Thursday, September 17, 2026
Thursday, August 27, 2026
Friday, August 7, 2026
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Harley-Davidson dealerships on track to 'double' profits in 2026
Ricardo Torres
Harley-Davidson dealerships are on a good path as the company is expecting profits to "double" for the network.
Harley CEO Artie Starrs often calls the Milwaukee-based motorcycle maker's dealership network the best in the industry and is focused on the health of those dealerships.
"Based on current trends, we expect domestic dealer profitability to double in 2026," Starrs said on an earnings call with analysts and investors on July 23.
Harley-Davidson reported a second quarter profit of $80 million, down roughly 26% from the same time last year.
The company also reported motorcycle shipments of 39,200 for the quarter which is a 9% increase from 2025.
Dealer health is a major component to the company's plans to return to growth.
Inventory levels have been a balancing act the company has had to monitor since Starrs took over as top executive in the fall of 2026.
"Nearly every dealer was telling me and us, that they had too much inventory," Starrs said of his conversations at the time he joined Harley-Davidson. "Today, the vast majority believe it's either just right or they're asking for more bikes."
Starrs said the company can improve inventory even more by finding the right balance of makes and models to suit the dealerships.
Harley-Davidson raised its financial guidance and now expects to ship between 133,500 and 138,500 units compared to a range that was 3,500 cyclers lower.
The company also adjusted its outlook on its operating income. It now expects to have a operating income of between $10 million to $50 million in 2026. Harley-Davidson previously expected the operating income to range between a $40 million loss to a $10 million profit.
Sunday, August 2, 2026
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Saturday, June 20, 2026
Saturday, June 13, 2026
Saturday, June 6, 2026
Friday, May 22, 2026
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
What is Fairwater? The name of Microsoft's AI data center network
Ricardo Torres
Data center critics might see irony in Fairwater name
"Fairwater" is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as a boat device, a streamlined bridge, and a submarine's conning tower.
It's also the name of Microsoft Corp.'s artificial intelligence data center network – which some data center critics might find ironic.
When Microsoft announced it was building a second southeastern Wisconsin data center, a small detail went overlooked: its Fairwater name.
"In addition to our Fairwater datacenter in Wisconsin, we also have multiple identical Fairwater datacenters under construction in other locations across the US," Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Cloud and AI for Microsoft, said in September.
The second Fairwater data center is in Atlanta. It was announced in November, and Microsoft stated in a blog post the two data centers are connected.
"This enables Fairwater sites located in different states to work together as an AI superfactory to train new generations of AI models far more quickly, accomplishing jobs in just weeks instead of several months," the post reads.
As for why the name "Fairwater"?
Microsoft says it was an internal code name the company decided to make public.
Water usage has been a key focus of data center critics. Microsoft has tried to calm anxiety around that issue.
"Lake Michigan has nothing to fear from our data center," Microsoft President and Vice Chair Brad Smith said during a September announcement of the second Mount Pleasant data center.
"We build data centers in the desert, that's because we've figured out how to run them without using a lot of water," Smith said, adding the company uses a closed-loop cooling system.
Closed-loop systems reuse most of that water, but they still need occasional flushing and refills.
The Fairwater data center is expected to use 2.8 million gallons of Lake Michigan water in 2026.
But that's more of a floor than a ceiling. Microsoft is planning to build 15 more data centers in Mount Pleasant during the next decade or longer.
Microsoft could use up to 8.44 million gallons of water annually with that expansion, according to the City of Racine, which provides water to the development site. Roughly 6 million gallons are to be returned to Racine.
But even those projections might fall short of reality.
Microsoft's internal forecasts expects its annual water usage for roughly 100 data center complexes world wide to be around 28 billion liters in 2030, according to the New York Times.
In a comment given to the Times, Microsoft said it now expects to use about 18 billion liters of water by 2030. That's roughly 4.8 billion gallons.
Environmental advocate Milwaukee Riverkeeper has pushed for more transparency and action on data center water issues.
"This conversation shouldn’t be about branding – it should center on impact, accountability, and the long-term stewardship of our local waters," said Jennifer Bolger Breceda, executive director of Milwaukee Riverkeeper.
"Data centers place significant demand on water resources, and in a region defined by the Great Lakes, that should require careful consideration and thoughtful implementation," Breceda told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"When an out-of-state corporation proposes a project of this magnitude, there must be full transparency around water use, clear and enforceable safeguards, and a rigorous review process to ensure our people and waters are protected.
"We also need to take an honest look at the tradeoffs, including whether the long-term community benefits truly match the scale of resource use," Breceda said.
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Monday, April 13, 2026
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Saturday, October 18, 2025
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Ascension and UnitedHealthCare renew in-network medical care
Holly Gilvary
RACINE COUNTY — Ascension Wisconsin and UnitedHealthCare have reached a new agreement for in-network medical care.
Patients enrolled in employer-sponsored commercial plans, Medicare Advantage plans (including Group Retiree and Dual Special Needs Plans) and UnitedHealthCare Community Plans in Wisconsin (Medicaid) will again have access to Ascension's hospitals and providers in southeast Wisconsin, according to UHC.
The agreement is effective immediately, according to Mo Moorman, senior director of external relations at Ascension Wisconsin.
Ascension held claims for services furnished between Oct. 1-13, so services received by patients during that period will be covered at in-network rates and patients should not be billed for out-of-network costs, Moorman said.
Letters will be mailed to members who were previously notified to inform them of UHC's renewed relationship with Ascension Wisconsin and that Ascension Wisconsin is back in-network, according to UHC.
Ascension has several locations in Racine County, including sites on Spring Street and Wisconsin Avenue in Racine, Washington Avenue and Green Bay Road in Mount Pleasant, and Four Mile Road in Caledonia.
For assistance finding a hospital or provider, patients can call the number on their health plan identification card or visit their plan's website at one of the following web addresses:
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