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Seeking an Rx for skyrocketing drug prices
Although skyrocketing drug prices are a national problem, states can do a lot to help consumers. A new task force invites governors from around the country who are working on drug-pricing policy to present their ideas in Wisconsin, as the Evers administration seeks immediate relief for state residents.
Wisconsin’s frac sand mining business hits a slump
Hi-Crush Inc. laid off 37 workers in October and November.
Pipeline bill’s backers, critics both lobby Evers as signing deadline nears
Pressure is building on Gov. Tony Evers from both backers and critics of a controversial bill that would make it a felony for protesters to trespass on pipeline sites and other forms of energy and water-transmission infrastructure. Assembly Bill 426 formally reached Evers’ office Thursday, Nov. 14, giving him one week to sign or veto […]
All about the PFAS problem
They’ve been a part of life for decades, used for everything from waterproofing clothing to making foam for fighting airplane and industrial fires. But for most of that time, the class of chemicals known as PFAS escaped detection as potentially hazardous to human health. And not until the last five years or so have Wisconsin […]
Shareholders give the OK to Gannett-GateHouse merger
Shareholders for the country’s two largest newspaper groups on Thursday voted to approve the merger of Gannett Co. and GateHouse Media, opening the next chapter in more than a decade of struggle for Wisconsin’s largest newspaper, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, as well as 11 other dailies in the state. The vote came even as both […]
Federal bill would cap loan interest for consumers
Wisconsin Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) introduced bipartisan legislation this week along with several progressive co-sponsors that aimed at protecting consumers from predatory lenders. “Just on its face, where you’re getting interest rates up over 300%, it’s immoral,” Grothman said in a telephone press conference on Tuesday to mark the introduction of the bill. Citing a […]
Democratic report: Trump farm benefits help those who need it least
Payments the Trump administration has made to compensate farmers for losses they’ve incurred as a result of the administration’s trade policies have benefited farms with less damage while providing insufficient help to the hardest hit, according to a new report commissioned by Senate Democrats, including Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin. The report looks at the impact […]
Legislators end session with little consensus, no action on gun control
In a floor session that opened after 2 p.m. and didn’t end until 9:30, the state Assembly on Thursday began with three failed veto-override attempts and ended with President Pro Tempore Tyler August (R-Lake Geneva) gaveling a special session on gun violence open and shut without action. In between, a Republican bill allowing pharmacists to […]
What hasn’t happened in health care
In the legislative floor session that ends Nov. 12, health care — a topic that ranks as a top concern for Wisconsinites — has taken a back seat to contentious battles over Gov. Tony Evers’ powers and even his cabinet choices. But the subject was not entirely a no-show. The Assembly on Thursday will take […]
Pipeline protest bill now goes to Evers
The state Senate passed a bill escalating penalties for trespassing and vandalism at pipelines and other energy-related sites on a voice vote Tuesday, sending it to Gov. Tony Evers. A final effort to narrow the bill’s scope failed on a party-line vote. Assembly Bill 496 — backed by business interests as well as by labor […]
Health care expert warns of VA privatization risks
Several years ago, as veteran health care journalist Suzanne Gordon was exploring patient safety, her research led her to a model medical provider: the Veterans Administration. “The Veterans Administration is one of the only health care systems in the country that takes teaching teamwork really seriously,” Gordon said in a telephone interview. That’s important, she […]
Rebooting the New Deal
Eighty-six years ago, a new president undertook the most sweeping revision in American economic and social policy the United States had seen since the nation was born. The New Deal fulfilled what Franklin Delano Roosevelt had called for during his campaign in 1932: “a complete change in concept of what are the proper functions and […]