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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.

Switch some energy assistance dollars to efficiency programs?

June 18, 2012 - 3:31pm

Hundreds of millions of dollars go to low income people to help them heat their homes every year. But a renewable energy advocate says it might be a better idea to steer some of those funds to helping the poor reduce their energy use.

The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance...

Cuts in current draft of Farm Bill would hurt rural Wisconsin

June 18, 2012 - 2:47pm

Federal programs that help rural Wisconsin are taking a financial hit in the Farm Bill currently being debated in the U.S. Senate, but there is an effort underway to restore funding.

The Farm Bill is big and expensive, and therefore a tempting target for budget cutters in Washington. The bill’s sponsors...

Milwaukee human traffickers released from prison, deported

June 18, 2012 - 2:44pm

A Milwaukee couple convicted of human trafficking in 2006 was released from prison this week and immediately deported to their native Philippines.

Jefferson and Elnora Calimlim worked as medical doctors in Milwaukee for more than 20 years; for 19 of those years they held a Filipina domestic servant in virtual slavery...

CapX2020 power line compensation plan unveiled

June 18, 2012 - 2:43pm

Wisconsin municipalities along the CapX2020 high-voltage transmission line route now know how much they’ll be compensated for housing the project.

Local governments will receive two types of payments: first is a onetime environmental impact fee, which is determined by how much land is used in each municipality and the total cost...

Camping at State Parks increasingly popular

June 18, 2012 - 2:41pm

The number of Wisconsin campers staying in state parks is on the rise this year.

The state Department of Natural Resources says camping reservations in state parks are up nine percent from the same time last year. The number of walk-in campers without reservations has increased by 80 percent.

DNR Spokesman Landon...

Renewable energy experts both hopeful, worried

June 18, 2012 - 2:40pm

Renewable energy advocates see signs of hope of reducing the need for fossil fuels. But they also worry about Big Oil throwing money at politicians.

At the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair near Stevens Point Sunday, a plenary session took on a confident tone and looked at what will happen when clean...

Emergency Alert System enters 21st Century with text warnings

June 18, 2012 - 2:34pm

The Emergency Alert System, long known for its blaring tests on radio and television, will begin sending warnings via cell phone next week.

If you’ve purchased a new cell phone within the past six months, you’re likely to start seeing messages for extreme weather, “Amber alerts,” and if it comes down...

Democrats make pre-visits to Romney bus tour stops

June 18, 2012 - 2:32pm

This morning, Mitt Romney visited Janesville. Sunday, a Democrats' bus tour stopped in Madison, in advance of the Republican presidential candidate.

Members of the Democratic National Committee are tracing the route of Romney's bus tour to highlight how they say the Republican candidate's economic policies would hurt the middle class. DNC...

Former DA will face disciplinary hearing for ethics charges

June 18, 2012 - 2:29pm

Former Calumet County District Attorney Ken Kratz will face a disciplinary hearing in Appleton Tuesday. The former prosecutor faces six ethics charges for sexually harassing crime victims.

Kratz garnered a lot of positive media attention in 2006 when he prosecuted Steven Avery for the brutal murder of Teresa Halbach. But two...

A rainy weekend ahead for much of Wisconsin

June 15, 2012 - 6:28pm

Rain is the forecast for much of the state this weekend. That should please many farmers and gardeners, and will help out some water bills. Unseasonably warm weather and a lack of rain has made for some pretty dry lawns and fields. Scott Berschback is a Meteorologist with the National...

"Small Planet" author to speak at energy fair

June 15, 2012 - 10:21am

The Midwest Renewable Energy Fair takes place this weekend in the small community of Custer, east of Stevens Point. Saturday's keynote speaker is the author of one of the best selling diet books in history.

"Diet for a Small Planet" has sold more than three million copies. Its author, Frances Moore...

Estimated 2,600 jobs added in Wisconsin in May

June 15, 2012 - 10:19am

Preliminary estimates show the state of Wisconsin added 2,600 jobs last month, with about 900 of them in the private sector.

