All Recent Articles - PBS Wisconsin

Speaker Robin Vos on courts and Wisconsin’s budget process

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, discusses potential impacts of state Supreme Court cases over disputes between the governor and Legislature on Wisconsin's 2025-27 budget process.

December 27, 2024

Sen. Dianne Hesselbein on the 2025 state Supreme Court vote

Elections

Sen. Dianne Hesselbein on the 2025 state Supreme Court vote

Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, discusses the significance of the 2025 state Supreme Court election given its balance of power and range of major cases on its docket.

December 27, 2024

Rep. Greta Neubauer on the 2025 state Supreme Court vote

Elections

Rep. Greta Neubauer on the 2025 state Supreme Court vote

Wisconsin Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, discusses the significance of the 2025 state Supreme Court election given its balance of power and range of major cases on its docket.

December 27, 2024

Politics

PBS Wisconsin reporters share their 2024 highlights

Here & Now journalists point to coverage that shared the stories of people affected by the uncertainties of life and the forces that are shaping politics over their past 12 months of reporting.

December 26, 2024

A spontaneous memorial features multiple flower bouquets, multiple devotional candles and flameless candles placed on a concrete sidewalk next to a lawn.

Social Issues

Community remembers 42-year-old teacher who was killed in the Abundant Life shooting

Scores of people attended the funeral of 42-year-old Erin Michelle West, a teacher who was killed in a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, with a family friend sharing in an elegy how she loved to go on trips with her husband and their three daughters.

December 26, 2024 • South Central Region

In Focus

In Focus with John Ridley: Storytelling, film and community

Murv Seymour talks with filmmaker John Ridley about the art of storytelling, his movie about political trailblazer Shirley Chisholm, and artistic efforts of the No Studios Creative Hub in Milwaukee.

December 23, 2024

Karen Hyun poses for a portrait with a U.S. flag in the background.

Policy

Evers appoints Karen Hyun as secretary of the Wisconsin DNR

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced that he has appointed Karen Hyun as secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources — Hyun has been the chief of staff of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration since 2021, and previously worked at the National Audubon Society.

December 23, 2024

Erin Neill and Frederica Freyberg sit facing each other on the Here & Now set.

Politics

‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Erin Neill, Trish Kilpin

Here's what guests on the Dec. 20, 2024 episode said about healing the trauma of a mass school shooting and how state officials provide response and recovery in the aftermath.

December 23, 2024

Out-of-focus leafless branches with berries partially obscure a letter sign reading Abundant Life Christian School that is on the side of a stucco wall of a building.

Social Issues

After shooting, Abundant Life Christian School and church embrace Christmas message for comfort and community

The faith community at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison is embracing its holiday traditions just days after a deadly shooting there, with a pastor at the affiliated City Church saying that remembering the message of Christmas will help with healing.

December 22, 2024 • South Central Region

A spontaneous memorial features a poinsettia plant, multiple flower bouquets, multiple devotional candles and flameless candles, and an illuminated lantern with the words Amazing Grace on one of its panels placed on a concrete sidewalk next to a lawn.

Social Issues

Family, friends remember 14-year-old who was killed in the Abundant Life shooting

Funeral services were held for Rubi Patricia Vergara, the 14-year old student shot and killed at Abundant Life Christian School, with family and friends gathering to remember her as a talented teenager with deep faith who shared her gifts of music and art with many.

December 22, 2024 • South Central Region

Madison confronts the enormity of the Abundant Life shooting

Social Issues

Madison confronts the enormity of the Abundant Life shooting

Following the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School where a teacher and student were killed, educators and the broader Madison community grapple directly with a nationwide epidemic of violence.

December 20, 2024 • South Central Region

A still image shows Erin Neill seated at the 'Here & Now' set featuring wood paneling, with a graphic at bottom reading 'Erin Neill' and 'HEART Counseling.'

Health

Erin Neill on the emotional impacts of experiencing violence

HEART Counseling psychotherapist Erin Neill describes overlapping traumas experienced by survivors, families and communities following violent acts like the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School.

December 20, 2024

A still image from a video shows Trish Kilpin seated with framed artwork on a wall and a shelf holding items with a graphic at bottom reading 'East Troy,' 'Trish Kilpin' and 'Wis. Dept. of Justice, Office of School Safety.'

Education

Trish Kilpin on responding to and averting school shootings

Wisconsin Department of Justice Office of School Safety Director Trish Kilpin discusses the crisis response that followed the Abundant Life Christian School shooting and assessing potential threats.

December 20, 2024

A still image shows Mark Pocan speaking into a microphone on a wooden podium surrounded by people standing around and behind him.

Politics

US Rep. Mark Pocan responds to the Madison school shooting

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-2nd Congressional District, comments on the Abundant Christian Life School shooting in Madison during a floor speech to the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

December 20, 2024

A still image from a video shows Thomas Haupt seated in front of a blurred background with a graphic at bottom reading 'Thomas Haupt.'

