Wisconsin Watch - Episodes Tagged with “Wisconsin Watch”

Wisconsin’s Medicaid postpartum protection lags most of the country

Wisconsin Watch — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 14:00:00 -0400

Wisconsin doctors say the state could help save lives by extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to a full year, as many states offer. But the Legislature again blocked an extension. By Rachel Hale of Wisconsin Watch

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In fight over voter rolls, Wisconsin’s top judges can’t agree on sensitive data

Wisconsin Watch — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 12:00:00 -0400

An unusual split in two Wisconsin Court of Appeals districts highlights growing partisan division in the judiciary. By Wisconsin Watch's Jack Kelly

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10 guards, 900 inmates: Wisconsin prisons see dire results of ignored warnings

Wisconsin Watch — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 13:30:00 -0500

An extreme shortage of guards at Wisconsin’s prisons slowed basic operations to a crawl. Inmates escaped, prisons locked down and conditions deteriorated. By New York Times Local Investigations Fellow and Wisconsin Watch reporter Mario Koran and Justin Mayo of Big Local News. Originally published on Feb. 2, 2024.

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A Grand Chute police recruit alleged she was sexually assaulted. Days later she lost her job.

Wisconsin Watch — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 12:00:00 -0500

The Grand Chute police department didn’t seek an outside investigation for a case involving its own employee, yet invoked “victim rights” laws to resist disclosing details of the incident involving two other police recruits. By Wisconsin Watch's Jacob Resneck. Wisconsin Watch reporter Phoebe Petrovic contributed. This story was produced as part of the NEW (Northeast Wisconsin) News Lab.

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Sheboygan recruit accused of sex assault had potential red flag

Wisconsin Watch — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 12:00:00 -0500

A Sheboygan police recruit involved in an alleged sexual assault had been flagged as a suspected gang member in high school, but that information was not provided to an oversight board before he was hired. By Wisconsin Watch's Jacob Resneck. This story was produced as part of the NEW (Northeast Wisconsin) News Lab.

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PayPal shielded donors who gave to Wisconsin-based health misinformation outlet

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 12:00:00 -0400

The charitable arm of PayPal, one of the world’s largest digital payment companies, facilitated $141,194 in anonymous donations between 2019 and 2021 to groups trafficking in COVID-19 misinformation, anti-vaccine content and hate, tax records show. By Phoebe Petrovic of Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on Oct. 27, 2023.

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Oshkosh police cite ‘Marsy’s Law’ to withhold names of officers who shot suspects

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 12:00:00 -0400

A Wisconsin police department used Marsy’s Law to block the release of the names of police officers involved in a shooting incident. By Jacob Resneck of Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on Aug. 8, 2023.

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How alcoholism derailed former Wisconsin running back Montee Ball’s football career

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 11:00:00 -0400

Former Badger Montee Ball offers a cautionary tale to University of Wisconsin-Madison students about the dangers of booze. By Sarah Eichstadt and Anupras Mohapatra of Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on Aug. 3, 2023.

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Wisconsin’s ‘death grip with alcohol’ is killing more residents

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 11:00:00 -0400

Excessive alcohol use is taking a heavy toll in a state that celebrates its drinking culture. By Sarah Eichstadt and Anupras Mohapatra of Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on Aug. 3, 2023.

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Hot pursuit: Milwaukee police chases now top 1,000 per year. Some prove deadly.

Wisconsin Watch — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 12:00:00 -0400

Milwaukee sees a surge in police pursuits in years since loosening policy to target reckless drivers. Critics say the trend makes streets more dangerous. By Jonah Chester, Wisconsin Public Radio's 2022-2023 Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow embedded in the Wisconsin Watch newsroom. Originally published on Aug. 2, 2023.

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AI is starting to affect our elections. Wisconsin has yet to take action.

