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Wisconsin Public Radio has a broadcast and online news staff of more than 20 journalists and web professionals located in seven regions. There are over 20,000 news stories available online.

Geocaching — A Treasure Hunt With GPS — Comes To West Bend This Weekend

August 9, 2013 - 6:00am

Around 2,000 people will travel to West Bend, the geocaching capital of the Midwest, this weekend for the sixth annual Cache Ba$h.

Geocaching is an outdoor sport where players use a GPS device to locate hidden containers, or caches. The sport has grown in popularity worldwide and in Wisconsin.

This weekend, West...

Douglas County Woman Thanks The DNR Warden Who Saved Her Life

August 9, 2013 - 6:00am

On the night of May 14, June Thielen was evacuated from her home in the town of Highland as the Germann Road fire approached the area.

The person - or angel, as she calls him - who banged at her door was Department of Natural Resources Warden Lance Burns of nearby...

Walker Tours Storm-Damaged Northeastern Wisconsin

August 9, 2013 - 12:36am

Gov. Scott Walker toured storm-damaged areas of northeastern Wisconsin and met the family of a public servant who was killed during the cleanup today.

The governor's first stop was in New London, where a church was toppled during the storms on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.

The National Weather Service confirms...

Milwaukee Hosts Stamp Collecting Convention This Weekend

August 8, 2013 - 6:06pm

Thousands of stamp collectors are expected in Milwaukee this week, for a gathering of the American Philatelic Society.

Collectors say they're trying to adjust to the national fascination with email and other rapid ways of sending messages.

The U.S. Postal Service is putting out a greater variety of stamps, and today...

State Historical Society, Veterans Museum Will Get New Building For Archives

August 8, 2013 - 4:54pm

A new archive preservation facility in Madison will give much-needed storage space to the Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Veterans Museum.

Ellsworth Brown, the director of the Wisconsin Historical Society, says the organization currently uses its headquarters and rents two warehouses to hold additional material.

That lack of space has hindered the...

Could Wausau Become An International Mountain Biking Destination?

August 8, 2013 - 4:29pm

Efforts are underway to make Wausau a premier mountain biking destination.

Wausau is already a national destination for skiing, white water competition, and curling. Now, leaders of the International Mountain Biking Association have identified it as a prime location for a new Ride Center.

"Ride Centers are designations given to areas with...

Gov On How $250M Borrowing Cut Will Affect State Buildings

August 8, 2013 - 12:35pm

After Republicans in the state legislature reduced borrowing in Gov. Scott Walker's capital budget by $250 million, Walker has started talking about how the cut will affect state building projects.

The GOP-led Joint Finance Committee voted some weeks ago to reduce the capital borrowing authority to $887.6 million, down...

How Do You Prevent Drunk Driving? Policymakers And Public Weigh Options

August 8, 2013 - 6:00am

Lawmakers are trying to find an answer to a question that's been dogging police, prosecutors and families affected by drunk driving for years.

In the words of Gary Hebl, D-Sun Prairie: "How do we really solve the problem of drunk driving?"

A recent public hearing at the state capitol focused on increasing...

Milwaukee Asks For Help From Governor, Legislature During Surge In Gun Violence

August 8, 2013 - 12:18am

Milwaukee city officials are asking the state for help as they deal with a surge in gun violence.

Governor Scott Walker, however, isn't promising as much as the city is requesting.

A few people have been shot to death in Milwaukee in recent days and several more city residents have been wounded...

Progressive Groups Launch Health Care Act Information Campaign

August 7, 2013 - 6:43pm

Two groups that describe themselves as progressive are hitting back at Republicans trying to unravel the Affordable Care Act.

In Wisconsin and nine other states, the health care advocacy group Protect Your Care will join with Americans United for Change to conduct what they call a "positive...

Study Suggests That Homeless Youth Counts Need Improvement

August 7, 2013 - 5:03pm

A new study by the social research firm Urban Institute suggests more work needs to be done to better count homeless youth.

Homeless youth are often hard to identify, because they either don't want to be found or they're couch surfing. They're at a high risk of sexual or...

Strong Winds Tear Through Northeast Wisconsin

August 7, 2013 - 4:32pm

An overnight wind storm knocked out power to thousands of people in northeastern Wisconsin and caused an unknown amount of property damage.

