Stories you might have missed from around Wisconsin.
Sister Bay: Lawsuit against Sister Bay by short-term rental owners can proceed.
Municipalities around the country have passed regulations limiting short-term rental properties in their communities. Sister Bay has made some changes to their regulations that have made the village the focus of a lawsuit. This week, a Door County judge denied a motion by the village to dismiss the lawsuit filed by four owners of short-term rental units that challenges the village’s application of regulations governing them. The suit challenges whether the village can limit the number of bedrooms in a short-term rental and whether the village can retroactively apply regulations to STRs that were enacted after the STR was built or in the process of being built. The Green Bay Press gazette reported that the suit was filed Sept. 17 in Door County Circuit Court by the Milwaukee-based Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty on behalf of the four STR owners who own three STRs. The suit alleges the four STR owners either owned homes they already were using as STRs or had started building homes that would be used as STRs when the village enacted an ordinance in July 2023 that limited STRs to four bedrooms and three guests per bedroom. Full Story
Winona: Residents protest recent actions by Trump and Musk.
Citizens protesting in the streets has a long history in this country. The current political climate is sowing the seeds for more protests both on a national level and in towns across the country. For the second week in a row, residents of Winona held flags and signs, sharing their displeasure about what is happening in the U.S. and world. About 170 people were at both protests. Attendees focused on their distaste for many actions taken by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk and their support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. “I’m fighting for democracy,” Winona resident Beth Stanford told the LaCrosse tribune. “I’m very concerned about the actions that have happened in less than two months, and I just believe that people have to speak up.” Winona County Board member Dwayne Voegeli said he had many reasons for attending, but cited one. “It’s important to stand for democracy in Ukraine. It’s important to stand for democracy in the U.S. It’s not two issues. It’s one issue,” he said. Other issues gaining visibility because of the rallies include the recent impacts on the country’s parks, Social Security, USAID, and more. Full Story
Milwaukee: Two local teens win Next Narrative Monologue competition.
Public speaking is one of the biggest fears for most people. Luckily for two local teens, they’re not most people. earlier this week, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater held the 2025 regionals for the Next Narrative Monologue Competition, a national program for high school students featuring the work of contemporary Black playwrights created by Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company. The program offers free workshops across the city to prepare students in the selections and rehearsal of their monologue. A statement released by The rep reported that Thatcher Jacobs from Kettle Moraine High School was awarded First place for his performance of The Prophet by Idris Goodwin. In Second place was Silver Anderson from Golda Meir High School who performed Same by Cheryl West, and runner up Olivia Cross-Luster from Pius XI High School performed Daughter by Cheryl L. West. All three winners were awarded a cash prize and the First and Second place finishers will get the opportunity to represent Milwaukee on an all-expense paid trip to New York City where they will compete against other regional city competitors at the Apollo Theater in Harlem for additional books, scholarships, and prizes. Full Story
