Tom Kertscher

Data centers fuel $1 billion in Wisconsin business growth, but some question long-term impact Wisconsin companies are doing big business in data centers even though none of the hyperscale facilities are yet operating in the state. But the long-term impact remains unclear.

How, not including construction, data centers have brought more than $1 billion in business to Wisconsin. wisconsinwatch.org/2026/03/wisc...

Our free weekly newsletters Newsletters are a great way to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed. Ours go out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Find out more and sign up below. Want to understand the levers of power in …

wisconsinwatch.org/subscribe/

Our free weekly newsletters Newsletters are a great way to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed. Ours go out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Find out more and sign up below. Want to understand the levers of power in …

Get exclusive reporting on Wisconsin data centers by subscribing to Forward, the every-Monday @wisconsinwatch.org email newsletter. This week's newsletter, which covers a variety of news throughout the state, included data center updates from Port Washington, DeForest and Grant County.

Data centers fuel $1 billion in Wisconsin business growth, but some question long-term impact Wisconsin companies are doing big business in data centers even though none of the hyperscale facilities are yet operating in the state. But the long-term impact remains unclear.

Data centers are already big business in Wisconsin, even before any of the hyperscale facilities open in the Badger State. wisconsinwatch.org/2026/03/wisc... #datacenters

Our free weekly newsletters Newsletters are a great way to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed. Ours go out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Find out more and sign up below. Want to understand the levers of power in …

wisconsinwatch.org/subscribe/

Interested in Wisconsin data centers news? Sign up for Forward, the every-Monday newsletter from @wisconsinwatch.org. The latest Forward, which covers a variety of Wisconsin news, included data center items on nondisclosure agreements and Charlie Berens being named Public Enemy No. 1. #datacenters

As Wisconsin weighs who should pay, another possible billion-dollar data center emerges Grant County officials in southwestern Wisconsin aren’t divulging the developer interested in a $1 billion data center in the town of Cassville.

...such as data centers. Here's our earlier story on how Cassville is one site being considered by a company that wants to build a $1 billion data center. wisconsinwatch.org/2026/02/wisc...

A step toward blocking a possible data center in the Driftless Area in southwest Wisconsin? Doug Schauff, the town chair in Cassville in Grant County, says town residents will vote March 12 on adopting "village powers." That would enable the town to create zoning, which could restrict projects...

Is first-offense drunken driving a crime in Wisconsin? No. Unlike most other states, Wisconsin treats a standard first-offense operating while intoxicated as a civil violation.

wisconsinwatch.org/2026/02/wisc...

Wisconsin is nearly alone in not treating first-offense drunken driving as a crime. #factbriefs

Wisconsin Watch partners with Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to produce more Fact Briefs The newsrooms will deliver more bite-sized responses to yes/no questions in the lead-up to the 2026 election.

wisconsinwatch.org/2026/02/wisc...

There's more fact-checking being done in Wisconsin with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel teaming up with @wisconsinwatch.org on Fact Briefs. The 150-word articles provide a Yes or No answer to a question that's been raised in the news or on social media. It's part of a national effort from Gigafact.

Our free weekly newsletters Newsletters are a great way to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed. Ours go out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Find out more and sign up below. Want to understand the levers of power in …

data center nondisclosure agreements stand; and on a tech publication calling comedian Charlie Berens data centers' Public Enemy No. 1. wisconsinwatch.org/subscribe/

Interested in Wisconsin data centers? Subscribe to Forward, the every-Monday newsletter from @wisconsinwatch.org. Part of today's newsletter reports on a company advertising a $250,000-per-year position to promote data centers in the Midwest and elsewhere; on where proposed laws banning ...

Do 80% of Americans support voter ID? Yes. Several polls have found widespread support for requiring voters to show ID.

wisconsinwatch.org/2026/02/vote...

As Congress considers the SAVE Act on voter ID and requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, @wisconsinwatch.org looks at support for requiring a photo ID to cast a ballot.

Interested in data center news? The latest on stories we’re following The $46 billion in data centers proposed or under construction in Wisconsin continue to make news. Here are some of the latest updates.

The latest on $46 billion in known A.I. Data Center projects across Wisconsin, including proposed new bills on who will pay massive electricity costs and on government secrecy agreements @tomkertschernews.bsky.social @wisconsinwatch.org wisconsinwatch.org/2026/02/wisc...