Health

Wisconsin detects a human bird flu case in Barron County

A human case of bird flu was detected in a worker at a poultry farm in Barron County where the H5N1 avian influenza virus was observed — health officials encourage tests for others who were exposed.

December 20, 2024 • Northern Region

Four people sit behind microphones and a wooden podium with a Wisconsin flag in the background.

Politics

Wisconsin’s 2024 electors cast ballots for Trump

Wisconsin's 2024 presidential electors votes cast their votes for Donald Trump to be the next president of the United States, while state charges proceed in the 2020 false electoral votes scheme.

December 20, 2024

Dan Beazley holds a tall wood cross while standing in the middle of a makeshift memorial that includes two short wood crosses with front panels in the shape of a heart surrounding a vertical ichthys symbol and covered with handwritten notes next to a sign mounted on a wood stand on one side and a series of flower bouquets and devotional candles on the other in front of a metal walkway fence, with a tree trunk, snow covered lawn, and multi-section building with a brick wall on one portion in the background.

Social Issues

Funerals set for student and teacher killed in Abundant Life Christian School shooting

Families of the two victims killed in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison described them as people of deep faith, with funerals for 14-year-old Rubi Patricia Vergara and 42-year-old Erin West announced in obituaries.

December 20, 2024 • South Central Region

Politics

Speaker Robin Vos on Wisconsin politics going into 2025

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, discusses safety in schools, leading the Republican caucus, its 2025-27 state budget priorities, and expectations for working with the governor.

December 19, 2024

Environment

Environmentalists cite Enbridge Line 6 leak in Line 5 debate

Environmental groups point to an oil spill discovered in Jefferson County at a transfer station for the Enbridge Line 6 pipeline as they oppose a reroute of the company's Line 5 in northern Wisconsin.

December 19, 2024 • Southeast Region

Plastic tape marked multiple times with the words Sheriff's Line Do Not Cross is attached to a wood post with the address number 4905 that is at one end of a sign with cracks in its paint that includes three handprints, an illustration of a bird and the words Campus for Kids, Infant, Pre-School - K4, Before/After School Care and Summer Programs that is placed in front of a pine landscaping shrub and stands on a small hill slope, with snow-dusted ground in the foreground and parked vehicles, tree trunks and a building in the background.

Social Issues

California man issued restraining order over contacting Madison school shooter as authorities identify those who were killed

New details became public in court documents and interviews with authorities investigating the teenager who took her own life after opening fire in a study hall at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, while authorities identified the 42-year-old teacher and 14-year-old student killed in the attack.

December 19, 2024 • South Central Region

A sign reading County Courthouse and a stylized flat, wire sculpture of Lady Justice are mounted on the masonry wall of a Brutalist-style building, with multi-story brick and metal-sided buildings across an intersection and on either side of a street, with the Wisconsin State Capitol in the background under a clear sky.

Courts

Dane County judge temporarily stays ruling to overturn Act 10 restrictions on unions

A Dane County judge has granted a temporary stay of a ruling to strike down most of the 2011 law known as Act 10 as unconstitutional while considering written arguments over whether to place that decision on hold as Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature pursue an appeal.

December 19, 2024

Two mosaics depicting Classical figures — one holding a tablet and labeled Legislation and the other holding staffs and labeled Government — are seen in two quadrants of the interior walls of a rotunda inside a building with marble pillars and other masonry in a Beaux-Arts design.

Politics

Wisconsin legislative leaders consider policy priorities and state politics in 2025

Republican and Democratic leadership in the Wisconsin Legislature are eyeing a $4 billion budget surplus and what to do with that money, while also weighing how the state will interact with President-elect Donald Trump's administration, pursuing policy priorities, and looking ahead to the 2026 election.

December 19, 2024

Satya Rhodes-Conway stands in front of multiple microphones with flags of different media organizations, with Melissa Agard standing to the side and Charles Tubbs and multiple uniformed law enforcement officers in the background.

Social Issues

Madison officials go quiet on details about Abundant Life Christian School shooting

Police and other public officials have been tight-lipped about why a 15-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian School shot and killed a fellow student and teacher before shooting herself, having released the name of the shooter but not the names of the two people she killed.

December 18, 2024 • South Central Region

A person seated in a wheelchair writes on the surface of a piece of wood in the shape of a heart attached to the front of a wood cross standing on a wood mount next to another cross and a sign on a wood stand, with multiple people standing in the background, including a blurry person in motion, with two light sources on either side of a building with columns topped by a pediment and an illuminated dome.

Social Issues

Community members wrestle with grief in aftermath of school shooting in Madison

Several hundred people gathered outside the Wisconsin State Capitol for a vigil to honor those slain at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, with participants passing candles to each other and standing close against the winter chill.

December 18, 2024 • South Central Region

A police vehicle with illuminated siren lights is parked on a lawn next to a wood sign with the words ALCS, Abundant Life Christian School, Since 1978 and Elementary - High School, with a wood fence, multi-story house and trees in the background.

