible. And that's what

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we're going to see
happening. But again, the

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Affordable Care Act tax
credits expire at the end

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of this year. We're going
to see a lot of

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Wisconsinites losing access
to private insurance

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through the health care
marketplace much sooner

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than the impacts of the
Medicaid cuts.

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>> Now, yesterday, we saw
the Health and Human

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Services Secretary, Robert
Kennedy, RFK, Jr. testify

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before a Senate committee
about his decision to fire

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the CDC director, among
other things, that he's

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done. There's a growing
list of Democrats and

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organizations calling for
him to be fired or resign.

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Are you on that list?
>> I am among them. I call

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on him to resign. Look,
between his massive layoffs,

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mass firings, and his
refusal to administer

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grants that he's required
by law, and the cutting

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off of biomedical research
and his choice to put his

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own personal politics on
vaccines above science is

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literally endangering the
health of Wisconsinites who

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I represent. And I would
not only call on him to

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resign, but I'd call on my
Republican counterparts,

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many of whom got assurances
directly from RFK Jr that

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he would not put his own
conspiracy theories ahead

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of rock solid science as
he's doing. And they feel

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betrayed. I think, by by
RFK Jr. And I hope they'll

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stand up with me calling on
him to resign.

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>> Speaking of vaccines, we
saw Florida announced

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they're moving to eliminate
vaccine requirements. We

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have a measles outbreak in
Oconto County in Wisconsin.

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How do you draw the line
between vaccine mandates or

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requirements and personal
health care choices that

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some people make of whether
or not to vaccinate

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themselves or their
children?

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>> Well, first of all, I
feel that it would be

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incredibly unwise to start
having a patchwork quilt of

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state regulations on these.
We need to follow the

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science, and there is rock
solid science that, like

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the measles vaccine work,
and they prevent outbreaks

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like we've seen not only in
Wisconsin but in Texas,

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where two children have
died unnecessarily. And so

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I think that these
decisions do have to be

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made by parents in
consultation with their

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ors. But science needs
to be in the lead here. And

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RFK Jr has spent his career
prior to getting nominated

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as as Health and Human
Services secretary,

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peddling in these
conspiracy theories about

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vaccines. And so it's very
dangerous to have him at

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the helm right now.
>> Switching from health

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care. Earlier this week,
the president of the

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Milwaukee Police Union said
he'd be okay with Donald

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Trump deploying National
Guard troops to Milwaukee

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to Republicans running for
governor of Wisconsin have

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joined that call. Would you
support troops in Milwaukee?

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>> Look, what I support is
safety and cracking down on

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crime. And I think that,
you know, the the National

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Guard are totally unsuited.
They sign up for guard duty

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because of a different
mission entirely. And we

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should be spending those
resources helping cities

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like Milwaukee or other
communities have the

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adequate policing staff
that they need.

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>> There are a lot of
Democratic voters around

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the state that are
frustrated with Democrats

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in Washington saying they
haven't done enough to

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stand up to Donald Trump.
What would you tell them?

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What what is being done
that maybe they aren't

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seeing? Or is it more that
could be done?

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>> Look, I think that we
have seen in this president

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somebody who is willing to
violate the Constitution,

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violate the law, and where
the the president is

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breaking the law and
violating the Constitution.

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We're bringing this up in
court. And frankly, we're

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winning a lot of those
cases. The justice system

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is working in many of these
instances. And then lastly,

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it's us standing with our
constituents and fighting

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back through, through, you
know, preparing for

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elections in the ballot box,
but also to stand up as

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citizens and speak out
against the overreaches and

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abuses.
r Tammy

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Baldwin, thanks for your
time.

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>> A major compromise
included in the new state

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budget says the state will
provide 90% of the funding

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for high cost special
education students. To

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detail how this will impact
schools, we are joined by

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two members of the Waunakee
School District. Steve

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Summers is the executive
director of business

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ns, and Tiffany
Logan is the director of

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special education. Thank
you both for joining us.

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>> Thank you for having us.
>> Tiffany, let's start

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with you. Give me the quick
definition of high cost

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special education student.
And how many do you have in

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Waunakee?
high

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cost, it's any student that
their services meet the

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threshold of $30,000 or
more for that individual

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student. So in our district
we have between 60 and 70

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students that would meet
that threshold, at least

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for last. This last year,
they met about 60 to 70

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students.
at's the

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financial impact of going
to 90% from, you know, mid

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Leow to low 30%?
>> Sure. The reimbursement

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level that we received in
2425 was about $300,000. We

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expect that's going to
increase by about $400,000

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this year and another
350,000 the following year.

