To combat a severe shortage of affordable housing — a problem reverberating throughout the state — four family-owned Sheboygan County businesses and a local economic development agency have created a $10 million fund for building entry-level homes.

The goal of the Forward Fund is to build 400 to 500 single-family homes over the next several years, says Brian Doudna, executive director of the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corp. (SCEDC), which acts as the homes’ developer.

Johnsonville, Kohler Co., Sargento, Masters Gallery Foods and Sheboygan County each kicked in $2 million to create the fund — but home buyers need not work for any of them.

Employees of other Sheboygan County companies, or those with an accepted job offer, can also buy the homes.

The opponents of constitutional amendments that would give legislators say along with the governor on spending federal dollars are claiming that adoption by voters on Aug. 13 would somehow slow down help for people struck by natural disasters.

That’s simply not true.

In response to such claims, the office of Rep. Robert Wittke (R-Racine) asked the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau for its opinion.

“With respect to allocations of FEMA aid provided to the state in the wake of natural disasters or other states of emergency, it is important to note that the Legislature can account for FEMA disaster relief by a process established by legislative rule.”

In other words, people would get help just as quickly as they always have. That’s explicitly stated in the second referendum question that alludes to approval through either “joint resolution or as provided by legislative rule.” 

Vote yes. And don’t worry about tornadoes. That’s a scare tactic, a literal one. 

Reason #3

“The money is not being well spent right now.”

Segment begins at 19:30

Reason #13

“It’s just good, basic governance.”

Reason #1

“We have a democracy for a reason.”

Another national story uses Milwaukee as the cautionary example: Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported on a new study comparing how life turned out for kids born in 1978 and in 1992 — and singled out Milwaukee County as a place where economic mobility fell sharply.

But the study points to a cause, which in turn suggests a cure.

The study from superstar Harvard economist Raj Chetty and colleagues continues his work on American opportunity. The study was able to distinguish children by their parents’ income, then track their earnings at age 27: Does the child rise above his parents’ place on the income ladder? That’s mobility. Does a child born in 1992 do better or worse at age 27 than one born in 1978? That measures whether mobility is rising or falling.

Some people saw mobility rise...

Gov. Tony Evers granted a new tranche of 153 pardons last week, bringing the total number of persons pardoned under his tenure to a record 1,264.

His immediate predecessor, Gov. Scott Walker, did not grant a single pardon during his term in office.

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