Income Inequality

The website and mobile app Ticket Spicket is used to buy tickets to school events like games, concerts and dances. Some say the inability to pay with cash creates a culture of inequity.

A program meant to promote homeownership and empower low-income residents in Milwaukee has opened the door for 30 tenants in affordable housing to become homeowners. The Metcalfe Park Homeownership Initiative is a lease-purchase program in the Metcalfe Park neighborhood on the north side of Milwaukee. Thirty single-family homes were built 15 years ago on tax-foreclosed…

Milwaukee plans to address racism and health equity over the next five years by focusing on challenges like housing, maternal and child health and public safety. Those steps and others were outlined in the newest iteration of the MKE Elevate Community Health Improvement Plan announced Thursday by the City of Milwaukee Health Department. Report authors…

The Wisconsin Department of Corrections is no longer suspending medical copays for incarcerated people suffering from COVID-19 or other respiratory symptoms, eliminating a benefit adopted after the onset of the pandemic. Many states modified or suspended copays as COVID-19 spread rampant in jails and prisons, removing a barrier to reporting illnesses and seeking care. Wisconsin’s…

The average consumer is set to spend an average of $567 from Black Friday to Cyber Monday this year, according to business management consultant Deloitte. NerdWallet senior writer Sara Rathner said consumers should think now about how they plan to pay off any charges to their credit card through the holidays. “We found in one…

At The Neighbors’ Place in Wausau, about 400 families each week browse the food pantry, choosing fresh produce, pantry stables and hygiene products. Bread is stacked on shelves, perishable items are kept refrigerated, and there are pictures of tomatoes and radishes along the walls. It looks like a grocery store. But here, the food is…

Wisconsin Democrats are proposing a package of bills aimed at addressing climate change, but the plans don’t have buy-in from Republicans who run the state Legislature. The 20 bills focus on infrastructure and jobs, with programs also aimed at bringing in farmers and supporting income communities that research shows are disproportionately affected by extreme weather…

Wisconsin discharges thousands of incarcerated people each year. A package of bills in the state Legislature aims to expand the amount of assistance those people receive while making the transition out of prison. At the state Department of Corrections, Ray Woodruff oversees existing efforts to provide reentry assistance. The agency promoted him to the role…

Wisconsin Democrats proposed a package of bills Tuesday that would dramatically change the state’s health care system, while acknowledging the programs are unlikely to find support among Republicans who control the Legislature. The bills cover a wide range of policies Democrats have long championed, from expanding the state’s Medicaid program to creating a public option…

Short-staffing is forcing a homeless shelter in Green Bay to consolidate its operations. The announcement from St. John’s Ministries comes as the facility prepares to open later this week before the coldest months of the year. Last year, the ministry opened a women’s-only overnight facility. But for now, the organization is going back to sheltering…