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So very significant
investment from the state

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into this program.
>> And so what is the plan

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for how that money will be
spent? Where will it be

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redirected in the budget?
>> We did decide. We took

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to the school board
proposal to begin a new

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program, an alternative
program for elementary age

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students that need a little
more intensive support than

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what we can provide in a
regular education classroom.

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And the board was really
supportive because of this

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additional funding, because
we could speak to using the

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high cost funds to fund the
program. And it's starting

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starting this week.
>> So is there an

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obligation for districts to
keep that money in special

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education, because some
districts have had to pull

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from general ed to fund
special education?

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>> Yeah, the increased
funding does go into our

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special education fund in
some district case that may

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reduce the transfer that is
needed from the General

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Education Fund to the
special ed fund in our

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district. We will partner
together between the

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business office and the
special ed office to

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improve or increase our
investment in students who

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have IEPs, whether it's the
program that Tiffany's

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referencing or whether when
we need to add an

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additional one on one
paraeducator for students

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o move in. But we tend to
utilize the funds to

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increase the services for
students with IEPs.

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>> So, Tiffany, there are
already skeptics saying

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that schools are going to
push more kids into this

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category to try and grab
more state dollars. Should

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we expect to see an
increase in the number of

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kids that have this
definition applied to their

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IEP?
>> I don't think you'll see

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an increase in the number
of students. I think what

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you're going to see in
future years is an increase

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in the number of districts
that are applying for high

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cost, special education aid.
Now that the the percentage

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is increasing, there's more
of an incentive for

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districts to apply for that
aid. So I don't think

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you're going to see a
student increase, but

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tely additional
districts applying for

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those funds.
districts

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before that weren't
providing all the services

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that potentially they could
have to some of these

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students because they
couldn't afford it or what

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was the rationale there?
>> So in the last fiscal

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year, there were about 270
organizations or school

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districts that applied for
this funding. And there's

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more than 400 school
districts in Wisconsin. So

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for many of them, they
determine that the

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reimbursement level that
was coming back wasn't

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significant enough for the
investment in the time to

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go through and file the
claim. For others, they may

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not have identified
students that were $30,000

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or more and above. Tiffany
and I are partnering with

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our professional
organizations this year to

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help provide professional
development across the

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state. We do expect more
schools to learn about this

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system, how it works, and
because of the increased

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investment from the state,
we are expecting more

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districts are going to be
willing to spend the time

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necessary to really apply
for and manage these funds.

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>> So the state budget also
included a jump in the

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reimbursement rate for
regular special education

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om 32% to 42%. Is that a
bigger number overall for

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most schools than this high
cost?

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>> Yes, it's a
significantly bigger number

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for most schools than the
high cost. In our case is

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an example. It's an over
$800,000 increase in

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additional funding for
l ed students in 2526,

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and it's the largest
increase I've seen in my

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career. So it's significant
and what it's going to

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allow most schools to do is
to benefit all students. I

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think it's important to
that an increase in

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funding for special
education students benefits

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the entire school system.
Students, both with and

237
00:12:47,935 --> 00:12:51,305
without IEPs, because when
a school special education

238
00:12:51,371 --> 00:12:55,509
fund is not funded
correctly, the fund ten or

239
00:12:56,343 --> 00:12:59,246
the general fund has to
reimburse, which removes

240
00:12:59,313 --> 00:13:02,649
opportunities for students
who don't have IEPs. So it

241
00:13:02,716 --> 00:13:06,353
truly benefits all kids for
special ed funding to be at

242
00:13:06,420 --> 00:13:09,189
a more appropriate level.
>> And Tiffany, working

243
00:13:09,256 --> 00:13:12,259
with these kids can be very
rewarding, but it can also

244
00:13:12,326 --> 00:13:14,461
be very challenging. And
there's a lot of turnover

245
00:13:14,528 --> 00:13:16,196
in some of these paid
staffing positions. Could

246
00:13:16,263 --> 00:13:19,132
you see an increase in
funding for wages to try

247
00:13:19,199 --> 00:13:21,168
and keep more consistency
there?

248
00:13:21,235 --> 00:13:23,136
>> Yeah, I think that I
think that could be a

249
00:13:23,203 --> 00:13:25,439
possibility. I think it
will. Increasing wages

250
00:13:25,506 --> 00:13:28,208
definitely helps you to
recruit people and be able

251
00:13:28,275 --> 00:13:31,378
to keep them. I mean, just
example, for our district

252
00:13:31,445 --> 00:13:33,247
alone, we had 12 full time
positions open this summer

253
00:13:33,313 --> 00:13:36,350
and we're very close to
being full staffed. But

254
00:13:36,416 --> 00:13:38,285
it's definitely difficult
to keep people, especially

255
00:13:38,352 --> 00:13:41,188
in our paraprofessional
positions, who are really

256
00:13:41,255 --> 00:13:43,757
working with some of our
highest needs students.