Courts

Investigating motive is a key task for police following the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School

Law enforcement said a "combination of factors" contributed to the motive in the Abundant Life Christian School shooting that left a teacher and student dead, with Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes urging anyone who knew the 15-year-old shooter's feelings to reach out to investigators.

December 17, 2024 • South Central Region

A Madison Police Department officer in uniform takes a photo while wearing gloves while standing in a parking lot among multiple parked vehicles, with other law enforcement officers wearing tactical vests and badges on lanyards walking in the background, with out-of-focus window blinds in the foreground.

Education

What is known about the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School

Three people were shot and killed and others injured on Dec. 16 at Abundant Life Christian School on the east side of Madison — here are things to know about the shooting in Wisconsin's capital city.

December 17, 2024 • South Central Region

A law enforcement officer wearing a sheriff's deputy uniform and carrying a long gun on a sling around his shoulder stands in the middle of a street next to a parked Madison Police Department vehicle, with other law enforcement vehicles parked on a lawn among tree trunks in front of a brick building with multiple doors and windows.

Education

School shooting in Madison leaves another community shaken by mass gun violence

Two people were killed and six others injured in a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison — the suspected shooter, who was also found dead at the scene, was later identified by officials as a female student at the school.

December 16, 2024 • South Central Region

Multiple police vehicles with illuminated siren lights are parked on the side of a road and among leafless trees in a lawn in front of a multi-story brick building, with a leafless tree in the foreground.

Education

Multiple people killed and injured in shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison

Authorities have reported that multiple people are dead and others were injured after a shooting on Dec. 16 at the private Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, including a child who caused the attack.

December 16, 2024 • South Central Region

Tyler Wenzlaff and Frederica Freyberg sit facing each other on the Here & Now set.

Politics

‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Tyler Wenzlaff, Chancellor Michael Alexander

Here's what guests on the Dec. 13, 2024 episode said about the status of the federal Farm Bill and the enrollment and budget strategies at UW-Green Bay.

December 16, 2024

Environment

Enbridge’s Line 6 pipeline spills about 70,000 gallons of oil in Jefferson County

Enbridge Energy says about 70,000 gallons of oil spilled from its Line 6 pipeline into the ground in Jefferson County in southeast Wisconsin, which the company says was caused by a faulty connection on a pump transfer pipe.

December 15, 2024 • Southeast Region

A still image from a video shows Michael Alexander seated in front of three artworks depicting trees, buildings and a stadium reading 'University of Wisconsin Green Bay' with a graphic at bottom reading 'Green Bay,' 'Chancellor Michael Alexander' and 'UW-Green Bay.'

Education

Chancellor Michael Alexander on the finances of UW-Green Bay

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Chancellor Michael Alexander discusses growing enrollment, cutting majors and eliminating a budget deficit while ending in-person classes at its Marinette campus.

December 13, 2024 • Northeast Region

A still image shows Tyler Wenzlaff seated at the 'Here & Now' set featuring wood paneling, with a graphic at bottom reading 'Tyler Wenzlaff' and 'Wisconsin Fair Bureau Federation.'

Agriculture

Tyler Wenzlaff on the politics of extending the Farm Bill

Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation national affairs director Tyler Wenzlaff discusses negotiations in Congress over an extension to the 2018 Farm Bill and the impacts of delays on farmers and families.

December 13, 2024

Steps lead to a set of double doors in an entrance on a façade of the U.S. Supreme Court Building with marble masonry, a portico of columns, and a pediment with a of sculptures of figures under a partly cloudy sky.

Courts

US Supreme Court to hear case over Catholic Charities Bureau seeking Wisconsin unemployment tax exemption

Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court said they will review a divided Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that refused to grant an exemption to the Superior-based Catholic Charities Bureau from paying state unemployment tax.

December 13, 2024 • Northern Region

Politics

Sen. Dianne Hesselbein on Wisconsin politics going into 2025

Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, discusses leading an expanded Democratic caucus, fall election results, the state budget process and the incoming Trump administration.

December 13, 2024

Politics

Rep. Greta Neubauer on Wisconsin politics going into 2025

Wisconsin Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, discusses the political impacts of redistricting, new Democratic lawmakers, a state budget surplus and the incoming Trump administration.

December 12, 2024

A river tinted with iron-rich soil flows under a bridge with concrete walls and abutments, with leafless trees on the far shore under a partly cloudy sky.

Courts

Bad River Band and other groups move to block reroute plans for Enbridge’s Line 5

The Bad River Band of Lake Superior filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of the environmental impact statement on rerouting Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline, and the tribe with other groups has also petitioned the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for a hearing on the validity of construction permits.

December 12, 2024 • Northern Region

A flagpole is mounted to the top of a pediment on one wing of a marble masonry building with relief statuary and a dome topped by a statue, under a partly cloud sky.

Elections

Wisconsin will cast its 2024 electoral votes in line with federal law, not state law

Wisconsin's 2024 slate of 10 Republican electors will meet on Dec. 17 as required under federal law to cast the state's Electoral College votes for President-elect Donald Trump, not the day earlier as called for under state law.

