Three years ago, Laurie Doxtator realized she’d been using substances for 50 years, including drinking since age 8. At a sober living house in Green Bay, she learned other ways to deal with past trauma. Here is Laurie's recovery story, as told to Wisconsin Watch photo journalist Joe Timmerman.

A host of challenges face those choosing Affordable Care Act marketplace health insurance for 2026. Here is some information that might help folks in Wisconsin who are feeling anxious or overwhelmed @wisconsinwatch.org wisconsinwatch.org/2025/11/how-...

“I came from nothing and built a community.” After years of healing, a Green Bay woman takes her next step in sobriety — carrying new perspectives and a support network with her. Beautiful storytelling by @josephmtimmerman.bsky.social wisconsinwatch.org/2025/11/laur...

Factory-built homes help families realize ownership dreams. A more affordable model helps Habitat for Humanity build more homes. But some Wisconsin municipalities exclude manufactured homes from neighborhoods. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/11/wisc... (via @addiecostello.bsky.social)

“Public Service Commission statutes indicate that utilities can keep only certain items from the public and for very discrete reasons – for instance, to protect competitive information or trade secrets. But in practice, secrecy is extended to a wide range of records.”

A convicted fraudster is back in business — and doing millions of dollars worth of deals with Republican political committees. My @notus.com investigation in @wisconsinwatch.org: wisconsinwatch.org/2025/11/repu...

Yes, using a benchmark, Obamacare premiums have increased 3 times the rate of inflation since coverage began in 2014. Newer premium subsidies are due to expire Dec. 31.

The recent arrests of a Venezuelan couple reflect an apparent shift in ICE’s interpretation of protections for asylum seekers. Officers are now detaining even immigrants who don’t have removal cases in immigration court.

Nationally, nearly 70% of all farmland is expected to change hands in the next 20 years, whether through inheritance or sale, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Here's how lawmakers are trying to make the process easier in Wisconsin.

I cannot stop laughing at this. Thank you, @wisconsinwatch.org wisconsinwatch.org/2025/10/comm...

The latest from @wisconsinwatch.org: Yes, the Senate's 60-vote rule is one reason for the federal government shutdown; No, despite sometimes being used interchangeably, communism and socialism are not the same.

A socialist Wisconsin state lawmaker was called a communist by a fellow lawmaker. @wisconsinwatch.org spells out how those two ideologies are not the same. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/10/comm...

Wisconsin members of Congress point fingers as SNAP benefits run dry. The state will run out of SNAP funds for nearly 700,000 people on Nov. 1. (@notus.com / @wisconsinwatch.org) wisconsinwatch.org/2025/10/wisc...

Incredible story from my bestie @mirandadunlap.bsky.social in @wisconsinwatch.org about the teens running a community newspaper in Pulaski, Wisconsin. And the photos were all shot on Portra 800 film, and they look beautiful. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/10/wisc...

Wisconsin mother gets defense attorney days after @wisconsinwatch.org reported on her three years of legal limbo. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/10/wisc...

In partnership with the nonprofit @hackshackers.com Wisconsin Watch is experimenting ways to improve the audio descriptions of photos for those who use screen readers, known as alt text. Here's what we're doing -- and how you can give feedback or suggestions 👇

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction dedicates scant resources to investigate educator misconduct, raising questions about the quality of its oversight and protection of children, a @captimes.com investigation has found. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/10/wisc...

NEW: More turmoil for Milwaukee's Social Development Commission as volunteer legal counsel William Sulton resigns. Interim CEO and board chair Jorge Franco said Sulton resigned out of frustration with the “toxic” behavior of commissioners who have publicly criticized the board’s leadership.

Would you like to have stories like this one sent directly to you? Our Monday morning newsletter takes short-and-sweet look at what's on the agenda in Wisconsin state government and politics. More than 20,000 people get it every week. The link to sign up is in the first reply to this post.👇

A legal fight is underway in swing-state Wisconsin on citizenship and voting. @wisconsinwatch.org looks at one question on proving citizenship.

Dentists are poorly distributed across Wisconsin, with an uneven share practicing in metropolitan areas and too few in rural regions. Too few dental hygienists and assistants have entered the field to replace those who have retired in recent years. Here's how tech colleges are trying to fix that.

A new analysis finds that Wisconsin ranks 46th in college affordability. The report, published annually by the nonprofit National College Attainment Network, focuses on each state’s “affordability gap” – the difference between the cost of public college and what students and their families can pay.

Increased use of compassionate release for elderly and sick prisoners could ease costs and crowding of Wisconsin's correctional facilities with minimal risks to public safety, advocates and legal experts say, but this practice remains off limits to many, reports @wisconsinwatch.org.

“Manufactured home communities are uniquely positioned to be really successfully, cooperatively owned ... You have an existing constituency of folks that already own their home, and they have the land in common.” -- Victoria Clark-West, executive director of CoNorth

We are a democratic republic. The government, at all levels, works for us when we do our part. We can act to change things. We don’t have to be resigned and accept the way things are as inevitable. We’re in charge — if we choose to be. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/10/wisc...