257
00:13:43,824 --> 00:13:45,993
ll right. Steve Sommer,
Tiffany Loken from the

258
00:13:46,059 --> 00:13:48,028
Waunakee School District,
ank you for your time.

259
00:13:48,095 --> 00:13:49,997
>> Thank you, thank you.
Appreciate it.

260
00:13:50,063 --> 00:13:53,400
>> Labor day marks the
unofficial end to the 2025

261
00:13:53,467 --> 00:13:56,470
boating season in Wisconsin.
But what isn't ending is

262
00:13:56,537 --> 00:13:58,805
the controversy over
whether wake surfing and

263
00:13:58,872 --> 00:14:01,175
wake boats should be
allowed on some lakes.

264
00:14:01,241 --> 00:14:04,311
Tonight, Murv Seymour tells
us why this battle is

265
00:14:04,378 --> 00:14:07,281
likely to carry over into
next season.

266
00:14:07,347 --> 00:14:10,317
>> Rain or shine, big and
small Wisconsin lakes are a

267
00:14:10,384 --> 00:14:13,754
state and national treasure.
>> It's a critical resource

268
00:14:13,820 --> 00:14:17,090
to the state of Wisconsin.
>> Especially during summer.

269
00:14:17,157 --> 00:14:20,227
>> When I came up here, I
fell in love with the place.

270
00:14:20,294 --> 00:14:22,062
>> This place Jeff
Meessmann speaks of is

271
00:14:22,129 --> 00:14:25,365
Natural Lakes, a 380 home
lake community in the

272
00:14:25,432 --> 00:14:28,268
Northwoods of Vilas County.
>> It has one of the

273
00:14:28,335 --> 00:14:29,703
highest concentrations of
freshwater lakes in the

274
00:14:29,770 --> 00:14:31,438
world.
one

275
00:14:32,306 --> 00:14:34,508
of them, 220 acre
McCullough Lake in Presque

276
00:14:34,575 --> 00:14:38,178
Isle, where street names
reflect some of the rich

277
00:14:38,245 --> 00:14:40,514
wildlife seen along these
winding rural roads.

278
00:14:40,581 --> 00:14:44,418
>> We see bear here. We see
wolves here. Coyotes.

279
00:14:44,484 --> 00:14:46,520
>> Jeff Meessmann loves
McCullough Lake and the

280
00:14:46,587 --> 00:14:49,223
lakes of Wisconsin. It's
why he moved here.

281
00:14:49,289 --> 00:14:51,458
>> We're an advocate for
the protection of our lakes.

282
00:14:51,525 --> 00:14:54,294
>> Guided by his boat with
a bucket of gadgets.

283
00:14:54,361 --> 00:14:56,897
>> Normally, what we do is
we take samples in the deep

284
00:14:56,964 --> 00:14:58,432
hole.
ad

285
00:14:58,498 --> 00:15:00,367
300ft from shore to the
deepest part of McCullough

286
00:15:00,434 --> 00:15:02,102
Lake.
hor

287
00:15:02,703 --> 00:15:04,471
in, and we should be about
26ft.

288
00:15:04,538 --> 00:15:07,107
oes
on three other lakes, he

289
00:15:07,174 --> 00:15:09,076
voluntarily grabs water
samples on behalf of the

290
00:15:09,142 --> 00:15:12,279
Department of Natural
Resources. He tells me the

291
00:15:12,346 --> 00:15:14,281
lake data dates back more
than 20 years.

292
00:15:14,348 --> 00:15:16,250
>> So I'm going to be
recording the temperature.

293
00:15:16,316 --> 00:15:18,519
>> He checks the
temperature in depth of the

294
00:15:18,585 --> 00:15:20,254
water.
e top

295
00:15:21,121 --> 00:15:24,091
of the surface of the water,
all the way down to 15ft

296
00:15:24,157 --> 00:15:26,760
was very consistent.
>> He also checks water

297
00:15:26,827 --> 00:15:29,096
clarity with this Black and
white patterned tool called

298
00:15:29,162 --> 00:15:32,399
a Secchi disk.
>> So I'm going to pull it

299
00:15:32,466 --> 00:15:35,302
up to where I can just see
it, which is right there.