December 12, 2024

Jim Troupis speaks into a row of microphones with the flags of different media organizations inside a room with recessed lighting in the background.

Courts

Former Trump attorney Jim Troupis lashes out after court appearance in Wisconsin’s fake electors case

Attorney Jim Troupis attended his initial court appearance in a case where he is facing 11 felony forgery counts related to the 2020 fake electors scheme in Wisconsin, and subsequently held a press conference saying he was the victim of "lawfare" that wreaked havoc on his career and personal life.

December 12, 2024

A sign with illustrations of coniferous trees and the words This Is A Christmas Tree Farm, Feel Free To Breathe Deeply, The Trees On This Farm Are Absorbing Carbon Dioxide Laden Air And Sending Out Oxygenated Air and Use A Naturally Grown Tree Every Christmas So That This Farm Can Keep Making Clean Air stands in a field of small coniferous trees, with hilltops covered by leafless deciduous trees on the horizon under a cloudy sky.

Agriculture

How many fresh-cut Christmas trees are being harvested in Wisconsin?

Christmas tree farmers have hopes that a decades-long decline in the number of fresh-cut trees harvested every holiday season — driven by generational turnover and the market for artificial decorations — is on the verge of turning around.

December 11, 2024

A sign reading Welcome to Copper Lakes School and Lincoln Hills School and Main Entrance stands top of a terraced landscaping feature with bushes and a memorial with a photo and flowers, in front of a multi-story chain-link fence topped by two rows of razor wire, with a gate in the fencing leading toward the entrance of a two-story brick building with a metal roof.

Courts

Costs continue to surge at Wisconsin’s troubled Lincoln Hills youth prison

A budget request by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections would nearly double incarceration costs in the state's juvenile justice system to $463,000 each year per child, and critics say these funds would be better used to prevent crime.

December 10, 2024 • Northern Region

Three side-by-side photos show Jim Troupis, Kenneth Chesebro and Mike Roman speaking, listening and posing for a portrait, respectively, in rooms with out-of-focus backgrounds.

Courts

Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 more felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors scheme

The Wisconsin Department of Justice has filed 10 additional felony charges against Jim Troupis, Kenneth Chesebro and Mike Roman over a plan to submit paperwork falsely claiming then-President Donald Trump won the state in the 2020 election.

December 10, 2024

A hand uses a pen to sign a document with multiple other signatures on top of a wood table.

Courts

Wisconsin Republicans sue to resolve conflict of which day the state’s 2024 Electoral College votes must be cast

The Republican Party of Wisconsin has filed a lawsuit seeking a court order to resolve a discrepancy between state and federal law about what date Wisconsin's presidential electors must meet to cast the state's 10 Electoral College votes for President-elect Donald Trump.

December 9, 2024

Two marble columns are visible in the foreground in front of a lawn with patches of dead grass and multiple trees with leaves in varying colors in front of a façade of the U.S. Supreme Court Building with marble masonry, a portico of columns, and a pediment with a of sculptures of figures.

Courts

US Supreme Court rejects challenge to an Eau Claire schools policy covering transgender students

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a group of parents who wanted to challenge guidance for supporting transgender students in the Eau Claire Area School District, saying the plaintiffs did not present evidence that the policy affected them or their children.

December 9, 2024 • West Central Region

Frederica Freyberg sits at a desk on the Here & Now set and faces a video monitor showing an image of Mark Pocan.

Politics

‘Here & Now’ Highlights: US Rep. Mark Pocan, Bryna Godar, Kurt Paulsen, Amy Basting

Here's what guests on the Dec. 6, 2024 episode said about Medicare Advantage plans, a court ruling to reverse Act 10, affordable housing under the second Trump administration and the need for more foster families in Wisconsin.

December 9, 2024

US Rep. Mark Pocan on Medicare versus Medicare Advantage

Policy

US Rep. Mark Pocan on Medicare versus Medicare Advantage

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, discusses the Save Medicare Act, a bill to rename Medicare Advantage and ban these private health insurance plans from referencing Medicare in their marketing.

December 6, 2024

A still image shows Bryna Godar seated at the 'Here & Now' set featuring wood paneling, with a graphic at bottom reading 'Bryna Godar' and 'State Democracy Research Initiative.'

Politics

Bryna Godar on an Act 10 reversal and the politics of appeal

University of Wisconsin Law School State Democracy Research Initiative attorney Bryna Godar discusses a court ruling to reverse Act 10, the appeal process and the 2025 state Supreme Court election.

December 6, 2024

A still image from a video shows Amy Basting seated in front of a blurred background with a graphic at bottom reading 'Milwaukee,' 'Amy Basting' and 'Children's Wisconsin.'

Social Issues

Amy Basting on a critical need for foster care in Wisconsin

Children's Wisconsin foster care specialist Amy Basting describes commitments and rewards of foster care for thousands of kids in the state with significant challenges needing support and treatment.

December 6, 2024

A still image shows David Prosser speaking into a microphone with wood paneling and a Wisconsin state flag in the background.

