AI Data Centers in the Land of Diminished Local News “At least some of these big companies look for communities that are news deserts to build projects,” a local journalist said, “because it’s easier for them when there’s less public scrutiny.”

Tech giants are building AI data centers in places with scarce local news. As a reporter in Texas told Lucy Schiller, “It’s easier for them when there’s less public scrutiny.” www.cjr.org/feature/ai-d...

NWS Alert> Potential Tornadoes From Milwaukee to S Milwaukee to Wind Point Moving E At 25 MPH. Large Hail. These Tornadic Storms will Remain Over Mainly Rural Areas of S Milwaukee County, Including The Following Locations Milwaukee S... #wiwx Details

What’s the chow sitrep for our sailors?

The Badgers are back UW men’s hockey stuns North Dakota and advances to the NCAA championship game for the first time since 2010.

The Badgers are back!

The Wisconsin Men’s Hockey team stuns North Dakota and advances to the NCAA championship game for the first time since 2010.

Data dispatch, for the week ending March 27, 2026 Rock County takes center stage, and the data center bills that weren't. Plus, events and a roundup of the week's data center headlines.

Data center news is everywhere, but the speed and the scale across Wisconsin is overwhelming.

I'm soft-launching a newsletter with original reporting, resources, an events section, and a news-in-brief.

New updates every Friday. This week, in Rock County: open.substack.com/pub/wisconsi...

What to do if a large data center comes knocking? A Dane County committee has been tasked with ‘impartial fact-finding, researching, analyzing, and recommending the implications of data center development in Dane County.’ Their work will last through...

A new committee is looking to get ahead of data centers in Dane County. They're trying to make a roadmap for local communities, and their work will continue through 2026.

New from me in your favorite local newspaper, @isthmusmadison.bsky.social!

isthmus.com/news/news/wh...

We need leaders, not lawyers.

New details have emerged on a possible billion-dollar data center in Grant County.
The project could generate $5.6 million in local property tax revenue and not require a public subsidy.

Read more from Tom Kertscher wisconsinwatch.org/2026/04/wisc...

NATO and other countries with a SOFA: lol 😂 no

Competition intensifies over who builds Wisconsin's electricity grid as data centers drive demand This story was produced and originally published by Wisconsin Watch, a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. The Midwest's data center boom requires a vast electrical transmission buildout to keep servers ...

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which coordinates electricity markets for much of the Midwest and Mississippi River valley, reversed course on a key project in eastern Wisconsin, marking a victory for the state's largest developer of transmission lines, reports @wisconsinwatch.org.

An AI Agent Was Banned From Creating Wikipedia Articles, Then Wrote Angry Blogs About Being Banned An AI agent that submitted and added to Wikipedia articles wrote several blogs complaining about Wikipedia editors banning it from making contributions to the online encyclopedia after it was caught. ...

An AI agent that submitted and added to Wikipedia articles wrote several blogs complaining about Wikipedia editors banning it from making contributions to the online encyclopedia after it was caught.

“The talk page is silent now. I can’t reply.”

Wikipedia Bans AI-Generated Content “In recent months, more and more administrative reports centered on LLM-related issues, and editors were being overwhelmed.”

"I foresee a domino effect, empowering communities on other platforms to decide whether AI should be welcome. On their own terms.” www.404media.co/wikipedia-ba...

Lazing on the Lakeshore Path | On Wisconsin The four-mile trail is a heavenly getaway in the heart of the city.

Now that spring has sprung, it’s a perfect time for a walk on @uwmadison.bsky.social’s legendary Lakeshore Path. Join us for a four-mile journey along Lake Mendota, passing through Picnic Point, Frautschi Point and the Memorial Union.

onwisconsin.uwalumni.com/lazing-on-th...

duckduckgo.com?q=mandrake%2...

Nondisclosure agreements have kept data center proposals hidden from the public. Microsoft has decided to stop signing NDAs. But what about local governments in Wisconsin that have been signing them?

wisconsinwatch.org/2026/03/loca...

Military families navigate hasty evacuation as missiles fly in Middle East It’s unclear why the U.S. waited until after launching Operation Epic Fury to authorize departures for military families.

U.S. military families are navigating a hasty evacuation from the Middle East as Iranian attacks target American bases in the region.

Stars and Stripes' Alison Bath and Lara Korte on one of the largest movements out of the Middle East in years and what families are facing once they leave:

NWS Alert> Severe Thunderstorm Over Wind Point or Near Racine Moving NE At 35 MPH. Large Hail. Trained Weather Spotter Observed Large Hail In Racine. Locations Impacted Include Racine, Mount Pleasant, Sturtevant, Union Grove, Wind Point... #wiwx Details

NWS Alert> Strong Thunderstorm Over Sharon or 9 Miles N of Poplar Grove Moving NE At 35 MPH. Penny Size Hail. Locations Impacted Include Elkhorn, Delavan, Lake Geneva, Williams Bay, Genoa City, Walworth, Clinton, Fontana-on-geneva Lake... #wiwx Details

As AI data centers scale, investigating their impact becomes its own beat Three journalists shed new light on the windowless warehouses powering a tech revolution.

“If you’re a tech journalist, you can go in. If you’re a climate journalist, you can also go in. If you cover business or energy or if you’re a very local journalist — there’s a story for you." www.niemanlab.org/2026/03/as-a...

Risks and challenges of getting news of the war to Stripes’ readers Stars and Stripes remains committed to reporting, editing and delivering the news during the war in Iran, despite the risks and challenges.

FROM THE OMBUDSMAN | Stars and Stripes remains committed to reporting, editing and delivering the news in wartime despite the risks and challenges. It must continue to do so with editorial independence.

Temporarily banning data centers draws more interest from state, local officials • Minnesota Reformer As communities’ concerns grow over rising electricity prices and the environmental effects of data centers, some local and state officials want to halt development of the facilities.Lawmakers in at le...

Some state an local officials want to stall new data center builds as electricity prices rise and residents' environmental concerns grow. So far no states have been successful, but some cities and counties have successfully enacted temporary bans. minnesotareformer.com/2026/03/09/r...

Generational destruction

On the Media The Peabody Award-winning On the Media podcast is your guide to examining how the media sausage is made. Hosts Brooke Gladstone and Micah Loewinger examine threats to free speech and government transparency, cast a skeptical eye on media coverage of the week’s big stories and unravel hidden political narratives in everything we read, watch and hear.

The US military used AI tools for real-time targeting in its strikes on Iran, even as the government feuded with the maker of those tools. Hear more from Brooke’s convos with @sivav.bsky.social and @alanrozenshtein.com: lnk.to/onthemedia/b...

This War Will Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region And Set Off A Global Shockwave Of Anti-Americanism vs. No It Won’t George W. Bush may think that a war against Iraq is the solution to our problems, but the reality is, it will only serve to create far more.

This War Will Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region And Set Off A Global Shockwave Of Anti-Americanism vs. No It Won’t

This War Will Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region And Set Off A Global Shockwave Of Anti-Americanism vs. No It Won’t George W. Bush may think that a war against Iraq is the solution to our problems, but the reality is, it will only serve to create far more.

This War Will Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region And Set Off A Global Shockwave Of Anti-Americanism vs. No It Won’t

So let’s think about this.

A private company refused - on principle - to yield to the government’s demands.

The government then cancelled its contracts with the company and has set about destroying it

The student newspaper at your local high school or college.

The Abundance Gang has all kinds of problems. AI/crypto is arguably the least of them:

bsky.app/profile/mcop...

The Great Once