Investigative Reporter
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Assembly passes a package of doomed workforce reforms
Guaranteed income programs would be prohibited
The state Assembly approved a package of Republican-backed bills to reform workforce development and unemployment benefit programs this week, but a promised gubernatorial veto will doom them.
Oneida County resurrects youth governance program
UW Extension 4-H to offer county students direct participation in government
It hasn’t been active for a few years, but with the informal approval of the Oneida County Board of Supervisors this past month, the county’s UW-Extension 4-H group will be revving up a program to allow area students to sit in on county meetings in a direct hands-on learning approach to civics and government.
Oneida County zoning will review parking restrictions
Complaints about equal treatment lurk around exemptions
Beset over the years with complaints of unequal treatment, the Oneida County zoning department will undertake a review of county parking restrictions, especially waivers from compliance, at the request of zoning committee chairman and county board chairman Scott Holewinski.
Audit: State agencies, UW System spent millions on DEI
In one year, state agency staff spent 4,990 hours attending DEI meetings
The co-chairmen of the state legislature’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee, state Sen. Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto) and Rep. Robert Wittke (R-Caledonia), have scheduled a public hearing after the release of two audit reports on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in state government agencies and in the UW System showing millions of dollars spent and thousands of hours of time invested in the programs.
CDC: Autism prevalence rises to 1 in 31 kids
All-time high as disorder continues to escalate
The number of children with autism has reached an unprecedented high, according to numbers released this week by the federal government, showing that one in 31 children age 8 had the disorder in 2022, or 3.22 percent of those children.
Meta-analysis: Environmental pollutants are significant risk factors for autism
Journalist finds that same chemicals pop up in studies of disorders
Another year and another analysis has found significant links between toxic environmental exposures and autism, this time a peer-reviewed meta-analysis of cohort studies published in BMC Public Health.
NIH to launch study to find causes of autism
Kennedy reorganizes, reprioritizes mission of health agencies
As vaccines in general come under more scrutiny in the post-Covid mRNA world, and as environmental toxins are increasingly eyed as a major factor in triggering autism, including those in vaccines, this week the National Institutes of Health confirmed that it would undertake a study on the causes of autism and why prevalence rates continue to climb.
Tariff turbulence, but more think U.S. on right track
Americans feeling more satisfied since November election
The national media has been yelling doom and gloom about President Donald Trump’s impending tariffs, but what about the voters? Not so much, at least so far, according to a new Marquette Law School poll released last week. A separate Gallup survey also shows Americans feeling more satisfied about the way things are going in the U.S. since Trump took office for a second term.
What’s in Oneida County’s wallet?
Not a lot, really, when it comes to credit cards
Usually, when a story appears showing federal government waste or fraud, or potential government waste or fraud, that’s a signal to look at state and local governments to see if the same thing is happening there. In February, for example, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) turned its attention to federal government credit cards, and, while the initial scrutiny didn’t turn up any obvious fraud, it indicated there was likely waste in administration.
Crawford cruises in victory over Schimel
Underly wins re-election as state superintendent of schools
Progressive Dane County circuit judge Susan Crawford swept to a robust and easy win over conservative Waukesha circuit judge and former attorney general Brad Schimel Tuesday in the race for an open state Supreme Court seat, sealing a progressive majority on the court until at least 2028.