Fact-checking U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson: Fraud has occurred in Affordable Care Act coverage. But No, there isn't documentation that 6 million people got Obamacare coverage unknowingly, @wisconsinwatch.org finds.

The latest from @wisconsinwatch.org: No, 6 million people didn't unknowingly get Obamacare health insurance coverage; Yes, ICE is offering local police agencies $100,000 to help apprehend unauthorized immigrants. wisconsinwatch.org/series/fact-...

Increased use of compassionate release in prisons could ease costs and crowding with minimal risks to public safety, experts say. But it remains off limits to many prisoners. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/10/wisc... (via @wisconsinwatch.org)

How right has Wisconsin's Tom Tiffany, the GOP frontrunner for governor, been in making claims? @wisconsinwatch.org reviewed 11 of his statements on tariffs, transgender women in sports, Ukraine, the terrorist watchlist and more.

ICYMI: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offers up to $100,000 for vehicle purchases to local law enforcement agencies that assist ICE in apprehending unauthorized immigrants. For more fact checks like this one, follow @tomkertschernews.bsky.social.

A Manitowoc County dairy farmer can’t find an attorney and has no idea where her husband is after he was among 24 people arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Manitowoc County on Sept. 25.

Among other bonuses and reimbursements, local police agencies can receive up to $100,000 for vehicles for working with ICE on apprehending unauthorized immigrants, @wisconsinwatch.org finds. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/10/wisc...

“If we would pass a bill in regards to legalizing and regulating cannabis in Wisconsin, there would be a lot more consumer protections... Right now, you’re just kind of taking people’s word for it. There’s no checks and balances, there’s no real accountability.” - Dane County Executive Melissa Agard

Although the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” offers new tax deductions and credits across different income levels, low-income households – the bottom 20% of income earners – are largely excluded from any significant tax benefits.

Federal health grants down $5 billion? Most Americans say violence against leaders is OK? Communist Party is banned by law? Take the @wisconsinwatch.org quiz. gigafact.org/quiz/wiscons...

Incoming undergraduates to UW-Madison will have to fill out a new form in addition to the FAFSA. It's called a CSS profile and here's what you need to know about it.

Experts estimate that more than 100,000 Wisconsin residents live in manufactured homes, the more accurate name for what many call mobile homes or trailers — structures that make up the country’s largest portion of unsubsidized low-income housing.

“Community has always been at the nexus of everything I’ve been a part of ... I really wanted a job that’s in the community. I want to be somebody that’s external facing.” -- Oby Nwabuzor, founder of Envision Growth

A formal recommendation of punishment for Michael Gableman, whose career rise and fall set him apart in Wisconsin legal and political history, signals the end of a case that has been humiliating for the former state Supreme Court justice and the court itself. @wisconsinwatch.org reports on 1/2

NEW: A formal recommendation of punishment for Michael Gableman, whose career rise and fall set him apart in Wisconsin legal and political history, signals the end of a case that has been humiliating for the former state Supreme Court justice and the court itself.

Many thanks! Can’t wait to bring back the fruits of this amazing training to my newsroom @wisconsinwatch.org so we can better serve our communities

Latest fact briefs from @wisconsinwatch.org: Yes, Wisconsin is among the bottom 10 states in some business rankings; Yes, the federal National Institutes of Health has distributed $5 billion less in grants in 2025.

“I’m sure there were mismanagement issues to contend with, and I’ll be able to articulate that better when all the smoke clears ... But SDC is a victim of some wrongdoing, and, yes, that will come to roost.” - Jorge Franco, interim CEO and board chair of SDC

Here's the video version of our @wisconsinwatch.org story on how the most seriously injured-on-the-job workers, those declared permanently and totally disabled, haven't had a raise in worker's compensation benefits since 2016. www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4O_...

Wisconsin’s controversial practice of randomly removing ballots to resolve discrepancies between the number of ballots and the number of voters would be prohibited under new draft legislation that requires meticulous audits in every county. Reporting by @alexandershur.bsky.social @votebeat.org

"Sometimes life hits you with full-circle moments. For me, writing this is one of them." - Brittany Carloni, our new state government and politics reporter

In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, Wisconsin radio talker Joe Giganti calls on Congress to enforce the Communist Control Act. The 1954 law bans the @communistsusa.bsky.social . It's still on the books, but has been rarely used, @wisconsinwatch.org finds.

The Trump admin announced last week it’s ending grant programs that help fund minority-serving colleges, including more than 600 Hispanic-serving institutions. Wisconsin colleges say they’ll keep up the work regardless of the cuts. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/09/wisc... (via @wisconsinwatch.org)

The video version of our @wisconsinwatch.org story about people like 77-year-old Jimmy Novy. He and others declared permanently and totally disabled by Wisconsin's worker's compensation system have not received a raise in benefits since 2016. www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4O_...

As immigration enforcement increases nationwide, some community members want to better document the activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. A Milwaukee organization is training people to confirm or deny reports of ICE actions and document incidents when they do happen.