Preliminary estimates show the state of Wisconsin added 26-hundred jobs last month, with about 900 of them in the private sector. The 26-hundred job estimate comes from a monthly survey...

Ojibwe bands look to end exclusion on their ancestral home island

June 15, 2012 - 10:17am

One of the most sacred places for the Ojibwe people will have more of a Native presence, possibly even reclaiming some of its reservation land.

When the Ojibwe people migrated from the east coast of North America, they were told of a place where food grows on water. When they got...

Wisconsin DNR hears from public about wolf hunt

June 15, 2012 - 10:14am

Supporters and critics of the wolf hunting and trapping season scheduled to start this fall are trying to change some of the details the D-N-R is proposing.

The DNR says between 143 and 233 gray wolves should be killed in the season scheduled to start October 15. But the Wisconsin...

Wisconsin state senator pushes Corrections to keep prison guards safer

June 15, 2012 - 10:08am

A Democratic state senator is calling on the Department of Corrections to do a better job of keeping prison guards safe on the job.

Senator Jessica King of Oshkosh sent a letter to Department of Corrections Secretary Gary Hamblin this week outlining five areas of tension between correctional officers and their...

May foreclosures down in Wisconsin

June 15, 2012 - 10:04am

Foreclosures in Wisconsin dropped 18 percent in May from the previous month and are down 16 percent from May of last year.

Daren Blomquist, Vice President of the foreclosure tracking firm RealtyTrac, says Wisconsin's numbers continue to contrast the rest of country. "It's interesting because Wisconsin seems to zig when the...

Director's Cut Radio: 48 hour Film Project

June 14, 2012 - 10:37am

It's hard enough to make a movie. It's even harder to have to do it in 48 hours! Here's Terry Bell with this week's edition of Director's Cut Radio.

After calling San Francisco radical, Duffy holds fundraiser there

June 14, 2012 - 10:35am

The 7th Congressional district race in northern Wisconsin has gone radical. Or perhaps not. Last month, Republican Congressman Sean Duffy of Weston accused the liberal California-based political action committee CREDO of following him around as he campaigns in his district, calling them “San Francisco radicals.” CREDO President Becky Bond says...

Farm Bill slowed by controversial amendments

June 14, 2012 - 10:33am

The new Farm Bill is slowly making its way through Congress. The legislation has been moved to the full Senate for debate, but it is weighed down by controversial amendments.

At last check, there were over 200 amendments submitted, some having nothing to do with agriculture. The question is whether the...

With enough patients, clinical drug testing can boost economy

June 14, 2012 - 10:30am

In 2010, there were more than 1300 clinical trials in Wisconsin for treatments for cancer, asthma and other ailments. An industry report finds the lengthy testing process is a boost to the state's economy, but it can be difficult to find willing patients.

Before a drug can be approved and sold,...

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Switch some energy assistance dollars to efficiency programs?

Cuts in current draft of Farm Bill would hurt rural Wisconsin

Milwaukee human traffickers released from prison, deported

CapX2020 power line compensation plan unveiled

Camping at State Parks increasingly popular

Renewable energy experts both hopeful, worried

Emergency Alert System enters 21st Century with text warnings

Democrats make pre-visits to Romney bus tour stops

Former DA will face disciplinary hearing for ethics charges

A rainy weekend ahead for much of Wisconsin

"Small Planet" author to speak at energy fair

Estimated 2,600 jobs added in Wisconsin in May

Ojibwe bands look to end exclusion on their ancestral home island

Wisconsin DNR hears from public about wolf hunt

Wisconsin state senator pushes Corrections to keep prison guards safer

May foreclosures down in Wisconsin

Director's Cut Radio: 48 hour Film Project

After calling San Francisco radical, Duffy holds fundraiser there

Farm Bill slowed by controversial amendments

With enough patients, clinical drug testing can boost economy

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