300
00:15:35,369 --> 00:15:38,505
>> Finally, using a six
foot pole made of PVC, he

301
00:15:38,572 --> 00:15:43,243
lls a water sample from
six feet under. It's then

302
00:15:43,310 --> 00:15:48,115
sent to the DNR for testing.
While you'll see loons,

303
00:15:49,049 --> 00:15:52,219
bald eagles and massive
fish on McCullough Lake.

304
00:15:52,286 --> 00:15:55,455
One thing you won't see is
wake surfers and most

305
00:15:55,522 --> 00:15:57,958
likely wake boats.
>> They're wrecking our

306
00:15:58,025 --> 00:16:01,461
lakes and wake surfing
needs to be regulated to

307
00:16:01,528 --> 00:16:04,531
the proper size lake.
>> Jeff Meessmann and other

308
00:16:04,598 --> 00:16:07,067
like minded lake stewards
believe wakesurfing wrecks.

309
00:16:07,134 --> 00:16:10,504
Water quality produces too
big of a wake, and they

310
00:16:10,571 --> 00:16:12,840
believe the boats destroy
the bottom of smaller lakes

311
00:16:12,906 --> 00:16:15,676
and erodes shorelines. Most
importantly to Jeff, he

312
00:16:15,742 --> 00:16:18,245
believes wake boats
increase the risks and

313
00:16:18,312 --> 00:16:21,081
spread of invasive species
from lake to lake.

314
00:16:21,148 --> 00:16:23,517
Meessmann has led the way,
banning wake surfing on

315
00:16:23,584 --> 00:16:25,485
McCullough and more than 60
other lake communities

316
00:16:25,552 --> 00:16:28,889
statewide.
>> It's going to stop a lot

317
00:16:28,956 --> 00:16:31,058
of paddlers and kayakers
and just people on on

318
00:16:31,124 --> 00:16:33,560
pleasure cruises, on
pontoon boats from enjoying

319
00:16:33,627 --> 00:16:37,364
the lakes. We saw one wake
boat on our lake four years

320
00:16:37,431 --> 00:16:41,301
ago, and I took it into
action right away and we

321
00:16:41,368 --> 00:16:44,271
stopped it. Now, Presque
Isle for the last year has

322
00:16:44,338 --> 00:16:46,507
had an ordinance in place
and it doesn't ban wake

323
00:16:46,573 --> 00:16:50,711
boats. It bans the activity
of wake surfing.

324
00:16:51,311 --> 00:16:53,313
>> 240 miles away in
southern Wisconsin, you'll

325
00:16:53,380 --> 00:16:56,083
find Redline Watersports
Redline Watersports.

326
00:16:56,149 --> 00:16:58,685
is Mars.
>> And a totally different

327
00:16:58,752 --> 00:16:59,853
opinion.
of the

328
00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:02,422
story.
>> When you step into

329
00:17:02,489 --> 00:17:03,724
redline. Owner Paul
Virtucci says.

330
00:17:03,790 --> 00:17:06,193
g to get
slapped in the face with

331
00:17:06,260 --> 00:17:08,262
the active water sports
lifestyle. We've got gear,

332
00:17:08,328 --> 00:17:10,264
water, skis, wakeboards. We
also saw pontoons.

333
00:17:10,330 --> 00:17:12,533
>> More importantly than
all of that, Paul Virtucci

334
00:17:12,599 --> 00:17:15,068
tells me he sells bringing
families together through

335
00:17:15,135 --> 00:17:17,604
water sports. Inside his
office, he has family

336
00:17:17,671 --> 00:17:21,241
pictures in the window, on
the wall, on his desk. He

337
00:17:21,308 --> 00:17:23,177
even has a family picture
stuck to his computer. But

338
00:17:23,243 --> 00:17:26,480
for him, one particular
picture says it all.

339
00:17:26,547 --> 00:17:30,184
>> I think I was probably 3
or 4 years old as my father

340
00:17:30,250 --> 00:17:32,219
and I. It was the first
family boat. It's been in

341
00:17:32,286 --> 00:17:35,222
my blood ever since.
>> Like Jeff Meessmann Paul

342
00:17:35,289 --> 00:17:37,157
Virtucci loves Wisconsin
s and fun on the water.

