Investigative Reporter
Recent Stories
Trump orders review of wolf protections
Executive order directs Interior Department to consider delisting
President Donald Trump has directed the U.S. Department of the Interior to determine whether gray and Mexican wolves have recovered sufficiently to remove them from federal Endangered Species Act protections, a move that drew enthusiastic support from Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Tiffany and a promise of litigation from major environmental organizations.
Flock surveillance takes stage in governor’s race
Tiffany vows funding pause; Crowley orders policy review
Wisconsin’s raucous and growing debate over Flock Safety cameras and alleged surveillance moved into the governor’s race front and center this past week, as Republican candidate Tom Tiffany promised to pause state funding for the automated license-plate readers and Democratic candidate and Milwaukee County executive David Crowley limited their use while the county evaluated and developed safeguards.
Projected state surplus heads toward $3 billion
New numbers reignite debate over taxes and spending
Wisconsin finished the 2025-26 fiscal year with preliminary general fund tax collections of $23.1 billion, about $450.8 million, or 2 percent, above the Legislative Fiscal Bureau’s previous estimate of nearly $22.7 billion, according to numbers released last week by the state Department of Revenue.
Wisconsin school funding nears historic highs
Students in lower-cost choice programs make greater gains
Wisconsin’s public schools are receiving levels of revenue per student close to historically high levels, according to a recent analysis by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, which argues that the numbers refute recurring claims that the state has chronically underfunded public education.
Oneida County unanimously passes data center moratorium
But unzoned towns leave a jurisdictional gap
The Oneida County Board of Supervisors unanimously enacted a one-year moratorium on new data-center development this week, giving county officials time to determine how to regulate such facilities before one potentially arrives in the Northwoods.
WEC: Best not to gamble with your vote
But is the law banning betting on elections even constitutional?
Though most people don’t realize it, an 1849 Wisconsin law can strip voters of their right to cast a ballot in an election if they happen to place a friendly — or even an unfriendly — wager on the outcome, even though the constitutional provision that once explicitly authorized the law was deep-sixed 40 years ago.
In upset, Crowley stuns Hong in Democratic gubernatorial primary
Tiffany romps; Alfonso, Clark win in 7th district congressional race
Milwaukee County executive David Crowley is the Democratic nominee for governor of Wisconsin, but on Tuesday he did not so much cruise to the nomination as survive the meteoric surge of democratic socialist and Madison lawmaker Francesca Hong.
Johnson’s wolf bill blocked in Senate
Senator vows to continue to push for state management
An attempt by U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson last week to secure a vote on his bill restoring wolf management to the states failed when a Senate Democrat blocked his effort. Johnson (R-Wisconsin) attempted to bypass the normal legislative process by asking for unanimous consent to pass his Pet and Livestock Protection Act, legislation that would restore the 2020 federal wolf delisting rule. However, Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) objected, delaying the increasingly sharp debate over whether wolf management should be driven by state wildlife agencies or remain under federal Endangered Species Act protections.
Democratic attorney Ginger Murray eyes congressional seat
Seventh district hopeful aims to move from family law to Congress
Ginger Murray, a Democratic candidate for the seventh congressional district in Wisconsin, is a longtime family-law attorney who says that her career protecting children, families, and vulnerable people has naturally led her into politics, and, from numerous perspectives, makes her the best candidate for the job.
Republican hopeful Hermening: Congress isn’t an entry-level job
Businessman says revenue isn’t the problem, spending is
Talk a little with long-time Wausau financial adviser Kevin Hermening, and you will quickly find out a lot about his background and journey through life — not because he is bragging about it but because he says it’s critical for the job he hopes to have next: that of U.S. representative for the seventh congressional district of Wisconsin.