Wisconsin to force parents to work for FoodShare, despite doubts about effectiveness
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Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-run Legislature expand work mandate to parents of school-age children and increase requirement to 30 hours a week
Lucky Winners
Some people repeatedly win the Wisconsin Lottery. Do they play fair?
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State lottery officials decline to reveal how they make sure frequent winners are not scamming the system; one expert sees some suspicious patterns in Wisconsin.
Immigration
How undocumented immigrants became the backbone of dairies — and how to keep the milk flowing in America’s Dairyland
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Farmers, experts say reliance on immigrant workers, many of them in the U.S. illegally, will continue unless dairies — and Congress — make significant changes.
Economy
No sanctuary, fewer farmhands: Coping with the Trump agenda in America’s Dairyland
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In Milwaukee County, the debate over ‘sanctuary cities’ continues, while in rural Wisconsin, informal networks form to help immigrants avoid deportation
State of Change: Water, Food And The Future Of Wisconsin
America’s Dairyland and Trump in the rearview mirror as workers return to Mexico
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The Hernandez family and other dairy workers are heading back to Mexico amid hostile rhetoric and rising immigration arrests in the Midwest and nationwide.
State of Change: Water, Food And The Future Of Wisconsin
Under Trump, Wisconsin dairies struggle to keep immigrant workers
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Dairy farmers raise wages to attract and keep Mexican and Central American employees. Workers cite hostility and heightened enforcement.
Economy
No relief from Wisconsin’s 565 percent payday loan interest under new rules
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Payday lenders in Wisconsin charge an average of 565 percent interest for short-term loans. New proposed federal rules to protect consumers will not change that.
Frac Sand Rush
Controversy on Wisconsin-Iowa border as frac sand mine, No. 1 in violations, seeks to expand
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Pattison Sand Co., which recently opened a site in Wisconsin, is facing concerns over the growth of its Iowa mine, which has a worst-in-the-nation safety record.
Scott Walker's Wisconsin
State revokes tax credits after W.W. Grainger cuts, outsources jobs
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The Department of Revenue has revoked $50,000 worth of tax credits from W.W. Grainger, a distributor of industrial and maintenance supplies, after the company failed to create promised jobs, sold subsidiaries employing hundreds of its workers and sent some jobs overseas.
Economy
Wisconsin’s new debt law not in line with federal recommendations
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The FTC has recommended that states boost requirements for what documentation is needed at the beginning of a lawsuit. Wisconsin’s new law does not meet most of these recommendations.
Economy
Controversial debt buyers get a break under new Wisconsin law
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A new Wisconsin law standardized debt collection; advocates fear it could hurt consumers.
Precious Lives
After guns wound and kill, bills pile up for victims and society
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Gun violence costs Wisconsinites billions of dollars a year. Taxpayers pay for most of it in medical bills and incarceration costs. Victims suffer lost wages and trauma that can have long-lasting effects. Communities pay through lowered property values and higher police costs.