‘I got nothing left’: Wisconsin’s jobless pushed to brink as ideas swirl for mending torn safety net

Some Wisconsinites have been waiting for unemployment aid from the Department of Workforce Development for months. Workers at the department have to use outdated technology, like a 60-year-old computing program, to process a record number of claims this past year. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the GOP-controlled Legislature have also spent months blaming each other for the agency’s shortcomings as they stalemate in addressing many of Wisconsin’s challenges.

Reporting by Bram Sable-Smith. Originally published February 18, 2021.