Search results for

Fire departments in western Vilas County call the current EMS situation a crisis. There are not enough medical first responders to quickly respond to calls, so four local fire departments are teaming up to try to find a solution. Then, fentanyl test strips are now available statewide in response to increasing overdose deaths. And Wisconsin union leaders say the state is seeing more buzz among organized labor, especially among construction unions.

Local news for Wednesday, October 12, 2022.

The Friday decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade is confusing some Wisconsin physicians after the state reverted to a law passed in 1849. It prohibits abortions unless medically necessary to save a woman’s life, but some doctors are unclear on when they can provide that care. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s governor signed an executive order meant to protect the state’s abortion services from laws in neighboring states. And Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is urging the state Supreme Court to quickly determine whether abortion is legal under the state’s constitution.

Wisconsin’s 173-year-old abortion ban faces its first major legal test, as the state’s Democratic leaders announced Tuesday they’re suing to overturn it. Meanwhile, three Republican gubernatorial hopefuls vow to fire prosecutors who refuse to enforce the ban. Also, liberal watchdog group American Oversight filed its fourth open records lawsuit over the investigation of the 2020 Wisconsin election. And the Literacy Task Force of Wisconsin is teaching educators a new technique to help struggling readers.

An abortion rights campaign in Michigan turned in a record-breaking number of signatures for a ballot initiative to make abortion a constitutional right. Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, candidates are gearing up for the August Primary. Then, the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park received $1.4 million in American Rescue Plan funds for infrastructure improvements. And gas prices finally dropped in Wisconsin. Prices are down 47 cents from last month.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday barred the use of most absentee ballot drop boxes in the state. The move could have a disproportionate effect on rural voters. In other election news, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson endorsed construction company co-owner Tim Michels for governor. And over 500 people marched for abortion in Wausau Sunday.

Local news for August 18, 2022.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced $10 million in grant funding Tuesday to help homeowners treat, replace and reconstruct private wells. Then, late summer is a common time for blue green algae blooms to appear. But as the climate changes, these blooms are becoming more common, even on lakes scientists wouldn’t have predicted. Finally, scientists in Georgia have found three female sturgeon with mature eggs – a sign that the prehistoric fish may be reproducing in Georgia for the first time in 50 years.

Wisconsin Republican Assembly speaker Robin Vos fired Michael Gableman Friday, ending a 14-month, taxpayer-funded inquiry into the 2020 election. Then, Christopher Terrell Anderson pleaded guilty in Oneida County Court Friday to murdering Hannah Miller. And Gov. Tony Evers stopped in Rhinelander Friday to make his case for re-election ahead of Wisconsin’s general election in November.