Wisconsin Watch — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 12:00:00 -0400

Heading into the 2024 election, Wisconsin faces a new challenge state lawmakers here have so far failed to address: generative artificial intelligence. The state of Washington required political ads to disclose if they use artificial intelligence while others banned deepfake technology in the runup to an election. By Phoebe Petrovic of Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on July 28, 2023.

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JusticePoint offers incarceration alternatives in Milwaukee. Two judges tried to cancel its contract.

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 12:00:00 -0400

Municipal Court officials refuse to comment on efforts to cancel JusticePoint’s contract without lining up an alternative provider. A legal ruling allows the services to continue — for now. Story by Wisconsin Watch’s Jonmaesha Beltran and Devin Blake of Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, produced in collaboration with The Appeal. Originally published on July 27, 2023.

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Misinformation, Disinformation: A guide to sorting fiction from reality

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 12:00:00 -0400

Social media and deceptive actors are allowing falsehood to spread even faster than the truth, but there are ways to inoculate yourself from information disorder. Story by Wisconsin Watch disinformation reporter Phoebe Petrovic. Originally published on July 20, 2023.

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Walmart pulls Milwaukee Tool gloves allegedly made by Chinese prisoners

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 11:00:00 -0400

Walmart is no longer selling Milwaukee Tool-branded gloves on its online marketplace — responding to allegations that a subcontractor for the Brookfield, Wisconsin-based tool company relied on forced Chinese prison labor to manufacture certain models of gloves. Story by Wisconsin Watch's Zhen Wang. Originally published on July 17, 2023.

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Wisconsin billionaires quietly bankroll effort to shrink state’s social safety net

Wisconsin Watch — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 17:00:00 -0400

A group funded by deep-pocketed GOP donors is pushing to make it harder to vote and to receive unemployment insurance and Medicaid. By Wisconsin Watch's Jacob Resneck. Originally published on July 11, 2023.

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Republican lawmakers reject proposal to help Wisconsin communities access federal grant programs

Wisconsin Watch — Fri, 25 Aug 2023 17:00:00 -0400

Gov. Tony Evers signs a budget that excludes his plan to help staff-strapped local governments track and apply for federal infrastructure dollars. By Bennet Goldstein / Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on July 7, 2023.

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Wisconsin towns brace for next fight on local control over large farms

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 16:00:00 -0400

A proposed pig CAFO spurred five northwest Wisconsin towns to regulate big farms. After one rescinded its ordinance, others wonder if they’ll face lawsuits. By Bennet Goldstein / Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on July 6, 2023.

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Midwest drought: Corn and soybeans suffer as forecasters expect no quick relief for farmers

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 16:00:00 -0400

Arid conditions are expected to persist in eastern Iowa and Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin. River barges are affected, too. By Bennet Goldstein / Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on June 23, 2023.

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Wisconsin law still refers to husband and wife, a reminder to LGBTQ+ families that their rights are at risk

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 15:00:00 -0400

The courts and Evers administration have stepped in, but bipartisan efforts to make state law neutral to reflect status of same-sex couples have stalled. By Matthew DeFour / Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on June 16, 2023.

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‘They die so quickly’: Fentanyl killing 1,000+ people in Wisconsin each year

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 15:00:00 -0400

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services in 2021 found synthetic opioids, particularly fentanyl, caused 91% of opioid overdose deaths, Grace Friedman and Max Stapleton report for Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on June 22, 2023.

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Some Milwaukee County parents leaving workforce due to sky-high child care costs

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 14:00:00 -0400

Milwaukee County parents spend more of their income on child care than most Americans. Gov. Tony Evers wants to intervene as Wisconsin providers face a fiscal cliff. By Tyler Dedrick for Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on June 15, 2023.

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Rising cost of living in northeast Wisconsin has many working families treading water

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 12:00:00 -0400

A dearth of affordable housing and the cost and availability of child care remain barriers to opportunity for many working families in the northeast region. The story was reported by Wisconsin Watch’s Jacob Resneck as part of the NEW (Northeast Wisconsin) News Lab’s Families Matter project, which explores the barriers to sustainable family life in northeast Wisconsin. Originally published on June 7, 2023.

