Frederica Freyberg and Taylor Odle sit facing each other on the Here & Now set.

Politics

‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Taylor Odle, Joe Green and Chris Lindner, Roger Brandner

Here's what guests on the Sept. 12, 2025 episode said about direct admissions to colleges, consolidating rural school districts and shortages of 911 dispatchers.

September 15, 2025

David Crowley smiles while standing in front of a corn field under a partly cloudy sky.
David Crowley smiles while standing in front of a corn field under a partly cloudy sky.

Elections

State Sen. Kelda Roys enters 2026 race for governor of Wisconsin

State Sen. Kelda Roys, who came in third in the 2018 Democratic primary for governor of Wisconsin, is running for the office again in 2026 in a race that has no incumbent for the first time since 2010.

September 15, 2025

Tribal universities prepare for deep cuts to federal funding
Tribal universities prepare for deep cuts to federal funding

Indigenous

Tribal universities prepare for deep cuts to federal funding

Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University in Hayward focuses on educating new generations of Indigenous college students, and is facing massive funding cuts under a Trump administration budget proposal.

September 12, 2025 • Northern Region

A still image shows Roger Brandner seated in an office with many windows, with a graphic at the bottom that reads 'Portage,' 'Sheriff Roger Brandner' and 'Columbia County.'
A still image shows Roger Brandner seated in an office with many windows, with a graphic at the bottom that reads 'Portage,' 'Sheriff Roger Brandner' and 'Columbia County.'

Politics

Sheriff Roger Brandner on shortages of emergency dispatchers

Columbia County Sheriff Roger Brandner discusses growing difficulty Wisconsin counties have in retaining emergency dispatch staff at 911 call centers as they burn out from overtime, stress and trauma.

September 12, 2025 • South Central Region

A still image shows Taylor Odle seated at the 'Here & Now' set featuring wood paneling, with a graphic at bottom reading 'Taylor Odle' and 'UW-Madison School of Education'
A still image shows Taylor Odle seated at the 'Here & Now' set featuring wood paneling, with a graphic at bottom reading 'Taylor Odle' and 'UW-Madison School of Education'

Education

Taylor Odle on UW’s direct admission programs for students

UW-Madison educational policy professor Taylor Odle describes the impacts of the Direct Admit Wisconsin and Wisconsin Guarantee programs on UW system admissions of high school students from the state.

September 12, 2025

A still image shows Joe Green and Chris Lindner seated in an office with a graphic at the bottom that reads 'Greenwood,' 'Joe Green & Chris Lindner' and ' Greenwood & Loyal School Districts.'
A still image shows Joe Green and Chris Lindner seated in an office with a graphic at the bottom that reads 'Greenwood,' 'Joe Green & Chris Lindner' and ' Greenwood & Loyal School Districts.'

Education

Joe Green and Chris Linder on school district consolidation

Greenwood and Loyal school district administrators Joe Green and Chris Lindner describe plans to consolidate operations and services as falling enrollment in rural Clark County leads to lower funding.

September 12, 2025 • West Central Region

Wisconsin politicians respond to Charlie Kirk assassination
Wisconsin politicians respond to Charlie Kirk assassination

Politics

Wisconsin politicians respond to Charlie Kirk assassination

Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and state Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming share their reactions to the fatal shooting of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at a Utah college campus.

September 12, 2025

Silt-laden water flows close to the bottom of a railroad bridge with pieces of trees, wood pallets and other debris piled on its surface, with bend trees on one shore, a line of trees, utility lines and a building in the background, and an out-of-focus metal railing and concrete pillar in the foreground.
Silt-laden water flows close to the bottom of a railroad bridge with pieces of trees, wood pallets and other debris piled on its surface, with bend trees on one shore, a line of trees, utility lines and a building in the background, and an out-of-focus metal railing and concrete pillar in the foreground.

Budgets

Trump approves federal disaster aid for storms and flooding in Wisconsin

President Donald Trump has approved federal disaster aid for six states and tribes following storms and floods over the spring and summer, providing federal funding to Kansas, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, as well as tribal nations in Montana and South Dakota.

September 12, 2025 • Southeast Region

Sunlight illuminates clouds behind the dome of the Wisconsin State Capitol on June 22, 2023, in Madison. (Credit: PBS Wisconsin)
Sunlight illuminates clouds behind the dome of the Wisconsin State Capitol on June 22, 2023, in Madison. (Credit: PBS Wisconsin)

Policy

Lawmakers weigh security practices at Wisconsin State Capitol following assassinations in Utah and Minnesota

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Minority Leader Greta Neubauer and other Wisconsin lawmakers are considering security practices at the Wisconsin State Capitol and other locations following the assassinations of Charlie Kirk in Utah and of Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband in June.

September 11, 2025

Paul Vitucci on wakes and the growing popularity of boating
Paul Vitucci on wakes and the growing popularity of boating

Environment

Paul Vitucci on wakes and the growing popularity of boating

Redline Watersports general manager Paul Vitucci discusses how a boom in boating led to a growing number of powered boats on lakes around Wisconsin that generate wakes and make for rougher waters.

September 11, 2025