By Margo KirchnerThe Wisconsin Court of Appeals last week held that a $20,000 municipal forfeiture for parking commercial trucks in a residential driveway was unconstitutionally excessive.District 2 Judge Mark Gundrum issued the one-judge decision, overturning the sanction imposed by Lakeside Municipal Court on a city of Fond du Lac citation.Dennis Murray appealed from the judgment finding him guilty of violating an ordinance prohibiting parking a commercial walk-in truck in a residential area. Murray had argued at trial in municipal…
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The U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) and the IRS recently proposed regulations that would deny § 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status to private schools that maintain race-based admissions, scholarship or related programs. While the proposal is directed at educational institutions, the preamble contains important lessons for health care foundations and other charitable organizations managing donor-restricted funds.
In discussing the potential impact of the rule, Treasury expressly acknowledges that donor-imposed restrictions may require modification. The preamble notes that where “a race-based…
Continue Reading Health Care Philanthropy Update: Treasury’s Proposed Rule Offers Lessons for Foundations on Donor Intent and Endowment Management

Overview ArticleAmundsen Davis Cybersecurity & Data Privacy AlertSeptember 9, 2026Complying with European privacy rules governing the transfer of personal information to the U.S. has always been challenging for U.S. companies. Now, a seemingly unrelated U.S. Supreme Court decision, Trump v. Slaughter, may create new uncertainty around the legal framework governing those transfers, raising fresh considerations for companies that do business in Europe.A History of EU-U.S. Personal Data Transfer ChallengesFor more than two decades, the U.S. and…
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Slaughter

Sep 09 2026

von Briesen & Roper, s.c., announced today that James M. Oliver has joined the firm’s Naples, Florida office.James M. Oliver joined the Firm as Counsel in the Business Practice Group. With more than 25 years of experience advising organizations, he navigates complex legal and business challenges across a wide range of industries. Jim is viewed as a trusted advisor who brings sound judgment, strategic insight and a pragmatic approach to his work. His career has…
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The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee met last week to approve a $4 million supplemental appropriation for the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

The supplement supports grants to law enforcement agencies for data-sharing platforms under a new program created by 2025 Wisconsin Act 58. Act 58 created a short-term grant program for the acquisition and adoption of data-sharing platforms.

According to the law, the platform must be able to “integrate data from common law enforcement systems on a real-time basis”…
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The Wisconsin Division of Quality Assurance (“DQA” or the “agency”) recently issued Wisconsin – 26-001, which addresses surveyor access to provider records during assisted living surveys. The guidance applies to Adult Family Homes (“AFHs”), Community-Based Residential Facilities (“CBRFs”) and Residential Care Apartment Complexes (“RCACs”). DQA’s memo confirms that providers utilizing electronic record systems must provide surveyors with read-only login credentials, rather than limiting access to printed records or provider-generated electronic reports.

The memo reflects DQA’s position that surveyors…
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The problem. In thunar in xubuntu 24.04, the selected file name becomes impossible to read when the thunar window goes into the background (is no longer the front most window). You see the following: Adjusting the text selection and background appearance settings for thunar are not available via Settings Manager | Settings Editor. Luckily, thunar can easily be customized another way via css. The solution. To fix this unreadable text when thunar is in the background, add a file…
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On August 11, 2026, the Health Resources and Services Administration (“HRSA”) released its Health Center Program Scope of Project Policy Manual (“Scope Manual”), providing comprehensive guidance on what constitutes a health center’s approved scope of project under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act. The Scope Manual became effective immediately upon release.

Federally Qualified Health Centers (“FQHCs”) and “look-alikes” cannot add a delivery site, new service category or expanded target population without prior approval from HRSA via…
Continue Reading HRSA’s New FQHC Scope of Project Manual Affects Provider-Patient Relationships, Arrangements with Other Providers and 340B Operations

On September 2, 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification announced that certain H-2A employers may become responsible for retroactive wage adjustments after the Department adopts a new methodology for calculating Adverse Effect Wage Rates.

The announcement follows an August 26, 2026 order in United Farm Workers, et al. v. DOL, et al., No. 25-cv-01614-KES-EGC. The court held that the DOL’s October 2025 interim-final-rule methodology is unlawful but has left the rule and existing AEWRs…
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A guide to Wisconsin custody and placement laws, court-appointed professionals, and how your child’s wishes impact custody decisions.

“Once my son turns 14, he’ll finally get to decide which parent he wants to live with. ”

As a Wisconsin family law attorney, I’ve heard this assumption from countless clients navigating paternity, divorce, or post-divorce matters. Unfortunately, this is not true. Under Wisconsin law, children under the age of 18 never truly get to choose which parent they…
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A growing trend in Illinois trucking litigation is placing motor carriers under increased legal and financial scrutiny. As plaintiffs increasingly pursue punitive damages against motor carriers, lawsuits are expanding beyond questions of driver negligence and into the company’s hiring, training, supervision, and safety practices.

Why Are Punitive Damages Increasingly Common in Illinois Trucking Litigation?
After Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill that allows the recovery of punitive damages in wrongful death and survival actions, the state…
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“I am greatly interested in Roy and like him.”
Lavinia Goodell, January 1876
Lavinia Goodell had a reformer’s nature and throughout her life strove to help those in need, whether it desperate to extricate themselves from abusive marriages or young men who had run afoul of the law. Although Lavinia generally had good instincts about peoples’ nature, she sometimes expended energy trying to help someone who was simply beyond help. One of the most bitter disappointments of her life…
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  • Corewell Health unveiled a $1.7B plan to build two hospital towers in Michigan: an 11-story, 780k-sf facility at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids and an eight-story, 423k-sf tower at Beaumont Troy Hospital. The projects will add 360 private rooms and are expected to open in 2030.
  • Moody’s recently reported nonprofit and public hospital profitability softened in FY 2025, with median EBITDA margins falling from 6.2% to 5.9% and operating margins declining from 1.3% to 1.2%. Revenue grew 8.9%, narrowly

    • …
    Continue Reading Weekly Hospital Real Estate Briefing: Nonprofit Hospital Margins Tighten | Corewell Unveils $1.7B Expansion | Hospital Land-Banking Continues

    The Indiana Court of Appeals (the “Court”) reversed a trial court’s temporary commitment order, holding the evidence did not clearly and convincingly establish the patient was gravely disabled. Although the evidence supported the patient suffered from mental illness and exhibited symptoms associated with a manic episode, the Court concluded the evidence did not demonstrate those symptoms resulted in an inability to function independently. In re Civil Commitment of E.R., No. 26A-MH-1878, 2026 WL 2427159 (Ind. Ct. App. Aug. …
    Continue Reading Indiana Court of Appeals Reverses Temporary Commitment Where Evidence Did Not Establish Grave Disability

    A first offense OWI in Wisconsin is a civil violation, not a crime — no jail, no criminal record. That is the part most people hear first, and it is true. What almost nobody tells you at the roadside is that the deadlines that decide your driver’s license start running within days of the arrest, and that this “civil ticket” follows you for the rest of your life if you simply pay it.

    Our office has defended OWI charges…
    Continue Reading First Offense OWI in Wisconsin: Penalties, Your License, and What Happens Next

    The court date printed on a Wisconsin OWI citation is rarely immediate — and for a first offense, that first appearance is short, procedural, and, if you understand what it is for, nothing to fear. But two things about it surprise almost everyone: the most important deadlines in your case expire before that date, and what you say at the appearance can lock in or give away your right to a jury.

    Here is what actually happens at a…
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