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Wisconsin students with disabilities often denied public school choices

Wisconsin Watch — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 16:00:00 -0400

Public schools must serve all students living within their boundaries, including those needing special accommodations. But not all neighborhood schools are to meet the needs of students with disabilities, Mario Koran reports for Wisconsin Watch. The state’s biggest school choice program, open enrollment, allows students to apply to public schools outside of district boundaries. But those schools can limit or deny slots for out-of-district students with disabilities. Originally published on May 31, 2023.

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‘Unwanted and unwelcome’: Anti-LGBTQ+ policies common at Wisconsin voucher schools

Wisconsin Watch — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 16:00:00 -0400

The story was reported by Wisconsin Watch’s Phoebe Petrovic as part of a series of stories about discrimination in taxpayer-funded schools.
The story focuses on Nat Werth, a gay student who was banned from delivering his valedictory speech in 2019 at Sheboygan Lutheran High School after officials discovered he planned to come out as gay during the speech. Reviewing the school’s current handbook, Werth says the school has beefed up its anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
Said Werth: “If I was a kid with gender dysphoria, or even, like, questioning how people refer to me using my pronouns or if I wanted to use a different name and I read this, if this was what the school provided to me, that would have been extremely traumatic.” Originally published on May 31, 2023.

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How would widening Milwaukee’s I-94 affect residents near the highway?

Wisconsin Watch — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 15:00:00 -0400

Gov. Tony Evers in 2020 revived a plan to widen a 3.5-mile segment of the Interstate 94 East-West Freeway corridor in Milwaukee — calling it one of the state’s “most congested and dangerous roads.” But the highway cuts through the city, and opponents say the expansion will disproportionately disrupt Milwaukee's West Side neighborhoods that the highway shaped six decades ago, Jonmaesha Beltran reports for Wisconsin Watch’s News414 collaboration. Originally published on May 23, 2023.

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In rural Wisconsin, former employees lift curtain on troubled crypto mine

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 15:00:00 -0500

Wisconsin Watch's Jacob Resneck and Zhen Wang report on a a story about a troubled cryptocurrency mining operation in Park Falls, Wisconsin. Two Chinese tech workers share a cramped motel room in a small northern Wisconsin town pondering their next move as they shell out $100 daily to keep out of the freezing temperatures. Lured by a Chinese company that recently built a cryptocurrency mine inside a former 19th century paper mill, the two skilled workers had come to the U.S. on a temporary business visa believing they had a long-term future helping a global firm establish a bitcoin mining operation in North America. Originally published on January 17th, 2023.

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From ‘dream’ property to nightmare: Some Wisconsinites pay the price for pollution they didn’t cause

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 15:00:00 -0500

Wisconsin Watch’s Erin Gretzinger explores the saga of Zach Skrede, who bought a house on 20 acres that he later discovered was laden with discarded roofing material containing asbestos. Under the state’s “spills law,” anyone who “causes, possesses or controls” a hazardous substance discharge is liable for cleaning it up — meaning Skrede faced the prospect of a million-dollar cleanup for contamination he did not cause. Originally published on January 9th, 2023.

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‘You’re treated like a criminal’: Wisconsin eyes fixes for emergency mental health system

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 14:00:00 -0500

Wisconsin Watch's Erin McGroarty reports on mental health crisis services in Wisconsin operating on a county-by-county basis, yielding wide disparities in care. Originally published on January 5th, 2023.

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Evers beats Michels for Wisconsin governor; Johnson defeats Barnes in U.S. Senate race

Wisconsin Watch — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 17:00:00 -0500

Wisconsin Watch reports on Democratic Gov. Tony Evers beating Republican challenger Tim Michels, while GOP U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson wins re-election bid against Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. Originally published on November 8th, 2022.

