Posted inNews & Announcements, News about Wisconsin Watch

Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism hires Donor Engagement Coordinator

The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism is pleased to announce the hiring of its first Donor Engagement Coordinator, Zachary Peterson, who will assist in the Center’s fundraising with prospect research, donor correspondence, database management and fundraising strategy.

Posted inNews & Announcements, News about Wisconsin Watch

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service seeking Director of Development and Partnerships

The Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism seek a Director of Development and Partnerships to steward a fundraising strategy and forge new relationships to build Neighborhood News Service’s visibility in the business and philanthropic community.

Posted inEconomy, Government, Justice & Safety

Under Scott Walker, Wisconsin slows updates of building and safety codes

In two instances, Wisconsin appears to be violating state laws in its failure to maintain committees and update standards. Critics say this failure also means lost savings for homeowners and taxpayers, reduced accessibility for people with disabilities and increased dangers for building occupants.

Posted inEconomy, Government, Justice & Safety

Wisconsin councils often inactive, as codes lag national models

Many of the building code advisory councils established to advise the state have not met in years, and many state codes have not been promptly updated to reflect contemporary national models. These models, when they exist, are typically updated every three years. This chart presents relevant information in selected code areas.

Posted inEnvironment, Murky Waters, Water Watch Wisconsin

Case study: How one developer plans to curb runoff into Madison’s lakes

“Developers are often demonized, but I have probably planted more trees than 99 percent of citizens and the city of Madison,” said Wall, the 2009 recipient of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency and a one-time Republican U.S. Senate candidate who lost to Ron Johnson. “There is nothing worse than a town filled with concrete.”

Posted inEconomy, Environment, Government

Wasted Places: Slow, underfunded EPA program falls short in toxic site cleanups

The stated goals of the federal government’s Brownfields Program are to fund the cleanup of contamination, to improve the quality of life of blighted communities and to provide economic stimulus. But an investigation by nonprofit newsrooms across the country, coordinated by the Investigative News Network, found problems in every community examined.

Posted inEconomy, Environment, Government, Money & Politics

Wisconsin wetlands seen as threat to jobs

On Feb. 2, 2011, the Legislature voted to exempt a little patch of land, less than a mile down the road from the Green Bay Packers’ Lambeau Field, from the state’s wetlands rules, once called “the strongest wetland protections in the country.” The bill, passed on World Wetlands Day, will let up to three acres of the so-called Bergstrom wetland be filled with no additional permits or process.