Empower Employers and Employees with Free State of Wisconsin Consumer Protection Resources

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), in partnership with the Department of Financial Institutions and the Governor’s Council on Financial Literacy and Capability, has launched new Consumer Protection Outreach Toolkits designed to help Wisconsin organizations educate their teams and communities about important consumer protection topics. (Link to media release)

These free, ready-to-use digital toolkits include downloadable presenter guides, PowerPoint materials, shareable infographics, sample newsletter articles, posters, and even fun educational activities like word scrambles and crosswords. They can easily be incorporated into employee newsletters, training sessions, staff meetings, or workplace learning programs.

The toolkits currently cover four key topics:

• Common Scams and Fraud
• Identity Theft
• Safe Online Shopping
• Consumer Protection for Young Adults

You can explore and download all the materials today at DATCPOutreachToolkit.wi.gov.

By sharing these resources with employers and their employees, you can help them strengthen their financial and digital literacy, stay alert to scams, and make informed consumer decisions — both at work and at home.

For more information, or to request a live presentation from DATCP’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, visit ConsumerProtection.wi.gov or call the Consumer Protection Hotline at (800) 422-7128.

If you have questions about this program, please feel free to reach out to David Mancl, Director, Office of Financial Literacy

Cell: (608) 572-5794

Email: David.Mancl@dfi.wisconsin.gov

Website: dfi.wi.gov

ADCI and H&LA Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Innovation in Hospitality Development

New alliance combines ADCI’s design leadership with H&LA’s market intelligence to redefine how hospitality destinations are envisioned, evaluated, and realized.

Wisconsin Dells, WI & Cleveland, OH — Architectural Design Consultants, Inc. (ADCI), a leading architecture and design firm, and Hotel & Leisure Advisors (H&LA), an internationally recognized hospitality consulting firm, are proud to announce a new strategic partnership that brings together two complementary leaders in the hospitality industry.

This partnership follows ADCI’s acquisition of H&LA, aligning two firms with distinct strengths to deliver a more comprehensive suite of services across the hospitality, leisure, and entertainment sectors. H&LA will continue to operate under its existing brand while leveraging ADCI’s creative and operational resources. The firms will share strategic resources and explore new ways to deliver enhanced value through integrated project planning, feasibility, and design services.

Bringing Together Insight and Imagination

“I look forward to continuing to serve the hospitality and leisure industries through this exciting new partnership, which will provide us with new sources of data, creativity, and facility planning to enhance our work product. As I continue in my role as President of H&LA, I’m thrilled to lead our team forward with the added expertise of ADCI, the world leader in architecture and design for indoor waterpark resorts. We are proud to join them in serving our clients in this dynamic industry!”
-David Sangree, MAI, CPA, ISHC, Founder and President of Hotel & Leisure Advisors

“Combining H&LA’s analytical rigor with our design innovation creates something truly powerful. It allows us to approach every project from both an artistic and strategic perspective, ensuring our clients receive not only a beautiful design but a project concept that is both market-supported and financially feasible.”
-Justin Nagel, Vice President of Business Operations, ADCI

Creating End-to-End Solutions for a Dynamic Industry

With decades of experience in hospitality development, both firms have built reputations for delivering results grounded in innovation, client service, and industry expertise. H&LA’s trusted market research and consulting capabilities will be paired with ADCI’s award-winning design and architecture services to offer clients a seamless experience—from concept to completion.

ADCI has designed more indoor waterpark resorts than any other firm globally, making it the recognized leader in this specialized market. Beyond waterpark resorts, the firm also serves a diverse portfolio that includes hotels, commercial, municipal, senior living, and public spaces. This partnership expands its reach in the hospitality sector, combining H&LA’s data-driven insights with ADCI’s design leadership to better support the development of hotels, resorts, and leisure properties.

A Shared Vision for Growth and Innovation

“At ADCI, we’ve always believed that great destinations begin with great insight. Partnering with H&LA allows us to merge creativity with data-driven precision, delivering not just beautiful designs, but hospitality experiences that perform. This collaboration positions us to help our clients dream bigger and build smarter.”
-Jason C. Sorci, Chief Executive Officer, ADCI

While both companies will continue to serve their existing clients independently, this partnership marks the beginning of a collaborative future focused on growth, innovation, and delivering customized solutions in a rapidly evolving industry.