Politics

Former Justice, Assembly Speaker David Prosser passes away

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice and Assembly Speaker David Prosser, a Republican involved in many prominent political and legal issues over a nearly forty-year career, passed away at 81.

December 6, 2024

Kurt Paulsen on the housing crisis and Trump’s policy plans

Economy

Kurt Paulsen on the housing crisis and Trump’s policy plans

UW-Madison urban planning professor Kurt Paulsen discusses affordable housing shortages and potential effects of the incoming Trump administration's promises of mass deportation and other policies.

December 5, 2024

Vehicles are parked on the side and drive along a road with small piles of plowed and shoveled snow, with two-story storefront building on one side next to traffic signals at an intersection, with a row of U.S. flags on flagpoles in font of other buildings, trees and utility lines in the background.

Elections

Resentment among immigrants over newer arrivals helped boost Trump for Latino voters

Across the United States, Latino immigrants who have been in the country a long time felt that asylum-seekers got preferential treatment, while "those of us who have been here for years get nothing," said one woman from Mexico who has lived in Wisconsin for several decades.

December 5, 2024

An overhead skylight illuminates marble masonry and two columns with Composite order capitals that flank a doorway with wrought iron filigree, with a carved sign above reading Supreme Court and with a balcony to one side.

Elections

Union rights take center stage in high-stakes 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race

The Wisconsin Supreme Court election in the spring of 2025 already had high stakes, but a Dane County judge's ruling to overturn Act 10 and restore collective bargaining rights to the state's tens of thousands of teachers and other public workers further intensifies the contest.

December 4, 2024

Sydney Widell, Nancy Wedwick on floods, dams and community

Environment

Sydney Widell, Nancy Wedwick on floods, dams and community

Coon Creek Community Watershed Council members Sydney Widell and Nancy Wedwick discuss plans to remove earthen dams in southwest Wisconsin and the use of agricultural practices to control flooding.

December 4, 2024 • Southwest Region

Dave Eggen on opposing plans to remove dams in the Driftless

Environment

Dave Eggen on opposing plans to remove dams in the Driftless

Vernon County Board Supervisor Dave Eggen discusses plans to decommission multiple earthen dams in southwest Wisconsin after breaches by floods and desire to instead devote funding to their repair.

December 3, 2024 • Southwest Region

Crowds of people holding signs and flying U.S. flags fill an area bounded by multiple intersecting streets with multi-story buildings.

Courts

What to know about Wisconsin’s Act 10 and the 2024 court battle over the law

A revived legal battle in Wisconsin over Act 10, passed amid massive protests in 2011, will determine whether teachers, nurses, prison guards and other state employees can bargain over work conditions and salary, with the Republican-controlled Legislature appealing a court ruling overturning the law.

December 3, 2024

Courts

Dane County judge issues ruling to restore collective bargaining rights eliminated in 2011 under Act 10

Wisconsin public worker and teachers unions have scored a major legal victory with a ruling that restores collective bargaining rights they lost in 2011 under Act 10, with Republicans vowing to immediately file an appeal, which will likely go to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

December 2, 2024

David Prosser sits in a high-backed leather chair on a judicial dais, with multiple papers and a nameplate reading J. Prosser on its surface, with multiple wood and leather high-backed chairs in the background, in a room with marble masonry.

Politics

David Prosser, who served as Wisconsin Assembly speaker and in the state Supreme Court, dies at 81

David Prosser, a Republican lawmaker who rose to become speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly before an 18-year tenure on the state Supreme Court marked by feuds with liberal justices, died on Dec. 1 at age 81 after battling cancer for several months.

December 2, 2024

Ben Wikler holds his right hand up and waves while standing behind a teleprompter mirror, with out-of-focus people standing and applauding in the background.

Politics

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler enters race to lead national party

Since losing the White House and U.S. Senate in the 2024 election, Democrats are looking for new leadership — Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, has joined the race to lead the national party, with the DNC choosing a new chair in February 2025.

December 1, 2024

A video still image shows Ann Jacobs sitting in an office with wood shelves filled with books, plants and other items in the background, with a video graphic at bottom including the text Special Meeting and Canvass Statement Certification.

Elections

Wisconsin Elections Commission chair certifies Trump’s 2024 victory in state

Wisconsin Election Commission Chairperson Ann Jacobs certified the state's 2024 presidential vote results that show Republican President-elect Donald Trump won the state with 1,697,626 votes compared to 1,668,229 votes cast for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

December 1, 2024

Mark Erickson on assessing earthen dam stability and failure

Environment

Mark Erickson on assessing earthen dam stability and failure

Vernon County resource conservationist Mark Erickson describes documenting the risk of failure for earthen dams and the dangers posed downstream when water overtops or breaches these structures.

November 27, 2024 • Southwest Region

Health

Fred Harris on mental health risks of teen screen addiction

New Beginnings Counseling Center owner Fred Harris explains how teenagers increasingly struggle with mental health issues due to excessive screen time and efforts to address this type of addiction.