343
00:17:37,224 --> 00:17:40,327
>> It's what my family did
growing up. God gave us

344
00:17:40,394 --> 00:17:42,262
these beautiful lakes, and
if we don't enjoy them,

345
00:17:42,329 --> 00:17:45,666
it's our fault. And if we
don't take care of them,

346
00:17:45,732 --> 00:17:48,335
it's our fault.
t the Marshall

347
00:17:48,402 --> 00:17:51,071
Park boat launch in
Middleton. Once he arrives

348
00:17:51,138 --> 00:17:54,341
in the desired spot with a
couple of touches to the

349
00:17:54,408 --> 00:17:56,343
screen, this high powered
boat transforms itself,

350
00:17:56,410 --> 00:18:00,247
sucking in as much as 3,300
pounds of lake water into

351
00:18:00,314 --> 00:18:02,282
its ballast system.
>> Ready now. Here we go.

352
00:18:02,349 --> 00:18:04,284
For the sport of
wakeboarding, we just.

353
00:18:04,351 --> 00:18:07,087
>> Use the center plate.
And that kind of helps us

354
00:18:07,154 --> 00:18:09,389
get up on top of the water
with.

355
00:18:09,456 --> 00:18:11,558
oes.
Three generations of

356
00:18:11,625 --> 00:18:12,993
watersports enthusiasts on
this afternoon run on Lake

357
00:18:13,060 --> 00:18:15,162
Mendota.
>> Johnny Z. Over here. Mid

358
00:18:15,229 --> 00:18:17,497
30 seconds. Outstanding
athlete.

359
00:18:17,564 --> 00:18:20,701
ld Kyle
Polster, who has been on

360
00:18:20,767 --> 00:18:22,436
the water with family for a
long time.

361
00:18:22,503 --> 00:18:25,405
s like
six months old, I've been

362
00:18:26,340 --> 00:18:30,143
out on the water. I learned
to ski when I was 2 or 3.

363
00:18:30,210 --> 00:18:33,614
>> And then Joe D'Amato,
who is on the other end of

364
00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:35,582
things.
>> Actually started a

365
00:18:35,649 --> 00:18:37,251
little later in life on the
water sports.

366
00:18:37,317 --> 00:18:40,354
>> To be able to do this
well into your 60s and 70s.

367
00:18:40,420 --> 00:18:44,324
>> One by one they ski
water board and wakesurf,

368
00:18:44,391 --> 00:18:46,994
which requires the boat to
produce the largest wake

369
00:18:47,060 --> 00:18:50,264
artificially.
>> So right now, through

370
00:18:50,330 --> 00:18:52,566
all the engineering, we've
just created this beautiful

371
00:18:52,633 --> 00:18:56,737
wake from the running
surface of the boat and the

372
00:18:56,803 --> 00:18:59,506
devices, and we're going
t 11.3, 11.3 miles an

373
00:18:59,573 --> 00:19:01,375
hour and just cruising down
a lake.

374
00:19:01,441 --> 00:19:03,110
glide
on water?

375
00:19:03,477 --> 00:19:06,280
y freedom.
Hopefully, the camera

376
00:19:06,346 --> 00:19:09,216
picked up the big smile on
my face and I wanted to

377
00:19:09,283 --> 00:19:12,252
shout out, to be honest
with you, but it just felt

378
00:19:12,319 --> 00:19:15,589
so good for my age at 67.
It's just it's just a great

379
00:19:15,656 --> 00:19:17,257
sport.
>> Unlike Jeff Meessmann,

380
00:19:17,324 --> 00:19:20,060
Paul Virtucci and his crew
believe banning work

381
00:19:20,127 --> 00:19:22,529
surfing wrongfully punishes
families because of a few

382
00:19:22,596 --> 00:19:25,098
bad boaters.
>> It's so easy just to say

383
00:19:25,165 --> 00:19:28,535
that's bad, that's bad
without really getting all

384
00:19:28,602 --> 00:19:31,205
the facts and understanding
who you're affecting.

385
00:19:31,271 --> 00:19:34,107
>> It was more the fact
that it was something that

386
00:19:34,174 --> 00:19:37,311
we could all do. I want to
have the opportunity to do

387
00:19:37,377 --> 00:19:40,113
this my whole life, and I
want to be able to have my

388
00:19:40,180 --> 00:19:43,317
grandkids or great
grandkids out on the water.