About Architectural Design Consultants, Inc. (ADCI)

Architectural Design Consultants, Inc. is a full-service architecture and interior design firm based in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. With over four decades of experience, ADCI has designed award-winning projects across the indoor waterpark resort, hospitality, commercial, municipal, and public sectors. Learn more at www.adcidesign.com.

About Hotel & Leisure Advisors (H&LA)

Hotel & Leisure Advisors is a leading hospitality consulting firm specializing in feasibility studies, appraisals, economic impact studies, operational reviews, and advisory services for hotels, resorts, waterparks, and other leisure properties. H&LA is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and serves clients throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. Learn more at www.hladvisors.com.

MMSD Receives Expected $49.4 Million in State General Aid for 2025–26

MADISON, Wis.—The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) will receive approximately $49.4 million in state general aid for the 2025–26 school year, according to certified figures released today by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI).

The certified amount aligns closely with estimates DPI shared in July and the projection included in the district’s preliminary 2025–26 budget, which was approved by the Board of Education over the summer. The Board will vote to adopt the 2025–26 budget at its next Regular Meeting on Oct. 27.

“This confirmation from DPI reflects what we’ve been anticipating for the past several months,” said Bob Soldner, MMSD’s assistant superintendent of financial services. “We built our budget using these projections, so there are no surprises, nor are there any changes to staffing or programming as a result of this aid certification.”

Although MMSD’s allocation represents a decrease from last year’s general aid total, Soldner said the change stems primarily from statewide trends, not district-specific factors.

“General aid fluctuates year to year based on total shared costs reported across Wisconsin’s 421 districts,” Soldner explained. “When total costs across the state go down, the amount of available aid to school districts also goes down. This year’s shift reflects that broader context rather than any change in MMSD’s financial position or student needs.”

State general aid is the largest form of state support for K–12 public schools in Wisconsin and is distributed through a formula designed to equalize educational opportunities by accounting for district property wealth, student enrollment and spending levels. Districts use general aid to fund their core operating costs, including instructional programs, student services and school operations.

Soldner emphasized that the district remains focused on long-term financial stability and transparency. “Our community has consistently supported Madison’s schools, and we’re committed to ensuring that every dollar—whether local, state, or federal—is used responsibly to advance student learning and well-being,” he said.

For more information on MMSD’s 2025–26 budget, please visit the MMSD website.

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About the Madison Metropolitan School District

The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) is the second-largest school district in Wisconsin, serving more than 25,000 students across 52 schools. The district’s vision is that every school will be a thriving school that prepares every student to graduate ready for college, career and community. With more than 6,000 teachers and staff, MMSD is committed to ensuring the district’s goals and core values are held at the center of its efforts, so students can learn, belong and thrive. For more information, visit mmsd.org.

Celebrating International Credit Union Day: Dupaco’s Legacy, Impact and Member Commitment

DUBUQUE, Iowa— Today, Dupaco Credit Union joins credit unions around the world in celebrating International Credit Union Day, an annual event commemorating the credit union movement’s impact and achievements. This year marks the 77^th anniversary of both the global celebration and Dupaco’s founding. 

Founded on July 17, 1948 by ten Dubuque Packing Company employees, Dupaco was built on the principles of thrift, access to affordable credit and the opportunity for its members to own and control their money on a democratic basis, aiming to improve their economic and social conditions. Today, those values continue to guide the credit union’s mission to improve the financial well-being of its members and the communities it serves. 

“International Credit Union Day is a great reminder to celebrate what makes credit unions different,” said Joe Hearn, Dupaco President/CEO. “Dupaco is more than just a local financial institution. We’re a financial cooperative, owned by its community of members with a mission to build a life worth loving.”   