November 26, 2024

In Focus

In Focus with David Maraniss: Covering news, writing history

Murv Seymour talks with author David Maraniss at PBS Wisconsin about how journalism shaped his passion for writing histories of social change and biographies of U.S. presidents and storied athletes.

November 25, 2024

Frederica Freyberg sits at a desk on the Here & Now set and faces a video monitor showing an image of Tammy Baldwin.

Politics

‘Here & Now’ Highlights: U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin

Here's what guests on the Nov. 22, 2024 episode said about election results and what's ahead for Congress and the incoming Trump administration in 2025.

November 25, 2024

A still image from a video shows Tammy Baldwin seated in front of framed artwork on the wall with a graphic at bottom reading 'Washington, D.C.,' 'U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin' and '(D) Wisconsin.'

Elections

US Sen. Tammy Baldwin on her 2024 win and the 119th Congress

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin discusses her narrow victory in the 2024 election, the incoming Trump administration's Cabinet picks and the outlook for Congress in 2025 under Republican control.

November 22, 2024

Watertown adopts more restrictive transgender student rules

Education

Watertown adopts more restrictive transgender student rules

The politics of sex and gender were at the center of community controversy in Watertown as its school board adopted a more restrictive gender support plan, changing rules for transgender students.

November 22, 2024 • Southeast Region

Pedestrians walk on sidewalks and streets among tents and food trucks in front of a brick-and-masonry Italianate building with a conical tower and a clock tower, standing among multiple large deciduous trees.

Health

More communities debate about fluoride in drinking water, including in Wisconsin

Fights are cropping up nationwide over fluoride in drinking water, with communities in Florida, Texas, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Wisconsin and elsewhere debating the idea and several deciding to stop adding it to drinking water.

November 22, 2024

The legal contest over Wisconsin’s top elections official

Courts

The legal contest over Wisconsin’s top elections official

A 2022 state Supreme Court ruling that allows appointed officials to continue after their terms end factors in a 2024 case on the status of Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe.

November 21, 2024

Bob Micheel on plans to remove Coon Creek dams after floods

Environment

Bob Micheel on plans to remove Coon Creek dams after floods

Monroe County Land Conservation Department Director Bob Micheel describes how 2018 floods breached aging dams in southwest Wisconsin's Coon Creek watershed and why they are to be decommissioned.

November 21, 2024 • Southwest Region

What to do about aging dams in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area?

Environment

What to do about aging dams in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area?

Extreme weather and limited budgets are central to plans for removing a series of earthen dams in southwest Wisconsin, but local residents are concerned about the consequences to their communities.

November 20, 2024 • Southwest Region

Health

Fred Harris on mental health therapies for Black children

New Beginnings Counseling Center owner Fred Harris describes growing levels of racism Black adolescents face at school and how mental health providers seek to provide support and empowerment.

November 19, 2024

Greta Neubauer speaks into a wireless microphone while standing in a room with marble masonry in the background.

Politics

Wisconsin Democrats reelect Neubauer as Assembly minority leader for 2025 session

Wisconsin Assembly Democrats unanimously reelected state Rep. Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, as Assembly minority leader after she helped the party flip 10 seats in the 2024 election.

November 19, 2024

Michael Gableman walks up steps toward the entrance of a building from a sidewalk in front of an intersection, with buildings, trees, traffic signals and parked vehicles in the background.

Courts

Wisconsin judicial regulators file complaint against Gableman

Wisconsin's Office of Lawyer Regulation has filed a 10-count complaint against former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, accusing him of violating rules of professional conduct related to his actions and statements connected to a probe into the 2020 presidential vote.

November 19, 2024

Sean Duffy gestures with both hands while seated and speaking into a microphone mounted to a wood desk, with an out-of-focus person seated in the background.

Politics

Trump says he will nominate Sean Duffy to be transportation secretary

President-elect Donald Trump says his choice for secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation is Republican former U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, a former reality TV star who represented Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District and is among Trump's most visible defenders on cable news.

November 19, 2024

Meagan Wolfe holds her left hand to her chin while seated.

Courts

Wisconsin Supreme Court considers case on state’s elections administrator position

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is considering whether the state's nonpartisan top elections official can remain in the post despite not being reappointed and confirmed by the state Senate in the wake of a 2022 high court ruling allowing appointees to remain in their positions after the end of their terms.

November 18, 2024

A screenshot of a video shows Eric Hovde sitting in a room with an illuminated lamp, wood-and-glass cabinet and wall-mounted painting in the background.

Elections

Hovde concedes defeat to Baldwin in Wisconsin’s 2024 US Senate race

Wisconsin Republican U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde has conceded in the 2024 election narrowly won by Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, saying he will not pursue a recount in a race where his defeat was less than 1 percentage point, at about 29,000 votes.

November 18, 2024

Frederica Freyberg and Christopher Saldaña sit facing each other on the Here & Now set.