Crews from Wisconsin Public Service worked today to restore power to 50,000 customers in Appleton, where winds of up to 80 miles per hour tore through the region last...

GOP State Lawmakers Outstrip Democrats At Fundraising

August 7, 2013 - 4:28pm

Republicans in the legislature raised two-and-a-half times the amount of campaign dollars that Democrats have in the first half of the year.

That number comes from a new report by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. Executive Director Mike McCabe says he's not surprised by the numbers, noting that when Democrats controlled the...

DNR Finds Some Fish Less Contaminated, Eases Consumption Warnings

August 7, 2013 - 1:13pm

The Department of Natural Resources has reduced some Wisconsin fish consumption warnings after the latest round of testing for chemicals including mercury and PCBs.

Clean-up of PCBs in the Fox River near Green Bay may be a reason that levels of the contaminant are down in some fish species...

Overpass Protesters Call For Impeaching President

August 7, 2013 - 12:34pm

Demonstrators in cities across Wisconsin gathered on highway overpasses Tuesday, holding signs calling for President Obama's impeachment.

On a pedestrian overpass crossing Interstate 90 in La Crosse, about 20 people are holding homemade signs against the chain-link fence. Trucks and cars honk their horns in support of the "Impeach Obama" and...

UW-Madison Research On Menthol Cigarettes Will Inform Federal Policy

August 6, 2013 - 6:55pm

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is doing research that could help the Food and Drug Administration decide whether to ban menthol cigarettes.

The UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention has a $368,000 grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institutes to study menthol cigarettes. Their findings will be part of...

Bad River Chair Wants GTAC To Publicly Release U.S. Steel Data

August 6, 2013 - 6:16pm

Mike Wiggins, the chairman of the Bad River Tribe, says Gogebic Taconite (GTAC) should already know what's in the Penokee Hills iron ore body.

In 1960, U.S. Steel was considering making the Penokee Hills Wisconsin's version of Minnesota's Iron Range. It drilled and used explosives to test the ore...

Will Iron County Penalize Bulletproof? The D.A.'s Decision Is Pending

August 6, 2013 - 5:34pm

It may be a few days before a decision is made on whether to penalize Bulletproof Securities for operating in Wisconsin without a license.

That license was granted yesterday by the state Department of Safety and Professional Services after a month-long investigation.

Iron County District Attorney Marty Lipske says he's waiting to...

Tammy Baldwin Wants More Funding For Great Lakes Dredging

August 6, 2013 - 5:11pm

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., is calling on the House to act on a bill that would increase funding for dredging in Great Lakes ports.

Baldwin toured the port of Green Bay to advocate for investment into dredging in that port and others in the Great Lakes and along...

Rural Health Initiative Expands To Marathon County

August 6, 2013 - 4:55pm

The Rural Health Initiative (RHI), a nonprofit program to provide basic health screenings for farm families, is expanding in central Wisconsin.

The RHI was started in Shawano County as a way of reaching farmers who are too busy to get regular medical screenings, or don't have them covered by insurance.

"They're just...

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Geocaching — A Treasure Hunt With GPS — Comes To West Bend This Weekend

Douglas County Woman Thanks The DNR Warden Who Saved Her Life

Walker Tours Storm-Damaged Northeastern Wisconsin

Milwaukee Hosts Stamp Collecting Convention This Weekend

State Historical Society, Veterans Museum Will Get New Building For Archives

Could Wausau Become An International Mountain Biking Destination?

Gov On How $250M Borrowing Cut Will Affect State Buildings

How Do You Prevent Drunk Driving? Policymakers And Public Weigh Options

Milwaukee Asks For Help From Governor, Legislature During Surge In Gun Violence

Progressive Groups Launch Health Care Act Information Campaign

Study Suggests That Homeless Youth Counts Need Improvement

Strong Winds Tear Through Northeast Wisconsin

GOP State Lawmakers Outstrip Democrats At Fundraising

DNR Finds Some Fish Less Contaminated, Eases Consumption Warnings

Overpass Protesters Call For Impeaching President

UW-Madison Research On Menthol Cigarettes Will Inform Federal Policy

Bad River Chair Wants GTAC To Publicly Release U.S. Steel Data

Will Iron County Penalize Bulletproof? The D.A.'s Decision Is Pending

Tammy Baldwin Wants More Funding For Great Lakes Dredging

Rural Health Initiative Expands To Marathon County

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