Our state lost two legends this week. Philanthropist Mike Cudahy died this week at the age of 97. Mike was a friend and a great leader in our area. He helped develop Discovery World and donated millions to area charities, schools, and projects. I was blessed to call Mike a friend, and he encouraged me when I first entered politics. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Also this week, Jim Klauser passed away. Jim served in Governor Tommy Thompson's cabinet for a decade and was Tommy's most trusted advisor. As head of the Department of Administration, Jim helped lead the state during a time of prosperity and innovative reforms. He will be missed.

Good luck to Wisconsin and Marquette Men's Basketball teams in the NCAA Tournament! Not only is March Madness exciting, having home games in Milwaukee is expected to rake in more than $6 million for the area.

Milwaukee is also a finalist for the Republican National Convention. That could bring in up to $200 million in revenue for the city. It's great to see Wisconsin in the national spotlight.

Finally, good luck to the Menomonee Falls High School Boys basketball team in the WIAA Playoffs this weekend!

As always, if you have any concerns or ideas on how to improve our great state, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone at 608-266-5830 or by email at Sen.Darling@legis.wisconsin.gov.

Over the years, I've worked hard to make sure our state takes care of veterans while they serve and when they return home - especially at our universities and colleges.

I'm very excited about what's happening at UW-Milwaukee. Recently, UWM ranked in the top 10 schools in the nation for veterans by Military Friendly.

The website ranked 1,800 schools based on their ability to "strive towards and succeed in the areas that matter most in helping veterans make the transition from the military to school and, ultimately, satisfying careers in the civilian world."

Congratulations to UWM! I'm grateful for all they are doing to help our veterans. Click on the picture and video below for more information on how UWM is helping veterans.

Thanks to the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, you now can track your school's performance, enrollment, and funding all in one place.

This week, the group launched the Wisconsin School Scorecard. Find your school district on the drop-down menu, and you can find out everything from per-pupil funding to average ACT scores to graduation rates. Click on the picture for more.