389
00:19:43,383 --> 00:19:46,353
It hurts.
>> The access for people

390
00:19:46,420 --> 00:19:49,723
who might own a house there,
or that's where they grew

391
00:19:49,790 --> 00:19:51,992
up vacationing, or it's the
closest lake that they have

392
00:19:52,059 --> 00:19:55,262
available to them.
>> While most only see the

393
00:19:55,329 --> 00:19:57,231
beauty in the surface of
the lake, Jeff Meessmann

394
00:19:57,297 --> 00:19:59,433
cares about what's
happening all the way to

395
00:19:59,499 --> 00:20:02,236
the bottom, which is why he
worries about the potential

396
00:20:02,302 --> 00:20:05,372
damage wake boats can do.
Both sides believe it's

397
00:20:05,439 --> 00:20:07,341
time for state lawmakers or
the Department of Natural

398
00:20:07,407 --> 00:20:10,277
Resources to step in to
create a statewide standard

399
00:20:10,344 --> 00:20:14,281
on where wake surfing is
allowed. Paul Virtucci

400
00:20:14,348 --> 00:20:17,317
believes 200 to 250ft from
shore, in a minimum of 20ft

401
00:20:17,384 --> 00:20:20,187
of water, is far and deep
enough to protect the

402
00:20:20,254 --> 00:20:22,489
environment and others on
the water. Jeff Meessmann

403
00:20:22,556 --> 00:20:25,325
wants three times that
distance in a minimum of

404
00:20:25,392 --> 00:20:29,229
30ft of water, on lakes,
1500 acres and larger. In a

405
00:20:29,296 --> 00:20:31,965
written statement, the DNR
tells me the department is

406
00:20:32,032 --> 00:20:34,001
actively reviewing the
latest science and will

407
00:20:34,067 --> 00:20:36,336
continue to review and
consider any new

408
00:20:36,403 --> 00:20:38,172
information. They recommend
that all interested

409
00:20:38,238 --> 00:20:40,908
stakeholders keep up with
upcoming meetings of the

410
00:20:40,974 --> 00:20:44,444
Natural Resources Board for
future updates. Back on the

411
00:20:44,511 --> 00:20:46,947
water. Both sides believe
they're scientists and not

412
00:20:47,014 --> 00:20:49,416
the others.
>> Wake surfing is

413
00:20:49,483 --> 00:20:52,352
scientifically proven to
damage the bottom to beyond

414
00:20:52,419 --> 00:20:55,889
20ft deep damage the
shorelines make the lake

415
00:20:55,956 --> 00:20:57,658
dangerous for everyone else
to use.

416
00:20:57,724 --> 00:21:00,294
om I've
spoken with, all are under

417
00:21:00,360 --> 00:21:03,096
the same belief that if we
operate these boats in a

418
00:21:03,163 --> 00:21:05,465
little deeper water, we're
fine. Every boat that runs

419
00:21:05,532 --> 00:21:08,101
around the lake is going to
create a wake, and it's

420
00:21:08,168 --> 00:21:10,404
going to disturb the lake
and make it rougher.

421
00:21:10,470 --> 00:21:13,106
>> The battle over wake
boats and wake surfing

422
00:21:13,173 --> 00:21:15,309
reminds Paul Virtucci of
another battle on the water.

423
00:21:15,375 --> 00:21:17,344
He thinks both sides can
find a compromise if they

424
00:21:17,411 --> 00:21:19,746
simply talk and not go off
the deep end with each

425
00:21:19,813 --> 00:21:21,481
other.
, Jet

426
00:21:22,649 --> 00:21:26,086
Skis came out, and one of
the big issues with them is

427
00:21:26,153 --> 00:21:28,121
that they didn't have good
muffler systems on, so they

428
00:21:28,188 --> 00:21:30,357
were very.
>> Rah rah rah rah. You can

429
00:21:30,424 --> 00:21:32,459
hear them.
the lake.

430
00:21:32,526 --> 00:21:35,195
>> I'm a fisherman, I water
ski, I enjoy all the water

431
00:21:35,262 --> 00:21:38,198
sports. I'm not. After
trying to stop somebody

432
00:21:38,265 --> 00:21:40,234
from fishing or enjoying
the activities, the only

433
00:21:40,300 --> 00:21:43,403
activity that I don't agree
with is wake surfing.

434
00:21:43,470 --> 00:21:46,106
>> Which represents family
and community to so many of

435
00:21:46,173 --> 00:21:48,175
those who do it.
>> I don't know if I'd come

436
00:21:48,242 --> 00:21:51,211
out on the water if I
wasn't able to wake, surf

437
00:21:51,278 --> 00:21:53,180
and wakeboard.
>> Reporting from Presque

438
00:21:53,247 --> 00:21:58,018
le in Dane County. I'm
Murv Seymour for here now.

