Health & Welfare
Changes ease Minnesota family’s worries
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Eleta Pierce has been on and off MinnesotaCare, a program for working low-income people. Beginning Jan. 1, Pierce and her family will be eligible for Medicaid coverage.
Economy
Frac sand mining company faces $200,000 in water, air penalties
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Frac sand mining company Preferred Sands of Wisconsin has been ordered to pay $200,000 for stormwater and air permit violations at its facility near Blair, a Trempealeau County city.
Economy
Glenwood City incumbents lead in recall elections sparked by frac sand
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The mayor garnered a 43-vote margin Tuesday, while two city council members held onto razor-thin leads in Glenwood City recall elections sparked by controversy over a proposed frac sand mine.
250000 jobs
Scott Walker weighs veto of mascot bill
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Gov. Scott Walker is still deliberating whether to veto a controversial bill that would make it harder to force schools to drop Indian names and mascots.
Disability Rights Wisconsin
Walker changes stance, signs bill for workers with disabilities
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After reversing his original position, Gov. Scott Walker on Friday signed legislation to request more federal money to help unemployed people with disabilities find jobs faster.
Frac Sand Rush
City’s frac sand mine battle spurs recalls
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In this small city in northwestern Wisconsin, the mayor and two council members are facing recall elections over their handling of a proposed frac sand mine that would be built a half-mile south of a school.
Frac Sand Rush
Sand mining bill could also affect iron mine, factory farms
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The impact of a controversial bill that would restrict local government regulation of frac sand mines might be broader than originally thought, affecting the proposed iron ore mine in northern Wisconsin and factory farms across the state, opponents said Thursday at a Capitol hearing.
Frac Sand Rush
Frac sand health fears rise as mining booms in Wisconsin
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Like some other west-central Wisconsin residents, Frances and Dean Sayles are frustrated with the state Department of Natural Resources’ lack of a comprehensive approach to addressing concerns surrounding potential health problems from crystalline silica dust. Now some residents, academics, local government officials and even a frac sand producer have begun taking action.
Disability Rights Wisconsin
Walker now backs funding for disabled workers
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Gov. Scott Walker has announced plans to change course and seek full federal funding of a program that helps people with disabilities find jobs. Advocates at Disability Rights Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Rehabilitation Council credit a report by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism for new legislation aiming to fully fund the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, an arm of the state Department of Workforce Development.
unpaid internships
Unpaid internships under fire in Wisconsin, nationwide
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Unpaid interns, and the Wisconsin companies that hire them, are sorting out their options after a recent New York court ruling cast doubts on employers’ widespread practice of relying on eager young workers to perform without pay.
Agriculture
Wisconsin’s booming grape crop at risk from herbicide drift
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Grape farmers in Wisconsin are facing a growing threat, and in many cases it is coming from their own neighbors. Herbicides that are used to kill weeds in crops such as corn and soybeans can be deadly to other plants, including grapes. Food or wine grape vines exposed to the chemicals may shrivel up, turn colors and grow strange, elongated new leaves.
harvest camp
In Penokees camp, tribes flex treaty muscles to block mine
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Tribal officials and a treaty law expert say the Iron County camp, dubbed a harvest camp by Ojibwe, or Chippewa, lays the foundation for a possible legal case invoking their federal treaty rights.