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Security seals and documentation: The life cycle of Wisconsin election ballots

Wisconsin Watch — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 14:00:00 -0500

In our recent installment Democracy on the Ballot series, Wisconsin Watch's Matt Mencarini reports about the step-by-step process a ballot goes through from creation to the four to five minutes it spends with a voter to eventual destruction. The process with its checks and balances seems mundane but has become all the more important for the public to understand as disinformation about elections spreads. Originally published on November 4th, 2022.

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‘When it’s rigid, it breaks’: How federal rules and market dominance fueled Wisconsin’s baby formula shortage

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 16:00:00 -0400

Wisconsin Watch reporter Hope Karnopp explores how market consolidation and state contracting practices left Wisconsin and other states vulnerable to a baby formula shortage. The shortage affects parents of all backgrounds, but those who navigate formula purchases through state-administered Woman, Infants, and Children programs face particular challenges.
Reporting by Hope Karnopp / Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on July 2, 2022.

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Wisconsin’s ‘chronic Lyme’ patients embrace alternative treatments, rack up big bills

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 16:00:00 -0400

In our recent installment of "Living with Lyme," Wisconsin Watch reporter Zhen Wang explores the ongoing debate over whether patients can suffer long-term effects of Lyme disease — or whether the shifting symptoms are caused by something else. Wang profiles five Wisconsin women who all say they are suffering from chronic Lyme disease.
Reporting by Zhen Wang / Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on June 9, 2022.

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Are abortions ever medically necessary? Wisconsin doctors say yes.

Wisconsin Watch — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 16:00:00 -0400

Wisconsin Watch reporter Phoebe Petrovic talks with two Wisconsin doctors who explain that in some cases abortions can be medically necessary because of how life-threatening conditions can develop or be exacerbated during pregnancy. Reporting by Phoebe Petrovic with Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on June 4, 2022.

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Wisconsin faces a ‘tangled series’ of abortion laws dating back to 1849 as it heads into a possible post-Roe future

Wisconsin Watch — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 16:00:00 -0400

Top GOP lawmakers remain mum on plans if the constitutional right to an abortion is overturned — and state law banning nearly all abortions takes effect.
Reporting by Phoebe Petrovic with Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on June 4, 2022.

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‘Toxic work environment’ in Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office pushes employees to the brink

Wisconsin Watch — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 14:00:00 -0400

This investigation by Wisconsin Watch reporter Brenda Wintrode details alleged screaming, bullying and unrealistic demands by supervisors in the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office that employees say damaged their mental health and caused some to find work elsewhere. The two supervisors accused of bullying — Barry Irmen, operations director, and Dr. Agnieszka Rogalska, the chief medical examiner — denied the allegations.
Reporting by Brenda Wintrode / Wisconsin Watch. Narrated by Wesley Lethem for Wisconsin Watch. Originally published on May 25, 2022.

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‘They can bring so much’: Despite barriers, Afghan evacuees enrich Wisconsin’s workforce

Wisconsin Watch — Tue, 24 May 2022 12:00:00 -0400

More than 800 Afghan nationals have been resettled in Wisconsin — many of whom are highly skilled and educated but need to overcome barriers related to transportation, child care and language. Wisconsin Watch reporter Zhen Wang profiles one Green Bay-area man who has stepped up to help eight Afghan evacuees obtain their driver’s licenses, enroll in English classes and connect with job specialists.
Reporting by Zhen Wang / Wisconsin Watch. Narration by Wesley Lethem. Originally published on May 5, 2022.

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‘They can bring so much’: Despite barriers, Afghan evacuees enrich Wisconsin’s workforce

Wisconsin Watch — Tue, 24 May 2022 12:00:00 -0400

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‘Blurring of lines’: Private lawyer plays starring role in taxpayer-funded Wisconsin election probe

Wisconsin Watch — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 17:00:00 -0400

In this investigation by reporter Matt Mencarini, Wisconsin Watch examines the unofficial — but central — role played by the nonprofit Thomas More Society law firm and its attorney, Erick Kaardal, in the state investigation into Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election. Narration by Wesley Lethem for Wisconsin Watch.

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