A message spray-painted on a two-story Janesville rental home accuses a tenant of not paying her rent. The vandalism not only makes a public spectacle of a landlord’s ongoing dispute with a renter he’s trying to evict, it also shines a light on the need for affordable housing in the city.
Category: Economy
Posted inEconomy, Environment
Mayors call for federal assistance as Mississippi River reaches record lows
Impacts of dry conditions range from barge slowdowns to water main breaks caused by shifting dry ground.
Posted inEconomy, Environment
Wisconsin regulators should look to Iowa for third-party solar model, advocates say
A pair of cases before regulators seek to clarify Wisconsin’s position on third-party-owned solar installations, in which the entity that owns the array is different from the property owner that will use the electricity.
Posted inEconomy, Health & Welfare
‘How do I ever get caught up, if I’m always catching up?’ Poverty’s unrelenting grip on Milwaukee
Milwaukee holds the second-highest poverty rate among large U.S. cities, leaving many residents with impossible choices.
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Government
Mississippi River mayors gather in St. Louis, push for program to safeguard lower basin
A coalition of Mississippi River mayors is celebrating the Senate approval of a lower river basin plan. At their annual meeting in St. Louis, members of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI) discussed policy priorities and strategized ways to benefit the region.
Posted inEconomy
Oshkosh Defense sent a big contract to the non-union South. Will it keep future jobs in Wisconsin?
Despite tens of millions in state and local government incentives, the Wisconsin company is steering billions of dollars of work away from its namesake city.
Posted inEconomy, Government, Lives on Hold
Among Wisconsin’s jobless, Black applicants half as likely as whites to receive pandemic aid
Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance system buckled for many during the pandemic, with people of color less likely than whites to receive federal help, an audit found.
Posted inEconomy
A legacy of past choices: Milwaukee’s housing crisis explained
Rising rent, stagnant wages and a lack of available units have left Milwaukeeans navigating an affordable housing crisis. This crisis, say local housing experts, is a legacy of the city’s past policy choices.
Posted inEconomy, Government, News about Wisconsin Watch
Calls for more transparency, entrepreneurship as Ho-Chunk Nation envisions an economy beyond gaming
The Ho-Chunk Nation has a bright economic future, ripe with prospects to diversify its economy beyond gaming. That’s if the tribal government more clearly communicates with citizens and opens space for entrepreneurs and private companies to invest in tribal communities, Ho-Chunk officials and citizens said during a Wisconsin Watch event held on May 12.
Posted inEconomy
‘They can bring so much’: Despite barriers, Afghan evacuees enrich Wisconsin’s workforce
Wisconsin is in a labor crunch. Evacuees and other immigrants can help — if they can navigate transportation and other obstacles.
Posted inEconomy, Government
‘We’ve got to get gaming out of our blood’: Pandemic shock pushes Wisconsin tribes to diversify economy
Wisconsin tribes contemplate future beyond gaming after pandemic shows risk of overreliance on casinos.
Posted inEconomy, Government
Behind the story: How we reported on challenges and opportunities for Wisconsin’s tribal economies
Partnerships and deep listening were key in attempt to build trust among Ho-Chunk Nation citizens.