Politics

‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Christopher Saldaña, Jorge Franco, Kathryn McGarr

Here's what guests on the Nov. 15, 2024 episode said about education funding at state and federal levels, the Hispanic vote for president and parallels in American history to Trump campaign promises.

November 18, 2024

A still image from a video shows Jorge Franco seated in front of a couch with pillows, wall decor and a table with lamp and items with a graphic at bottom reading 'Milwaukee,' 'Jorge Franco' and 'Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin.'

Social Issues

Jorge Franco on Hispanic voters, Trump and mass deportation

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin CEO Jorge Franco discusses a swing among Latino voters toward President-elect Donald Trump in 2024 and the prospect of mass deportation by his administration.

November 15, 2024

A still image shows Kathryn McGarr seated at the 'Here & Now' set featuring wood paneling, with a graphic at bottom reading 'Kathryn McGarr' and 'UW-Madison School of Journalism.'

History

Kathryn McGarr on Trumpism and lessons from American history

UW-Madison journalism professor Kathryn McGarr considers questions about historical parallels between the second Trump administration and the mid-20th century's America First movement and McCarthyism.

November 15, 2024

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

Education

Christopher Saldaña on funding for Wisconsin schools in 2025

UW-Madison education professor Christopher Saldaña considers the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's 2025 budget request and record-setting new funding approved in school referendums in 2024.

November 15, 2024

A metal pipe rests on dug up earth with dirt, sticks and debris around it and a graphic at the top reading 'Bad River Documentary Footage Courtesy 50 Eggs Films.'

Policy

Line 5 pipeline reroute around Bad River land advances

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued permits to Enbridge for construction of its Line 5 oil and gas pipeline reroute around the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reservation.

November 15, 2024

Justices Brian Hagedorn and Rebecca Dallet on abortion laws

Courts

Justices Brian Hagedorn and Rebecca Dallet on abortion laws

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn and Justice Rebecca Dallet speak to perspectives on how state statutes address the legal status of abortion during oral arguments in "Kaul v. Urmanski."

November 14, 2024

A river tinted with iron-rich soil flows toward the horizon, with leafless trees on either side under a partly cloudy sky.

Policy

Wisconsin DNR issues first round of construction permits for Enbridge Line 5 reroute around Bad River reservation

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued the first round of permits allowing Enbridge to reroute an aging pipeline around the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reservation, after the tribal government sued the company in 2019 to force it to remove the pipeline from its lands.

November 14, 2024 • Northern Region

Wisconsin Supreme Court justices take on an abortion lawsuit

Courts

Wisconsin Supreme Court justices take on an abortion lawsuit

The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging an 1849 law that had banned abortion as state-level legal contests continue in the wake of the "Dobbs v. Jackson" decision.

November 14, 2024

Voters stand and face a row of temporary voting booths with metal legs, plastic tables and privacy dividers with an illustration of a U.S. flag and the word Vote on its side, with two more voting booths standing on a low stage with a backdrop painted with different plants and insects, in a room with a wood floor.

Education

Wisconsin voters approve a record number of school referendums and new funding levels in 2024

The Wisconsin Policy Forum released a study that found school districts around the state held a record number of 241 referendums in 2024, with voters approving a record 169 ballot questions authorizing a record $4.4 billion in new funding.

November 14, 2024

Health

Myra McNair on mental health therapy for diverse patients

Anesis Center for Marriage & Family Therapy owner Myra McNair describes a growing interest in mental health care among Black and other diverse communities and the resulting demands on practitioners.

November 13, 2024

Josh Kaul stands and speaks into multiple microphones, several with the flags of different media organizations, in a room with a fringed velvet banner displayed on a wall in the background.

Politics

Democratic leaders in states prepare to counter Trump in his second term

Democratic governors and attorneys general are set to reprise their roles in pushing back against the policies of President-elect Donald Trump, and are preparing for a tougher legal environment than they faced when he first took office in 2017.

November 13, 2024

Eric Hovde makes a fist with his right hand while speaking into two microphones mounted to the top of a podium with a sign on the front with the words Hovde and U.S. Senate, with a large U.S. flag behind him.

Elections

Hovde admits he lost Wisconsin US Senate race, still weighing a potential recount

Wisconsin Republican Eric Hovde is admitting that he lost the state's 2024 U.S. Senate race to Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, but is refusing to concede and instead is repeating misleading claims about the election as he considers a recount.

November 13, 2024

Lynda Hagen holds one of Nate Hagen's braids in her left hand while both sit in chairs in a corner of an examination room.

Indigenous

A Lac du Flambeau Band child faced racism and violently bullying at school — now his mother is speaking out

Years of racism and bullying at a school in Mercer in northern Wisconsin culminated in an assault on a 10-year-old enrolled member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, prompting the family to move away for their safety.

