Yesterday, the Republican-controlled state senate passed seven bills aimed at overhauling Wisconsin’s elections. All of the bills still need approval from the Republican-held state assembly before heading to Governor Tony Evers, who is likely to issue a swift veto to most of the proposals. Yesterday’s bills are just part of a massive push state Republicans […]
News & Talk Archives
Transparency Talk: Can you records request a records request?
Every other Thursday, our producer Jonah Chester sits down with Tom Kamenick, President of the Wisconsin Transparency Project, to discuss open records and open government. A quick note, as always, before we begin — this conversation is not intended to be specific legal advice. If you have difficulty with open records or open government, seek […]
Wisconsin DOJ announces sexual assault kit tracking initiative
In 2014, the Wisconsin Department of Justice uncovered a massive backlog of some 6,000 unprocessed sexual assault kits. The state spent the next four years clearing through that backlog. The incident unveiled serious flaws in the state’s sexual assault kit processing procedures — flaws the DOJ and state lawmakers are still working to address. In […]
The Untold Story of Dissenting Prisoners of War
During the 1970s, Americans were riveted by stories of prisoners of war coming home from Vietnam. One part of the story that often went untold, though, was that there were many POWs from Hoa Lo Prison who opposed the war. How were these dissenters portrayed at at the time and why was their story purged […]
Newly Proposed Plan Aims to Address Madison’s Housing Crisis
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway calls the plan “Housing Forward.” It is a sweeping framework that aims to address the short-term goal of housing insecurity and the lingering issue of housing shortages across the city. Matthew Wachter, Madison’s Director of Planning, Community and Economic Development, said the plan builds on extensive research on the city’s housing […]
Madison, 1962 – The UW Suppresses a Film
Madison in the Sixties – the film the UW suppressed. In the summer of 1960, local NAACP president Lloyd Barbee wanted to expose housing discrimination in the Madison rental market. So he proposed to the University of Wisconsin-Extension Bureau of Audio- Visual Instruction that instructor Stuart Hanisch produce a film to be called “To Find […]
