1. Man charged with threat to Hovde campaign (MADISON)

A Dane County man is facing felony charges after allegedly sending a threatening message to the campaign office of Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde. Authorities say 72-year-old Joseph Quade of Mount Horeb indicated in his message that the campaign office “might blow up.” Quade admitted to police that he sometimes gets “a little political” but claimed he didn’t remember making the threat. He also acknowledged that he sometimes drinks too much and gets carried away, but he’s trying to change his behavior.

Quade is scheduled to appear in court later this week on a charge of making a terrorist threat. The incident has raised concerns about the potential for violence in the current political climate.

In other news, a state prison inmate has been sentenced to a consecutive life term for the hate crime murder of a fellow inmate. Joshua Scolman, who was already serving a life sentence for a previous crime, was convicted in the 2022 murder of Timothy Nabors, Jr. and the attempted murder of Lamonte Washington at Green Bay Correctional Institution. Jurors rejected Scolman’s insanity defense and found that he attacked his victims because of their race.

Meanwhile, Governor Tony Evers has launched his “pothole patrol tour” in Stevens Point, promising more roadwork across the state thanks to increased funding from last year’s bipartisan effort. Evers emphasized the importance of work zone safety, citing the nine people who lost their lives in work zone accidents in Wisconsin last year.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has issued a measles exposure alert in Southern Wisconsin after confirming a case of the highly contagious disease. Anyone who visited specific locations while the infected individual was contagious is urged to contact their doctor if they develop symptoms.

Lastly, Wisconsin residents have voted for restrictions on wakesurfing at the DNR spring hearings. The majority of voters agreed to ban excessive wakes on lakes smaller than 1500 acres and require a minimum distance of 700 feet from shore for wake surfing on larger lakes. This decision contrasts with a proposed bill from Republican lawmakers that would have allowed wakeboarding on much smaller lakes.