A cardboard sign with the text Now Hiring! and an arrow pointing to the right stands in a lawn.

Economy

Fidelity bonds for hiring people with criminal records show promise, but almost no Wisconsin businesses use them

Wisconsin offers free insurance to companies that hire people with criminal records as a protection against fraud or theft, but employers in the state use very few of these "second chance" bonds, even though an estimated 1.4 million Wisconsinites have a criminal record.

May 6, 2026

Paul Hutson on psilocybin dosing as a clinical treatment
Paul Hutson on psilocybin dosing as a clinical treatment

Science

Paul Hutson on psilocybin dosing as a clinical treatment

UW-Madison Center for Psychedelic Research professor Paul Hutson describes the efficacy of psilocybin to treat depression and substance abuse in research of psychedelics as a mental health therapy.

May 5, 2026

Mohamed Anwar looks at an item in his hand while standing inside an open wood door with another person facing him, with sunlight illuminating them from an open window in the background and a painted concrete-block wall with an appliance and wood pew on either side of the doorway in the foreground.
Mohamed Anwar looks at an item in his hand while standing inside an open wood door with another person facing him, with sunlight illuminating them from an open window in the background and a painted concrete-block wall with an appliance and wood pew on either side of the doorway in the foreground.

Education

In Milwaukee, a nonprofit races to keep Rohingya language from fading in exile

After ethnic repression in Myanmar scattered Rohingya communities, a grassroots effort in Milwaukee is testing whether teaching the language in written form can help it survive in a community of refugees — and whether families will choose to pass it on.

May 5, 2026 • Southeast Region

A beagle looks past the back of the head of a person holding the dog on their shoulder, with an out-of-focus truck parked on tarmac in the background.
A beagle looks past the back of the head of a person holding the dog on their shoulder, with an out-of-focus truck parked on tarmac in the background.

Social Issues

About 1,500 beagles adjust to new lives after being released from Ridglan Farms

The first of 1,500 beagles that were purchased from the dog breeding and research business Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds are being moved to shelters by animal welfare groups in preparation for adoption.

May 4, 2026 • South Central Region

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

Politics

‘Here & Now’ Highlights: Tom Content, Paul Hutson

Here's what guests on the May 1, 2026 episode said about energy use by data centers and treating mental health disorders with psychedelic medicines.

May 4, 2026

Paul Hutson on potential for psychedelics in mental health
Paul Hutson on potential for psychedelics in mental health

Science

Paul Hutson on potential for psychedelics in mental health

UW-Madison Center for Psychedelic Research professor Paul Hutson details how psilocybin is used in controlled clinical settings to treat mental health issues from severe depression to substance abuse.

May 1, 2026

A still image shows Tom Content seated in a hotel room, with a graphic at the bottom that reads 'Tom Content' and 'Citizens Utility Board.'
A still image shows Tom Content seated in a hotel room, with a graphic at the bottom that reads 'Tom Content' and 'Citizens Utility Board.'

Economy

Tom Content on data center energy use and utility ratepayers

Citizens Utility Board Executive Director Tom Content discusses the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin setting an electricity rate plan for We Energies to shield customers from data center costs.

May 1, 2026

A still image shows Wayne Pacelle standing in front of several microphones at a press conference with a wall depicting several logos of the Center for a Humane Economy.
A still image shows Wayne Pacelle standing in front of several microphones at a press conference with a wall depicting several logos of the Center for a Humane Economy.

Agriculture

Animal rights groups push to end biomedical testing on dogs

Two animal rights groups announce a deal to buy nearly 1,500 beagles from the biomedical testing facility Ridglan Farms, and hold a press conference calling for an end to their use in research.

May 1, 2026

How Wisconsin’s 2026 Democratic primaries are taking shape
How Wisconsin’s 2026 Democratic primaries are taking shape

Inside Wisconsin Politics

How Wisconsin’s 2026 Democratic primaries are taking shape

The field of candidates in different Democratic primaries is growing, in races for Congress and the Legislature — Inside Wisconsin Politics considers how the 2026 election season is taking shape.

April 30, 2026

Rain falls on multiple vehicles parked in rows in an asphalt-covered parking lot in front of a multi-story brick and glass building with the a letter sign reading Sauk Prairie High School on an awning below a logo consisting of an overlapping S and P, with a U.S. flag on a flagpole to the side.
Rain falls on multiple vehicles parked in rows in an asphalt-covered parking lot in front of a multi-story brick and glass building with the a letter sign reading Sauk Prairie High School on an awning below a logo consisting of an overlapping S and P, with a U.S. flag on a flagpole to the side.

Economy

Failed spring 2026 school referendums around Wisconsin trigger scuts, closures and new funding pushes

A swift pace of budget priority shifts in the wake of the spring 2026 election highlights how school district leaders rely on referendums to keep their budgets balanced — and how, for many, the ask to voters was a final effort before resorting to making big cuts.

April 30, 2026