Choose your location
Wisconsin Watch
What’s in an address? A lot, it turns out
An Assembly committee will hold a public hearing Wednesday on a bill that would define what constitutes an “address” for the purposes of an absentee ballot certificate. What’s in an address? A lot, it turns out is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
Bipartisan support for curbing long sentences for minors has yet to pass
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup. A bipartisan bill would give those convicted of a crime and sentenced to decades in prison when they were younger than 18 an opportunity to apply for early release after 15 to 20 years. It also would end “life without parole” sentences for minors and bring Wisconsin in line with federal constitutional law. The bill has been introduced in previous sessions, but even without any registered opposition it has failed to advance. This week it will finally get its first public hearing after in previous sessions failing to advance out of committee.
Wisconsin redistricting experts tell Supreme Court: Republican map proposals are gerrymanders
Consultants hired by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to examine maps redrawing state legislative districts said Thursday that plans submitted by the Republican Legislature and a conservative law firm are partisan gerrymanders. Wisconsin redistricting experts tell Supreme Court: Republican map proposals are gerrymanders is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
10 guards, 900 inmates: Wisconsin prisons see dire results of ignored warnings
An extreme shortage of guards at Wisconsin’s prisons slowed basic operations to a crawl. Inmates escaped, prisons locked down and conditions deteriorated. 10 guards, 900 inmates: Wisconsin prisons see dire results of ignored warnings is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
Does natural gas cause one-third of US greenhouse gas emissions?
Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims. One-third of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. in 2022 came from natural gas, according to the latest figures from the federal Energy Information Administration.
Are lake sturgeon endangered in the Winnebago system?
Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims. The lake sturgeon is common in the Winnebago system, even though it is threatened in most of the United States, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Your Right to Know: Don’t charge records requesters for redactions
You’ve already paid for them. They’re yours. But if you want to see the public records that show what your government is doing, some state lawmakers want you to pay again — this time, for redactions. That’s right. They want you to pay more to get less....
In fight over voter rolls, Wisconsin’s top judges can’t agree on sensitive data
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup. Conservative activists who challenged Wisconsin’s 2020 election results could gain access to sensitive health information about people judged mentally incapable of voting after one appellate court took the unusual step of contradicting a related ruling from another branch of the same court.
Judge orders Wisconsin election officials to move quickly on changing absentee ballot rules
A Wisconsin judge ordered the state elections commission to implement his ruling allowing election clerks to accept absentee ballots that have partial witness addresses, a decision that is expected to expand the number of ballots that will be counted. Judge orders Wisconsin election officials to move quickly on changing absentee ballot rules is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
Wisconsin judge: Regulators can force factory farms to get preemptive pollution permits
A Wisconsin judge ruled Tuesday that state regulators can force factory farms to obtain permits before they discharge pollutants, ensuring protections continue to apply preemptively for lakes, streams and drinking water. Wisconsin judge: Regulators can force factory farms to get preemptive pollution permits is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
Did opioid-related fatal overdoses in Wisconsin reach record highs before Joe Biden became president and have they continued to increase?
Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims. Opioid-related fatal overdoses in Wisconsin set records under Presidents Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. The latest annual statistics from the Wisconsin Department...
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoes Republicans’ redistricting proposal, calls maps ‘more of the same’
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a redistricting proposal that the Republican-controlled Legislature passed last week in a last-ditch effort to avert the drawing of legislative boundaries by the state Supreme Court. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoes Republicans’ redistricting proposal, calls maps ‘more of the same’ is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
Has the price of groceries increased 20% since Joe Biden became president?
Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims. The price of groceries increased more than 20% during President Joe Biden’s first three years in office and exceeded wage growth. The Consumer...
Has the Biden administration allowed 6 million migrants to come into US and stay?
Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims. No official statistics say 6 million migrants have entered the U.S. and stayed since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. Through November...
Is the U.S. defense budget in 2024 nearing $1 trillion per year?
Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims. Annual federal spending on defense is trending toward $1 trillion. Defense spending is authorized at up to $886 billion for fiscal 2024, which runs...
Prisoners in US are part of hidden workforce linked to hundreds of popular food brands
During the six-year period the AP examined, surplus raw milk from a Wisconsin prison dairy went to BelGioioso Cheese, which makes Polly-O string cheese and other products that land in grocery stores nationwide like Whole Foods. Prisoners in US are part of hidden workforce linked to hundreds of popular food brands is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
Why Wisconsin judges are increasingly involved in elections
Forward is a look ahead at the week in Wisconsin government and politics from the Wisconsin Watch statehouse team. Let’s get you prepared for the week. Elections used to be about winning the hearts and minds of voters. These days, they’re increasingly about winning over judges. Courts have...
How Wisconsin Watch debunked a false national headline
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup. Amid the Israel-Hamas war, misinformation has spread rampantly on college campuses. One particular moment on the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campus created a social media firestorm after a false claim regarding a pro-Palestinian rally reached over 2.8 million views on Twitter.
A Wisconsin redo election signals growing ballot scrutiny in US
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters for original stories and our Friday news roundup. For 32 years, Lorine Walters ran elections in what is known as “Wisconsin’s Last Wilderness.” It was pretty routine until last spring, when an election rarity occurred — in a race in which she was a candidate.
Have the majority of women who get abortions previously given birth?
Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims. In 2021, 60.7% of abortions in the U.S. were performed on females who had previously given birth, according to the latest annual figures from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Wisconsin Watch
2K+
Posts
6M+
Views
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative newsroom.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.