439
00:21:58,085 --> 00:22:00,554
>> Monday was Labor Day,
and while most families

440
00:22:00,621 --> 00:22:03,423
used the holiday as a
vacation, it's a good time

441
00:22:03,490 --> 00:22:06,560
to check in on the state of
the average worker. And for

442
00:22:06,627 --> 00:22:09,162
that, we turn to Laura
Dresser, associate director

443
00:22:09,229 --> 00:22:11,131
of UW Madison's High Road
Strategy Center and the

444
00:22:11,198 --> 00:22:13,767
author of the State of
Working Wisconsin Report.

445
00:22:13,834 --> 00:22:16,170
anks for being here.
>> I'm so glad to be here.

446
00:22:16,236 --> 00:22:19,206
>> Thank you. So your most
recent report says the

447
00:22:19,273 --> 00:22:21,475
median wage has reached an
all time high of $25 an

448
00:22:21,542 --> 00:22:23,877
hour. But obviously,
federal policies are

449
00:22:23,944 --> 00:22:26,246
some chaos. As you
say in the most recent jobs

450
00:22:26,313 --> 00:22:28,749
report shows that it's not
looking good.

451
00:22:28,815 --> 00:22:31,385
s right. It's
a very there was there's

452
00:22:31,451 --> 00:22:35,155
been a very strong recovery
from the pandemic shutdowns

453
00:22:35,222 --> 00:22:38,025
five years ago. But we were
really beginning to see,

454
00:22:38,091 --> 00:22:40,661
especially in those monthly
job numbers, troubling

455
00:22:40,727 --> 00:22:43,096
signs about the economy,
because I think of the

456
00:22:43,163 --> 00:22:45,065
federal uncertainty,
tariffs and immigration

457
00:22:45,132 --> 00:22:47,334
policies.
>> So the numbers show that

458
00:22:47,401 --> 00:22:50,838
June was revised down to
nothing and slight, very

459
00:22:50,904 --> 00:22:53,473
low anemic job reports
since then. Right.

460
00:22:53,540 --> 00:22:56,510
>> Yeah. The 2025 job
growth month over month is

461
00:22:56,577 --> 00:23:00,647
is and revised down, like
you said, to a negative in

462
00:23:00,714 --> 00:23:05,586
June a week, a week, July.
Those numbers are running

463
00:23:05,652 --> 00:23:09,690
less than half the 2024
jobs production numbers. So

464
00:23:09,756 --> 00:23:14,228
it's a substantial cooling,
really troubling sign in

465
00:23:14,294 --> 00:23:17,297
the labor market, both at
the national level and most

466
00:23:17,364 --> 00:23:19,066
of that showing up in
sin, too.

467
00:23:19,132 --> 00:23:22,269
>> So for a few months this
year, it felt like we

468
00:23:22,336 --> 00:23:23,937
couldn't figure out what
tariffs were actually in

469
00:23:24,004 --> 00:23:25,706
place or just being
threatened. They were

470
00:23:25,772 --> 00:23:28,375
on pause or hold.
Can we relate some of the

471
00:23:28,442 --> 00:23:30,844
owdowns to tariffs? Are
those already being felt?

472
00:23:30,911 --> 00:23:33,080
>> I mean, there's two
aspects to what what what's

473
00:23:33,146 --> 00:23:35,482
going on with tariffs right
now. There's a lot of

474
00:23:35,549 --> 00:23:37,918
uncertainty. Like you said,
it's hard to tell. And I

475
00:23:37,985 --> 00:23:39,620
think it's hard for
businesses, domestic

476
00:23:39,686 --> 00:23:41,088
es and
international businesses to

477
00:23:41,154 --> 00:23:45,359
plan when the regime is not
clear when what is our

478
00:23:45,425 --> 00:23:48,562
tariff policy going to be
still emerging? Chaotic

479
00:23:48,629 --> 00:23:52,232
giant leaps. So partly the
uncertainty cools off.

480
00:23:52,299 --> 00:23:55,102
Business investment
decisions just puts people

481
00:23:55,169 --> 00:23:58,372
back on their heels. And
the the At producer levels.

482
00:23:58,438 --> 00:24:02,376
And then also when the
tariffs land and they're

483
00:24:02,442 --> 00:24:05,012
beginning to land, they
increase prices. They do.

484
00:24:05,078 --> 00:24:07,481
They're a tax on imported
goods and that means

485
00:24:07,548 --> 00:24:11,285
imported and domestic goods
in those market prices will

486
00:24:11,351 --> 00:24:14,454
go up. And so I think
there's real concerns I

487
00:24:14,521 --> 00:24:17,424
think very some signs that
tariffs are beginning to

488
00:24:17,491 --> 00:24:20,594
hit but more like concern
and the uncertainty really

489
00:24:20,661 --> 00:24:22,029
dominating the news right
now.