YouTube video by Wisconsin Watch Wisconsin residents speak out on data center secrecy deals

@wisconsinwatch.org examines secrecy involved in data center proposals in Wisconsin: Some local governments signed nondisclosure agreements or took other steps to hide proposals from the public for months. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah-x...

Wisconsin Watch reporter Tom Kertscher joined Charlie Berens on Old Fashioned Interview to discuss his recent reporting on data centers and their impact on Wisconsin — from rising utility costs to… Energy Costs, Secret NDAs and Data Centers: Tom Kertscher Talks With Charlie Berens

Wisconsin Watch reporter Tom Kertscher joined Charlie Berens on Old Fashioned Interview to discuss his recent reporting on data centers and their impact on Wisconsin — from rising utility costs to residents being unaware when projects are proposed in their communities.

Our free weekly newsletters Newsletters are a great way to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed. Ours go out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Find out more and sign up below. Want to understand the levers of power in …

These updates are one good reason to subscribe to Forward, a @wisconsinwatch.org newsletter emailed every Monday: wisconsinwatch.org/subscribe/

Wisconsin data centers news: Taking public comment on who should pay for electricity needed to power data centers. Bills aiming to protect ratepayers pending in the Legislature. Data center referendum going on the ballot in Janesville. And more.

Is child marriage legal in most states? Yes. In 34 states the legal marriage age is lower than 18.

With a child marriage bill pending in the Wisconsin Legislature, @wisconsinwatch.org looks at how many states allow a minor to get married. wisconsinwatch.org/2026/02/wisc...

As data center proposals expand across Wisconsin, attention is turning to the state agency responsible for regulating utilities and power rates and how its decisions shape energy planning.

Read the full report:
wisconsinwatch.org/2026/02/wisc...

By Paul Kiefer
Wisconsin Watch

#DataCenters

As Wisconsin weighs who should pay, another possible billion-dollar data center emerges Grant County officials in southwestern Wisconsin aren’t divulging the developer interested in a $1 billion data center in the town of Cassville.

wisconsinwatch.org/2026/02/wisc...

Wisconsin's Driftless Area is being eyed for a possible $1 billion data center. @wisconsinwatch.org provides details and takes a look at how the state will decide who will pay to generate the electricity needed by other billion-dollar data centers already proposed or under construction.

The transplants: 2 doctors fled Ukraine for Wisconsin. They’re still trying to get their careers back. An anesthesiologist and a cardiologist gave up prestigious careers to save their daughter from war. Nearly four years later, they’re still on the long road to practicing their professions in the Da…

The nettlesome problem of safely transitioning foreign-trained medical professionals into jobs in the U.S. is examined by Natalie Yahr and Joe Timmerman of @wisconsinwatch.org through the experience of a family in Wisconsin that fled the war in Ukraine. wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/wisc...

Submit a tip to our newsroom Wisconsin Watch fosters quality of life and democracy by providing vetted information that helps people navigate their lives, shape solutions to challenges and hold power to account. Some of our most ...

A @wisconsinwatch.org story about local government efforts to keep data center proposals quiet was the result of a tip from a reader. If you have a suggestion for something we should consider reporting on, let us know: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Wisconsin debates how to pay for the power-hungry AI boom Regulators mull the first big utility plan to provide electricity to data centers flocking to the state, igniting disputes over consumer protection and…

A look by @canarymedia.com at who will pay for the electricity needed to power data centers in Wisconsin. www.canarymedia.com/articles/dat...

DeForest announces it won’t move forward with controversial $12 billion data center The village president had said the board had only known about the project for weeks, but records obtained by Wisconsin Watch showed it had been discussed by staff for months.

NEWS: DeForest says it will drop controversial $12 billion data center plan.

The village president had said the board had known about the project for only weeks, but @tomkertschernews.bsky.social obtained records showing it had been discussed for months. wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/defo...

DeForest announces it won’t move forward with controversial $12 billion data center The village president had said the board had only known about the project for weeks, but records obtained by Wisconsin Watch showed it had been discussed by staff for months.

A data center proposal apparently will be dropped by one Wisconsin community that kept the proposal quiet for months. wisconsinwatch.org/2026/01/defo...