Category: Fact briefs

Yes. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has an interactive map showing verified wolf depredations of livestock, pets and hunting dogs.

Yes. The Canadian oil company Enbridge Energy reported to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources a leak of Line 13 — a pipeline of chemicals used to dilute petroleum— near Fort Atkinson in July 2020. That was more than a year after the company first discovered it.

Yes. An October 2020 review by WisPolitics.com found Wisconsin had the least active full-time legislature during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yes. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Health Services advised people to eat no more than one meal a month of rainbow smelt from Lake Superior in January 2021. The advisory followed the discovery of high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, persistent contaminants known as “forever chemicals.”

No. Wisconsin’s Interstate 94, the state’s longest expressway, has experienced modest traffic increases in the past decade.

Yes. The state Department of Revenue estimated in August that Wisconsin will have a $5 billion surplus by July 2023, the start of a new fiscal year.

Yes. On Nov. 16, 2022 Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin voted against a procedural motion to advance the Respect for Marriage Act — a bill that would codify same-sex marriage equality nationwide.

Yes. Milwaukee Public Schools fell from a three-star “meets expectations” rating to a two-star “meets few expectations” rating between 2020-21 and 2021-22.
This year, the district received an overall score of 56.8, compared to 58.1 the previous year.

Yes. Rep. Robin Vos, the Republican leader of the Wisconsin Assembly, expressed interest in working with fellow Republicans to “make some potential changes to the 1849 law” in the the 2023 legislative session. The statement was made during a Nov. 10, 2022 radio interview.

Yes. Wisconsin families have multiple school choice options, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. One option is open enrollment, which allows students to enroll in schools in districts other than where they live or attend virtual charter schools.

No. Although Republican lawmakers redrew legislative districting maps in 2011 that in effect highly favored their electoral outcomes in the Wisconsin State Legislature, experts have argued that Wisconsin’s natural political geography also is somewhat biased in favor of Republicans.