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Rare green violet re-discovered in Wisconsin
A conservation biologist with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) located what the department is calling “the holy grail” of rare plants in Wisconsin. Green violets (Hybanthus concolor), which were thought to have disappeared from the state, were found growing by the hundreds in a west central state natural area. The last time green a […]
Wolf study raises questions about what’s going on in Wisconsin’s woods
After contributing to an independent study to assess how many wolves were killed during the February wolf hunt, Professor Adrian Treves expected some criticism. “There’s just more controversy surrounding wolves, their protected status, and the conflict that some people experience with them that makes management very difficult and controversial,” Treves, a professor of environmental studies […]
Milwaukee unarmed responder task force draws questions
Milwaukee is exploring ways to send unarmed responders to certain calls rather than police. It’s an experiment that’s been on the minds of local elected officials and community organizers for some time — especially since protests of police violence started in 2020. Such responders would be particularly trained to respond to mental health crises. Ald. […]
Texts show Kenosha officers called armed civilians ‘very friendly’ hours before Rittenhouse shooting
Around 10 p.m. on Aug. 25, 2020, teenager Kyle Rittenhouse was standing outside a dealership in Kenosha with a group of other armed men who said they were protecting the business on 59th Street and Sheridan Road from protesters. The city was in the midst of a multi-day eruption of demonstrations against police violence following […]
Opioid settlement resources could be transformative for communities, leaders say
Gov. Evers joined local elected officials and advocates in Waukesha on Tuesday To announce a new step in addressing the opioid and overdose crisis across the state. “There’s no way around it folks,” Evers said during a press conference, “we have got to come together to put an end to this epidemic that shatters lives […]
I covered protests in Wauwatosa, so the police put me on a list shared with the FBI
New details have emerged about the Wauwatosa Police Department’s (WPD) “protester list,” the existence of which was first reported by the Wisconsin Examiner in January. The list, created early last summer as protests over police killings focused on the Milwaukee suburb, grew from about 40 people last June to nearly 200 people. What’s more, I […]
Data protection from police takes hit in Supreme Court
A recent Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling will have implications for how police are able to use and share people’s cell phone data. The case revolved around a man whose cell phone data had been downloaded by the Green Bay Police Department. The man, George Burch, gave police consent to look at text messages on his […]
Tosa police chief decision raises concerns from community members
Wauwatosa’s Police and Fire Commission (PFC) has chosen Milwaukee PD Captain James MacGillis to become the city’s next police chief. MacGillis, who grew up in Wauwatosa, was among three finalists from the Milwaukee Police Department, including the current acting chief Jeffery Norman. While the PFC nearly unanimously voted for MacGillis, some fear that the decision […]
BLOC and other groups demand real police reform from Evers
“We’re here to say that enough is enough,” said Angela Lang, executive director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC) during a press conference in the Capitol on June 30, surrounded by allied groups. “Elected officials continue to play politics with our lives,” she declared. “They continue to do policy work that actually doesn’t protect […]
COVID numbers in Wisconsin prisons at zero, says DOC
Active cases of COVID-19 have dropped to zero across all of the Department of Corrections’ (DOC) 37 facilities, including those for youth. Three active cases among staff remain, however, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Those individuals are quarantining at home. DOC tracks cases of COVID-19 among staff and people incarcerated within its facilities via an […]
Congresswoman Gwen Moore chosen for a new select committee that will focus on disparities in her hometown
“I was very, very happy to join this committee,” Congresswoman Gwen Moore tells Wisconsin Examiner, speaking of the new Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth. Moore adds that “my own lived experience, my legislative experience, my work on these various issues” give her a valuable perspective to contribute. Created by Speaker Nancy […]
Report shows some improvements to voting access within Wisconsin jails
A new report by All Voting is Local, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin shows signs of small, though important steps being taken to increase ballot access for people in jails. Nevertheless, the report also found that many barriers remain for voting-eligible people incarcerated in […]