November 12, 2024 • Northern Region

Three people seated in rows of stackable chairs, desk chairs and a swiveling office chair sitting in a room with a skylight and illuminated light fixtures watch a projection screen bordered by wood moulding shows a video feed of a man standing at a podium with an open binder filled with papers on its surface, with another person seated in the background in a high-backed chair, with a graphic at the bottom with the text Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Courts

Wisconsin Supreme Court grapples with an 1849 state law and the legality of abortion

An attorney representing the Republican district attorney of Sheboygan County sought to convince the liberal-leaning Wisconsin Supreme Court to reactivate a 175-year-old law that has been construed as an abortion ban after a Dane County judge ruled it was a prohibition on feticide.

November 11, 2024

Frederica Freyberg sits at a desk on the Here & Now set and faces a video monitor showing an image of Zac Schultz.

Politics

‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Zac Schultz, Anthony Chergosky, McCoshen & Ross

Here's what guests on the Nov. 8, 2024 episode said about election results and reactions.

November 11, 2024

A still image shows Bill McCoshen and Scot Ross seated at the 'Here & Now' set featuring wood paneling.

Elections

McCoshen & Ross on implications, impacts of Trump’s 2024 win

"Here & Now" political panelists Bill McCoshen & Scot Ross discuss the significance of the 2024 election victory by President-elect Donald Trump and what it means for Wisconsin politics going forward.

November 8, 2024

A still image from a video shows Anthony Chergosky seated in front of wooden bookshelves lined with books with a graphic at bottom reading 'La Crosse,' 'Anthony Chergosky' and 'UW-La Crosse Dept. of Political Science.'

Elections

Anthony Chergosky on the landscape of Wisconsin’s 2024 vote

UW-La Crosse political science professor Anthony Chergosky considers issues central to the 2024 vote alongside geographic and demographic factors contributing to President-elect Donald Trump's win.

November 8, 2024

Zac Schultz stands in front of the State Capitol rotunda indoors with green marble walls and white columns with a graphic at bottom reading 'State Capitol,' 'Zac Schultz' and 'Here & Now.'

Elections

Zac Schultz on Wisconsin’s 2024 vote results, 2025 prospects

PBS Wisconsin senior political reporter Zac Schultz discusses results of 2024 votes for U.S. Senate and both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature as the 2025 state Supreme Court election approaches.

November 8, 2024

Recapping Wisconsin’s vote for president, US Senate in 2024

Elections

Recapping Wisconsin’s vote for president, US Senate in 2024

Republican President-elect Donald Trump beat Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin beat Republican challenger Eric Hovde in Wisconsin's 2024 vote.

November 8, 2024

Voters stand and face temporary voting booths with privacy screens with a U.S. flag illustration and the word Vote on their side wall, a plastic surface and metal legs, in a room with painted concrete block walls and a linoleum floor, with an out-of-focus voting booth side wall in the foreground.

Elections

Democrats flip 14 seats in the Wisconsin Legislature in 2024 after redistricting

Under new legislative district maps that affirmed the undoing of a longstanding Republican gerrymander, Democratic candidates won back 14 seats in the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate in the 2024 election, setting the stage for a close contest for majorities in the 2026 vote.

November 7, 2024

Devin LeMahieu walks in a room with out-of-focus marble walls in the background.

Politics

Republican lawmakers return LeMahieu to leadership role in Wisconsin Senate

The Republican caucus in the Wisconsin Senate reelected state Sen. Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, as majority leader for the 2025-26 session, when will have fewer seats following several wins by Democrats in the 2024 election.

November 7, 2024

Tammy Baldwin speaks into a mounted microphone while standing in a room with a Wisconsin flag in the background.

Elections

Baldwin pledges to work with Trump and calls for less division

Wisconsin Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who narrowly won a third term, pledged in her victory speech to work with President-elect Donald Trump when possible, but also vowed to fight to protect the national health care law and abortion rights.

November 7, 2024

Tommy Thompson on Trump’s 2024 election victory in Wisconsin

Elections

Tommy Thompson on Trump’s 2024 election victory in Wisconsin

Republican former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson discusses his advice to President-elect Donald Trump to campaign in Democratic strongholds and other areas in the state to attract more voters in 2024.

November 6, 2024

Josh Kaul on monitoring the 2024 election around Wisconsin

Elections

Josh Kaul on monitoring the 2024 election around Wisconsin

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul discusses how Election Day 2024 went in Wisconsin and efforts by local and state officials to count every vote and bolster confidence in the election process.

November 6, 2024

Tammy Baldwin gestures with her right hand while standing at a podium and speaking into a microphone mounted to its top, with out-of-focus people in the background.

Elections

Why AP called the 2024 Wisconsin US Senate race for Baldwin

The Associated Press declared that Democratic Wisconsin incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin won reelection in the 2024 vote after it determined that Republican challenger Eric Hovde wouldn't be able to take the lead once remaining untabulated ballots were counted.

November 6, 2024

Tammy Baldwin gestures with her right hand while standing and speaking into a mounted microphone, with an out-of-focus sign in the background.

Elections

Baldwin defeats Hovde in a race close enough to allow a recount

Democratic Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has won a third term in the 2024 election, defeating Republican challenger Eric Hovde in a race with voting results within the 1-percentage point margin that allows him to seek a recount.

November 6, 2024

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