During the financial cooperative’s 77 years, Dupaco continuously seeks to enhance value for its member-owners. The cooperative achieves this in a variety of ways, including: 

• Product, service and technology enhancements. In fact, so far in 2025, Dupaco’s fraud team and our innovative technology has helped prevent nearly $7 million in potential fraud losses. 
• Enhanced member well-being tools like Bright Track which gives members personalized money-saving recommendations and helps monitor members’ accounts and credit scores. In 2024, 60,233 members took charge of their credit by using this free Dupaco tool and 81.54% who continuously used the tool for a full year, boosted or held steady in their credit-score range!  
• Community impact. Dupaco is committed to empowering people and strengthening communities by investing in efforts aligned with affordable housing and homeownership, upskilling and reskilling, and small business development. 
• Staff expertise and service. In 2024, Dupaco invested 20,026 hours in employee training (that’s about 33 hours per employee in a formal learning experience!). 
• Higher savings rates. In 2024, Dupaco members worked toward their savings goals by saving and investing $2.7+ billion for their futures. Dupaco paid out $62,551,747 in dividends to its member-owners. 
• Lower loan rates and fees. In 2024, about 1 in 4 loans were for $2,500 or less, helping members tackle goals, big or small, and keeping them affordable. 

After 77 years, one thing remains consistent for Dupaco: all members have an equal say in their credit union, where each member has one vote for their board of directors, no matter how much money they have in deposits or loans at Dupaco.  

Dupaco’s current volunteer board of directors are:  

• Ellen Goodmann Miller, chair of the board; Resource Development Specialist, Gronen; and Hawks Goodmann & Associates  
• Randy Skemp, vice chair; Vice President of Sales, Active Network, LLC 
• Andy Schroeder, secretary; Vice President, Prenger Solutions Group 
• Renee Poppe, treasurer; Senior Vice President, Sales Service Center, Medline Industries 
• Denise Dolan; retired, Auditor, Dubuque County 
• Jeff Gonner; retired, Chief of Staff, Medical Associates 
• Ron Meyers; retired, Principal, Wahlert High School 
• Antonio Mouzon; Director, Office of Community Impact, City of Dubuque 
• Bob Wethal; Vice President of Patient Care Services & Chief Nursing Officer, Mercy Medical Center 

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ABOUT DUPACO COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION 

Dupaco Community Credit Union is a not-for-profit, member-owned financial cooperative headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa. It is dedicated to the financial well-being of its members, and specializes in personalized financial counseling, money advice and education. It offers savings, loans, investments, insurance and wealth management products for individuals and businesses. Dupaco serves residents in 118 counties throughout Iowa, northwest Illinois and southwest Wisconsin. Founded in 1948 by ten Dubuque Packing Company employees, membership has grown to more than 176,000 with assets exceeding $3.6 billion. It has over 600 employees and 23 branch office locations. Learn more at www.dupaco.com. 

Time Running Out to View “Tending the Balance” at Carnelian Art Gallery

Madison, Wisconsin, Sept. 29 – Carnelian Art Gallery, located at 221 King St., Suite 102, in downtown Madison, is pleased to announce its last art exhibition of the year, titled “Surrealism,” whose theme is centered around the weird, strange and bizarre. The art in this show takes on a dreamlike and uncanny quality. Some works are two-dimensional, while others are three-dimensional.

Participating artists include Kimberly Burnett, Rachael Hunter, Samantha Jane Mullen, Helen Klebesadel and Natalie Jo Wright.

Surrealism will kick off with an opening reception at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, as part of Gallery Night. It is slated to be on display until the end of the year.

Organized by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Gallery Night “offers art lovers and art novices alike an opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of exhibitions, opening receptions, special events and demonstrations at venues throughout the city. During Gallery Night, dozens of venues open their doors to invite the public in to see and shop for original artwork,” according to MMoCA.

As always at Carnelian Art Gallery, admission on opening night is free and light refreshments will be served. And the first 25 visitors to Surrealism’s opening will receive a drink ticket good for one cocktail at Oz by Oz, the gallery’s friend and neighbor at 113 King St. Oz by Oz is known for its zodiac-themed drinks, as well as eclectic and artsy vibe and aesthetic.

At 6 p.m. on opening night, Burnett will conduct a live painting demonstration.

“I am honored to be showing my work at the Carnelian Art Gallery,” said Burnett. “I really enjoy hearing what people take away from my art, and Madison seems to be full of people who appreciate art.”

“I’m really looking forward to live painting and exhibiting in such a beautiful gallery in Madison. My hope is that I get to make new connections which will inspire my future art.”

Burnett is a self-taught artist from North Carolina. Her art is inspired by her childhood love of the old masters of Europe. She taught herself oil paints by studying books on their works and then copying her favorite masterpieces. Today, her works mostly feature lone figures in interior spaces and surreal landscapes with a focus on colors.

