Investigative Reporter
Recent Stories
Supreme Court race down to the wire
It’s Schimel v. Crawford … and Musk v. Soros
The way their names are being bandied about, one would think that Elon Musk and George Soros are on the ballot for Tuesday’s Supreme Court contest in Wisconsin, but they are not. Instead, voters must choose between former Republican attorney general and current Waukesha County circuit judge Brad Schimel and Dane County circuit judge Susan Crawford.
Swearingen set to introduce open government bill
Measure overturning Supreme Court decision failed last year
Rep. Rob Swearingen (R-Rhinelander), along with Rep. Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville) and Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), are preparing to introduce a bill that would reverse a Supreme Court decision requiring that a court act on an open records case before considering if attorney’s fees can be awarded to the requester.
WMC sues DNR for violating federal Clean Air Act
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) filed a lawsuit last month against the state Department of Natural Resources, alleging that the agency has stepped way out of its lane by illegally regulating certain mobile sources of air pollution while those sources are manufactured.
Public safety panel postpones closed session on deputy medical examiner paid time off
Johnson wanted meeting heard in public after panel denied PTO pay out
A clerical snafu caused Oneida County’s public safety committee to cancel a closed session last week about the compensation of former deputy medical examiner Lucas Johnson.
Reports: CDC will study vaccine-autism link
Advocates say major study needed to resolve dueling science
A week after President Donald Trump committed his administration — and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in particular — to tracking down the cause of what many call an autism epidemic in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control confirmed that it would do exactly that, though it did not affirm that it would study possible links between childhood vaccination and autism, as news outlets were widely reporting.
River News wins General Excellence and Best in Division top awards
In repeat wins, newspaper scores a double-double
Scoring 17 total awards and four first-place awards, The Northwoods River News took home the coveted Best In Division and General Excellence awards for its division among weekly newspapers for 2024, announced at the annual Wisconsin Newspaper Association (WNA) Foundation’s awards banquet in Madison last week.
Special counsel probes large Dane County dog research facility for abuse
Ridglan Farms could face criminal charges as well as regulatory consequences
A special prosecutor is investigating one of the nation’s only remaining dog breeding and medical research facilities for animal cruelty after a Dane County judge found probable cause for criminal conduct.
Evers’s gender language proposal sparks backlash
Same change in a different political time makes for national controversy
Despite the fact that it had been proposed before, Gov. Tony Evers’s proposed budget language, in which he seeks to wipe out terms like “mother” and “father” in certain sections of state law, drew local and national attention last week, drawing in everybody from Northwoods lawmakers to Elon Musk.
Governor’s budget would boost resident deer hunting license fee by 91 percent
Resident fishing licenses would cost 50 percent more
Faced with a deficit in the state Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Fish and Wildlife Account, Gov. Tony Evers has proposed in his 2025-27 budget to significantly boost the cost of hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses.
Walker, Holmes file invasion of privacy lawsuit against Bangstad
Complaint: Bangstad siphoned more than $1 million from PAC for personal use
The publisher and general manager of The Lakeland Times have filed a lawsuit against the owner of the Minocqua Brewing Company (MBC), alleging invasion of privacy by using their names and images for commercial purposes without their permission.