The Best Books Of 2014, This Week In Wisconsin News

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What was the best book you read this year? A review editor at Publishers Weekly joins us to sort through the best of the best in 2014. Then, we look at the week in Wisconsin news.

Featured in this Show

  • Weekly News Roundup: Great Lakes Water Levels Are On The Rise

    Water Levels Continue To Rise In Lakes Michigan, Superior

    This week, the federal government released data showing that water levels in Lakes Michigan and Superior are continuing to rise and could remain high for some time.

    Scientists say there has been more rain and snow in the Great Lakes region and less evaporation, which is why levels are higher.

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predict water levels on Lake Superior will stay about 10 inches higher than last year, and the combined lakes of Michigan and Huron will remain at least 15 inches higher.

    State Spending On Local Roads Growing At Slow Rate, Finds Research Group

    The Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, along with several county organizations, released a study that looked at spending on local roads this week. They found that since 2000, per-capita spending grew 0.5 percent, compared with about 3.5 percent nationally.

    The head of the Taxpayers Alliance said this is noteworthy because there are a lot more miles of local roads than state highways in Wisconsin, and because our economy depends heavily on roads.

    Beloit City Officials Cancel Controversial Plan To Have Police Search Homes For Guns

    Beloit city officials decided to cancel a program asking residents to volunteer to have police search their homes for guns.

    Beloit police unveiled the plan last week and said this kind of search would be an opportunity to turn up guns people didn’t even know they had in their homes.

    The city canceled the program before it got off the ground because it wasn’t vetted by the city’s legal department and because of concern in the community.

  • The Best Books Of 2014

    As the year comes to a close, a reviews editor for Publishers Weekly discusses the best books of 2014.

  • State News Round-Up For December 12th, 2014

    WPR’s assistant news director joins us for a look at what’s making news in Wisconsin this week.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Producer
  • Amanda Magnus Producer
  • Noah Ovshinsky Guest
  • Gabe Habash Guest