Facing financial ruin, the Lac du Flambeau tribe began offering short-term loans online with annual rates often over 600%. But as the tribe rose in an industry derided for predatory practices, it put its reputation at risk and drew costly lawsuits.
Category: Economy
Posted inEconomy, Environment
Deportations, raids and visa access: How the presidential election could alter life for immigrant farmworkers
The division on immigration between presidential candidates shows what could be at stake for immigrant workers, who have underpinned the agriculture industry for decades.
Posted inEconomy
‘A brand new neighborhood’: Green Bay sets stage for largest-ever housing development
Green Bay broke ground on the first steps toward developing what the city said will be its largest-ever housing development.
Posted inEconomy, Health & Welfare
A Wisconsin tribe built a lending empire charging 600% annual rates to borrowers
Over the past decade, the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians has grown to become a prominent player in the tribal lending industry, generating far-reaching impact and leaving a legacy of economic despair.
Posted inEconomy, Health & Welfare
Hey, non-drivers: Help us report on transportation in Wisconsin
Can you safely walk around your city? Many Wisconsin residents can’t. The vast majority of our state’s cities fall short of walkability, according to Seattle-based walkability metric Walk Score. Apart from Milwaukee, which ranks at 24th most walkable large to mid-sized city in the nation and receives a “somewhat walkable” score, every ranked city in […]
Posted inEconomy, Government
With new electoral maps, some hope to bring back driving permits for undocumented immigrants in Wisconsin
Undocumented immigrants in Wisconsin aren’t able to receive driving permits or licenses, but with the new electoral maps, some activists and lawmakers say this may change.
Posted inEconomy, Environment
As investors pay top-dollar for land, farmers are often priced out
Five Wisconsin counties saw a producer decline of at least 15% over five years while agriculture production sales increased.
Posted inEconomy, Justice & Safety
Lawsuit: Milwaukee Tool relied on forced Chinese prison labor to make gloves
Former prisoner says he was subjected to five months of forced labor for the company’s benefit. Milwaukee Tool says the claim lacks merit.
Posted inEconomy, Environment
Data centers in Wisconsin and Chicago area offer energy peril and promise
Southeastern Wisconsin and the Chicago area are emerging as major players in the national data center explosion, most notably with Microsoft’s $3.3 billion planned data complex near Racine.
Posted inEconomy, Health & Welfare
‘It’s heartbreaking’: Milwaukee residents, vendors left in limbo after Social Development Commission’s shutdown
Many services have remained in limbo since the Social Development Commission’s weatherization program was suspended in March for misallocation of funds and the organization as a whole suspended operations in late April.
Posted inEconomy, Environment
‘Precision ag’ promised a farming revolution. It’s coming, just slowly
Precision agriculture has long promised to provide more granular data — and new tech to use it — for farmers facing pressure to increase yields while being more environmentally friendly. It’s had successes, but some of the loftiest promises are still out of reach.
Posted inEconomy
Amid debate about child labor rules, Wisconsin teens take summer jobs
More than 35,000 14- and 15-year-olds join the state’s workforce each year, according to work permit data from the state Department of Workforce Development. May and June are traditionally the months the department issues the most permits each year.