Olivia Herken

Madison

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Articles

Unique Wisconsin festivals to attend this summer

2 weeks ago | wisconsinindependent.com | Olivia Herken

There is no shortage of things to do in Wisconsin each summer. Across the state, communities small and large host outdoor concerts, craft fairs, farmers markets and more. Major events such as Summerfest and the Taste of Madison draw in visitors from across the region, and most of Wisconsin’s counties host their own fair each summer. But there are also many unique festivals happening this summer that showcase the quirky qualities of the state.
Wisconsin mom says SNAP is more than a benefit; it’s also a need

2 weeks ago | wisconsinindependent.com | Olivia Herken

Chezni Carrion’s 19-month-old son Hudson is a social butterfly. He says hello and goodbye to everyone and everything, even a cup or a zipper. At day care, he loves to dance to music. He recently had ear tube surgery, which has improved his speech, and Carrion said he’s the opposite of a picky eater. “He eats everything in the entire world. I have yet to find something that he does not like,” she said.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos calls warnings about Medicaid cuts an exaggeration

2 weeks ago | wisconsinindependent.com | Olivia Herken

Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said on June 8 that warnings about the impact of President Donald Trump’s federal spending bill on Medicaid are overblown and fearmongering. The bill could cause roughly 63,000 Wisconsinites to lose health insurance coverage, according to Wisconsin Medicaid Director Bill Hanna. “I’m not all that worried. I think there is so much hyperbole and exaggeration from my friends on the left. For anybody who’s watching: There are no cuts in Medicaid.
WI Rep. Van Orden spreads misinformation online following Minnesota shootings

2 weeks ago | wisconsinindependent.com | Olivia Herken

In the days after a gunman shot two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers and their spouses, Wisconsin Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden is receiving pushback over online comments he’s made about the shooter’s political affiliation and about fellow lawmakers. Van Orden, a Prairie du Chien Republican currently serving his second term in Congress, took to social media the day of the shootings to express sympathy for the victims and condemn the violence.
Child care, education funding left on table after bipartisan state budget negotiations end

3 weeks ago | wisconsinindependent.com | Olivia Herken

After months of meetings to strike a deal, bipartisan budget negotiations between Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican lawmakers have ended. It’s now in the GOP’s hands to create the final version of the next two-year state budget. Evers said he agreed to key Republican priorities, which included tax cuts for the middle class and certain retirees.
Trump’s cuts to fresh food grants leave Wisconsin farmers, communities hanging

3 weeks ago | wisconsinindependent.com | Olivia Herken

Every spring, Kat Becker is busy at her farm in north-central Wisconsin, delivering radishes and preparing for the busy vegetable-harvesting months ahead. But ever since President Donald Trump cut funding for a program that connected local farmers with food pantries across the state, she and other Wisconsin farmers have spent this spring being advocates as well. In March, the Trump administration cut funding for the Wisconsin Local Food Purchase Assistance Program.
Sen. Ron Johnson calls Medicaid ‘money laundering’ and ‘fraud’

1 month ago | wisconsinindependent.com | Olivia Herken

Wisconsin’s Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson is claiming Medicaid is a “money laundering” scheme and “fraud” as he calls for more federal spending cuts. Johnson has been a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump’s spending bill, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which would cut over $600 billion in Medicaid funding in exchange for tax cuts. Johnson said he thinks the bill doesn’t cut enough spending, however, and he previously said Medicaid shouldn’t be excluded from cuts.
Wisconsinites exhausted over back-and-forth in PFAS fight

1 month ago | wisconsinindependent.com | Olivia Herken

Cindy Boyle has been on the front lines of the PFAS crisis for nearly eight years, ever since she and her family discovered their private well at their home in Peshtigo was contaminated with the toxic “forever” chemicals. It lit a fire under her, she says, and she and her husband became advocates. They started a citizen’s group called Save Our H20, and they’ve joined efforts across the region and nation to fight against PFAS.
Wisconsin moms say state child care funding is critical

1 month ago | wisconsinindependent.com | Olivia Herken

Wisconsin moms are sounding the alarm about the state’s child care crisis, saying the lack of affordable child care slots is hurting their careers, further destabilizing the economy, and disrupting their children’s learning and development.
Democrats push back on Van Orden’s calls for cuts to the VA

1 month ago | wisconsinindependent.com | Olivia Herken

Democrats and organizers are pushing back on Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden’s calls for cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs. During a U.S. House Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing on May 15, Van Orden said the VA has more bureaucrats than health care providers.