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Providers Concerned Over Loss Of BadgerCare Coverage For People With Mental Illness

October 1, 2013 - 6:57am

People with a mental illness may be particularly at risk among the thousands who are losing BadgerCare coverage in Wisconsin. There are concerns that they may find it difficult to navigate the new health insurance exchanges. About 92,000 people are losing their BadgerCare coverage because of Governor Walker's refusal to...

52 Deaths In Wisconsin Linked To Domestic Violence In 2012

October 1, 2013 - 1:00am

Fifty-two people died in domestic violence-related murders and suicides in Wisconsin last year, an increase of 15 deaths over 2011. A report from End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin says that there were three domestic violence homicides per month in the state. As in past years most of the perpetrators of those...

Elections Expert Says Government Reasserting Power In Voter ID Cases

September 30, 2013 - 3:06pm

A controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision issued earlier this year is setting the stage for a showdown between the federal government and some states about election laws, including voter identification requirements.

In the case Shelby County vs. Holder, the Supreme Court ruled that the formula used to choose jurisdictions to apply the landmark Voting Rights Act was outdated. The Voting Rights Act, which was passed in the mid-1960s, required some states and local governments -- mostly in the South -- to submit their proposed election changes to the federal government for approval before they became law. The reason for this...

Report: U.S. Ranks 17th Among World's Happiest Countries

September 30, 2013 - 2:00pm

Earlier this month, the United Nations Sustainable Development Network released their latest World Happiness Report, which listed how happy a country's citzens were.

According to the report, the United States ranked 17th on the list, bested by Mexico, Panama, Israel and Canada. European nations like Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden were ranked among the world's happiest countries, according to the survey.

U.N. officials said that purpose of the report -- in part -- is to encourage policymakers in using well-being and happiness as a goal to establish policy. One of the report’s authors, John Helliwell, said that is beginning to happen slowly.

“There are several...

Here's What Will Happen To The Wisconsin National Guard If The Government Shuts Down

September 30, 2013 - 1:56pm

The Wisconsin National Guard is preparing for a possible government shutdown . The National Guard gets most of its payroll money from federal appropriations – meaning if the government shuts down at midnight, paychecks to guard members will stop. Despite that, the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs will still be...

Hospitals, Social Welfare Groups Try To Get Ex-BadgerCare Enrollees On Exchange

September 30, 2013 - 1:20pm

A major effort is underway by Wisconsin hospitals and social welfare groups to get people who will no longer be eligible for BadgerCare next year signed up for subsidized private insurance on the new federal exchange.

Traffic In Green Bay Adjusts To Bridge Closure

September 30, 2013 - 12:27pm

Engineers are still working to determine what caused Green Bay's Leo Frigo bridge to sag . In the meantime drivers are finding their way from one side of town to the other, by driving city streets and alternate highway routes. The bridge has been closed for almost a week due...

Bees Mean Business In Wisconsin

September 30, 2013 - 11:55am

As people venture to the orchards to pick the next barrel of crisp Wisconsin apples, an official with the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection said they can thank honeybees for their bounty.

Secretary Ben Brancel said honeybees are vital to cultivating healthy local food crops that propel the state’s economy -- apples and other fruits.

“The cherry industry in Door County is very valuable for tourism, as well as the cherry production … In fact, you end up losing as much as $10 million worth of its production if the honeybee were not around," he said.

Brancel said bees also impact...

Right To Public Counsel Should Extend To Certain Civil Cases, Argues Nonprofit

September 30, 2013 - 11:58am

For the second time in three years, a group of lawyers is asking the state Supreme Court to require judges to appoint publicly funded attorneys in civil cases where a defendant's basic human needs are at stake. When the court considered a similar petition three years ago, it declined to...

Legislators Scrap Overhaul Of Detention Policy For Mentally Ill

September 30, 2013 - 9:30am

A legislative task force has quashed an effort to change a Wisconsin law that currently requires law enforcement to take the lead in handling emergency detentions of people suffering from a mental illness.