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In Baraboo Case, Defendant Avers That It's Raw Milk That's On Trial

May 20, 2013 - 7:09pm

A trial is underway in Baraboo, for a Sauk County farmer who's been selling raw milk through a private buying club . Vernon Hershberger and his supports contend that it's raw milk that's on trial this week in Baraboo, but the state says it's about license violations. Hershberger's attorney Glen...

Making FoodShare Users Do More Job Searches Would Cost State Millions

May 20, 2013 - 6:27pm

A new analysis says Governor Scott Walker's plan to make food stamp recipients perform more job searches would cost the state millions. The legislature's budget committee is scheduled to vote on the changes tomorrow. Under Governor Walker's budget, poor people would either have to work or conduct some type of...

Big Eau Pleine Fish Kill: Not As Bad As It Could Have Been

May 20, 2013 - 5:39pm

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says the fish kill on central Wisconsin's Big Eau Pleine reservoir was major, but not as bad as predicted. Large numbers of dead fish again washed up on the shoreline of the Eau Pleine, a big reservoir on the Wisconsin River south of Mosinee...

For Ninth Consecutive Year, More Students On Free And Reduced-Price Lunch Plans

May 20, 2013 - 4:52pm

The number of students in Wisconsin receiving free and reduced-price school meals has increased for the ninth straight school year. The Department of Public Instruction reported the latest figures today. Over 43 percent of public school students in the state qualified for subsidized breakfast and lunch this school year -...

Housing Market Continues To Trend Upward

May 20, 2013 - 4:22pm

Wisconsin's housing market is strong compared to the same time last year, with both sales and prices higher than where they were. Sales of existing homes are up 9.2 percent compared to April 2012. The median price is also up, according to Marquette University economist David Clark. He crunches the...

Legislators To Decide Reach Of School Voucher Programs

May 20, 2013 - 1:47pm

Legislators may soon decide the fate of Governor Scott Walker's controversial plan to expand taxpayer-funded school vouchers. The expansion has been a divisive issue, especially in the communities that would be directly impacted. Bob Cerniglia is principal at Rock County Christian School in Beloit. Beloit is one of nine school...

After The Fire: Recovery Begins

May 20, 2013 - 1:19pm

People are picking up the pieces after a fire in northern Wisconsin that burned more than 8,100 acres and destroyed 17 homes last week. A meeting at the Barnes Town Hall on Saturday was aimed at helping victims of the region's largest wildfire in 33 years. June Thiele finds her...

Indian Tribal Elders Hold Drum Ceremony Opposing Iron Mine

May 20, 2013 - 1:05pm

Native American tribal elders from Bad River and Red Cliff held a drum ceremony this weekend calling upon the spirits to offer guidance in their fight against a proposed iron mine in northern Wisconsin. Deep in the woods along the Potato River, a small group of tribal elders, members and...

DNR Approves Long Planned Stewardship Land Purchases, Despite Debate

May 20, 2013 - 9:19am

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) board has voted to buy land or conservation easements on about 11,000 acres in Wisconsin. The purchase comes amidst calls by the state GOP to downsize Wisconsin's land preservation Stewardship program. The DNR stresses that the land deals approved by the Natural Resources Board...

Week Ahead For Budget Committee Features Votes On Hot-Button Issues

May 20, 2013 - 6:00am

The legislature's budget committee is scheduled to vote on some hot-button issues this week. The list includes a job training requirement for food stamp recipients, a deregulation of the rent-to-own industry and a potential sell-off of state property. Governor Scott Walker put all three provisions in his budget, but it's...

Raw Milk Advocates Mobilize For Trial Of One Of Their Own

May 20, 2013 - 6:00am

Raw milk supporters from across the country are expected in Baraboo this week for the trial of Vernon Hershberger. Hershberger is the Loganville dairy farmer who came under fire for selling raw milk. Vernon Hershberger, his wife, and ten children drink up to four gallons of raw milk each day...

Minocqua Family Boasts Not One, But Two Geography Whiz Kids

May 17, 2013 - 7:52pm

Wisconsin is being represented in the National Geographic Bee this year by the sister of a boy who took second last year. One geography whiz can make parents proud. Two makes them doubly so. A Minocqua family has daughter Asha Jain going to nationals next week, a year after her...

