Douglas Meyers, who died on a rural road in October, was one of 18 traffic fatalities in Marinette County in 2009 as the county traffic death toll tied an all-time record.
Posted inDairyland Diversity, Justice & Safety
Undocumented and driving without a license
Drivers beware: There’s a woman driving a stretch of Interstate 90 between Sparta and Tomah — without a license or any training about Wisconsin’s traffic laws.
Posted inJustice & Safety
Nine people freed on strength of DNA testing in Wisconsin
In the last 10 years, about one-third of the post-conviction DNA testing in Wisconsin has resulted in a conviction being overturned.
Posted inEconomy
Buyer beware: Electric heaters may not live up to money-saving claims
Jack Brennan, 70, of Green Bay, bought two $350 electric heaters after seeing an ad that vowed to “cut your heating bill by up to 50 percent.” His next utility bill was three times higher than normal.
Posted inEnvironment
DNR continues to miss own goals for managing CWD
The latest population figures of deer with chronic wasting disease are nearly 160 percent over target.
Posted inDairyland Diversity, Economy, Health & Welfare, Justice & Safety
A delicate existence: Undocumented Wisconsin dairy farm workers
They traveled 1,720 miles to work long hours on a dairy farm in western Wisconsin, among people who do not speak their language and in a place where their presence is illegal. Part 3 in our Dairyland Diversity project.
Posted inDairyland Diversity, Economy
Immigrants now 40 percent of state’s dairy workforce
A growing number of Wisconsin dairy farmers are relying on immigrants to milk their cows and keep their farms running smoothly. But experts say farmers are often caught in a “don’t ask, don’t tell” web of federal employment regulations, with a strong incentive to know as little as possible about the legal status of their workers.
Posted inHealth & Welfare
Depressed mothers face barriers to treatment
More than 65 percent of depressed mothers don’t get adequate treatment for depression, according to a nationwide study released this fall by the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. The study of 2,130 women found that black, Hispanic and other minority mothers, as well as uninsured mothers, were among the least likely to be helped.
Posted inEducation, Health & Welfare, Justice & Safety
Investigators head off threats from 125 troubled people at UW-Madison
Officials at the University of Wisconsin-Madison say they defused threats from 125 troubled students, employees and area residents under a little-known program launched two years ago in response to deadly tragedies on college campuses in Virginia and Illinois.
But the program didn’t identify at least three individuals before they caused problems at Wisconsin’s flagship campus, including threats against a campus leader, a bomb threat and a murder near campus.
Posted inDairyland Diversity, Economy
Rural immigration summit focuses on ‘invisible community’
DODGEVILLE — Rapid increases in the Latino population of Wisconsin’s rural areas are reshaping work, school and social life, but also are raising concerns that Spanish-speaking immigrants are often isolated and mistrusted, experts and residents said at an event aimed at fostering better connections between newcomers and long-time residents.
Posted inEconomy, WisWatch Blog
Spending and debt increase in Wisconsin’s largest cities in past five years
Municipal spending and debt both increased in Wisconsin’s biggest cities between 2003 and 2007.
Posted inEconomy, Education
Wisconsin’s low-income school population rises, includes nearly 4 in 10 elementary students
Nearly four in 10 Wisconsin elementary students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch last school year, and the proportion of low-income elementary students has climbed every year of this decade, according to state Department of Public Instruction data analyzed by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.