Wisconsin Watch

Directions Website

Wisconsin Watch Nonpartisan, independent news for Wisconsin.

No paywall.
💸 Become a supporter: https://wisconsinwatch.donorsupport.co/-/XGDNFWAA
📩 Sign up for our newsletters: wisconsinwatch.org/subscribe/

Yes, Tom Tiffany received more than 90% of his campaign donations from 3 billionaires since July 2026. Find more context...
10/12/2026

Yes, Tom Tiffany received more than 90% of his campaign donations from 3 billionaires since July 2026.

Find more context in our Fact Brief.

Yes, Gov. Tony Evers vetoed four auditor positions in the 2025-27 state budget. Our latest Fact Brief has the context.
10/12/2026

Yes, Gov. Tony Evers vetoed four auditor positions in the 2025-27 state budget.

Our latest Fact Brief has the context.

10/12/2026

What if building a career were like building a Lego city? Wisconsin's Technical Colleges President Layla Merrifield explains how stackable credentials let people add new skills as their careers evolve.

This was part of a Wisconsin Watch/Open Campus conversation about how short-term credentials are reshaping careers in a range of industries — from manufacturing to health care and education.

Thanks to everyone who sent thoughtful questions to our newsroom. We put them to David Crowley and Tom Tiffany, who answ...
10/12/2026

Thanks to everyone who sent thoughtful questions to our newsroom. We put them to David Crowley and Tom Tiffany, who answered questions about everything from tribal relations and severe weather to campaign finance, ma*****na, power lines and care for older adults and people with disabilities.

Read their answers and the context behind them. Link in the comments.

When do you plan to vote? Election Day on Nov. 3 is fast approaching — and Oct. 20, the start of in-person early voting,...
10/11/2026

When do you plan to vote?

Election Day on Nov. 3 is fast approaching — and Oct. 20, the start of in-person early voting, is even closer.

Our partners at Votebeat explain everything you need to know before you vote, from registration deadlines and early voting to absentee ballots, photo ID requirements and where to find your polling place.

Find the link in the comments.

A person can spend years successfully rebuilding their life after prison — holding a job, following supervision rules an...
10/10/2026

A person can spend years successfully rebuilding their life after prison — holding a job, following supervision rules and staying out of trouble. But those years of "street time" can effectively disappear in Wisconsin if the person slips up and their supervision is revoked.

Andrew Drasen argues Wisconsin should give people credit for time successfully spent rebuilding their lives in the community, as some other states do.

“Street-time erasure...turns supervision into a revolving door with a disappearing calendar,” Drasen writes.

Click the links in the comments to read the full guest opinion — and learn how to submit your own column for consideration.

And share your thoughts about this column, whether you agree or disagree.

10/10/2026

Lake sturgeon have been around for over 130 million years, long before the Great Lakes formed. Commercial fishing for caviar in the 19th century, followed by damming rivers, nearly wiped out the species from the Milwaukee River basin.

Special breeding and release programs like this one, led by Riveredge Nature Center, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Wisconsin’s tribal communities, aim to reverse the damage. This year marks the project's 20th anniversary.

As part of the program, staff collect sturgeon eggs, then hatch and raise them in a trailer at Riveredge Nature Center using water from the Milwaukee River.

Over the past 20 years, the program has released over 23,000 sturgeon. While males mature slightly faster than females and have been spotted in the Milwaukee River, the Wisconsin DNR hopes females will soon reach the age — about 20 years — when they typically begin spawning.

If they do, Milwaukee could see sturgeon spawn in the basin for the first time in more than a century.

⚡ New data viz just dropped. 👀 🗺️Electric bills are climbing across Wisconsin. But where are they taking the biggest bit...
10/09/2026

⚡ New data viz just dropped. 👀 🗺️

Electric bills are climbing across Wisconsin. But where are they taking the biggest bite out of household incomes?

Explore our interactive map and see how your community compares.

Find the link in the comments. 👇

Wisconsin is attracting billions of dollars in data center investments. Meanwhile, families are paying an average of $17...
10/09/2026

Wisconsin is attracting billions of dollars in data center investments. Meanwhile, families are paying an average of $17,400 a year for full-time infant care.

What if the state's growing data center industry helped make child care more affordable?

Connie Acuahuitl argues that Wisconsin should charge large data centers a modest fee based on their electricity demand and use the revenue to create a permanent child care fund.

“Child care is essential infrastructure. Wisconsin should fund it accordingly,” Acuahuitl writes.

What do you think?

Click the links in the comments to read the full guest opinion — and learn how to submit your own column for consideration.

Address

P. O. Box 5079
Milwaukee, WI
53205

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Wisconsin Watch posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share