Chatting With The Field Museum’s Chief Curiosity Correspondent, Wisconsin News Round-Up

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This week, Marquette University released its latest poll about the upcoming election, which showed the race for governor is still very close. That’s one of the stories we hear about in our weekly news round-up with WPR’s Assistant News Director. We also sit down with the first-ever Chief Curiosity Correspondent of the Field Museum in Chicago.

Featured in this Show

  • Weekly News Roundup: Poll Shows Wisconsin Attorney General's Race Is Tight

    Courtroom

    Photo: Mike Renlund (CC-BY-NC-SA)

    Voter ID Opponents Ask Supreme Court To Re-Halt Law Before November Election

    Groups challenging the state’s controversial voter ID law — including the American Civil Liberties Union — asked the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and stop the reinstatement of the law before Election Day. The groups argue the new law will “guarantee chaos at the polls.” They also said Supreme Court precedent dictates that this type of ruling shouldn’t be made so close to an election.

    In response, Attorney General JB Van Hollen issued a statement calling the motion “disappointing.”

    ag

    Photos courtesy of candidate’s Facebook pages.

    Voters Still Don’t Know Much About Attorney General Candidates, Poll Finds

    The latest Marquette Univeristy Law School poll, which came out on Wednesday, showed that the race for attorney general is a close one. Republican candidate Brad Schimel leads Democrat Susan Happ 41 to 39 percent — a lead within the margin of error, meaning the two are basically even.

    The poll also shows almost 1 in 5 likely voters are still undecided, so the race is still very up in the air. The poll also revealed that Gov. Scott Walker is leading Democratic challenger Mary Burke by 5 percentage points.

    Frac Sand

    Photo: Carol Mitchell (CC-BY-NC-ND)

    Most Frac Sand Mining Facilities In Wisconsin Have Not Undergone Air Quality Evaluations

    The state Department of Natural Resource has inspected only 20 percent of Wisconsin’s frac sand mining operations to make sure they’re in compliance with state air pollution permits. Companies have to get an air pollution permit before building a mining facility, but once it’s up and running, the DNR is responsible for making sure companies are following the permits. Because of the huge growth in the industry, the DNR will only be able to do full checks every other year.

    Enbridge

    Photo: Environmental Defence Canada (CC-BY-NC)

    Massive Bakken Oil Pipeline To Superior Will Be Delayed A Year

    The large crude oil pipeline from North Dakota to Superior will be delayed a year because of permitting delays and alternative routes submitted in Minnesota. Enbridge Energy hoped to have Bakken oil traveling through the state by early 2016, but the process will be slowed.

    An Enbridge spokesperson said the alternative routes that Minnesota submitted don’t connect with their oil terminal in Superior. She also said the permitting process is going smoothly in Wisconsin.

  • Bringing Science To Center Stage With The Field Museum's Chief Curiosity Correspondent

    Our guest is the Field Museum of Chicago’s first ever Chief Curiosity Correspondent. We’ll hear about her work in the field and her mission to bring science to the world.

  • State News Round-Up For October 3rd, 2014

    WPR’s assistant news director joins us with a look at what’s making headlines in Wisconsin, including results from the latest Marquette poll.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Producer
  • Noah Ovshinsky Guest
  • Emilyl Graslie Guest

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