She has been painting full time since 2020, when she moved to Milwaukee. In Burnett’s free time, she enjoys gardening, hiking, baking, learning languages and searching for insects.

Surrealism is an exhibition that shines a light on the unconscious mind,” said Carnelian Art Gallery marketing director Emilie Heidemann. “And hopefully, this show will encourage gallery visitors to unlock and explore their respective imaginations, particularly the strange concepts and ideas they drum up sometimes.”

About the Artists

Wright was born in central Illinois in 1977. She received her undergraduate degree in fine arts from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 1999 and her graduate degree in fine arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2008.

Her current series, “Four Eyed Cats in MidCentury Spaces,” grew out of memory, imagination and a lifelong love for mid-century design. Wright’s family (on her mother’s side) owned a furniture store for 50 years in the small town where she grew up. As a child, she spent countless hours wandering its rooms and paging through design catalogues. Years later, rediscovering those same books sparked this series.

The paintings combine nostalgia with playful surrealism: Wright’s two cats, depicted with a “four-eyed” twist, inhabit richly detailed interiors drawn from catalogues, memory, and her own home. Handmade “meat pillows” from an earlier body of work and vintage lamps from her collection collapse past and present, blurring the boundary between real and imagined environments. Originally conceived as an immersive installation, the series still carries that spirit—paintings that feel as though the spaces could spill off the wall and into the viewer’s world.

Wright currently works with water-soluble oils, a medium that has shifted her practice from large-scale portraiture toward finely detailed interiors. Her work reflects both a devotion to mid-century design and a desire to invite viewers into spaces that appear familiar at first glance, but reveal something more curious and uncanny the longer you look.

Klebesadel, who has a graduate degree in fine arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a visual artist, born and raised in rural Wisconsin near Spring Green. Klebesadel is known for her watercolors focused on environmental and feminist woman-centered themes.

An artist, activist and educator for four decades, Klebesadel’s watercolors push the traditional boundaries in scale, content, and technique. Her paintings are exhibited nationally and internationally. They are also represented in numerous public and private art collections.

Klebesadel was previously a university educator for more than 30 years. Her contributions to the larger arts community included serving as a member of the Wisconsin Arts Board and as the national president of the Women’s Caucus for Art, the nation’s oldest organization of women artists and art historians.She maintains an art studio in Madison, where she continues to grow her artistic vision, build a creative community and support others to do the same by mentoring emerging artists.

Mullen is mostly a sculptor, sometimes a writer and always a curious creature who currently exists in Madison, Wisconsin. Self-taught, Mullen uses polymer clay, paper clay and various other mediums to create playful, yet shocking, narrative sculptures which focus on our connection to the land, society, childhood and  monsters. Her work delves into the weird and the curious, the parts of ourselves we correct and mask and the perceived failures that act as building blocks for the walls we build between ourselves, our community and our planet. Each piece is a love letter to the panic attack, the shame shadowed, the glittering and tired, the imagination driven dragon seekers and monster lovers, the playful, hopeful, damned but kind.

Mullen strives to build a mythology within her work that invokes a magical realm in which we are all little monsters exploring the unknown together, inviting the beasts within like wolves to the fire and giving them a little treat.Hunter is a painter based in Madison, Wisconsin. Growing up in Minnesota as an only child, she spent much of her time alone playing make-believe. She continues this practice today by creating paintings that inhabit a world parallel to ours, entirely her own.

Her focus is on creating ambiguous and unsettling narratives that invite viewers to create their own meaning. She works primarily with vibrant oil, acrylic and Flashe paints on alternative surfaces. Wood planks found on the side of the road are intuitively carved into blobs, and bedsheets sourced from second-hand stores, friends, or even her own bed become her canvas.

A key influence in Hunter’s artistic journey is the legacy of the magical realists of the Midwest, such as Sylvia Fein and John Wilde. Like these artists, Rachael uses her paintings to explore and understand an increasingly horrifying reality. With fascism on the rise and a small group of people attempting to control every aspect of daily life, she paints to keep it together and find meaning in it all.  

“We are so thrilled to showcase the works of these talented artists,” said Carnelian Art Gallery owner and head curator Evan Bradbury. “This show is all about allowing oneself to be weird and have fun.”