Public Forums

Two candidates are on the ballot in Wisconsin’s 12th State Senate District, which covers most of the Northwoods: Republican Mary Felzkowski and Democrat Ed Vocke. Listen to WXPR’s forum with the two candidates by clicking the audio player above.

The district includes all of Oneida, Lincoln, Langlade, Forest, Florence, and Menominee counties. Most of Vilas County is in the district, and parts of Marathon, Marinette, Oconto, and Shawano counties are in the district.

In the third forum of its kind since the COVID-19 pandemic started, WXPR is spotlighting the virus outbreak in our area and its impacts on human health, our economy and tourism, and our educational system. Listen to the panel here:

Our panelists include:

Where does the Northwoods stand in COVID-19 response? Will some businesses go under? What are communities telling people about travel, tourism, and reopening businesses? What recreation options are still available?

WXPR is answering these questions and others as part of a COVID-19 response forum featuring local professionals. The panel includes:

Your questions about COVID-19 and how it impacts northern Wisconsin are important to WXPR.  On Wednesday afternoon, we hosted a virtual forum, asking the questions you submitted to local professionals.  We invite you to listen here.  Panelists include:

The candidates for the 34th District Assembly seat answered 13 questions from a media panel Wednesday at the WXPR White Pine Room leading up to the November 6 mid-term election. Republican incumbent 34th Representative Rob Swearingen and Democratic challenger Chris Meier of Eagle River answered questions ranging from road funding to property taxes. Click on the link for the full forum.

The forum is part of a political block coming to WXPR this Sunday.

The four candidates for Oneida County Sheriff gathered at WXPR Monday, July 23 to discuss their candidacies and to answer questions from the media.

Three Republicans are seeking the nomination, including incumbent Grady Hartman, Sheriff's Sergeant Greg Gardner, and Oneida and Forest county Medical Examiner Larry Mathien.

Two will be eliminated on August 14. The winner will face Constitution Party candidate Tom Wakely.

Today on WXPR, we look at drugs, specifically opioids and other drugs that are the focus of physicians, law enforcement and the public.

Locally, several organizations have put an emphasis on public awareness and curbing the use of prescription drugs to deal with patients' medical pain. To understand the opioid situation in the Northwoods, WXPR's Ken Krall has put together a forum with several people who work with patients in various ways.

For more information on the HOPE Consortium and the conference coming up on August 24, visit www.hopeconsortium.org

Listen here  to a forum involving the candidates for the 12th State Senate seat: Republican Tom Tiffany and Democrat Bryan Van Stippen. This forum is moderated by WXPR's Ken Krall. The media panel consists of WPR's Glen Moberg, Stephanie Haines of WJFW-TV, Eileen Persike of Star Journal Now, and Brian Jopek of the Lakeland Times.

A panel of mental health professionals, advocates, law enforcement and a consumer met recently in the White Pine Room at WXPR to discuss the status of mental health services in the Northwoods.

There's a growing number of people needing services and fewer professionals to help out. The panel discussed what is being done, where people can get help and the cost, in terms of effects on the person, society and costs to local government.

The moderator for the event is WXPR News Director Ken Krall....

Putting together ways to provide faster internet to underserved areas of the Northwoods was the topic of a forum held recently in the White Pine Room at WXPR.

People from a private Internet provider, government, non-profit coalitions, tribal representatives, and education discussed the need for economic development and connecting to the outside world.

Rob Riordan from Cellcom says in the early days of telephone, the government required a little extra from customers to be able to help serve areas without service. That model could work for broadband...