490
00:24:22,095 --> 00:24:24,598
>> So the Pew Research
Center recently estimated

491
00:24:24,665 --> 00:24:28,168
the number of immigrants in
the workforce went down by

492
00:24:28,235 --> 00:24:30,470
1.2 million nationally in
just the first six months

493
00:24:30,537 --> 00:24:33,173
of the year. What what
impact does that have on

494
00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:34,708
the workforce? We saw
unemployment tick up as

495
00:24:34,775 --> 00:24:36,443
well.
we

496
00:24:37,744 --> 00:24:42,216
see a cooling labor market,
but we also know that in

497
00:24:42,282 --> 00:24:44,151
especially in specific
industries and some very

498
00:24:44,218 --> 00:24:48,522
important industries in
Wisconsin, agriculture,

499
00:24:48,589 --> 00:24:50,524
hotels, food service,
ants are a big

500
00:24:50,591 --> 00:24:53,026
construction. Immigrants
are a big share of the

501
00:24:53,093 --> 00:24:56,163
workforce. And the fact
that they are often staying

502
00:24:56,230 --> 00:25:00,667
home or nervous or not
coming to the country again.

503
00:25:00,734 --> 00:25:03,470
This tightens the ability
of businesses to grow, and

504
00:25:03,537 --> 00:25:06,206
is another kind of wet
blanket on the economy.

505
00:25:06,273 --> 00:25:08,208
>> We've only got a few
seconds left, but

506
00:25:08,275 --> 00:25:10,410
historically, fewer workers
typically means rising

507
00:25:10,477 --> 00:25:12,312
wages, competition from.
Will that happen this time?

508
00:25:12,379 --> 00:25:16,016
>> It it it may I mean
there's a lot to see what

509
00:25:16,083 --> 00:25:18,986
what washes out. We've got
that kind of impact

510
00:25:19,052 --> 00:25:20,254
although there's also. So
ah we'll just have to

511
00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:23,957
wait and see. There's a lot
going on price changes

512
00:25:24,024 --> 00:25:27,828
because of tariffs, labor
impact, demand because of

513
00:25:27,895 --> 00:25:30,063
the immigration systems.
And what's going on in the

514
00:25:30,130 --> 00:25:32,366
broader economy will
probably dominate.

515
00:25:32,432 --> 00:25:35,569
>> And finally, just sorry
the last few seconds. Union

516
00:25:35,636 --> 00:25:38,205
membership in Wisconsin is
dropping at ten. The

517
00:25:38,272 --> 00:25:40,974
Wisconsin Supreme Court is
going to take a look at it.

518
00:25:41,041 --> 00:25:43,210
Will we see a change if
they overturn act ten?

519
00:25:43,277 --> 00:25:47,080
>> Changes will be slow. I
think it unemployment. I'm

520
00:25:47,147 --> 00:25:51,418
sorry. Unionization rates
fell in half from 2011 to

521
00:25:51,485 --> 00:25:54,488
2024. In the state of
Wisconsin, they won't

522
00:25:54,555 --> 00:25:58,392
double in a day or two to
get back to where we were,

523
00:25:58,458 --> 00:26:01,295
or even to get back to the
national average will take

524
00:26:01,361 --> 00:26:04,565
years. But act ten and what
we call what is so-called

525
00:26:04,631 --> 00:26:07,467
right to work, you know,
the the policy around

526
00:26:07,534 --> 00:26:09,870
private sector unionization
would have to go to get

527
00:26:09,937 --> 00:26:12,306
really large gains in the
state as well.

528
00:26:12,372 --> 00:26:14,141
>> All right. Laura Dresser,
thank you so much for your

529
00:26:14,208 --> 00:26:15,876
time.
e.

530
00:26:16,243 --> 00:26:18,545
>> For more on this and
other issues facing

531
00:26:18,612 --> 00:26:20,414
Wisconsin, visit our
website at PBS Wisconsin.

532
00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:24,151
Org and then click on the
news tab. That is our

533
00:26:24,218 --> 00:26:26,153
program for tonight. I'm
Zac Schultz Fredericka will

534
00:26:26,220 --> 00:26:28,488
be back next week. Have a
great weekend.

535
00:26:28,555 --> 00:26:30,224
[MUSIC]
.

536
00:26:43,937 --> 00:26:46,640
>> Funding for "Here& Now"
is provided by the Focus

537
00:26:46,707 --> 00:26:51,378
Fund for Journalism and
Friends of PBS Wisconsin.