Policy

As Policies Change At DNR, Agency Still Trying To Do More With Less

WisContext

As the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources plans a major reorganization that proposes giving large livestock operations more leeway to write their own permit applications, at least one long-term trend will continue: the agency's work is growing more complex while its staff and budget are shrinking.

Series: CAFOs, Manure And Water

Town Of Saratoga Moves To Protect Groundwater From Proposed CAFO

Glen Moberg

Wisconsin Public Radio

The Wood County town of Saratoga has passed a new ordinance to protect groundwater from manure spreading in its fight to keep a concentrated animal feeding operation from locating there.

Series: Wisconsin In The 2016 Presidential Election

Series: Wisconsin's Diverse Waves Of Immigration

Central Wisconsin's Hispanic Community Ponders Future In Wake Of Trump's Election

Scott Gordon

WisContext

Immigration and diversity are very much rural issues in Wisconsin. Some of Wisconsin's ethnic and racial minority groups are clustered in specific geographic areaa, but Hispanic people are widely distributed across much of the state.

Series: Challenges To Wisconsin's Rural Schools

Two Wisconsin Schools Superintendents Reflect On Winning, Losing Referendums

Scott Gordon

WisContext

With the state cutting aid to public schools and capping how much money they can raise through tax increases without voters' approval, school districts around Wisconsin have been seeking more funding through local referendums, especially those in rural areas.

Public Housing Goes Smoke Free

Shamane Mills

Wisconsin Public Radio

Public housing will soon be smoke free. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a final rule Wednesday. While some cities across the country have already made the change, Wisconsin's larger housing authorities have not.

Series: The Opioid Epidemic In Wisconsin

Milwaukee Hospital Helping Babies Suffering From Drug Withdrawal

Shamane Mills

Wisconsin Public Radio

Infants born addicted to drugs are one of several unfortunate results of Wisconsin's drug epidemic stemming from the abuse of heroin and prescription painkillers.

Series: The Opioid Epidemic In Wisconsin

Wisconsin DOC Weighs Benefits And Risks Of Vivitrol Treatment

Scott Gordon

WisContext

Wisconsin has responded to the nationwide rise in opioid addiction — fueled by cheap heroin, pain pills, and more recently fentanyl — with a series of bills that emphasize treatment over criminalization. But some of the state's initiatives focus on people already caught up in the criminal justice system.

Series: Health Insurance And The ACA

Future Of ACA Uncertain, But Coverage Intact For 2017

Donna Friedsam

UW Population Health Institute

The 2016 presidential election brings new leadership to Washington, D.C., and, with it, many questions about the future of health insurance, the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. However, all insurance options remain available to consumers for calendar year 2017.

Series: Food Security And Assistance In Wisconsin

WIC Nutrition Program Sees Decrease In Obese Children

Shamane Mills

Wisconsin Public Radio

Wisconsin is one of 31 states and three United States territories where obesity among children living in poor families decreased, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Series: Wisconsin In The 2016 Presidential Election

Series: UW Applied Population Lab: Wisconsin's Demographics

How And Where Trump Won Wisconsin in 2016

Malia Jones

UW Applied Population Lab

Donald Trump's presidential victory in Wisconsin, the first time a Republican candidate has won the state's electoral votes since 1984, was the result of a complex shift in voting patterns in counties both large and small.