Anti-Mining Activists Gather In Penokee Hills This Weekend

May 17, 2013 - 7:01pm

Native and non-native people will join tomorrow at a river downstream from a proposed open-pit iron ore mine in the Penokee Range. They will have a drum ceremony, prayers, a feast, and talk about fighting the mine. Red Cliff Tribal Elder Tony DePerry will be playing a special drum he...

Cyclists Gear Up For Conclusion To Bike To Work Week

May 17, 2013 - 5:00pm

Rain across part of Wisconsin today may have put a damper on plans to end this week's Bike to Work Week with one more ride. But dedicated bicyclists say they celebrate their culture year-round. What is biking culture? Well, frequent Milwaukee rider Carolyn Weber, who recently became co-owner of a...

Mysterious Virus Plagues Ammunition Plant's Famous Salamander

May 17, 2013 - 4:30pm

A virus is infecting salamanders at the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant near Baraboo. The amphibians have a lot of research value, and may be moved. Unlike most salamanders, the ones which live at the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant don't grow legs and walk on land. But some of...

Wisconsin Congressmen Want To Cap Public Crop Insurance

May 17, 2013 - 4:30pm

Two Wisconsin congressmen want to help cap how much taxpayers pay to insure farmers. Farmers can apply for coverage from private crop insurance companies. But the U.S. government still kicks in $9 billion every year to help cover additional expenses, including reimbursing those companies' administrative and operating costs. Tom Petri...

Exhausted Wildfire Fighters Get Thanks And (Finally) Sleep

May 17, 2013 - 12:24pm

The scene included thanks all around to firefighters at the Germann Lake Fire Command Post in Gordon, Thursday. This was the worst wildfire in northern Wisconsin since 1980, and town officials told Governor Scott Walker it could have been much worse if it hadn't been for the all-out response Tuesday...

Senator Baldwin Wants Tax Break For Craft Brewers

May 17, 2013 - 6:00am

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc) says she's trying to help small Wisconsin craft brewers get a federal tax break. There's been a lot of growth among small brewers in the United States, and Jeff Hamilton of Milwaukee's Sprecher Brewing concedes that craft brews are pretty popular right now: "There are...

Study Shows Food Stamp Users Eat Same Diet As Everyone Else

May 17, 2013 - 6:00am

A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees the federal food stamp program, looks at what participants eat. The diet of those on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is really not that different from those not in the program. Food stamps are intended to reduce...

Jobs Report Shows Positive Big-Picture Trends, But A Dismal-Looking April

May 16, 2013 - 6:34pm

Governor Scott Walker's administration released numbers showing that Wisconsin added 32,000 private sector jobs in 2012. A new set of estimates also shows the state lost more than 22,000 jobs in April. The 32,272 jobs added from 2012 is pretty close to a "hard" number. It's based on a census...

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In Baraboo Case, Defendant Avers That It's Raw Milk That's On Trial

Making FoodShare Users Do More Job Searches Would Cost State Millions

Big Eau Pleine Fish Kill: Not As Bad As It Could Have Been

For Ninth Consecutive Year, More Students On Free And Reduced-Price Lunch Plans

Housing Market Continues To Trend Upward

Legislators To Decide Reach Of School Voucher Programs

After The Fire: Recovery Begins

Indian Tribal Elders Hold Drum Ceremony Opposing Iron Mine

DNR Approves Long Planned Stewardship Land Purchases, Despite Debate

Week Ahead For Budget Committee Features Votes On Hot-Button Issues

Raw Milk Advocates Mobilize For Trial Of One Of Their Own

Minocqua Family Boasts Not One, But Two Geography Whiz Kids

Anti-Mining Activists Gather In Penokee Hills This Weekend

Cyclists Gear Up For Conclusion To Bike To Work Week

Mysterious Virus Plagues Ammunition Plant's Famous Salamander

Wisconsin Congressmen Want To Cap Public Crop Insurance

Exhausted Wildfire Fighters Get Thanks And (Finally) Sleep

Senator Baldwin Wants Tax Break For Craft Brewers

Study Shows Food Stamp Users Eat Same Diet As Everyone Else

Jobs Report Shows Positive Big-Picture Trends, But A Dismal-Looking April

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