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.

How might Wisconsin solve its biggest prison problems? We’re discussing that as a staff. The question is tricky because so many challenges outside of prison walls shape the problems within them, whether its barriers to housing, jobs or health care. We'd love to have your thoughts too.

No, National Guard members generally are not trained in law enforcement, @wisconsinwatch.org finds. Donald Trump is threatening to send them to big cities to crack down on crime.

Are US interstate truckers required to read and speak English? We looked into this question after Rep. Derrick Van Orden tweeted "Outstanding." in response to a report that Florida's truck weighing stations will now be checking drivers' immigration status as well as their ability to speak English.

Three years and more than 10,000 lawyer calls after being charged, this Wisconsin mother still doesn’t have a defense attorney wisconsinwatch.org/2025/09/wisc... via @wisconsinwatch.org

Outagamie County Judge Mark McGinnis will resign in February but won’t face criminal charges for jailing a man over a private money dispute he had with a courthouse colleague of the judge. @wisconsinwatch.org first reported the jailing in January 2024. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/08/wisc...

The 2025-27 Wisconsin state budget diverts an estimated $2.2 million annually to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's office that’s supposed to go to a fund for schools, a policy that appears to contradict provisions in the state constitution, reports @wisconsinwatch.org.

The science isn't settled on causation, @wisconsinwatch.org finds. But Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany is correct that research has found a link between marijuana use and psychosis (such as delusions and hallucinations).

The program will pay to send approximately 11,500 low-income students per year to driver’s education classes on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested students and/or their families ages 14 to 19 can go to the WisDot website and fill out an application.

Madison Assistant City Attorney to @liamberan.bsky.social: “Unfortunately, there is nothing for you to do. (Unless you sue us, which I would never suggest!)” isthmus.com/news/news/ma...

Here's the original story from @wisconsinwatch.org in January 2024. At the time the case had been open at DOJ for more than a year. The special prosecutor was appointed in March 2024. wisconsinwatch.org/2024/01/wisc...

NEW: Judge Mark McGinnis will resign Feb. 1, but won’t face criminal charges after jailing a man during a probation hearing for an unrelated financial dispute in December 2021. The cement contractor who was jailed for three days said he may pursue a lawsuit now that the criminal case is resolved.

Out of the infinite stories we could report at a given time, how do we decide which to pursue with our finite resources? Managing editor @jmalewitz.bsky.social writes about our process.

Wisconsin’s constitution says all “clear proceeds” from traffic fines are required to go to the Common School Fund — but the recent state budget redirects $2.2 million in traffic fines revenue in Milwaukee County to the county’s District Attorney’s Office to fund 12 new assistant DA positions.

“It gives you a fresh perspective of being boots on the ground talking to these individuals, you’re kind of looking at the humanity side of things. That’s what drives me, that’s my mission.” -- Cody Oberhuber, economic support specialist for Brown County

As part of the state budget agreement with Republican lawmakers, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers didn't veto $15 million in funding to support two projects in the district of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos as the future of the Knowles-Nelson conservation fund remains uncertain, reports @wisconsinwatch.org.

ICYMI: As of the afternoon of Aug. 18, over 16,500 flood-related service requests had been made to 211 from Milwaukee County and the surrounding counties of Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington. About 85% of those requests originated from Milwaukee County alone.

Once eliminated in the United States, measles cases are increasingly being reported across the country, and as infections reach Wisconsin, here are answers to common questions about the virus, reports @wisconsinwatch.org.

Retention and graduation rates are up since Northeast Wisconsin Technical College condensed most of its courses from 16 weeks to eight to help prevent students from dropping out when they face hardships, reports @wisconsinwatch.org.

Special prosecutor weighing whether to criminally charge Outagamie County judge after @wisconsinwatch.org reported how he jailed a man who had an unrelated money dispute with a courthouse employee wisconsinwatch.org/2025/08/wisc...

A special prosecutor expects to decide in early September whether to take the extraordinary step of filing criminal charges against an Appleton-area judge over his actions from the bench.

Decades after contracting measles before vaccines were developed and widely administered, Wisconsin residents recall pain and disruptions that were caused by the disease as state health officials report an outbreak in Oconto County and brace for a broader resurgence, reports @wisconsinwatch.org.

Washington County residents are mobilizing against a proposed power line project by American Transmission Company that they fear will disrupt their rural properties.

‘I did drop a tear’: Camp Reunite helps kids connect with their incarcerated parents. Story via @wisconsinwatch.org.

NEW: Wisconsin’s recently passed budget doesn’t include the extension of a popular land conservation program, but it does include two earmarks for environmental projects in the home district of the state’s most powerful Assembly Republican.

GOP Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden and Democratic Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin gave different takes on social media on what the new federal rescissions law does to emergency alerts. @wisconsinwatch.org sorts it out.

An executive order issued by President Donald Trump seek to bar certain groups of immigrants from accessing Head Start, health clinics, career training, substance abuse treatment and other programs that are funded by the federal government, reports @wisconsinwatch.org.

The Pathfinders Employee Collective held a rally earlier this month, sharing their respect for the agency’s mission, their care for the youths they serve and their need for stronger and healthier working conditions ... “Our working conditions are our young people’s living conditions."